WWE Raw is a
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is an athletic performing art where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff. It is a non-competitive sport which contains strong elements of theatre, mock combat, and catch wrestling. Wrestling's origins date to 19th-century carnival...
television programA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
for
World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) that currently airs on the
USA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1977. The channel shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited movies...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The show's name, which is sometimes stylized as
RAW, is also used to refer to the Raw brand, in which WWE employees are assigned to work and perform on that program; the other programs and brands are SmackDown and ECW. It is the only television broadcast for the Raw brand. The show originally debuted in the United States on the USA Network on January 11, 1993. It remained there until 2000, when
Raw was moved to TNN, later known as Spike TV. In 2005, the show was moved back to the USA Network. Since its launch in 1993,
Raw continues to air on Monday nights.
Raw is generally seen as the company's flagship program due to its longer history, higher ratings, and emphasis on pay-per-views. It is the longest running weekly episodic television show in history.
Original format
Beginning as
WWF Monday Night Raw, the program first aired on January 11, 1993 on the
USA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1977. The channel shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited movies...
for one hour. Out of all of the wrestlers that were featured, only two are still employed in WWE:
Shawn MichaelsMichael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American professional wrestler. He performs for World Wrestling Entertainment , formerly the World Wrestling Federation, on its Raw brand...
and The Undertaker. The original
Raw broke new ground in televised professional wrestling. Traditionally, wrestling shows were taped on sound stages with small audiences or at large arena shows. The
Raw formula was very different than that of its predecessor,
Prime Time WrestlingWWF Prime Time Wrestling was a TV wrestling program that aired on the USA Network from 1985-1993. A precursor to Monday Night Raw, Prime Time Wrestling was a two-hour long, weekly program that featured stars of the World Wrestling Federation...
. Instead of taped matches, with studio voice overs and taped chat,
Raw was a show shot to a live audience, with angles as they happened. The first episode featured
YokozunaRodney Agatupu Anoa'i was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan...
defeating Koko B. Ware,
The Steiner BrothersThe Steiner Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of American brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner...
defeating The Executioners,
WWF Intercontinental ChampionThe World Wrestling Entertainment Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is the original secondary title of WWE...
Shawn Michaels defeating Max Moon and The Undertaker defeating
Damien DementoPhil Theis is a retired American professional wrestler best known for his work as Damien Demento in the World Wrestling Federation from October 1992 to October 1993.-Early career:...
. The show also featured an interview with
Razor RamonScott Oliver Hall is an American professional wrestler. In the course of his career, which has spanned three decades, Hall has wrestled for the American Wrestling Association , the National Wrestling Alliance , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , World Class Championship Wrestling , World...
.
Raw originated from the
Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center StudiosThe Manhattan Center building, built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, houses Manhattan Center Studios , its Grand Ballroom, and the Hammerstein Ballroom, one of New York City's most renowned performance venues...
, a small
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
theater and aired live each week. The combination of an intimate venue and live action proved highly successful. However, the weekly live schedule proved to be a financial drain on the WWF, and taped shows began airing every other week. From early 1994 to September 1999,
Raw was shown live on one Monday and then the next day (Tuesday) next Monday's
Raw was taped. This meant that
Raw was live one week and taped the next.
The storylines and characters during the early years of
Raw still had a healthy dose of the old Federation "gimmick-heavy" style. For instance, there were moments such as
Irwin R. SchysterLawrence Michael Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with World Wrestling Entertainment working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
tearing up
TatankaChristopher Chavis , is a Native American professional wrestler best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment as Tatanka from 1991 to 1996 and from 2005 to 2007...
's headdress, the various "Undertaker sightings" (during the Undertaker vs. Undertaker storyline, leading up to
SummerSlam 1994SummerSlam was the seventh annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 29, 1994 at the newly-opened United Center in Chicago, Illinois, which had opened eleven days earlier.The pay-per-view had two main events...
); and characters like
Duke "The Dumpster" DroeseMichael "Mike" Droese is a retired American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1994 and 1996 under the ring name Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.-Career:Droese was trained as a professional wrestler by Bobby Wales...
,
Doink the ClownDoink the Clown is a professional wrestling gimmick, originally portrayed by Matt Osborne in the World Wrestling Federation from 1992 to 1994...
, or
Thurman "Sparky" PluggRobert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Hardcore Holly, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
.
Raw was also one of a kind, in which they covered the unexpected, exciting moments, a prelude to "
the Attitude EraThe Attitude Era was a period in the World Wrestling Federation and professional wrestling history that began as a direct result of the Monday Night Wars and culminated with the conclusion of the Wars in 2001...
", in which it coined
Raw as "Uncut, Uncensored, Uncooked." Some of those moments include Razor Ramon losing a match unexpectedly to
Sean "The 1-2-3 Kid" WaltmanSean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler. Waltman is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names 1-2-3 Kid and X-Pac, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name...
, who was later known as X-Pac;
Marty JannettyFrederick Marty Jannetty is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation as part of tag team The Rockers with partner Shawn Michaels, and later as a singles competitor. While in the WWF, he became a one-time Intercontinental Champion and one-time Tag...
beating Shawn Michaels to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship; and
Raw was the first WWF television program of any kind to show footage of
Lex LugerLawrence Wendell Pfohl best known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player. He is best known for his work with the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
bodyslamming Yokozuna at the
USS IntrepidUSS Intrepid is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in August 1943, Intrepid participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, most notably the Battle of Leyte Gulf...
.
The original hosts of
Raw were
Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestler, promoter, in-ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and film producer. He currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and is the majority shareholder of WWE. He is the creator...
,
Rob BartlettRobert Bartlett is a comedian, actor and writer who gained wide-spread fame as a comedian on the radio and television show Imus in the Morning. His most famous characters include: The Godfather, Dr...
and "Macho Man"
Randy SavageRandall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, is a former American professional wrestler and actor who is best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling . Savage is a six-time world champion...
.
Sean MooneySean Mooney is a former World Wrestling Federation play-by-play announcer. He was born and currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona.-WWF career:Mooney debuted on the May 15, 1988 edition of WWF Wrestling Challenge...
conducted the interviews and
Bobby "The Brain" HeenanRaymond Louis Heenan better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and the American Wrestling Association...
also helped contribute. On April 19, 1993, Rob Bartlett made his final appearance on the program. He was dropped from the broadcasting team and was replaced by Bobby Heenan the following week. Then on December 6, 1993,
Gorilla MonsoonRobert James "Gino" Marella , better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play announcer, and booker...
kicked Bobby Heenan out of the WWF forever. In reality, this was a storyline between Monsoon and his close friend Heenan, who decided to leave the World Wrestling Federation in order to lighten his travel schedule and because he didn't want to take a 50% paycut. After about a year,
Raw moved out of the Manhattan Center and traveled to various regular Federation venues in the United States.
The Monday Night Wars
In 1995,
World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and his...
(WCW) began airing its new wrestling show,
WCW Monday NitroWCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001. Production ceased after WCW was purchased...
, live each week on TNT.
Raw and
Nitro went head-to-head for the first time on September 11, 1995. Due to
Raws taping schedule on several occasions, WCW Vice President Eric BischoffEric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur and former professional wrestling booker, producer, and on-screen personality, most known for serving as Executive Producer and later President of World Championship Wrestling and later, the General Manager of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand...
, who was also an on-air personality, would frequently give away the results of WWF's taped Raw
shows on the live WCW show. Some fans also looked at Raw
taping results on the steadily growing InternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
; as a result, this caused the ratingsNielsen ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of the taped Raw
episodes to be lower.
