25 Greatest WWE Raw Moments Ever

8. Pillman's Got A Gun! (November 4th, 1996)

Hulk Hogan The Rock
WWE Network

Another key moment in the concurrent rises of both Monday Night Raw and Stone Cold Steve Austin, the night of Brian Pillman's home invasion foreshadowed brave new steps Vince McMahon was prepared to take in order to narrow the gap with the WCW Monday Nitro juggernaut crushing his product on a weekly basis.

He'd wait a while for the numbers to reflect the shift, but many point to the powerful scenes enacted at Pillman's actual house between the gun-toting 'Loose Cannon' and his former 'Hollywood Blondes' partner as critical turning point for McMahon's attitude to the fight ahead. The sounds of smashing glass and smashed up foes would come to define Austin's entire run, and his evening (literally) staring down the barrel of dire consequence mirrored his gaffer's newfound willingness to explore devilish new avenues of Sports Entertainment.

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