View Full Version : Best Episodes of Raw
The Law
June 18th, 2013, 2:36 PM
So last night's episode of Raw was, for me, the best in a long time. I got to thinking, how long? So I started thinking of some of my favorite best episodes of Raw. We talk all the time about our favorite Raw moments, but what are the best actual overall shows? Here are a few of mine:
September 22, 1997: First Raw at Madison Square Garden. Steve Austin Stunned Vince McMahon for the first time. Bret Hart wrestled Goldust for the WWF Championship. Cactus Jack (after the great "Three Faces of Foley" promo) beat Triple H in a Street Fight.
March 30, 1998: The night after Wrestlemania 14: Austin Stuns McMahon in the opening segment and kicks their feud into high gear. Triple H kicks Shawn Michaels out of DX and 123 Kid (not named "X-Pac" for several weeks) makes his return and cuts a great shoot promo on Bischoff, Hogan, and WCW. Main event is Outlaws vs. Cactus Jack and Terry Funk in a cage and the Outlaws join DX.
April 13, 1998: This is the first time Raw beat Nitro in the ratings battle since June 1996. It was the night Austin challenged McMahon to a match and McMahon accepted. All throughout the night we got vignettes of different people trying to talk Vince out of the match. In the end, Dude Love showed up and attacked Austin, stopping the match from happening. This is also the night of the DX Invasion at Nitro. Not a ton else of note happened, Owen Hart fought Billy Gunn in an eight minute match, which was really long for Raw at that time.
ECW Invades Raw: July 2001. The pop when everyone realized that it was all ECW guys who came out to attack RVD and Tommy Dreamer was great. And then Heyman cut a great promo. At the time, I didn't even care when it was revealed that Stephanie McMahon was the new owner of ECW, even if that thought makes my stomach turn in retrospect.
April 23, 2007: Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena for one hour in London. Don't remember anything else that happened on the show, and don't care. One of the best TV matches ever for half the show is all it needed.
Tainted Eclipse
June 18th, 2013, 2:42 PM
I think I remember the Ric Flair retirement RAW, right after that Wrestlemania, being really great all around.
The Law
June 18th, 2013, 2:44 PM
It was. CM Punk wrestled Chris Jericho, Cryme Tyme returned, they teased a Batista/Shawn Michaels feud, and Randy Orton wrestled Matt Hardy in a good match.
Hero!
June 18th, 2013, 2:44 PM
What was the one where JBL declared marshal law? That one was fucking awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jY18YTCoLA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsY871-fSb0
The Law
June 18th, 2013, 2:47 PM
That was a really good series of episodes. Punk pinned Edge and won the World Heavyweight Championship, Dolph Ziggler debuted, Kane had turned evil and we didn't know what the deal was. Jericho and Michaels were still feuding. That was one of my favorite periods of WWE since the Attitude Era. Unfortunately, they made Mike Adamle GM and everything went back to normal. Except worse than before.
Anaconda Sniper
June 18th, 2013, 3:34 PM
The Raw after last years Mania. Lesnar returned, CM Punk vs Henry was amazing, the Yes chants became huge. Those are the things I remember the most..but I remember it being one of the best raws in a long time.
MikeHunt
June 18th, 2013, 4:01 PM
I liked 1000 and Cena vs hbk iron man match in the uk episodes.
JT4104
June 18th, 2013, 4:03 PM
I don't remember the exact date...but I will forever love the Raw where Benoit/Jericho beat HHH/Austin for the tag team titles. The unfortunate HHH injury sucked but that will always stand out as one of my favorite raws for that match alone.
Cewsh
June 18th, 2013, 4:05 PM
5/28/01
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upnyBDcPwg4
Jacknife
June 18th, 2013, 4:07 PM
This week's RAW was that good? Shame I missed it.
JT4104
June 18th, 2013, 4:11 PM
5/28/01
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upnyBDcPwg4
thank you kind sir......
Jimmy Zero
June 18th, 2013, 5:52 PM
I don't remember if anything else major happened on it, but Foley winning his first WWE title on Raw was an awesome moment.
Andy
June 18th, 2013, 7:07 PM
Since I got back into wrestling properly in early 2011 these have been the real standouts.
Pipe bomb Raw (can't remember if anything else happened but that was a moment for the ages)
Raw after Mania 28
Raw 1000
First Raw of 2013 (I think it was, might have been second or third. It had a great Cena/Ziggler match as the opener and Punk beating Ryback in a TLC title match with help from The Shield)
The Raw with Cena/Punk. I can't remember if anything else good happened but that is my favourite match of the year so far and one of the best TV matches ever
Raw after Mania 29.
