WWE Raw celebrated a milestone on Monday, airing their 1,000th episode. Raw has been on either the USA Network or Spike TV every Monday night for over 19 years, and has provided me countless hours of entertainment growing up.
There was a time in the mid-90's during the Monday Night Wars when it looked like WCW and their show Nitro might eventually kill WWF, but due to the Attitude Era, and Superstars like The Rock, Stone Cold, and Triple H, WWF eventually won the war and put WCW out of business.
Like a lot of sports entertainment fans from the Attitude Era, the current product has become stale, and I've become a casual viewer. However, I'm not here to complain about the present, instead I want to celebrate the past with some of my favorite memories from Monday Night (in chronological order).
February 11, 1993: The First Show
September 22, 1997: Austin Stuns McMahon
After winning the 1996 King of the Ring, The Ringmaster became "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Stone Cold made a career out of giving Vince McMahon hell. After spending months delivering the Stone Cold Stunner to Vince's Henchmen, Austin delivered the "shot heard 'round the world" to the chairman himself.
October 13, 1997: DX Forms
Triple H and Shawn Michaels started messing around with Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation, making sophmoric jokes that would become a staple of the attitude era. Degeneration X would eventually turn into one of the most popular factions in WWF History
January 19, 1998: Tyson V Austin
Vince McMahon brings out Mike Tyson, and Steve Austin "ruins" it. WWF received a lot of national media attention from this angle.
July 6, 1998: DX Parodies the Nation of Domination
Triple H led D-X were in a battle with the Nation of Domination led by The Rock. DX's parody of NOD was one of the funniest moments in Raw history
January 4, 1999: Mick Foley wins first WWF Title
Raw beat Nitro in the ratings, and never lost again the night that Mick Foley won the WWF Title. Raw was previously taped and WCW announcer Tony Schiavonne spoiled the result. It backfired, and tons of fans switched over to Raw (most never came back to Nitro)
August 9, 1999: Chris Jericho's debut
WWF was running a Countdown to the Millennium Clock during the summer of '99. When it ticked down to triple zeroes Chris Jericho debuted
November 29, 1999: Triple H "Marries" Stephanie
No wrestling wedding ever has a fairy tale ending. Stephanie McMahon was supposed to marry Test, but the wedding was interrupted by Triple H, who showed a video of how he drugged Stephanie and married her first.
March 26, 2001: The Death of Nitro
WCW finally died in 2001. The WWF bought them out for pennies on the dollar (mostly for their tape library). The last segment in Nitro history turned into an angle between Vince McMahon and his son Shane. The WCW/ECW Invasion turned more into a battle between the McMahon family, and was nowhere near as memorable as it should have been.
February 18, 2002: The Rock Challenges Hulk Hogan
When Hulk Hogan and the NWO returned in 2002, it opened up the door for a clash of Icons. On Raw, the Rock challenged Hogan to a match at Wrestlemania 18.
June 26, 2006: D-X Parody of The McMahons
In the summer of 2006, D-X returned. Triple H and Shawn Michaels turned their attention to Hunter's Father in Law, Vince McMahon.
February 14, 2011: The Rock Returns
June 27, 2011: CM Punk drops a Pipebomb
CM Punk cuts a "worked shoot" promo about his plan to win the WWE Title at Money in The Bank and leave the company.
These are just some of my favorite Raw moments, and I can keep posting videos all nigh. For now, I toast to Raw, for 1,000 episodes and hopefully 1,000 more.
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