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WWE's Monday Night Raw is the longest running weekly television show in history. Raw first aired on January 11, 1993, and has since been considered as the flagship program of the WWE. Over the years, Raw has provided the fans with some great memories. Many moments have been created on Raw that will forever remain etched in the hearts of wrestling fans.
Here are 10 of the greatest moments in Raw history.
#10 Seth Rollins breaks up The Shield (June 2, 2014)
The Shield is one of the greatest wrestling factions of this century. When this incident occurred, they were at the peak of their popularity after coming out on top of Evolution in a long-running feud.
So it was truly a shocking moment when Seth Rollins betrayed Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to join the Authority. While The Shield were in their prime, it had always been teased that Dean Ambrose would be the one to break up the group, so a Seth Rollins heel turn came out of the blue.
The historical importance of this moment has been somewhat reduced as we have seen multiple reunions of The Shield over the years. But that does not change that fact that it will forever remain an iconic moment in Raw history.
#9 Vince McMahon's first Stunner (September 27, 1997)
The Stone Cold vs Vince McMahon rivalry was the highlight of the Attitude Era. It managed to engage the wrestling fans like never before. It was on this night in 1997 that the seeds of this future feud would be sown.
Vince McMahon was still a commentator at that point of time. When he saw that an out of control Austin was about to be arrested by the NYPD, he jumped into the ring to confront The Texas Rattlesnake.
Austin was angry that he was not being allowed to compete on the card due to health reasons and he decided to give the owner of the company a Stone Cold Stunner just to prove a point. This was the beginning of the most profitable period in wrestling history. Poetically, the event was held in Madison Square Garden.
#8 Pillman's got a gun (November 4, 1996)
Brian Pillman was one of the most controversial wrestlers in history and it is because of moments like this. His 'Loose Cannon' persona even managed to convince fans that he was genuinely a madman who could go off the rails at any time.
In '96, he was embroiled in a heated rivalry with former Hollywood Blondes tag team partner, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin had destroyed Pillman's ankle and he was forced to stay at home. But when Austin decided to break into Pillman's home, he pulled out a gun and vowed to send Austin to hell.
It was truly a shocking moment in an era where the WWE was known to produce a kid-friendly product. These were the early signs of the adult-oriented product that the WWE was soon going to produce with the dawn of the Attitude Era.
Pillman died a year later in 1997 but he will be forever remembered for this moment.
#7 The Rock, This is Your Life (September 27, 1999)
The Rock and Mick Foley had some electric chemistry and produced some of the funniest segments in WWE history. This might be their magnum opus.
Foley would bring out a number of special guests from The Rock's past. This included his grade-school teacher, his football coach and his former girlfriend. But all of these reunions ended up with The Rock insulting them for something that they had done in the past.
The segment went on for almost 21 minutes and does drag on at times. But it is still fun to watch The Rock and Foley create magic together. To this day, this segment remains the highest rated in WWE history.
#6 RAW is JERICHO! (August 9, 1999)
Today, Chris Jericho is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. But this was not always the case. In reality, he was underutilized for years in WCW and finally in 1999 he managed to break through their shackles and ran for the greener pastures of the WWE.
A Millennium Countdown Clock appeared on Raw from time to time leading to much speculation among the fans. Finally when the clock struck zero on August 9, 1999 in Chicago, 'Y2J' entered a WWE arena for the first time ever.
The fans in Chicago blew the roof off for the arrival of Jericho. And what followed was one of the most memorable segments in Raw history between The Rock and Chris Jericho.
#5 Stone Cold's Beer Truck (March 22, 1999)
Stone Cold 's run from 1997-1999 was so memorable that this list could easily be filled with just his best moments. Honestly, there are too many Stone Cold moments to name but this one has stood the test of time.
This took place on the Raw before WrestleMania 15. The odds were stacked against Stone Cold as The Corporation led by Vince McMahon was determined to keep the title off of The Texas Rattlesnake. But Austin had different plans.
He entered the arena in a Coors beer truck and proceeded to give the whole Corporation a beer bath. The image of a Vince McMahon drenched in beer remains a classic to this day. What fans often seem to forget is that Stone Cold had cut a pretty good promo standing atop the beer truck beforehand.
#4 Pipebomb (June 27, 2011)
Over the years, the WWE had become so scripted that the fans craved for something original from the superstars. In 2011, CM Punk gave them just that when he cut a scathing promo criticising the WWE system, the McMahon family, Triple H and even The Rock.
In an era of strict guidelines and scripts, this promo managed to blur the lines between reality and fiction so well that even the most knowledgeable of fans were left to question whether it was a shoot or scripted.
The image of Punk sitting cross-legged atop the stage and letting the WWE Universe know of his grievances remains iconic. It is easily one of the greatest promos in wrestling history. And if Punk does indeed never return to the WWE, then this will be the moment he will be remembered for.
#3 Shane McMahon is the owner of WCW! (March 26, 2001)
The late '90s was the biggest period in wrestling history. Both WWE and WCW would be engaged in a ratings war on a weekly basis that would go on to be known as the 'Monday Night Wars'.
At one point, there were genuine fears that the WWE might have closed down after they had been losing out to WCW for 83 consecutive weeks in the ratings war. But somehow the WWE managed to turn the tide and the WCW declined drastically. This decline was so bad that the WWE actually bought the company in early 2001.
Vince McMahon would appear on a simulcast episode of Raw and Nitro to confirm this news. But the real bombshell would drop later that night when Shane McMahon revealed that he was the owner of the WCW and declared war upon his father's company.
#2 Mankind is WWE Champion (January 4, 1999)
The moment that marked the end of the Monday Night Wars. Everybody knows the story of WCW commentator Tony Schiavone spoiling the news of Mankind's title win to the viewers.
This was a tactic to prevent the viewers from watching Raw that night as they already knew what was going to happen. But the plan backfired as fans switched to Raw in hoards to see the underdog Mankind win the WWE Championship from The Rock.
The match was the perfect chaos that the Attitude Era was famous for. While The Corporation and DX battled at ringside, Stone Cold would come out to a thunderous ovation, destroy The Rock with a steel chair and therefore hand Mankind his first ever WWE Championship.
This was one of the greatest underdog stories in wrestling history. It is also significant because WCW would never win another Monday night rating over the WWE again.
#1 Tyson and Austin! (January 19, 1998)
This was the moment that turned the tide of the Monday Night Wars in WWE's favor. Mike Tyson was a huge coup on the part of the WWE. Back then he was one of the most famous athletes on the planet and just his presence could elevate any show.
He had already made his WWE debut the previous night at the Royal Rumble and was there to announce that he would be appearing at WrestleMania 14. There was just one small problem named Stone Cold Steve Austin that he needed to take care of first.
After winning the Royal Rumble, Austin was not prepared to share his spotlight with anybody. This led to a confrontation between two of the baddest men on the planet.
The greatest thing the WWE did here was booking Austin as an equal to Tyson. It managed to gain him instant credibility while Tyson also got to have some fun. While not a wrestler by trade, it is hard to imagine how the wrestling landscape would look today if there was no Tyson.
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