Match of the Debut - The Nexus hijack Raw

John Cena vs. CM Punk - Viewer's Choice WWE Championship match - Raw (2010)

The first big match between the WWE champ, John Cena and then masked CM Punk gets hijacked on Viewer's Choice Raw by The Nexus, an eight man gang featuring young upstarts from WWE's developmental territory, FCW as well as all being original contestants on the first NXT program.

While it was not totally chaos, the NXT rookies of the first season really shook things up for a pretty stale product that was WWE at this point. I remember watching this episode of Raw and thinking that something new was upon us. Of course, nothing really happened. The ring gets stripped, Bryan gets fired for chocking the timekeeper with his own tie, and then for weeks John Cena does that thing he always does; he overcomes the odds.

Still, the damage that the Nexus created from their ambush on Raw was pretty impressive for WWE standards. To bad they were pretty much destined to fail once they started feuding with Super Cena.

Theme results

Ring Destruction: Apron skirts ripped off, mat gets exposed, padding torn loose, and the ring ropes are loosened and taken down.

Match of the Day - RIP to The World's Largest Love Machine

Viscera vs. Simon Dean - Raw (2005)

Nelson Frazier, Jr., known by countless different names and gimmicks throughout his career, has passed away. Some of his most memorable gimmicks include: Mabel, Viscera, Big Daddy V, or "The World's Largest Love Machine" Big Vis.

Here's a match that depicts the mastodon just prier to his giant pajama run in WWE squashing the fitness guru and seducing Lilian Garcia the ring announcer. It also includes quite the .gif material:

For some, Nelson Frazier, Jr. will forever be remembered as that big guy on a mission that won the King of the Ring and kept hurting people, other people will remember him as that big guy dressed in all black and a white mohawk from the Undertaker's ministry, others will remember him as that big guy who really needed to put a shirt on in WWE's ECW, and others, like me, will forever remember the World's Largest Love Machine with the World's largest pajamas.

RIP

Match of the Day - The first triple threat match on Raw

Goldust vs. Owen Hart vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley - Intercontinental Championship match - Raw is War/War Zone (1997)

Aside from a few three man matches at house shows, this was the first televised triple threat match to take place in the WWF. The match is for the Intercontinental title and features two individuals whom had held the title previously gunning for the scrap - held at the time by Owen Hart.

To add to this match of firsts, Pat Patterson -  the first Intercontinental champ - plays the roll of the blind guest referee. 'Must be because he's Canadian', Jim Ross says. Why a Canadian would miss a foot on the ropes for a fellow Canadian in kayfabe is beyond me...

Match of the Day - The Raw Bowl

The Smoking Guns vs. Yokozuna & Owen Hart vs. Savio Vega & Razor Ramon vs. Sid & 1-2-3 Kid - The Raw Bowl - Monday Night Raw (1996)

Here's a match with just as many rules and regulations as the big game tonight.  All that is missing is a Bronco Buster and Sid wearing a number 22!? jersey. 

The rules to this match are actually pretty simple; it's just a tag team elimination match were if one member of the team gets pinned/submitted, that team is out of the game... err, match. Also, any wrestler can tag in any other wrestler whether it be their teammate or not - a stipulation that saw Owen Hart tag in Bart Gunn's own tag team partner, Billy, etc. Throw in Earl Hebner with a whistle and a yellow flag, cover the green canvas with yard lines, give the teams one time out, and voilà, you got the first and only, Raw Bowl.

Match of the Day - Mr. Monday Night returns to Raw for the first time in 6 years

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho - Raw (2013)

After returning to WWE at Money in the Bank, Rob Van Dam looked to impress the "Universe" by doing more than going through the motions as he did for most of his TNA run. So, for his return match to Raw he stepped his game up tremendously against some nobody from Calgary... err, wait, I mean Winnipeg, Chris Jericho.

While this match looked a bit sloppy to me at first, I had to keep coming back to because I knew I was missing something. After my fourth or so watch I take back the sloppy comment and replace it with yeah, this might just be my favorite match of Raw 2013. Mind you, even with that god awful "Download the WWE APP", "everything we say is trending", "Isn't social media great?" commentary.

Match of the Day - HBK scores a Big Bossman/Mankind ladder match

Big Bossman vs. Mankind - Ladder match for the Hardcore title - Monday Night Raw (1998)

Mankind defends his Hardcore title against the one man 'Shield' for the Corporation, the Big Bossman. During the match, Shawn Michaels, commissioner at the time, provides commentary as well as scores during the match for Mankind's performance a la cue cards. The Rock also happens to makes an appearance in the match.