WWF Raw
had a live broadcast every other week to save costs, until September 1999, when ratings and pay-per-view buy rate increased, allowing them to justify doing a weekly live show.
At the start of the ratings war in 1995 through to mid-1996, Raw
and Nitro
exchanged victories over each other in a closely contested rivalry. Beginning in mid-1996, however, thanks primarily to the nWoThe New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling...
angle, Monday Nitro
started a ratings win-streak that lasted for 84 continuous weeks, ending on April 13, 1998.
Raw is War
On February 3, 1997, Monday Night Raw
went to a two hour format, as the Attitude EraThe Attitude Era was a period in the World Wrestling Federation and professional wrestling history that began as a direct result of the Monday Night Wars and culminated with the conclusion of the Wars in 2001...
was starting to come in full stream in the WWF. In an attempt to break the momentum of what had turned into ratings domination by WCW's competing Monday Nitro
, Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW) was brought in as Jerry LawlerJerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , working and wrestling on its Raw brand as the color commentator...
"challenged" ECW on February 17, 1997.
In an episode where Raw
returned to the Manhattan Center, the "challenge" answered on the following week's show with TazPeter Senerchia is an American retired professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
, Mikey WhipwreckJohn Watson , better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck , is a retired American professional wrestler best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling. He currently wrestles and trains wrestlers for the New York Wrestling Connection...
, Sabu, Tommy DreamerThomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Tommy Dreamer. He is currently under contract to World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestling on the ECW brand. While with WWE, Laughlin has been a fourteen-time Hardcore Champion and a one-time ECW...
, D-Von DudleyDevon E. Hughes is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment as D-Von Dudley...
, and The SandmanJames "Jim" Fullington better known by his ring name Sandman, is an American professional wrestler, best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling , where he developed into a "Hardcore Icon" and became a five time World Heavyweight Champion...
. ECW owner Paul HeymanPaul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best-known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, and commentator. He is also an occasional actor in film....
did a call-in interview on Raw
the week after that.
Throughout 1997, further controversial elements emerged with Raw and WWF programming.
Memorable moments included
Bret HartBret Sergeant Hart is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, author, and actor, best known for his time in World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under the persona, "The Hitman". A son of wrestling patriarch Stu Hart, he was born into the Hart wrestling...
cursing profanely at the crowd after reaping loss in a Steel Cage match, with commentators apologizing for his foul behavior, before he proceeds in major brawls with
SidSidney Raymond "Sid" Eudy is an American professional wrestler, better known as Sid Vicious in World Championship Wrestling, and as Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the World Wrestling Federation. He is a four time world champion, having won the WWF Championship and WCW World Heavyweight Championship...
, The Undertaker,
Steve AustinSteve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, and briefly
Shawn MichaelsMichael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American professional wrestler. He performs for World Wrestling Entertainment , formerly the World Wrestling Federation, on its Raw brand...
. Some of the most notable moments cites the profusely intense feud with The Hart Foundation against Michaels and Austin, which saw Raw develop a memorable episode in which Michaels and Austin beat The British Bulldog and Owen Hart for the WWF Tag Team Championship, and during their post-match attack on Michaels, Austin physically charged a disabled Bret Hart to ward them off. Other events saw the new black street gang
Nation of DominationThe Nation of Domination was a professional wrestling heel stable in World Wrestling Federation from November 18, 1996 to November 28, 1998. The Rock was a 1 time Intercontinental Champion and D'Lo Brown was a 2 time European Champion while in the group.-United States Wrestling Association :The...
formed, and Michaels
D-Generation XD-Generation X is a professional wrestling tag team wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand. The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
"racial graffiti" storyline designed to "implicate Bret Hart's '
The Hart FoundationThe Hart Foundation was a collective name used by various stables in the World Wrestling Federation . They are generally associated with the Hart wrestling family of legendary Stu Hart from Canada.-Career:...
'", and the "XXX Files" series.
On March 10, 1997, Monday Night Raw
officially became Raw is War
. The March 17, 1997 episode featured a heated Bret Hart/Vince McMahon ringside altercation (that unknowingly foreshadowed the Montreal ScrewjobThe Montreal Screwjob was the real life double-crossing of defending WWF Champion Bret Hart by Vince McMahon, the owner of the World Wrestling Federation , during the main event match of the professional wrestling pay-per-view event Survivor Series held on November 9, 1997 at the Molson Centre in...
) with profanity normally unheard on TV. Brian PillmanBrian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling....
did a series of "XXX Files" segments with Terri RunnelsTerri Lynne Boatright Runnels is a former World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation professional wrestling manager,television host and occasional wrestler....
, which further "pushed the envelope". These segments ended prematurely with the September 29, 1997 episode of Raw, after the death of Brian Pillman on October 5, 1997 due to hereditary heart problems.
After
WrestleMania XIVWrestleMania XIV was the fourteenth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on March 29, 1998 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts....
in March 1998, which featured
Mike TysonMichael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. He was the undisputed heavyweight champion and remains the youngest man ever to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles. He won the WBC title at just 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old, after defeating Trevor Berbick by a TKO in...
as a ring enforcer, and Shawn Michaels final match up until 2002, the WWF regained the lead in the Monday Night Wars with its new "WWF Attitude" brand, led in particular by rising stars Steve Austin, The Rock,
Triple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and
MankindMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American actor, author, comedian, voice over, and professional wrestler, currently signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the storyline "Executive Shareholder"...
. The classic
feudA professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
between the
villainousIn professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling storylines. They are typically opposed by a babyface or more simply, face . Some tweeners exhibit heel mannerisms...
WWF Chairman Vince McMahon (who was re-imagined and re-branded from the color commentator into the evil corporal chairman character Mr. McMahon after the real-life Montreal Screwjob incident) and
fan favoriteIn professional wrestling, a face or babyface is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains. Not everything a face wrestler does must be heroic: faces need only to be cheered by the audience to be effective characters...
Steve Austin caught the imaginations of fans. The April 13, 1998 episode of Raw
, headlined by a match between Austin and McMahon, marked the first time that WCW had lost the head-to-head Monday night ratingsNielsen ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
battle in the 84 weeks since 1996.
While Raw
was taking a new approach to programming, Nitro began producing lackluster programming with repetitive storylines. Older stars such as Hogan and Nash frequently occupied the main events, while younger talent such as Rey Mysterio, Jr.,
Chris BenoitChristopher Michael Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler who was found by investigators and authorities to have murdered his wife and son before committing suicide...
,
Chris JerichoChristopher Keith "Chris" Irvine better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-born Canadian professional wrestler, television and stage actor, author, radio host, television host and rock musician...
, and
Eddie GuerreroEduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family...
were not given opportunities to advance, and the only newcomers elevated to main-event status at this time were
Bill GoldbergWilliam Scott "Bill" Goldberg better known by his ring name Bill Goldberg , is an American professional wrestler and actor best known for his time in both World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
and
Diamond Dallas PagePage Joseph Falkinburg, Jr. better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and actor...
.
Meanwhile, on Raw, fans were immersed in the feud between WWF owner Vince McMahon and Steve Austin. New talent such as Triple H being the new leader of the D-Generation X (DX) faction, Mankind and The Rock were elevated to main event status on the WWF's program. Superstars such as Kane, Kurt Angle, Val Venis, Goldust and the like were coming through the ranks and exposing the WWF as territory where new talent can ascend unlike the WCW counterpart. Matters were so heated between the two programs that, when both shows were on the
Hampton RoadsHampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the region of land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia. Hampton Roads is notable for its year-round ice-free harbor, for United States Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, NASA, Marines, and Army facilities, shipyards, coal piers, and...
on the same night (Raw
in Hampton, VirginiaHampton is an independent city in Virginia, and therefore not part of any Virginia county. One of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, it is on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering on Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay....
