WWE Raw (TV Series) Uncut, Uncooked, Uncensored (1993) User Reviews

It was okay great first episode

[latriciawrestling · 6/10 · 21 August 2017]

I think the first episode of Raw was pretty good for a starter episode.

I loved the little highlights with Bobby Heenan trying to get into the Raw arena and finally does at the end of the show.

I loved the interviews, especially with Razor Ramon, and with Doink the Clown and Crush. Commentary was okay and I had a great time watching it.

The matches were a bit slow in pace and the referee counted a little too fast but overall the matches lived up to the name of the first episode and I liked watching it.

We are live from the streets of a chilly New York City.

[clayface9 · 7/10 · 3 June 2019]

The announce team on the first episode of Raw was Vince McMahon, Randy Savage and Rob Bartlett (courtesy of Imus In The Morning). Bartlett has his detractors, but he was actually pretty funny here. The first match on the first Raw was Yokozuna versus Koko Ware, in case you are ever asked that trivia question. Then we get a Bobby Heenan promo, who he says that he will introduce "Narcissus" at the Royal Rumble. The Steiner Brothers face the Executioners, in the only real squash match of the night. Vince McMahon interviews Razor Ramon about his upcoming WWF Title match at the Royal Rumble. Tatanka cuts a promo for Headlocks For Hunger. Shawn Michaels defends his Intercontinental Title against Max Moon in the best match of the night. Then we see promos for the Royal Rumble by Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetty, Mister Perfect, Yokozuna and Hacksaw Duggan. The main event is the Undertaker versus Damian Demento. The show has an odd conclusion, with Vince McMahon interviewing Doink the Clown, before Crush comes out and scares the clown off.

Monday Night Heenan

[paulrmimdb-49354 · 7/10 · 12 April 2023]

This episode is very historic as it was the start of Monday Night Raw! A tv show so great and at times so terrible you cannot take your eyes off it! WOOOOOOO!

Lets start with the good

BOBBY HEENAN IS THE BEST THING ON RAW! Bobby Heenan is absolutely hilarious and yes I'm a mark for Bobby Heenan! His skits of trying to get in the building are comical and I love him hyping up Lex Luger even though the gimmick he debuts with isn't very good.

Razor Ramon squashing Bret Hart's brother like a cockroach and vowing to wear the gold around his waist is fun and refreshing for the early 90's. I wish Razor would have won a world title either in WWF or in WCW but hey we can't always get what we want.

The Steiner Brothers are a blast to watch in action as they destroy the jobbers. I usually don't like squash matches but this one gets a pass as the offense is enjoyable.

Now let's get to the bad

BY BAD I MEAN AWFUL ROB BARTLETT. The dude is just everything a wrestling fan hates. Annoying, knows nothing about the product, and unfunny.

Also Doink the Clown being all over my tv for a lot of the show made me want to cancel my peacock subscription.

All in all none of the matches are good this episode, the promos are fun especially from The Brain and The Bad Guy, the commentary is horrendous and the historical impact is great.

It was a solid start to raw if you can get past the misery that is Rob Bartlett!

Only recommended due to historic reasons..

[callanvass · 4/10 · 29 May 2010]

Your hosts are. Randy Savage, Vince McMahon and Bob Bartlett.

Sean Mooney informs Bobby Heenan he's not allowed to enter the building, and he's been replaced.

Yokozuna Vs Koko B. Ware. Total squash for Yoko here, nothing noteworthy to even speak of, even the announcers sound bored, while Rob cracks lame jokes.

0/5

They hype the Rumble.

Bobby Heenan joins us via videotape to hype a guy named Narcissus. That guy would turn out to be Lex Luger.

Razor Ramon is out and says he's got a glorious opportunity to defeat Bret at the rumble, and shows footage of him attacking Owen Hart. It was nice build up, but nobody really believed he was a threat to Bret.

2/5

Shawn Michaels Vs Max Moon. Disappointingly routine, but still better than all the rest tonight. HBK wins

2/5

Bobby Heenan tries to sneak in as a Rabbi, to unfunny results.

They recap Kim Chee and Harvey Whippelman berating Kamala, until Reverend Slick makes the save.

The Undertaker Vs Damien Demento. Glorified squash for Taker is all this was. Tombstone and were done.

1/5

Doink The Clown is out and says kids who cry at his antics are whiners, and have no sense of humor. But what's most important is that he's having fun. Crush is out and warns Doink not to do it again. Doink squirts him in the face and runs off. OK, but rather bland.

1 1/2 /5

Sean Mooney tells Bobby he's free to go inside, but the show is over.

