The Degeneration of Raw

[bigmackdaddy]

To track the nose-dive of Raw, one need only look at the first Raw taping of each year.

WWF Raw is War @ Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena - January 3, 2000 (9,272)

The 'Have a Bad Day' segment

The Dudley Boyz vs Too Cool w/ Rikishi

Kurt Angle vs. Kane w/ Tori

Intercontinental Championship Match
Chyna w/ the Kat vs. Hardcore Holly w/ Crash Holly

WWF Championship Match
Triple H vs. The Big Show

The Big Bossman & Albert vs. Test, The Fabulous Moolah w/ Harvey Wippleman, & Mae Young w/ Mark Henry

Handicap Match
The Acolytes vs. Pete Gas, Rodney, & Joey Abs

Steel Cage Match
Jeff Hardy w/ Terri & Matt Hardy vs. Al Snow

Handicap Match
The Rock vs. X-Pac, Billy Gunn, & the Road Dogg


WWF Raw is War @ San Jose, CA - Arena - January 8, 2001 (13,769; sell out)

Chris Jericho & The Hardy Boys w/ Lita vs. Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn w/ Terri, & Dean Malenko

Billy Gunn vs. Val Venis

Handicap Match
The Rock, Jack Doan, & Teddy Long vs. Kane & Rikishi

Raven vs. Steve Blackman

Handicap Match
Albert & Trish Stratus vs. Test

Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle


WWF Raw is War @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - January 7, 2002 (13,978)

The Return of Triple H

Rob Van Dam vs. Test

Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo vs. Scotty 2 Hotty & Albert

Edge vs. Lance Storm

Steve Austin & The Rock vs. Booker T & The Big Bossman

Chris Jericho vs. Rikishi

WWF Tag Team Championship Hardcore Match
Tazz & Spike Dudley vs. The Dudley Boyz w/ Stacy Keibler

Wet T-Shirt Contest
Trish Stratus vs. Terri


WWE Raw @ Phoenix, AZ - America West Arena - January 6, 2003

No Disqualification Match
Rico, Rosey, Jamal, & Batista w/ Ric Flair, Eric Bischoff, & Chief Morley vs. The Dudley Boyz

Victoria w/ Steven Richards & Molly Holly vs. Trish Stratus & Jackie

World Tag Team Championship Match
Lance Storm & William Regal vs. Booker T & Goldust

Test w/ Stacy Keibler vs. Christopher Nowinski

Rob Van Dam & Kane w/ Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho & Christian w/ Randy Orton


WWE Raw @ Memphis, TN - Pyramid - January 5, 2004 (6,000)

Spike Dudley vs. Rene Dupree

Chris Jericho & Christian vs. The Hurricane & Rosey

Steven Richards w/ Victoria vs. Test

Rob Van Dam vs. Mark Henry

Ric Flair & Batista vs. The Dudley Boyz


WWE Raw @ Long Island, NY - Nassau Coliseum - January 3, 2005

Batista vs. Chris Benoit

Edge vs. Chris Jericho

Shelton Benjamin vs. Sylvian Grenier w/ Rob Conway

Trish Stratus vs. Victoria

Christian w/ Tyson Tomko vs. Eugene w/ William Regal

Randy Orton vs. Triple H


WWE Raw @ East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena - January 2, 2006 (14,500; announced as 17,896)

Triple H "winging it," and the debut of Shelton's momma

Kane vs. Shawn Michaels

Maria vs. Victoria w/ Candice Michelle & Torrie Wilson

Chris Masters vs. Shelton Benjamin

First Blood Match
Kurt Angle w/ Daivari vs. John Cena

Triple Threat Dark Main Event
John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Kurt Angle

[thiazzi]

I don't really agree with your evidence, though I do agree that the show sucks.

[Hiroshi Hase]

Last year's Raw on 1/2/06 was way better than tonight's. The first blood match with Cena/Angle was great, and even more than that was the crowd in NJ shitting all over Cena when he tried to bust out the old school rap.

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

I tried to watch tonights Raw, I tried. I got all the way up to Jeff Hardy coming out, then I had to turn it off to play some Splinter Cell. I don't know... between the opening segment (I refuse to call that a match) and the announcement of the Melina/Maria(?) match, I'm surprised I made it that far.

[seanwalsh]

Good grief, was it common knowledge that the 1st Raw of every year is in Miami?

Or am I just WAY behind the ball on this one?

[royboy8]

Your evidence is worthless...it makes no sense at all

[Lenny: Smooth like Keith Stone]

Yeah I don't follow... that 2000 episode didn't seem all that great to me:

Intercontinental Championship Match
Chyna w/ the Kat vs. Hardcore Holly w/ Crash Holly

The Big Bossman & Albert vs. Test, The Fabulous Moolah w/ Harvey Wippleman, & Mae Young w/ Mark Henry

Although that Hardy vs Hardy steel cage match was probably awesome (I don't know if I saw this episode or not)