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Raw History: Episode 218 and Reliving Nitro: Episode 96

January 22, 2018 | Posted by Kevin Pantoja
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Raw History: Episode 218 and Reliving Nitro: Episode 96  


Raw History
Episode #218
July 14th, 1997 | Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas

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: Vacant since 6/16/97

LAST WEEK ~ Highlights of the Hart Foundation being treated like heroes in Canada were shown. Tonight, they’ll be the “most wanted” in Texas.

Vince McMahon and Jim Ross handled commentary.

The Hart Foundation kicked things off to a much more negative response than last Monday. Vince conducted the interview and noted how different the response was. They discussed the stipulation of Bret never wrestling in the US again if he loses at SummerSlam. Bret said it was fine with him because he, like all Canadians, are men of their words. Owen was asked about his match with Steve Austin, and he told Austin to get his Blistex out to kiss his ass after he loses. British Bulldog is defending the European Title against Ken Shamrock at SummerSlam, and he added a stipulation where he’d eat a can of dog food if he loses. Brian Pillman has to face Goldust at SummerSlam. If he loses, he’ll wear a dress. His part of the promo was great wildness, bringing up Dusty Rhodes and calling him a neglectful father in a way that only he could. Since Jim Neidhart doesn’t have a match (because he sucks), he promised to shave his beard if any Hart Foundation member lost. Bret closed it by saying Canada had prettier women, tastier beer and tougher sports. It will be a Canadian summer. The glass broke and out came Steve Austin. He counted off on his fingers, knowing he was outnumbered. From behind him appeared Ken Shamrock to stand with him. Joining them was the debuting PATRIOT! Not the best way to debut. Joining them was Psycho Sid to a huge pop. Sid in dress clothes is hilarious. Who would be their fifth? IT’S THE RETURNING SHAWN MICHAELS! Shawn dancing to Austin’s theme was priceless. Great opening segment. The Hart stuff all had purpose, while the Americans joining forces was simple, but great. Plus, the crowd ate it up.

Brian Christopher and Jerry Lawler vs. Ivan and Scott Putski
Ivan chose to sing “My Melody of Love” before the match. Some of the crowd was into it, but most didn’t care. The heels jumped them before the bell. Scott did most of the work, for obvious reasons. Still, Ivan looked to be in decent shape for his age. Jerry tripped Scott as he got going. Scott followed him outside with the old, “WHY I OUGHTA,” but didn’t hit him and got attacked by Christopher. Scott took the heat, until Brian missed his finisher and kicked his dad by mistake. Ivan got the hot tag and just wailed on both opponents. He hit Lawler with the Polish Hammer to win in 4:55. Went a little too long, but Ivan firing up in the end was fun. [¾*]

LAST WEEK ~ The Austin/Mankind stuff was highlighted. That’s followed by Mankind sitting backstage. Vince asked him questions, but got no response.

Backstage, Paul Bearer promised to prove that Kane is alive next week.

TAKA Michinoku vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri
It’s future United States Champion Tajiri! Cool to see him this early, since I recall his ECW run first. TAKA won an early exchange and delivered a springboard plancha to the outside. Tajiri responded with a powerbomb and spinning heel kick. With TAKA outside, Tajiri connected on a pretty Asai moonsault. His taunt got heavy boos, which was surprising since he wasn’t a known entity. They started trading some pretty vicious strikes and kicks, putting both men on the mat. TAKA delivered the Michinoku Driver to win in 4:11. With more time, that could’ve been one of the best Raw matches this year. Instead, it felt a bit rushed. They messed one at one key moment, but everything else was crisp and hard hitting. [**¾]

Backstage, Ken Shamrock said he would not be Austin’s partner tonight. He has his own business to take care of against Jim Neidhart.

EARLIER TODAY ~ Los Boricuas arrived in a stereotypical low rider. Those wouldn’t be cool until Eddie Guerrero.

The Headbangers vs. Jose and Miguel w/ Los Boricuas
The Headbangers cut an insert promo where Mosh mistook their opponents for Cheech and Chong. They had control early, hitting a double gordbuster. Los Boricuas quickly turned the tide, setting Mosh up as the face in peril. JR put over how popular the Headbangers had become. Thrasher got the hot tag eventually and went for a powerbomb. Miguel countered into a victory roll for the upset in 4:26. Standard match. Inoffensive. [*]

The teams brawled after the match until DOA rode down to save the Headbangers.

