Raw History: Episode 237 and Reliving Nitro: Episode 117

D-Generation X: In Your House Results
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals: TAKA Michinoku def. Brian Christopher in 12:01 [***]
Los Boricuas def. The DOA in 7:58 [*]
Toughman Contest: Butterbean def. Marc Mero in 10:20 [*¼]
WWF Tag Team Championship: The New Age Outlaws [c] def. The Legion of Doom via DQ in 10:32 [*¾]
Boot Camp Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley def. Sgt. Slaughter in 17:39 [*¼]
Jeff Jarrett def. The Undertaker via DQ in 6:40 [**¼]
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Steve Austin [c] def. The Rock in 5:28 [**½]
WWF Championship: Ken Shamrock def. Shawn Michaels [c] via DQ in 18:27 [**½]

Raw History
Episode #237
December 8th, 1997 | Portland Civic Center in Portland, Maine | Attendance: 6,510

WWF Champion: Shawn Michaels (3) since 11/9/97
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Steve Austin (2) since 11/9/97
WWF European Champion: Shawn Michaels (1) since 9/20/97
WWF Tag Team Champions: Billy Gunn (4) and Road Dogg (1) since 11/24/97
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: TAKA Michinoku (1) since 12/7/97

LAST NIGHT ~ Still images were shown of the Austin/Rock match.

Jim Ross, Michael Cole, and Kevin Kelley hosted.

Vince McMahon strolled to the ring for a show opening promo. His focus was on Steve Austin. It’s one thing to attack officials, but to drive his pickup truck into the arena put the fans in danger. Vince said there were too many shenanigans during the match and it led to the wrong referee counting the three. Therefore, Vince booked a rematch for tonight. Of course, that triggered the arrival of Austin. He said he doesn’t get ordered around by anyone. When Vince noted there would be dire consequences if he didn’t put the title on the line, Austin said that didn’t scare him. However, he was willing to kick some ass tonight. He said it could be JR or even Vince. Whoever it is, Austin will let us know later. There was also a funny bit of Austin apologizing for his language by using more foul language. I love Austin and McMahon.

TONIGHT ~ DX will be here, plus an exclusive look at the destruction of the Hart Foundation.

KARATE FIGHTERS FINALS ~ Jerry Lawler cheated to beat Sunny, but an instant replay led to a reversed decision.

The Godwinns vs. The Legion of Doom
The Tag Team Champions came to ringside to serve as a distraction. This was what you’d expect from these teams. They just brawled for a bit. Animal got thrown into the steel steps and the lights went out. THAT’S GOTTA BE KANE! Call it a no contest around 2:30. [NR]

Kane hit Hawk with a piledriver that he fucking NO SELLS. He’s the worst. He barely stayed down for a Chokeslam, but finally did for a Tombstone. After Kane left, the Outlaws jumped Hawk until Animal chased them off with a steel chair.

Returning from break, Road Dogg cut a promo on the dinosaurs of wrestling. They sang goodbye to them, while in their South Park shirts. That’s so 1997. They issued an open challenge, which Dude Love accepted. Hilariously, Dogg said he asked for one guy, not three.

Billy Gunn vs. Dude Love
Road Dogg joined commentary. He called Billy, “Mr. Ass,” for the first time. Billy attacked Dude during his entrance to gain control. Dude got a backslide for two, but Gunn mostly kept him down. When asked about the Godwinns, Dogg also called them, “Southern Justice.” Look at this guy dropping all the future gimmick names. Dude began the comeback and hit the Sweet Shin Music/double arm DDT combo to win in 3:39. Harmless enough. [*¼]

Road Dogg attacked Dude Love with a steel chair after the match. They laid the Tag Titles on Dude’s face and Billy came off the top with a flying leg drop onto them. Of course, Billy undershot it and basically caught him with a knee.

AD ~ Get the Buried Alive playset from Target!

The Nation of Domination were interviewed backstage. Rocky handled the entire promo and said it wasn’t about Austin 3:16, but Rocky 9-1-1. He promised to leave Portland as champion.

LAST NIGHT ~ TAKA winning the Light Heavyweight Title and Brian Christopher’s busted lip were highlighted. Christopher also threw a fit after the loss.