Theme Results

TLC: Ladder.

Match of the Day - The first one on one TLC match in WWE

Ric Flair vs. Edge - TLC match for the WWE Championship - Raw (2006)

While maybe overlooked by wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels and The Hardy Boyz when it comes to who's who of ladder matches, Edge is definitely a pioneer of the ladder match in his own right. He was in the very first tag team ladder match, the first ever triangle ladder match, the first three TLC tag team matches, seen here in the first ever singles TLC match, participated and won the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match, and has (as of right now) been in more TLC matches than anyone else. Looking at it that way, Edge should definitely not be overlooked when it comes to ladders and wrestling. His opponent in this first ever TLC match for the WWE title on the other hand, had never been in a TLC match, let alone a ladder match. Edge's opponent was familiar with one thing in this match of firsts however, and that was championship gold... his opponent was the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair after all, a 16 time World Champion. And it was also Flair's home state of North Carolina.

This match between Edge and Ric Flair is a PPV quality match that replaced the death-defying spots that the tag team TLC matches were praised for with pure brutality. I almost forget this match is even a ladder match until at least 10 minutes in. Someone eventually climbs the ladder and retrieves the title, but who?

Fun fact: This is the only TLC match where someone blades... You'll never guess which one did that *Cough* Flair *Cough*.

Theme results

TLC: All of 'em.

Match of the Day - WWE's first women's steel cage match!

Lita vs. Victoria - steel cage match - Raw Roulette (2003)

In a surprising turn of events AKA the spinning of the Raw Roulette wheel, the returning (from neck injury) Lita took on her scheduled opponent, the deranged Victoria, in Raw's (and WWE's for that matter) first ever women's steel cage match to kick off the very first Raw Roulette episode in 2003; and it's really not that bad.

Victoria returned to the cage in 2010 when she took on Mickie James for Impact Wrestling as Tara.

Match of the Day - Good 'ol JR takes on SIR Michael Cole

Jim Ross vs. "Sir" Michael Cole - Raw (2011)

It was announced today that after 20 years in the biz, good 'ol JR is leaving the WWE.

Rumor has it that his departure by have something to do with the drunken WWE 2K14 press conference fiasco last month or so. Maybe this will lead to one last Jim Ross embarrassing beatdown/mockery. Man, I sure hope not. Twenty years is long enough.

Seriuosly though, JR will be missed.

Match of the Day - The Legion of Doom return for the last time

Speaking of Warrior returns...

Rob Van Dam & Kane vs. The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) - World Tag Team titles match - Raw (2003)

Eric Bischoff decides to "raise the bar" on Raw in 2003 by bringing in one of the greatest tag teams of all time - The Road Warriors (referred to as the Legion of Doom in WWF/E) - to face the tag champs at the time, RVD and Kane for one night only.

Unfortunately, this match would not only be LOD's last return match to WWE, but also Hawk and Animal's last Televised match as a team. Hawk passed away after years of battle with his personal demons and alcohol addiction a few months later.

But yes, they did looked a lot better than that last Ultimate Warrior return we just saw.

Match of the Day - It's not Slater time.

Heath Slater vs. Vader - Monday Night Raw (2012)

Despite the constant plugging of Raw's 1000th episode last year, we did get to see Heath Slater, the super jobber of the WWE get squashed for a few by returning legends who actually looked in good shape for their age. Albeit there were some segments of rookie Heath Slater versus veteran superstars from the past that weren't all too great (sorry Lauper), but for the most part this was a relatively good concept.

On this particular Heath Slater squashing, the "One Man Band" would take on the returning big man, the man they call Vader - no stranger to this blog. But not only was this Vader's first match on Raw since 2005, no no no, this was Vader's first time seen on TV since before being in a coma for 30 something days in Japan, causing him to lose 112 pounds and to subsequently turn his life around. And while Vader has had countless surgeries on his knees and the rest of his body, he still could move in the ring with the lightweight rookie of Heath Slater.

Theme Results

Returner: Vader to WWE.

Match of the Day - Remember that K-Fed/John Cena feud?

John Cena vs. Kevin Federline - No Disqualification match - Raw (2007)

Battle of the "rapper thugs"

Today was the day someone reminded me about Kevin "K-Fed" Federline, that guy who was once married to Britney Spears and apparently was a... nope. That's really it.

Thanks to my rediscovery of this forgotten "mogul", I remembered this longing-to-be forgotten match that took place on Raw back in 2007. The only reason I actually watched it was to make sure there was any fighting at all in the match, for better or for worse. And well, there sort of is.

I'm sorry.

