9 Ways WWE Raw Broke GOOD Ratings Records 20 Years Ago
2. Highest Rated Match In Raw History - 28th June 1999
Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker often boasted anti-chemistry in comparison to some of the contests they had with The Rock, Mick Foley and others, but the sizzle was substantially more important that the steak when the two went to war for the WWE Championship in June 1999.
A night removed from a hugely controversial King Of The Ring, Austin was set to re-ascend having lost control of the company to Vince and Shane McMahon in a crooked ladder match 24 hours earlier, but was never allowed to settle on a sh*t night long enough to ruin his incredible aura.
Raw, still drawing unbelievable numbers as the casual audience continued to increase, yet again benefitted from some WCW buffoonery, too.
Delivering a blockbuster conclusion as 'The Rattlesnake' regained the gold, the pair drew a monsterous 9.5 rating, helped by the same evening's Nitro going off the air before the finish. Capturing every channel-hopper for the gripping climax, the convergence of these various forces brought the television audience like never before. Two decades on and they've never approached anything similar since.