Major Name Set For WWE Raw XXX

WrestleMania main eventer and four-time World Champion to appear on next week's Raw.

Jan 16, 2023 January 16th, 2023

With WWE Raw's 30th anniversary special just one week away, the legendary Shawn Michaels is set to be one of the stars of the past who'll be making an appearance next Monday.

Mike Johnson at PWInsider.com reports that the Heartbreak Kid is the latest name to be booked for Raw XXX from Philadelphia. Interestingly, Michaels actually competed on the very first episode of Raw back on 11 January 1993, where he retained the Intercontinental Championship over the Paul Diamond iteration of Max Moon.

That Michaels vs. Moon contest is in the history books for being the first ever title match to take place on Raw. Likewise, the Showstopper currently stands as the only talent from that inaugural Raw offering to be lined up for Raw XXX.

Other names known to be appearing at Raw XXX are Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Kane, Sean Waltman and Tatanka, although one has to also imagine plentiful more stars of yesteryear will be in attendance at Philly's Wells Fargo Center a week from today.

In terms of that first ever episode of Raw, the main event featured the Undertaker defeating Damien Demento, the Steiner Brothers picked up a dominant victory over Duane Gill and Barry Hardy, and the opening bout had Yokozuna topple Koko B. Ware. Elsewhere, there was the first appearance of Doink the Clown, Kamala turned babyface, and Razor Ramon was interviewed by Vince McMahon - all while Bobby Heenan attempted to enter the Manhattan Center using various disguises.

Matt Borne (Doink), Rodney Anoaʻi (Yokozuna), James Harris (Kamala), Scott Hall (Razor Ramon) and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan have all sadly passed away in the years since that first Raw episode - though some of the other aforementioned names from '93 could well make an appearance on Raw XXX.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

See more from Andrew