Every WWE Raw After WrestleMania Ranked

WrestleMania is WWE’s biggest show of the year, the night where the biggest storylines culminate in the biggest matches and moments. 

The first stop after the Showcase of the Immortals is the post-WrestleMania Raw, which has been established as one of the biggest nights of weekly TV on WWE’s calendar. It’s often a night for returns, debuts, blockbuster bouts, and major announcements, as well as beach balls and all kinds of craziness that you might not see on other editions of WWE’s flagship show. 

The crowd, still buzzing after a week of wrestling festivities, more often than not, take what might have been a good show and make it seem great, and they can help turn a great show into an all-timer. 

But has it always been that way? Since Raw hit the airwaves in 1993, there have been plenty of post-WrestleMania editions of Monday Night Raw. 

Some have been good, some have been bad, and some have been enthralling viewing from start to end. This is Every Raw after WrestleMania Ranked. 

32. Raw After WrestleMania 36 (2020)

There was no boisterous crowd on hand to watch the post-WrestleMania Raw in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing WWE to broadcast their shows from an empty Performance Center. 

The circumstances ultimately make the Raw after WrestleMania 36 harder to judge as the show was booked with wrestlers WWE could actually get to the Performance Center, which led to a bunch of squash matches, including Nia Jax’s win over Deonna Purrazzo, Seth Rollins defeating Denzel Dejournette, Cedric Alexander & Ricochet securing a win over Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan, and Humberto Carrillo defeating Brendan Vink (the future Duke Hudson). 

There were still some bright spots, including the main roster debut of Bianca Belair alongside The Street Profits in their win over Zelina Vega, Angel Garza, and Austin Theory. Aleister Black and Apollo Crews also had a very good match that went 27 minutes due to WWE just needing to fill the three-hour block with content. 

The main event of the show was odd, however, as it was actually an unaired match from after WrestleMania 36 went off the air. Following Drew McIntyre's win over Brock Lesnar, the new WWE Champion was interrupted by The Big Show to set up an immediate title match. McIntyre was allowed to look strong, though, as he defeated Paul Wight to end Raw standing tall.

Everyone worked hard on the Raw after WrestleMania 36, but this wasn’t great and served to highlight how vital audience participation is to wrestling’s enjoyment. 

31. Raw after WrestleMania 37 (2021)

The Raw after WrestleMania 37 served as whiplash for an audience who enjoyed the two nights prior. WrestleMania 37 was the first WWE show to take place in front of fans since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the company was back in front of the WWE ThunderDome for the post-Mania Raw. 

The broadcast opened with WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, who was promptly annoyed by Matt Riddle while entering the ThunderDome. This set up the opening match, in which Lashley picked up a win over the former United States Champion in nine minutes. The WWE Title picture was then spotlighted in the main event as an MVP promo being interrupted by Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman, and Randy Orton set up a number one contender’s match.

The Triple Threat was won by Drew McIntyre, who was then immediately laid out by T-Bar and Mace of the former Retribution stable in a bizarre turn of events.

The Raw after WrestleMania 37 also featured a couple of returns as the Viking Raiders resurfaced and defeated Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander. Charlotte Flair made her own return, cut a promo about being ‘the opportunity’, and later attacked Rhea Ripley and Asuka to end their WrestleMania 37 rematch for the Raw Women’s Title by DQ. 

Alexa Bliss also made her first appearance since turning on The Fiend at WrestleMania and introduced Lilly, her supernatural doll, in an abysmal segment. Bray Wyatt then appeared in the final segment before the main event, returning to the Firefly Funhouse and telling fans everything would be fine because “he” will return. Wyatt didn't return before his release months later. 

Everything else on Raw was incredibly forgettable, such as Damian Priest vs. The Miz, The New Day vs. Jaxson Ryker & Elias, and Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose vs. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.

30. Raw After WrestleMania IX (1993)

The first-ever post-WrestleMania Raw aired on April 5, 1993 and it was almost as bad as the WrestleMania IX it followed.

The show is notably odd as none of the headliners from WrestleMania 9 appeared in person on Raw, with new WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, Yokozuna, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Tatanka, Lex Luger, Mr. Perfect, The Undertaker, Razor Ramon, Brutus Beefcake, and Giant Gonzalez all absent. This is because the Raw after WrestleMania was actually taped on March 22.

What fans were presented with was a series of dull matches, including The Steiners vs. The Beverly Brothers, which was the best of a poor lot. Also on the show was Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Virgil, Bob Backlund vs. Kim Chee, Damien Demento vs. the returning Jim Brunzell, and a main event of Jerry Lawler vs. a returning Jim Powers. 

This was still the very early days of Raw, the show having only been in existence for a few months at this point, and the main purpose of this episode seemed to be to sell the WrestleMania pay-per-view replay. 

