Raw Materials

AS RAW HITS 1,000 EPISODES, TODD MARTIN TAKES A LOOK AT THE GREATEST MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE PROGRAMME

May 17, 1993: The 1-2-3 Kid Upsets Razor Ramon
When Sean Waltman began making appearances on WWF programming as a lanky 20-year-old, there was little indication that he would be a star in the business for most of the next two decades. Waltman lost all his early matches in quick fashion, and the promotion couldn't even keep his name straight; one week he was The Lightning Kid or The Kamikaze Kid, and the next week he was The Cannonball Kid or even just The Kid. He looked like just another WWF jobber.

That all changed on May 17, 1993. Razor Ramon was a featured WWF star and had challenged for the WWF title just months earlier at the Royal Rumble. Ramon was expected to dispose of his diminutive opponent in quick fashion, so when Waltman hit a moonsault press - a move never seen on WWF TV - and scored the pin, the crowd at the Manhattan Center erupted for the upset.

The 1-2-3 Kid was born, and Waltman would thrive for years to come.

December 6, 1993: Gorilla Monsoon Gives Bobby Heenan An Unbecoming Send-Off
Few announce teams in wrestling history have had the chemistry of Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon. The bickering between the two was a staple of WWF TV in the '80s and early-'90s, belying their real-life friendship. Thus, when Heenan left the WWF in 1993 to join WCW, it was only natural that he be evicted by his former Prime Time Wrestling co-host.

After some particularly strong antagonism on the part of "The Brain", Monsoon grabbed a begging and pleading Heenan and threw him out of the building during an edition of Raw in December 1993. Heenan was left outside the building crying, with only a small bag of possessions - appropriated from his hotel - to show for his all his years in the WWF.

It was a memorable exit for one of the best performers the company ever had.

November 20, 1995: HBK Collapses
One of the most surprising developments in the early days of Raw occurred on a winter night in 1995. Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart were in the midst of a bout when, without warning, Michaels collapsed. The rest of the show featured the announcers selling the injury, and doctors looking after Michaels. Many fans wondered if this was part of the show, as while Michaels' fall appeared to be exaggerated, the subsequent drama seemed very real indeed.

This, in fact, it was an angle designed to play off Michaels' injuries suffered in a real-life fight in Syracuse, New York. It worked perfectly, generating sympathy for Michaels and creating tremendous momentum when he returned to action in 1996 to capture the WWF title, and become the standard bearer for the promotion.

January 22, 1996: Vader Makes His Presence Known
When the former Big Van Vader fell into the WWF's lap in 1996, it seemed like a match made in heaven. Vader was the top super-heavyweight in wrestling, and the WWF had always been a big man's promotion. Vader seemed a perfect opponent for the likes of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. When WCW fired Vader for a locker room fight with Paul Orndorff, it didn't take long for the WWF to come a-calling. He debuted at the 1996 Royal Rumble, but it was on his first live appearance on Raw the next night that he would make the biggest impact.

After defeating Savio Vega, Vader proceeded to attack WWF officials. This led WWF President Gorilla Monsoon to confront him, but Vader then attacked Monsoon in what was the last physical angle of the veteran's life. It was a chaotic scene, and established Vader as a major player from very early on, even if Shawn Michaels' complaints about his work - including a temper-tantrum thrown during the SummerSlam 1996 main event - meant that Vader never reached the heights of his time in New Japan or WCW.

March 18 and 25, 1996: Pay-Per-View Hype Ahead Of Its Time
Two athletes are shown at training camps in their home-towns, preparing for a big upcoming fight on pay-per-view. They each give their thoughts on the contest and what they need to do to win, while the viewer is left to decide who to root for.

This scenario sounds very familiar to fans of HBO's 24/7 boxing series, or UFC's Countdown specials. It was also what the WWF did to hype the main event of WrestleMania XII between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels a decade earlier.

This was different from the usual wrestling hype. Hart and Michaels were outside of the ring, and yet they weren't talking trash. Instead, Michaels wanted to fulfill his boyhood dream, and Hart looked to prove he was still the best. With a great score accompanying the footage, and tremendous, believable performances by each man, it was some of the best hype of its era.

January-April, 1997: Bret Hart Turns On America and Reforms The Hart Foundation
No story in the early days of Raw - and few stories in the history of WWE - have been told as well as Bret Hart's heel turn of 1997. Hart, a long-time top babyface, began to hear a few boos in the fall of 1996 when matched against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Hart didn't acknowledge frustration until a January 20 edition of Raw when he snapped for the first time, telling Vince McMahon - then in an ambiguous role as an announcer and authority figure - that he quit, furious that he was "screwed" at the previous two pay-per-view events. Hart would stay on, but snap again March 17, when The Undertaker interfered to cost him a WWF title cage match against Sid. Hart shoved McMahon to the ground and screamed, "This is bullshit!"

