WWE Raw 25: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for January 22

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Memories…

Just a quick little pop-in to the Manhattan Center for JR and The King, but I HEARD THE SIREN THAT THEY USED TO OPEN THE OLD SHOWS SO THIS IS THE BEST.

It’s such a small thing, but that attention to detail makes all the difference. It’s like the ICOPRO banner hanging in the rafters – so cool! Even at Barclays, the commentary was back at ringside – just like in the old days.

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… Bring Us To The Present

Of course, it wouldn’t be a WWE show in 2018 if the McMahon Family wasn’t front and center like they were the main characters. So once JR and King tossed it back to Cole and Crew, Shane and Stephanie were in the ring to kick things off “properly,”

It was a nice moment, though – thanking everyone from the fans to the stagehands for putting things together for 25 years. Then we got things back on track with a stellar video package recapping the past 25 years of Raw. It had been online since Sunday but seeing it in high def on my TV instead of my phone was a major upgrade.

But wait, the McMahons hadn’t had enough time in the spotlight yet. Stephanie introduces Vince, who gets a huge pop. He does “the strut,” everyone sings along with his music, and it’s time for the real star of the show to say a few words.

Surprisingly, Vinnie Mac keeps it short and sweet. As he’s leaving, Stephanie makes a lame joke about a GoFundMe drive before presenting him with a plaque. Then it’s the return of HEEL VINCE, who says he’s not surprised it looks cheap because he’s in Brooklyn, after all. Fun story: when Vince talked about sucking down Nathan’s Hot Dogs, I was mid-bite on a hot dog of my own (Boar’s Head, but still).

After Vince rants for a wee bit too long, out comes Stone Cold Steve Austin to an even bigger pop than Vince got. A four corner, two-finger salute later, Vince goes into back pedal mode and throws Shane under the bus to save himself.

After Austin hits Shane with a Stunner, Vince grabs a few Steveweisers – but it ain’t enough to avoid a Stunner of his own. And Shane recovered to eat a second Stunner, because why not?

Look, I love the McMahon/Austin stuff as much as anyone, but maybe twenty minutes was a bit too long for this? I mean, there’s a pay per view in six days, perhaps having a full-blown rehash of a twenty-year-old feud was a bit much?