29. Raw after WrestleMania 35 (2019)

The crowd was as hot as it had been in years prior, but 2019’s post-WrestleMania Raw was not quite as historic as previous iterations. 

There were a few moments but, on the whole, it just seemed like any other Raw. The show opened with Kofi Kingston and Seth Rollins bathing in the adulation of the crowd following their WWE and Universal title wins the night before, which led to them setting up a Winner Takes All Match for the main event. 

That mouth-watering prospect of a main event was a bit of a dud, though, due to interference from The Bar after just seven minutes. This led to WWE using their tried-and-tested booking trope and the two world champions defeated Sheamus and Cesaro to stand tall in the final match of the night. 

Other noteworthy moments on the night saw the first Fiend tease from Bray Wyatt, Mojo Rawley shout at a broken mirror, and the return of Sami Zayn in a competitive Intercontinental Title match with new champion Finn Balor before he cut an impassioned promo against the fans.

The Undertaker also appeared to attack Elias, while Lars Sullivan made his main roster debut and laid out Kurt Angle one day after Angle's career came to an end. Bobby Lashley also attacked Dean Ambrose before what was supposed to be the Shield member's final WWE match. 

Elsewhere, Bayley beat Alexa Bliss in Bliss’s return, Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder defeated The Revival, and Ricochet & Aleister Black downed Chad Gable & Bobby Roode. 

Those absent from the Raw after WrestleMania despite wrestling the night before were Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Batista, and Braun Strowman. 

28. Raw After WrestleMania 39 (2023)

After months of positive WWE creative with Triple H at the helm, Vince McMahon reasserted himself as the head of creative on the Raw after WrestleMania 39, and only hours after it was announced that WWE would merge with UFC under TKO Group Holdings as part of a deal between WWE and Endeavor. 

McMahon’s return brought with it a whole host of last-minute changes for what was a particularly poor episode of Monday Night Raw. 

The Raw after WrestleMania 39 initially opened with Triple H, who welcomed fans to Monday Night Raw, before Roman Reigns made his way to the ring one night after defeating Cody Rhodes. Reigns was quickly interrupted by Cody, which set up a main event of Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa vs. Cody Rhodes & Brock Lesnar. That match didn’t happen, though, as Brock turned on Cody during the in-ring introductions and the Raw after WrestleMania ended with Lesnar battering Rhodes around the arena. 

One of the few fun matches on Raw saw Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeat The Street Profits, while Austin Theory vs. Rey Mysterio was entertaining enough but was made by the post-match events which saw Damian Priest put Bad Bunny through the announce table to set up their great Backlash match, while Dominik targeted his father. 

Elsewhere, Matt Riddle returned and beat down The Miz, while Omos squashed Elias, and Bobby Lashley squashed Mustafa Ali. Seth Rollins was also part of a bizarre segment where he stood in the ring, was serenaded by the fans, stood in the ring some more, and went backstage without saying a word.

27. Raw after WrestleMania X (1994)

The 1994 post-WrestleMania Raw was the first to be live, but that didn’t make the show any more exciting. The show wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t good either. 

One match on the show was The Bushwhackers vs. The Quebecers, which was terrible but interesting due to the commentary team of Vince McMahon and Randy Savage putting over how WrestleMania 10 had been the start of a new era in the company. 

Tatanka also defeated ECW alumni Chris Hamrick, Diesel won a squash match, and new WWE Champion Bret Hart gave a generic interview about how he was a fighting champion and would give Yokozuna his rematch and then meet his brother Owen, should he remain champion. 

The main event was Jeff Jarrett beating a past-it Koko B. Ware and then starting what looked like a feud with Savage, which you would assume would lead to a match on television or pay-per-view. You would assume wrong, though, since WrestleMania 10 the night before marked Macho Man’s last televised in-ring WWE match, though he did clash with Jarrett on subsequent house shows. 

26. Raw after WrestleMania XV (1999)

A show more for angle and storyline advancement than quality wrestling, this was the Attitude Era at its peak. Like many shows of this era, the happenings were centred around Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon, who kicked things off with one of their dynamite in-ring segments. 

Vince wasn’t the only McMahon involved, as both Shane and Stephanie were fixtures throughout the night, as not only was Vince’s rivalry with new WWE Champ Austin continuing, but so too was his dispute with Ministry of Darkness leader The Undertaker. 

Outside of all that sports entertainment wackiness, Big Show’s big push continued as he flattened Test, The Rock, on the precipice of turning face, downed Billy Gunn.

Goldust also beat Road Dogg to win the Intercontinental Title in a nothing match, Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett retained their Tag Titles over the Legion of Doom, and Triple H and X-Pac’s match one night after HHH turned on his DX stablemate ended in a DQ. 

