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There has certainly been some backlash to WWE's 25th-anniversary show for Raw, mainly due to the perceived lack of major story enhancement ahead of the Royal Rumble, and partly because the skits involving legends came off as overproduced and sometimes awkward. That being said, a large portion of the WWE Universe loved the show, and here are the biggest, loudest pop's of the night:
#6 The Miz
Regardless of storyline character and kayfabe heat, everyone loves The Miz. He is consistently one of the best performers WWE has, is an asset to every show and provides a character that can really generate real boos with a few choice words.
He is however lauded for his mic skills by the fans and his in-ring work is now better than ever. So, by winning back his Intercontinental title on the 25th-anniversary show to placate the fans, plus pinning Roman Reigns (with underhanded tactics), he was giving the WWE Universe a double reason to cheer that night.
#5 Dudley Boyz
For most WWE fans, the Attitude Era is a nostalgic memory and for many was when they either started watching or came back to wrestling. One of the most popular acts from that time period and onwards was The Dudley Boyz.
From putting wrestlers and Mae Young through tables to tie-dye and ladder matches, Bubba Ray and D-Von were the teams we loved to hate. With D-Von part of the backstage SmackDown team and Bubba Ray seemingly retired from wrestling after a final flurry in Ring of Honor, to have them both back to interrupt the tag match between Slater / Rhyno and Crews / O'Neill, the arena erupted and got to see a "Wassssssssup" and a 3D through a table.
#4 The Legends
One of the main parts of the 3-hour show was the showing up of different legends throughout the night. The criticism being leveled at WWE for not using the talent to do more cannot be fair, mainly due to the sheer number of people who were due to appear. Majorly loud pops were certainly heard when DX and Scott Hall beat down The Revival, The Godfather met Mark Henry backstage, Christian hosted 'The Peep Show' and The APA was back in business playing poker with The Million Dollar Man and MVP.
The loudest pop, however, was during the Kurt Angle backstage skit where Coach, Teddy Long and The Boogeyman were joined by Brother Love, Bruce Prichard. After being such huge part of WWE for over 15 years, and now being back in the spotlight due to his successful podcast, fans were audibly excited to see Bruce back on WWE TV.
#3 Chris Jericho
With the career that Chris Jericho has put together since debuting on Monday Night Raw in 1999, to the year in Professional Wrestling he has just had, Monday Night Raw would not have been the same if Y2J wasn't there. After providing some of the best entertainment and moments in the last year with Kevin Owens and 'The List', to shockingly showing up and facing Kenny Omega in New Japan, Chris Jericho was greeted with a suitably thunderous cheer when he hit the screen, and then proceeded to add Elias to the now infamous 'List'.
Seen as a one-stop shot given his Fozzy touring schedule and feud with Naito in NJPW, it was great to see Chris back where he belongs.
#2 The Undertaker
Many fans have been left confused by Undertakers appearance on Monday Night Raw, and there are many theories as to what he was doing there and what he said. First of all, it is important to recognize how much Undertaker means to the WWE Universe, and his music hitting the Manhattan Center created one of the loudest cheers of the night.
What seemed strange to everyone there and watching was his short, bright entrance, and the lack of anything substantial said. This was mainly due to everyone assuming he'd be setting up one more match or retiring.
Either way, The Undertaker appearing at all delighted the fans and was another reason Raw hit home for many fans.
#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
The obvious winner from Raw 25 was the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin, seen for the first time on RAW since 2015 and his then return at WrestleMania 32 in Dallas. One of the most enduring legacies of Monday Night Raw and it's attitudinal heights was the storyline feud between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon.
The first guy that dared to 'cross the boss' always put on a show and sold out rabid arenas nationwide. From driving monster trucks and squirting beer, to cracking some cold ones and flipping off Mike Tyson, Stone Cold was must-see TV each night for Raw.
The noise when he interrupted the McMahon family and then got in Vince's face, before delivering a fitting Stone Cold Stunner to the boss was deafening. Two stunners to Shane and some customary beers was a great way to open the show and take everyone back to the hottest angle in Sport's Entertainment.
