25 Greatest Superstars In WWE Raw History
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Could it really have been anybody else?
Monday Night Raw, even to this day, is built in the image of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Take a long hard gaze at the show any week and you’ll see all the hallmarks of the changes his inexorable rise forced through.
The look may be subject to some spit and polish from time to time, but the TitanTron/ramp aesthetic of the show has been in place since the company’s legendary ‘War Zone’ style shift in 1997. The in-built mayhem was a hallmark of ‘The Rattlesnake’s relentless abuse of his peers then, and his upper management in the years that followed, literally setting the stage for him to deliver such drama and damage. Long promo segments? There because Stone Cold was f*cking brilliant in them. Outlandish stunts? Austin took pride in being able to drive anything. Reckless intent from wannabe kick-ass babyfaces. Steve drank to excess on the job at least once a week.
A*ses were whooped, audiences were whipped up, and Monday Night Raw was forever entrenched as a US television institution as a result. Despite declining ratings and a broad disinterest in the product in 2018, major networks still trip over themselves to house the show and deliver bucketloads of cash to Vince McMahon. And THAT’s the bottom line.