Last night.
The Law
June 18th, 2013, 7:12 PM
It's surprisingly hard to remember episodes of Raw. Like, I can name all kinds of great moments, but remembering how they actually fit together and what else happened on a particular show is really hard. I definitely remember the Nexus beating the shit out of Cena and destroying the ring. But I can't remember anything else that happened on that show.
Here's another one: The episode where Batista returned and destroyed Goldberg. The big thing I remember from this was Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade jumping Randy Orton and stealing Triple H's briefcase that had his $100,000 in it. It was just a hilarious thing that made total sense. Then Triple H knocked the fuck out of both of them with a 2X4. We also got a few minutes of Goldberg vs. Shawn Michaels before Batista showed up and wrecked Goldberg.
mr sabu
June 18th, 2013, 9:20 PM
This week's RAW was that good? Shame I missed it.
it was...... didn't have the best matches but everything else that happens around it turned into quite an awesome show. big props to big marky though
Anaconda Sniper
June 18th, 2013, 11:11 PM
Since I got back into wrestling properly in early 2011 these have been the real standouts.
Pipe bomb Raw (can't remember if anything else happened but that was a moment for the ages)
Great shout! Everything Punk did that night was amazing. He also confronted HBK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YguD-LMRew8
Aero
June 18th, 2013, 11:26 PM
4/21/97
I loved most of the episodes between WM 13 and Summerslam 97, but this is usually one that gets a lot of praise for the entire Bret/Austin street fight and ambulance angle. Just a super hot segment all around in the first half of the show that's paid off at the end with Pillman joining the Harts. Several of Raw's best matches/segments of all time, I think, are sprinkled in to this period, also, but I always remembered this show as one of the best.
I'll also second the 9/22/97 show from MSG. Cactus debut and Austin stuns Vince, who hilariously oversells it. Still awesome, though.
Alex E
June 18th, 2013, 11:28 PM
Watched a couple of the matches from the show Cewsh posted. The raw energy generated by the crowd is night and day compared to most shows these days. The music, the lighting, etc worked a lot better for the show. Things just seem so sterile these days. None of the stuff I liked about that show even involved blood or swearing.
Mills
June 18th, 2013, 11:51 PM
There was a raw when Kane interfered in half the matches then had a great segment at the end of it, interrupting an Austin/undertaker fight in a steel cage. He did his pyro and parts of the cage caught on fire.
Also second the episode when Punk cashes in MITB. such a fresh reinvigorating episode of Raw
StoneColdWWE316
June 19th, 2013, 12:49 AM
Too many to name but here's a few off the top of my head.
4/8/13-Obviously this is one of my favorites because of the IZOD Crowd just being insane and it was the night after Wrestlemania 29
4/21/97-The Bret Hart/Steve Austin Streetfight and ensuing chaos that followed in the Ambulance. I told you we're going straight to hell!
July 7th-July 28th 1997-One week they were in the US,the next back in Canada. The night after Canadien Stampede to Summerslam.
4/2/12-The night after WM 28 still in Miami with Brock's Return,the YES Chants taking off,Punk/Henry for the WWE Title,etc
10/20/03-A fun episode where HHH had the bounty on Goldberg all night and Goldberg defended the World Title against HBK. Batista returned and collected the bounty.
Last night after Payback
6/30/08-CM Punk cashes in MITB on Edge
3/31/08-Ric Flair's Retirement
8/9/99-Chris Jericho's Debut,Jesse Ventura Returns,Chyna wins a #1 Contender's Match,X-Pac & Kane win back the Tag Titles,etc
7/9/01-WCW & ECW unite to form the Invasion. This one was in my hometown of Atlanta.
7/23/12-RAW 1000
7/15 & 7/22/02-Bischoff Debuts,DX reunites and then HHH turns on HBK,Rock vs Eddie Guerrero,RVD unifys the IC & European Titles.
Just to name a few.
chatty
June 19th, 2013, 6:45 AM
I cant remember which Raw it was or if anything really major went down on it but I remember one Raw where Austin just came out after every match and gave a stunner to everyone competing. I pissed myself laughing that night, was a quality Raw just for that reason alone.
Mills
June 19th, 2013, 11:40 AM
The one where Austin attempts to shoot mcmahon
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