The 25th Anniversary edition of WWE RAW aired live from New York City from both the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom, and the Barclays Center, on January 22nd, 2018.
Pre-Show:
– Renee Young welcomes us to the pre-show at the Barclays Center as fans are entering the arena. She’s joined by David Otunga and Peter Rosenberg. We go to the Manhattan Center where Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are at ringside. Ross and Lawler welcome us to the show and say it’ll be very unpredictable. Lawler shares a story about The Hart Family where he told Stu Hart to put his false teeth in backwards and eat himself to death. We go back to Renee Young and company at the Barclays Center who discuss some of their favorite RAW moments.
– We go backstage where JBL and Ron Simmons do an interview and say that APA is open for one more night tonight. They put Charly Caruso in charge while they go to look for the key to their standalone door.
– We see a classic Bobby Heenan clip from RAW in 1993.
– Sam Roberts is outside with a crowd of fans to introduce some Stone Cold Steve Austin highlight videos. The fans chant “What” at him the whole time.
– We see a pre-taped promo with The Miz and Maryse by his side.
– We see a classic RAW clip where Austin hits The Rock with a chair. They censor the unprotected chair shot to The Rock’s head.
– Eric Bischoff joins the pre-show panel at Barclay’s and he talks about how great it was making his RAW debut years ago. Bischoff says backstage that night there were some people shocked and taken aback by his arrival at RAW that day, but everyone was professional and everything ended up going well.
– Back to J.R. and King, who introduce a video package highlighting Undetaker’s entire WWE run, minus his American Badass & Big Evil days. Undertaker returns to RAW tonight.
– We see footage of Triple H, Stephanie and The New Day on The Tonight Show. Stephanie and Shane then come out to the ring, RAW is up next!
WWE RAW 25th Anniversary results:
– RAW kicks off with Shane and Stephanie McMahon in the ring, thanking all of the WWE employees and fans on behalf of the McMAhon family for 25 years. They introduce a video package looking back at 25 years of RAW. They then want to introduce the person who made all of this possible — Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Vince gets a huge pop from the crowd and they sing along with his entrance song. Vince says the last 25 years have been amazing as the crowd thanks him. Vince says he’s going to do something tonight he usually never does – he’s going to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the moment. He thanks everyone and gets ready to head to the back, but Stephanie says they have a gift for him. They present him with a commemorative plaque, but Vince doesn’t seem impressed and says it feels a little cheap. “It feels cheap, but then again we are here in Brooklyn,” and Vince starts cutting a promo about the cheap gift. Vince says “plaque” is what each and every one of our teeth, and says plaque is what’s clogging up our arteries from eating “all those damn hot dogs.” Vince continues to trash the plaque, and says he’s sick of everyone thanking everyone. Vince says he only has one person to thank, and it’s not his family, it’s him, because he did it all by himself. He says he didn’t need the fans, the family members, and not one person in the world has ever helped him, only himself. The glass shatters, and Stone Cold comes out to interrupt. Stone Cold hits the ring and Vince yells at the fans not to encourage him. Vince says he wants to explain a few things to Steve because it’s been a while since they’ve seen each other. Vince says he’s a member of AARP now, has a heart problem now, and arthritis and brittle bones. Vince claims to live in a retirement community now, and says he’s now a senior citizen, so Steve can’t hit him. Vince says Shane’s in his prime, and points Austin towards him. Vince backs up and Austin shake’s Shane’s hand. Austin shakes Shane’s hand, then proceeds to give him the Stone Cold Stunner. Vince hands a Miller Lite to Austin, then has one himself. Austin hits cans with Vince, and Vince seems disgusted in the beer spilling towards him. They take a sip, then hug. They raise hands, and Vince pours some beer on Shane. Vince goes to leave, but Austin gives him a Stunner instead. Austin grabs a couple more Miller Lites, bashes them on the corner and chugs them. He gives a beer to Shane, who is now back on his feet. Austin has a drink with him, then gives Shane another Stunner while he’s drinking. Austin drinks another beer on the corner before leaving, with both McMahon men down.