The show-closing angle then featured Rock, Shane McMahon, Ken Shamrock, Test, and D-Generation X attacking Steve Austin until The Big Show made the save. The WWE Champion and Paul Wight then cleared the ring, standing tall to end Raw as Big Show delivered a Chokeslam to HHH.

It was fine for a show, though it was riddled with issues and you wouldn’t really know it was the night after WrestleMania unless someone told you beforehand.  

25. Raw after WrestleMania XX (2004)

A rather mundane Raw took place the night after the historic WrestleMania 20. 

The show was built around establishing new World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit as a fully fledged star and wrestler who belonged in the main event scene as he floored Triple H in the opening segment and then teamed up with Shawn Michaels to overcome The Game’s Evolution stablemates Batista, Randy Orton, and Ric Flair in the handicap match main event. 

Rob Van Dam and Booker T also retained their World Tag Team Titles in a long and awkward match with the Dudleys, Steve Austin had a show-long angle with the members of La Resistance, and Lita & Victoria beat Molly Holly & Jazz and exposed Mighty Molly’s new bald look, a single day after she had her locks chopped off. Matt Hardy also beat Chris Jericho by DQ, who continued his new feud with Christian and Trish Stratus after Trish’s heel turn the night before, and Kane destroyed Val Venis. 

One of the few noteworthy moments from the show saw Vince McMahon announce there would be a new WWE Draft the following week. 

24. Raw after WrestleMania XXV (2009)

Licking his wounds after failing to capture the WWE Championship from Triple H in the underwhelming main event of WrestleMania 25, Randy Orton went one-on-one with Vince McMahon in the main event of the post-WrestleMania edition of Raw. 

It wasn’t much of a match, but the finish was exciting as Shane McMahon, Triple H and Legacy all got involved before Batista made his grand return and evened the odds. 

The in-ring highlight of the night came courtesy of an all-star 10-man tag team affair that was classic old-school good guys vs. bad guys as one of the stars of the night before, the thought-to-be-retired Ricky Steamboat, teamed up with John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and CM Punk to down Chris Jericho, Edge, Big Show, Kane and Matt Hardy. 

Besides that, there wasn’t much else on the Raw after Mania. Carlito and Primo beat Miz and Morrison in a Unified Tag Team Title match, the divas had a 10-diva tag, and Santina Marella showed up for what was supposed to be comedy. 

23. Raw after WrestleMania 38 (2022)

Two nights after his grand return at WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes kicked off Raw with a promo that has only grown in importance as he discussed his father never winning the WWWF Title and declared he was going to win the WWE Championship for himself, for the fans, and for Dusty Rhodes. Cody was then interrupted by Seth Rollins and the two men shook hands, but more importantly, Cody began his quest to ‘finish the story’ that would finally be capped off in the main event of WrestleMania 40. 

The other major happenings were mainly odd, however. Bron Breakker defeated Dolph Ziggler to regain the NXT Championship only two days after he failed to do so at Stand & Deliver, Elias made his return as his kayfabe brother Elijah much to the annoyance of Kevin Owens, while MVP turned on Bobby Lashley and sided with Omos in what would not be a fruitful partnership for either man. Veer also made his WWE debut following months of ‘Veer is coming’ vignettes as he dismantled The Mysterios. 

The final segment of Raw, meanwhile, was a nothing 15 minutes with The Bloodline as Roman Reigns told fans he would reveal the faction’s future on SmackDown. 

Outside of this, not much particularly memorable happened on the Raw after WrestleMania 38.

22. Raw after WrestleMania 23 (2007)

Still stewing after losing to John Cena at WrestleMania 23, Shawn Michaels made his intentions to have a rematch known the night after. That didn’t come to pass, however, as Jonathan Coachman booked Cena and Michaels - who were the reigning World Tag Team Champions - in a nine-team inter-brand battle royal for the belts. 

Cena and Michaels won the match, so Coach booked another 10-team inter-brand tag team title battle royal immediately after. This time, Michaels sabotaged his team with Cena by throwing Big Match John over the top rope. The match was eventually won by The Hardy Boyz. 

Outside of the WWE Title picture, not a great deal happened on the Raw after WrestleMania 23. Vince McMahon had his bald head exposed, Edge and Randy Orton pushed for matches with John Cena, Carlito and Ric Flair continued their good run against the World’s Greatest Tag Team, and the Bobby Lashley megapush persisted as he successfully defended his ECW Title against Umaga and Armando Estrada in a handicap match. 

Not a monumental show, but it kept storylines ticking along nicely enough and wasn’t a terrible way to spend a couple of hours.  

21. Raw after WrestleMania XXVI (2010)

Two years after retiring Ric Flair at the Grandaddy of Them All, Shawn Michaels suffered the same fate and was forced to call it a day after he was beaten by The Undertaker in another classic in the main event of WrestleMania 26. 

