WWE Raw Debut Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?

Today, Monday Night Raw is WWE's flagship program and a constant showcase for the promotion's biggest rivalries and non-PPV matches. The show runs for 3 hours each week, but that wasn't always the way things were for Vince McMahon's brightest idea of 1993. Upon its debut on January 11 '93, Monday Night Raw was a one hour programme, no different in time scale to much of the federation's other TV output. There was just one difference - Raw seemed a little more lively compared to Wrestling Challenge or WWF Superstars. Those long-running syndicated shows had become terribly stale, featuring endless runs of squash matches. Monday Night Raw was supposed to represent something different. Whilst the show did feature enhancement talent to begin with, it quickly evolved into showcasing competitive matches between top stars, such as Ric Flair facing Mr. Perfect on the January 25 episode. In total - including pre-taped promos and interviews - fifteen different acts appeared on that initial episode of Raw. This included an Intercontinental Title bout between Shawn Michaels and Max Moon, as well as Razor Ramon hyping up his Royal Rumble WWF Heavyweight Title showdown with Bret Hart. Some may be more obvious than others, but where are these men and what became of their in-ring careers following the first ever episode of this historic show? Let's take a look...

15. Yokozuna

As the calendar turned to 1993, Yokozuna represented Vince McMahon's latest idea for a top heel. The company simply had to move away from steroid-using beasts in '93, because McMahon was in the midst of some very real threats from the federal government regarding drug use in wrestling. Therefore, Yokozuna was perfect. Yoko was huge without performance-enhancing drugs, and he still maintained that larger-than-life mentality McMahon had always held dear. Making his debut in 1992, the man was being lined up to win the 1993 Royal Rumble and then go on to win the WWF Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania. He was so big that some found him awkward to work with later, but in January '93 Yokozuna only featured in squash matches. Released by the WWF in 1997, Yokozuna later died in his hotel room whilst in the United Kingdom on tour for All-Star Wrestling. At only 34, it was a premature end to the man's life, but he had failed to heed warnings about his ballooning weight. The WWF had even warned Yoko that he had to start trimming the pounds in 1995, but he instead gained weight. At his heaviest, he tipped the scales at around 600lbs.