Backstage, the Patriot cut a promo about being in the WWF to defend America. He also won’t be Austin’s partner.

Shawn Michaels was brought out for an interview. He said he hasn’t been asked to be Austin’s partner and isn’t 100%, but that never stopped him before. He turned his focus to Bret Hart, saying he’s been waiting for the day when Bret stopped wrestling in the USA. Shawn said he wanted to be part of SummerSlam, begging Vince to put him on the show in any possible capacity. He’ll set up the ring, sell merchandise, etc. Nothing was settled here, but Shawn made it clear he was back and still had issues with Bret. Clearly, he’d be part of SummerSlam.

WAR ZONE! Jerry Lawler joined the booth for the remainder of the show.

While the War Zone was introduced, Savio Vega came out with a microphone. He pulled a cameraman to the back because there’s been a terrible accident. It turned out to just be Los Boricuas destroying a DOA bike. Seeing a member of the team trying to break a bike with a t rash can was funny. DOA arrived for another brawl between the factions. Los Boricuas escaped in a car, dragging a DOA bike behind them. Skull and 8-Ball followed on their bikes, while Crush checked on a beaten Chainz.

Jim Neidhart vs. Ken Shamrock
Shamrock started by taking Neidhart over and he took the bump awkwardly. Turns out that Neidhart wasn’t in the mood to bump or work. He only brought punches and chinlocks tonight. He looked blown up despite barely doing anything. Shamrock applied a rear naked choke and won in a boring 4:41. The finish was flat, yet still somehow the best part of this. [¼*]

British Bulldog ran in to attack his SummerSlam opponent. He and Neidhart gave him a SLOPPY hot shot, before adding a spike piledriver. Hey, that’s Jerry and his kid’s move. The Patriot ran out to make the save and dropped both Hart Foundation members with Uncle Slams.

Vince tried speaking with Mankind again, but he just sat backstage, rocking back and forth. His actions last week were recapped again.

A clue was given out for the million dollar sweepstakes stuff.

It’s supposed to be the Legion of Doom against the New Blackjacks, but the Godwinns jumped LOD during their entrance. Henry planted Hawk with a Slop Drop on the ramp, busting him open in the back of the head. In classic Hawk fashion, he stood with the busted head and walked off like nothing. That dude just never wants to sell. They’re scheduled to meet at SummerSlam.

Flash Funk vs. Vader w/ Paul Bearer
Was it ever explained why Funk wasn’t put with the light heavyweights? JR brought his knowledge to work, pointing out how Vader brought Funk to Japan to train years back. Vader lit Funk up with rights and lefts in the corner. Funk came back with a plancha, before sending Vader into the steps. Vader took control with his size once the back went back inside. JR slipped up and called Funk 2 Cold Scorpio. Funk got two on a moonsault, but then ran into Vader. It was like hitting a brick wall. Vader hit the powerbomb to win in 4:11. One of the more fun sprints you’ll find on Raw. Funk got in quality hope spots and Vader was a great beast. [**¾]

Vader added a Vader Bomb for good measure.

Backstage, Steve Austin didn’t care about Mankind being in the building, or who his partner ended up being. He planned on leaving San Antonio with the titles.

WWF Tag Team Championship: British Bulldog and Owen Hart vs. Steve Austin and a Mystery Partner
Austin arrived alone and jumped his opponents. He held the upper hand until going for the Sharpshooter. That’s just a dumb idea when you’re outnumbered. Bulldog wore Austin down with shots. The fans popped hard for any Austin offense. Austin got dropped on the guardrail and thrown into the steps. Vince announced that Austin’s partner has arrived! A drum beat hit and white boots were shown walking backstage as we got commercials. Returning, Austin ate a belly to belly and nearly landed on his neck. It’s crazy to think he’s a few weeks away from breaking his neck. Austin continued to take the heat until catching Owen with a right hand. He sent both opponents outside to a pop. Suddenly, Mick Foley appeared on the Titantron, but not as Mankind. He was dressed in tie-dye and called himself Dude Love! He didn’t blame Austin for not teaming with a freak like Mankind, but the hippest cat in the land is a different story. Austin’s facial expression was priceless. Despite that, he made the tag to a big pop. Owen broke up the Mandible Claw, so the referee got him out of the ring. While he did that, Austin dropped Bulldog with the Stunner and Dude covered for the 1-2-3 at 7:38. Some fun stuff here. Handicap matches tend to suck, but Austin against Owen and Bulldog was solid and had a hot crowd. The Dude Love debut added to the fun and wackiness of this match. [***]

Post-match, Austin handed Dude his title and gave him a quick hand shake. Dude closed the show by celebrating with some groupies.

