10 Surprise Comeback Predictions For WWE Raw's 25 Year Celebration

NY Confidential

CM Punk AJ Lee
WWE

WWE have advertised an absolute sh*tload of names for their 'Raw 25' celebration on January 22nd. Seriously, loads.

The landmark episode has been promoted as heavily (if not more so) than a monthly Network supercard. Presumably looking to draw an extremely strong television rating for USA Network ahead of incoming renewal conversations AND drive those additional viewers to giving the WWE Network a try for Royal Rumble weekend, WWE have front-loaded the broadcast with the promise of countless familiar faces, but whatever happened to the element of surprise?

Yes, it's unlikely that Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner or Alberto Del Rio will step out on either the Barclays or Manhattan Center stages with a smile, wave and a WWE.com t-shirt, but with the floodgates opening wide enough to include everybody from Brother Love to Billy Gunn, there seems almost nobody not worth considering for a token spot on the card.

Taking place just six days later, the Royal Rumble match is ordinarily the place for shocks, surprises and sentimental returns, but with the company electing to fill the go-home broadcasts with half of the 'Alumni' section of the website, Monday could outstrip Sunday by some margin.

10. Sid

CM Punk AJ Lee
WWE.com

Shawn Michaels came tantalisingly close to earning a cease and desist from WCW when he introduced Sid as 'big, bad and vicious' on a 1995 edition of the 'King's Court'. The main thing though, was that he didn't use Sid Eudy's original 'Justice' moniker. The Raw return was intended to be something of a rebirth for the character, but he was predictably gone again by the end of the year. And back again with 'The Heartbreak Kid' the following July. And gone again by mid-1997.

It was an unfortunate pattern in his career and perhaps the key factor (other than his laughably poor worked punches) why he only became a superstar and not a globally-renowned megastar. It mattered not that he didn't know a proverbial 'watch from 'lock when when he looked the way he did.

Sadly, everything from squeegees to softball season separated Sid from suplexes and superkicks and 'Sycho's stance hasn't shifted since.

Just last week, the 'Master And Ruler Of The World' blamed Donald Trump's travel ban for missing an 'Absolute Intense Wrestling' show in Cleveland, Ohio. WWE could pat themselves on the back just by getting the former World Heavyweight Champion to even turn up!

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett