Fans today don’t realize the massive game-changer Monday Night RAW was when it debuted in 1993. Then, a prime-time wrestling show was a rare thing, especially one done live. WWE made it spark, turning RAW into a show where almost anything could happen. It’s interesting how the first several years had the show at only an hour yet it packed plenty of excitement and action into that span to build the show into a key part of WWE.
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That first decade is intriguing as it began with the New Generation Era, segued into the Attitude Era, and finished just as the Ruthless Aggression Era started. In that time, WWE experienced massive shifts from talent to presentation as the audience changed dramatically. Yet it’s fascinating to watch the evolution of RAW in its first 10 years and see how some years were far better than others.
10 1995
Given 1995 is one of the worst years in WWE history, it’s no shock it’s also a bad year for RAW. Diesel’s title reign suffered from making him a smiling babyface rather than a cool anti-hero, combined with Mabel, terrible characters, and horrible bouts for a disaster of wrestling shows.
Shawn Michaels’ turn to IC Champ was good, but the start of the Monday Night War left WWE looking lesser with taped matches and awful programming. It’s frankly amazing they managed to recover when RAW in 1995 could be downright painful to watch.
9 2002
Mention 2002 RAW and two things come to mind: the brand split and Triple H starting his “reign of terror.” The first half of the year suffered after the nWo angle did not live up to expectations. There was promise with the debuts of Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton to spark things up.
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Then the split happened, the Intercontinental Title was scrapped, and Triple H was just handed the World Heavyweight Title. The bouts afterward were poor as the split ended up leaving RAW the weaker show in WWE at the time and Triple H’s domination not helping win back fans afterward.
8 1996
1996 was a tricky year for WWE. It was still in a cartoonish part yet the hints of the fun stuff of the Attitude Era was coming. At the start of the year, it had great stuff with Bret as champ clashing with Diesel before Shawn Michaels took off as champion. It suffered after Hall and Nash left, but there was the debut of Mankind and Vader.
Yet Shawn’s act as champion wasn’t as good as it could have been, weakened by the rise of the nWo. It was showing new signs of life later in the year with Steve Austin taking on the Stone Cold persona, yet a lot of this year wasn’t as good as it could have been despite the talent involved.
7 1994
This year kicked off with a tag team title change to make it more unpredictable for fans. That continued in an exciting 12 months with Bret and Owen Hart kicking off their feud and Owen rising up as a main event star.
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Likewise, Diesel was kicking off his own amazing rise with multiple title reigns while Bob Backlund made an unlikely comeback as a crazed heel. RAW had top-notch bouts (Bret’s battle with the 1-2-3 Kid was marvelous), and even with the cartoonish antics of the time, it sparked nicely with the talent making the New Generation Era a notable one for WWE fans.
6 2001
Coming off the great 2000, 2001 began well with Austin and Triple H feuding. Things took a turn with the end of WCW and ECW, yet WWE was still good with The Two Man Power Trip. Then the Invasion began, and while much of it was poor, there was still excitement in some turns.
Sadly, it got worse along with the Invasion itself, too many bad turns, and the poor booking marring things up. Much like the dominant storyline, RAW this year had the potential to be a classic but never lived up to its potential for fans.
5 1999
After the hot 1998, 1999 started okay with Mankind’s title win but then got worse. It was soon clear the “Russo crash writing” style was a bad thing with poor storylines (The Higher Power) and the hot-shotting of title belts. Yet there was also the rise of The Rock as a huge face and his teaming with Mankind was a delight.
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The debut of Chris Jericho was a classic moment as Triple H rose to the top of the mountain. The emotion of the Owen Hart tribute was huge, and the seeds were laid for the better stuff to come in 2000, yet ‘99 was still a better year for RAW than fans give it credit for.
4 1997
Even as WCW was taking the lead in the Monday Night War, WWE was hitting back with some good stuff. The early months showed a transition with the New Generation Era giving way to a tougher type of storytelling. There was the brief ECW show and then the terrific Hart Foundation reunion with Steve Austin also rising up.
The highlight was the September MSG show where Cactus Jack arrived, and Austin first Stunned McMahon. Then the build-up and fallout from Montreal made this a vital year for WWE, and RAW was a critical part of it.
3 1993
It’s still amazing to see just how much RAW fired up wrestling when it debuted in 1993. The early shows were notable at the Hammerstein Ballroom (then known as the Manhattan Center), a tight feel but still some great fun to it. It truly kicked in with the May episode where The 1-2-3 Kid upset Razor Ramon while Marty Jannetty won the IC Title from Shawn Michaels.
From there, RAW was always unpredictable, home to surprise victories, some intriguing storyline turns, and surprisingly fun matches. This was the kick-off to a great run for the show as that first year made it the institution wrestling fans know today.
2 2000
Perhaps the most creatively exciting year in WWE history, 2000 was an amazing run of shows, and RAW was a highlight to it all. There was the breakout of stars like Kurt Angle, The Hardyz, Edge & Christian, Lita, and others alongside great turns (the debut of The Radicalz) and some top main event battles.
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The episodes always popped with excitement, whether the soap opera drama of Angle/Triple H/Stephanie or The Rock and Chris Jericho in warring promos. There may have been a few duds near the end of the year, but for the most part, this year was one of the best to watch for all of WWE.
1 1998
1998 was the Attitude Era in its full, and it was a fantastic ride. While the first few months were good, it kicked in after WrestleMania XIV with Stone Cold Steve Austin clashing with Vince McMahon in a heated feud. There was also DX and The Rock taking off, the rise of a strong mid-card, the twists of Undertaker and Kane, and more.
Shocking twists abounded along with some top-notch action, including a new push for women in the company. As 1998 was one of the hottest years in WWE history, it’s no shock that it was also a top year for RAW.
