3. Mick Foley Wins The WWF Title - January 4th, 1999
The importance of Mankind's WWF title win on the January 4th, 1999 Raw can't be underestimated. This was one of the most crucial turning points in the Monday Night War. What was key to it, was WCW actually promoting the title change. Raw had been taped ahead of time, and Nitro's announcer gave the result away with the belief that fans would scoff at the thought of a WCW reject winning the WWF title. In contrast, Nitro viewers jumped over to Raw. The episode's main event title change proved key in grabbing the Nitro audience, with WCW unwittingly giving Raw a huge assist. Raw did a new record 5.76 against Nitro's 4.96, with almost half a million Nitro viewers switching channels when Nitro's Tony Schiavone gave away the result. It was a watershed moment, and also great television, with a red hot crowd popping like crazy when Stone Cold Steve Austin came out to cost The Rock. That pop only exploded louder when Foley then covered for the title. It was one of the best Raw episodes ever, and an important capture of the Nitro viewership.