The next week, Hart told American wrestling fans to stick it for cheering Austin over him at WrestleMania. On March 31, he talked his brother Owen and brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith into reconciling and joining him in his crusade against American fans. Later, Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart would join the cause. Everything was set for an exciting year-long feud between the Hart Foundation and Canada, and Steve Austin and America.

May 19 and 26, 1997: Fans Get To Know Mick Foley
Mick Foley's personal story is now so well-known that it can be hard to remember that he was once viewed by most as simply a maniacal heel. That began to change on two editions of Raw in 1997, when he was interviewed by Jim Ross. Foley explained how he grew up a wrestling fan in Long Island who would do anything to make it to the big show, but that it was only through years of destroying his body that he got to the WWF. These interviews showed the human side to Foley that stood in stark contrast to the character he played on television. The well-produced and touching segments started his slow rise into one of the biggest stars in wrestling.

September-November, 1997: D-Generation X Forms
Wrestling had never seen an act quite like D-Generation X when the group was formed in the fall of 1997. They held up juvenile signs, made risqué jokes about sex, and memorably read out a list of words that were supposedly banned from television (the words were, in fact, bleeped out). Their entrance video uniquely played over their TV entrance, giving off a feeling of chaos. There was the sense that they could and would do anything, particularly in the period right around the formation of the group. Every week they would find new ways to shock and surprise. It made the WWF seem cool, and DX would end up as excellent foils for a certain beer drinking redneck.

January 19, 1998: "Tyson And Austin!"
Mike Tyson was pay-per-view's top attraction when he had his boxing licence rescinded for biting Evander Holyfield's ear. This provided Vince McMahon with the opportunity to bring Tyson into his fold, and give the rub of his fame to Steve Austin. The big angle occurred on a January Raw when McMahon brought Tyson to the ring for an announcement.

He never got that announcement off, as he was interrupted by the entrance of "Stone Cold". Austin expressed his distaste for Tyson, and his feeling that he could take Tyson in a fight. After Austin flipped off Tyson, the latter shoved Austin, and all hell broke loose. The clip would appear all over mainstream television in the ensuing weeks. Austin's star was taken to another level, and WrestleMania XIV did phenomenal business. Tyson would later be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for his pivotal role in elevating one of the company's all-time greats.

March 30, 1998: DX Army Enlists A Familiar Soldier
With Shawn Michaels forced to retire following his match with Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV, D-Generation X needed to be rebuilt without its leader and top star. That entire process came in the space of one noteworthy night.

First, a fired-up Sean Waltman returned to the WWF after being fired by WCW - and by FedEx, no less. Later re-christened X-Pac, Waltman trashed WCW, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff on Raw, and said that Kevin Nash and Scott Hall wanted to join him in the WWF. That the WWF went at WCW so directly on TV was jarring. Later in the show, The New Age Outlaws joined Triple-H and X-Pac to form the new composition of DX. The switch was so successful that the group quickly became rebellious fan favourites.

April 13, 1998: Austin vs. McMahon Almost Happens
In the spring of 1998, Vince McMahon was not viewed in any way as a wrestler. That made it novel and intriguing when McMahon agreed to wrestle his rival Steve Austin on an April 1998 edition of Raw. The entire show built towards this dream match, but the bout didn't take place when Dude Love (Mick Foley) got involved. Fans were captivated enough that Raw topped Nitro in the ratings for the first time in almost two years. Austin vs. McMahon would become one of WWE's all-time great feuds, and they would later square off in the ring on a number of occasions.

July 27, 1998: Bart Gunn Knocks Out Dr. Death
The WWF's Brawl for All concept was a failure in just about every way. The attempt to feature legitimate fights on WWF television was rejected by fans, who frequently booed the segments. Many of the wrestlers involved suffered serious injuries, and no new top stars were created. But if nothing else, it did feature one of the most memorable events in the history of Raw.

Bart Gunn was a mid-carder going nowhere when Brawl For All began, and he was a decided underdog against Steve Williams in the second round of the tournament. "Dr. Death", an elite collegiate wrestler and legendary tough guy, was expected to win the tournament and feud with Steve Austin. Those hopes went up in smoke, however, when Williams tore his hamstring, and Gunn knocked him out. Neither man lasted in the WWF, and the group quickly decided to get out of the business of real fighting.

January 4, 1999: Mankind Wins The Title
In the year-and-a-half following his sit-down interviews with Jim Ross, Mick Foley became an increasingly beloved figure. His Dude Love and Cactus Jack personas made their WWF debuts, and fans grew to understand and relate to the man behind the gimmicks. At the time, the WWF title was something that only a precious few wrestlers would ever hold, and the prize seemed out of reach for a guy like Mankind.

