WWF – 1996 Results
USWA @ Memphis, TN – January 3, 1996
King Cobra defeated the Smokey Mountain Massacre
Women’s Champion Miss Texas defeated Debbie Combs
Scott Bowden defeated Downtown Bruno
Brian Christopher defeated Koko B. Ware
Tommy Rich & Doug Gilbert defeated USWA Tag Tem Champions Jesse Jammes Armstrong & Tracey Smothers to win the titles; had the challengers lost the match, they would have been forced to leave town
Tex Slazenger defeated Jerry Lawler
PG-13 defeated the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express in a Texas Death Match
Doug Gilbert won a Royal Rumble match; due to pre-match stipulations, Gilbert earned a spot in the WWF’s Royal Rumble on 1/21 in Fresno
WWF @ Long Island, NY – Nassau Coliseum – January 5, 1996 (5,100)
Fatu pinned Bob Backlund with a roll up; after the bout, Backlund applied the Crossface Chicken Wing
Skip & Zip defeated Barry Horowitz & Marty Jannetty when Zip pinned Horowitz with a fall away powerbomb
Goldust pinned Bob Holly with the Curtain Call
Henry Godwinn pinned Rad Radford with the Slop Drop
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Jerry Lawler & Isaac Yankem DDS when Bart pinned Lawler; Lawler originally scored the pinfall after hitting Bart with a foreign object but the match was ordered to continue
Savio Vega defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification when Helmsley began whipping Savio with his belt
Diesel & WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon defeated Psycho Sid & Jeff Jarrett (sub. for the 1-2-3 Kid) when Razor pinned Sid with a roll up
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification when Jeff Jarrett broke the pin attempt after Ahmed hit the Pearl River Plunge
WWF World Champion Bret Hart & the Undertaker defeated Owen Hart & Yokozuna when Taker pinned Owen with the tombstone
WWF @ New Haven, CT – Coliseum – January 6, 1996 (matinee) (4,800)
Fatu defeated Bob Backlund
Skip & Zip defeated Marty Jannetty & Barry Horowitz
Bob Holly defeated Psycho Sid
Henry Godwinn pinned Rad Radford
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Jerry Lawler & Isaac Yankem DDS
Goldust pinned Savio Vega
Diesel & WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon defeated Jeff Jarrett & Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification
WWF World Champion Bret Hart & the Undertaker defeated Owen Hart & Yokozuna
WWF @ Albany, NY – Knickerbocker Arena – January 7, 1996 (4,700)
Fatu pinned Bob Backlund with a roll up
Savio Vega defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification when HHH took off his belt and began whipping Vega with it
Skip & Zip defeated Bob Holly & Barry Horowitz when Zip pinned Horowitz; Rad Radford was the guest referee
Goldust pinned Henry Godwinn with a roll up
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Isaac Yankem DDS & Davey Boy Smith (sub. for Jerry Lawler) when Smith was pinned
Ahmed Johnson pinned Owen Hart with the Pearl River Plunge
Razor Ramon pinned Jeff Jarrett with the Razor’s Edge
The Undertaker pinned Yokozuna with a shoulderblock off the top
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match when Bret hit the floor moments before Diesel
WWF @ Burlington, VT – Memorial Auditorium – January 8, 1996 (2,500; sell out)
Savio Vega defeated Barry Horowitz
Goldust pinned Bob Holly
Henry Godwinn defeated Dr. Isaac Yankem DDS
Fatu pinned Bob Backlund
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip
Diesel & WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Jeff Jarrett
Ahmed Johnson defeated the British Bulldog via disqualification
The Undertaker & WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart & Yokozuna
WWF @ Cornwall, Ontario – Civic Complex – January 9, 1996 (1,800)
Savio Vega defeated Barry Horowitz
Goldust pinned Bob Holly
Henry Godwinn defeated Dr. Isaac Yankem DDS
Fatu pinned Bob Backlund
Marty Jannetty defeated Aldo Montoya
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip
Diesel & WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Jeff Jarrett
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification
The Undertaker & WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart & Yokozuna
WWF @ Hull, Quebec – Robert Guertin Arena – January 10, 1996 (3,700)
Fatu vs. Bob Backlund
Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) vs. Bob Holly & Barry Horowitz
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns vs. Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart
The Undertaker vs. Yokozuna
WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. Diesel (steel cage match)
WWF @ Drummonville, Quebec – January 11, 1996
Cancelled due to a poor advance
WWF @ Montreal, Quebec – Forum – January 12, 1996 (10,016; 8,000 paid)
The last show held at the Forum; former Montreal wrestling stars Jos & Paul LeDuc and Jacques Rougeau Sr. were in attendance for the event
Fatu pinned Bob Backlund with a roll up
Skip & Zip defeated Bob Holly & Aldo Montoya when Zip pinned Montoya with a sit-down powerbomb
Ahmed Johnson pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with the Pearl River Plunge
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith when Bulldog was pinned; after the match, Owen argued with Raymond Rougeau, who attempted to interview he and Smith, and attacked him
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match by escaping over the top before Diesel could get out the door
Duke Drose defeated Barry Horowitz
Marty Jannetty pinned Sir Mo with the Rocker Dropper
Goldust pinned Henry Godwinn with a roll up
WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon & Savio Vega defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Jeff Jarrett when Razor pinned Jarrett with the Razor’s Edge
The Undertaker pinned Yokozuna with a flying clothesline
WWF @ Bangor, ME – Auditorium – January 13, 1996 (3,000)
Duke Drose vs. Barry Horowitz
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns vs. Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart
Marty Jannetty vs. Bob Backlund
Skip & Zip vs. Bob Holly & Aldo Montoya
Savio Vega defeated Isaac Yankem
Goldust vs. Henry Godwinn
WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Ahmed Johnson vs. Jeff Jarrett
The Undertaker vs. Yokozuna
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match
WWF @ Fitchburg, MA – Wallace Civic Center – January 14, 1996 (3,400; sell out)
Fatu pinned Sir Mo at 3:12
Duke Drose pinned Barry Horowitz at 4:08
Marty Jannetty pinned Bob Backlund at the 6-minute mark
Skip & Zip defeated Bob Holly & Aldo Montoya at 12:40 when Zip pinned Montoya with a splash after a Frankensteiner off the top from Skip
Savio Vega pinned Isaac Yankem DDS at 9:13
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon via disqualification at 6:34 when Razor hit the challenger with his own brass knuckles
Ahmed Johnson pinned Jeff Jarrett with the Tiger Bomb at 6:19
Goldust pinned Henry Godwinn at 8:35
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith at 5:58 when Billy pinned Smith with a roll up
The Undertaker pinned Yokozuna at 7:12 with a boot to the face
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match at 9:49 by escaping over the top of the cage
Royal Rumble 96 – Fresno, CA – Selland Arena – January 21, 1996 (9,600; sell out)
Free for All – the debut of the live Preview Channel countdown show; featured Dok Hendrix interviewing Vader & Jim Cornette about the Royal Rumble match, with Cornette announcing he was Vader’s manager and Vader saying he would be the next WWF World Champion (Vader’s on-screen debut); included Todd Pettengill interviewing Jake Roberts about the Rumble (Robert’s first appearance back after a nearly 4-year absence); featured a closing segment in which Pettengill interviewed Shawn Michaels in the ring regarding his chances in the Rumble match; when Pettengill asked what number Michaels was coming into the match at, he said he was coming to the ring when he wanted and would be leaving when he wanted (Michaels’ return after a 2-month absence):
Duke Drose defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via reverse decision at 6:26; Helmsley originally won the match after hitting Drose with a foreign object but WWF President Gorilla Monsoon came out and showed a clip of the finish to referee Tim White, who then changed his ruling; prior to the bout, Todd Pettengill interviewed both participants in the aisle about their chances in the match; after the match, Drose cleared Helmsley from the ring; due to pre-match stipulations, Drose earned the #30 position in the Royal Rumble match and Helmsley was forced to be the #1 man in the match; the two participants were chosen at random to compete for the #30 spot
Pay-per-view bouts – included Vince McMahon and Mr. Perfect on commentary:
Ahmed Johnson defeated Jeff Jarrett via disqualification at 6:37 after a guitar shot
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) at 11:14 following a botched double team move by the challengers
