The Worst Years of Monday Night Raw | Wrestling With Wregret

When a show has been on the air for as long as Monday Night Raw, it's bound to have some good years and some bad years ... this week's countdown focuses on the latter of the two!
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[@indyalmighty]

"Pulled a Kevin Nash" can mean many things. Tore his quad, refused to lose, didn't show up so he won't have to lose, texted himself from a friend's phone to attack someone.

[@philmartin6493]

Think it was honestly everyones first thought i mean cmon 🤷‍♂️

[@farawila3899]

Or referring to "play" as an adjective

[@aggrodkreg4321]

I'm just gonna choose "all of the above"

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Don't forget tank ratings, collect TNA pay checks, and give X Division guys awesome gimmicks while burying them

[@Spitdeezbars]

Yes

[@ArchmageOfAnarchy]

Randy's fake wife's fake scream sounds like she's evolving into a velociraptor

[@MoonlightStrider]

At least she now serves a better purpose in being The Fiend's siren screech

[@SlipperyGoulet]

MoonlightStrider damnit you beat me to it. Good ears.

[@DefyantFoxV2]

@@MoonlightStrider was going to totally say that! When he showed the clip I was like hey wait a second...

[@Shyny_Yordy]

@@MoonlightStrider Randy Orton's fake wife now confirmed to be Sister Abigail 😅😂🤣

[@kenterminateddq5311]

So, Orton was married to one of the creatures from Jurassic Park?

[@ryandoubleu.]

2019 - “can we please stop talking about this dumpster of a year?” 2020 - “Hold my beer”

[@daedaethomas47]

Orange man was robbed😥

[@kidneystonermusic]

How was 2020 holding a beer though?

[@jonmarrie5026]

@@kidneystonermusic hold my mask?

[@ziahamm1603]

Least we got to see Drew carry Raw as an awesome WWE champ, the Boneyard and Firefly Funhouse matches and Roman finally turning heel. Over on NXT you had Balors heel turn and classic with Adam Cole. So it wasn't all bad. Sure it sucked without live attendances, but in a lot of ways it pissed all over 2019 creative wise.

[@ziahamm1603]

@@dylanclarkin1613 I know it will happen eventually but Roman should never turn face again. He is an awesome heel

[@Xehanort10]

7:38 It took Lawler's real life heart attack to put an end to heel Cole.

[@shorewall]

Thank God for that. Lawler took one for the team. :D

[@shorewall]

@Tr3lyn Parker I agree. Heel Color Commentators are good. But when the Play by Play Commentator goes heel, it's too much, because they are the main voice of the show.

[@Videogamelover58]

@@shorewall Facts

[@enigmaskull3495]

Still don’t understand why Jerry Lawler couldn’t have been the heel color commentator. He was good at it for years.

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

I can't wait for the follow-ups: The Best Years of RAW The Worst Years of SmackDown The Best Years of SmackDown

[@evilubuntu9001]

I think Alex the self-professed Queen of the Ring should do the Smackdown (best and worst of). I just like to read all the angry incel comments.

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

@@evilubuntu9001 *LOL* (But also... HELL FUCKING NO!!)

[@evilubuntu9001]

@@dntwasteit8547 But, but she's the self-professed Queen of the Ring! 😃

[@jliller]

Ranking the years of Nitro from Best to Worst. Maybe Best & Worst (Top 4 & Bottom 4) of Impact?

[@starhunter9085]

*What about the best years of NXT and the best years of AEW?*

[@napalmblaziken]

"Worst years of RAW" This should be a fun comment section.

[@midnightreality2307]

Can't wait for some people to talk about how Raw was so much better when they was a kid cause nostalgia and rose tinted glasses, and how everything when they got older sucks.

[@MajinFernie]

2009-2011. Jeezus, those years were rough.

[@SycoticForeverNeverAF]

Midnight Reality you’re joking right? In no seven hells is anything from 2011 onwards better than anything from 1996-2008. Wow you are a fucking idiot.

[@SycoticForeverNeverAF]

Arjay 82 Better than someone like you taking it up the ass from the current wwe product and pretending it’s good.

[@nu-metalfan2654]

@@MajinFernie I quit in 2009 because of the goofy celebrity shit and didn’t return until 2013

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

Remember the Simpsons episode where Moe turned his bar into a cheesy family friendly restaurant? That's what Vince did with Raw in 2008 through 2010. ..."Welcome to Uncle Vinny's wrestlefest. Hey, look at me I'm wearing a silly vest!"

[@carybeweary7209]

Thats a solid and hilarious reference!😁😂

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

@@carybeweary7209 Thanks! I thought it fit.

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

@@joere-uploader5766 Those people are just wrong in the head. They probably prefer new Simpsons over the classic seasons.🤦‍♂️

[@SoggyHotDoggy]

Bob Bop Perano it’s weird how time can make people look at something that wasn’t that good with fondness. They’ve had better years since, but man, that period after the Benoit tragedy was ROUGH.

[@SoggyHotDoggy]

Department of Motor Vehicles yeah I know. I mostly just remembered that period cause that’s when I stopped watching. I checked back from time to time since, and the nicest thing I can say is I was not impressed.

[@enigmaskull3495]

2011: The Miz and his #1 fan Michael Cole 2019: Baron Corbin and his #1 fan Corey Graves

[@alazkaalazka6087]

Shane Hill 2011 was good because punk was on the top

[@Blackhawk211]

@Some Drunken Fool On The Internet back when he debuted in like 2006 he was boring

[@brandontylercarter8846]

“Creepy erection” according to Christian Maracle

[@Xehanort10]

Face Jerry Lawler was to John Cena what heel Michael Cole was to Miz. He blindly defended everything Cena did and acted like he could do no wrong, in the 2013 Bray vs Cena feud he said anyone who liked Bray and didn't like Cena had been brainwashed by Bray. He also childishly said that people who disliked Cena were just jealous that they couldn't lift as many weights as him. "Pervy heel commentator who shouted "PUPPIES" all the time" Lawler was tolerable compared to "John Cena fanboy" face commentator Lawler.

