The first edition of WWE’s flaghship show, Monday Night Raw, aired on January 11, 1993 from the Manhattan Center in New York City. That means that in less than three months time, Raw turns 25 years old. Does that make you feel old? It should, but it’s also a tremendous accomplishment for WWE.
While we’re sure that WWE will spend the next few months hyping up this birthday by busting out their “longest running episodic television show in history” (say that five times fast) line 500 times per show, fans are likely going to wonder if WWE has anything special planned.
The January 22, 2018 edition of Raw will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider. That is the last Raw before the Royal Rumble, which takes place on January 28. Tickets for the event will go on sale on November 3 with an online pre-sale a few days before that.
It makes sense to do it in Brooklyn since WWE regularly goes to the Barclays Center when they are in the New York City area including the last three SummerSlams. There’s no need to go back for the Manhattan Center, which is a much smaller venue. Madison Square Garden would have been cool, but WWE only goes there for house shows anymore because it costs a lot more to run that building.
It’s not known what exactly WWE might be doing that night, but it’s probably a good guess that they will bring in some of WWE’s biggest stars of the past. At least I would hope so. Seeing WWE legends like Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Ric Flair (if he’s able to travel), The Rock (if it fits his schedule) and possibly even The Undertaker together again would be cool. There are obviously plenty of names they can bring in, but it’s really important that they try to get the biggest names of all to make it really feel like a reunion worth watching.
It was noted by PWInsider also that there will be a 25th Anniversary of Raw DVD set released next year as well. There will also be a hardcover, coffee table style book called WWE Raw: The First 25 Years by Dean Miller and Jake Black. It will be released in May 2018.
No word on if Mae Young and Mark Henry’s “hand baby” will be there like he was on “Raw 1000” five years ago. Since he was “born” on Raw, he should be!