Bash at the Beach 1997 Results
Ernest Miller and Glacier def. Mortis and Wrath in 9:48 [***]
WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Chris Jericho [c] def. Ultimo Dragon in 12:56 [***¾]
The Steiner Brothers def. The Great Muta and Masahiro Chono in 11:38 [**¾]
Hector Garza, Juventud Guerrera & Lizmark Jr. def. La Parka, Psychosis & Villano IV in 10:08 [***¾]
No DQ Career Match: Chris Benoit def. Kevin Sullivan in 13:11 [***¼]
WCW United States Championship: Jeff Jarrett [c] def. Steve McMichael in 6:57 [¼*]
Randy Savage & Scott Hall def. Curt Hennig and DDP in 9:36 [¾*]
Roddy Piper def. Ric Flair in 13:27 [***]
The Giant and Lex Luger def. Dennis Rodman and Hulk Hogan in 22:19 [**]


Reliving Nitro
Episode #96
July 14th, 1997 | Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida

WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan (2) 8/10/96
WCW United States Champion: Jeff Jarrett (1) since 6/9/97
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders (1) since 10/27/96
WCW Television Champion: Steven Regal (4) since 5/18/97
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Chris Jericho (1) since 6/28/97

HOUR ONE! Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko and Mike Tenay in the booth.

WCW shelled out the big bucks for Nitro, as Michael “Overpriced” Buffer introduced the show and the debuting Nitro Girls! Kimberly did a more detailed introduction, though her microphone barely worked. I always thought her, Spice, and Chae were hot. They did a chair dance routine in the ring, with horrible timing and coordination for the most part.

Commentary, with some audio issues, discussed the Bash at the Beach ending. It’s hilarious to hear them be confused about the “Sting” who appeared last night, even though he was clearly seven feet tall.

Alex Wright vs. Prince Iaukea
Wright cut an insert promo about women wanting him because of his dancing. He fired shots at Iaukea and stopped to dance. After a little over a minute, the Giant came out and planted both men and the referee with Chokeslams. [NR]

Random security guards showed up, only to get Chokeslammed as well. He got on the mic to say he knows it wasn’t Sting who hit him with a bat last night. Kevin Nash is at the top of his hit list. He wanted Nash right now, but Nash wasn’t in the building yet.

Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero
Eddie was still out to make a “man” out of Chavo. They brawled backstage last week and the intensity continued here. Chavo sent Eddie outside and nailed a plancha. Inside, Eddie crotched Chavo and scored with a superplex. Chavo got a near fall with a good looking bridging German suplex. He went for the Frog Splash, but Eddie got the knees up. Eddie followed with a nasty powerbomb and the Frog Splash to win in 4:16. Solid little match here. Chavo brought fire, while Eddie was just a step ahead. [**½]

Eddie added another Frog Splash, which brought out Hector Guerrero. He got in Eddie’s face and was shoved down for his troubles.

Mean Gene introduced DDP and Kimberly. DDP discussed meeting Curt Hennig in a bar a few months back and how they had mutual respect for one another. DDP admitted Sting was his first partner choice, but he bailed him out enough already. Luger and Giant were next, but they were booked. Hennig was his next choice. He thought Curt was a standup guy, but Hennig walked out on the match last night. DDP wasn’t mad though, he just gets even. He’s full of surprises. BANG!

More Nitro Girls! Kimberly’s gonna rival Mean Gene for the hardest working person on Nitro.

Never mind, as Mean Gene returned for another interview. This time, with Harlem Heat. They meet the Outsiders tonight. The promo was odd, with Gene making strange comparisons and Booker saying something about Lee Harvey Oswald and 1962 (though the JFK assassination was in 1963). When asked about not having Sherri at ringside, Stevie Ray just said they’d make the match a ghetto street fight. Okay.