, Nitro
in NorfolkNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 234,403 as of the 2000 census, it is Virginia's second-largest incorporated city behind its eastern neighbor, Virginia Beach....
), DX was sent to film a "war" segment at the Norfolk ScopeNorfolk Scope is a 12,600-seat multipurpose arena at the northern perimeter of downtown Norfolk, Virginia, designed by renowned Italian architect/engineer Pier Luigi Nervi with the local firm of Williams and Tazewell. Construction on Scope on Brambleton Avenue began in June 1968 and was completed...
where they berated WCW and interviewed fans on camera who stated that they received their Nitro
tickets for free (presumably in an attempt by WCW to pack the arena to capacity due to low ticket sales).
On January 4, 1999, Mick Foley, who had wrestled for WCW during the early 1990s as Cactus Jack, won the WWF Title as Mankind on Raw
. On orders from Bischoff, Nitro
announcer Tony SchiavoneNoah Anthony "Tony" Schiavone is an American sports broadcaster. He is the play-by-play broadcaster for the Gwinnett Braves of the International League...
gave away this previously taped result on a live Nitro
, and then sarcastically added "that'll sure put some butts in the seats"
consequently resulting in over 600,000 viewers switching channels to watch Raw
. This was also the night that Nitro
aired a WCW World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the top title contested for in World Championship Wrestling...
match in which Kevin NashKevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. Nash has wrestled under various ring names, but most notably by his own name, for World Championship Wrestling and wrestled by his own name and as Diesel in World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment...
blatantly laid down for Hulk HoganTerry Gene Bollea better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American actor and retired professional wrestler....
after Hogan poked him in the chest. The next week, and for months after, many fans in the Raw
audience brought signs which read, "Mick Foley put my ass in this seat!"
The end of the Wars
A new television contract with Viacom led to a WWF change in the broadcast. On September 25, 2000, Raw
moved from the USA Network to TNN (which later became Spike TV).
WCW's sharp decline in revenue and ratings led to Time Warner's sale of the company to the WWF in 2001. The final edition of Nitro
aired on March 26, 2001. The show began with Vince McMahon making a short statement about his recent purchase of WCW and ended with a simulcast on Raw
and on TNN with an appearance by Vince's son Shane McMahonShane Brandon McMahon is an American executive and part-time professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , appearing primarily on the Raw brand. He is the son of the current WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon and brother of Stephanie McMahon, making him...
on Nitro
. Shane interrupted his father's gloating over the WCW purchase to explain that Shane was the one who actually owned WCW, setting up what became the WWF's "Invasion" storyline.
The Raw is War
logo and name were retired in September 2001, following the September 11 attacks and sensitivity over the word war
, and because the Monday Night Wars were "over".
Brand Extension
In early to mid-2002, WWE underwent a process they called the "Brand Extension". WWE divided itself into two "de facto" wrestling promotions with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures. Raw and SmackDown! would host each division, give its name to the division and essentially compete against each other. The split was a result of WWF purchasing their two biggest competitors, WCWWorld Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and his...
and ECWExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
. The brand extension was publicly announced during a telecast of WWF Raw on March 25, 2002, and became official the next day.
Wrestlers now would become show-exclusive, wrestling for their specific show only. At the time this excluded the WWE Undisputed ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling Entertainment . It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of three in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship and ECW Championship. It was established...
and WWE Women's ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Women's Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is challenged by WWE Divas only and is exclusive to the SmackDown brand.-History:...
, as those WWE titles would be defended on both shows. In August 2002, WWE Undisputed Champion Brock LesnarBrock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist as well as a former professional and amateur wrestler...
refused to defend the title on Raw, in effect causing his title to become exclusive to SmackDown! The following week on Raw, General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded a newly instated World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling Entertainment . It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of three in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship and ECW Championship...
to Raw's designated number one contender, Triple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
. Due to the fact that since the WWE Undisputed Championship was now SmackDown! exclusive it was no longer seen as "undisputed". Following this, the WWE Women's ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Women's Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is challenged by WWE Divas only and is exclusive to the SmackDown brand.-History:...
soon became Raw-exclusive as well. As a result of the Brand Extension, an annual "draft lottery" was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups.
WWE Raw claimed to have earned the distinction of having the most original episodes of any fictional weekly program on August 2, 2005 when it broadcasted the 636th episode. It was said to have taken the place of GunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, which held that distinction. However, under the criteria WWE used to make this claim, the actual record would be held by the show Georgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, Georgia superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
, which ran continuously on Saturday evenings on TBSTBS is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows sports and a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy.TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
between 1972 and 1984. That said, Raw went on to surpass the Georgia Championship Wrestling record as they now have produced over 800 episodes.
Return to USA Network
On March 10, 2005, ViacomViacom , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with various worldwide interests in cable and satellite television networks , and movie production and distribution with Paramount Motion Pictures Group. Paramount is also the distributor of movie studio DreamWorks...
and WWEWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
decided not to go on with the agreement with Spike TV, making it so Raw and other WWE programs on the network would cease when their deal expired in September 2005. On April 4, 2005, WWE announced a 3-year deal with NBC UniversalNBC Universal, Inc. is a media and entertainment company formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electric's NBC with Vivendi Universal Entertainment, part of the French Media Group. The deal excluded the French Canal+ operations, which were retained by Vivendi. GE owns 80% of NBC Universal...
to bring Raw back to its former home, the USA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1977. The channel shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited movies...
, with 2 yearly specials on NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
and a SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
Raw on TelemundoTelemundo is a Spanish-language American television network. Angel Ramos launched the brand with a TV station in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1954 -- and it evolved into the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world...
. On the same week as Raws re-debut on USA, Spike TV scheduled Ultimate Fighting ChampionshipThe Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization. Dana White serves as the president of the UFC; Zuffa, LLC, controlled by the casino-moguls Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, owns it....
's live Ultimate Fight NightUltimate Fight Night was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 6, 2005. The event took place at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast live on Spike TV in the United States and Canada. The telecast drew a 1.5 overall rating in the United...
in Raw's old timeslot in an attempt to go head-to-head with Raw.
The show's first night back on USA was billed as the "WWE Homecoming" and featured the return of former WWE ChampionsThe World Wrestling Entertainment Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling Entertainment . It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of three in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship and ECW Championship. It was established...
such as Hulk HoganTerry Gene Bollea better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American actor and retired professional wrestler....
, Steve AustinSteve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, Shawn MichaelsMichael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American professional wrestler. He performs for World Wrestling Entertainment , formerly the World Wrestling Federation, on its Raw brand...
, Mick FoleyMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American actor, author, comedian, voice over, and professional wrestler, currently signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the storyline "Executive Shareholder"...
, Triple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestler, promoter, in-ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and film producer. He currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and is the majority shareholder of WWE. He is the creator...
along with cameos from legends such as Roddy PiperRoderick George Toombs ), better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler and film actor currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Jimmy HartJimmy Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. He has managed many professional wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Ted DiBiase, and...
, Jimmy SnukaJames William Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several wrestling promotions in the 1970s and 1980s...
and Harley RaceHarley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter. During his career as a wrestler, he amassed seven National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship reigns at a time when wrestlers rarely repeated as champion, and worked for all of the major wrestling...
. WWE Homecoming was three hours long — the second longest an episode of Raw has ever run in its 12-year history. USA also showed Raw Exposed, an hour of the best moments of Raw during its previous run on USA. WWEWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
announced that Raw received its highest ratings in three years, gaining close to six million viewers.
