Raw History: Episode 208 and Reliving Nitro: Episode 86

Raw History
Episode #208
May 5th, 1997 | Brown County Expo Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin

WWF Champion: The Undertaker (2) since 3/23/97
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Owen Hart (1) since 4/28/97
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

We opened with highlights of last week between Steve Austin and the Hart Foundation. Thorough stuff, as it’s a long video.

It’s the go home show for A Cold Day in Hell, with Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross in the booth.

The Hart Foundation kicked things off, complete with Jim Neidhart and Brian Pillman. Bret thanked his international fans, but whatever he said towards the Americans got censored. He did call them violent and threw verbal jabs at Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. Side note, Owen Hart looked so cool with his two Slammy awards and the Hart Foundation’s FOUR titles. Bret put over the group, noting that even Anvil has gold in his teeth. After destroying Austin last week, Bret plans on doing the same to Shawn Michaels this week. Good start to the show, as it helped establish these guys as an official stable and set up an angle involving HBK for later.

Ahmed Johnson vs. Rockabilly w/ The Honky Tonk Man
No red wedgie trunks for Ahmed, sporting black sweats instead. Commentary hyped Ahmed’s gauntlet match with the Nation this Sunday. He battered Rockabilly from the opening bell with his strength. Faarooq got split screen promo time to say it would be a cold day in hell if Ahmed beat the Nation. Billy took over and worked his dull offense. He applied a sleeper and Ahmed’s arm dropped twice. Like a complete moron, Billy released the hold and went for the guitar. Ahmed took it and broke it over Billy’s head for a DQ finish in 3:58. That was garbage. A bad match with an even dumber finisher.[DUD]

Backstage, the Hart Foundation searched for HBK and did not find him in the jobber locker room. Shocking.

VIGNETTE ~ Another Ken Shamrock highlight reel ran. Lots of focus on him being a family man.

Goldust w/ Marlena vs. Vader
Wait. Is it Royal Rumble 1998 already? Ken Shamrock arrived to join commentary and had some generic music. Vader spat at Goldust, causing Goldust to continue his recent aggressive streak. Vader had words with Shamrock at ringside heading into a commercial break. Returning, Vader splashed Goldust but picked him up before the count of three. Goldust retaliated with an impressive powerslam, but fell to the Vader Bomb in 4:22. I liked that Goldust remained aggressive and Vader looked like the bully he needed to be. [**]

Vader challenged Shamrock to get in the ring. Shamrock answered and took him down, but Mankind showed up. Goldust evened the odds and hit Mankind with a bulldog to send him packing. Remember when they were friends?

A special interview with Dustin Runnells was shown. They talked about how he had to live in his dad’s shadow, so he took a huge risk by becoming Goldust. As Goldust, people would notice him. He said people hated him and even threw things at him. He spoke about Scott Hall not wanting to wrestle him because of the Goldust character. Though he doesn’t have his dad’s respect, he has his own family that he loves. The interview continues next week. I enjoyed it. Things like this are missing from the WWE in present day, as it helps develop character and gives the fans a reason to cheer for someone.

In the back, the Hart Foundation attacked someone in the bathroom. It wasn’t Shawn Michaels, just another dude with long hair. They realized it and still kicked his ass.

Gauntlet Match: Crush w/ The Nation of Domination vs. Three Big, Bad Men
Faarooq said he got three big, bad men to face Crush so Crush could prove he could do what Ahmed Johnson won’t on Sunday. The first two jobbers get dispatched in easy fashion. They noted that Ahmed won’t face three guys in a row at the PPV, as it will be spread out over the night. Well, that’s lame. The last dude ran out with pantyhose over his head and hit the Pearl River Plunge to beat Crush in 2:27. It was obvious it was Ahmed, but that still made the segment watchable. Fun twist. [NR]

WAR ZONE!

Vince McMahon brought out Shawn Michaels for an interview. The Hart Foundation should probably show up now. Vince brought up HBK helping Steve Austin two weeks ago. Shawn did it to get the Foundation and not to help Austin. He said wrestlers keep bashing the fans, so he’s bucking the trend and will suck up to them. He put over his “Kliq” and got a mixed reaction. Vince asked about Shawn returning to the ring and Shawn said he’ll be back for the King of the Ring next month. He ended the segment by giving Bret the lame “love it or leave it” stuff. He high fived the fans a bunch to leave, before Bret Hart and Brian Pillman appeared on the Titantron. After Bret threw barbs at Shawn for being “hurt” but doing all these run-ins. He offered Shawn an impromptu match with Jim Neidhart. Anvil came out and Shawn traded shots with him until British Bulldog and Owen Hart joined in for a three on one beating. The Legion of Doom made the save, wearing odd one piece gear. They cleaned house. Another promo that ends in excitement. You gotta love 1997.

Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon vs. The Legion of Doom
Instead of waiting in the ring, LOD went back and did their entrance. Furnas and Lafon demanded this rematch. They called themselves the most exciting team in the WWF. I think they should’ve had a manager to help their bland personalities. Hawk no sold some stuff early, because he’s Hawk. As Animal got in action, a split screen showed Shawn Michaels finding the Hart Foundation and officials keeping them apart. Furnas and Lafon bumped great for LOD’s power offense. With LOD in line to win, Bulldog and Owen distracted them and allowed Lafon to steal it in 4:58. Decent enough tag match thanks to Furnas and Lafon doing their best to make sure LOD looked good. [*¾]

Shawn Michaels continued to fight with Neidhart and Pillman in the back, until Steve Austin appeared! Officials continued to try to keep them apart.

WWF Champion The Undertaker came out. He cut a promo saying someone stole the WWF Title and he wants it back. Whoever stole it will pay dearly before the night is up and he made sure to note that Steve Austin won’t become WWF Champion. Strange segment and angle.

Though they’ve been cutting these segments out of the Network version, Sunny modeling the “Austin 3:16” shirt was kept in here. She wore the shirt and no pants. I’m not mad it was kept in.

Non-Title Match: WWF European Champion British Bulldog vs. Steve Austin
Austin came out hot and pounded away on Bulldog. JR informed viewers that Sycho Sid wouldn’t make it to A Cold Day in Hell, so Mankind will face a mystery opponent instead. I had no clue that match was even scheduled. Austin remained in control until a break. Bulldog took over and hit the stalling vertical suplex. Austin hit the Thez Press and a back suplex to turn the tide heading into a second commercial break. Vince noted it was odd that the Hart Foundation weren’t at ringside. Austin slipped out of the running powerslam and hit the Stone Cold Stunner to win at 7:03. They could’ve done better. The finish was anti-climactic and the action felt like something you’d see on a house show. [**¼]

Austin couldn’t celebrate as Owen and Anvil ran in to jump him. The LOD evened the score to a pop, but their actual offense had the fans sitting on their hands. Odd. Furnas and Lafon came out and even fought with the Foundation. Shawn Michaels also joined the fray, going after Anvil. The gong went off and the Undertaker appeared in the ring. The Foundation, Furnas and Lafon were sent packing, leaving Austin, LOD and Taker in the ring. Shawn was outside. Apparently, the Foundation had the WWF Title, so Taker was there to get it. Austin picked it up, leading Taker to attack him. They brawled to close the show. Not one of the better big Raw brawls as the crowd was quite subdued.

Reliving Nitro
Episode #86
May 5th, 1997 | Jenkins Arena in Lakeland, Florida

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

LAST WEEK ~Footage of the closing action between Roddy Piper, Ric Flair and the nWo was shown.

Piper, Flair and Kevin Greene were at the commentary booth to start. An nWo “Tradition Bites” banner dropped behind the booth and another in front. Piper was supposed to answer why he took so long to help Flair last week, but they got mad at the banners and stormed to the ring. The Nitro intro played before Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Larry Zbyszko introduced things.

The babyface team for Slamboree stood in the ring as nWo propaganda fell to the ring. Piper’s explanation was simply that he was reading the flyers and then noticed Flair was alone, though he was doing well despite being down 3-on-1. He shifted the focus to the nWo getting 75% of the purse for the PPV. JJ Dillon arrived to say Eric Bischoff legally put those things in the contracts and his hands were tied. He told Piper that WCW needed him, so he had to show up. Piper said he would and Flair took the microphone to throw threats towards Syxx.

