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Raw History: Episode 207 and Reliving Nitro: Episode 85
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Raw History
Episode #207
April 28th, 1997 | Omaha Civic Center in Omaha, Nebraska
WWF Champion: The Undertaker (2) since 3/23/97
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Rocky Maivia (1) since 2/13/97
WWF European Champion: British Bulldog (1) since 3/3/97
WWF Tag Team Champions: Owen Hart and the British Bulldog (1) since 9/22/96
A recap of the incredible angle involving Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, the Hart Foundation and Brian Pillman from last week was shown. They even included a clock in the bottom right to show you what time each event happened.
Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were in the booth, as usual.
Kicking things off with a bang, Brian Pillman came to the ring. He called himself a religious man and asked the crowd to pray for Bret Hart’s speedy recovery along with him. Pillman also wanted to pray for the complete annihilation of Steve Austin. The crowd popped when Austin’s voice interrupted. He spoke from the Titantron and said not even Bret Hart will be able to save Pillman’s ass. Pillman quoted the Bible and turned the other cheek, stick his ass out towards the stage. That brought out Austin to a monster pop. As soon as Austin hit the ring, British Bulldog and Owen Hart slid in behind him. Austin knew it was a trap, avoided Pillman and slipped out the back. He hopped the guardrail and said he wasn’t stupid, but he also wasn’t done with them. With Austin gone, Pillman led Bulldog and Owen in prayer. They knelt into TEBOW pose and prayed. Backstage, Austin found an axe handle, came back out and broke things up, causing the heels to scatter. “Give your soul to the Lord, because your ass is mine.” Great opening segment.
JR announced Owen Hart getting an Intercontinental Title shot tonight, as well as British Bulldog vs. The Undertaker.
Backstage, Pillman continued praying for Bret Hart, who is apparently on his way.
Flash Funk vs. Rockabilly w/ The Honky Tonk Man
No Funkettes this week, but Flash got pyro. Funk got the first big move, hitting a moonsault for two and taking Billy to the mat. We got a split screen shot of an ambulance at the arena, with Bret Hart sitting in the back. Strange. Funk hit another dive to the outside, but was distracted by Honky and Billy leveled him. Billy hit a tornado DDT and did a horrible dance. Honky got on the apron for no reason, and Billy was sent into him. That allowed Flash to win via rana in 4:22. Lame finish aside, this wasn’t awful. [*¼]
Post-match, Billy cracked Funk with the guitar.
Vince McMahon introduced Bret Hart, who just had knee surgery on Wednesday. The Tag Team Champions wheeled Bret out and he cut his promo from atop the stage. He said every once in a while, a slimy hyena breaks out and gets the lion. Basically saying he’s the king of the jungle and Austin got lucky. Bret considered Austin and his fans a pack of hyenas, because he stood up for the truth and was a real hero, but these Americans gave him nothing. He got in a GREAT line about how the fans are probably sick of hearing him say he’s the best, which is how the rest of the world feels about America. He’s not wrong. He wanted the ambulance to be on standby, because Austin or Shawn Michaels may need it tonight. Excellent stuff. Bret was so damn good in this role. Watching him in 1997 makes me wonder how people could say he was never good on the mic.
Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon vs. The Legion of Doom
On Shotgun Saturday Night, LOD broke Henry Godwin’s neck with a Doomsday Device. Furnas and Lafon got insert promo treatment, wondering why they haven’t been accepted by the fans since they’re international Superstars. They called themselves wrestlers and not clowns like LOD. Hawk got worked over, but as usual, wasn’t in the mood to sell. He’d pop up instantly on suplexes and act like nothing really hurt him. Animal got the hot tag and they set up for the Doomsday Device, but it was cut off. No matter. Hawk still hit a flying clothesline and Animal got the pin in 3:47. Fine action, but too short to really be anything. [*½]
Post-match, JR got words with the losers, who aren’t happy about never having home field advantage. They blamed the referees and demanded a rematch. They were so uncomfortable on the mic.
SHOTGUN ~ Sunny had her “Under Covers” segment, which was interrupted by the Headbangers. Nothing came of this.
Ahmed Johnson got interviewed backstage and erupted when talking about the Nation of Domination. He went nuts and threw stuff around, with his voice cracking. Not good.
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Rocky Maivia [c] vs. Owen Hart
British Bulldog wheeled Bret Hart to the stage to watch. Bret held Owen’s Slammy Awards. Owen dedicated the match to Bret. Owen jumped Rocky to take the early upper hand. Commentary wondered about Rocky suffering a sophomore jinx, which was odd since he’s only been around for about five months. They made more sense when calling Owen the most underrated talent in WWF history. Rocky’s athleticism allowed him to turn things around, before Owen attacked the leg. The fans got behind Rocky during his rally, but nowhere near as loud as you’d expect for a babyface midcard champ. Rocky got a near fall on a super back suplex, before Owen rolled him up to capture the gold in 8:27. Solid match that gave Owen an accomplishment he greatly deserved. The white meat babyface Rocky experiment was over and the Hart Foundation now held 75% of the titles. [**½]
Owen handed the title to Bret and Davey wheeled him around the stage for a victory lap. Meanwhile, Steve Austin found himself a wheelchair and was wheeling around backstage.
