12 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 2007
5. The Year Closed With A Bang
Woooooo!
Ric Flair's jump over to SmackDown in the 2007 Draft turned out be a colossal waste of everyone's time. He got injured, took some time off to heal up, then returned to Raw in November like the blue brand didn't even exist. Insert jokes here about how it sometimes didn't in Vince McMahon's mind. He'd have given Raw SmackDown's last Rolo, the swine.
On the 31 December show, WWE closed out '07 with one hell of a statement match. Flair met Triple H with his career on the line, but that wasn't the sole stipulation. Hunter's berth in the upcoming Royal Rumble was also up for grabs, so there was something at stake for both former Evolution stablemates.
It was some showdown between 2 masters. Trips always enjoyed working with his idol Flair, and Ric was visibly comfortable inside the ring with his friend. The match arguably lacked some intensity here or there because they were on-screen pals, but it was some match to end the year with.
Fans were starting to understand their assignment. The 'Nature Boy' was winding down his full-time career with the promotion, so they had to do their part and treat every one of his matches like it might be the last. That atmosphere, and the sympathetic support people drummed up for Ric, complemented what he and Hunter were doing in that 20x20 ring.
So, not the best match of Raw's year by any means (Cena vs. Michaels or another match we're just about to cover knocked it right off that perch), but still a fun watch.