[@zeospark9715]

Miz wasn't bad (though his title reign itself was boring) but Cole REALLY killed a lot of momentum. Thank god they turned him face again (and pretty heartwarming since it happened after Jerry had that heart attack on RAW and Cole kept his composure when he was addressing the fans; easily one of the best face turns ever)

[@br82186]

Jesus Christ I still cringe at that Jeremy Piven "Summerfest" line

[@ajk]

and the SummerSlam line after it from his partner in crime to try and make up for it

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

Being a relatively decent comedic actor he should've came up with something on the fly. Something like ..."I know what Summerslam is. Summerfest is a little something Ken and I do on the side. Not very PG. And, Cena's banned from that too." Or ..."No, I meant Summerfest. Summerfest is my week long celebration leading up to Summerslam. It's not PG. So, boyscout John Cena is banned from Summerfest."

[@ajk]

@@Dick_Valparaiso I like the first line better lol.

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

@@ajk Me too. I figured I'd make one about random stuff and the other actually be SS related.

[@ajk]

@@Dick_Valparaiso Ah gotcha....I can still see that line fitting more though lol.

[@fendertremolo9793]

"we will ban you... From the Summer Fest" I literally spit out Diet Mountain Dew

[@j-manjr8127]

Serves you right. No one should drink diluted Dew.

[@ruraladventurer1884]

Go to Hell!

[@dylanogg347]

You're actually drinking Mountain Dew!? WWE has trained me to not believe you. And therefore I don't believe you.

[@fendertremolo9793]

@@dylanogg347 I was not drinking Mountain Dew, I was drinking Diet Mountain Dew.

[@fendertremolo9793]

@john bucar The Summer Fest is cancelled due to COVID-19

[@toddrickfrancis8860]

“I will talk about the best years of Raw… some day” it only took him a year to do it😜

[@goalhorncrazy9779]

That’s less then Worst Face Turns

[@At0micPunk90]

Looking at some of the gimmicks he was saddled with (Issac Yankem, Fake Diesel, etc.), it's kind of amazing Glen Jacobs's career even lasted long enough for him to become Kane.

[@HarbingerOfBattle]

Looking back at his early days like in Smoky Mountain and such, he had a body and a head of hair that reminded me a lot of Sid Vicious…only better as a wrestler.

[@dynad00d15]

The "Power to the people" year. that was an horrendous year to be a wrestling fan..

[@enigmaskull3495]

Aka The Boring Laurinaitis Year

[@730F-Sport]

*People Power

[@Genolocs]

2012? Ugh so bad

[@rokaanalzeer]

But at the same time, the punk reign was awesome, rock and cena put on a good feud.

[@evilTaker90V2]

Last time I genuinely was excited to watch the show was the months leading up to MITB 2011. The Punk-Cena storyline was fantastic. Then they completely screwed up the Summer of Punk. These days I only go to watch legends return

[@MichaelBurmy]

I just wish that Weird Al would've gotten to guest-host Raw...there could be a whole album full of the entrance theme parodies (and polka-medley of old-school themes) that would come from that!

[@RKOStunner619]

That would of been amazing.

[@ajk]

@@RKOStunner619 Hell they had the Muppets so why not?

[@scaparapadoobedoooo3170]

No

[@RKOStunner619]

@@ajk Personally, I found the Muppets entertaining.

[@ALIAN18]

Just change the lyrics to food references. “I’m just a sexy boy” is now “ I’m just a gravy boy” and “if you smell what the Rock is cookin” followed by an actual recipe.

[@Xehanort10]

One unintentionally hilarious Randy Orton feud was the one with Punk in 2011 where Punk kept using Randy's full name calling him Randall Keith Orton like a disappointed dad about to tell his son off.

[@corriedebeer799]

so funny haha, im not mad about that suplex, just dissapointed in it's execution

[@baronvonsvengoonie853]

Booked himself to decimate any and every pre-existing undefeated streak or streaks

[@benphillips9973]

"No it's not present day, it's *FIIIVE*...*YEEAARS*...*AGOOO* " 😂🤣😂🤣

[@shantanukale1468]

0:50 Did you just say "Ups and Downs"!! **Slaps Head 3-4 times**

[@Supervillain725]

You're on the wrong channel, Simon.

[@mrmojomajestic8317]

Different channel references are tight !

[@wstine79]

2009 did give us the greatest pay per view known as "The Summerfest."

[@roreah]

From which Jonh Cena was banned!

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

@@roreah Juan Cena wasn't though.🤦‍♂️

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

@AlwaysLookCool 729 Do you mean you prefer the product from 2009 over 2019? If so you are in the minority. 2019 may have been a total clusterf**k. But, 2009 was a cheesy abomination. ...2009 Raw is what you'd get from trying to recreate Firefly Funhouse. Except, you'd be throwing away the subversive atmosphere and meta comedy while only retaining the silly setting. 2009 catered to the elementary school and the retirement home crowd.

[@JoseFlores-xh5cj]

Sounds like one hell of a porno film.

[@Dick_Valparaiso]

@AlwaysLookCool 729 HBK and Triple-H were and peak cringe. Taker was sporadic. I'll give you Straight Edge Society and Hardy Boys. But, I'm grading as a whole. ...The fact that those names still couldn't save 2009 Raw speaks to the overall terribleness of that unfortunate year.

[@MentalLiberation]

2009 also gave us Hornswoggle vs. Chavo: the feud that never ends.....

[@hardluckwoman3448]

Greatest feud in wresting history. Im still waiting on that DVD release

[@isaacfoster4186]

Bryan: 2009 was the worst year in raw history *Kofi Kingston triggered*

[@LivRandall]

15:20 “We will ban you...from the SummerFest” 😂😂 2009 was definitely the worst year for RAW.

[@enigmaskull3495]

Getting banned from Summerfest was one of Miz’s worst moments in WWE.