Jim Cornette brought out TAKA for an in-ring interview. They showed clips of Jim Ross teaching TAKA English. Of course, that included explaining what a SLOBBERKNOCKER is. Jim went to introduce TAKA’s first challenger, but Jerry Lawler came out instead. He made several racial related comments, before the challenger was introduced as El Unico. Of course, he revealed himself to be Christopher. He and Jerry jumped TAKA and left him lying.

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE HART FOUNDATION ~ This neat little video package showed how DX won the war between the factions. It started when Shawn Michaels beat British Bulldog at One Night Only. It continued on to when Shawn beat Bret Hart at Survivor Series. Shortly after, they attacked and humiliated Jim Neidhart. Last night, Owen Hart returned for some revenge on Shawn.

Flash Funk vs. Kurrgan The Interrogator w/ The Jackyl
It’s the debut of the name Kurrgan. Jackyl joined the booth to talk about how Kurrgan was his own man now. Kurrgan dominated and won with the CLAW in 2:26. Total squash. [NR]

Post-match, Sniper and Recon showed up. It seemed like Kurrgan was done with the Truth Commission, so they were basically sent away. Kurrgan beat on Flash and the referee reversed the decision. Jackyl slapped Kurrgan to get him to stop. They both laughed about it and left without their Truth Commission buddies.

LAST NIGHT ~ Ken Shamrock was livid about Shawn’s “goons” ruining his title match. He said he’d go through 29 others to win the Royal Rumble if he had to. He said it wasn’t over between he and Shawn, but honestly, it was.

WAR ZONE! Jerry Lawler replaced Cole and Kelly.

It’s DX time. HHH started by calling himself a stud and bragging about beating Sgt. Slaughter. Shawn took over and said Ken Shamrock showed he wasn’t dangerous enough to beat him. He put himself over as the only grand slam winner. Shawn proceeded to run down the Hart Foundation as a bunch of turds. Yup, he went with turds. Ah, there’s a point though, as he uses it to call Owen Hart the little nugget that just won’t stay flushed. Though he knows Owen isn’t there, Shawn said DX was going to stay in the ring until he showed up. They set up a poker table, with Chyna suggesting they play strip poker.

The Disciples of Apocalypse vs. Los Boricuas
The card game moved to the outside. It’s Skull and 8-Ball against Miguel and Jose. Nothing in the match was even remotely interesting. The focus was on the stuff outside with DX, as Shawn started losing clothing. Savio eventually used a 2×4 to help his guys win at 4:45. And nobody cared. [½*]

After the break, the card game was back in the ring. The Headbangers came out for a match after Shawn took off his pants. They turned the table over, which led to Mosh getting hit in the head with a bottle. DX beat up the Headbangers, complete with a powerbomb off the top through the card table onto Thrasher. It looked like it hurt a ton. Suddenly, Owen Hart arrived and attacked Shawn. He escaped from HHH through the crowd. I can’t believe they didn’t run Shawn vs. Owen at the Royal Rumble.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Vader
Jarrett had the Curt Hawkins gimmick where he spoke over his theme song and bragged. Before the bell, Goldust and Luna came out. Goldust was in black makeup and had a trench coat. He flashed Vader, who didn’t take too kindly and chased him to the back. Jarrett won via countout in 0:40. In the record books, Jarrett beat Undertaker and Vader on back to back nights. [NR]

Marc Mero w/ Sable vs. Salvatore Sincere
Mero threw barbs at Butterbean before the match. He brought out his “property,” Sable, in a potato sack. He also called his opponent by his real name and called him a jobber. Mero requested for Sable to disrobe him. Instead, she removed the sack to show off a very small bikini. Salvatore jumped Mero and sent him outside. Mero left with Sable while yelling at her, getting counted out at 0:44. Why do the same finish back to back? [NR]

It’s time to find out if Austin will defend the IC Title. Austin didn’t come out prepared to wrestle and declined to do so, because he already beat the Rock. He wanted to test Vince’s threats. Vince said he wouldn’t fire him, though Rock suggested it, but he’d strip him of the title and hand it to the Rock. Austin said he’s held the IC and Tag Titles in the past and all he wants is the WWF Title. He hands the title to the Rock and requests a handshake. Rocky accepts and Austin raises his hand. Of course, Austin dropped Rock with a Stunner and said, “DTA, Rock! Don’t trust anybody!” Austin left with the title and told Vince to tune in next week; same Stone Cold time, same Stone Cold channel. Austin returned to the ring, with Vince on the apron. He started running the ropes, which knocked Vince to the floor. Oops. The show ended with a pissed off Vince. Classic.