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon at 14:15 to win the title after the 1-2-3 Kid came off the top with a spin kick to the champion’s head (Marlena’s surprise debut) (Confirmed Hits)
Shawn Michaels won the 30-man Royal Rumble match by last eliminating Diesel at 58:49; after the bout, Diesel returned to the ring and appeared to hold hard feelings over the loss until the two men high-fived; due to pre-match stipulations, Michaels earned a world title shot for WrestleMania XII; for the first time ever, each participant in the Rumble came to the ring to their entrance music
Order of entry: Hunter Hearst Helmsley (00:00), Henry Godwinn (00:00), Bob Backlund (2:25), Jerry Lawler (4:31), Bob Holly (6:12), King Mabel (w/ Sir Mo) (8:41), Jake Roberts (10:27; Roberts’ return to the WWF after nearly a 4 year hiatus), after being scared out of the ring by Roberts’ snake, Lawler hid underneath until the 40-minute mark when Michaels pulled him out, Dory Funk Jr. (12:27), Yokozuna (14:31), the 1-2-3 Kid (16:23), upon the Kid’s appearance, Razor Ramon chased him into the ring and around ringside – trying to get payback for the Kid causing him to lose the IC title earlier in the evening – before Razor was escorted backstage by officials, Takao Omari (18:22), Savio Vega (20:24), Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) (22:43) (Vader’s WWF debut), Doug Gilbert (24:29), Squat Team Member #1 (26:32), Squat Team Member #2 (29:01), Owen Hart (30:51), Shawn Michaels (32:41), Hakushi (34:36), Tatanka (36:56), Aldo Montoya (38:37), Diesel (40:58), Kama (42:47), Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) (44:51), Barry Horowitz (46:48), Fatu (48:58), Isaac Yankem DDS (50:56), Marty Jannetty (52:48), Davey Boy Smith (54:51), & Duke Drose (56:57), seconds after Drose’s entrance, Owen Hart returned ringside and helped Smith in briefly double teaming Michaels on the floor before Owen was led backstage by officials
Order of elimination: Backlund by Yoko (14:47), Godwinn by Roberts (17:26), Mabel by Yoko & Savio (20:55), Omari by Roberts when Roberts held onto the top rope as Omari tried to slam him to the floor (21:12), Funk by Savio with an overhead throw as Funk had Savio in a headlock on the ring apron (23:20), Roberts by Vader via a clothesline as Roberts attempted to hit the DDT on Gilbert (25:07), Gilbert by Vader via a press slam to the floor (27:27), Squat Team Member #1 by Vader (27:43), after his elimination, Squat Team Member #1 came back into the ring with #2, only to be thrown out once more by Vader, Squat Team Member #2 by Yoko (29:24), Savio by Vader via a clothesline to the back of the head (32:52), Yoko & Vader by Michaels as Yoko was trying to eliminate Vader (33:47), Kid by Michaels via a press slam to the floor (34:02), after Vader’s elimination, he dropped Yoko from behind on the floor before re-entering the ring and throwing out Michaels, Owen, HHH, and Holly; moments thereafter; Cornette calmed Vader down after WWF President Gorilla Monsoon and a host of referees and officials threatened to take action if he did not leave ringside; after Vader left, Michaels threw Cornette over the top; Hakushi by Owen after Hakushi attempted a flip over Owen as Owen ran into the corner but Hart caught him and threw him to the floor (38:28), Montoya by Tatanka via a clothesline (40:30), Lawler by Michaels via an uppercut (40:32), Tatanka by Diesel (41:05), Holly by Austin via a knee to the back after Holly thought he had eliminated Austin (45:46), Helmsley by Diesel (48:01), Horowitz by Owen via a backdrop (51:02), Owen by Diesel as Owen attempted to eliminate Michaels (51:34), Jannetty by Smith (55:24), Austin by Fatu via a clothesline (55:47), Fatu by Yankem via a clothesline (56:06), Yankem by Michaels via a dropkick (58:01), Drose by Diesel & Kama via a double clothesline (58:08), Smith by Michaels via a clothesline after avoiding a blow on the ring apron and sliding back in the ring inbetween Smith’s legs (58:30), Kama by Diesel via grabbing him by the face and pushing him over the top (58:43), Diesel by Michaels via a superkick
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated WWF World Champion Bret Hart via disqualification at 28:28 when Diesel pulled the referee out of the ring following the challenger’s tombstone; Diesel gave the Undertaker the finger following the decision; prior to the bout, Taker and Diesel – who had not left ringside after being eliminated from the Royal Rumble match – had a confrontation in the aisle during Taker’s entrance but the two were held apart by officials before they came to blows
WWF @ Stockton, CA – Civic Autitorium – January 22, 1996 (2,904; sell out)
Monday Night Raw taping:
WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. Diesel, the Undertaker vs. Yokozuna and Razor Ramon & Savio Vega vs. Psycho Sid & the 1-2-3 Kid were originally announced for the show
Steve Steward defeated Buddy Wayne
Avatar & Aldo Montoya fought the Headhunters to a double count-out
Dory Funk Jr. defeated Bob Holly
Ahmed Johnson defeated an unknown
Action Zone – 2/4/96: Zip (w/ Sunny) pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Bart Gunn after Skip interfered
Action Zone – 2/11/96: Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Steve Rizzono
WWF Mania – 2/17/96: Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Marty Jannetty
1/22/96 – featured an opening segment running down the results of the previous night’s Royal Rumble and the announcement that Razor Ramon would face Hunter Hearst Helmsley and WWF World Champion Bret Hart would face the new WWF IC Champion Goldust later in the show, along with a special interview with Shawn Michaels; included Billionaire Ted’s Rasslin War Room in which he asked the Hukster, the Nacho Man, and his advisors for an original idea; featured an in-ring interview with Shawn Michaels conducted by Vince McMahon in which Jim Cornette interrupted, saying the only reason Owen Hart would get into the ring with Michaels is if he put his WrestleMania title shot on the line; Shawn accepted and then threw Cornette over the top rope:
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Savio Vega at 3:00 with the Vader Bomb; after the match, Vader continued to assault Vega and a number of referees until WWF President Gorilla Monsoon came to the ring and indefinately suspended Vader for his actions; moments thereafter, Vader attacked Monsoon from behind, squashing him in the corner, dropping an elbow, and hitting the Vader Bomb before Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon made the save; Vader was ‘suspended’ in order to keep him off TV until after he had received shoulder surgery
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Razor Ramon via count-out at 8:01 when Razor began chasing the 1-2-3 Kid, who came ringside moments earlier and sprayed Razor with milk from a large baby bottle, around ringside; after the bout, Razor attempted to hit the Razor’s Edge on Helmsley but Helmsley was able to escape the ring
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) via submission with the Sharpshooter in a non-title match at 10:58, moments after Razor Ramon came ringside and threw Goldust back into the ring as he attempted to get himself counted-out; after the bout, Vince McMahon interviewed Bret in the ring who challenged Diesel to a steel cage match due to his interference at the Royal Rumble; Bret also promised the Undertaker a rematch (Goldust’s first TV loss) (Terminators 96)
1/29/96 – included Billionaire Ted, the Hukster, and the Nacho Man at a press conference where Ted talked about trying to run the WWF out of business; featured the announcement that the Undertaker would face Bret Hart for the title in a rematch to be held the next week; included a segment in which an address was given for those wishing to send letters to Gorilla Monsoon, wishing him well on his recovery; featured the return of Roddy Piper as he was named the replacement WWF President in Monsoon’s absence; included a teaser vignette of Mankind in which he was not wearing a mask and the only thing shown was the remainder of his missing ear:
Diesel pinned Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) after dropping him head-first into an exposed turnbuckle and having Yokozuna’s interference backfire, with him accidentally hitting a legdrop on Smith when the referee wasn’t looking
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) when Phinneas pinned Zip with the Slop Drop; after the bout, the Godwinns briefly had Sunny square dance with them against her will (Phinneas’ debut)
Shawn Michaels pinned Yokozuna (w/ Jim Cornette) with the superkick after Owen Hart interfered and accidentally hit a spin wheel kick on Yoko; Hart appeared ringside mid-way through the bout; after the bout, Yoko and Owen briefly argued before Davey Boy Smith came out and all three confronted Michaels; moments later, Diesel came down to help clear the ring; Cornette then denied any dissention in Camp Cornette and made a challenge for Michaels & Diesel to face Smith & Yoko the following week which was accepted (Shawn Michaels: The Best Hits from the Heartbreak Kid, Terminators 96)
