25 Best WWE Raw Matches Ever

7. Owen Hart & British Bulldog Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin & Shawn Michaels (May 26th, 1997)

CM Punk John Cena
WWE

Shawn Michaels revelled in the opportunity to p*ss Bret Hart off in 1997, but it was hard to stay furious as a fan when he was able to use his own superlative performances as a weapon.

Returning from his hugely controversial title abdication in February, Michaels infamously bumped around in a way that would make Dolph Ziggler wince and still went on to defeat his arch-rival's family members to earn gold again in a makeshift pairing with top babyface-in-waiting Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Though wrapped in storyline as per the company-wide conflict between the Hart Foundation and every other babyface at the time, the quartet assembled a stunning old fashioned tag team match shortly before the concept dissolved completely under the creative leadership of Vince Russo.

Injury in another clash with Owen three months later would rob 'The Rattlesnake' of an in-ring run that matched his incredible box office appeal, but he was in truly sensational form, adapting the mechanics that got him signed and over as a heel into a babyface role he was effectively pioneering. The outward story is Shawn's, but like everything else in 1997, Stone Cold's prevailing dominance is constantly bubbling under.

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