[@glencurtis6052]

How have I not seen this clip before?!

[@billa107]

On the other hand, it was easily one of the best for SmackDown.

[@FlechFisher]

agreed, 2009 and 2010 were just so fucking bland its not even worth going back

[@FlechFisher]

@@billa107 not at all, 2003/2004 were

[@MaX333castillo]

Before I even start this video I feel like the worst years are gonna be nostalgic for me lol

[@TheeKingRayzor]

Same!

[@MaX333castillo]

Department of Motor Vehicles you already know

[@ace1durago04]

@@joere-uploader5766 me too i started watching in late 09 when i was 5

[@kylegranello6547]

Blood Bath and Beyond - Pop Goes Metal Covers ur band is shitty shut the fuck up lol

[@matthewbowles2097]

My first full year of watching wwe was 2009 😅

[@Homerstar]

I remember 2012 being a bad year, what with John Laryngitis as GM and John Cena constantly being in the main event despite Punk being champion.

[@enigmaskull3495]

Don’t forget that John Laurinaitis and John Cena main evented Over the Limit that year over CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

[@sosamanotf642]

Homestarfan13 2012 was the best year this decade you idiot

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

@@sosamanotf642 look if you believe that for some reason that's fine we all have different opinions and don't need to be NAME-CALLING just because we disagree

[@Blackhawk211]

@@sosamanotf642 2011 disagrees

[@NM-ll1rl]

2011 and 2012 are interchangable in this list: boring first half and great second half.

[@kevrulz06]

Notice the entire Attitude Era is not on here. A testament to the popularity, even though Zane already did a list explaining that fans tend to look at the era with rose tinted glasses, and forget about the bad stuff.

[@jp3813]

Every era has its negatives, but the Attitude Era's positives far outweigh the bad more than any time in Raw's history.

[@RheemQ]

Ruthless aggression wouldn't be here either if not for HHH holding the title so much because they had some really great talent at the time getting overshadowed by him

[@rosserjake]

@@joere-uploader5766 Overall I'd say 1999 was still more enjoyable than other years that are regarded to be the worst. Last few weeks I bingewatched everything since the network premiere of smackdown in August 1999 to No Way Out 2000. IMO, although the ppv's in 1999 were at times lackluster, the episodes of raw and smackdown were definitely entertaining. The Rock's feuds with Mankind and Steve Austin in early 1999, Triple H v Mr McMahon, DX reuniting, The Godfather, Rock n Sock connection, arrival of Kurt Angle and Y2J etc were defo highlights for me.

[@rosserjake]

@@joere-uploader5766 I see. I don't really pay attention to what those lot have to say. I do generally prefer the attitude era and ruthless aggression era; but not because I think "old is better". Just my taste. The characters, storylines etc were more edgy and gritty. I can't get into 80s and early/mid 90s wrestling though-too cartoonish for me. The start of 2001 was really good- Royal Rumble, No Way Out, WM 17. Rock, Austin, Jericho, Angle etc are my favourite wrestlers so maybe that's why I don't dislike it. I can see why the invasion angle was very controversial though.

[@JuanCarlos-tv2hu]

2001 was the worst of attitude era.

[@MrPie]

The funniest thing is, as you hinted, Smackdown in 2009 was absolutely amazing.

[@chayden153]

Right?! The Jeff Hardy/CM Punk feud was insanely amazing!

[@enigmaskull3495]

- The Jeff Hardy vs CM Punk feud - The Intercontinental Title Picture - Undertaker’s last run as world champion

[@JOfnT]

I feel like though 2015 deserved flak, it does deserve a little more credit for John Cena’s Open Challenge and New Day’s shenanigans every week.

[@mikemurray5712]

agreed, little unfair to not talk about the high points for the minor belts maybe of the decade

[@koxame]

Also the undertaker matches were his last good/decent matches in 2015

[@nujeru99]

Agreed. Cena’s “Open Challenge” was the most interesting thing Cena did in the entire 2010s in my opinion. And 2015 heel New Day was terrific

[@tafua_a]

@@koxame Shame those didn't happen on Raw, so they don't really count. Hell, he barely even showed up on Raw!

[@jamesmultari6793]

"Kevin Nash pulled a Kevin Nash" Thought that was a euphemism for a torn quad.

[@TimmyTickle]

2007: the height of SuperCena, and Hornswoggle getting an even bigger push than Eugene got in 2004

[@ericdxfan511]

Chris Benoit

[@TimmyTickle]

ericdxfan511 He wasn't on the Raw brand that year

[@KyrinChase]

I thought 2018 would be here. Rollins vs Ziggler damn near every week. Strowman's heel turn. Reigns' leukemia announcement, and that near month long stretch from November to December that was so bad the McMahons had to come back to announce "new changes." I remember the November 26th episode was so bad, everyone called it the worst episode of All-time.

[@WWENHLMTL]

I just read what happened & I can’t believe how bad it was.Corbin,Lashley & McIntyre dominating Elias & Finn Bálor.No Roman,No Brock.A lot of terrible segments involving Nia-Ronda,Bliss & the women’s division & Dean Ambrose getting vaccinated.Boring filler matches like Jinder Mahal vs No Way Jose & The Revival vs The Lucha House Party.That was such a bad episode of Raw.

[@jrg5315]

I thought that would be #1

[@petedunne_2544]

Yah in retrospect 2018 was a pretty shitty year..IRL too I lost my dad😔

[@KyrinChase]

@@petedunne_2544 I'm sorry to hear that, I lost my dad and older brother in 2018 too.

[@petedunne_2544]

@@KyrinChase Thankyou..my condolences too 🙂

[@AlexFyrehartDGAFCave]

Shows how good 2002 must've been (at least by comparison to these years) if even the Katie Vick crap couldn't drag it down low enough to qualify for this list.

[@SycoticForeverNeverAF]

Thomas Fyrehart 1996-2008 was the last consistent era of quality we have gotten. The last 11 years have been a JOKE.

