Perhaps the biggest nuance that Monday Night Raw brought to the plate was the surprise element. When the no-name 'Lightning Kid' defeated Razor Ramon during an episode of the show in May, fans sat up and took notice. The match had initially looked for all the world like just another squash affair, but the Kid's suitably rapid offence and subsequent victory had people talking. Instantly, fans started to expect things such as this on a more regular basis, which put significant pressure on the WWF creative team to produce. In essence, Monday Night Raw sped up how the company booked television - beforehand, there were huge gaps between the major Pay-Per-Views, and even though that was still the case, people wanted more bang for their buck when watching even the regular TV shows. This changed the game entirely, the promotion now had to provide fans with ample reason to tune in from week to week. Clearly, this is the way it should be, but it wasn't necessarily the case before Raw was established. The WWF name was the big seller beforehand, and fans were simply happy to see the top stars, even if they were wrestling nobodies. Now, with Raw, things had to be more spectacular than ever before on a weekly basis. Do you agree that Monday Night Raw, whilst it changed the way the then-WWF operated, wasn't always a good thing for the company? What do you make of the entries on this list? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!
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.