Like Flair before him, WWE felt it was only right to give the spotlight to one of the best ever, and so Michaels was afforded time to address the WWE fans and put a bow on what had been a stellar, Hall of Fame career. It wasn’t quite the emotional rollercoaster of Flair’s goodbye, but it was still special and a fine segment to end the night on. 

The show began with a great Batista and John Cena promo which ended with Jack Swagger teasing a Money in the Bank cash-in, and segued into a tag match also featuring Randy Orton later on. 

Elsewhere, there was a 10-diva tag match and the Hart Dynasty beating Show-Miz by count-out. Sheamus also continued to target Triple H to continue their feud, and Christian won a legends lumberjack match against Ted DiBiase Jr. 

20. Raw after WrestleMania XI (1995)

The 1995 post-WrestleMania Raw was the first to be used as a springboard for new angles and seemed more like a ‘season premiere’ than the two previous years. 

After their WWE Title match the previous night, Shawn Michaels accepted the offer of a rematch from Diesel, but was then laid out by his heavy Sycho Sid, who stepped in as challenger instead. 

Supposedly, there was some backstage creative differences when it came to whether or not to turn HBK face. Regardless, this was a good cliff-hanger of an ending and capped off a very enjoyable show overall. 

In the show’s highlight, Alundra Blayze captured the Women’s Title from Bull Nakano in a blistering sprint of a match, and was then attacked by who we would come to know as Bertha Faye, making her WWE debut. 

Hakushi and Bob Holly also had a decent match and the Allied Powers of Lex Luger and Davey Boy Smith continued to gain momentum with a win over Well Dunn. 

19. Raw after WrestleMania 22 (2006)

The post-WrestleMania 22 Raw wasn’t exactly the start of a new era, but the continuation of one.

The previous evening had cemented John Cena as the new face of the company, as he overcame Triple H in an epic main event. Their battle raged on the next night on Raw, but grew to include the red-hot Edge as The Rated-R Superstar and Triple H teamed together to defeat Cena in a Handicap match main event. This ultimately set up their very good Triple Threat match for the WWE Title at Backlash. 

The rest of the show was action-packed and produced many talking points, such as the Spirit Squad defeating Kane and Big Show to win the World Tag Team Titles, Carlito turning babyface by attacking partner Chris Masters, Umaga debuting and bulldozing Ric Flair, and Chavo Guerrero supposedly quitting after his loss to Shelton Benjamin. 

Fresh off the double beating they received at the Showcase of the Immortals, Vince and Shane McMahon also had a verbal duel with Shawn Michaels, ending with Vince booking him and his son against The Heartbreak Kid and God for Backlash.

18. Raw after WrestleMania XXVII (2011)

WWE made The Rock vs. John Cena official one year ahead of time when the two met in the closing moments of the April 4, 2011 Raw, one day after The Great One had cost Big Match John the gold in his WrestleMania 27 main event against The Miz. 

It was a bold move by WWE but a smart one, as the buzz began anticipation instantly grew for their epic clash. After setting up the match, the segment ended with The Rock and Cena beating down The Corre and having a staredown.  

Elsewhere on a jam-packed show, Triple H came out and bragged about beating up The Undertaker at WrestleMania, Randy Orton & Rey Mysterio teamed up to beat their Mania opponents Cody Rhodes & CM Punk, Jerry Lawler beat Jack Swagger by DQ and then Jim Ross got covered in his own-brand BBQ sauce. 

Steve Austin also made an appearance, with Alex Riley the designated Stunner victim on this occasion, Trish Stratus wrestled a rare match on Raw, teaming with John Morrison to beat Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero, and Sheamus defended his United States Title against Daniel Bryan before being chased off by a debuting Sin Cara. 

17. Raw after WrestleMania XIX (2003)

The Raw following WrestleMania 19 saw the main event scene get a much-needed shot in the arm. With Steve Austin retiring against The Rock the night before, Raw GM Eric Bischoff kicked off the show by firing the Texas Rattlesnake. 

Ending the show was a huge moment as Goldberg made his WWE debut and ruined Rock Appreciation Night by spearing the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment. Everyone saw it coming a mile away, but it didn’t make it any less awesome. 

Sandwiched in the middle of Austin’s departure and Goldberg’s arrival was some stuff that ranged from deathly boring to mildly exciting. 

Triple H beat The Hurricane, who had been on quite a roll up to that point, Triple H, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels had a skirmish, Trish Stratus and Jeff Hardy continued their brief, jarring romance, and Scott Steiner squashed Chris Nowinski. 

The unlikely duo of Rob Van Dam and Kane also regained the World Tag Team Titles in a rematch from the WrestleMania 19 pre-show. Kane and RVD had lost the belts to Chief Morley and Lance Storm and they won back the titles in a Triple Threat featuring both teams and the Dudley Boys.