[@Musiclover19]

Katie Vick aside. 2002 was actually a great time for Raw and WWE fans. Their roaster at the time was, arguably, the best it’s ever been as it featured the biggest names of the past, present and future. For example, 2002 saw the returns of the likes of Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels. The current big names of Stone Cold and the Rock and a future star in Brock Lesnar.

[@acidkyledaLSDj]

We need a best and worse of tna there was some really shit in tna throughout the bad there definitely was on that early years of the promotion

[@sosamanotf642]

Thomas Fyrehart 2002 and 2003 are really the same stuff. Bryan for some reason just has a hate boner for 2000s WWE.

[@TimmyTickle]

Damian Skyfire No, Katie Vick happened in October of 2002

[@crissy131417]

Anyone remember when Grumpy Cat was the Guest Host Of Raw? Still to this day I can't shake that memory out of my noggin

[@jeffbeyer43]

Didn't Cole accidentally call him Gumpy The Cat, or something along those lines?

[@MrPek-fe9fp]

NO!!! NOOOO!!!! GET IT OUT!!!! GET. IT. OUTTTTT!!!!!! *violently shakes in a straitjacket*

[@richaffinito5112]

Wow I’m SO glad I stopped watching during the “guest host” era lmfaooooo I’m sure it was terrible, tho no worse than anything on raw today.

[@Alex_DC413]

Yeah, I knew 2009 was coming. Kinda surprised 2007 wasn't on here since that was such a wasteland of the year. The Benoit tragedy is reason enough, but throw in mass suspensions, injuries, a lot of re-hashing old angles, and that GD Hornswoggle McMahon story, and 2007 was a personal least favorite.

[@joshbouman1654]

I hated Smackdown in 2007 as well. Deuce & Domino might still be my least favourite wrestlers of all time.

[@WCWThunderRosa]

2007 was when WWE became shitty. Sure after 2001 it wasn’t as good as the boom period but goddamn it’s been insufferable since 2007

[@Dzuno18]

2007 was also the time when the original Cruiserweight Championship got discontinued

[@HhhHhhh-nu4lm]

@@Dzuno18 ratings in 1994 were high

[@marcohavokkhaos]

2009 was the start of the bad, but 2010 was worse.

[@billding6032]

It’s 2020 and we still have no Summerfest

[@muhammadasad729]

It actually has happened in 2008.

[@iprobablysuck9107]

we're all banned from it!

[@aceofpittsburgh]

Listen here building... summerfest is located next to bill ding.

[@andrelegeant88]

I was 14 when they did the Booker/HHH feud. I knew it was racist. Everyone knew it was racist. That said, I would put 2003 and 2004 WAY ahead of the more recent years. Triple H's booking was frustrating, but the rise of Evolution and some midcard acts were really good.

[@Windrake101]

2003 was the year I started liking wrestling. It was WAY ahead of everything today! 2004 on the other hand..........

[@akshay_9146]

Y2J vs HBK feud, the Rock vs Goldberg feud and Evolution were all good storylines. Stonecold as AGM was hilarious and led to a fantastic survivor series match. 2003 wasn't that bad, but Brian has his biases. The years involving John Cena as some sort of Superman who wouldn't lose the PPV main event were way worse.

[@andrelegeant88]

Akshay Basavaraj I would say 05-06 is when the warts were becoming very visible. There were far too few Cena years on this list IMO.

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

@@andrelegeant88 that's because whether you like him or not Cena knew how to mainly be entertaining with the exception of the first couple years of the abomination PG era where they made him write brain dead stuff like JBL is poopy and of course killing the Nexus...

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

@@akshay_9146 I'd much rather go back and watch the Super Cena years over triple h's mega reign of terror.

[@ChadBeezly]

Spot on about HHH, I pretty much stopped watching WWE when I realized there was never going to be "any comeuppance whatsoever".

[@rickyrosay33977]

I only watched Smackdown at 2003 because of RAHHH

[@mothertrucker341]

Now instead you only watch highlights, keep up with results, watch all PPVs and watch all reviews the next day on youtube. Keep sticking it to the E you guys

[@robertwetmore7655]

You mean hhh losing at almost every wrestle mania in the past decade wasn’t his “comeuppance”?

[@BBoy4040]

@@robertwetmore7655 lol not if he made every babyface look incompetent on the way to said WrestleManias. 2003 Triple H should've gotten his comeuppance in that era. Hell, The Authority got no proper consequences.

[@chrismurray8483]

HHH put Batista over THREE TIMES-IN A ROW.

[@WickedCool23]

Kofimania: “Am I a joke to you, Brian?”

[@patrickmccarroll7723]

That wasn’t on Raw to be fair

[@CaptainMcFlawww]

I hope one year Glenn Jacobs comes out as fake Diesel during the Royal Rumble

[@dr.snakes]

And then gets eliminated by the real Diesel

[@Ant_303]

if they did another gimmick battle royal I wouldn't complain at all

[@grimbelfix2648]

Randy's Wife's fake screams sound like the screeches when the fiend appeared for the first couple of times

[@MoonlightStrider]

That's exactly what it was, they did the same thing with Alicia Fox's WRRYYYYY scream when they used it in Mitch B..., I mean Lars Sullivan's entrance theme.

[@KalmoK]

Maybe that screaming was just Orton's alarm sound.

[@mrmojomajestic8317]

Maybe, it was your mum !! ... I'm sorry ... That was uncalled for ... It was wrong of me to say ... Please forgive me ...

[@lunchbox4322]

You try to forget the horror that was Heel Michael Cole, you try to convince yourself it wasn't real, that it was all just a bad dream. Then you see a clip and it all comes flooding back.

[@corriedebeer799]

It is called post traumatic heel syndrome

[@monkeyman5866]

1995 in my opinion was one of the worst years in wrestling tv. The only good wrestling program on TV was ECW.

[@enigmaskull3495]

1995: The Cartoon Year of Wrestling (except ECW)

[@monkeyman5866]

@@joere-uploader5766 Debatable. I'd rather the 09-10 Raws myself. How much was it to renew my licence?