The Steiner Brothers vs. Vicious and Delicious w/ Vincent
It’s the best tag team of the 90s. And the Steiners. Ha. Buff won an early exchange by dropkicking Scott outside. He bragged about it as Scott took a powder outside. Scott won the next battle with his power and posed in Buff’s face. Buff slapped him, which proved to be a mistake. Cut outside, where Kevin Nash, Syxx, Scott Hall and Konnan all arrived in a limo together. KONNAN MUST BE WITH THE NWO! Scott Norton and Rick went at it in a battle of strength. Norton busted out a tornado DDT and I no longer comprehend what I’m watching. Rick caught Buff with a belly to belly a bit later and made the hot tag to Scott. He handed out his own belly to belly suplexes. I would’ve been all for 1998 Taz against 1993 Scott Steiner. Scott hit a butterfly suplex but Masahiro Chono and the Great Muta arrived to jump the Steiners for the DQ in 6:43. That was quite fun until the finish. The Steiners were their usual great selves, while Norton was in the mood to bring effort and Buff showed some ability. [***]

Despite being down 5-on-2, the Steiners turned things around and cleaned hour. STEINERLINE!

Mean Gene came back out, taking us to a clip from last night where Raven spoke in riddles. He got word with Raven again tonight, only to get more uncertainty. The only announcement Raven had, was that there was no announcement. QUOTE THE RAVEN, NEVERMORE. Stevie Richards said something about Raven having him sign a contract with WCW, but Raven kept him quiet by beating him up.

Chris Benoit vs. Mike Enos
An insert promo heard Benoit say that with Kevin Sullivan behind him, it was time to get back to being one of the elite. He aggressive went after Enos. Mike Tenay spent time hyping Nashville being the first city to get WCW’s “Triple Crown,” as they’ve been given a Nitro, Starrcade and Clash of the Champions in the span of a year, with COTC coming in August. Enos took over during this time, wearing out Benoit. He hit a strange looking reverse Tombstone, before boring me with a bear hug. Benoit fought free and won with the Crippler Crossface in 3:46. Enos got in more offense than expected, though some of it was dull. [*¼]

Another Nitro Girls appearance. No dancing, they just stood around posing. Spice could clearly be heard saying, “They’re counting us down.” Hour two hasn’t begun, but Bobby Heenan joined the booth here.

We’re supposed to get La Parka vs. Super Calo. La Parka stopped to look at Kimberly on his way out and she flashed the DDP diamond hand signal at him. Could it be DDP? Unfortunately, we never get a match, because Randy Savage ran out to jump La Parka. The real DDP came out and jumped Savage. He continued to be the only guy outsmarting the nWo. Curt Hennig ran in and knocked DDP out with taped knux. He left without paying attention to Savage, so he doesn’t seem to be with the nWo. Savage hit the big elbow on DDP and left on his own.

Gene held an interview with Curt Hennig about what just happened. Hennig said he and DDP have nothing in common, before calling him a “mark.” AMAZING. He added that if they wrestled, DDP wouldn’t last thirty seconds and that he can’t last that long with his “ho bag” wife either. Yikes. Ric Flair came out dancing and pulled Curt to the back to party.

HOUR TWO!

Lee Marshall’s Road Report informed viewers that next week, we’d get TUESDAY Nitro.

Out came the nWo, highlighted by Kevin Nash being in a wheelchair. They stayed atop the stage, with Eric Bischoff cutting the promo. They’re upset because Nash is hurt and because people are accusing him of being a Sting imposter. Nash denied the accusations, saying he would never attack someone from behind. They helped Nash stand for an announcement, which was that Konnan proved he could do what it took to join the nWo.