16. Raw after WrestleMania 21 (2005)

Another post-WrestleMania Raw, another new era in the company.

This time it was Batista who was being entrusted to be the top star, but while the show should have been all about the new World Heavyweight Champion, he didn’t actually show up until the broadcast was almost over as he defeated Randy Orton in a short match to explain The Legend Killer’s absence from TV while he underwent shoulder surgery. 

Triple H, the man who lost to The Animal at WrestleMania, opened the show by complaining to set up his rematch with Batista at Backlash. Muhammad Hassan and Daivari also convincingly beat down Shawn Michaels, while Steve Austin interacted with Simon Dean and Maven in a surprisingly funny segment that warrants a re-watch. Trish Stratus also beat up Christy Hemme and the injured Lita. 

As far as the matches, there were only two others outside of the main event, but they were both very good. Shelton Benjamin retained the Intercontinental Title over Chris Jericho and Christian, while Chris Benoit beat Edge in a long, hard-fought match. The Money in the Bank winner didn’t take the loss well and he went mad with a chair post-match.

15. Raw after WrestleMania 2000 (2000)

WrestleMania 2000 was a disappointing show overall due to the complete dearth of singles matches and the biggest show of the year ending for the first time with a heel win as Triple H retained the WWF Title in his Fatal 4-Way against The Rock, Mick Foley, and The Big Show with a McMahon in every corner. 

Mr. McMahon, who had turned heel on The Rock the night before, started the show with a masterful promo that also involved Shane, Stephanie and Triple H. 

Chyna then turned on Chris Jericho in the first match of the night, costing him the European Title by siding with former enemy Eddie Guerrero in Jericho’s first defence, having won the belt just 24 hours earlier, to set up the popular pairing of Guerrero and Chyna and birth the slimy Latino Heat. 

Chris Benoit had better luck than Jericho as he defeated Tazz in a spirited contest to remain Intercontinental Champion, while WWE corrected a botch from the night before as Crash Holly defeated Hardcore Holly to regain the Hardcore Championship. 

Big Show also debuted his new babyface persona by dancing with Too Cool, and new tag team champions Edge and Christian displayed their attitude as cocky heels. 

In the main event, The Rock beat Shane McMahon in a match full of sports entertainment shenanigans and had the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout. 

14. Raw after WrestleMania 34 (2018)

The Raw after WrestleMania 34 began with a hot angle as Ronda Rousey followed up her fantastic debut performance by taking out Stephanie McMahon with an Armbar in the opening segment of Monday Night Raw. 

There was also a handful of debuts, including Ember Moon, who teamed with new Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax to defeat Alexa Bliss & Mickie James. No Way Jose made his main roster debut, dancing his way to a win, while the Authors of Pain picked up a dominant win over Heath Slater and Rhyno. 

The biggest return, though, was Bobby Lashley, who returned after over a decade away and a very good run in TNA to take out Elias, receiving “welcome back” chants from those in attendance at Monday Night Raw. 

Predictably, Brock Lesnar did not appear on the Raw after WrestleMania 34 despite defeating Roman Reigns in the main event. Reigns cut a promo about his loss, however, before the returning from injury Samoa Joe interrupted to set up their match at Backlash. 

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens also went one-on-one as they tried to earn a job after losing their employment after being defeated by Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. The match went to a double count-out which led to “TNA” chants from the fans inside the arena. 

Jeff Hardy also returned from injury in the main event to team with Seth Rollins & Finn Balor in a win over The Miz and Miztourage in a “send the fans home happy” six-man tag team match.

Elsewhere, Paige announced her retirement from in-ring competition due to neck injuries, and Braun Strowman and Nicholas relinquished the Raw Tag Team Titles, kicking off a tournament to crown the new champions. That tournament began with the new allies of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt defeating Titus Worldwide, and The Good Brothers picking up a win over The Revival. 

13. Raw after WrestleMania 31 (2015)

One of the headline moments from the Raw after WrestleMania 31 was Brock Lesnar - one day after losing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Seth Rollins by way of Money in the Bank cash-in - going on a warpath and destroying everyone in sight. Lesnar was scheduled to face Rollins in a title match, only for Rollins to say he was jet-lagged and walk out on the match before it could get underway.

This caused a fury inside Lesnar to bubble to the surface and The Beast proceeded to take out J&J Security, tip the announce table onto Booker T and JBL, and destroy an unsuspecting Michael Cole with an F5 after he failed to get his hands on Seth as Paul Heyman begged Brock to calm down. 

The angle was done to get Lesnar suspended and write him off TV until later in the year, but it was a dynamite angle nonetheless.

Another highlight was John Cena defending his United States Title in his much-celebrated open challenge series, this time edging past Dean Ambrose in a great match. Another good title match came with Daniel Bryan defending his newly-won Intercontinental Title against Dolph Ziggler. 

