We are in the home stretch for Wrestlemania 35 and it’s now that time of year where we ask ourselves – what have been the best go-home moments in the history of Wrestlemania?
RAW had an interesting go-home show this week, with all three of Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair getting arrested after their brawl. The show ended a little flat, with Kurt Angle making Baron Corbin tap out on the entrance ramp before the show went off the air. While these may have left something to be desired in terms of hype for the Showcase of the I
1. Batista & Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels & John Cena – WrestleMania 23 Go-Home RAW
The two main title matches at Wrestlemania 23 were Shawn Michaels challenging for John Cena’s WWE championship and Batista defending the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker. Before they could battle for the belts, each pair would team up to face the other in the main event of RAW six nights prior.
It is common for WWE to put main storylines together in tag matches in order to showcase both rivalries at once. This was that trope done to perfection. Undertaker and Batista worked tensely together, squaring up at one point before being interrupted by John Cena. Undertaker would toss Michaels at Batista and leave his partner/future opponent to fend for himself. HBK nailed Cena with a Sweet Chin Music, letting Batista pin him for the win.
Michaels standing tall among the four legendary competitors was the final shot on RAW, and filled the WWE Universe with excitement for one of the best pairs of Wrestlemania title matches we’ve ever seen.
2. CM Punk Mocks The Undertaker – WrestleMania 29 Go-Home RAW
When CM Punk stepped up to take his shot at the Undertaker’s legendary streak in 2013, he wanted to get under the Deadman’s skin. With the real-life passing of Undertaker’s kayfabe father, Paul Bearer (William Moody), who had died soon after Punk had earned a shot at the Undertaker’s streak, it became the focus of their feud.
Punk stopped at nothing to get into the head of The Undertaker. He stole the urn that housed the Undertaker’s powers, interrupted Paul Bearer’s tribute, and brawled with Undertaker’s brother Kane. On the go-home RAW, Paul Heyman distracted Undertaker while dressed as Paul Bearer, and Punk jumped Taker while disguised as a druid. He beat Undertaker mercilessly and dumped the urn’s contents onto a prone Deadman.
After seeing Punk’s disgraceful actions, people couldn’t wait to see The Undertaker get his revenge. Punk was seen as a legitimate threat to the Undertaker’s undefeated streak as well, due to his wrestling ability and the cunning he had shown in rattling the Deadman.
3. Daniel Bryan Interrupts the Main Event – WrestleMania XXX Go-Home RAW
Daniel Bryan in 2014 was the definition of “over” on his way to the WrestleMania XXX main event in New Orleans. Bryan had an uphill battle to make the main event, as he would have to beat Triple H in order to get a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with Randy Orton and Batista. On the final RAW before Wrestlemania XXX, Orton and Batista brawled in a no disqualification match.
Fans had been told Bryan was in New Orleans already, resting up ahead of his match with Triple H. Instead Bryan emerged from the crowd in Washington, D.C. and assaulted Triple H on commentary. Bryan cleared house, downing Orton, Batista and sending Triple H scurrying to the back before leading the crowd in one of the loudest “Yes” chants of all time.
The momentum of Daniel Bryan was unstoppable at that point. The babyface Bryan would go on to be victorious at Wrestlemania XXX, and this moment on the go-home show had everyone excited for his eventual triumph.
4. Austin & Rock Share a Beer- WrestleMania X-Seven Go-Home SmackDown
Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were on a collision course for a match for the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania X-Seven. This would be a rematch from two years previous at Wrestlemania XV, and the stakes were as high as they could be for both men.
On the go-home RAW, Austin and Rock had a tense sit-down interview where they talked about how badly they wanted to win. Rock promised to give Austin all he could handle, and Austin talked about not wanting to win the title but needing to. On SmackDown, the two shared an in-ring promo and a beer.
After some barbs back and forth, the two men exploded in a brawl. Referees, wrestlers, and police were all involved in trying to separate the two. Rock and Austin brawled into the crowd and all the way backstage as SmackDown went off the air, leaving fans hungry for more. The Rousey-Lynch-Charlotte brawl was very reminiscent of this moment, but sometimes got lost in corniness that wasn’t present here.
The intensity of the rivalry was perfectly captured in the best wrestling promo package of all time, set to Limp Bizkit’s “My Way” on the night of Wrestlemania 15.
1. Austin’s Beer Bath – WrestleMania XV Go-Home RAW
The greatest go-home show moment of all time wasn’t a show closer at all. Instead, it happened in the first segment of Monday Night Raw. With The Rock, Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon all cutting a promo in the ring, Stone Cold’s music hit and the Albany, New York crowd came unglued.
Austin was going to meet the corporate champion The Rock in six nights at Wrestlemania XV, but beforehand he wanted to give The Corporation a piece of his mind. He drove a Coors Light beer truck out to the ring and cut a quick promo on burning Jabroni Drive to the ground. When Rock tried to respond, Austin unleashed a beer hose on the ring. The Rock and McMahons stumbling around the ring doused in suds became one of the most iconic images in the history of the Attitude Era.
Austin would be