Raw History: Episode 182 and Reliving Nitro: Episode 59

Raw History
Episode #182
October 28th, 1996 | War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana

WWF Champion: Shawn Michaels (1) since 3/31/96
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Marc Mero (1) since 9/23/96
WWF Tag Team Champions: Owen Hart and the British Bulldog (1) since 9/22/96

We open to footage of Steve Austin’s vicious attack on Brian Pillman on Superstars this weekend. He did the famous spot where he stomped on a chair wrapped around Pillman’s ankle, simply because Pillman kept talking about Bret in their interview. AND THEY WERE ALLEGEDLY FRIENDS!

Jesse James def. Salvatore Sincere in 4:14
It’s the debut of the new “Double J”. We get images of him in Desert Storm. Hilariously, James comes out to “With My Baby Tonight”. Also funny is Vince calling him Jeff Jarrett, which I’m surprised stayed in considering this is a taped show. The gimmick is just not good. He sends Sal outside and does a little strutting. Sal goes up top but gets brought down with a slam. James misses a clothesline and gets put in a full nelson. NOBODY HAS EVER BROKEN SAL’S MASTERLOCK! Oh wait. Jesse does and wins with the pumphandle slam. It’s crazy to think James would be part of a super over act in about two years. The match was just there. ½*

SURVIVOR SERIES REPORT ~ They haven’t done one of these in a while. Dok Hendrix hypes the card, promoting Shawn Michaels vs. Sid first. He keeps getting interrupted by Steve Austin, who wants the focus to be on him. Undertaker takes on Mankind with Paul Bearer in a cage above the ring and we’ll see the debut of a certain Rocky Maivia. Oh, and Austin vs. Bret in an awesome match.

Crush w/ Clarence Mason def. Aldo Montoya in 2:41
Marc Mero calls in and says that he wants his hands on Mr. Perfect, even if it’s in the parking lot. He and Hunter each have a team at Survivor Series. When he’s done, Jim Ross joins the booth. For some reason, Montoya has pyro. Ross complains that he has to work this “preliminary match.” He also announces that Faarooq has made big changes and has Mason as a manger and lawyer now. Lawler tells him to get the OJ jury for any case. GET IT? BECAUSE THEY’RE BLACK! Crush wins with the Heart Punch and JR says it wouldn’t work on Vince because he doesn’t have a heart.

LAST WEEK ~ They air a recap of the Perfect/Hunter/Mero stuff from Raw before we also get a small bit of commentary from Perfect on Superstars regarding the matter.

KARATE FIGHTERS TOURNAMENT ~ Mr. Perfect continues to be a focal point and faces Phineas Godwin. Perfect wins by distracting Phineas when he says Dolly Parton is behind him. Riveting stuff. They have real brackets for this and there’s even a damn match graphic for Sid vs. Marlena next week.

LIVE FROM WWF STUDIOS ~ Steve Austin has been growing more impatient by the minute. They announce Brian Pillman will speak from his home next week. Austin says he’ll be there next week. Yup. THAT episode is coming up. After they show him PILLMANIZE the ankle, Austin says he was never Brian’s friend, just using him in the past. Vince makes a note that Austin is out of control. When he suggests that Gorilla should do something, Austin says Vince is the real guy running things and knows he won’t do anything because he’s greedy and wants the money made from Bret/Austin. Austin absolutely killed it here.

Billy Gunn def. Freddie Joe Floyd in 3:06
Sunny comes out to sit on Lawler’s lap and gets the music they play whenever someone in WWE strips, whether it be Miss Kitty or Mae Young. Yesterday, Billy left Bart alone after a shoving match. This marks the first of many failed Billy singles pushes. Floyd gets in a few arm drags but that’s about it. Bart shows up to argue with Billy and they’re separated by officials. Billy wins with a leg drop.

Back to Bret and Austin. Bret speaks from his home and the entire time, we see Austin on a split screen watching this. His reactions to everything Bret says is great. Bret thinks Austin is the best in the WWF until he makes his return but Austin says Bret knows he’s gonna get his ass kicked. Austin shouts for Bret to shut up and says win or lose, he’ll never be done with Bret. Austin steals the “best there is” stuff and says it’s “Austin’s house now.” He gets pissed when a production assistant counts him down. Austin throws him into a ladder and destroys a monitor. Austin was fantastic in this. We’re officially at the point where he carries Raw for a year or two. I can’t say enough positive things about the Austin/Bret rivalry.