Reliving Nitro
Episode #117
December 8th, 1997 | Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York | Attendance: N/A

WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan (3) 8/9/97
WCW United States Champion: Curt Hennig (1) since 9/15/97
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers (6) since 10/13/97
WCW Television Champion: Saturn (1) since 11/3/97
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Eddie Guerrero (2) since 11/10/97

LAST WEEK ~ JJ Dillon made Bischoff vs. Zbyszko official.

HOUR ONE! Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby Heenan hosted. No Larry as he was preparing for Starrcade.

Konnan vs. Ray Traylor
Not a good way to start a show. Traylor was still out for revenge after the mean nWo didn’t contact him during his hospital stay while he was a member. Commentary focused on Sting/Hogan instead of the match. I honestly can’t blame them. They lumbered around for far too long. As Konnan seemed near a win, the lights began to flicker and then went out. While they were out, some stuff in the ring could be heard. Commentary assumed it was the nWo. When the lights came back on, Konnan was out. Traylor, unsure of what happened, put his foot on him and won in 5:37. Way too long for these two, especially given that it just led to that finish. [¼*]

LAST WEEK ~ DDP’s beat down was shown.

The Flock took ringside seats, but with no Raven.

The Barbarian w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Steve McMichael
This was another match that probably went too long. They just did a bit of brawling and nothing really felt like it came together. Mongo won with the tombstone in 4:09. Nothing much. [½*]

Post-match, Meng arrived and threw bombs with Mongo. He won out and laid him out with the Tongan Death Grip. Give Meng all the titles.

Mean Gene brought out Disco Inferno, purely to bring up how he lost to a woman. He said the boys in the back don’t know if Disco goes to the men’s or ladies’ room. Disco simply claimed it was a no-win situation and stormed off.

Returning, Gene was still on interview duty. This time, it was Buff Bagwell. He said he wasn’t impressed with Luger last week, but Gene defended Luger’s accomplishments. Buff challenged Luger to a rematch tonight, because he feels Buff can’t lose in Buffalo. Clever.

Dean Malenko vs. Prince Iaukea
Eddie Guerrero joined commentary, with Heenan giving up his headset. His focus was on Malenko and how boring he was. Malenko responded with some basic mat work. Iaukea used a sunset flip and springboard rollup for near falls. Dean eventually won with the Texas Cloverleaf in 3:51. Decent enough and inoffensive. [*]

NITRO GIRLS!

VIGNETTE ~ Kevin Nash cut a promo on the Giant set to an nWo style video package. He doesn’t care that Giant is the biggest. It’s not about the biggest, it’s about the best and Nash called himself the best big man in history. He challenged Giant to a match at Starrcade and called him one dimensional.

That video triggered a Mean Gene in-ring interview with the Giant. Giant admitted he was one dimensional and said it was easy to be that way because that’s all he needs. He accepted the challenge and said he was bringing the CHOKESLAM.

NITRO GIRLS!

Chris Benoit vs. Lodi
This was set to be Benoit against Raven again, but with no Raven, Lodi got the match. It was the official debut for Lodi and the night we learned his name. Benoit started hot by knocking Lodi off the apron. He dominated this and got a huge pop on a superplex. The diving headbutt followed by the Crippler Crossface ended things in 2:16. A glorious squash. [NR]

With no Raven this week, the Flock decided not to get in the ring. Benoit got on the mic and dared Raven to face him. He said Raven would learn what abuse and victimization is all about. Yea, that’s haunting to hear now.

HOUR NUMBER TWO!

Mean Gene brought out the returning Ric Flair. He did a lot of yelling about Curt Hennig. He predicted that Sting would beat Hogan at Starrcade and that the Steiners would beat the Outsiders. Even though there’s no Outsiders/Steiners match booked. Flair challenged Hennig to a Steel Cage match at Starrcade. When asked about Bret Hart, Flair said comparing Bret to him is like comparing John Elway to Jim Kelly. I mean, Elway was clearly better but I get the cheap pop. Kelly was in the audience, by the way.