[@MazeDaGr8]

1995 was Worst wrestling year ever. House Shows were abysmal, The cartoony Job-based gimmicks, King Mabel, Nash's title reigns, The Dungeon of doom in WCW etc. It was just so so bad

[@monkeyman5866]

@@MazeDaGr8 The only defendable 1995 is ECW

[@RegretfulDeadMan]

@@joere-uploader5766 it's quite humorous. Recentcy bias make wrestling fans always think the current thing is the worst thing ever, then a couple years down the road they turn around and claim that is was great. I remember seeing people shit on the product ceaselessly back in 2011. Then in 2015 people were claiming "2011 was the golden age of the PG era" yeah recentcy bias is a bitch.

[@MrTouchednut]

strictly only watched smackdown during the ruthless agression era so i was shielded from triple h’s reign of terror. god bless the smackdown 6

[@LeoWhalen1933]

That was smart. I did the exact opposite. Of course I will only watch smackdown from those years now with the network.

[@Johnnycpublic]

Same,smackdown was amazing.

[@philipglover3295]

Yeah me too saw my first live show in the Smackdown six era Saw Rey Mysterious vs Kidman vs Jamie Noble for the Crusierweight title , Angle and Benoit vs Los Guerreros for the Tag Titles with Eddie and Chavo cutting a great promo on how Belfast did a great job with the Titanic and Edge vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title much better than Raw

[@blopblop333]

Congrats...instead of Triple H who has good matches and was the leader of the best group in WWE in the past 20 years you got to see JBL cut the same promo every week and have mediocre matches.

[@MrTouchednut]

blop blop if jbl is the price to pay to see eddie rey benoit edge and taker i would take that all day every day

[@lukejohnson6275]

2004 was one of my favorite years for Raw. I would definitely put it in the Top 5. I re-watch old episodes all the time. The draft episode that year was legendary. Shelton Benjamin beat Triple H in the main event. Edge had his first heel singles run. And the weeks ensuing Survivor Series - when Eric Bischoff went on vacation and the wrestlers ran the show - were awesome!

[@AJDaniels99]

This sums up why I said I disagree with Brian there

[@lintonhardy9035]

So true 2004 was amazing i loved 2003 aswell, WWF/WWE raw 1997-2008 were the best years.

[@rosserjake]

I really enjoyed Orton v Triple H at Unforgiven 2004. Randy was really good in the ring.

[@marquanmr]

@@AJDaniels99 he hates hhh so he cant objectively look at it because of the "reign of terror"

[@dmalak4509]

I would swap 04 with 01

[@denniswilliams6519]

"If you want to see a major point in history where more and more fans galvanized around start ups like Ring of Honor and TNA solely out of their hatred for the big bad WWE this sustained run from Triple H was it." And what's ironic is if you did tune in to TNA because of this you'd get the exact same problem. As Jeff Jarrett had super glue attached to the NWA world championship and his reign of terror lasted a year longer than Triple H's without any positive to come out of it. TNA is lucky their midcard X-Division was as good as it was, cause the early main event scene was a putrid one man show.

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

Honestly which nepotistic fueled reign of terror would you say is worse?

[@denniswilliams6519]

@@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734 Jarrett. Easily. Triple H's reign buried some good workers, and was bad, but if nothing else it led to Evolution and gave foundation for Batista & Orton becoming the big stars they'd be. A platform for them. So it led to something positive. Jarrett's did nothing to help TNA and only hurt guys who could have made a splash (Ex. Monty Brown.) Sting beating him didn't put anyone over as Sting already was a bigger star than Jarrett before he came to TNA.

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

@@denniswilliams6519 You make a really good point especially when you put into consideration that Russo was running that shitshow during the majority of the early years constantly trying to turn wrestling into a gossip show

[@richardtheconquerer]

I wonder if a lot of fans did what I did and simply stopped watching altogether. I could never really remember why I got out of it but Triple H's boring never-ending reign probably played a part. Jarrett being the other option certainly doesn't help as he's much worse.

[@emperorofhistory8724]

I left wrestling fandom all together in early 2006 (mainly because, and I might get heat for this, because I was sick to death of SuperCena!!!!, yeah that wore me out and bored me to tears), but I found myself paying far more attention to either Smackdown or TNA than Raw from 2003 onwards. Smackdown was hands down the best wrestling show in the mid 2000's, while TNA had guys like Samoa Joe, AJ, Abyss, Christopher Daniel's, Jay Lethal, etc... If it wasn't for TNA having a pretty boring main title picture, I might have paid attention to them more, honestly.

[@wstine79]

2017: Suplex City with guest appearances by Universal Champion Brock Lesnar

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

With the exception of the disastrous main event scene I thought Raw was decent in 2017. Especially when you compare it to the Jinder Mahal era of SmackDown...

[@carybeweary7209]

Dont forget the neverending feud for the IC title between Dean and Miz. Featuring a guest appearance from the Balls

[@fartsnstuf]

@@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734 >Jinder Mahal's title reign >bad ahh, glad to know that you never watched the product; good to know

[@enigmaskull3495]

Jason Jordan was revealed as Kurt Angle’s son in 2017.

[@neveragain1503]

When you can out do Katie Vick and the Nexus, you're special.

[@georgepiedra8791]

He already did a Necus video

[@AHeroAlmost]

Nexus is already done recently and I don’t think he has one about Katie Vick maybe it’s in his Kane retrospective ?

[@neveragain1503]

Just FYI, peeps, those years are 2002 and 2010. Those years aren't on the list.

[@13whitingn]

The Katie Vick angle is bad, but the rest of 2002 was pretty decent. The Nexus angle was done right up to them being beaten by team WWE.

[@Cableguy15]

@Shorty Agreed. Nexus could have been something special if wwe had the first clue how to keep wrestler's momentum going. Instead they turned into a running joke.