The following week, Vince McMahon fired Jim RossJames William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator. Ross is a restaurateur, professional wrestling commentator and former company executive currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment working on its SmackDown brand as the color commentator...
for not helping after Steve Austin gave him and his entire family the Stone Cold StunnerA stunner is a common term in professional wrestling referring to the seated three-quarter facelock jawbreaker maneuver, predominantly used by and named after Stone Cold Steve Austin, but invented by Mikey Whipwreck, who called it the Whipper-Snapper, and also used by Disco Inferno naming it the...
. Jonathan CoachmanJonathan William Coachman , also known as "The Coach", is a former professional wrestling color commentator. He is also a former college basketball player, and football play-by-play announcer...
, the second analyst at the table, took over Ross's duties as play-by-play for two weeks until former ECWExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
announcer Joey StylesJoseph Carmine Bonsignore better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American former professional wrestling play-by-play commentator and former professional in the field of advertising sales...
was hired.
2006
On the May 1, 2006 edition of Raw, Joey StylesJoseph Carmine Bonsignore better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American former professional wrestling play-by-play commentator and former professional in the field of advertising sales...
announced he was quitting (kayfabeIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real." That is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as being genuine or not worked...
). His vacating of the announcer position set the stage for Jim Ross to return to Raw's commentary booth, thus ending the storyline where Ross got fired by Linda McMahonLinda Marie Edwards-McMahon is a Republican candidate for the United States Senate, against Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd, in 2010 . McMahon is the wife of Vince McMahon, with whom she has run the operations of World Wrestling Entertainment since its establishment in 1980, serving as CEO...
. This freed Styles to become a commentator for the ECW brand when it launched in June.
In CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, after an 11 year run on TSNThe Sports Network, commonly abbrieviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the second group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
, Raw moved to rival sports broadcaster The Score after it was announced that TSN would be carrying Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live television broadcast of the National Football League. Originally airing on the ABC network from to , Monday Night Football was the second longest running prime time show on American broadcast network television and one of the highest-rated, particularly among male...
for the 2006 season. This also meant that Canadian viewers would be watching via a one hour tape-delay, as The Score does not broadcast Raw live, but in 2007, started airing the show with only a 15 minute tape delay. The first 15 minutes of the hour contains a countdown pre-show recapping the previous week's events.
During the September 25, 2006 episode of Raw in Oklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, the opening of Raw suffered a blackout. Spotlights were the only lights running in the house. Power in the presentation was later restored. Another similar moment happened back on May 26, 1996 in Florence, South CarolinaFlorence is the largest city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. This 1997 All-America City finalist, with its historic homes and medical center towers, came together to form a cultural center for the northeastern portion of South Carolina. The city population...
for WWF In Your House 8: Beware of Dog, when a major thunderstorm hit the Florence Civic CenterThe Florence Civic Center is a 7,426-seat multi-purpose arena in Florence, South Carolina. It is home to the Florence Phantoms indoor football team. It hosted the infamous eighth WWF In Your House pay-per-view in 1996, during which a storm knocked out the power and thus the broadcast signal during...
causing major chaos for the PPV. That Tuesday, Beware of Dog, returned to North Charleston, South CarolinaNorth Charleston is a suburban city within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and is located in Charleston and Dorchester Counties. The population, as of 2009, currently stands at more than 95,000. This ranks the City of North Charleston as 3rd in city limit population...
to finish out three matches that were not shown because of the lost power feed.
On October 9, 2006, Raw held a three-hour season premiere called the "Raw Family Reunion", where the Raw brand debuted a new logo and theme song, Papa RoachPapa Roach is a four-piece hard rock band from Vacaville, California. They broke into the mainstream with their triple-platinum major-label debut Infest . The group's success continued with later releases Lovehatetragedy , Getting Away with Murder and The Paramour Sessions . Their latest album,...
's "...To Be Loved"...To Be Loved" is the first single from the hard rock band Papa Roach's fourth major-label album , The Paramour Sessions, and ninth released single in total. The song hit American radio stations on August 7, 2006...
". The episode also featured talent from the SmackDown! and ECW brands. Later that month, on October 23 Raw aired its 700th episode, making it the longest running weekly entertainment show, without a hiatusIn television scheduling, a hiatus refers to a break of at least several weeks in the normal schedule of a television program. It can occur during a season of a television program, or can be between television seasons...
, in television history.
2007
On June 25, 2007, Raw was scheduled in Corpus Christi, TexasCorpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties.MSA population in 2008 is 416, 376. The population was 277,454 at the 2000 census; in 2006 the US Census...
to be a three-hour special memorial show for the storylineIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real." That is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as being genuine or not worked...
death of the Mr. McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestler, promoter, in-ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and film producer. He currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and is the majority shareholder of WWE. He is the creator...
character. Two weeks earlier, the show had broadcast an angle in which Mr. McMahon was murdered by a bomb planted within his limousine. The 'Mr. McMahon' tribute was cancelled on the day it was due to air after the real life death of current superstar Chris Benoit and his family. The show then became a three-hour tribute to Benoit. What made this tribute different from others (e.g. Eddie Guerrero and Owen Hart) was that the show had no original matches and no live audience. Instead, the three-hour show aired highlights from the WWE DVD 'Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story', and a selection of Benoit's most famous matches. Several wrestlers paid tribute in the form of real interviews about him, and Vince McMahon broke character to address the viewers about what had happened. However, when the facts of Benoit's death came to light, WWE pulled this episode from international markets which aired Raw on a tape delayIn radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical malfunctions or...
basis. Several channels announced the episode was being withheld for legal reasons. A substitute Raw, hosted by Todd GrishamTodd Grisham is an American presenter/announcer who is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , working on its SmackDown! brand as the play-by-play announcer and is the host for Fox Soccer Channel's Major League Soccer broadcasts.-Early life:Grisham attended Wingate University on a...
from WWE Studios, was created featuring recaps of John Cena's WWE Championship victories, mainly the ones that had occurred over the past year. The episode started with a message from Vince McMahon which originally aired on the June 26 edition of ECW. Some countries that received WWE programing up to three weeks late had all Chris Benoit matches edited out. The WWE even removed all Chris Benoit matches and interviews from the WWE 24/7 service.
On December 10, 2007 Raw celebrated its 15th anniversary in a three-hour spectacular on the USA Network with the returns of Steve AustinSteve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, Rob Van DamRobert "Rob" Alexander Szatkowski is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam . He is best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
, The GodfatherCharles Wright is an American businessman and retired professional wrestler. He is probably best known for his time spent with the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1990s and early 2000s under the ring names Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa, The Godfather and The Goodfather...
, Steve BlackmanSteve Blackman is a retired American professional wrestler who best known for his career in the World Wrestling Federation under his own name.-Stampede Wrestling:...
, Howard FinkelHoward Finkel is a professional wrestling ring announcer currently working with World Wrestling Entertainment in a variety of roles. Hired in 1975 by Vincent J...
, Ted DiBiaseTheodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of well-known promotions, but is best recalled to mainstream audiences for his time in the WWF, where he wrestled as "The Million Dollar Man" Ted...
, Eric BischoffEric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur and former professional wrestling booker, producer, and on-screen personality, most known for serving as Executive Producer and later President of World Championship Wrestling and later, the General Manager of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand...
, Marty JannettyFrederick Marty Jannetty is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation as part of tag team The Rockers with partner Shawn Michaels, and later as a singles competitor. While in the WWF, he became a one-time Intercontinental Champion and one-time Tag...