Hugh Morris and Konnan w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Public Enemy
Both teams brought out tables, setting this up to be a brawl. That’s right up Public Enemy’s ally. Konnan was draped over one table, with another table set up on top of it. Grunge came off the top with a splash, but Hart pulled Konnan to safety. Grunge landed awfully and went head first into the guardrail. Rocco was left alone, but outsmarted his opponents and they crashed into each other. Konnan was placed on the table, as Morris and Rocco battled on the top. Morris delivered a superplex through the table that Konnan was on. That got the three in 3:39, though there was confusion. Fine for a short, wild brawl. Props to these guys for the big bumps they took. [**]

Non-Title Match: WCW Cruiserweight Champion Syxx w/ The Outsiders vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Rey came out in Spider-Man themed gear, while Syxx was out in street clothes. He jumped Rey before the bell, but Rey got his feet up on a Bronco Buster. Scott Hall got involved and planted him with the Outsider’s Edge. Syxx applied the Buzz Killer to win in 0:54. [NR]

While the nWo jumped Rey, JJ Dillon and Nick Patrick showed up. He warned Syxx that if he didn’t break the hold, the decision would be reversed. Eric Bischoff and some other nWo guys came out to call JJ’s bluff, saying he had no power. Syxx finally broke the hold and shouted in JJ’s face. Nash did the same, with the main point being them telling JJ he couldn’t do the things he did in New York. JJ took it all like a complete goof. What was the point of bringing him in? He was supposed to help negate the nWo’s power, but instead looks like a loser with no power.

The nWo music hit again, this time bringing Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff out. Maybe Hogan figured working a one-hour show for one of his dates would be easy. Hogan did a lot of flexing, before saying that the Wolfpac has Team Piper in hand, so he’ll treat Sting like yesterday’s trash. He called out Sting, but got no response. This accomplished nothing.

Lord Steven Regal vs. Meng
A huge brawl right from the opening bell. JUST WHAT I WANT FROM THESE TWO! Uppercuts and body blows and it’s all great. I can’t have nice things, though, so Kevin Sullivan came out. Regal saw him and jumped him, resulting in a DQ after only about 0:30. Such wasted potential. [NR]

Meng interrupted the fight by applying the Tongan Death Grip on Regal. Officials, Sullivan and Jacqueline couldn’t pry him off for a while. They finally did, but Regal popped right up and fought back.

VIGNETTE ~ Highlights of the DDP/Savage feud aired.

Mean Gene brought out DDP for an interview. Kimberly was with him. DDP called his win over Savage at Spring Stampede the defining moment of his career and that he now defines Savage. BANG! Kimberly got to talk and throw insults at Savage, but she looked very uncomfortable on the mic. Randy Savage and Elizabeth interrupted from their usual spot in the stands. He made more remarks about Kimberly wanting him, so DDP responded with two words: Diamond Cutter. I enjoy this feud, but these promos are getting redundant.

Alex Wright vs. Jeff Jarrett w/ Debra
Jarrett was confident here, strutting and gaining an upper hand. When Wright got in offense, Debra got on the apron. He stopped and danced towards her, which was uncharacteristic of him. Jarrett promptly beat him with the Figure Four in 1:27. [NR]

Instead of using the previous match to hype Jarrett/Malenko for the PPV, they segued to focusing on Mongo/White.

Glacier vs. Lizmark Jr.
It’s the debut of Lizmark Jr. He got in one backflip before eating a Cryonic Kick to lose in 0:21. [NR]

Glacier’s celebration was cut by the arrival of Mortis. Glacier beat the hell out of him in the corner, but was unaware of the arrival of Wrath. They pummeled Glacier and left him laid out.

We’re supposed to get Giant and Lex Luger vs. Harlem Heat. Apparently, Luger has been injured. Giant introduced DDP as his partner and did so with no pizazz or fanfare. As DDP came out, Randy Savage showed up to try and hit him with a crutch. DDP stole it from him, so Savage hid behind Liz. That allowed Hogan to show up and whack DDP with the other crutch. Savage grabbed Kimberly by the hair, while Hogan and other nWo guys beat on DDP. To the ring, the nWo used the crutch and their numbers advantage to destroy Harlem Heat and the Giant. Team Piper ran in for the save, but they’re still outnumbered. Flair hilariously only went after Syxx, but got put in his own Figure Four for his troubles. Hogan and Savage took over commentary to mock WCW and Sting, while the rest of the nWo dominated the ring.

Raw Rating: 2.8
Nitro Rating: 3.2

5.0

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

Raw: Slightly above average edition this week. The wrestling was mostly acceptable, but nothing special. The promos were solid, but unspectacular. I do like how there was an underlying story that spanned the entire show, which made you want to watch it all the way through. Even if it was a cheesy story. 6.0

Nitro: Last week, Nitro made the hour format work for them. This week, it felt like they rushed everything. The longest match only lasted about three and a half minutes. They managed to forward a few angles, but some were retreads of stuff we’ve seen over and over (WCW/nWo and DDP/Savage, for example). I don’t feel this accomplished much, though at least it was short and nothing overstayed its welcome. 4.0