2/5/96 – included Jim Cornette and Clarence Mason threatening to sue the WWF if Vader wasn’t reinstated; featured comments from Gorilla Monsoon on choosing Roddy Piper as his temporary replacement as well as the thought of having Vader reinstated; included a second segment of Billionaire Ted at the press conference; featured a closing segment in which a print ad was shown, which was set to run in several major newspapers, claiming Ted Turner was wasting millions of stockholder dollars in his personal vendetta against the WWF:
Shawn Michaels & Diesel defeated Davey Boy Smith & Yokozuna (w/ Jim Cornette) via count-out when Yoko was sent to the floor by Michaels’ superkick and knocked out; Owen Hart came down moments before the 10-count to help Smith get Yoko back into the ring but they couldn’t move him; after the match, Cornette berated Yoko for the loss until he knocked Cornette down and fought off both Smith and Hart, clearing the ring of all three
The 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) pinned Hakushi with a butterfly suplex off the top (Terminators 96)
WWF World Champion Bret Hart fought the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) to a no contest when – after the referee had been knocked down – Diesel, who came ringside early in the match to do guest commentary, threw Bret into the steel ringpost before twice hitting the powerbomb on the challenger (Terminators 96)
WWF @ San Jose, CA – State Event Center – January 23, 1996
WWF Superstars taping:
Mike Modest defeated Robert Thompson after 10 minutes
Savio Vega defeated Adam Grove
The Undertaker defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out when the champion left ringside after sustaining a chokeslam
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match by escaping over the top as Diesel attempted to go out the door; after the bout, Diesel hit Hart with the title belt
1/27/96:
Duke Drose defeated Steve Rizzono; after the bout, Hunter Hearst Helmsley attacked Drose, hitting him with his own trashcan, and cutting off much of his hair
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Bob Holly with the lariat (Bradshaw’s debut)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Tim Patterson via disqualification when Duke Drose interfered and attempted to hit Helmsley with the trashcan but Helmsley caused his opponent to be hit instead
Shawn Michaels pinned Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase) with the superkick at 5:39 after Tatanka narrowly avoided colliding with Dibiase on the ring apron (Shawn Michaels: The Best Hits from the Heartbreak Kid)
2/3/96:
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated James Samudo & Ed Morretti when Phinneas pinned Samudo following the Slop Drop
Isaac Yankem DDS pinned Avatar with the DDS
Marty Jannetty pinned Greg Davis with the Rocker Dropper
Hakushi pinned Buddy Wayne with a missile dropkick
Razor Ramon defeated Jeff Jarrett via disqualification when the 1-2-3 Kid attacked Razor with a baby stroller outside the ring; after the bout, the Kid helped in double teaming Razor until Ahmed Johnson made the save (Terminators 96)
2/10/96:
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Fatu via submission with the Million $ Dream after hitting a superplex (Terminators 96)
Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase) pinned Robert Thompson with the fall away slam
The 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) pinned Wayne Bradley with a legdrop off the top
Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Aldo Montoya with the enzuiguiri; after the bout, Hart applied the Sharpshooter on his opponent
2/17/96 – included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with WWF World Champion Bret Hart regarding his recent battles against the Undertaker and Davey Boy Smith as well as his steel cage title defense against Diesel at In Your House; during the segment, Hart mentioned he had never lost a cage match and quoted the Smashing Pumpkins in talking about Diesel, saying “despite all his rage, he’s still just a rat in a cage”:
Yokozuna defeated Jay S Storm & Billy Mack in a handicap match at 1:38 following a simultaneous Bonzai Drop on both men; during the bout, Jim Cornette cut an insert promo regarding Yoko’s match at In Your House against Davey Boy Smith; it was announced during the match that Vader had been reinstated into the WWF
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Barry Horowitz with the Pedigree
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated the Brooklyn Brawler & Joe Gomez when Henry pinned Gomez with the Slop Drop
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Tim Patterson with the lariat
Ahmed Johnson defeated the 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) via disqualification at around the 5-minute mark after Razor Ramon chased an interfering Jeff Jarrett into the ring and attempted to hit the Razor’s Edge before the Kid broke Jarrett’s guitar over Razor’s back; Jarrett appeared ringside late in the match and attempted to come off the top with his guitar but was caught by Ahmed and knocked to the floor
WWF @ White Plains, NY – Westchester County Civic Center – January 24, 1996 (3,000)
Savio Vega defeated Mr. Bob Backlund
Fatu defeated Dr. Isaac Yankem DDS
Tatanka pinned Bob Holly
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Duke Drose
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via submission with the Sharpshooter
Ahmed Johnson defeated Jeff Jarrett
Steve Austin defeated Hakushi
Undertaker & Diesel defeated Yokozuna & Owen Hart via count-out
WWF @ Baltimore, MD – Arena – January 25, 1996 (5,900)
Steve Austin defeated Henry Godwinn with the Million $ Dream
Duke Drose, Fatu, & Bob Holy defeated Bob Backlund, Dr. Isaac Yankem DDS, & Tatanka when Backlund was pinned
Owen Hart pinned Hakushi with the enzuiguri
Ahmed Johnson pinned Jeff Jarrett with the Pearl River Plunge
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match by escaping over the top before Diesel could leave through the door
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip when Bart Gunn pinned Zip with a roll up
Savio Vega defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out when the champion left ringside
Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superkick
The Undertaker pinned Yokozuna
WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – January 26, 1996 (15,000; 12,800 paid)
Included the announcement of the March 17 return main event – WWF World Champion Bret Hart & the Undertaker vs. Diesel & Shawn Michaels
Tatanka & Isaac Yankem DDS defeated Bob Holly & Fatu when Tatanka pinned Fatu with the Samoan Drop
Duke Drose (sub. for Razor Ramon) defeated the 1-2-3 Kid; after the bout, Drose put Kid in a trash can
Owen Hart pinned Hakushi with an enziguri
Ahmed Johnson pinned Jeff Jarrett with the Pearl River Plunge
Steve Austin defeated Henry Godwinn via submission with the Million $ Dream at 11:20 after a knee to the back when Dibiase distracted Godwinn from the apron (Austin’s MSG debut)
The Undertaker pinned Yokozuna at 4:22 with a boot to the face after causing Yoko to collide with an interfering Owen Hart on the ring apron; Hart appeared ringside early in the match and interfered as referee Earl Hebner was knocked down; after the bout, Owen and Yoko argued, leading to Yoko shoving Hart to the mat and chasing him backstage
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip when Billy pinned Zip with a sunset flip
Savio Vega defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out when the champion left ringside following the spin wheel kick
Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superkick after avoiding a Pedigree attempt; Michaels initially won the match via disqualification when Owen Hart interfered but Michaels took the mic and said he wanted the bout to continue
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match at around the 13-minute mark by escaping the cage as Diesel attempted to leave through the door; after the bout, Diesel attacked Hart, threw him back in the cage, and attempted the powerbomb until the Undertaker’s music began; Taker then confronted Diesel, leading to Hart jumping Diesel before Shawn Michaels ran out and leapt off the cage, leading to Hart and Michaels and Diesel and Taker having to be pulled apart by officials, as well as Hakushi, Henry Godwinn, WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns, Ahmed Johnson, and others; Diesel eventually gave Hart the finger before returning backstage
WWF @ Scranton, PA – CYC – January 27, 1996
WWF @ State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center – January 27, 1996 (7,860)
Owen Hart pinned Hakushi with an enzuiguri
Ahmed Johnson pinned Jeff Jarrett with the Pearl River Plunge
Steve Austin defeated Henry Godwinn with the Million $ Dream