, GangrelDavid William Heath is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring names Gangrel and Vampire Warrior.-Beginning:...
, Trish StratusPatricia Anne Stratigias , better known as Trish Stratus, is a former fitness model, former professional wrestler and television personality from Canada....
, LitaAmy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is an American former professional wrestler and WWE Diva from 1999 to 2006 and lead singer for the band The Luchagors....
, SunnyTamara Lynn Sytch is an American professional wrestling manager, personality and occasional wrestler. She achieved her greatest success as Sunny for the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, and is widely considered as one of the first Divas...
, Molly HollyNora Kristina Greenwald better known by her ring name Molly Holly, is an inactive American professional wrestler. Greenwald is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .Greenwald began her professional wrestling career in WCW, where she...
, Hulk HoganTerry Gene Bollea better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American actor and retired professional wrestler....
and Mick FoleyMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American actor, author, comedian, voice over, and professional wrestler, currently signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the storyline "Executive Shareholder"...
(as Mankind) among others. Along with several reunions of former tag teams and also included a 15-man "15 Years of Raw" battle royalIn professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
. The Raw 15th Anniversary DVD was also released which featured some of the most memorable moments in Raw history.
2008
WWE began their 2008 year with a new HD set, which consisted of more than 1,000,000 LEDA light-emitting diode , is an electronic light source. The first LED was built in the 1920s by Oleg Vladimirovich Losev, a radio technician who noticed that diodes used in radio receivers emitted light when current was passed through them...
s. The introduction of this new set retired the old set, which was used from April 2002 to January 2008. Raw's first show in HD was held in the Hampton ColiseumLocated in Hampton, Virginia, the Hampton Coliseum, commonly referred to as "the mothership" or "cosmic cupcake" due to its unique architecture, is a multi-use facility owned by the City of Hampton. It is used to host concerts, and is a regular stop on the World Wrestling Entertainment tour...
in Hampton, VirginiaHampton is an independent city in Virginia, and therefore not part of any Virginia county. One of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, it is on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering on Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay....
.
On June 30, 2008 the World Heavyweight Championship returned to Raw after CM Punk cashed in money in the bank and defeated Edge.
On the September 8, 2008 edition of Raw it was announced that a "talent exchange" was started between ECW and Raw, allowing their respective talent to appear and compete on either brand. This is similar to an earlier "talent exchange" between SmackDown and ECW.
On November 3, 2008, Raw celebrated its 800th episode with a three hour episode. The actual 800th episode aired on September 22, 2008.
2009
On February 15, at No Way OutNo Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on February 15, 2009 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. It was the 11th event under the No Way Out name and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
, EdgeAdam Joseph Copeland is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to an injury....
won the World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling Entertainment . It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of three in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship and ECW Championship...
in Raws Elimination ChamberThe Elimination Chamber is a match type in professional wrestling, specifically seen in World Wrestling Entertainment.-Background:Former Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff was given on-screen credit for creating the match in the fall of 2002, stating it combines elements of WWE's Royal Rumble,...
match, thus making it a SmackDown exclusive title and giving SmackDown two top tier championships. As a result of the 2009 WWE DraftThe 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft was the seventh Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The Draft took place over two days: the first day was televised live for three hours on April 13; the second part, the "Supplemental Draft", was held on April 15...
in April, WWE Champion Triple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
was drafted to the Raw brand, while the World Heavyweight Championship moved to the Raw brand after Edge lost the title to John CenaJohn Felix Anthony Cena is an American actor, hip hop musician, and professional wrestler currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand....
at WrestleMania XXVWrestleMania XXV was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 5, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas...
. SmackDown would regain the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash (2009)Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment which took place on April 26, 2009 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The 11th event under the Backlash banner, it featured talent from all three WWE brands: Raw, SmackDown,...
when Edge defeated John Cena to win the championship. In addition, SmackDown and Raw would exchange both women-exclusive championships with Raw gaining the WWE Divas ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Divas Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is competed for by WWE Divas only on the Raw brand. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager...
and SmackDown gaining the WWE Women's ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Women's Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is challenged by WWE Divas only and is exclusive to the SmackDown brand.-History:...
. Also, SmackDown and Raw exchanged the WWE Intercontinental ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is the original secondary title of WWE...
which is now exclusive to SmackDown and the WWE United States ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw...
which is exclusive to Raw Brand, for the first time ever.
On June 15, 2009, McMahon announced on a special three-hour edition of Raw that he had "sold the show" to Donald TrumpDonald John Trump is an American business magnate, socialite, author and television personality. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, a US-based real-estate developer. Trump is also the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which operates numerous casinos and hotels across the...
, who appeared on-screen to confirm it and declared he would be at the following commercial-free episode in person. WWE treated the sale as real, even issuing a press release on their corporate site announcing it, but USA Network confirmed the next day that it was kayfabeIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real." That is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as being genuine or not worked...
and part of a storyline. The "sale" was picked up as a real event by many industry sources. The day following the announcement, WWE's stock on the New York Stock ExchangeThe New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. It is the largest stock exchange in the world by United States dollar value of its listed companies' securities...
fell. On June 22, 2009, Vince McMahon bought back Raw from Donald Trump for double of what he paid for Raw. Despite USA Network's acknowledgment that the sale was fictional, Randy Katz, a securities lawyer with Baker & Hostetler, told Fox Business NetworkFox Business Network is a US Cable News and satellite news channel that commenced broadcasting on October 15, 2007. It is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
that a probe by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against WWE and USA Network owner General ElectricThe General Electric Company, or GE , is a multinational American technology and services conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York. In 2009, Forbes ranked GE as the world's largest company...
"certainly is a possibility." After buying Raw back, McMahon announced that instead of general managers being in charge of Raw, each week a different guest host would be in charge. These hosts were either injured or retired wrestlers, WWE Hall of FameThe World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's , the predecessor of WWE, Monday Night Raw television program...
rs, or celebrities.
Production
The theme song for the Raw brand is "...To Be Loved"...To Be Loved" is the first single from the hard rock band Papa Roach's fourth major-label album , The Paramour Sessions, and ninth released single in total. The song hit American radio stations on August 7, 2006...
" by Papa RoachPapa Roach is a four-piece hard rock band from Vacaville, California. They broke into the mainstream with their triple-platinum major-label debut Infest . The group's success continued with later releases Lovehatetragedy , Getting Away with Murder and The Paramour Sessions . Their latest album,...
, which has been used for the Raw brand since October 9, 2006. Previous to this, Raw's theme song was "Across the Nation", by The Union UndergroundThe Union Underground was a nu metal/industrial rock band based out of San Antonio, Texas, USA. Original band members included Bryan Scott, Patrick Kennison, Josh Memelo, and John Moyer. They released one major label album, An Education in Rebellion, in July 2000 which featured the hit single "Turn...
.
Since March 10, 1997, broadcasts of Raw were split into two hours and given hourly names for television ratings purposesNielsen ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, with the first hour being referred to as Raw is War and the second as War Zone by the show's on-screen graphics. However, as of October 1, 2001, the first hour has been referred to as Raw and the second as Raw Zone by the show's on-screen graphics. However, both hours are known as just "Raw" on-air.
On January 7, 2008, WWE announced that all 3 brands (Raw, SmackDown, and ECW) would be broadcast in HDHigh-definition television is a digital television broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems...
, codenamedA code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage...
"WWE HD" starting with Raw on January 21. WWE invested an estimated $20 million dollars on new recording and broadcasting equipment to prepare for the move, as well as new pyrotechnics and lighting. The move replaced the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW sets with a new state of the artThe state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also applies to the level of development reached at any particular time usually as a result of modern methods.- Origin :The earliest usage of the term "state...
set shared by all brands.
