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Right now, the wrestling world is in absolute shock after Roman Reigns opened up this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw to announce that he was having to step away from the squared circle to battle leukaemia. Added to the shock of that news, Roman also revealed that he had faced the same battle eleven years ago, which was something 99.9% of the wrestling community was unaware of.
This is a major moment in the wrestling industry, a major moment in Raw history, and clearly a major moment in the career and life of Roman Reigns. Whether fans cheered or booed him over the past several years, there was never any doubt that Roman has been a phenomenal in-ring performer. Yes, he's been miscast as a character, but the work ethic, the ability, and the constant development of his skills cannot be denied.
Seeing the very real Joe Anoa’i enter the ring on Raw and let the world in on his very real battle was an eye-opener, a shocker, and a moment that has shown just how much love the wrestling world has for this man. To be blunt, a huge percentage of us have been affected by leukaemia or cancer in some way, and to then hear that Reigns has had this battle for so long is something that resonates with so many. And to Reigns’s credit, the fact that he’s refused to mention any of this during the years that he’s been getting so much hate, that’s clearly the mark of the man that is Joe Anoa’i.
But this most recent Raw is only one of so many hugely emotional episodes of the WWE’s flagship show. So with that in mind, and not including this week’s show, here are the five most emotional Raw episodes in WWE history.
#5 Daniel Bryan Hangs It Up
The February 8, 2016 episode of Monday Night Raw was the evening that Daniel Bryan finally gave in to the WWE and their medical team, and confirmed his retirement live on air.
Following him famously standing victorious as the WWE Champion as WrestleMania XXX came to a close, injury would soon strike and put Bryan out of action for six months. Having successfully returned to the ring at the end of 2014, it would only be a matter of months before injury struck again, and this team in an even more serious way. Despite trying for ten months to get the WWE medical team to clear him – including visiting several leading non-WWE doctors, Bryan had to admit defeat and hang up his boots on that February 2016 Raw show.
To add to the high emotion of the moment, said episode happened to be emanating from Bryan’s home state of Washington, and it’s safe to say the home state hero was giving a rousing reception of support and thanks from those in attendance. For those of us watching at home, it was the sad realisation that the thing we’d been hoping so desperately to see happen, Daniel Bryan’s in-ring return, was now impossible, at least in a WWE ring.
Of course, fast forward to this year and Bryan managed to get himself cleared for action, with that shocking news again bringing a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye, but this time for a far happier reason.
#4 Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy Wins The Big One
To each of us, there are always certain Raw moments that stand out as massively emotional for a wide variety of reasons. Case in point, your humble scribe here remembers going absolutely crazy at Chris Jericho defeating Triple H for the WWF Championship back in April 2000, only to see the decision eventually reversed (damn you, Hunter…).
One thing we can likely all agree on, though, is that Mick Foley finally winning the big one on the January 4, 1999 edition of Monday Night Raw was a moment that was so emotional for so many of the right reasons.
In more recent years there has been CM Punk and Daniel Bryan as two examples of guys whose face didn’t fit when Vinny Mac was looking at who his World Champion should be, but before them, there was Mick freakin’ Foley.
Foley himself has regularly talked over the years about how Vince McMahon refused to hire him time and time again, with him ringing the then-WWF every time his WCW or ECW contract deals were coming to an end. And each and every time he’d be greeted with a “we’re not interested right now” response. Luckily for Foley, Jim Ross would manage to get McMahon to reluctantly agree to sign The Hardcore Legend. But even then, he was largely designed to be just another guy for The Undertaker to beat.
Lacking the physique or dashing leading man looks of what Vince is always after in his top talent, Foley was always going to face an uphill battle to succeed in the World Wrestling Federation back then. But Vince McMahon be damned, for that is exactly what Saint Mick would do.
The culmination of Foley’s struggles came on that January ’99 episode of Raw where he’d shockingly defeat The Rock for the WWF Championship, with the crowd boisterous in a way that is sadly rarely seen these days. There was Foley, there was The Rock, there was Steve Austin involved, there was D-Generation X, and it all came together to make one of the most memorable, loudest, and emotional moments in Raw history.
#3 The Nature Boy Retires
To many – including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – Ric Flair is seen as the very best professional wrestler of all time. And let’s face it, even if you don’t agree with that sentiment, you have to admit that Flair is most certainly in the conversation when it comes to the greatest ever.
Since the moment Vince McMahon announced in 2007 that The Nature Boy would be forced to retire the next time he lost a match, we all knew what we coming. Then, to throw even more certainty on matters, Naitch was eventually put up against Mr. Wrestlemania, Shawn Michaels, at WrestleMania XXIV. Of course, Flair would famously lose the match, and it was time for this legend to finally go home.
The night following ‘Mania, however, the sixteen-time World Champion was given an emotional send-off on Monday Night Raw. Not only did a sobbing Flair get to address the WWE Universe, but this show also allowed for some of Ric’s greatest friends and foes to express their appreciation of the North Carolina native.
As the minutes went on, Triple H, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, JJ Dillon, Batista, Ricky Steamboat, Harley Race, Greg Valentine, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Flair’s family, Shawn Michaels, the 2008 roster and crew, and then, off air, Vince McMahon and The Undertaker all headed to the ring to pay tribute to The Nature Boy. The emotion was infectious, and there was not a dry eye in the house.
But yeah, let’s not mention the fact that Flair would come out of retirement for TNA in 2010…
#2 Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
When it comes to emotional moments in the pro wrestling world, there are those moments that bring a tear to the eye for the sheer elation and happiness experienced. On the flipside of that, of course, there are those moments that are completely and utterly heartbreaking.
Falling into the latter group, we have the November 14, 2005 edition of Monday Night Raw. The Raw in which the WWE paid tribute to the truly iconic Eddie Guerrero, following his tragic passing the day prior.
Sure, Guerrero may have had a career littered with titles and championships, but Latino Heat was more than just that. Eddie Guerrero was one of the most entertaining performers to ever lace up a pair of boots, be that as a bad guy who you loved to boo, or as the high energy babyface who was lying, cheating, and stealing his way to our hearts. As a performer and as a person, the greatest testament to the one-time WWE Champion is the high regard in which his co-workers and friends held him. Based on the words of some of the greatest in the game, Guererro was one of the best workers of his or any other generation.
On that November 14 Raw show, Vince McMahon opened the show with a tribute to the late former Champion, with a ten-bell salute given to the fallen star. From there, the rest of the episode was reserved for wrestlers paying their respects for Guerrero, whether that was in their words or in the ring.
#1 Raw Is Owen
The wrestling business is one that has sadly been filled with tragedy over the decades, but the passing of Owen Hart is something that still hurts to this day for so many.
Owen tragically passed away on May 23, 1999, during the Over the Edge PPV, and the following night’s Raw episode was a tribute show that became dubbed ‘Raw is Owen’. It was a hard watch, drenched in sadness, but the one silver lining of the episode was getting to hear just how special a person Owen was viewed as by his colleagues and friends.
For many wrestling fans, this may well have been one of the first times where such a tragic event was laid bare in front of them on their TV screens. From the moment the show opened to the moment it ended, there was nothing but love for Owen Hart, and it was absolutely devastating to have to listen to wrestlers and commentators breaking down at the realisation of what had happened to their friend.
Raw is Owen is as emotional as emotional gets, with the show putting a spotlight on a real-life tragedy that hit hard to wrestlers, WWE staff, and fans. This is arguably the first time, in a mainstream sense at least, that the WWE had let their audience see their talent as real people without the façade of a professional wrestling character being the desired narrative. And to this day, those who appeared on Raw is Owen still talk about the great person that he was.
