10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 1997

5. The First Wrestler To Appear On Raw Is War Was...

Ultimate Warrior Money
WWE.com

Sycho Sid!

And why not? The company needed the 'Master & Ruler Of The World' as much as he needed them, and as WWE Champion before handing the gold off for good a few weeks later as WrestleMania, it was an example of the company putting their best foot forward.

Raw Is War launched on March 10th 1997 as one of several major changes the company made in an attempt to polish up a product that was getting badly battered in a ratings and perception war by World Championship Wrestling. WCW Nitro was destroying Raw, and had in turn become the North American market leader.

WWE required a wholesale reboot, and from the first segment onwards, it was clear the changes were going to be more than aesthetic. Sid opened the show questioning if he could trust The Undertaker ahead of their 'Show Of Shows' match

The two forged an uneasy alliance to fight off Bearer's men to close out the segment, leaving plenty behind for the evening's main event.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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