As for the rest of the show, the main roster debuts of Neville, and the Lucha Dragons certainly added some high-flying excitement to the roster. Seth Rollins also ended up wrestling on the show as he teamed with Authority stablemates Kane and Big Show in a loss to Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Ryback in a match which ended with Roman Reigns being booed out of the building after winning the contest for his team. 

AJ Lee also had her last-ever match, teaming with Paige and Naomi to defeat The Bella Twins and Natalya. A Sting appearance after his loss at WrestleMania 31, meanwhile, was saved for a WWE Network exclusive after the show. 

12. Raw after WrestleMania 13 (1997)

The night after WrestleMania 13 was all about Bret Hart. The Hitman – who had beaten "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a classic during which he turned heel the night before – interrupted the first bout of the evening, a European Title match contest between Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. Bret Hart united his brother and brother-in-law in his vendetta against the United States, planting the seeds for the Hart Foundation and kicking off what would be the hottest angle of 1997 of Bret Hart vs. America. 

Steve Austin was also on the show as he cut an impassioned promo to continue his issues with the Excellence of Execution. Hart was then in action in the main event of Raw as he fought to a DQ with Rocky Maivia over the Intercontinental Title, with Owen, Davey Boy Smith, Austin, and the Legion of Doom running in for a big brawl to end the show. 

Elsewhere, the only things of note were a Paul Bearer promo that bled into an angle with Undertaker, Mankind and Sid, and a snoozer of a match between Triple H and Goldust. 

11. Raw after WrestleMania 40 (2024)

WrestleMania 40 began in a major way as after Triple H opened the show and introduced new Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, the American Nightmare bathed in the adulation of the fans before he was interrupted by The Rock. This led to a great promo exchange in which The Rock told Cody not to break his heart again, and set up a future Rock vs. Cody clash for the Undisputed WWE Title. That match was planned for WrestleMania 41 but ultimately didn’t happen. 

The great segment was followed by the main roster debut of Ilja Dragunov, who picked up the win over Shinsuke Nakamura in a competitive match, before Damian Priest’s celebratory promo was interrupted by R-Truth which set up Awesome Truth teaming with John Cena to defeat Judgment Day’s Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio in a fun moment for the fans. 

The main event of Raw determined the number one contender for Priest’s World Heavyweight Championship as Jey Uso defeated Ricochet, Bronson Reed, and Drew McIntyre. The biggest moment of the match continued the issues between McIntyre and CM Punk as Punk blocked McIntyre from hitting a Claymore for the win. 

Elsewhere, Liv Morgan attacked Rhea Ripley backstage which would give Ripley a legitimate injury and force her to vacate the Women’s World Title, Chad Gable and Sami Zayn continued to move towards Gable’s heel turn as they defeated Imperium in a fun match, Roxanne Perez appeared on the main roster and picked up a win over Indi Hartwell, and Jade Cargill made her WWE singles debut with a victory over Chelsea Green.

10. Raw after WrestleMania XXIV (2008)

The March 31, 2008 edition of Raw was all about honouring Ric Flair, giving the 16-time world champion the sendoff he deserved after his retirement match loss to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV. 

The Nature Boy was a wreck as he said goodbye to a legendary career inside the squared circle, those tears flowing more and more as friends, family and those important to his life and career were brought out to pay their respects. 

This was the main reason to watch the show and it remains one of the classiest things WWE have ever put on the air.

The other stuff was of little consequence in comparison, but there was still some goodness to be found. Randy Orton had a good match with Matt Hardy, Cryme Tyme beat Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, Paul London & Brian Kendrick beat Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly, Chris Jericho defended the Intercontinental Title against CM Punk in a short match, and Big Show had a face-off with Great Khali.

9. Raw after WrestleMania XXVIII (2012)

Eight years after exiting WWE, Brock Lesnar made his grand return on the Raw after WrestleMania 28 and made an immediate impact as he took out John Cena with an F5 to further harm a wounded Cena, who lost to The Rock just 24 hours earlier. 

The former UFC Heavyweight Champion received a thunderous ovation for an appearance that, while not a total surprise since it was known that he had publicly been negotiating with WWE, was still shocking. 

Speaking of The Rock, he appeared and thanked Cena for their match the night before. 

Also making a return was Lord Tensai, AKA A-Train in some unflattering red trunks, defeating Alex Riley with ease. 

Elsewhere, Mark Henry beat CM Punk by count-out in a fine match before Chris Jericho attacked the Straight-Edge Superstar and poured whiskey over him to continue their feud, Santino Marella retained his United States Title in a triple threat with Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler, while other short matches came in the form of Kofi Kingston’s victory over Cody Rhodes, and The Miz’s win over Zack Ryder.