– Nia Jax, Alicia Fox, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville vs. Asuka, Bayley, Mickie James & Sasha Banks: The heels beat down the faces before the bell. The dust settles and the ref calls for the opening bell. Asuka starts off in control against Sonjya and repeatedly kicks her. Sonya tags in Asuka hits a knee to the face. Asuka knocks the other heels off the apron, then hits another knee on Sonya. Sasha tags in and they double suplex Sonya. Nia tags in now and goes at it with Sasha. Nia beats Sasha down into the corner, and the heels take control. Alicia tags in and continues the beat down on Sasha. Sasha starts to fight back, but Sonya hits a cheap shot. This leads to an all-our brawl breaking out at ringside, while Sasha and Alicia fight in the ring. Fox misses a big boot, and Sasha follows up with a backstabber and the Banks Statement for the win.
Winners: Asuka, Bayley, Mickie James & Sasha Banks
– After the match, Asuka starts beating down her own teammates and throwing them out of the ring over the top rope.
– We go backstage where Kurt Angle is giving a pep talk to referee Rudy Charles about doing a good job tonight. Jonathan Coachman walks in, and then they’re joined by the Brooklyn Brawler and Harvery Wippleman. Teddy Long walks in next and dances. Brother Love walks in next and says he loves everyone, but he doesn’t know Coach’s name. The Boogeyman comes in next, and hands some worms out of his mouth to Coach.
– The Undertaker is up next.
– We go to the Manhattan Center where Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler introduce the same video package looking at The Undertaker’s career that aired earlier.
– The Undertaker comes out at the Manhattan Center with the lights on, and Howard Finkle does the ring introduction. Taker gets in the ring with a cloak on, and he appears to have long hair. He gets on the mic and talks about his path of destruction in the WWE for the last 25 years. He talks about Stone Cold, Mick Foley, and Kane having to answer to him. He says on this sacred ground, he says for all who have fallen, he declares it’s time you truly rest in peace. J.R. wonders if this was a warning, and the announcers don’t seem to know what he meant.
– The APA is backstage playing cards with Rhyno and Heath Slater. The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase walks in and throws a wad of cash on the table and wants to be dealt in.
– They do a segment where some of the best managers in the last 25 years of RAW come out. John Laurinitis, William Regal, Eric Bischoff and Daniel Bryan come out. The Miz comes out to interrupt the segment, with Axel and Dallas by his side. Miz comes face to face with Bryan, then heads to the ring. The Miz is in action next.
– Roman Reigns (c) vs. The Miz: Reigns’ IC Title is on the line in this one. Miz rolls outside early on for a breather. He comes back in the ring and attempts a clothesline but Reigns catches him with an uppercut. Reigns goes for the Drive By, but Dallas gets in the way. Reigns uppercuts Dallas, then uppercuts Miz. Reigns gets distracted by Axel, then Miz hits a cheap shot on Reigns and throws him into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Reigns comes back and drops Miz with a big boot. Reigns beats on Miz in the corner, then drops him with another boot. The Miz comes back with a shot in the corner and then hits the Yes Kicks. Reigns blocks one and powerbombs Miz for a two count. Reigns comes back and looks for either a spear or a Superman punch, but Axel grabs Reigns’ leg from the floor, and Miz capitalizes with a clothesline in the corner. The ref decies to eject Axel and Dallas from ringside. They get on the apron to complain, and Reigns Superman punches them off. The Miz takes advantage of the distraction to hit the Skull Crushing Finale. Miz covers and Reigns kicks out at 2. Reigns fights his way up and goes for a spear, but Miz dodges and Reigns hits the middle turnbuckle. Miz followsu p with a Skull Crushing Finale, and he pins for the 3 count to win the IC Title.
Winner & new Intercontinental Champion: The Miz
– The Miz, Axel and Dallas celebrate up the ramp with the IC Title belt as Reigns recovers in the ring.
– We go back to the poker game with the APA. The Hardy Boyz, MVP, and The Usos have joined them.