Savio Vega defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out when Goldust left ringside
Tatanka & Isaac Yankem DDS defeated Bob Holly & Fatu when Tatanka pinned Fatu
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match by escaping over the top and hitting the floor a split second before Diesel escaped through the door
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip when Billy Gunn pinned Zip with a head scissors into a sunset flip
Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superkick
The Undertaker pinned Yokozuna; after the bout, Taker hit the tombstone on an interfering Owen Hart
WWF @ Philadelphia, PA – CoreStates Spectrum – January 28, 1996 (5,312)
Duke Drose & Bob Holly defeated Tatanka & Isaac Yankem DDS
Steve Austin defeated Henry Godwinn
Owen Hart defeated Hakushi
The Undertaker pinned Yokozuna after Jeff Jarrett’s interference backfired; after the bout, Yoko chased Jarrett backstage
WWF IC Champion Goldust pinned Savio Vega
Ahmed Johnson defeated Jeff Jarrett via count-out
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip
Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superkick
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match
WWF @ Bombay, India – Andhei Sports Complex – February 2, 1996 (12,000)
WWF Tag Team Champion Bart Gunn & Henry Godwinn (sub. for Billy Gunn) defeated the 1-2-3 Kid & Tatanka
Razor Ramon defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via disqualification when the 1-2-3 Kid interfered
The Undertaker defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Diesel defeated Owen Hart
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Yokozuna
Also included Ahmed Johnson, Savio Vega, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Skip & Zip, & Doink the Clown
WWF @ Bombay, India – Andhei Sports Complex – February 3, 1996 (16,000)
Ahmed Johnson defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Doink the Clown (Steve Lombardi)
The Undertaker defeated Yokozuna
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeatd Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF @ Bangalore, India – Kanataka Football Stadium – February 4, 1996 (30,000)
Doink the Clown (Steve Lombardi) defeated Zip
Ahmed Johnson defeated Skip
Henry Godwinn (sub. for Billy Gunn) & WWF Tag Team Champion Bart Gunn defeated Owen Hart & Yokozuna
Savio Vega defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Razor Ramon defeated the 1-2-3 Kid
The Undertaker defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust
Diesel defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Tatanka
WWF @ Calcutta, India – February 5, 1996
WWF @ Delhi, India – February 6, 1996
USWA @ Memphis, TN – Mid-South Coliseum – February 14, 1996 (1,100)
The Spellbinder defeated Motley Cruz
Miss Texas defeated Tasha Simone
Doug Gilbert defeated Tex Slazenger in a bullrope match
Jesse Jammes Armstrong & Tracey Smothers defeated USWA Tag Team Champions PG-13 to win the titles
The Spellbinder won an anything-goes battle royal
Jerry Lawler & Jeff Jarrett defeated WWF World Champion Bret Hart & the Undertaker via disqualification at 6:02 when Taker hit a chokeslam on referee Bill Rush; Lawler & Jarrett came out to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA;” after the bout, Taker hit the move on Jarrett; moments later, another referee came out, with Hart punching him as he tried to intervene; Taker and Jarrett fought on the floor, with Taker throwing Jarrett into a table; eventually, Hart was double teamed in the ring by Lawler & Jarrett until the Spellbinder, PG-13, Reggie B Fine, and Tracey Smothers broke up the fight; Hart and Lawler continued to fight in the ring and on the floor, despite the other wrestlers trying to intervene
WWF @ Nashville, TN – Municipal Auditorium – February 16, 1996
Tatanka defeated Barry Horowitz
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega
Ahmed Johnson defeated USWA Champion Jeff Jarrett via disqualification
Yokozuna defeated Davey Boy Smith
Duke Drose defeated the 1-2-3 Kid
Shawn Michaels pinned Owen Hart
The Undertaker defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Jerry Lawler in a steel cage match
WWF / USWA @ Memphis, TN – Mid-South Coliseum – February 17, 1996 (7,500)
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) pinned Savio Vega at 11:24 with a roll up
Brian Christopher pinned Tatanka at 9:23 with a small package
Yokozuna pinned Davey Boy Smith at 6:26 with the Bonzai Drop
Duke Drose (sub. for Razor Ramon) pinned the 1-2-3 Kid at 4:14 with the Trash Compactor
Tommy Rich & Doug Gilbert defeated Skip & Zip and Henry & Phinneas Godwinn in an elimination match at 12:15; Skip pinned Phinneas at 2:13; Rich pinned Skip
Ahmed Johnson defeated USWA Champion Jeff Jarrett via count-out at 3:30 when Jarrett was unable to continue after diving onto Ahmed on the floor from the apron; Jarrett was eventually taken out on a stretcher
Shawn Michaels pinned Owen Hart at 11:30 with the superkick
WWF IC Champion Goldust defeated Yokozuna (sub. for the Undertaker) via disqualification at 1:30 when Yoko shoved the referee; prior to the bout, Paul Bearer came out and said the Undertaker didn’t make it as he was stranded due to the weather, but said Goldust wasn’t going to get off easy, which brought out Yoko as the replacement
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Jerry Lawler in a steel cage match at 9:39 by escaping over the top
In Your House #6 – Louisville, KY – Louisville Gardens – February 18, 1996 (5,500)
Free for All – featured Dok Hendrix interviewing WWF World Champion Bret Hart backstage about his steel cage title defense later in the show against Diesel; included Hendrix interviewing Shawn Michaels backstage about his match against Owen Hart later in the show; featured Todd Pettengill interviewing Jim Cornette & Vader in the ring regarding Vader’s reinstatement and the fact that Vader would appear in some way later in the show:
Jake Roberts pinned Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase) with the DDT at 5:29 after avoiding the Samoan Drop (Terminators 96)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary:
Razor Ramon pinned the 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) after kicking baby powder into the Kid’s face and hitting the Razor’s Edge twice; pre-match stipulations called for the loser to wear a diaper after the match
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose after hitting him with Drose’s own trash can lid
Yokozuna defeated Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification after Cornette used his tennis racquet as a weapon; after the match, Smith and Vader handcuffed Yokozuna to the ring ropes and double teamed him
Shawn Michaels pinned Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) with the superkick at 15:57 after avoiding the enziguri; Michaels’ world title shot at WrestleMania XII was on the line in this bout (Shawn Michaels: The Best Hits from the Heartbreak Kid, Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 90s, Owen: Hart of Gold)
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Diesel in a steel cage match at 19:13 by escaping over the top as the Undertaker came up through the canvas and pulled the challenger underneath the ring (In Your House: The Greatest Matches)
Action Zone – 2/25/96 – included Todd Pettengill conducting an interview with Jake Roberts on the interview stage about his return to the WWF in which he for the first time on TV spoke about his past with cocaine and alcoholism, his newfound religious beliefs, and said his new snake was named Revelations
Dark matches after the show:
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip when Zip was pinned following the Slop Drop
Ahmed Johnson pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with the Pearl River Plunge
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) via count-out at 13:39 when the champion left ringside after suffering a chokeslam (Spring Explosion ’96 – In Your House #6)
WWF @ Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati Gardens – February 19, 1996 (8,500)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Herman the German defeated Scott D’Amore
Chris Clyde defeated Gary Scott
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in an arm wrestling challenge, when Smith tipped the table onto Ahmed; Johnson recovered and was able to hit the Pearl River Plunge on Smith after a brief brawl
Duke Drose defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a steel cage match when the momentum of a knee by Helmsley knocked Drose out the door
Diesel & Shawn Michaels defeated the Undertaker & Jake Roberts at 2:58 when Michaels pinned Roberts with the superkick; mid-way through the bout, Taker and Diesel battled backstage, making the match 1-on-1; after the bout, Roberts and Michaels shook hands
2/19/96 – included a vignette promoting the return of the Ultimate Warrior; featured a vignette for Mankind; included a Larry Fling Live segment with special guest Billionaire Ted:
Razor Ramon defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) via count-out when the champion walked out of the match after sustaining Razor’s back suplex off the top; after the bout, Razor grabbed a microphone and asked acting WWF President Roddy Piper to make a match with Razor and Goldust, not a title match but a fight (this was to have led to the Miami ally fight scheduled between Razor and Goldust for WrestleMania XII)
Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) fought Barry Horowitz & Aldo Montoya to a no contest when Vader came out before the Body Donnas’ entrance and brutally attacked Horowitz and Montoya
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Marty Jannetty via submission with the Million $ Dream; during the bout, Vince McMahon stated that Jannetty was about to enter the tag team tournament with a partner that had yet to debut; McMahon also referred to Austin’s personality as “stone cold”
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase) with the tombstone; mid-way through the bout, Diesel came ringside to grab a cameraman, taking him backstage so he could document Diesel destroying the Undertaker’s casket with an axe; after the bout, the reminants of the casket were shown on the video screen as the Undertaker and Bearer looked on
2/26/96 – included a vignette in which several young fans asked WWF President Roddy Piper to bring the Ultimate Warrior back to the WWF; featured the announcement WWF World Champion Bret Hart would face Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Shawn Michaels would wrestle the 1-2-3 Kid the following week; included a Mankind vignette in which he talked about his mommy and his rat named George; featured footage of the Smith & Owen vs. Hakushi & Horowitz from the 2/24 Superstars and the announcement that the New Rockers would face the Godwinns the following weekend in the WWF Tag Team Title Tournament; included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with the two men that would face off in the main event of WrestleMania XII, Shawn Michaels and WWF World Champion Bret Hart; during the segment, Michaels agreed Hart was the best there was and possibly the best there ever will be but disagreed about being the best there is; Hart then put over his recent title defenses against men so much larger than him and said he didn’t have to beat Michaels but Michaels would have to beat him to win the title; after the two spoke about their conditioning, WWF President Roddy Piper came out and took over the segment, first saying he didn’t to hear fans boo either Bret or Shawn and then put down each man, telling Michaels he had nice abs but that didn’t mean anything and then telling Bret anyone could have a lucky title defense; Piper then said there would be no cheap finish for the match because the winner would be the man with the most falls; after both agreed to the stipulation, Piper said the match would last a full hour:
Jake Roberts pinned Isaac Yankem DDS at 3:32 with the DDT after blocking Yankem’s version by holding onto the ropes; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Jerry Lawler escaping Roberts’ snake at the Royal Rumble
Diesel pinned Bob Holly with the powerbomb at around 5:30; after the bout, as Diesel made his way backstage, the Undertaker’s gong sounded and the lights went out; when they came back on, Taker was standing alone in the ring; as Diesel went to get back in the ring the lights went out and when they came back on Taker was gone; moments later, Taker appeared on the big screen and said he was the master of playing mindgames
Ahmed Johnson pinned Shinobi (Al Snow) with the Pearl River Plunge; during the bout, WWF IC Champion Goldust called in and read a poem directed at WWF President Roddy Piper in which he asked when he could play his bagpipe
Yokozuna defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification in a handicap match when Vader, who had come ringside moments earlier, interfered and hit a clothesline knocking Yoko to the mat; after the bout, Jake Roberts and Ahmed Johnson made the save against Vader, Owen, and Smith
3/4/96:
Shawn Michaels pinned the 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) with the superkick at around the 12:30 mark after avoiding a legdrop off the top; during the bout, WWF World Champion Bret Hart was shown watching the match backstage, during which he said he wouldn’t fall for the same tricks against Michaels at WrestleMania that Michaels was using against the Kid and that he and Michaels were friends and he didn’t want to see him get hurt before their match; after the bout, Michaels danced with a young girl in the ring (Shawn Michaels: His Journey)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Hakushi with the lariat
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via submission with the Sharpshooter in a non-title match
WWF @ Huntington, WV – Civic Center – February 20, 1996 (4,500)
WWF Superstars taping:
In a segment never aired, Vince McMahon interviewed Roddy Piper, where he announced that Razor Ramon would meet Goldust in an alley fight at WrestleMania and the fight would originate from Miami and would be shown via satellite; this was after Ramon had confronted Piper about why Goldust was allowed to be on TV and he was unfit for kids to watch with Piper slapping Ramon during the segment
Ahmed Johnson defeated Tatanka (sub. for Jeff Jarrett) in a steel cage match
Razor Ramon & Jake Roberts defeated the 1-2-3 Kid & WWF IC Champion Goldust when Roberts pinned Kid with the DDT
Herman the German defeated Mark Kyle
Ahmed Johnson defeated Gary Scott; the match was later redone before airing
Shawn Michaels pinned Davey Boy Smith at 8:23 with the superkick
WWF World Champion Bret Hart pinned the Undertaker after Diesel interfered and hit the challenger with a steel chair; the bout was to have been a triple threat match involving Diesel but he was too injured to compete
2/24/96:
WWF Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated Hakushi & Barry Horowitz when Smith pinned Hakushi with the running powerslam after Hart hit Hakushi in the back of the head; prior to the bout, still photos from the Smith / Yokozuna match at In Your House were shown along with the post-match attack Yoko sustained from Vader; during the match, Diana Hart Smith cut an insert promo asking WWF President Roddy Piper to find better competition for her husband
Duke Drose pinned Scott D’Amore with the tilt-a-whirl slam
Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated AC Conner & Major Yates when Conner was pinned following a Skip Frankensteiner off the top and a Zip sit-down splash off the top
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Derek Stone with the Pedigree; prior to the match, Duke Drose came out to confront Helmsley but was sent backstage by several referees; after the bout, Drose returned ringside with his trashcan and ran Helmsley off
Shawn Michaels pinned Shinobi (Al Snow) (w/ Jim Cornette & Owen Hart) with the superkick after Shinobi accidentally hit Owen on the ring apron; after the bout, Michaels fought off an attack from Hart and hit a sunset flip, with referee Earl Hebner counting Owen down for three; moments later, Michaels pinned Cornette with a punch to the face
3/2/96:
Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated Barry Horowitz via submission with the Sharpshooter
WWF Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy when Phinneas scored the pin by rolling through on a flying crossbody attempt (Al Snow’s debut as Leif Cassidy)
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Tony Williams via submission with the Million $ Dream (Austin’s last TV appearance under the ‘Ringmaster’ persona)
WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Hakushi with the Curtain Call (Hakushi’s last Superstars appearance)
Jake Roberts pinned Sherdell Taylor with the DDT; after the bout, Jake released Relevations onto Taylor
3/9/96:
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Fatu at the 3-second mark with the lariat; after the bout, Zebakiah branded Fatu while Bradshaw demanded a second match
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Scott D’Amore with the lariat
Ahmed Johnson pinned Gary Scott with the Pearl River Plunge
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned David Haskins with the running powerslam
Yokozuna defeated Reginald Walker, Mark Kyle, & Denny Parton in a handicap match by pinning all three men simultaneously with the Bonzai Drop
WWF Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Razor Ramon & Savio Vega defeated Tatanka & the 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) when Razor pinned Tatanka after hitting the Razor’s Edge off the top
WWF @ Bushkill, PA – Fernwood Resort – February 21, 1996
WWF @ Danville, PA – Area High School Gym – February 22, 1996 (2,500)
Originally scheduled for the card was WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith and the Undertaker vs. Yokozuna in a casket match