8. Raw after WrestleMania X8 (2002)

Nostalgia rules, brother, as Hulk Hogan cemented himself as the most popular star in the industry once more after his iconic match with The Rock at WrestleMania. The Hulkster received an absolutely insane ovation from the Canadian crowd the day after his loss to The Brahma Bull, with the two men teaming up for the main event of Raw as they took on Hogan’s former stablemates The Outsiders, a match that was set up with a long and entertaining promo. The babyfaces also ended the night standing tall after Scott Hall and Kevin Nash walked out on the match. 

In other major happenings, Linda McMahon announced the long-rumoured WWE Draft would take place a week later as co-owners Mr. McMahon and Ric Flair continued their rivalry ahead of the brand split. 

This was also the show that Brock Lesnar made his WWE debut on, running in to destroy Maven, Al Snow, and Spike Dudley during the Hardcore Title match. Someone who didn’t arrive was Steve Austin, who was burning out fast behind the scenes and was still stewing over his ‘Mania match with Scott Hall, deciding to sit this one out. 

Another major star who felt more like an afterthought was new Undisputed Champion Triple H, who cut a boring babyface promo and had some verbal exchanges with Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon. 

As far as the rest of the action, matches like RVD vs. Christian for the Intercontinental Title, Lita vs. Trish Stratus, Edge & Kane vs. Booker T & Kurt Angle, and Billy & Chuck vs. The Dudleys for the WWE Tag Team Titles, complete with Stacy Keibler being put through a table, were all rushed but otherwise perfectly fine for what they were.

7. Raw after WrestleMania 32 (2016)

Another notable show held in front of an anticipatory crowd, the post-WrestleMania 32 Raw had no shortage of talking points. 

The biggest was probably AJ Styles, who had lost to Chris Jericho the night before, beating not only Y2J but Kevin Owens and a returning Cesaro in a four-way to become number one contender to Roman Reigns’ WWE World Heavyweight Title. 

That big victory capped off a Raw that Shane McMahon was in charge of after Vince McMahon decided to ignore the stipulation from Shane’s Hell in a Cell Match with The Undertaker 24 hours earlier, which kept Shane O’Mac on TV for the foreseeable future. 

Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, and Enzo & Big Cass also made their main roster bows, while The New Day retained the WWE Tag Team Titles against The League of Nations who imploded and were beaten down by the Wyatt Family afterwards. 

In a sad moment, though, Zack Ryder’s Intercontinental Title reign ended after just one day as he lost to The Miz. In a not-so-sad moment, the Divas Title was finally scrapped as Charlotte Flair was formally presented with the new WWE Women’s Title belt, having won the strap the night earlier.

6. Raw after WrestleMania 33 (2017)

The Raw after WrestleMania 33 kicked off in a big way as Roman Reigns, fresh off beating The Undertaker in what was originally supposed to be The Phenom’s last match, strode out and absorbed everything the baying mob inside the arena had to throw at him. Reigns soaked in the boos for several minutes while he simply stood in silence, before perfectly showing how less can be more as he simply said the ring was his yard now and walked off.

The opening segment was followed up by a pair of entertaining matches in The Hardys (one night after their returns) successfully defending the Raw Tag Team Titles against The Good Brothers, and Neville vs. Mustafa Ali, although the cruiserweight match featured plenty of beach ball throwing from the hands in attendance. 

After this, Vince McMahon announced Kurt Angle, only a couple of days after his WWE Hall of Fame induction, would be the new General Manager of Raw following a funny Teddy Long tease. 

NXT stalwarts The Revival also debuted on the main roster and hit the New Day with Shatter Machines to win on their first night on Raw, while Brock Lesnar’s reign as Universal Champion began with a title celebration and set up a future match with Roman Reigns to determine whose yard the ring was, before a clash with Braun Strowman was teased after The Monster Among Men interrupted Paul Heyman’s promo. 

Elsewhere, Sheamus and Cesaro became number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team Titles with a win over Enzo & Big Cass, Sami Zayn defeated Jinder Mahal, and Finn Balor returned from injury in the main event to team with Seth Rollins in a win over Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens.

5. Raw after WrestleMania 29 (2013)

The 2013 post-WrestleMania Raw was the first where it really felt like the crowd – for better or worse – became a part of the show itself. 

Much of that was due to those in attendance going wild for Fandango, doing his dance and humming his theme song whenever they could. The crowd truly made Dolph Ziggler’s Money in the Bank cash-in too as they went wild for Ziggler surviving a Cross Armbreaker and connecting with a ZigZag for the victory. 

The moment was a much-deserved one in the sun for the hardworking Nic Nemeth and this still ranks as one of the best moments in Raw’s long history. 

The crowd truly made themselves heard during Randy Orton vs. Sheamus too as they chanted for anything but the two men in the ring, including for Randy Savage, Michael Cole, a cotton candy vendor, and Rob Van Dam. After The Big Show interfered to end the match in a no-contest, fans chanted, “Thank you Big Show.” 

