WWE RAW completed a full year as wrestling’s premiere show in 1994. Vince McMahon wanted to expand on the success from the prior year. The boss, however, was forced to witness two big departures from his company.
First, Hulk Hogan left the promotion after more than a decade of being its top star. Longtime rival and occasional tag team partner Randy Savage would follow suit in October 1994. These big departures forced McMahon to capitalize on the success of the “New Generation,” which had Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels at the forefront.
The two men would be involved in most of the classics on WWE RAW in 1994. Let’s take a look at some of these matches:
The 1-2-3 Kid & Marty Jannetty vs. The Quebecers (January 10)
A massive tag team title match kicked off the anniversary show as The Quebecers took on 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty. The challengers brought their athleticism against the extremely underrated Quebecers.
The Kid and Janetty would pull off a huge upset to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on RAW’s first anniversary show. They, however, dropped the titles back to Jacques and Pierre just a week later at a house show.
Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano (August 1)
Alundra Blayze and Bull Nakano stood out at a time when women’s wrestling wasn’t the focus of promoters. Both women had some fantastic showings against each other around the world. They competed in a non-title match in the lead-up to SummerSlam 1994.
Blaze and Nakano were able to pack so much action into so little time they had. The hard-hitting action complemented their rivalry in a major way. They’d have another great singles match on WWE RAW in 1995.
The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Owen Hart (August 15)
These two men had the crowd on their feet with a five-minute match at King of the Ring. They got a chance to run it back on WWE RAW. Hart’s technical offense complemented Kid’s high-flying move set.
The crowd was red hot for this fast-paced match-up. Sean Waltman was criminally underrated in 1994. He should’ve had a lengthy singles program with either of the two Hart brothers, who were at their physical prime at the time.
Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WWE RAW – August 1)
Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon inspired a generation of fans with their two classic ladder matches. What most fans may not know is that the Heartbreak Kid and the Bad Guy had a singles match on RAW nestled in between those two matches.
Michaels had his first singles match against his real-life friend since his WrestleMania loss. He didn’t show a single sign of ring rust. The reaction made for a great viewing experience as well.
Bret Hart vs. The 1-2-3 Kid (July 11)
1-2-3 Kid had pulled off a massive upset over Razor Ramon back in 1993. He had a huge chip on his shoulder walking into this match against Bret Hart. What followed was 18 minutes of just incredible action and psychology.
You could see Hart tilt his head in disbelief as soon as he got caught in the arm drag by the Kid. The Hitman was so good with these subtleties inside the ring. No wonder he’s on the Mr. Rushmore of so many fans and wrestlers.
CM Punk and Darby Allin paid homage to the match at AEW All Out 2021.
Honorable Mentions
- The Quebecers vs. Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid (WWE RAW – February 21)
- Yokozuna vs. Randy Savage (February 28)
- Razor Ramon vs. Jeff Jarrett (WWE RAW – April 25)
- Bret Hart & The British Bulldog vs. Owen Hart & Jim Neidhart (November 7)
- Jeff Jarrett vs. The British Bulldog (December 5)
Also read: Best WWE RAW Matches Of 2023