– Christian is in the ring for the latest edition of The Peep Show. His guests tonight, Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins. They sit down in the ring, and Rollins gets cheered but Jordan gets booed every time he opens his mouth. Jordan says it’s an honor to be in the presence of Christian and all of the legends in the back. He says he wants to thank the crowd and his dad Kurt Angle, as the fans keep booing. Cesaro and Sheamus come out to interrupt. Sheamus says Jordan needs to slow down, fella. He says all the legends in the back have been wanting pictures and autographs from them, because they don’t just raise the bar, they are the bar. Sheamus and Cesaro get in the ring and leads a “you suck” at Jordan. Jordan attacks, and Seth backs him up. They dump The Bar outside, and Seth hits a suicide dive on Sheamus. Back in the ring, Jordan grabs Cesaro and holds him back. Seth goes for a flying forearm shot, but Cesaro moves and Rollins hits Jordan. The Bar leaves, and Seth helps up Jordan and tries to explain it was an accident.
– Alexa Bliss does an interview in the back where she feels that interviewer Charly Caruso has insulted her. Alexa says she’s not just a champion, she’s a goddess. Charlotte interrupts, and says Alexa doesn’t have what it takes to continue to be champion. Ric Flair walks in, and says Alexa may be the Champion tonight, but Charlotte will be the Champion until she retires. Flair lets off a “Wooo” before leaving.
– Titus Worldwide and Natalya have joined The APA’s poker game backstage. Slater loses another hand.
– We go to the Manhattan Center with J.R. and Lawler, where Bray Wyatt makes his way out to the ring. Woken Matt Hardy is out next.
– Bray Wyatt vs. Matt Hardy: Hardy starts off with punches off the opening bell. Wyatt goes for the Sister Abigail early on, but Matt escapes. Matt beats on Wyatt in the corner, then hits a Side Effect. Matt goes up top the middle rope for a flying elbow, then attempts a Twist of Fate but Wyatt escapes. They run the ropes and Wyatt hits a big tackle on Hardy. Hardy fights up and drops Wyatt, then leads the crowd in a Delete chant. Hardy goes for the Twist of Fate, but Wyatt fights out. They scuffle up against the ropes, then Wyatt catches him with the Sister Abigail for the three count.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
– Some of the women superstars from RAW’s 25 year history come out to the stage. The Bellas, Maryse, Jacqueline, Kelly Kelly, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Maria Kanellis, Lillian Garcia, and Trish Stratus all come out to the stage one by one.
– Elias is walking backstage, and he runs into Chris Jericho. A Y2J chant breaks out in the crowd, and Jericho tells Elias he has a song he would like to sing for him. Jericho asks to use Elias’ guitar, and Elias declines. Jericho has his own guitar, and sings a song about Elias being a stupid idiot and making The List.
– We see footage of Triple H, Stephanie, and Dana Warrior at an event at the Empire State Building earlier today.
– Elias is now in the ring for a song. He says it took RAW 25 years to find him, but they finally got it right by having him. Elias says WWE really stands for Walk With Elias. Elias calls out Jimmy Fallon, who is sitting in the front row, then starts his song. Elias sings that Cena has no balls, and Cena comes out to interrupt. Elias rolls out of the ring and Cena runs in. Cena says both he and Brooklyn have balls. Cena points to the crowd, and we see a beach ball get confiscate from the crowd. Elias steps back in the ring and t ells Cena to shut his damn mouth. Elias says no one wants to hear Cena, they came to hear Elias, and Cena ruined it. Cena tells Elias to do something about it then. They start fighting and Cena drops Elias. Cena goes for the AA, but Elias gets out and hits a low blow on Cena. Elias grabs the guitar from ringside and smashes it on Cena. Elias then hits his finisher on Cena and yells at the fans.
– The New Day has joined the APA’s poker game. Slater gets called out for cheating. JBL yells for everyone to stop yelling, and says there’s no fighting at the poker table, if they want to fight then go to the ring. Slater and Rhyno leave, then Titus Worldwide follow them. Ted DiBiase wins the hand. “DAMN.”
– Mark Henry is backstage and he runs into the Godfather, who is with a woman named Olivia. Godfather tells a story about Mark Henry being known as Sexual Chocolate. Mark Henry says he’s matured, but Olivia does look great. The Godfather tells him to hold up, because that’s his wife.
– Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews: Dana Brooke is at ringside. Rhyno and Titus start off and trade chops. Apollo and Slater tag in and Crews drops him with a big dropkick. Crews follows up with a stalling vertical suplex on Slater. The aprons clear nd this one devolves into an all-our brawl. The ref calls for the bell and this one is no contest.
Winner: No contest
– The Dudley Boyz come out to the ring, and everyone clears out. Titus Worldwide, Slater and Rhyno roll outside and stop fighting. Titus, Crews and Rhyno all throw Slater in the ring to the Dudleys. Bubba slams Slater, then they do the Wassup headdbutt off the top. They get the table, then give Slater a 3-D through the table. Rhyno, Titus and Crews come in and shake hands with the Dudleys.
– AJ Styles does an interview in the back where he introduces someone he brought along with him to help him with the interview. AJ brings out Mean Gene Okerlund to interview him. Mean Gene says Styles has his hands full on Sunday in a 2-on-1 match, and AJ cuts a Hogan-style “let me tell you somethin’ Mean Gene” promo. AJ talks about his plans to leave the Rumble with the WWE Title.
– J.R. welcomes us back to the Manhattan Center, where Shawn Michaels and Triple H come out to the ring to the DX music. Shawn starts to tell some of his favorite DX moments, but Triple H stops him saying they aren’t PG. Shawn complains that he used to be the boss of the group, now Triple H is the boss of everything. Shawn say she can’t talk about it, but you can watch it on the WWE Network, and the fans boo. Triple H starts thanking the fans and says this is the place where it all started. Triple H talks about starting DX and coming out to the ring with Rick Rude and Chyna, and doing whatever they felt like doing. Triple H says they didn’t come alone tonight, and The New Age Outlaws come out and cut their usual promo. X-Pac comes out next and the crowd starts a 1-2-3 chant. X-Pac says he knows this is a D-X reuinion, but they can’t have a RAW celebration without this next guy. The Razor Ramon music hits and Scott Hall makes his way out to the ring. We go to commercial during Hall’s entrance.
– Back from the break, Hall is in the ring with a mic. “Hey yo.” Hall says you can’t have a party on RAW without the Bad Guy, and the RAW 25th anniversary is just too sweet. Finn Balor, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows come out to interrupt. They high five and do the “Too Sweet” thing, then The Revival comes out to interrupt. It looks like we have a tag match.
– The Revival vs. Gallows & Anderson: DX, Hall and Balor are at ringside. Dawson starts off against Anderson and drops him with an elbow to the face. Wilder comes in but Anderson drops him. Dawson comes back in and Anderson hits him too, then Gallows and Wilder tag in. Gallows cleans house and drops Wilder with a big boot. Anderson tags in and they hit The Magic Killer on Wilder for the win.
Winners: Gallows & Anderson
– After the match, Dawson gets in Hall’s face. Hall throws the toothpick at him, then X Pac hits the X Factor on him. Road Dogg hits some punches, then Gunn hits the Fameasser. Michaels hits a superkick on Wilder, then Triple H hits the Pedigree. Balor hits the Coup De Grace. Billy Gunn gets on the mic and says if you’re not down with that, they’ve got two words for you.
– Back to the Barclays Center, Kurt Angle comes out to the ring with the APA and some other legends. Eric Bischoff, Brother Love, Goldust, The Coach, William Regal, The Godfather and others are with him. The rest of the locker room starts to come out to surround the ring. Kurt Angle talks about the triple threat coming up on Sunday, and introduces the three participants. Strowman omes out first, then some of the other wrestlers at ringside get into the ring to make sure Kane and Strowman stay separate. Kurt Angle appears to have left the ring. Paul Heyman comes out to the stage next, and says he’s here to bring you someone relevant: his client, the WWE Champion, who is here for a fight. The wrestlers who were providing security in the ring leave. Strowman drops Kane, then Lesnar runs down the ramp and drops Strowman. Strowman gets in the ring and clotheslines Lesnar to the outside. Strowman picks up Lesnar and hits a running powerslam through the announcer table. Strowman gets in the ring and raises his hands as we see replays of the powerslam through the table. Strowman gets on the turnbuckle and stands tall as RAW goes off the air.
