What was your top Raw moment of the year?
Wednesday 28 December 2016 10:02, UK
It's been another pulsating year on WWE Raw, with retirements, returns and the women's division taking centre stage.
We have selected our five most memorable Monday night moments of 2016, including Shane McMahon's shock comeback in February following a seven-year absence from WWE. Watch the clip in the video above.
Check them out in full below, as well as what Raw Superstars Finn Balor - currently nursing a shoulder injury that forced him to vacate the Universal Title in August - and Bayley made of the moments.
Shane McMahon's return
Fans in Detroit went berserk when McMahon's entrance music blared out and the man himself emerged to tell his father, Vince, that he wanted to run Raw. Vince agreed - but only if his son defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania 32. Shane came up just short in that bout - his elbow drop off the top of the 20ft Cell the standout moment - but is now Commissioner of Smackdown Live following the brand split.
FINN BALOR SAYS: I didn't expect [Shane's return]. There was a certain buzz around not just the WWE but the entire wrestling industry that Shane turned up seemingly out of nowhere. I heard a lot of stories from the boys about how backstage in the gorilla position he walked in cool as a cucumber and then went out there and did his shuffle. It's great to have him back as he definitely brings a mystique and an atmosphere. It feels like anything can happen when he's around.
Sasha Banks and Charlotte main-eventing Raw
Banks and Charlotte's heated rivalry over the red brand's Women's Championship reached a new high in October when they battled for the title in the first female main event on Raw since Lita and Trish Stratus locked horns in 2004. Banks triumphed on that night inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles and then regained the belt in the pair's second Raw main event in Charlotte's home town of Charlotte in November.
BAYLEY SAYS: It was a huge deal but I want to see women main-eventing WWE shows on a regular basis, not just one night here or there - that's when it will feel to me that women's wrestling is at the level that we want it to be. I definitely feel I am part of a golden era in women's wrestling, though. Replacing the Divas Title with the Women's Title was also a key thing, no disrespect to anyone who has held that belt in the past but I much prefer the one that we have now, one I would love to win.
Goldberg's return
Paul Heyman laid down the challenge and Goldberg accepted, the WCW powerhouse returning to Raw for the first time in 12 years to agree to fight Brock Lesnar. Goldberg made another huge impact a few weeks later when he speared Heyman, Lesnar's advocate, before crushing The Beast Incarnate in just 86 seconds at Survivor Series to back up his triumph over Lesnar at WrestleMania XX in 2004 inside Madison Square Garden.
BAYLEY SAYS: I was definitely a Lesnar girl growing up. I respected Goldberg and played as him in video games but I was never too into him, even when he had huge star in wrestling. However, then I met him and saw how he is backstage just before he goes out. He is so cool, banging his head on the walls and getting really into it. He is so humble and really excited to come back and contribute to the show. He has so much passion for it and respect for everyone involved.
Finn Balor's debut
Having starred in NXT, including holding the brand's top title for a record 292 days, Balor was snapped up by Raw during the Draft and wowed on his Monday-night bow a week later, beating Rusev, Cesaro and Kevin Owens in a Fatal Four-Way and Roman Reigns in a singles bout to earn a Universal Title match against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. Balor won that clash, too, but had to relinquish the belt a day later after dislocating his shoulder.
FINN BALOR SAYS: I knew I was getting drafted to Raw at the exact same moment as everyone else. Gong to Raw so early in the Draft was a huge honour and then a week later, on my birthday, I found out that I was going to get the chance to earn a Universal Title opportunity. When I got my arm raised after beating Roman, I thought: "Hell yeah, this is what I came to America and WWE for." It was a coming-of-age moment and a realisation that all the hard graft was paying off.
Daniel Bryan's retirement
One of the most popular wrestlers of his generation, or any other for that matter, was forced to call it quits in February on medical grounds. A highly-emotional Bryan announced the news live in his home state of Washington, bringing the curtain down on a WWE career that included four world championship reigns, one of which was earned when he won the main event of WrestleMania 30 after forcing Batista to tap out to the "Yes! Lock".
FINN BALOR SAYS: Daniel, without question, paved the way for people like me. Without his success, a lot of people in NXT wouldn't have been given an opportunity and a lot of people on NXT wouldn't have had the chance to compete on Raw or Smackdown. He has been pivotal in changing WWE, so I was extremely saddened by his retirement, especially as having worked with him before WWE, I so desperately wanted to face him at a SummerSlam or WrestleMania. It was really hard-hitting news.
BAYLEY SAYS: I was in the arena when he won the WWE Title [at WrestleMania 30] - it was a huge moment and you couldn't help but feel happy for him. Everybody in the crowd was on their feet - not one person was unhappy. I remember once hearing him say he was the guy never supposed to make it - but he showed it doesn't matter what you look like or what size you are, if you put your all into it, your dreams can come true. Whether Daniel knows it or not, he has helped a lot of people.
What was your Raw moment of 2016? Let us know on Twitter @SkySportsWWE.
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