The sense that there was a limit to how far Foley could go in wrestling only added to the excitement when he shattered that glass ceiling. A thunderous reaction erupted from the crowd when Mankind bested The Rock to take the title. WCW attempted to take away Foley's shine by giving away the result of the pre-recorded bout, mocking Foley's victory, but it only led to a monster quarter-hour rating, with fans tuning into Raw in droves for this historic bout.

May 24, 1999: A Tribute To Owen Hart
When the much-loved Owen Hart fell to his death in an accident at Over the Edge 1999, it left behind a devastated cadre of friends, family and colleagues. The WWF decided to pay tribute to Hart by dedicating the entire edition of Raw the next night to him. Wrestlers like Mark Henry, Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley shared their heartfelt remembrances of their fallen friend. It was a classy showing by the WWF, which aired similar shows for Eddie Guerrero, and later, regrettably, for Chris Benoit.

August 9, 1999: Raw Is Jericho
The potential for superstardom in Chris Jericho was no secret when he caught fire in WCW in 1998. Jericho's mix of charisma, promo work, and wrestling ability made him a sure-fire future superstar. At the time, the WWF was the place where young stars got elevated, and when Jericho's contract with WCW was up, he headed north. A long "Countdown to the Millennium" build-up led up to Jericho's epic debut. He interrupted The Rock to sarcastically proclaim himself the saviour of the WWF. He held his own on the mic with one of the business' top stars, and made it clear he was destined for big things.

January 31 & February 7, 2000: The Radicalz Arrive
Years of frustration on the part of WCW's top in-ring performers came to a head early in 2000, when Chris Benoit, Eddy Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn were granted their releases from WCW. The four quickly signed with the WWF, and showed up on Raw. They initially appeared to be babyfaces, but on Smackdown they joined with the heels in DX in order to get storyline contracts with the company.

That led to a thrilling match the next week on Raw, when The Radicalz teamed with Triple-H and X-Pac to face The Rock, Cactus Jack, Too Cool (Scotty 2 Hotty and Brian Christopher) and Rikishi. The match was notable for one of the hottest crowds in Raw history, and culminated with the surprise return of Kane and Paul Bearer. The WWF's deep roster of talent got even deeper with the addition of two future main eventers, while WCW would never recover from the departure of even more of its best young talent.

May 21, 2001: Benoit and Jericho Topple Austin And Triple-H In Classic
Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho were still trying to make their way to the top of the card in 2001 - a spot Triple-H and Steve Austin were accustomed to. When the two teams squared off and the young stars won, it was not only one of the best contests of the year, but an important match in taking Benoit and Jericho to the next level. Unfortunately, Triple-H tore his quad during the bout, putting a severe dampener on what should have been a night of celebration.

July 9, 2001: An Alliance Is Formed
WCW's invasion of the WWF was a disappointment to many fans, as the actual conflict didn't live up to lofty expectations. However, there was one night when everything about the invasion felt right. It was the night that Paul Heyman and ECW interjected themselves into the WWF vs. WCW feud.

In the middle of a match between WWF wrestlers Chris Jericho and Kane and WCW stars Lance Storm and Mike Awesome, Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer interfered to attack the WWF competitors. A number of WWF wrestlers came to seemingly make the save, but those men were all more associated with ECW than the WWF, and indeed they joined in the beatdown of the WWF guys. WWF commentator and former ECW owner Paul Heyman came to the ring, and in one of the best promos in a career full of great promos, announced that the invasion had been taken to the extreme.

Two weeks later, Invasion would draw the largest non-WrestleMania buy-rate in WWE history, thanks in large part to this angle.

July 15, 2002: Bischoff Hugs McMahon
For years, Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon were the fiercest of rivals, and the real-life hatred between the two men was reflected in the bitter feud between the WWF and WCW. When Bischoff signed with WWE and walked onto the Raw set, it was arguably the most surreal moment in the history of the show. Things only got stranger when Bischoff and McMahon shocked the live audience by embracing.

Much criticism has been directed at the hug. A Bischoff versus McMahon feud had an element of reality that likely could have drawn a lot of money. But that made it all the more stunning and memorable when the two rivals instead engaged in a seemingly unthinkable gesture of reconciliation.

March 31, 2003: Goldberg Spears Rock
By 2003, just about every WCW star of interest had made his way to WWE - except for one. Bill Goldberg, at one point the hottest wrestler anywhere, finally debuted in WWE in 2003. As The Rock was talking trash in the ring, Goldberg's familiar theme bellowed throughout the arena. Following his popular catchphrase, Goldberg announced that The Rock was "next", and delivered a spear to the burgeoning movie star. Goldberg's WWE career would not live up to expectations, but on this night, there was nothing but enthusiasm for the former WCW champion.