Special episodes
| Episode |
Date |
Rating |
Notes |
| Raw Bowl |
January 1, 1996 |
2.6 |
}
|-
|Raw
Championship Friday
|September 6, 1996
|2.4
|
|-
|Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble was the tenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 19, 1997 from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas....
Raw
|February 3, 1997
|2.6
|
|-
|Raw
is Owen
|May 24, 1999
|7.2
|
|-
|The 2002 Draft
|March 25, 2002
|5.4
|.
|-
|Raw
X Anniversary
|January 13, 2003
|3.9
|
|-
|The 2004 WWE Draft
|March 22, 2004
|4.5
|
|-
|Raw Homecoming
|October 3, 2005
|4.4
|
|-
|Eddie Guerrero Tribute Show
|November 14, 2005
|4.5
|
|-
|Tribute to the Troops
|December 19, 2005
|3.7
|
|-
|Raw Family Reunion
|October 9, 2006
|3.8
|
|-
|Tribute to the Troops
|December 25, 2006
|2.7
|
|-
|
DraftThe 2007 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on June 11, 2007. The first half of the draft was televised live for three hours on WWE's flagship program, Raw on USA Network...
3-Hour Special
|June 11, 2007
|3.8
|
|-
|
Chris BenoitChristopher Michael Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler who was found by investigators and authorities to have murdered his wife and son before committing suicide...
3-Hour Memorial
|June 25, 2007
|3.8
|
|-
|Raw 15th Anniversary
|December 10, 2007
|4.4
|
|-
|Tribute to the Troops
|December 24, 2007
|2.5
|
|-
|King of the Ring
|April 21, 2008
|3.0
|
|-
|
2008 WWE DraftThe 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on June 23, 2008. The Draft took place live for three hours on WWE's flagship program, Raw on USA Network. For the second consecutive year, the Draft took place among WWE's three brands: Raw,...
|June 23, 2008
||3.4
|
|-
|Raw's 800th Episode
|November 3, 2008
|3.04
|
|-
|2008 Slammy Awards
|December 8, 2008
|3.02
|
|-
|
2009 WWE DraftThe 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft was the seventh Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The Draft took place over two days: the first day was televised live for three hours on April 13; the second part, the "Supplemental Draft", was held on April 15...
|April 13, 2009
|3.73
|
|-
|The 3-For-All
|June 15, 2009
|3.72
|
|-
|
TrumpDonald John Trump is an American business magnate, socialite, author and television personality. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, a US-based real-estate developer. Trump is also the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which operates numerous casinos and hotels across the...
Raw
|June 22, 2009
|4.5
|
|}
Champions
| Championship |
Current champion(s) |
Date won |
Event |
Previous champion(s) |
WWE ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling Entertainment . It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of three in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship and ECW Championship. It was established...
|
Randy OrtonRandal "Randy" Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its Raw brand, where he is the reigning WWE Champion...
|
October 4, 2009 |
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 4, 2009 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It featured talent from the Raw and SmackDown brands. The name of the event was voted by fans via WWE's...
|
John CenaJohn Felix Anthony Cena is an American actor, hip hop musician, and professional wrestler currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand....
|
WWE United States ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw...
|
The MizMichael "Mike" Mizanin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , where he competes on the Raw brand as the reigning WWE United States Champion.Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, Mizanin trained...
|
October 5, 2009 |
Raw |
Kofi KingstonKofi Sarkodie-Mensah is a Ghanaian-American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name, Kofi Kingston, currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment working on the Raw brand...
|
WWE Divas ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Divas Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is competed for by WWE Divas only on the Raw brand. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager...
|
MelinaMelina Nava Perez , better known simply as Melina, is a Mexican American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its Raw Brand. She is the reigning Divas Champion....
|
October 12, 2009 |
Raw |
Jillian HallJillian Faye Fletcher is an American professional wrestler who currently performs for World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand under the ring name Jillian Hall, or better known as Jillian....
|
| Unified WWE Tag Team Championship The Unified WWE Tag Team Championship is the name used by the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment for the following two world tag team championships, which have been unified but kept active with separate title histories following WrestleMania XXV on April 5, 2009:*World...
|
Chris JerichoChristopher Keith "Chris" Irvine better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-born Canadian professional wrestler, television and stage actor, author, radio host, television host and rock musician...
and The Big ShowPaul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand where he is one half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions with Chris Jericho.In professional wrestling, Show is a...
* |
June 28, 2009 |
The Bash (2009)The Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 28, 2009 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. This was the sixth show in WWE's production lineage for The Bash event and was the first to be referred to as The...
|
The ColónsThe Colóns were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers, Carlito and Primo. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
|
- Due to Edge
Adam Joseph Copeland is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to an injury....
's injury, Jericho received the right to pick a new partner.
Authority figures
| Owner | Date started | Date finished | Notes |
|---|
Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestler, promoter, in-ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and film producer. He currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and is the majority shareholder of WWE. He is the creator...
|
January 11, 1993 |
November 9, 2001 |
Ric FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr better known by his ring name, Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Also known as "The Nature Boy," Flair is one of the most well known professional wrestlers in the world....
|
November 9, 2001 |
June 10, 2002 |
|
Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestler, promoter, in-ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and film producer. He currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and is the majority shareholder of WWE. He is the creator...
|
June 10, 2002 |
June 15, 2009 |
Donald TrumpDonald John Trump is an American business magnate, socialite, author and television personality. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, a US-based real-estate developer. Trump is also the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which operates numerous casinos and hotels across the...
|
June 15, 2009 |
June 22, 2009 |
|
Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestler, promoter, in-ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and film producer. He currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and is the majority shareholder of WWE. He is the creator...
|
June 22, 2009 |
Present |
|
| General Manager | Date started | Date finished | Notes |
|---|
Eric BischoffEric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur and former professional wrestling booker, producer, and on-screen personality, most known for serving as Executive Producer and later President of World Championship Wrestling and later, the General Manager of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand...
|
July 15, 2002 |
December 5, 2005 |
|
Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestler, promoter, in-ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and film producer. He currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and is the majority shareholder of WWE. He is the creator...
|
December 5, 2005 |
June 11, 2007 |
|
| Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman , also known as "The Coach", is a former professional wrestling color commentator. He is also a former college basketball player, and football play-by-play announcer...
|
June 11, 2007 |
August 6, 2007 |
|
William RegalDarren Nathaniel Matthews also known by his ring names Steven Regal and William Regal, is an English professional wrestler, currently signed to the World Wrestling Entertainment where he is performing on its ECW brand....
|
August 6, 2007 |
May 19, 2008 |
|
Mike AdamleMichael David "Mike" Adamle is a sports personality and former National Football League player. He is best known as the co-host of the cult-favorite American Gladiators series for seven years....
|
July 28, 2008 |
November 3, 2008 |
|
Shane McMahonShane Brandon McMahon is an American executive and part-time professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , appearing primarily on the Raw brand. He is the son of the current WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon and brother of Stephanie McMahon, making him...
Stephanie McMahon |
November 3, 2008 |
November 24, 2008 |
|
| Stephanie McMahon |
November 24, 2008 |
April 6, 2009 |
|
Vickie GuerreroVickie Lynn Guerrero , better known simply as Vickie Guerrero, is a American professional wrestling personality and widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand.-Eddie's death and early feuds :In 2005, Vickie Guerrero began to make cameo...
|
April 6, 2009 |
June 8, 2009 |
|
| Guest host(s) |
June 29, 2009 |
Present |
|
Commentators
| Commentators |
Dates |
Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestler, promoter, in-ring announcer, play-by-play commentator and film producer. He currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment and is the majority shareholder of WWE. He is the creator...
