9 Ways WWE Raw Broke GOOD Ratings Records 20 Years Ago

3. Highest Rated Episode In Raw History - May 10th 1999

Raw beer bash
WWE

The May 10th 1999 edition of Monday Night Raw stands up on rewatch as a large and loaded edition of the show, but it speaks to the unparalleled success of the flagship at the time that the company would so gleefully donate so much to one single edition of the broadcast as it continued on its dominant crusade.

The main event alone was the sort of banger the company would try and assemble for a Saudi Arabian supercard in the modern era. Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Vince McMahon took on The Undertaker, Triple H and Shane McMahon with rabble rousing Commissioner Shawn Michaels installed as the guest referee.

Unintentional as it may have been, the very architecture of the show rips the p*ss out of the very idea of there being any competition from WCW Nitro - 'HBK' books the whole show in the segment from a clipboard of ideas he's ostensibly just come up with that day. A babyface batting back the oppression of the Corporate Ministry, everything he suggests gets a pop from the live audience and clearly kept the viewers tuned too.

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