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Ahmed Johnson vs. Davey Boy Smith (arm wrestling match)
WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. the Undertaker; Diesel was originally scheduled to compete in the match, making it a triple threat contest
WWF @ Scranton, PA – CYC – February 23, 1996
Razor Ramon and Diesel did not appear as scheduled; Razor was in the middle of a 6-week suspension and Diesel was recovering from a seperated shoulder
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Justin Bradshaw defeated Marty Jannetty
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith
Savio Vega (sub. for Razor Ramon) defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out
Steve Austin defeated Bob Holly
Yokozuna defeated Owen Hart
Fatu defeated the 1-2-3 Kid
Duke Drose defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Bret Hart fought the Undertaker to a no contest when Owen Hart interfered; Diesel was originally scheduled to compete in the match, making it a triple threat contest
WWF @ East Rutherford, NJ – Meadowlands – February 24, 1996 (matinee) (8,500)
Included an opening segment where WWF acting President Roddy Piper talked about making two title matches on the show after it was announced Diesel wouldn’t be able to wrestle due to having a dislocated shoulder; the 1-2-3 Kid then came out, upset at Piper about the cry baby match at In Your House, slapped Piper and spat at him, with Piper then making a match between he and Kid for later in the card; the originally announced lineup included WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith in a steel cage match, the Undertaker vs. Yokozuna in a casket match, Shawn Michaels vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, WWF IC Champion Goldust vs. Razor Ramon and Ahmed Johnson vs. Owen Hart
Fatu (sub. for Barry Horowitz) pinned Bob Backlund with a roll up
Steve Austin pinned Bob Holly
Justin Bradshaw pinned Marty Jannetty
Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose after hitting him with the trash can lid
Roddy Piper (sub. for Razor Ramon) pinned the 1-2-3 Kid after hitting him with the ring bell
WWF IC Champion Goldust defeated Savio Vega; the advertised match pitted Razor Ramon & Vega against Goldust & the 1-2-3 Kid
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tatanka (sub. for Jeff Jarrett) with the Pearl River Plunge
The Undertaker defeated WWF World Champion Bret Hart via disqualification when Goldust prevented the challenger from scoring the pinfall; Diesel was originally scheduled to compete in the match, making it a triple threat contest
Shawn Michaels & Yokozuna defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith when Michaels pinned Hart with the superkick
WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA – Civic Arena – February 25, 1996 (matinee) (9,000)
Included an opening segment where WWF acting President Roddy Piper talked about making two title matches on the show after it was announced Diesel wouldn’t be able to wrestle due to having a dislocated shoulder; the 1-2-3 Kid then came out, upset at Piper about the cry baby match at In Your House, slapped Piper and spat at him, with Piper then making a match between he and Kid for later in the card
Fatu pinned Bob Backlund at the 43-second mark with a roll up
Steve Austin defeated Bob Holly via submission at 6:30 with the Million $ Dream
Justin Bradshaw pinned Marty Jannetty at 6:32 with the lariat
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tatanka (sub. for Jeff Jarrett) at 8:35
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip at 6:41
Duke Drose pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 6:39
Roddy Piper (sub. for Razor Ramon) pinned the 1-2-3 Kid at 12:41 after hitting him with the ring bell
Savio Vega defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out at 10:02 when Goldust left ringside
WWF World Champion Bret Hart fought the Undertaker to a double count-out at 9:20; the bout was scheduled to have included Diesel as well
Shawn Michaels & Yokozuna defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith at 11:02 when Michaels pinned Owen with the superkick
WWF @ Cleveland, OH – Gund Arena – February 25, 1996
Included an opening segment where WWF acting President Roddy Piper talked about making two title matches on the show after it was announced Diesel wouldn’t be able to wrestle due to having a dislocated shoulder; the 1-2-3 Kid then came out, upset at Piper about the cry baby match at In Your House, slapped Piper and spat at him, with Piper then making a match between he and Kid for later in the card
Fatu pinned Mr. Bob Backlund
Steve Austin defeated Bob Holly
Justin Bradshaw pinned Marty Jannetty
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Duke Drose defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Roddy Piper (sub. for Razor Ramon) defeated the 1-2-3 Kid
Savio Vega defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out
Ahmed Johnson defeated Tatanka
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via count-out
Shawn Michaels & Yokozuna defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith
WWF @ Augusta, ME – Civic Center – March 1, 1996 (4,093)
1st show in Augusta after 2 years
Owen Hart pinned Scott Taylor (sub. for Yokozuna) following an enzuiguri
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Duke Drose pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Steve Austin pinned Marty Jannetty
Ahmed Johnson defeated Tatanka
The 1-2-3 Kid pinned Bob Holly at the 10-second mark with a spin kick
Shawn Michaels defeated Davey Boy Smith
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via count-out when Goldust interfered; Diesel was also scheduled to be part of the match, making it a 3-way, but was unable to wrestle due to injury
Savio Vega (sub. for Razor Ramon) defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out when the champion walked out of the match after sustaining Vega’s spin kick
WWF @ Worcester, MA – Centrum – March 2, 1996 (5,811)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) at 8:34 when Henry pinned Skip following the Slop Drop from Phinneas
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Marty Jannetty with the Million $ Dream at 11:00
1-2-3 Kid pinned Bob Holly at 6:10 with his feet on the ropes following a spin kick
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tatanka (sub. for Jeff Jarrett) at 8:13
Owen Hart pinned Aldo Montoya (sub. for Yokozuna) with the enzuiguri at 4:17
Savio Vega (sub. for Razor Ramon) defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out at 9:54
Duke Drose pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 8:19 by blocking a sunset flip
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via count-out at 9:25 when Goldust attacked the Undertaker at ringside and hit a piledriver on the floor; after the bout, Goldust attacked Bret until Taker made the save and cleared Goldust from the ring; Taker then handed the belt to Bret
Shawn Michaels pinned Davey Boy Smith at 7:22 with the superkick
WWF @ Springfield, MA – Civic Center – March 3, 1996 (5,882)
WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. Diesel vs. the Undertaker was the originally scheduled main event
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Duke Drose pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Steve Austin pinned Marty Jannetty
WWF World Champion Bret Hart pinned Davey Boy Smith
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tatanka
1-2-3 Kid pinned Bob Holly
WWF IC Champion Goldust defeated Savio Vega
Shawn Michaels pinned Owen Hart
WWF World Champion Bret Hart pinned Shawn Michaels in a lumberjack match after Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith interfered
WWF @ Providence, RI – Civic Center – March 4, 1996 (6,453)
Razor Ramon, Jeff Jarrett, the Undertaker, and Yokozuna did not appear as advertised; refunds were offered during the first three matches; matches originally scheduled were WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels & Yokozuna vs. Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Steve Austin pinned Marty Jannetty with the Million $ Dream
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tatanka (sub. for Jeff Jarrett)
Shawn Michaels pinned Owen Hart with the superkick
WWF IC Champion Goldust pinned Savio Vega (sub. for Razor Ramon) after a low blow; during the bout, Goldust tried to walk out but the referee threatened to strip him of the title
WWF World Champion Bret Hart pinned Davey Boy Smith
Duke Drose pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
The 1-2-3 Kid pinned Bob Holly
WWF World Champion Bret Hart pinned Shawn Michaels in a lumberjack match with a roll up and Davey Boy Smith, one of the lumberjacks, holding Michaels during the pinfall; after the match, Michaels argued with Hart over the decision, leading to Michaels hitting the superkick on Smith, Owen Hart, and then Bret; Michaels then grabbed the title belt and dropped it on Bret’s body
