Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Ben Guest, Dallas Allsopp, and Robert DeFelice will be giving their thoughts on the history of WWE Raw and preview what may happen at Raw Reunion!


ALLSOPP: January 4, 1999, is the moment the Monday Night War was won by WWE. This was the night that Mick Foley captured the WWE Championship, with WCW fans sarcastically implored to turn over the channel to watch Foley win the championship because he would ‘put butts on seats’. Unfortunately for WCW, Foley did indeed bring fans in and turned the tide for WWE. I remember watching this match as an 8-year-old and being amazed at a shabby looking wrestler being given the ultimate prize in wrestling, however, the match is something I cannot forget. I have remembered the feeling of pure elation at this victory for 20 years, which is a sign of how important it was for me.

GUEST: Okay, this is partly my own deluded sense of humour and partly because it is one of the few WWE moments I remember so clearly and so fondly But the night after WrestleMania 33, every wrestling fan believes The Undertaker has just retired, Raw open to around 5 minutes of “Undertaker” and “Thank you Taker” chants. When who’s music should hit, but the man who beat him the night before, possibly at the peak of his unpopularity, Roman Reigns. He then proceeds to receive very loud and very clear boo’s, getting louder every time he goes to lift the mic to his mouth. Then when he finally speaks, he simply utters 5 words, before returning to the back. “This is my yard now”.

DeFELICE: My favorite Monday Night Raw moment, if I really think about it, would have to be the live sex celebration between Edge and Lita. Edge was already one of my favorite wrestlers of all time but as a twelve-year-old, that made him the ultimate cool guy in my eyes. I would be devoted to Edge pretty much exclusively for the rest of his career following that.


DeFELICE:My favorite Monday Night Raw match would have to be the April 2005 showdown between Shawn Michaels and Shelton Benjamin. That superkick is one of the most replayed moments of all time and it was one of the first times I really saw a five-star bout on TV.

GUEST: The first match that comes to mind is John Cena vs Sami Zayn for the United States Championship in May 2015. Honestly, so many of Cena’s matches against the likes of Zayn, Cesaro and Neville from his US Championship Open Challenges could be my answer, but I remember this being a real breakout moment for Zayn, where it seemed they might actually treat him right. Sometimes it’s better to not know what’s coming next.

ALLSOPP: It has to be the John Cena vs Shawn Michaels match from April 2007. This was a near 60-minute classic, and the best part of this match is how it felt like a WrestleMania main event caliber performance. Both Cena and Michaels traded finishers until Michaels won with the Sweet Chin Music, whilst Good Ol’ JR cried ‘Michaels wins! Michaels wins! Michaels wins!’ Everything about this match was perfect, and it truly embodies the type of match that should be showcased on Raw. Unexpected classics have become a hallmark of Raw TV.


DeFELICE: I'm really expecting some monumental hijinks revolving around the WWE 24/7 Championship. The title belt has been a phenomenal part of all of the shows as of late, and with all of the bit players returning for one night, I'm expecting an absolutely hilarious time.

GUEST: Honestly, I’m not looking forward to this show at all. It’s just going to be ‘hey guys, we know we should be putting over new guys, but look at all these 80’s/90’s guys, aren’t they still great? What? Seth who? You like Steve Austin right? Well, he’s going to stunner the new guys so that you know they’re not as good as a 50-year-old man who hasn’t wrestled for 15 years’.

ALLSOPP: I would love for the 24/7 Championship to be won by multiple legends before R-Truth ultimately leaves Raw as a 10 time 24/7 Champion. Perhaps a more realistic prediction is yet another D-Generation X reunion as Triple H cannot resist the increased sales on those glow sticks!