Non-Title Match: WWF Champion Shawn Michaels w/ Jose Lothario def. WWF Tag Team Champion British Bulldog w/ Clarence Mason and Owen Hart via disqualification in 11:19
Owen joins commentary and is disgusted by Shawn’s dancing. Look at him agreeing with big brother Bret. Bulldog takes Shawn down and shows off his athleticism in an egotistical moment. Shawn nails a rana and fires off right hands that cause Bulldog to take a powder outside. Back inside, Bulldog front flips to sell an enziguri. Shawn’s momentum is stopped when Bulldog press slams him on the ropes. After a commercial, Bulldog works a chinlock. Shawn bumps wildly on a kitchen sink. Davey counters a crucifix into a Samoan drop for a near fall. We get more rest holds from Bulldog and he continues to cut off every Shawn rally attempt. After another break, it’s time for the typical HBK comeback. He hits the big elbow and tunes up the band. Owen leaves commentary to grab his leg, causing a DQ. These two usually had good chemistry and this was one of the finer main events on Raw in a while, even though the finish was obvious. ***¼

Sycho Sid comes out to even the odds and save Shawn from the two on one beating. They clean house but in the process, Sid reaches back to punch Owen and accidentally elbows Shawn. That causes HBK to get in his face and they shove one another. Owen interrupts and stirs the pot by challenging Michaels and Sid to a Tag Team Title match next week. The challenge gets accepted.

Backstage, the police arrive to Steve Austin since the producer he attacked earlier called them. Austin confronts them to close the show.

Halloween Havoc 1996 Results
WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Dean Malenko def. Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) in 18:29
Diamond Dallas Page def. Eddie Guerrero in 13:39
The Giant def. Jeff Jarrett via disqualification in 9:54
Syxx def. Chris Jericho in 9:48
Lex Luger def. Arn Anderson in 12:14
Chris Benoit and Mongo def. The Faces of Fear in 9:24
WCW World Tag Team Championship: The Outsiders def. Harlem Heat (c) in 13:06
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) def. Randy Savage in 18:35

Reliving Nitro
Episode #59
October 28th, 1996 | America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona

WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan (2) 8/10/96
WCW United States Champion: Ric Flair (5) since 7/7/96
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders (1) since 10/27/96
WCW Television Champion: Lord Steven Regal (3) since 8/20/96
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Dean Malenko (2) since 10/27/96

We’re 24 hours removed from Halloween Havoc. Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko hype Roddy Piper’s appearance at the end of Halloween Havoc, where he confronted Hulk Hogan.

WCW Television Championship: Lord Steven Regal (c) def. Juventud Guerrera in 3:20
As soon as the bell rings, Sting is shown sitting way high in the rafters. Syxx is also in the crowd to welcome the crowd to nWo Nitro. They have the World and Tag Team Titles and he plans to add the Cruiserweight. Juvi and Regal trade some stuff but it’s background noise to this. They show Sting again and he’s almost got the face paint perfected. Juvi misses a 450 splash and Regal makes him submit. I won’t rate this since it was second fiddle to the other stuff.

Tony Schiavone tries to interview Regal, but he just walks off. Someone got their signals crossed.

Still images are shown from the Lex Luger/Arn Anderson match. Luger’s refusal to break the hold sent Arn to the hospital.

Diamond Dallas Page def. Mike Enos in 4:37
Isn’t Enos a heel? This is physical from the start and Enos clotheslines DDP over and out. He wastes time kicking the steps to show how pumped he is and gets throw into the guardrail. DDP nails a sweet sitout powerbomb back inside for two. Enos blocks the Diamond Cutter and hits a belly to belly suplex. DDP hits the Diamond Cutter shortly after. The Outsiders watch and do the diamond taunt from the stands. This was quite fun and hard hitting. DDP has been one of the more consistent guys on these show lately. **

Still images are shown of Dean Malenko winning back the Cruiserweight Title last night.

WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Dean Malenko (c) def. Jim Powers w/ Teddy Long in 5:04
Since when is Jim Powers a cruiserweight? They show Phoenix Suns player AC Green in the front row. Zbyszko gets mad that he’s wearing an nWo shirt and disses basketball, while Schiavone disses the Suns about Charles Barkley leaving. Why even show the guy on TV if you’re gonna rag on him? Powers starts with some hip tosses. Psicosis is out in the aisle to watch. Looks like Malenko/Psicosis is in the cards for the next PPV. Dean combats Jim’s power (pun intended) with mat work. Nick Patrick referees this match despite the issues with Powers and Long lately. They complain about slow counts on any Powers near fall but they look fine to me. Nick argues with Long, missing a Powers pin and Malenko wins with a rollup. Lame. *½

SATURDAY NIGHT ~ The Faces of Fear take on the Rock n’ Roll Express plus Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit! I want to see this episode.

More still images, this time from Benoit and Mongo against the Faces of Fear.

Jeff Jarrett def. Ricky Morton in 4:34
As of last night, Jeff Jarrett is part of the Four Horsemen. This random match sees Morton do some basic 80’s style offense. That’s kind of up Jarrett’s alley, so it works. Ricky has an armbar in and holds on through hip tosses and a body slam. DETERMINATION! Ricky rolls through a cross body for two. He telegraphs a back body drop and eats a neckbreaker. Jarrett has the figure four countered into a small package. Jarrett continues the Flair lite stuff with a knee breaker before winning via figure four. A much lamer version of the stuff Flair could do with a younger Morton. *¾

The Giant, with Ric Flair’s US Title on his shoulder, addresses Jarrett from the crowd. He disparages the Horsemen, saying they’re afraid and they fight scared. He calls himself a lean, mean fighting machine because the promo goes on for too long and Giant gets lost. When he leaves, Jarrett gets interviewed and truly stumbles through it. His point is that the WCW needs to unite against the nWo. It’s bad.