Match of the Day - Rosey feels the wrath of Triple H's "game rage"

Triple H vs. Rosey - Raw (2005)

Triple H takes out his raging aggression for Batista, who recently turned his back on Evolution (now just Haitch and Ric Flair), while the 400 pound superhero looks to avenge his fallen ally who had been taken out by the Cerebral Assassin a week before.

Let the burying began.

Minor fun fact: This is the match where Triple H makes that weird noise at the end when he holds up his World Heavyweight title and the sledgehammer - the sledgehammer he lodges into Rosey's gut during the unprovoked attack on the poor superhero after the match.

Match of the Day - Brian Pillman faces his fellow comrade in his last match on Raw

Brian Pillman vs. Owen Hart - Intercontinental title tournament semi finals match - Raw is War (1997)

The Loose Cannon takes on his friend and fellow Hart Foundation comrade, Owen Hart in what would become his last televised match. The match was a semi finals tournament match for the vacant Intercontinental title against the two - who had both won their opening match of the tournament, but Pillman had other plans as he did not want to fight his friend, Owen. So, Pillman came out with a sling on and informed the crowd that he had slipped in the shower and broke his arm while doing non-PG things with Goldust's wife, Marlena (Terri Runnels).

Commissioner Slaughter, however, didn't buy the whole arm injury excuse and forced the two Stampede Wrestling alum to fight it out regardless of their partnership in the Hart Foundation.

Around this time, Brian Pillman was in a heated feud with Goldust, who had beat him at Summerslam with the special stipulation that Pillman had to wear one of Marlena's gold dresses if he lost. Pillman eventually got his revenge on Goldust at In Your House: Ground Zero when the Loose Cannon defeated Goldust to win the services of Marlena for thirty days. This was day 16.

Brian Pillman's next match on WWF TV was scheduled to be against Dude Love at In Your House: Bad Blood, but Pillman did not make it to the event. It was later revealed that Pillman had passed away from an unknown heart condition that day.

Owen Hart would go on to win the Intercontinental title tournament when he defeating Faarooq in the finals at Bad Blood that night.

Theme Results:

Final match: Owen Hart

Match of the Day - DX take on The Oddities w/The Inane Clown Posse

D-Generation X (Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, & X-Pac) vs. The Oddities (Kurrgan, Golga, & Giant Silva) - Raw is War (1998)

I know, I know, ICP again? Well, at least they're not wresting this time. Wouldn't that be something, though?

Psych! It would be awful.

I'm not going to lie, The Oddities, consisting of Kurrgan (the really big guy that fought Sherlock Holmes in the first RD Jr. series), Giant Silva (the 90's Great Khali if Great Khali could wrestle even a little), and Golga (a smaller John "Earthquake" Tenta under a gold mask and a love for Cartman) along with D-Generation X had my favorite entrance music of this time. I was young...

Not too long after this, Shaggy and Scoob... I mean... Violent J, would turn their backs on The Oddities and side with an even more off-color team, The Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher).

Match of the Debut - Tekno Team 2000

Tekno Team 2000 vs. two jobbers in short-short jean shorts - WWF Monday Night Raw (1995)

Raw Debut:

Unlike my favorite 80's tag team from the year 2002, New Breed, The futuristic team of Troy and Travis, Team Tekno 2000 where definitely meant for their time. Not meant for any time for that matter.

The way I look at it, the team of Erik Watts and Chad Fortune weren't bad because they were from the future, the future being five years away, they were bad because they just didn't make sense. They weren't giving quirky speeches about riding on their future scooters or Dusty Rhodes being president in five years; they were just two guys, one being the son of Bill Watts and an already somewhat known wrestler, who had another random gimmick and didn't do anything with it. I mean, what was their story? Why did they come back to the past to wrestle the worst tag teams WWF could whip up? Were they trying to sell techno music to kids because techno music was huge in 2000? Clearly not because they spelled it wrong. Were they trying to tell us all the cool things computers can do other than porn and how it all didn't blow up once 2000 hit? Not even that! All this questioning really makes me wonder if they were even from the year 2000.

If only they were really from the future, then we would have had a wrestle who once had somewhat of potential but never went anywhere, Erik Watts, and a monster truck driver, Chad Fortune. Yep, Chad Fortune is now a monster truck driver... a superhero monster truck driver! Now that's a gimmick for you!

Chad Fortune currently drives the Captain America Monster Truck. He previously drove the Superman truck as well.

Erik Watts's only claim to fame these days is that he is still alive.