WWF @ Austin, TX – Frank Erwin Center – March 5, 1996 (4,023)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip when Phinneas pinned Skip with the Slop Drop
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly with the lariat
Steve Austin defeated Barry Horowitz (sub. for Marty Jannetty) via submission with the Million $ Dream
Duke Drose pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a roll up after avoiding the Pedigree
Yokozuna pinned Davey Boy Smith with a legdrop and the Bonzai Drop; the match was originally scheduled as Yokozuna & Shawn Michaels vs. Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tatanka with the Pearl River Plunge
Jake Roberts & Savio Vega defeated the 1-2-3 Kid & WWF IC Champion Goldust when Savio pinned the Kid with a roll up
WWF World Champion Bret Hart pinned Shawn Michaels (sub. for the Undertaker) in a lumberjack match with a roll up, with Davey Boy Smith and Hunter Hearst Helmsley holding down the challenger’s legs and thus preventing him from kicking out; lumberjacks included every other wrestler on the card except for Goldust; after the bout, Michaels hit the superkick on Smith and Tatanka before accidentally doing the same to Bret; following a brawl involving all the lumberjacks, Michaels took the title belt from the referee and handed it to the champion
WWF @ Beaumont, TX – Civic Center – March 6, 1996 (4,987)
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tatanka
Barry Horowitz defeated Guido Falcone
Duke Drose pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via count-out; Diesel was also scheduled to be part of the match, making it a 3-way, but was unable to wrestle due to injury
Savio Vega & Jake Roberts defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust & the 1-2-3 Kid
Yokozuna defeated Davey Boy Smith
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly
Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
WWF @ Tyler, TX – Oil Palace – March 7, 1996
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
Barry Horowitz defeated Guido Falcone
Duke Drose defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Savio Vega & Jake Roberts defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust & the 1-2-3 Kid
Ahmed Johnson defeated Tatanka
Shawn Michaels defeated Steve Austin
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Yokozuna defeated Davey Boy Smith
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via count-out after Goldust interfered; Diesel was also scheduled to be part of the match, making it a 3-way, but was unable to wrestle due to injury
WWF @ Houston, TX – Summit – March 8, 1996 (8,868)
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tatanka
Barry Horowitz defeated Guido Falcone
Duke Drose pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via count-out after Goldust came ringside and executed a piledriver on the challenger; Diesel was also scheduled to be part of the match, making it a 3-way, but was unable to wrestle due to injury
Savio Vega & Jake Roberts defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust & the 1-2-3 Kid when Savio pinned the Kid
Yokozuna defeated the British Bulldog
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly
Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin with the superkick
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip after Skip was hit with the Slop Drop
WWF @ South Padre Island, TX – Convention Center – March 9, 1996
WWF @ Corpus Christi, TX – Memorial Coliseum – March 10, 1996 (3,702; sell out)
WWF Superstars taping:
Devon Michaels & Bo Vegas (High Voltage) defeated Alex Porteau & Rod Price
Duane Johnson (the Rock) defeated the Brooklyn Brawler (the Rock’s WWF debut)
Steve Sawyer (Bart Sawyer) defeated the Brooklyn Brawler (w/ Harvey Wippleman)
Ahmed Johnson & Savio Vega defeated the 1-2-3 Kid & Tatanka
Yokozuna & Ahmed Johnson (w/ Roddy Piper) defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) when Yoko pinned Owen after Piper hit Owen with Cornette’s tennis raquet; Piper was handucffed to Cornette for the duration of the bout
The Sicilian Studs (Guido Falcone & Vito Mussolini) defeated two unknowns
Mankind defeated an unknown (Mankind’s debut)
Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via count-out
3/16/96:
WWF Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated the Bushwhackers when Zip pinned Butch after coming off the top behind the referee’s back, moments after Skip sustained the battering ram and was covered
Duke Drose pinned Bill Irwin with the tilt-a-whirl slam
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Aldo Montoya via submission with the Million $ Dream; after the bout, Savio Vega came out and the two men had a stare-down (Austin’s 1st appearance on Superstars as ‘Stone Cold’)
Isaac Yankem DDS defeated Al Walker with the DDS
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Bob Holly with the Pedigree
3/23/96 – included an in-ring interview with Hunter Hearst Helmsley conducted by Vince McMahon in which Helmsley cut a promo on facing the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania XII:
WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Alex Porteau with the Curtain Call
Ahmed Johnson pinned Jeff Brettler with the Pearl River Plunge
Jerry Lawler pinned Al Jackson with the piledriver and using the tights for leverage
WWF Tag Team Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated Savio Vega & Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) (sub. for Razor Ramon) when Skip pinned Savio after Austin hit his parnter with an axe handle off the top
3/30/96:
Savio Vega pinned Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase) with a spin kick
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Barry Horowitz with the lariat
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Ben Greer via submission with the Million $ Dream; after the bout, Savio Vega came out to make the save but also received the Million $ Dream
The Bushwhackers defeated Johnny Blade & Joseph White following the battering ram
WWF Tag Team Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification when the New Rockers came ringside and Leif Cassidy came off the top rope to interfere in the match
WWF @ San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum – March 11, 1996 (9,364; sell out)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Included a segment where Mark Henry was introduced to the crowd, where he was interrupted by Jerry Lawler & Isaac Yankem DDS where Lawler belittled Henry, who then bearhugged Yankem and press slammed Lawler when he attempted a sneak-attack
Skip (w/ Zip & Sunny) pinned Dwayne Johnson at 7:38 with a Frankensteiner off the top; Johnson used Jimmy Hart’s “Crank It Up” as his theme song for the match; during the cover, Skip did push-ups on Johnson’s chest
WWF IC Champion Goldust defeated Bret Garnett; Goldust wrestled the match wearing a kilt
Yokozuna & Ahmed Johnson (w/ Roddy Piper) defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) when Yoko pinned Owen after Piper hit Owen with Cornette’s tennis raquet; Piper was handucffed to Cornette for the duration of the bout
WWF IC Champion Goldust defeated Savio Vega
Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via count-out
3/11/96 – in pretaped footage from before the live telecast, Mark Henry made his WWF TV debut by hitting a gorilla press slam on Jerry Lawler as Lawler interviewed him in the ring:
Savio Vega fought Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) to a double count-out (Austin’s first appearance on Raw as ‘Stone Cold’)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Jerry Meade & Alex Porteau when Henry pinned Porteau with a kick to the head and Slop Drop at around 1:52
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Vin Grier with the Pedigree at 1:53
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) & Yokozuna defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith via disqualification when Vader interfered at 5:19; earlier in the contest, the Undertaker left ringside to find Diesel backstage after Diesel came ringside and attacked Paul Bearer; moments after the end of the match, Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts came out to make the save
