January 11, 1993, was the debut episode of Monday Night Raw. It has become the longest-running weekly episodic show in history. Raw has changed over the years, and there have been over 1,000 episodes of Raw. Moreover, the WWE Championship is the biggest prize in the industry, and that has been in operation since 1963. Raw used to be one hour long when it first started, but it is now three hours long.
In the '90s, the WWE Championship was defended sporadically on free television. Some of the WWE Title matches that were on Raw were pay-per-view quality. Nevertheless, the first batch of WWE Championship bouts that took place on Raw involved some of the all-time greats with some matches memorable and others forgettable.
10 Shawn Michaels Vs. Goldust - September 6, 1996
Shawn Michaels defended the WWE Championship against Goldust on a special championship edition of Raw. The Bizarre One held the Intercontinental Championship twice in 1996, and he did an exceptional job in keeping up with the Heartbreak Kid.
Their match was physical, and Goldust had a lot of offense in this WWE Championship match. Nevertheless, the result was inevitable with Michaels retaining the WWE Championship in a forgotten encounter.
9 Bret Hart Vs. The Undertaker - February 5, 1996
Bret Hart and The Undertaker had another WWE Championship rematch after their match ended by disqualification at the 1996 Royal Rumble. Undertaker dominated the early stages of the match, Diesel walked down the aisle, and the Deadman was distracted.
Diesel was at the commentary table, but he interfered in proceedings by taking out both competitors with the referee out of the equation. Bret and Taker's match was slow-paced at times, and the match was ruled as a no-contest.
8 Yokozuna Vs. Crush - July 12, 1993
Yokozuna defended the WWE Championship for the first time after he beat Hulk Hogan for the title at King of the Ring 1993. Yokozuna got off to a slow start and he crashed and burned when he attempted a leg drop. Crush looked good in the early stages with some fast attacks.
Crush knocked Yokozuna off his feet and onto the outside. Moreover, the defending WWE Champion took back control of the match and the pace was slow and methodical. Nonetheless, Yokozuna retained his title after he put Crush away with a Banzai Drop.
7 Shawn Michaels Vs. Billy Gunn - July 15, 1996
There was an underrated WWE Championship match between Shawn Michaels and Billy Gunn. Billy was one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, and he was presented with an opportunity of a lifetime. This bout was better than expected, and Billy took the fight to HBK.
Michaels wasn't going down without a fight, and he was the face of the New Generation Era with Bret Hart on the sidelines. Ultimately, HBK put Billy away with Sweet Chin Music, and he retained the WWE Championship.
6 Yokozuna Vs. Randy Savage - February 28, 1994
"Macho Man" Randy Savage was seeking his third WWE Championship reign when he challenged Yokozuna for the title on the February 28, 1994 taping of Raw. Yokozuna still had his jacket on when Savage assaulted him. Yokozuna managed to get a foothold into the match, and it was a decent battle between the duo.
Savage pushed Yokozuna all the way, and it was an exhausting battle. However, Savage was close to regaining the WWE Championship as he connected with his patented elbow drop but Crush had other ideas, and he attacked Savage.
5 Diesel Vs. Jeff Jarrett - February 20, 1995
Jeff Jarrett was the reigning Intercontinental Champion but he had nothing to lose as his title was on not on the line when he challenged Diesel for the WWE Championship. This was one of Double J's greatest matches in his WWE history, but he had to do a lot if he was going to unseat Diesel and become a double champion.
The action was brilliant, and the pair had excellent chemistry together. Jarrett tried his best, but he ultimately came up short in his quest of winning the WWE Championship as Diesel finished him off with a Jackknife Powerbomb.
4 Diesel Vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - April 24, 1995
The Million Dollar Corporation failed to add the WWE Championship on several occasions but Bam Bam Bigelow was tasked with ending their drought as he attempted to beat Diesel for the WWE Title. Big Daddy Cool dominated the match, and he wore down Bam Bam with some power moves. However, Bam Bam fought back and he had a black eye coming into this match.
Bam Bam rammed Diesel's back into the turnbuckle on the outside. It was an exceptional wrestling match, but Bam Bam's stablemate Tatanka tripped him up. Diesel took advantage, and he retained the WWE Championship with a Jackknife.
3 Bret Hart Vs. Fatu - March 1, 1993
Bret Hart and Fatu competed in the first WWE Championship match to take place on Raw. This match did not fail to disappoint but the Hitman had to be watchful of Afa and Samu who didn't hesitate to get involved. This WWE Championship bout was hard-hitting, and Fatu took the initiative. The Hitman was bleeding from the nose, and Bret managed to get back into the bout.
The defending WWE Champion attempted the sharpshooter but the referee was distracted by Afa and Samu. Nonetheless, the Hitman pushed Fatu into Samu and he knocked Afa off the apron. He managed to retain the WWE Championship with a sharpshooter.
2 Bret Hart Vs. Sycho Sid - February 17, 1997
Just 24 hours removed from winning the WWE Championship for the fourth time, Bret Hart put his newly won championship on the line against Sycho Sid. This was a fantastic wrestling match between the pair, and it had a lot of WrestleMania implications riding on it.
The Hitman was in prime position to retain his title as he cinched in the sharpshooter. However, Steve Austin intervened and hit him with a steel chair. Ultimately, Sid dropped the Hitman with a devastating Powerbomb, and he became a two-time WWE Champion. It was the first time that the WWE Championship had changed hands on Raw.
1 Bret Hart Vs. The 1-2-3 Kid - July 11, 1994
Bret Hart and The 1-2-3 Kid tore the house down in one of the greatest WWE Championship matches in the history of Raw. The Excellence of Execution was the overwhelming favorite to prevail and they opened up Raw in a barnburner of a wrestling match.
The 1-2-3 Kid was relatively new, but he held his own with one of the most elite performers inside the squared circle. Ultimately, the Hitman relied on the sharpshooter to bail him out of trouble, and he retained the WWE Championship in a hard-fought battle.