25 Best Wrestling Shows EVER
16. WWE Monday Night Raw (September 22, 1997)
TV shows don't tend to populate lists such as these because they exist to build the memorable destination events.
Before the advent of All Elite Wrestling, the wrestling TV show more often than not promoted throwaway matches. WCW Nitro popularised the competitive all-star attraction, and Vince McMahon would promote the odd classic on Raw - Mr. Perfect Vs. Ric Flair in 1993, CM Punk Vs. John Cena in 2013 - but the flagship, with its screwy finishes and post-match angles, mostly functioned to convince you to pay for the shows that "mattered". The electrifying September 22, 1997 edition of Raw Is War mattered more than most shows in wrestling history. It was the night that the WWF discovered the battle plan to win the Monday Night War.
The best wrestling TV shows achieve a trifecta, and must feature a great match, a great angle, and a great promo. On September 22, 1997, the WWF didn't so much achieve the trifecta as perfect it.
In the great match, Mick Foley as Cactus Jack for the first time ever made Triple H look like he might actually have something. Their iconic Falls Count Anywhere war, which Cactus could not have won more selflessly and narrowly, was both a feel-good moment and a vital step in building WWE's long-term future. In the great angle, Stone Cold Steve Austin got arrested for violating Owen Hart's restraining order. He could not have looked more like an irresistible badass grinning as he was led away. In the great promo, Shawn Michaels was just as good a heel as Austin was a babyface when interrupting the Undertaker.
Set against a backdrop of Madison Square Garden and a pumped-up adoring faithful of the firm belief that the WWF was on the comeback, this was the best Raw from WWE's best-ever stretch of episodic TV.