Hugh Morrus vs. Randy Savage
No Liz this week. Savage got into it with Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith in the front row. Morrus jumped him and the Bills players got in some cheap shots. EJECT THEM! That gave Morrus the early upper hand, but Savage was too good for him. He turned it around and delivered the big elbow. However, Savage pulled Morrus up during the cover. He pointed at Kelly and hit a second elbow. Again, he pulled Morrus up. Savage clocked the referee and went up again. The lights went out to a great pop. They came back on and Savage was out cold next to Morrus with a Sting mask on. I guess this was a no contest. It lasted about 4:30. [NR]

Following commercials, Eric Bischoff and Rick Rude came over to the commentary table. Rude called them the Three Wise Monkeys and said that the nWo would take them out if the lights kept messing up. In an effort to make them look dumb, Rude made them cover their ears, eyes, and mouth. Whatever.

WCW Television Championship: Saturn [c] vs. Disco Inferno
Early on, Saturn had control and hit a suplex. Disco got more aggressive and sent him to the steps, before wailing on him inside. Lodi tried getting involved, but took a Chartbuster (Stunner) on the guardrail. Saturn came back with some of his good looking offense inside. However, Disco countered a powerbomb and hit the Chartbuster to steal back the title in 4:24. Solid enough. I liked a different side of Disco and how they furthered the story of the Flock being lost without Raven. [**]

Buff Bagwell w/ Vincent vs. Lex Luger
The commentary team was worried this would be another match where the lights messed up. After all, Buff is nWo and Sting is Luger’s buddy. No need though, as Luger dominated most of this match. Buff began wearing him down, though most of his offense was boring. Luger countered a chinlock with the electric chair drop and that started the comeback. His Torture Rack signal was cut off by Vincent. Luger took him out and out came Scott Norton. They all had a weird altercation that resulted in a Buff countout win in 5:20. He celebrated hard, which is funny when you remember Luger’s celebration for beating Yokozuna by countout at SummerSlam 1993. The match happened. [¾*]

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Scott Hall
Hall did his survey and said the “good guys” won again. Once the match started, DDP won the early exchanges. He still had his ribs taped. Hall took control and did a middle rope bulldog. It’s funny to see him do that with the Steiners around. Like the rest of the show, most of the stuff feels like it’s just killing time. I appreciated Hall using the rope assisted abdominal stretch due to DDP’s ribs. DDP made the big babyface comeback, but when he called for the Diamond Cutter, Curt Hennig hit the ring. They brawled, leading to a DQ in 8:02. It wasn’t bad, it just felt like they were filling time until the finish. [*¾]

The rest of the nWo arrived to jump DDP. He did hit a Diamond Cutter before they got him, though. A Sting mannequin fell from the rafters and crashed through the ring. That led to Hogan cutting a promo where he called Sting a dummy (GET IT?) several times. Hogan said Sting was scared of him and that he was more concerned with facing Hall in February. They picked the dummy up and draped it over the top rope so Hogan could slap it around. When Hogan went to slap it the Sting mask came off to reveal the REAL STING! While attached to the cable from the rafters, Sting proceeded to beat up the entire nWo. Hogan and Bischoff watched in fear.

Raw MVP: Steve Austin
Raw LVP: Hawk
Nitro MVP: Sting
Nitro LVP: Konnan

Raw Rating: 3.0
Nitro Rating: 4.3

4.3

The final score: review Poor

The 411

Raw: This is not the episode for people who come purely for the wrestling. Only two matches went over three minutes. The DX segment was a mixed bag, as I didn’t care for the childish antics, but the attack on the Headbangers was strong. Austin was easily the highlight and brought entertainment whenever he was on the screen. 5.0

Nitro: Other than the intrigue relating to whatever was going on with Sting, nothing on this show felt very important. Sure, Flair came back and they set up another match or two for Starrcade, but it all felt like filler. The ending was cool and we did get a title change, it was just a forgettable episode outside of that. 3.5