February 21, 2005: Triple-H Gets The Thumbs Down
If there have been better-booked feuds in the last decade than Triple-H vs. Batista, you can count them on one hand. It was WWE storytelling at its best, and it paid off financially in a handsome manner.

Triple-H and Batista were friends and partners in Evolution for two years. After Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble, he had the option to either challenge for his mentor's title, or that held by JBL. It was obvious that Triple-H was trying to manipulate Batista, but unclear as to whether "The Animal" saw through it. This culminated on Raw, when Batista teased that he would wrestle JBL, but then gave Triple-H the familiar thumbs down that "The Game" once gave Randy Orton. Batista powerbombed him through a table, and signed to face him at WrestleMania. Fans were ready to see Batista break Triple-H's shackles, and the show was one of the most financially successful events in WWE history.

January 9, 2006: Edge And Lita's Live Sex Celebration
Edge's title win over John Cena at the beginning of 2006 was supposed to be a short-term switch, with Cena quickly winning it back. But in that period, Edge did well enough in the ratings that he remained a perennial main event-level performer for the rest of his career. That success was in large part due to his "live sex celebration" with Lita, where they stripped down under the covers in a bed in the middle of the ring. It was a unique ploy that brought attention to Edge and Lita's excellent pairing, and paved the way for big things in the former's future.

April 23, 2007: Michaels & Cena Go Nearly An Hour
Throughout its history, Raw has been built more on short segments than long segments, but occasionally wrestlers are given time to go out and have a classic match. That happened in April 2007, when Shawn Michaels and John Cena wrestled for 57 minutes in London. Cena's wrestling ability has often been maligned, but he proved he was up to the task of keeping up with one of the all-time greats in this match, even if Michaels was victorious.

March 31, 2008: A Farewell To Flair
Given the immense respect those in the business have for Ric Flair, it was no surprise that WWE pulled out all the stops in paying homage to the legendary NWA and WWF champion in 2008.

After Flair spoke, a collection of the wrestlers most important to his career came out to honour "The Nature Boy". From rivals like Ricky Steamboat and Harley Race to allies like Arn Anderson, J.J Dillon, and Triple-H, it was an outpouring of affection. Flair could no longer contain himself when the entire WWE roster came out to pay tribute to him.

January 4, 2010: A Homecoming For Bret Hart
"I guess hell froze over," Bret Hart joked upon returning to WWE after a 13-year absence. Hart had left WWE on the worst of terms following the infamous Montreal screwjob, but he seemed in a good place appearing on Raw in early-2010. Hart spoke fondly of old rivals Jerry Lawler and Shawn Michaels, and even embraced "The Heartbreak Kid". Vince McMahon came out to express how much Hart meant to the company, but then kicked him low, setting up a feud heading into WrestleMania.

June 7, 2010: Nexus Attacks
It seemed like business as usual on an early June edition of Raw in 2010, but things quickly changed when the members of the first season of NXT came out of the crowd following the main event, and quickly laid waste to everyone at ringside. The group attacked not only wrestlers, but also other officials. In the most striking visual, Daniel Bryan choked ring announcer Justin Roberts with his tie, and spit in John Cena's face. It was one of the boldest angles in recent years, and led to the formation of Nexus and a series of pay-per-view main events for the young wrestlers.

February 14, 2011: The Rock Sets Sights On Cena
Upon The Rock's return to WWE in 2011, he was announced as the host for WrestleMania, and expressed his distaste for John Cena. It was clear that the selling point of WrestleMania would be The Rock and Cena rivalry, and not the main event of Cena versus The Miz. In just one night, two consecutive big-money WrestleMania shows were set.

June 27, 2011: CM Punk Shoots
No promo in Raw history generated as much discussion as CM Punk's in the summer of 2011. The promo, constructed by Punk himself, gave voice to sentiment many felt towards John Cena, Vince McMahon, and WWE in general. It referenced Brock Lesnar, Colt Cabana, New Japan, and Ring of Honor. In WWE programming that often feels overly scripted and controlled, it was a breath of fresh air. It made Punk a rebel, and the hottest new star in years. The follow-up would not be nearly so inspired, but on this night, Punk was magic.

April 2, 2012: Lesnar Assaults Cena
Brock Lesnar's UFC career brought countless pro wrestling fans into the MMA fold, and there was thus widespread excitement among wrestling fans when news broke that Lesnar was negotiating to return to WWE. When the former WWE and UFC champion's music hit in the middle of a John Cena promo, the crowd in Miami came unglued. An F5 later, Lesnar had announced his presence back in his former home. It was Raw at its unpredictable and exciting best.