Monday Night Raw's original stars and their modern-day WWE equivalents

The 25th anniversary of Monday Night Raw is fast approaching and WWE has announced an ever-growing list of over 40 legends who will appear on the show.

Among those scheduled to appear are The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon – three men who featured on the very first episode of Raw and became prominent figures on the show in its early years.

The buzz and speculation about who may or may not return at Raw 25 got us thinking about the creation of WWE’s flagship show and how its original stars compare to some of today’s performers.

Of course, not all of them are comparable (who could possibly compare likes of Yokozuna, Bret Hart and Randy Savage?) but there are still a fair few modern-day WWE personalities who have a resemblance to legends from 25 years earlier.

With that mind, let’s take a look at some of the featured stars from Raw in 1993 and compare them to their present-day WWE equivalents.

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#7 Bobby Heenan & Corey Graves

Corey Graves is WWE's best commentator

Bobby Heenan: One of the greatest managers and announcers in the history of WWE, Bobby Heenan sadly passed away at the age of 72 in September 2017. He was a regular presence on WWE programming between 1984 and 1993 and was known for his quick wit and hilarious one-liners on commentary.

Corey Graves: While it’s too early to claim that Corey Graves is on a par with “The Brain”, he’s definitely heading in the right direction. The retired former NXT Superstar is the best thing about WWE’s announce teams and, with the exception of Jerry Lawler at his peak, he’s the most popular colour commentator wrestling has had since Heenan.

#6 Mr Perfect & Dolph Ziggler

It's hard to believe these two aren't related!

Mr Perfect: With incredible technical in-ring performances and an uncanny ability to arrogantly show off but somehow remain likeable while doing it, “Mr Perfect” Curt Hennig was many people’s favourite wrestler in the early days of Monday Night Raw.

Dolph Ziggler: In 2011, Dolph Ziggler said the most annoying question he gets asked is "Do you model yourself on Mr Perfect?". We can only hope that “The Showoff” isn’t reading this, but at least it proves that he really is the modern-day equivalent of the former Intercontinental champion.

#5 Diesel & Roman Reigns

Diesel quickly became WWE champion in 1994

Diesel: Now known to us as Kevin Nash, Diesel debuted in WWE in 1993 as the tall, long-haired bodyguard for Shawn Michaels. They soon became a tag team, known as Two Dudes With Attitudes, and Diesel quickly established himself in the main-event scene on Monday Night Raw. He went on to win the WWE title in 1994 from Bob Backlund just 15 months after his debut.

Roman Reigns: Only four men have main-evented three WrestleMania events in a row and only two men have defeated The Undertaker on the grandest stage. Roman Reigns fits into both categories, so it’s difficult to compare him to anybody from the past. However, the one comparison that springs to mind is Diesel, not just from a looks perspective but also taking into account how quickly they burst into the main-event spotlight.

#4 Steiner Brothers & American Alpha

American Alpha didn't quite reach the heights of the Steiner Brothers

Steiner Brothers: All-Americans from the University of Michigan, Rick and Scott Steiner were a hard-hitting duo with great wrestling ability who were loved by fans in the early days of Raw. They took a no-nonsense approach to their matches and anybody who stood across the ring from them knew they were in for a fight.

American Alpha: Okay, so we’re cheating here a little bit. American Alpha split up in July 2017, but we’re still counting that as ‘modern day’. During their two years together in NXT and on SmackDown, Chad Gable and Jason Jordan were the closest thing WWE fans had seen to the Steiner Brothers and they were often compared to the duo. Jordan even revealed in 2016 that the Steiners were his favourite tag team growing up.

#3 The Undertaker & The Undertaker

Nobody can replicate The Undertaker!

The Undertaker (1993): Well, there’s only one Undertaker. The very first episode of Monday Night Raw was main-evented by “The Deadman” and Damien Demento. ‘Taker got the win, of course, and he would go on to create a legacy over the next 25 years that nobody will ever match.

The Undertaker (2018): If this was a comparison of “American Badass” Undertaker and a 2018 WWE Superstar, then Roman Reigns would be the obvious modern-day equivalent. But who can possibly compare the undead 1993 version of “The Phenom” to someone currently in WWE when the very same man is playing the same character – and remains the huge star attraction – that he was 25 years earlier?

#2 Shawn Michaels & AJ Styles

AJ Styles – as good as Shawn Michaels?

Shawn Michaels: Widely regarded as the best in-ring performer of his generation, and perhaps of all time, Shawn Michaels was the cocky yet likeable Intercontinental champion when Monday Night Raw first began 25 years ago. It was clear then that HBK would go on to be a huge star, and three years later he won his first WWE title.

AJ Styles: Shawn Michaels officially retired from in-ring competition in 2010 but he admitted in 2017 that he was tempted to return when WWE asked if he would face AJ Styles at WrestleMania 33. The match didn’t happen, of course, but it would have been amazing to see the best performers of their eras do battle in a WWE ring.

#1 Hulk Hogan & John Cena

No doubt about it, John Cena is a modern-day Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan: Train! Say your prayers! Take your vitamins!

Hulk Hogan was the face of WWE throughout the 80s and was a real-life superhero to young fans of that era. While he didn’t feature much on Raw in the 90s, he was still part of the show for its first eight months.

John Cena: Hustle! Loyalty! Respect!

Like Hogan, John Cena was – and still is – an inspiration to many children who watch WWE. He has been the face of the company for over a decade and, when all’s said and done, he’ll be up there with “The Hulkster” on the Mount Rushmore of WWE Superstars.