In other major happenings, Wade Barrett pinned The Miz to regain the Intercontinental Championship only one night after The Miz had beaten him for the belt in a good match. The Shield also interrupted The Undertaker’s tribute to the recently-deceased Paul Bearer, which led to a great SmackDown match between The Phenom and Dean Ambrose. 

In the main event, new WWE Champion John Cena defeated Mark Henry by count-out but ended the night on his back after Ryback turned heel and laid out Big Match John to set up their WWE Title programme.

4. Raw after WrestleMania XII (1996)

A historic show, the 1996 post-WrestleMania Raw was all about the debut of a superstar who would become one of WWE’s most iconic. 

Mankind was introduced to the world, first with a convincing victory over Bob Holly. Then later on in the evening, the sinister psychopath made his presence felt by attacking The Undertaker during the Phenom’s main event match with Justin Hawk Bradshaw. 

Mick Foley’s new guise completely got the better of the Deadman and left him laying on the floor, something that wasn’t really done to ‘Taker back then, instantly establishing Mankind as a threat. 

Marvellous Marc Mero also debuted on this episode where he, accompanied by wife Sable, beat Isaac Yankem DDS. Mero began his first programme too, kicking off a feud with Hunter Hearst Helmsley. 

Elsewhere, new WWE Tag Team Champions The Bodydonnas had a short but surprisingly decent match with Aldo Montoya and Barry Horowitz, of all people, while new WWE Champion Shawn Michaels cut a standard promo to get his reign off to a rather bland start.

3. Raw after WrestleMania XIV (1998)

Like most of WWE’s television from this era, the wrestling was mostly not great, but the show itself is memorable and it’s hard not to get into it with the slew of stars and molten-hot crowd. 

What better way to kick off the Austin era proper than by having the Texas Rattlesnake give a Stunner to Mr. McMahon? That led to Austin being arrested later in the evening, as the McMahon vs. Austin rivalry kicked off proper.

The Nation of Domination also turned on Farooq and sided with The Rock after the two had been at odds for some time. Kaientai also debuted, beating up Light Heavyweight Champion TAKA Michinoku.

There was also a major return as Triple H cut a scathing promo, mainly about WCW, before he introduced Sean Waltman - now X-Pac.

In the main event, The New Age Outlaws beat Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie in a Steel Cage Match to win the WWE Tag Team Titles, a match that birthed the second iteration of D-Generation X.

2. Raw after WrestleMania X-Seven (2001)

The night after the greatest WrestleMania of all time, which closed with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s historic heel turn, WWE didn’t wait around as Steve Austin vs. The Rock for the WWE Title in a Steel Cage Match was booked for the main event. 

That match then ended in a major angle as Triple H, only 18 months after he had Austin run over by Rikishi, joined forces with Stone Cold to form the Two-Man Power Trip. With HHH’s assistance, Austin won and the new stable beat down The Rock to write him off TV while he went off for his first proper taste of Hollywood. 

As far as the rest of the show went, it was alright, at times good, always watchable. Test and The APA beat the Radicalz in a good six-man tag, Stephanie McMahon vs. Trish Stratus in a Whipping Match was about what you would expect, as was Kane and Stevie Richards’s Hardcore Title match, X-Pac vs. Billy Gunn, Rhyno squashing Crash Holly, and Kurt Angle and William Regal besting Chris Jericho in a Handicap Match. 

Plenty of happenings, but this show was all about Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, and Vince McMahon.

1. Raw after WrestleMania XXX (2014)

No doubt anticipating another raucous crowd, WWE stuffed the Raw after the memorable WrestleMania 30 with lots of matches, results and moments that would be favourable to the hardcore fans’ sensibilities. 

Chief among them was positioning new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan as the new top guy, as he first celebrated his WWE Title win and then got beaten down by Evolution later in the evening, before The Shield made the save. 

The Wyatt Family also got a big win over John Cena, Big E and Sheamus in a very good match. Paige made her WWE main roster debut too and quickly won the Divas Title in an impromptu match with AJ Lee, while Rusev also made his full main roster debut and promptly crushed Zack Ryder. 

One night after ending The Streak, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar came out to gloat, with Heyman cutting an excellent promo while Brock stood around looking terrifying. Heyman then came back out later in the night to unveil Cesaro as the newest Paul Heyman guy after Cesaro had been presented with the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy by Hulk Hogan. 

Elsewhere, Rob Van Dam beat Damien Sandow, Wade Barrett beat Rey Mysterio, while The Usos’ WWE Tag Team Title defence against Randy Orton and Batista ended in a quick count-out. 

While we didn’t know it at the time, The Ultimate Warrior made his final WWE appearance and cut a promo, telling the fans that the spirit of the Ultimate Warrior will run forever.