10 Things You Learn Rewatching The First Ever WWE Raw Episode

by Jamie Kennedy

1. It Hasn't Aged Well

The Undertaker Damien Demento
WWE Network

Now there's an understatement.

A card featuring Yokozuna vs. Koko B. Ware, The Steiner Brothers vs. The Executioners, Shawn Michaels vs. Max Moon and The Undertaker vs. Damien Demento was hardly inspiring in '93, never mind in 2018. Raw's debut was more about the buzz of the show itself. The intimate setting, unique commentary (yep, Rob Bartlett) and the fact it was live did more for Monday night's new wrestling institution than the matches.

Three squash matches, a fairly competitive Intercontinental Title bout, some Royal Rumble hype, a Razor Ramon interview, Bobby Heenan hijinks and a brief confrontation between Doink the Clown and Crush were all fans got for the first episode. It was enough to keep people tuning in, but it was hardly the groundbreaking entertainment WWE sell it as.

It's also strange to look back and see that Crush chasing Doink around the ring (after being squirted with water from a fake flower) was the go-home segment for the show. In 1993, this was what the 'Road To WrestleMania' meant to the WWF.

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What else did you learn from watching the first ever episode of Monday Night Raw? Let us know down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.