25 Best Moments Of WWE Monday Night RAW (Year-By-Year)
The past 25 years have given us some of the greatest moments in WWE history.
The year was 1993. A crowd of fans packed into the Manhattan Center. A theme song played, sirens went off, and a bow-tied announcer flanked by his co-hosts looked into the camera.
"Welcome everyone, to Monday Night RAWWWWW," Vince McMahon bellowed in his signature growl, as he greeted his television audience to the premiere episode of what would end up changing the wrestling landscape forever.
For 25 years, Monday Night RAW has been the ever-changing, ever-evolving, ever-infuriating, and ever-satisfying staple of most wrestling fans' TV experience. In the days of high-priced PPVs, RAW for many was the only gateway to the absurd world of WWE programming, and for many more, it was their first exposure to wrestling in general.
It hasn't always been a pretty 25 years. There have been many stretches of time where the program has been downright insufferable, but even in the bad times, there's always that one moment or match that makes fans remember just how great RAW can be, and how important it's been for WWE and wrestling in general.
Year by year, these were the times that reminded us why Monday Night RAW is celebrating 25.
25. 1993: The 1-2-3 Kid Defeats Razor Ramon
While RAW was certainly fresh during its first few weeks, with its gritty aesthetic and live nature (at first), it was still mainly standard WWF programming of its time. Namely, the shows consisted of squash matches and little in the way of storytelling or character development. However, in May of 1993, WWE defied their own conventions and made a new superstar in a big way.
Sean Waltman, who had been utilized as an enhancement talent, was squaring off against the much larger Razor Ramon. Portrayed as a typical squash match, the audience were shocked when "The Kid" scored a flash pinfall victory on Ramon. Capitalizing on this win, Waltman was rechristened the 1-2-3 Kid, and in the following weeks, continued to feud with and eventually align with Razor Ramon, turning "The Bad Guy" face in the process.
The feud and gradual face turn for Ramon showed the early potential RAW had for week-to-week storytelling. In addition, with the unprecedented victory for Waltman making a star out of the diminutive jobber, it signified that anything could happen on this new show.