WAR ZONE!
Vince McMahon brought out Steve Austin for an interview. Austin came through the crowd with the wheelchair and axe handle. He kicked Vince out and challenged Bret to a wheelchair match. He promised to stay in the chair and fight Bret, but then took it back because he’s a liar. He said he’d stomp a mud hole in Bret if given the chance. Austin turned his attention to the Undertaker and A Cold Day in Hell, saying he’ll win the title that night. The Hart Foundation interrupted on the Titantron, where Bret promised Austin would leave in the ambulance tonight. Fine way to continue things, though a bit redundant.
After footage of Vader’s incident in Kuwait, a special vignette ran to promote Ken Shamrock. They did a great job to hype his UFC career and how he trained for the WWF. Then it ended by showing him walking a dog with his family, which was way different from everything else. Odd.
Jesse James vs. Vader
Vader’s finally back. Vince plugged his upcoming match at A Cold Day in Hell with Shamrock. Jesse got in a few shots, but this was a mauling. Vader dominated and won with the Vader Bomb in 1:36.[NR]
Jim Ross grabbed a word with Vader, showing no fear after how Vader’s Kuwait interview went. Vader said he had no remorse for what happened. JR said he felt like Vader might’ve overreacted. Vader backed him to a corner and JR called him by his shoot name, Leon, to try to calm him down. He grabbed JR by the throat until Shamrock ran out for the save. He hit Vader with a belly to belly suplex, making the big man retreat in surprise. The fans popped for Shamrock’s arrival, so the segment succeeded.
Backstage, Goldust told Marlena to stay there for his match, because where he’s going was no place for a lady.
Goldust vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/ Chyna
Goldust ran to the ring and kicked off a brawl. This feud has no end in sight and, while the addition of Chyna has been a boost, the matches never deliver. Hunter cooled it down with his dull offense. Chyna got in cheap shots until Marlena ran down. The referee calmed things down heading into commercial. Chyna tried getting involved again, but Marlena threw powder in her eyes. Hunter checked on her, but the blinded Chyna lifted him into a choke. Somehow, that wasn’t a DQ, but a countout in 4:48. Another nothing match in their rivalry, but at least it was short and gave us something slightly different. [*]
GONG. The Undertaker appeared on the Titantron. He didn’t feel bad for burning Paul Bearer’s face because those who covet the flame end up burned. He put over Austin’s momentum, but warned that if Austin came in distracted, he’d leave in bad shape.
Non-Title Match: WWF European Champion British Bulldog vs. WWF Champion The Undertaker
Like Owen, Bulldog dedicated the match to Bret. The match never really got going. Taker survived a stalling vertical suplex and delivered the Chokeslam. Owen ran in for the DQ at 1:49. [NR]
While the Tag Team Champions beat on The Undertaker, Steve Austin came in through the crowd. He helped his upcoming PPV opponent and sent Owen packing. Undertaker beat up Bulldog, while Austin grabbed the WWF Title. He posed with it in the ring, with the Undertaker watching. Austin threw the belt at Taker’s feet and caught him with the Stone Cold Stunner! Austin taunted and stood over him with the double bird. Taker sat up and grabbed him by the throat, planting him with the Chokeslam. Austin rolled out of the ring and noticed Bret sitting alone atop the stage. Instead of going for revenge on Undertaker, he went after Bret. Bret stood, backing away from Austin. Suddenly, Austin was whacked from behind by the returning JIM NEIDHART! Officials took Neidhart away, but Bret managed to break a crutch over Austin’s back, sending him off the stage. Neidhart returned to help Bret to the back, while EMTs checked on Austin. Cut backstage, where Pillman gave a crazed smile to the camera. His prayers have been answered.
Reliving Nitro
Episode #85
April 28th, 1997 | Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia
WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan (2) 8/10/96
WCW United States Champion: Dean Malenko (1) since 3/16/97
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders (1) since 10/27/96
WCW Television Champion: Ultimo Dragon (1) since 4/7/97
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Syxx (1) since 2/23/97
WCW Women’s Championship: Akira Hokuto (1) since 12/29/96
Due to the NBA Playoffs, the next few editions of Nitro are only one hour each. I’m not mad about it.
The show opened with footage of Ric Flair beating Vader at Starrcade 1993, showing that he can indeed defeat big men. That’s a warning to Kevin Nash.
Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Larry Zbyszko were on commentary.
Bagpipes hit and out came Ric Flair and Roddy Piper. They went to commentary to cut a promo, with Roddy calling the nWo lazy for not wanting to fill in any “potholes” left behind by his generation. He wanted the fight to go down tonight. Flair jumped in and was pumped, but got cut off for the Nitro intro video.
WCW United States Championship: Dean Malenko [c] vs. Prince Iaukea
Jeff Jarrett got insert promo time and called himself the world’s smartest wrestler. He meets Dean at Slamboree and guaranteed to earn his respect, like he did with his fellow Horsemen, and would earn the title. Iaukea got in a superkick and few more moves than your usual jobber. I guess being a former champ has some perks. Malenko got two on a stiff powerbomb. No matter as Dean won with the Texas Cloverleaf shortly after in 3:03. A title match, but a squash. Iaukea is back where he belongs. [NR]
WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Syxx [c] vs. Juventud Guerrera
I’m pretty sure this is the first time Syxx has worked two Nitros in a month since coming to WCW. Match wise, I mean. Quick action in this one, as I don’t suspect it will last long. Juvi delivered a few kicks, before nearly getting dropped on his head and eating a big spinning heel kick. Bronco Buster by Syxx and then Juvi responded with a super rana for a near fall the fans bought into. Juvi also came close with a springboard somersault dropkick. Syxx avoided a quebrada and applied the Buzz Killer to win at 4:38. Not a bad sprint. Some fun moments and a hot crowd helped things along. [**]
After Lee Marshall made his weekly horrible joke at Heenan’s expense, the nWo music hit. Syxx and the Outsiders arrived to take over the commentary booth. For what might be the first time, Scott Hall called the three of them the “Wolfpac” and claimed the Norfolk crowd was here for the nWo. They gave a shoutout to Hogan and agreed to fight Flair and Piper, but only if they got 75% of tonight’s gate.
Chris Benoit w/ Woman vs. Lord Steven Regal
Regal got jobber entrance treatment. They exchanged some of the great mat work we’ve come to expect from them. Kevin Sullivan and Jacqueline showed up for the lame DQ at 2:32. [NR]
Sullivan attacked Benoit, who fought back with right hands. They fought outside, where Jacqueline jumped on Benoit’s back. Woman pulled her off, but out came Meng to apply the Tongan Death Grip on Benoit. They have a Death Match coming up at Slamboree. At least Meng is an interesting addition to this feud.
THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN PAID FOR BY THE NEW WORLD ORDER ~ Macho Man and Elizabeth got promo time. Savage was great here, saying he was DDP’s master and Kimberly’s crush. Savage was perfect for these nWo style promos. ~ THE PRECEDING ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN PAID FOR BY THE NEW WORLD ORDER
The Amazing French Canadians w/ Col. Robert Parker vs. The Giant and Lex Luger
Remember when Lex and the Giant were the guys fighting the nWo? They’ve taken a back seat in recent weeks. Luger’s loud selling could make even the most mundane of squashes entertaining. He took a short beating before tagging in Giant. He ran over both opponents and got a huge pop for the Chokeslam on Jacques. Luger put Pierre in the Rack at the same time, with Giant winning in 3:02.[NR]
The Barbarian vs. Steve McMichael w/ Debra
Commentary spent the entire match hyping Mongo/Reggie White. PACKERS VS. BEARS YA’LL! Barbarian delivered the Kick of Fear and started hot. He got two on a piledriver and continued the beating. A distraction from Debra allowed Mongo to whack Barbarian with the briefcase to win at 3:03. Too much Barbarian offense to be a squash, so I’ll rate it. [¾*]
Roddy Piper and Ric Flair came out for the fight with the nWo. They called them out again and Flair said he knows he can kick Syxx’s ass. Flair said he’s had more World Titles than Syxx had pieces of ass in his life. The nWo music played and papers rained down from the ceiling. The papers said, “Tradition Bites! nWo 4 Life!” Not the most creative stuff. The Wolfpac guys finally showed up, with Ric meeting them in the aisle. He beat the hell out of Syxx and hit Hall and Nash with low blows. Piper stood in the ring crumpling up the papers in anger, while the nWo turned it around on Flair. He was getting jumped by three dudes right in front of Piper, who didn’t come to help. Roddy FINALLY came to help as the show ended. Weird.
Raw Rating: 2.7
Nitro Rating: 3.4
Nitro: The one hour format works well for Nitro. They fit a good chunk of people on the show, without the usual barrage of filler. In one hour, they furthered Meng/Benoit, the Slamboree main event, Mongo/White, Malenko/Jarrett and Savage/DDP. The flow was nice, especially when compared to the two-hour shows. 6.0
