WWE History Vol. 12: The First Ever Monday Night RAW

Shawn Michaels--resplendent in his 1990s mullet--puts the squeeze on Max Moon. Believe it or not, this is a match for the Intercontinental championship.

The Steiners squash the Executioners.

A young fan was so excited about the Steiners in WWE that he made this sign. Unfortunately, Rick and Scott seemed out of place in the company.

Back in 1993, The Steiner Brothers grew frustrated with the management of WCW, the company which had risen from the ashes of Jim Crockett productions.

They believed that their more serious style of stiff wrestling--learned and refined by and large by their many stints in Japan--was being discredited in WCW in favor of established talent like Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake.

WWE eagerly signed what was probably the best tag team in the world at that time. The Steiner Brothers wrestled on the first edition of RAW, demolishing the Executioners. Executioner #2 would later become 'famous' as Gillberg and Duane Gill.

Unfortunately, the serious Steiners seemed an odd fit for WWE, even though they were initially met with success. Indeed, during their match Doink the Clown distracted the audience both in the arena and at home, which proved to be prophetic for their WWE career.

Edited by Michael McClead