WWE's Monday Night Raw just celebrated its 25th anniversary, and it was a night full of memories, funny moments, and familiar faces. The special episode recalled many great moments from the series over the years, but even a three-hour program can only cover so much. For that reason, the WWE wisely ran an amazing montage near the beginning that captured some of the greatest moments in the Raw's impressive history. Luckily, anyone who missed it live can watch it courtesy of Vince McMahon, who shared the video prior to the big night.
The song choice was a bit dated for hip kids (daddio), but overall, the montage was a perfect blend of the most humorous, shocking, and emotional moments that Monday Night Raw has given fans since the very beginning. It wasn't every big moment that's happened on the series in 25 years, of course, but to the company's credit, the clip-fest mixed a lot of moments together that really had no business airing in the same video package. It's not often a company's sizzle reel will feature a skit as silly as Mark Henry's roll in the hay with WWE legend Mae Young shown in the same breath as the final television appearance of The Ultimate Warrior the day before his death, all while still creating a heartwarming effect for its audience. But somehow, the WWE team pulled it off.
Of course, that televised montage was only the beginning, as the WWE had much more in store for its audience than just clips from the past. Monday Night Raw's anniversary special brought back legends like The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels to help celebrate its big anniversary. Some notable veterans like Hulk Hogan and The Rock were missing, understandably, but beyond that, the WWE managed to snag quite a few of the former stars featured in that montage for the big night.
While the list of past wrestlers who made an appearance was extensive and surprising, only one managed to get the crowd to erupt with cheers loud enough to nearly pop the roof off of the Brooklyn Barclays Center. In a surprise appearance, Stone Cold Steve Austin stormed the ring in the midst of a Vince McMahon promo to deliver Stone Cold Stunners and middle fingers to a tremendous effect:
With many more years to go, Monday Night Raw airs on USA Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. For a look at some other shows aiming for similarly lengthy runs, head on over to our midseason premiere guide. Those still wishing to stick with WWE shenanigans should check out this clip of The New Day taking on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a hilarious lip-sync battle. For more memorable past WWE moments, check out this clip where John Cena proposed to his girlfriend Nikki Bella at last year's WrestleMania.