Match of the Day - The Rock Bottom British Bulldog-shit incident

The Rock and Sock Connection vs. The British Bulldog and Val Venis - WWF Raw is War (1999)

Recently on NFT Presents, I've brought up some pretty memorable Rock moments and feuds such as his many battles with Mankind to his eventual partnership with the deranged man, but this match right here may be a little less known to some people. In the heart of one of The Rock's lesser-known feuds, the one with the British Bulldog, who now just wears jeans out to the ring because hey, it's the attitude era, Bulldog finds himself in deep, well, doo-doo when he had to take on The Rock, the man he screwed out of the title about a month before.

In anticipation for their one on one match at No Mercy 1999, The British Bulldog teamed up with Val Venis to take on The Rock and Val Venis's rival for a short period of time, Mankind. The match would come to a climactic end when Mankind chased Venis into the back with Mr. Socko leaving The Rock to finish The Bulldog off all by himself. Before the match, The Rock and Mankind had gather a bit of bulldog feces and put it on a big tray to bring to the ring to show Davey Boy just what he was. The tray soon made its way into the ring were The Rock got a hold of The British Bulldog and delivered a Rock Bottom into the dog poop!

The dog poop! The dog poop! The dog poop! - Michael Cole

The Rock and Mankind then get the win via dog poop TKO.

Theme results:

Jeans: The British Bulldog

Match of the Day - Bart vs Billy: the Gunn family feud!

Bart Gunn vs. Billy Gun - WWF Monday Night RAW (1996)

In this gripping brother versus brother bout, we see Billy Gunn in the darker jeans taking on Bart Gunn in the lighter jeans on RAW late 1996.

Though this match looks like the works of a long running feud a la Shawn Michaels/Marty Jannetty Rockers split, the outcome of Bart Gunn inadvertently injuring Billy Gunn's neck (causing the kayfabe wives of both Gunn's to run out of the crowd in hysteria) and pretty much ending the storyline right there dead in its tracks.

The wives were never seen or mentioned again and the Gunn's pretty much were never brothers again. While Billy was taking some time off after getting written off RAW for a while due to this incident, Bart would become "Bodacious" Bart in the new Midnight Express with Bob Holly ("Bombastic" Bob). Billy would eventually return as The Rockabilly which lasted just about as long as The New Midnight Express and the whole NWA invasion storyline.

...And the rest is history.

Theme results:

Jeans: Billy Gunn and Bart Gunn.

Match of the Day - The debuting Cryme Tyme "steal one" against The Spirit Squad

Special Theme Week debut debut:

Cryme Tyme (Shad & JTG) vs. The Spirit Squad (Johnny & Mikey) - RAW (2006)

After the OVW male cheerleading team known as the Spirit Squad (remember those guys?) issue an open challenge for their tag team titles, the black parody team of Shad and JTG come out guns a blazin' as they debut on RAW in 2006.

While Cryme Tyme was supposed to be an openly stereotypical comedy troupe, they mostly made light of thug life and had the gimmick of stealing things from people. Despite the sound of all that, their gimmick was actually a lot better than the Spirit Squad, which was essentially just a way for WWE to try to get a few guys over from OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling), WWE's training territory which is now TNA's training territory, to at least make it somewhat big. Of course, these young up-and-comers had to be male cheerleaders before they could become the likes of Kenny Dykstra (the chosen one who flopped) and Nicky (who waited this whole gimmick off before renaming himself, Dolph Ziggler). As for the rest of the team, they eventually got sent packing back to OVW (literally in a crate marked OVW via DX one Monday night).

As for Cryme Tyme though, they actually had somewhat of potential. I mean, at least they were a real tag team, not just two wrestlers put together and given a fan picked name i.e. Air Boom, Team Hell No, etc. They also had great size and a gimmick that, oh wait, PG era... never mind.

And yes, Cryme Tyme did wrestle with baggy jeans, "non-traditional wrestling boots", grills, and occasionally the bulletproof vests when necessary.

You never know when you'll run into New Jack in the hood... The hood known as pro wrestling.

This debut also features Johnny AKA Johnny Jeter, who mostly stayed in OVW after the departure of the Spirit Squad, and Mikey AKA Mike Mondo, who currently works for Ring of Honor.

Theme results:

Jeans: Shad & JTG.

Match of the Day - The Big Bad Booty Daddy makes short work out of Harvard Chris

Scott Steiner vs. Christopher Nowinski - Raw (2003)

Long before WWE gave us Cody Rhodes and his crushed face gimmick and Jennifer Hudson's Harvard grad husband, WWE gave us Christopher Nowinski who, mind you, already had all of those things. Including Jennifer Hudson.

That's a lie of course.

But hey, it gives this match a little more life...