[@watchmy666]

They reused that fake Randy Orton's wife scream for the Fiend's run-in entrances

[@surferguy1974]

2002 Should've been on here: -Stone Cold walking out -Katie Vick angle -Triple H's beginning of his rise to terror -H.L.A(Hot Lesbian Action) -Plane Ride From Hell -The NWO was a complete joke -Triple H & Stephanie's renewing their wedding vowels -Triple H just awarded the World Champion after Summerslam '02

[@joshbouman1654]

Yeah but it also had the rise of Lesnar, the Jeff Hardy v Undertaker ladder match, Booker and Goldust at the movies, the return of Shawn Michaels, the first chamber match and solid mid card battles between the likes of Guerrero, RVD, Booker, Y2J and Christian. Though I'll admit I do have a soft spot for the wrestlecrap that year too.

[@surferguy1974]

@@joshbouman1654 - I'll give you that but the raw was literally like a circus that year. I mean at one point after SCSA walked out, i couldnt remember who exactly was the top star for like a month. Maybe RVD or Lesnar? I take '02 over today anyday though.

[@joshbouman1654]

@@surferguy1974 Oh don't get me wrong it was a weird, bizarre, clusterfuck of a year. Especially given the name change and the brand split but it's pretty watchable overall and I love the roster. That's generally my metric for a good year.

[@surferguy1974]

@@joshbouman1654 they had a stacked roster in '02 altogether, and very good matches overall for both brands(mostly from smackdown in my opinion) but other than that when you look back they were slowly going downhill.

[@surferguy1974]

@@joshbouman1654 the hardcore division was all over the place on raw back in '02. I think the title changed hands over 100 times.

[@tokubrony9447]

Could there also be a Worst Years of SmackDown?

[@enigmaskull3495]

The only bad years Smackdown had was 2017 and the years it was the RAW Recap Show.

[@cassandraross2415]

yes 2017 2008 2004

[@stingrey1571]

smackdown started off strong. but once it became the better show in ratings and quality. vince would strip them of all their talent and send them to raw. see 2002-2003 (great years) followed by 2004. 2008-2009 great. followed by dreadful 2010..

[@730F-Sport]

Late 2019 & early 2020

[@derrickbailey1714]

The Year Of JBL was Smackdowns WORST year.

[@gablefanproductions01]

2013-2016 that "Authority" storyline that never ended made me quit watching regularly. Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Championship got me back in cause that was such a breathe of fresh air to me....god I hate the Authority

[@nu-metalfan2654]

@GableGate Forever. Jinder was terrible, he should’ve never of been given the WWE title. He’s one of the worst of world champions of all time.

[@gablefanproductions01]

@@nu-metalfan2654 I was perfectly OK with it just because it wasn't Triple H & Stephine McMahon. I don't care what anyone says Summerslam 2013 - Wrestlemaina 32 are god awful because of those two...

[@DasNordlicht91]

The Authority was basically Triple H’s Reign of Terror on steroids.

[@13whitingn]

Problem with Jinder as champ was that his character never developed.

[@chibiy2j775]

Are you fucking serious ? This entire thing was a complete fucking waste of time. Rowdy Roddy Piper. Jake The Snake. Shelton Benjamin. Ted Dibiase. Scott Hall. Christian. William Regal. None of these guys ever became WWE Champion. Jinder fucking Mahal did. Jinder Mahal, who had never once wrestled for any WWE title before that. Jinder Mahal, who had never won a match on PPV. Jinder Mahal, who had once tapped out to the Brooklyn Brawler. Jinder Mahal, whose career highlight to that point was being in ringside for the Hornswoggle vs El Torito match. He became world champion before Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe. Fuck you, even Reign of Terror wasn't so terrible, as Mahal's reign and Nakamura's burial. I demand restitution. And yeah. At least, with that "Authority" debacle we have got Bryan as a champion. And that was great.

[@c0mpr3nd3]

Technically HHH didn't end 2004 as champion due to the belt being held up, only to go straight back to Hunter at the first opportunity

[@carybeweary7209]

Lolz hated that as a teenager! I wanted a new champion to kick off 2005 damnit! Jericho,Orton,Batista,Benoit,Edge anyone but Triple H! It's why I still hate that Chamber match though I love Shawn superkicking Edge

[@javis88h]

I would like to see a Smackdown version. This is a cool list

[@vagabondrepertorytheaterco8431]

I kinda wish they had done the supposed twist to Eugene's character, where he finally dropped the pretense of being "special", and it turned out he was actually a genius technical wrestler, basically "I am Nick Dinsmore, not Eugene!"

[@mychaeljones7526]

YEAH THAT'S NOT SMART AT ALL....

[@K.J.S.est1994]

That’s what Eugene’s late 2006 heel turn should’ve been.

[@icetray2727]

CM Punk is the reason why I continued watching Monday Night RAW in 2010-2011

[@aliuniversal4100]

Hes the reason i returned after not watching for almost 4 years

[@enigmaskull3495]

CM Punk carried RAW in 2011 the same way Bray Wyatt carried RAW in 2019

[@megamovieman101]

That's pretty impressive considering Punk spent two thirds of 2010 on SmackDown 😂

[@sillygoose635]

@@enigmaskull3495 no he didn't

[@sillygoose635]

CM Punk was the only reason i turned off RAW, SD, and WWE from 2010-2011

[@maldini883]

The break into Ortons house was one of the more entertaining things going on at that time. But 2010 has to be number one for me, that turned me off wrestling for 5 years, It was unbearable. Watchign old 2003 Raw shows on youtube they are a lot better than they appeared at the time and certainly more watchable than anything from 2009 up until now.

[@tomv2063]

2009-2012 period was a low point in general

[@shibruva]

'The worst years of Raw' 2021: Are you challenging me?

[@MegaBadbishop]

The worst years are NOW, and the past few years of course

[@sk8erin8er]

RAW is 10x better than it’s been in years at the moment

[@MegaBadbishop]

Wesley Buck u must work for Vince 😂😂

[@realxjosh8298]

@John Davis Its already better than last year

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Now top 8 worst years of Smackdown

[@kidthorazine]

That would be weird to do since it's spent half of it's time as an actual B show.