, Randy SavageRandall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, is a former American professional wrestler and actor who is best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling . Savage is a six-time world champion...
and Rob BartlettRobert Bartlett is a comedian, actor and writer who gained wide-spread fame as a comedian on the radio and television show Imus in the Morning. His most famous characters include: The Godfather, Dr...
|
January 11, 1993 - April 19, 1993 |
| Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and the American Wrestling Association...
and Randy Savage |
April 26, 1993 - October 18, 1993 |
| Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan |
October 25, 1993 - December 6, 1993 |
Vince McMahon and Johnny PoloScott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, actor, writer, and producer, best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and most recently returning to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling along with Shane Douglas...
|
December 20, 1993 - March 1994 |
Gorilla MonsoonRobert James "Gino" Marella , better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play announcer, and booker...
and Randy Savage |
June 1994 - July 1994 |
Jim RossJames William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator. Ross is a restaurateur, professional wrestling commentator and former company executive currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment working on its SmackDown brand as the color commentator...
and Randy Savage |
July 1994 - August 1994 |
| Vince McMahon and Randy Savage |
March 1994 - May 1994
August 1994 - October 1994 |
Vince McMahon and Jerry LawlerJerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , working and wrestling on its Raw brand as the color commentator...
|
October 1994 - August 1996 |
Kevin KellyKevin Foote is an American professional wrestling manager, pundit, sportscaster and ring announcer, better known by his ring name, Kevin Kelly...
, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler |
August 1996 - October 1996 |
| Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler |
October 1996 - November 1997 |
Jim Ross, Michael ColeMichael Sean Coulthard , better known by his stage name Michael Cole, is a play-by-play announcer for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is best known for announcing WWE SmackDown for nine years, from its launch in 1999 until 2008...
and Kevin Kelly |
December 1997 - March 1998 |
| Jim Ross and Paul Heyman Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best-known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, and commentator. He is also an occasional actor in film....
|
February 2001 - November 2001 |
| Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler and Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman , also known as "The Coach", is a former professional wrestling color commentator. He is also a former college basketball player, and football play-by-play announcer...
|
June 26, 2005 - October 10, 2005 |
| Jonathan Coachman and Jerry Lawler |
October 17, 2005 - October 31, 2005 |
Joey StylesJoseph Carmine Bonsignore better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American former professional wrestling play-by-play commentator and former professional in the field of advertising sales...
, Jerry Lawler and Jonathan Coachman |
November 7, 2005 - April 16, 2006 |
| Joey Styles and Jerry Lawler |
April 23, 2006 - May 1, 2006 |
| Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler |
December 1997 - November 1998
April 1999 - February 2001
November 2001 - June 2005
May 8, 2006 - June 16, 2008 |
| Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler |
November 1998 - April 1999
June 30, 2008 - Present |
Ring announcers
| Ring Announcer |
Dates |
| Howard Finkel Howard Finkel is a professional wrestling ring announcer currently working with World Wrestling Entertainment in a variety of roles. Hired in 1975 by Vincent J...
|
January 1993 - August 2002 |
Tony ChimelAnthony "Tony" Chimel is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently employed by the World Wrestling Entertainment working as the ring announcer for SmackDown brand.-World Wrestling Entertainment:...
|
April 1997 - August 1999 |
Lilian GarciaLilian Annette García, better known simply as Lilian Garcia, is an American singer. She is best known as the former ring announcer for World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand...
|
August 1999 - September 2009 |
Justin RobertsJustin Jason Roberts is an American ring announcer for World Wrestling Entertainment . He currently works for the company's Raw brand.-Career:...
|
March 2007 - June 2007
September 2009 - Present |
Recurring segments
| Segment |
Host |
Years |
Notes |
| The King's Court |
Jerry LawlerJerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , working and wrestling on its Raw brand as the color commentator...
|
1993 - 1995 |
|
| The Heartbreak Hotel |
Shawn MichaelsMichael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American professional wrestler. He performs for World Wrestling Entertainment , formerly the World Wrestling Federation, on its Raw brand...
|
1994 |
|
| The Brother Love Show |
Brother Love Bruce Prichard is former producer and manager for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is best known as Brother Love.-Beginnings:...
|
1995 - 1996 |
|
| The Pillman XXX Files |
Brian PillmanBrian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling....
|
1997 |
|
| The Love Shack |
Dude LoveMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American actor, author, comedian, voice over, and professional wrestler, currently signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the storyline "Executive Shareholder"...
|
1998 |
|
| Highlight Reel |
Chris JerichoChristopher Keith "Chris" Irvine better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-born Canadian professional wrestler, television and stage actor, author, radio host, television host and rock musician...
|
2003 - 2005
2008 |
|
| White Boy Challenge |
Rodney Mack Rodney Begnaud is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment and for his work on its Raw brand under the ring name Rodney Mack...
Theodore R. LongTheodore R. "Teddy" Long is a former American professional wrestling referee and manager, who currently works for World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager....
|
2003 |
|
| WWE Diva Search The WWE Diva Search was a talent competition held by World Wrestling Entertainment which ran from 2003 until 2007. The aim of the contest was to find the newest WWE Diva to add to the WWE roster. The first winner was Jaime Koeppe, but she did not receive a contract like subsequent winners of the...
|
Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman , also known as "The Coach", is a former professional wrestling color commentator. He is also a former college basketball player, and football play-by-play announcer...
The MizMichael "Mike" Mizanin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , where he competes on the Raw brand as the reigning WWE United States Champion.Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, Mizanin trained...
Todd GrishamTodd Grisham is an American presenter/announcer who is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , working on its SmackDown! brand as the play-by-play announcer and is the host for Fox Soccer Channel's Major League Soccer broadcasts.-Early life:Grisham attended Wingate University on a...
|
2004 - 2007 |
|
| Masterlock Challenge |
Chris Masters |
2005 - 2007 |
|
| Kurt Angle Invitational |
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, as recognized by promotion.Angle was involved in amateur wrestling...
|
2005 |
|
| Carlito's Cabana |
CarlitoCarlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both Carly and Carlito...
|
2005
2007 - 2008 |
|
| Piper's Pit Piper's Pit was an interview segment featuring Roddy Piper which was a mainstay of WWF/WWE television from 1984 to 1987, and then returned briefly in 1989. Also, Piper hosted similar segments while wrestling for other promotions....
|
Roddy PiperRoderick George Toombs ), better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler and film actor currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
|
2005 |
|
| The Cutting Edge |
EdgeAdam Joseph Copeland is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to an injury....
|
2005 - 2008 |
|
| Striker's Classroom |
Matt StrikerMatthew Kaye is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager better known by his ring name Matt Striker. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , working as a color commentator on its ECW brand.-Teaching career:Kaye worked as a social studies teacher at...
|
2005 - 2006
2008 |
|
| Kiss Cam |
Various |
2005 - 2009 |
|
| V.I.P. Lounge |
Montel Vontavious Porter |
2009 - Present |
|
Broadcasting
The show currently airs
liveLive television refers to television broadcast in real time. Today it is used mostly for programs such as Today, CBS This Morning, and local television news. However, from the early days of television until about 1958, it was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke...
on the USA Network (and on
tape delayIn radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical malfunctions or...
Wednesdays on
mun2mun2 is a national Cable TV station aimed at young Latinos in the United States and is owned by NBC Universal. The name mun2 is pronounced "moon dos" which is written "mundos" in Spanish meaning "worlds" in English. It is the sister network of Telemundo and was launched in 2001. The programming...
