WWE Raw turned out to be doing fair and square to all the hypes for the auspicious 25th anniversary of the show. The opening was a pleasure to see, as we went live to the Manhattan Center seeing Jerry Lawler dressed up like old school alongside Jim Ross to form the legendary commentary team that was back for one night.
The television taping opened up renewing the infamous rivalry between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon which is the greatest of all-time. It was a surreal moment of seeing the Texas Rattlesnake bringing some hell with him and demolishing the McMahons with multiple stunners. Sure, we did miss this man and can’t wait to get him back onboard, as soon as possible.
Can #RAW25 start any better than with an appearance by Stone Cold @steveaustinBSR giving Vince and Shane McMahon a bunch of Stone Cold Stunners? That was so great. I had chills.
— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) January 23, 2018
The women’s tag team match fell short to a big extent. It turned out to be a random match which forcefully portrayed Asuka as the favourite one heading into Royal Rumble. Paige’s absence as the leader of Absolution is being felt, at this time who can be a legit threat to the former NXT Champion.
The Undertaker’s return did disappoint the fans, for sure. It turned out to be a bigger hype, as the Deadman just delivered some words that indicated nothing about his future. In his usual rest-in-peace promo, it was not clarified whether he is going for retirement or a match at this year’s Wrestlemania. So, the confusion still remains, as we head towards the Wrestlemania season to kick-off.
The Undertaker’s appearance left a little something to be desired. A pretty generic promo, but the ending was certainly cryptic. It wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t see Undertaker again tonight. #RAW25
— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) January 23, 2018
The interesting segment to be noted was John Cena’s return. He confronted the newbie, Elias in the middle of the ring. It was supposed to be the night where legendary names would prevail. But, instead, we have seen the Drifter to gain the upper-hand who put away the franchise player which is unthinkable. Surely, this man is planned to get some bigger things around the Royal Rumble.
Interesting to see Elias go over John Cena so dominantly. Elias was absolutely tremendous tonight. This will definitely be something to watch for in the #RoyalRumble match this Sunday. #RAW25
— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) January 23, 2018
It’s nice to see DX get back together, but Triple H still thinks they’re the forefront of this whole thing and will be for another 25 years? Yikes. Scott Hall doesn’t look too good right now either. #RAW25
— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) January 23, 2018
DX had a good promo at the Manhattan Center. However, it looks like that they were being fed into the crowd as an unstoppable force after all these years. They are not the show-runners, nowadays. So, feeding the Revival to them was a bad thing for the youngsters.
Overall, this was a nice nostalgia show. It definitely lagged at times, but it was good for what it was. The legends are getting older and can’t do as much as they used to, so it is what it is. You can live off their achievements for only so long. #RAW25
— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) January 23, 2018
Preferably, the final segment was a short but impactful one. Rather than the usual promo from Paul Heyman, Lesnar went straight to seek redemption on both Strowman and Kane. But, the show ended in the right way where the monster among men stood tall, yet again. He is indeed the future, and the officials did the right thing by putting him over. Overall, it was a good show that took us revisiting the nostalgic moments.