50 Greatest WWE Raw Moments Ever

35. Bubba Ray Dudley Powerbombs Mae Young (March 13th, 2000)

Bubba Ray Dudley Mae Young
WWE

The majority of truly great Raw moments are not just fantastic as standalone segments, but superlative checkpoints in wider creative arcs. The vast, vast majority on this list alone don't resonate without a deep-rooted investment in the characters involved and/or the stories they were doing an excellent job of telling.

Could that be applied to the coming together of two of Bubba Ray Dudley's favourite hobbies in March 2000? With deranged frequency, he'd grown to love putting women through tables and abusing the 77-year-old Mae Young. Thus, the above insanity manifested. But really, is there any requirement to remotely contextualise one of the most maniacal visuals the company ever managed to craft?

It was a moment that could only happen in professional wrestling, which is a compliment to the industry and the world outside of it. Ray soared through the air from the Raw stage, scissored by Mae's legs as she crumpled in a heap through multiple tables. A septuagenarian suffering a fate a trained stunt performer would take a couple of closer looks at, with a post-carnage close-up on the perpetrator's orgasmic reaction, all on live television. The only thing as crazy was how the incredible scene expedited a babyface turn for Bubba & D-Von. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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