High Voltage def. The Amazing French Canadians via disqualification in 3:42
The match starts with about 45 seconds left in hour number one. The Amazing French Canadians sing the Canadian national anthem, but High Voltage jumps them. THOSE DISRESPECTFUL HEELS! The teams do nothing of interest but the crowd rabidly chant “USA.” When the AFC go for their finish, the Nasty Boys jump the guardrails and beat up High Voltage.

The Nasty Boys complain about the nWo jumping them, but then say they don’t need anyone. They shout and spit a bunch and end with a “let’s get ready to rumble.” The crowd didn’t seem too interested and I don’t blame them.

Rey Mysterio Jr. def. Jimmy Graffiti in 3:24
Graffiti is indeed Jimmy Del Rey as mentioned last week. Jimmy nails a sitout powerbomb early for two. He gets caught with a dropkick on a springboard cross body attempt. Rey hits a weak looking moonsault and pulls Jimmy outside with a head scissors. Mysterio hits a cannonball off the apron but gets worn down by a chinlock. Rey comes back and wins with a springboard rana. Fine action for the short time given. **

ON THE ROAD WITH LEE MARSHALL ~ He’s in Grand Rapids a week ahead of Nitro and is attending a Nitro Halloween party. Does that mean everyone is dressed as WCW talent?

Chris Benoit w/ Woman def. Eddie Guerrero in 8:23
YES! I could watch these two wrestle every day. We get word from Bischoff that the nWo don’t watch Saturday Night, they want Nitro. They consider themselves the reason Nitro is so hot (well that’s true) and think they deserve it. Mongo and Debra come out to make sure there are no more slip-ups. We have to hear from Kevin Sullivan and Jimmy Hart on a split screen instead of focusing on the awesome wrestlers in the ring. Both men play up their injuries. Eddie has bad ribs, while Benoit’s shoulder is taped. This is not your typical Benoit/Guerrero match but could be looked at in a study of how to sell. They change their styles because of the injuries and still entertain. Benoit’s abdominal stretch seems more brutal and both guys fall following it. Benoit spends most of the match wearing him down. Eddie fires back with an uppercut and flying forearm. A Woman distraction leads to the Mongo briefcase shot to the ribs and Benoit covers to steal it. A different kind of match and I appreciated that. Both guys made sure to sell like champs. **¾

Tony Schiavone interviews Nick Patrick and his attorney. He’s like a white, less charismatic Clarence Mason. They blame any controversy on Chris Jericho for attacking Patrick last night. Jericho comes out to set the record straight, saying Patrick is faking. Teddy Long also appears and agrees with Jericho.

Booker T w/ Sister Sherri def. Lex Luger via countout in 9:10
Commentary hypes Luger’s hot streak. Right on cue, Luger starts with a flurry of offense. Booker isn’t quite as good as he will be soon, so his bumping for Luger isn’t great, though it’s better than a lot of guys in WCW. Luger takes a breather and gets advice from Sherri. Schiavone continues to sell how impressed he is by Luger. Luger dominates most of the match until a commercial break. Following a break, Booker takes over but gets turned inside out on a clothesline. Still, Booker hits a sidewalk slam and goes up top. He misses the Harlem Hangover and Luger signals for the rack. He drops Booker because he’s distracted by Sting in the crowd. Luger walks out to go after Sting, getting counted out. The finish was all storyline and the match wasn’t good. ¾*

A short version of the Piper/Hogan confrontation from last night is shown. Piper is wild in the segment and tells Hogan that it bothers him that Piper is as big an icon as he is. He also knows it bugs Hogan that he’s never beaten Piper. Piper also tells Hogan to shut up several times, which is great. Hogan, Ted Dibiase, Vincent and the Giant come out live to respond. Hogan gets a spotlight put on him for the promo. He first addresses Randy Savage, telling him that he’ll take care of Liz while he’s away, if you know what he means. As for Piper, he says he saw fear in Piper’s eyes before congratulating the Outsiders on winning the Tag Titles. With his World Title, their Tag Titles and Giant being in possession of the US Title, their hostile takeover is complete. Hogan poses for the fans to end the show. They saved that promo for the end and it didn’t accomplish much.

Raw Rating: 2.0
Nitro Rating: 3.6

6.3

The final score: review Average

The 411

Raw: The first three matches didn’t do much for me, but the episode worked in many ways. They debuted Jesse James and started a singles push for Billy Gunn, who would go on to become the New Age Outlaws, though neither impressed much here. The things that put this over the top were the fun main event and everything involving Bret and Austin. This felt like the first time Raw was the Steve Austin Show. Get ready for that to become commonplace as we move forward. 7.0

Nitro: I liked the in-ring stuff this week more than the story aspects. DDP/Enos, Mysterio/Graffiti and Guerrero/Benoit were all enjoyable TV matches and different kinds of matches. I didn’t care for the main event but the rest of the matches were at least inoffensive. The Sting story was advanced rather well for him not doing much. It was the closing segment, Jarrett promo, Nick Patrick’s lame attorney and the Nasty Boys who dragged this down. 5.5