[@Y2KPlatinum]

@TheChosen1ification woah 2007 was a good year for Smackdown. Not Raw or the WWE tho...

[@muhammadasad729]

@@Y2KPlatinum 2008 was even better.

[@galarthenry1450]

I didn’t like 2004 smackdown when JBL was champion

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

Smackdown hasn't had eight bad years

[@Grassyknolldallas]

No wonder Austin left! Triple H started running creative when he got married to Steph.

[@dantorino3157]

The worst years of Raw is everything after 2007

[@darriongray2013]

That's why Smackdown Was the A Show from 2002-2007 And Also From 2016 to early 2017

[@AyNaro4277]

Are you forgetting SmackDown from 2008-2009 my guy?

[@georgewhite8242]

Triple H's 20 minute monologues

[@ronniejdio9411]

So glad they finally ended so we could get 25 min stephanie promos ..... ugh

[@jrcarter9175]

"Tonight-uh, I am the Game-uh and in this very ring-uh, for the next twenty minutes-uh, I'm going to be talking-uh and saying absolutely nothing-uh!"

[@dinastiachowfan1401]

I have the answer: The years of that laptop called "anonymous general manager", plus the celebrities acting as the hosts, Cena ending every show on top... You know, the years before The Shield, Lesnar and the ROH guys.

[@jcman-lp6lg]

1995, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2015, 2019: We are the worst years of monday night raw 2009: I am the single worst year of monday night raw 2020: Hold my corona!

[@itstaemonson]

"You will be banned from summer fest".

[@rickyrosay33977]

🤦🏻‍♂️

[@TopKirby8305]

2009: Yeah I was pretty bad with the guest hosts. 2020: Hold my beer, I had NO AUDIENCE and a pandemic with the worst creative in years!

[@coolguy5412]

You seem a “little” mad about the little people’s court

[@dannyrivera8300]

"You'll be banned from Summer fest " 😂

[@luisanitrans]

I was really expecting Zane talking about 2018. I mean, sure 2019 was questionable at best, but 2018 was the worse. I mean look at what Raw had to go through. Baron Corbin being the Constable/General Manager Elect that led to Raw’s lowest ratings in half a year. Bobby Lashey’s push that went nowhere when he debut. The questionable Dean Ambrose heel turn. Brock’s major stranglehold of the Universal Championship most of the year. Even Roman Reign’s leukemia announcement that led him to leave and relinquish the championship in the first place. Clearly this should be on number 3 and not 2019. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?

[@elhermitoxq6202]

AlwaysLookCool 729 nxt doesnt count, only raw.

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

@AlwaysLookCool 729 NXT(triple h's version) was never bad

[@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734]

I knew I wasn't the only one who felt that 2018 was a lot more of a chore to sit through! However you forgot almost the worst part of 2018 Raw... How almost every single f****** storyline in the women's division was exaggerated high School drama, where all that mattered was who was friends with who instead of I don't know, WINNING MOTHERFUKING CHAMPIONSHIPS!

[@dkmenace1990]

2019 was enjoyable minus what was a clear sign of no direction due to the ratings/house show attendance decline.....and then Hell In A Cell happened.

[@StraightEdgeKnight19]

raw 2009 >>> raw 2019

[@RobTaylor1985]

Always great quality on here, great job as always

[@jameshayes3175]

Hey the Muppets as celebrity guests was amazing

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

I like 2004, and I think that shows my age.

[@deshawnthompson7206]

Technically RAW is the longest running WEEKLY show. Sesame Street and GH I’m pretty sure are daily. But great vid as always 👍

[@RealElMaximo]

"We will ban you...from the Summerfest!" That's right, no overpriced beer and past-their-prime bands for you!

[@Iverson1590]

Brian, I haven't watched wrestling for a good few years now, but I still keep up with your retrospective content, as I think you're awesome and your content deserves the views. Keep it up man.

[@Xehanort10]

11:14 Corbin and Evans still somehow had more chemistry than Becky and Rollins did in the storyline despite the latter two being a real life couple.

[@TC-fp8cr]

I feel like 2010 was trash too. At least 2003 had the remnants of good characters leftover from the Attitude Era. 2010 had the remnants of 2009 lmao.

[@Blackhawk211]

@AlwaysLookCool 729 nah 2011 had the pipebomb and the summer of punk

[@FlechFisher]

agreed, 09 and 10 are by far my picks for worst raw years, heck, worst wwe years period

[@FlechFisher]

2011 was a fucking mess too

[@Blackhawk211]

@@FlechFisher I guess you are young then. The worst years are unanimously agreed to be the new generation from 92-95

[@FlechFisher]

@@Blackhawk211 yes those are bad too especially 95, but raw wasnt around i in 92 if thtas what u mean

[@addi543]

2002 - should’ve been a great year, they had Rock, Austin, nWo and all of those things were gone by the end of the year. Chris Jericho started the year with the biggest accomplishment of his career as Undisputed Champion by beating Austin and The Rock in the same night, only to become a third wheel in the Triple H/Stephanie feud in the buildup to his main event match at WrestleMania X-8. While the return of Shawn Michaels and the shocking debut of Eric Bischoff were arguably the biggest highspots of that year, this was the beginning of the Reign of Terror with Triple H being handed the World Title and a month later, we would witness the worst storyline in wrestling history, Katie Vick. 2018 - This year saw Brock Lesnar continue to be the absent champion, all in an effort to crown a babyface champion nobody wanted (Roman Reigns). Time and time again Roman would constantly come up short in slaying the beast, making Lex Luger look competent, as he only finally managed to beat Brock only due to a fluke. It turned out to be all for nothing as Roman was forced to relinquish the belt due to his Leukemia returning. Just when it seemed like that a new direction was going to be taken, Brock Lesnar ends up being the absentee champion again, making everything feel like a giant waste of time. While Seth Rollins was able to put out some star-making performances, the other person they spent all year trying to make a star out of was Baron Corbin, who when they made him the focal point of the show, the ratings reach then record lows. Also the lack of direction and the terrible creative in the wake of Roman’s Leukemia diagnosis was what ultimately made Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley turn down millions of dollars to leave the company.

