10 Highest-Rated Episodes of RAW in WWE History (Ranked)

Monday Night Raw is the flagship show of WWE and has been since its inaugural episode in January 1993. The show is the longest-running weekly episodic programme in the history of television, with over 1500 episodes to date, and has played host to some of the biggest storylines in WWE history.

At one point during the Attitude Era, Raw was regularly the most-watched show on cable TV in the US, a sign of wrestling’s mainstream appeal throughout this period. But which episodes of Raw had the highest watching audience? With the above sentences, it’ll come as little surprise that all of them took place in the show’s heyday, but perhaps a little bit shocking that 1999 and 2000 covers the entire list, given WCW was still in business at this point. Let’s take a look anyway. GiveMeSport runs you through the 10 highest-rated episodes of Raw…

10

June 7th, 1999 – 6.65

This early summer episode of Raw is remembered best for one of the biggest if not illogical reveals and swerves in WWE history. The “higher power” who The Undertaker turned out to be Vince McMahon, who had been terrorised by The Deadman in previous months.

“It’s me Austin, it was me all along” was a great moment but it made no sense. It did lead to the true formation of the Corporate Ministry and Vince’s wife Linda naming Stone Cold Steve Austin as the new CEO as a result, however. Just your typical Attitude Era episode.

9

June 28th, 1999 – 6.8

Just three weeks after the King of the Ring pay-per-view, WWE pulled in another massive viewership number. The event had seen Vince and Shane McMahon reclaim control of WWE, while Billy Gunn was crowned King of the Ring, though the win did little to elevate the “Badd Ass” gimmick.

Raw began with Austin being fired by WWE management, only for him to return later in the night with a new contract. In the main event, Austin defeated The Undertaker to become the new WWE Champion, closing the chaotic show on a high note, marked by unpredictability and excitement.

8

September 27th, 1999 – 6.8

This episode is most famously remembered for the iconic “This is Your Life” segment between The Rock and Mick Foley, which became one of the highest-rated segments in WWE history. Remarkably, the segment had nothing to do with wrestling, which was a clear reflection of the era’s emphasis on entertainment and larger-than-life personalities. While the show did feature a WWE Championship match between the newly crowned champion Triple H and The Rock, it ended in a no-contest after interference from Stone Cold Steve Austin and the British Bulldog. Their involvement sparked an all-out brawl, further intensifying the chaos and drama surrounding the show.

7

July 24th, 2000 – 6.9

As the millennium arrived, WWE had distanced itself so far from WCW that the once fierce “Monday Night War” had lost any remaining sense of rivalry. This particular episode aired the night after the Fully Loaded pay-per-view, where The Rock successfully defended his WWE Championship against Chris Benoit. On this episode, the two men collided once again in the main event, with Kurt Angle teaming up with Benoit and Kane aligning with The Rock. While the match itself didn’t feature much significant action, the episode still stood out as red-hot television at the time, filled with anticipation and high-energy moments that captivated audiences.

6

April 24th, 2000 – 7.1

This was the go-home episode leading into Backlash, and it featured a high-stakes tag team match between WWE Champion Triple H and Intercontinental Champion Chris Benoit, who teamed up against their respective pay-per-view opponents, The Rock and Chris Jericho.

In a surprising turn, the heel champions emerged victorious, setting the stage for their upcoming bouts. However, the most talked-about moment of the show came from Chris Jericho, who once again targeted Stephanie McMahon with a series of crude and lewd insults. The segment, which would be deemed inappropriate for broadcast 20 years on, stood out as one of the more controversial moments of the show.

5

May 22nd, 2000 – 7.1

This show was hot off the heels of Judgement Day, which saw Triple H defeat The Rock in a 60-minute Ironman match and The Undertaker return as the “American Badass” but inadvertently cost Rocky his WWE title.

Raw dealt with the fallout of this, as The Rock took out members of DX before finally meeting The Game in the ring. The Undertaker again made the save when the McMahon-Helmsley faction got the numbers advantage.

4

July 26th, 1999 – 7.1

Like many episodes featured on this list, this edition of WWE programming aired the night after a major pay-per-view, Fully Loaded in this case. Fans were eager to see what would unfold next in the wake of the event. Vince McMahon, having been booted off television after his ally The Undertaker lost to Stone Cold Steve Austin the night before, quickly made his return as a babyface.

This fast-paced, unpredictable nature of WWE TV during this period was a hallmark of the era. Meanwhile, Triple H and The Rock clashed once again, with Triple H emerging as the No. 1 contender and marking the beginning of his rise toward main-event status.

3

May 24th, 1999 – 7.15

An extraordinarily high rating was achieved for WWE’s following show, but it came as a result of a heartbreaking tragedy. The night before, at Over the Edge, Owen Hart tragically died after his support cable broke, causing him to fall from a great height into the ring.

At the time, Hart was performing under the Blue Blazer gimmick, which involved “flying” into the arena. In the aftermath, all ongoing storylines were put on hold, and wrestlers who chose to compete did so in tribute to their fallen friend and colleague. Throughout the night, heartfelt tributes were paid to the beloved WWE legend. Rest in peace, Owen.

2

May 1st, 2000 – 7.4

The night of David Arquette’s WCW Championship victory perfectly encapsulated the dire state of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) at that time, particularly when compared to the company they had once dominated for 83 consecutive weeks. Arquette, a Hollywood actor with no wrestling experience, was crowned champion in a show that received a dismal 2.5 television rating, highlighting WCW’s severe decline in popularity.

Meanwhile, nearly three times the number of viewers tuned into WWE’s show, where The Rock successfully defended his WWE Championship inside a steel cage against Shane McMahon, showcasing the stark contrast between the two promotions during this period.

1

May 10th, 1999 – 8.1

The highest-rated episode ever of Raw and any WWE TV episode came partly as a result of WCW Nitro not being on the air that night. All wrestling fans tuned in to see one of the most stacked main events in history.

As mentioned at the top of the list, Vince was feuding with The Undertaker in April and May 1999 and teamed with his oft-rivals Stone Cold and The Rock to take on his son Shane, Triple H and of course The Phenom in the main event.

This was the period of the Monday Night War where WWE began to streak clear and never look back.