Harlem Heat vs. WCW World Tag Team Champion Scott Hall and Syxx w/ Kevin Nash
Instead of a Street Fight, this was a traditional tag. The crowd popped hard for Booker taking Syxx out with a Harlem side kick. Both guys tagged out, leading to Stevie beating the hell out of Hall for throwing his toothpick in his face. Hall spent the next several minutes getting worked over. Hey, it’s a heel in peril. Tony made a good note of Harlem Heat not utilizing a lot of tags, which could be an effect of no Sherri. Booker nearly won with a Scissors Kick, but Hall got his foot on the bottom rope. Syxx came in and got planted with a huge slam that the fans ate up. Kevin Nash miraculously recovered and hit Booker from behind, leading to the Outsider’s Edge for the finish in 9:02. I liked that it wasn’t typical tag formula, as the story of the replacement Outsider not being able to hang with the aggressive faces. However, it took too long and Harlem Heat looked rather dumb. [*½]

The Nitro Girls are back. They still haven’t coordinated their routine. Kimberly currently has a 5-4 lead on Gene in terms of appearances tonight.

The Great Muta and Masahiro Chono w/ Vincent vs. Public Enemy
Vincent coming out with Muta and Chono looks funny. This began with a brawl around the ringside arena. Public Enemy took over inside, hitting simultaneous ten punches in the corners. nWo Japan took a breather, so Public Enemy danced. It calmed down into a normal tag, with Chono working over Grunge. Heenan suggested that PE could tour Japan if they scored an upset here. Something about that is funny to me. Muta showed off a nice handspring back elbow. Things eventually broke down again, leading to Muta spitting the green mist. Chono added the Mafia Kick for the win in 6:50. Another match that dragged on too long. It felt like filler. [½*]

WCW United States Championship: Jeff Jarrett [c] w/ Debra McMichael vs. Ric Flair
Tony Schiavone acted like Debra leaving with Jarrett at the PPV was some kind of surprise. To start, Flair was in control until taking a backdrop on the outside. Jarrett busted out a slow motion top rope cross body that the fans gave no reaction to. As the champ wore Flair down, he talked trash towards the fans. Flair took a superplex, leading to his signature, “OH GOD,” selling. He tried the Figure Four, which is dumb against the master. Jarrett went all Kurt Angle because THE STRAPS WERE DOWN! Unlike Angle, he went into a shell of sorts, because Ric lit him up with chops. In the middle of this match, the camera focused on Debra rambling about being in Mongo’s shadow. HORRIBLE DECISION! Mongo came down to shout at her. Flair put Jarrett in the Figure Four, only for Mongo to attack Jarrett. But flair was gonna win. The DQ came at 5:24. It was solid leading up to the dumb finish. It made everything else feel pointless. [**]

Chris Benoit joined the party, as they jumped Jarrett. The US Champ slithered free and escaped with Debra.

To tie Kimberly in appearances, Mean Gene brought out Lex Luger for the main event interview. They put over Luger’s big night at Bash at the Beach, where he put the Torture Rack on anything moving. Since he made Hulk Hogan submit, he’s in line for a title shot. Luger formally challenged Hogan for Road Wild. The nWo music hit as they came down to the ring. No Hogan. The Giant had been escorted out of the arena by this point. A Sting impersonator in a bad wig came out behind them. He got in Luger’s face as the nWo surrounded the ring. The impersonator removed a Sting mask and wig, to reveal that he was the real Sting. The fans popped as the show went off the air.

Raw MVP: Dude Love
Raw LVP: Jim Neidhart
Nitro MVP: The Steiner Brothers
Nitro LVP: Vincent

Raw Rating: 2.6
Nitro Rating: 3.6

7.5
The final score: review Good
The 411
RAW: I enjoyed this episode. It was odd to see a lot of people absent (Undertaker again, Nation of Domination, HHH, Goldust), but they made good use of who they had. The Dude Love debut makes this a memorable show, while TAKA/Tajiri and Vader/Funk were fun little matches. The return of Shawn Michaels and that cool opening segment were strong, and even the DOA/Boricuas stuff didn’t suck. 8.0

NITRO:  I know only one match seemed to stand out (Steiners/Vicious and Delicious), but this was quite the entertaining episode. They set multiple angles in motion (Nash/Giant, Luger/Hogan), while furthering several others (DDP/Savage, Jarrett/Horsemen, the Guerreros). Two of the tag matches dragged and the Nitro Girls didn’t add anything to the show, but guys like Curt Hennig, Raven and even Konnan were all set on new paths. 7.0

legend

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Monday Night War, Nitro, RAW, WCW, WWE, Kevin Pantoja