, Saturdays on
Universal HDUniversal HD is an HDTV cable television network owned by NBC Universal. The channel was known as Bravo HD+ until December 1, 2004. The network exclusively broadcasts in high definition 1080i...
, and Sundays on
TelemundoTelemundo is a Spanish-language American television network. Angel Ramos launched the brand with a TV station in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1954 -- and it evolved into the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world...
in
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
) in the United States. Occasionally, Raw is aired on same-day tape delay when WWE is on an overseas tour.
International Broadcasting
| Country |
Network |
Ref |
AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
|
MBC |
|
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
|
Canal 9Canal 9 is an Argentine television network based in Buenos Aires. It is a general entertainment station which offers news, soap operas, talk shows, and movies.-History:...
|
|
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
|
FOX8 Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms. It is the most watched subscription television channel in Australia...
|
|
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
|
Sky |
|
BahrainThe Kingdom of Bahrain is a small island country in the Persian Gulf ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain via the King Fahd Causeway, which was officially opened on the 25th of November 1986. Qatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of...
|
MBC |
|
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
|
Ten Sports TEN SPORTS is a sports channel, widely broadcast in Asia. Key programming includes Cricket, Football and sports -entertainment shows viz.WWE...
|
|
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
|
AB3 AB3 is a private commercial television channel of the French Community of Belgium.-History:The company YTV, jointly owned by AB Groupe, TF1 Group and WB holding, in 1995 filed an application for a broadcasting licence in the French Community of Belgium with Laurette Onkelinx, Minister-President of...
|
|
BhutanThe Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the nearby state of Nepal to the west by...
|
Ten Sports TEN SPORTS is a sports channel, widely broadcast in Asia. Key programming includes Cricket, Football and sports -entertainment shows viz.WWE...
|
|
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
|
GTV |
|
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
|
The Score and Global QuebecCKMI-TV-1 is the Global Television Network owned-and-operated station in Quebec.Originally a privately owned CBC Television affiliate in Quebec City, the station moved most of its operations to Montreal in 1997 after launching a rebroadcaster there and becoming a Global affiliate...
|
|
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
|
Chilevisión Chilevisión or CHV is the third oldest television channel in Chile. Formerly called Teleonce and RTU , this TV station was owned by University of Chile, a Chilean state university...
|
|
Costa RicaCosta Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.Costa Rica, which translates literally as "Rich Coast", constitutionally...
|
Repretel Canal 11 Repretel or Representaciones Televisivas S.A. is a Costa Rican television company, founded in November 1994, when they acquired Canal 9 which belonged to Multivisión. Months later, by May 1995, Repretel acquires Canal 6, which belonged to Telecentro for several years.In 1996, they acquired Canal...
|
|
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
|
CitytvCitytv Bogotá is a local television station in Colombia's capital city. It's owned by the Casa Editorial El Tiempo , which publishes the main national Colombian daily newspaper El Tiempo, as well as other magazines such as Portafolio, Cambio, Motor, and Carrusel. CEET licensed the Canadian...
|
|
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
|
Nova Sport Nova Sport is a Czech premium sports television channel. Launched in March 2002 under the name Galaxie Sport and re-branded in September 2008, Nova Sport holds a stable position in the Czech and Slovak TV markets through broadcasting high-quality sporting events and sport-related programming in the...
|
|
El SalvadorEl Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as does Nicaragua further south. It has a population of approximately 5.7 million people as of 2009 on...
|
Canal VTV |
|
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
|
NT1 NT1 is a French television network. It is available through digital terrestrial television in France. It is a subsidiary of AB Group....
and RTL9RTL9 is a Luxembourger television channel shown internationally to viewers in Luxembourg, France, Belgium and Switzerland.-Télé-Luxembourg :...
|
|
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
|
MTV3 MAXMTV3 is a Finnish commercial television station owned by Bonnier. Until recently it had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels when Finnish Broadcasting Company's YLE1 took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV , due to the channel getting its revenue from running commercials...
|
|
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
|
Sky Sport |
|
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
|
Nova Sports 3 |
|
HondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras...
|
Canal 5XHGC-TV , commonly known as Canal 5, is a TV station owned by Televisa, broadcasting from Mexico City, with affiliates and repeaters throughout Mexico.-History:...
|
|
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
and PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
|
TEN Sports TEN SPORTS is a sports channel, widely broadcast in Asia. Key programming includes Cricket, Football and sports -entertainment shows viz.WWE...
|
|
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
|
Sport 1 Sport 1 is a European sports channel which is currently available in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania broadcasting in different languages. It currently holds the TV rights to broadcast NFL games in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania....
|
|
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
|
SKY Italia SKY Italia is an Italian digital satellite television platform owned by News Corporation launched on 31 July 2003. It is similar in many ways to BSkyB's Sky Digital in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and like that network it is a major sports broadcaster....
|
|
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
|
Astro Super Sport Astro is a subscription-based direct broadcast satellite service based in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
|
|
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
|
Canal 5XHGC-TV , commonly known as Canal 5, is a TV station owned by Televisa, broadcasting from Mexico City, with affiliates and repeaters throughout Mexico.-History:...
and TelevisaTelevisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
|
|
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
|
The Box |
|
PanamaPanama, officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of both Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the...
|
RPC Canal 4 |
|
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
|
ATVATV or Andina de Radiodifusión y Television shortly known as ATV, is a Peruvian television network founded in 1969, after unsuccessful attempt on early 1970s and after the political turmoil in Peru the station was closed...
|
|
PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
|
Jack TV Jack TV is a Philippine cable TV network owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, test launched on May 2005, officially debuting on July 12, 2005. It offers Western comedy, animation, sports entertainment, drama series and reality shows, such as Cartoon Network, USA Network, The CW, MyNetworkTV,...
and RPN9Radio Philippines Network, Inc. is a television broadcaster in the Philippines owned by the Government Communications Group. The company operates a broadcast television network known on-air as C/S9. The network previously used the RPN name on-air, but Radio Philippines Network remains the legal...
|
|
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
|
Extreme Sports Channel The Extreme Sports Channel is a Netherlands-based extreme sports television channel available across Europe and the Middle East. Al Gosling had the idea for the channel in 1998, after having success with Extreme Entertainment a television distribution company which was set up in 1995...
|
|
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
|
Sport TVSport TV is the brand name for a group of three Portuguese sports-oriented television channels. Sport TV is the dominant subscription television sports brand in Portugal. The first channel, then known as only Sport TV, was launched on 16 September 1998 and is produced by ZON Multimédia and...
|
|
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
|
Sport.roSPORT.RO is a Romanian sports channel located in Bucharest owned by Central European Media Enterprises.-Programming:...
|
|
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
|
Fox televizijaFox televizija is a Serbian commercial television network that was officially launched on December 31, 2006....
|
|
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
|
E.tv e.tv is the fifth terrestrial television channel in South Africa, following three channels operated by the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation and the privately owned subscription-funded M-Net, operated by Multichoice...
|
|
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. [The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
|
Cuatro |
|
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
(Live broadcast) |
Sky Sports 3Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
|
|
A.M. Raw
WWE A.M. Raw, a Saturday night/Sunday morning show, airs on the
USA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1977. The channel shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited movies...
at 2 a.m. ET. It features segments from the latest episode of WWE Raw
.
See also
- World Wrestling Entertainment roster (Raw Brand)
- ECW (WWE)
- WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment that is currently airing on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009...
- WWE SmackDown
External links
WWE Raw at USANetwork.com