[@ivaneurope]

I'd add 2017 - it started badly when Goldberg took the Universal Championship away from Kevin Owens so we can have the third chapter of Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg trilogy no one asked for. From that point Lesnar was nowhere to be found on monday nights. And 2017 was the year they really tried to present Roman Reigns as the top dog on RAW by throwing him every monster heel imaginable. First it was the "Monster among men" Braun Strowman, who tried to "murder" the "Big dog" and the feud didn't get the result WWE creative wanted and instead was the genesis for Strowman's eventual transition into babyface. Then, it was Samoa Joe who was fed to Roman, but again no one was buying it. After a one-off feud with John Cena, the creative with all of their options depleted decided as a last ditch effort to make the fans cheer for Reigns was to reuinite The SHIELD, which also didn't work as planned. And let's not forget the whole Jason Jordan being Kurt Angle's illegitimate son. The only really good on RAW in 2017 was The Miz and his Intercontinental Champioship reign and the return of Matt and Jeff Hardy

[@addi543]

@@ivaneurope actually the plan was always meant to have Brock/Goldberg 3 at WrestleMania as far back as Survivor Series (Brock pushed for it because the original plan was to do Brock Lesnar vs Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33 based on their confrontation at SummerSlam and I wouldn’t blame him for saying no, Brock trying to sell Shane’s “offense” would’ve killed Brock dead), they decided after the Rumble to add the title into the match.

[@Garrettsamuel98]

Lol! You have the BEST intros! Especially when your wearing a beard or mustache! :)

[@exodia9817]

Boy, hearing about what was going on in 2011 in WWE makes me glad my first wrestling promotion was TNA.

[@str.77]

Maybe 2019 will teach everyone that Paul Heyman is not the saviour of Raw.

[@artzx2]

Other than Rusev Lashley storyline, later half of Raw is actually better than SD....so he kinda save Raw a little I guess????

[@samuelmurillo5567]

Raw obviously still has a few bugs to work out. But if you look at it on the bigger scale, something about it feels different (ie: the focus shifting toward younger stars, which sounds like a Paul Heyman thing), but if anything the show feels more consistent and linear storywise.

[@ds5955]

It has been better as of late, not great but better than last year. I believe that is because of Heyman and his emphasis on the younger talent. At the same time, it'll never truly be Heyman's shows as long a Vince is still overseeing everything.

[@str.77]

@@ds5955 "it'll never truly be Heyman's shows" - and thank God for that. Or else we might plumet to ECW lows...

[@ds5955]

@@str.77 there's good and bad to his booking style. I enjoyed smackdown 2002-2003 under his leadership.

[@martinbrooks2301]

Outstanding editing on this video. Love it.

[@benjishem]

Another great video Brian! Keep them coming!!

[@umpoucodewolf1999]

2015 was a good year for me because of Brock, Cena and Seth. Besides Sting returning and Ryback winning the IC are things that i love. Last Paige, Kevin Owens and Neville were amazing on that year.

[@HoldenGatsby]

Randy's fake wife's fake scream is the same noise as they use during attacks by the Fiend, just pitched down.

[@mking9446I]

It makes me sad....I see the wrestlers I grew up with getting older and now there's ppl I don't even know. Thank God for your channel. I'm still stuck in the late 80s to mid 2000s wrestling. Keep it up homie.

[@TheCamSays]

If 2015 had a positive, John Cena’s US Open Challenge.

[@enamseptember8761]

Cam / The Unstable Nerd Those matches 😭❤️.... made me more of a Cena fan at age 11 (during the time). Before that I loved John because of his superhero character... after I learned about the secrets of "The business" I respected John Cena for being the top guy *Consistently* for 10+ years

[@sosamanotf642]

2009 is a way better year than 2019, you’re crazy! The storylines were hilarious

[@DasNordlicht91]

2014-2015 was a rather bad time for Raw, made worse by the Authority being a lingering and horrific presence.

[@gablefanproductions01]

Yes I agree 100% I hate the Authority so much.

[@ilikethecokev2]

All the more reason Sting should have beaten Triple H at Mania and gotten rid of them for good.

[@gablefanproductions01]

@@ilikethecokev2 remember when they were defeated at survivor series 2014 and it had all this build up but they were back on TV just two weeks later...

[@richardgadberry8398]

15:50 "Samantha get the door!"

[@pugsly6338]

The five years ago part was SENDING ME 🤣🤣🤣

[@maxbuffkin5625]

You are a brave man for trying to use Evolution's theme. I approve

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

What about doing the top 8 worst guest hosts

[@garlicbread853]

Jeremy Piven has entered the chat.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

@@garlicbread853 you are know banned from the summerfest

[@futuregohan4837]

0:15 Damn Zane You Subjected Yourself To That LOL

[@eiephants]

14:43 LOL! Vince getting that “tough guy” handshake.

[@jorgemiguel8595]

Great video. Next stop, "Top8 worst SmackDown years"

[@iantaylor3359]

Honestly didn't hate the guest host idea. The execution was often terrible.

[@napalmblaziken]

That pause said it all.

[@str.77]

But why does Raw need a "host" at all?

[@emmadilemma7800]

I feel like it could work, sparingly. It depends on the celebrity and if they would bring anything to the table. They just had straight up anyone on Raw. It would make sense to have someone like Michael Jai White or Conor McGregor. Even have a comedian to be guest color commentator to give funny commentary. But they had any celebrity who probably dont even watch wrestling doing lame promos.

[@YouSuperJ]

Super NES Raw music to close out the episode was everything

[@MrBrknsyt]

In the words of our lord and savior, Homer J. Simpson: "Worst years of your life. So far."