25 Best WWE Raw Matches Ever

8. Shawn Michaels Vs Razor Ramon (August 1st, 1994)

CM Punk John Cena
WWE

It's hard at times to get past Macho Man Randy Savage and Vince McMahon on commentary crowing about the latter's prison avoidance following the conclusion of the 1994 Steroid Trials, but the August 1st Monday Night Raw opener is worthy of a watch - even if liberal muting is required.

Doing it just because they could, Kliq buddies Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon had an absolutely fantastic battle just weeks before 'The Bad Guy' reclaimed the Intercontinental Title from Shawn's bodyguard-cum-tag partner Diesel at SummerSlam. Having not wrestled in four months, 'HBK' was due a performance like this.

Shawn had embraced his sidekick role in getting 'Big Daddy Cool' over since the historic WrestleMania 10 Ladder Match, but returned in style with a breathless 23-minute tour-de-force. Bouncing around for Razor as only few could, Michaels was rag-dolled at various points and almost babyfaced himself thanks to the thrilling deployment of his increasing array of high spots.

Unable to beat him with a Superkick (then not the finisher it would later become for Michaels), 'The Heartbreak Kid' used a double distraction from Diesel and a handful of tights to claim the victory. The pair's post-match beatdown of Ramon even set up the use of NFL cornerman Walter Payton to level the playing field at SummerSlam.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett