Monday Night Raw has been the flagship show for the WWE since its inception at the beginning of 1993, and that first year in particular played a large role in setting the show apart from the rest of the programming that the company ran on a regular basis. Featuring a number of title matches and many important storyline moments, the men and women who made up the roster during that era were vital when it came to ensuring the program was allowed to grow and become the enormous success it has been for WWE. The first year in particular was known as being somewhat experimental, with ideas such as having Rob Bartlett on colour commentary or having superstars phone the commentary booth to have conversations during matches. Still, 1993 was also notable for establishing the live format and proving that it was a concept that could work. That was 22 years ago and since then a surprising number of stars from that first year have passed away, many at a much younger age than would normally be expected. Some of these stars played an enormous role in the WWE beyond Raw, and this list aims to shine a spotlight on those who took part in the genesis of WWEs main show that are no longer with us.
Lee Price is a writer for 411mania.com and Starburst Magazine, which is published in the UK. He is currently working as a freelance writer. He hopes to one day fund his addiction to video games by writing about video games, and he maintains a sporadically updated blog at leesrandombulls*it.wordpress.com
