WWE: 10 Things Today's Wrestling Fans Wouldn't Understand About The 90s

3. When Monday Night Raw Debuted In 1993

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS4o4ldqPGk World Wrestling Entertainment loves telling its fans that Monday Night Raw is the longest running episodic show in television history. It started in January 1993 and aside from a few exceptions, it has aired every Monday for the past 21 years. Any week now, we can expect WWE to announce a new television deal that will likely see at least a 50% increase in rights fees if not more. They brag all the time about how it is the highest rated show on cable. They should brag. It's amazing that it has been so successful for so many years. Going from a company that aired boring weekend shows like Superstars and Challenge to a Monday night prime time slot with Raw was a difference maker for WWE. Having a successful show wasn't a sure thing. They definitely had some growing pains early on since they still featured squash matches and really didn't change the format until Nitro was launched. Over the years, Raw has given us so many wonderful memories whether you're talking about confrontations when Steve Austin was shoved by Mike Tyson or promos like when CM Punk sat on that stage in Las Vegas. There have been so many amazing matches too. More than anything, Raw has become appointment TV for the hardcore wrestling fan. We know that Monday night we're going to watch our wrestling show whether it's good or bad. It's a part of our life and chances are it will still be there for another 20 years too. Look at where Raw is now. They are live to air nearly every week (there are some taped editions around the holidays and UK shows), it's three hours long and they've done 1,090 episodes. As mentioned, they're going to get paid more money to tape it too. WrestleMania may be Vince McMahon's greatest accomplishment, but the growth and success of Raw is what he should most be proud of after that. Fans complain about the business a lot, but when you consider where Raw was 21 years ago and what we get weekly now, there's absolutely no reason to complain. We're spoiled. It's amazing to see the growth of the Raw brand.