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This past week, WWE celebrated 25 years of Monday night supremacy with their flagship program Monday Night RAW airing for 25 consecutive years in its primetime slot.
With a celebration of this magnitude, one could only imagine the star power that should have been on hand for this event. Sure enough, stars such as Degeneration-X, The Dudley Boys, and Stone Cold Steve Austin were just a few of the legendary names on tap for this historic occasion. However, there was still quite a void. Even though several legends were booked for this special edition of RAW, there was still a laundry list of top names that were absent from the show.
Here's a look at just 5 legendary WWE Superstars who SHOULD have been invited to the show and would have easily made the event much more entertaining.
#5 The Rock
In 1996, a young, dapper Rocky Maivia made his debut as an exciting breath of fresh air who would quickly capture the Intercontinental Championship. After a brief stint under the sleek persona, it became clear that there was much more to this descendant of the legendary Maivia family. Suddenly, The Rock was born.
The Rock became the most electrifying WWE Superstar of all-time. For the remainder of his time as a full-time WWE Superstar, The Rock travelled the world, selling millions of tickets and bringing countless of non-wrestling fans into the fold.
Most of the major WWE celebrations have included an appearance by The Rock himself. Afterall, he was a major player in the overall success of RAW's 25-year run. With that said, there's no reason why Rocky should not have been a part of the 25th Anniversary Celebration.
#4 Jake 'The Snake' Roberts
For years, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts was one of the most feared villains of all-time. Jake had the unique ability to make entire audiences of tens-of-thousands of fans to remain completely silent and hang on tightly to every single word he spoke. Jake was the master philosopher and he used his mind to overcome his opponents.
Unfortunately, Jake had a slew of silent demons in his life. His demons included drugs, alcohol and severe addiction. In fact, Jake's demons nearly took his life, more than once. Thankfully he came across an old friend in Diamond Dallas Page. Today, Jake is clean, sober and living life as a WWE Hall of Famer. He has also made it clear that he still loves to be involved as much as possible. Jake would have been a huge hit at the 25th Anniversary, just as he was at the Old School RAW back in 2014.
#3 Jimmy Hart
He is the most recognizable manager of all-time. He has worked the corner, with his trademark megaphone, for some of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. The Honky Tonk Man, King Kong Bundy and Hulk Hogan are just a few of the legends that Jimmy has advocated for.
Even at 75 years old, Jimmy is still as active as he's ever been. If you were to look at him today, you would have a difficult time believing he is even in his mid-50's, let alone in his mid-70's. Nonetheless, Jimmy is still a huge hit with the fans and always fun to have involved with any event.
#2 CM Punk
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. With that said, there are probably a lot of swollen hearts that are yearning for a CM Punk return. At nearly 40 years old, the window is quickly closing on any hope for some sort of successful MMA run. That's why professional wrestling should be an appealing option for Punk.
I'm sure many still see this as a longshot, but I honestly believe a CM Punk return is not quite that far-fetched, contrary to popular belief. If he does make a return, even for a one-time, special appearance, it needs to be at an event such as some sort of celebration or event similar to that.
#1 Hulk Hogan
By now we all know about the sex tape and the leaked audio from roughly a decade ago. While I certainly don't condone the remarks Hogan made during that phone call, I also do not feel that the punishment fits the crime. Essentially, Hulk Hogan was completely erased from all things WWE. I can understand Vince and company needing to distance themselves in the midst of that chaos. However, there must come a point when we look at the bigger picture and evaluate whether or not the legacy of Hulk Hogan is worthy of being buried forever. Personally, I think it's time to begin the forgiving process.
Hulk Hogan is responsible for completely revolutionizing the sport of professional wrestling. Had it not been for Hulkamania, business would have never reached the magnitude that it has.
At the end of the day, Hulk Hogan is just as much a part of wrestling as Wrestlemania itself is. We must allow this man the opportunity to at least stand in the middle of the ring and offer the WWE Universe an apology. Afterall, Vince McMahon would not have been as wealthy today, without the contributions Hogan made yesterday.