Bottom line. Recommend for a one time watch only, because it's the 1st ever Raw, but its terrible. I was gonna give this a 5, but it deserves a 4 and I'm not feeling generous tonight.

4/10

It would definitely get better, but not at the start

[movieman_kev · 3/10 · 27 February 2014]

Since WWE Network recently sprang to life (with more than a few hiccups), I thought it would be apropos to review a bit of what they have to offer.

Raw got off to a rocky start in its own way as Vince McMahon, Macho Man, and Bob Bartlett commentate and tell jokes through a few fairly unremarkable matches, while Bobby Heenan tries in vain to enter the arena.

All in all, the first episode is only notable as a historic curiosity. It says all it needs to when the highlight of the night is.....Doink. Haha, but yes Raw took a little bit to hit its stride...

RAW beginnings...

[PlayPADZ · 19 September 2012]

Monday, January 11th, 1993 A major date in both pro wrestling and television history - the premiere of what is now the 'longest-running weekly episodic wrestling series' - WWF/E RAW. It was new, live, uncensored and unpredictable, a major milestone in the new direction in which the World Wrestling Federation would be heading and a precursor to the legendary 'Monday Night Wars' that would begin to rage on just a couple of years after. But how did it rate as a show? In all honesty, bar the fact that it was the very first episode, it was sadly rather forgettable. However, despite the slow start, the show would begin to rapidly pick up momentum, and all great shows have to start somewhere. So here we go...

From the Manhatten Center's Grand Ballroom (the Hammerstein Ballroom next door would provide the home for ECW's New York shows in years to come), New York, NY, on Monday January 11th, 1993, it's WWF RAW: Episode #1! Party hosts are Vince 'I make it sound a thousand times better than it actually is' McMahon, Randy 'You will not even notice I'm here' Savage and Rob 'I can't come up with enough superlatives to describe Yokozuna's backside' Bartlett. Outside are Sean Mooney and Bobby Heenan (he refused access to the building). Get ready for a lame running joke of the episode...

MATCH 1 - Singles Match: Koko B. Ware vs. Yokozuna It's a Koko match, so we all know the outcome, don't we? The king of WWF jobbers faces the up-and-coming, seemingly unstoppable Yokozuna. The curtain raiser is a routine squash match: Yoko absorbs a few Koko blows to no effect, before a leg drop and Banzai Drop later; this dull match is thankfully over quite quickly. The lack of pace, decent moves and Bartlett's unbearable commentary consisting of mostly unfunny weight jokes aimed at Yokozuna make the opener also the least entertaining match on the card. 1/4* A promo of Heenan pushing the unseen 'Narcissus' and slagging off Mr. Perfect, and it's back to the action.

MATCH 2 - Tag Team Match: The Steiner Brothers vs. The Executioners Some good moves, holds and teamwork from the Steiners to show their superiority. Very little offence from the Executioners and the match is also, again, a little on the short side. Doink also appears in the crowd to provide a meaningless distraction from the action. *1/2 Cut to an outside segment in which Heenan (in drag) is attempting to get in, followed by Razor Ramon, calling on the WWF Champion Bret Hart ahead of their match for the title at the Royal Rumble just under a fortnight away. Now, time for RAW's very first title match as Shawn Michaels puts the Intercontinental Championship on the line against Max 'Mega Man wannabe' Moon.

MATCH 3 - Singles Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship: Max Moon vs. Shawn Michaels (C) An entertaining match, with both guys working quite well together and a mixture of offence from both wrestlers, inside and outside of the ring. Michaels eventually scores the pin following a modified backdrop. Nothing classic, but the best match of the show (As for Bartlett's Mike Tyson mimicry, let's not even go there.). """ Another not so amusing promo of Heenan dressed in a Rabbi cloak and beard, failing once again to get in the building.

MATCH 4 - Singles Match: Damien Demento vs. The Undertaker Main event time. Much like the opener, it's simply an exhibition squash match to demonstrate the Undertaker's power and dominance. Little in terms of technique and finesse; 'Taker takes a few futile Demento blows and ends it effortlessly with a Tombstone Piledriver. 3/4* To wrap things up, Vince interviews Doink the Clown in the ringside area, and he is confronted by Crush, who threatens him, followed by some unusual antics by both guys running around the ring. Then Bobby Heenan, still outside with Sean, is finally allowed up - just as the show draws to a close.

-- In conclusion, this episode is worth watching only for nostalgic value. The I-C title match was good, however the other three bouts are rather short and sub-standard and the promos and commentary are pretty stale and cheesy. For a starter, it's pretty much anything but.

-- Ryan