3/18/96 – featured an opening graphic which read viewer discretion is advised; included footage of Diesel attacking WWF World Champion Bret Hart, the Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels with a steel chair the previous night at Madison Square Garden; featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included a video package focusing on Michaels’ training in preparation for his WrestleMania 12 Ironman match with Hart, showing him training with Jose Lothario; featured a similar video on Hart in training in Calgary, Alberta, with Hart noting Michaels wouldn’t be competing in a dance marathon at WrestleMania and that Hart had been pounded in title defenses over the past 5 months while Michaels had been out of the ring recovering; included an ad promoting the return of the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania; featured the announcement Hunter Hearst Helmsley would face the Warrior at WrestleMania, followed by a video package focusing on Warrior retiring Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII; included footage from the previous weekend’s WWF Superstars in which Jake Roberts challenged Camp Cornette to a six man tag team match at WrestleMania; featured McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Jim Cornette, Vader, Davey Boy Smith, & Owen Hart in which they accepted Roberts’ challenge to face Roberts, Yokozuna, & Ahmed Johnson at WrestleMania and Cornette alluded that he was behind Mr. Fuji being recently hospitalized; moments later, McMahon introduced footage on the big screen of Roberts, Yoko, & Johnson in which they announced Yoko would get 5 minutes in the ring with Cornette if their team won, with Yoko then hitting the Bonzai Drop on a balloon that had Cornette’s face on it; included an ad promoting the Hart vs. Michaels match at WrestleMania; featured backstage footage of Ted Dibiase speaking with Tatanka and the 1-2-3 Kid before they kicked the cameraman out of their dressing room; included the announcement Michaels would face Leif Cassidy and Johnson would face Owen the following week; featured a closing Billionaire Ted skit from the Federal Turner Commission Hearings, during which Billionaire Ted was grilled on predatory practices and seeing to run his company as a monopoly; during the segment, Ted borrowed his answer from Jack Nicholson’s testimony in “A Few Good Men;” moments later, he admitted he was trying to put the WWF out of business and no one was going to stop him; after the skit, a graphic appeared on the screen regarding Turner’s upcoming testimony before the Federal Trade Commission regarding the proposed merger between Time-Warner and Turner Broadcasting, which would put Turner in control of 50% of cable outlets in the country; the graphic then read “If you share our concerns, you can make a difference. Write to: Mr. Robert Pitsofsky, Chairman; Federal Trade Commission; Washington, DC 20580”:
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated Jake Roberts via count-out at 4:53 when Roberts chased Cornette around the ring and then backstage after Cornette pulled Roberts out of the ring as he had Smith covered following the DDT
WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Fatu at 4:40 with the Curtain Call; during Goldust’s entrance, it was noted his match with WWF President Roddy Piper at WrestleMania would be a Hollywood Backlot Brawl that would take place away from the Arrowhead Pond; Goldust wore a kilt for the match; mid-way through the bout, Piper called in to the commentary team to discuss his upcoming bout with Goldust
Diesel pinned Barry Horowitz at 2:06 with a punch to the face after Horowitz kicked out of a cover following a boot to the face; prior to Diesel’s entrance, footage was shown from the previous afternoon’s Madison Square Garden match between WWF World Champion Bret Hart & the Undertaker vs. Diesel & Shawn Michaels, during which Diesel and Taker brawled down the aisle before Diesel assaulted Taker and Hart with a chair; moments later, Diesel did the same to Michaels before leaving the ring; as Michaels was helped out of the ring, he said “I’m going to kick his seven foot ass;” during the match, footage was shown from the previous week of Diesel attacking Paul Bearer; during the bout, Bearer brought a casket ringside; after the contest, Diesel took the wrench from the timekeeper and approached the casket, eventually opening it to find not the Undertaker but instead Diesel’s own body as Taker’s gong sounded in the arena
WWF World Champion Bret Hart pinned Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase) in a non-title match at 8:49 with a roll up after Tatanka collided with an interfering 1-2-3 Kid on the apron; during the bout, it was noted Chet Coppock of NewSportsTalk would interview Hart the following day and that an exclusive music video tribute would air on WWF Mania; Kid appeared ringside early in the match
3/25/96 – featured an opening graphic which read viewer discretion is advised; included a vignette promoting the return of the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 12; featured footage of WWF IC Champion Goldust on the set of the Hollywood Backlot, during which he stood beside a mannequin dressed as Roddy Piper and spoke to him about their upcoming fight at WrestleMania; a graphic at the bottom of the screen early in the segment read it had been edited for television; moments later, Goldust destroyed the mannequin; included an ad promoting the debut of Mankind the following week; featured Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with the Undertaker, alongside Paul Bearer, regarding his upcoming WrestleMania match against Diesel and causing Diesel to see himself in a casket the previous week; included the announcement of the nominees for Best Music Video and Most Embarassing Moment for the 1996 Slammy Awards, to be shown the following Saturday on USA; featured footage of Dok Hendrix performing “Badstreet USA” with the Raw band inside the arena; included footage of Shawn Michaels in final preparation with Jose Lothario in San Antonio for WrestleMania; featured a video montage promoting both Michaels and Hart’s goal for victory at WrestleMania; included footage of Hart in training for WrestleMania in Calgary, during which Hart compared he and Michaels to what he experienced with Randy Savage, saying that he was once knocking on his door until one day he passed him by; featured a closing music video tribute to Hart to the tune of “You Start the Fire”:
Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Leif Cassidy (w/ Marty Jannetty) with the superkick at 11:16 after WWF World Champion Bret Hart, who came ringside early in the bout, prevented Jannetty from interfering; prior to the bout, Michaels came out with a video camera to film the crowd, clips of which were spliced in with his entrance; following Michaels’ entrance, he took the mic and introduced his friend Jose Lothario, who then came out to be in Michaels’ corner; moments later, it was announced Lothario would be in Michaels’ corner at WrestleMania; Lothario then took the mic and said he and Michaels would bring San Antonio its first ever WWF World Title; early in the match, Hart came out to provide guest commentary, with Jerry Lawler then leaving ringside; moments later, Marty Jannetty came out to be in Cassidy’s corner; after the bout, Michaels immediately went to the floor and argued with Jannetty before doing the same with Hart; after Michaels & Lothario left ringside, Vince McMahon conducted a ringside interview with Hart in which Hart said he considered Michaels a friend, not an enemy, but that he had no choice but to pound Michaels into the dirt for 60 minutes at WrestleMania (Lothario’s debut in Michaels’ corner)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Aldo Montoya at 4:42 with the Pedigree; during Helmsley’s entrance, footage was shown of the Ultimate Warrior’s appearance at WrestleMania VIII
Ahmed Johnson defeated Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification at 5:34 when Davey Boy Smith attacked Johnson as Johnson attempted the Pearl River Plunge; during the bout, Diana Hart Smith was shown sitting in the crowd; early in the bout, Smith came ringside, followed by the announcement Jake Roberts and Yokozuna were not on hand; after the bout, Johnson fought off Hart and Smith until he was attacked by Vader; moments later, Johnson was triple teamed until Roberts and Yokozuna made the save and helped clear the ring
WWF @ Hartford, CT – Civic Center – March 15, 1996 (7,317)
Bob Backlund defeated the 1-2-3 Kid
Barry Horowitz defeated Dr. Isaac Yankem
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose
WWF World Champion Bret Hart & Undertaker defeated Diesel & Shawn Michaels when Hart pinned Diesel
Ahmed Johnson & Yokozuna defeated Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart
WWF IC Champion Goldust defeated Savio Vega
Justin Bradshaw pinned Aldo Montoya
Steve Austin defeated Avatar via submission with the Million $ Dream
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
WWF @ Quebec City, Quebec – March 16, 1996
WWF @ Landover, MD – USAir Arena – March 16, 1996 (6,660)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip following Henry’s Slop Drop on Zip
The 1-2-3 Kid pinned Barry Horowitz with a spin kick
Ahmed Johnson pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with the Pearl River Plunge
Justin Bradshaw pinned Avatar with the lariat
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose
Jake Roberts & Yokozuna defeated Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart
WWF IC Champion Goldust defeated Savio Vega
Shawn Michaels defeated Steve Austin
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker and Diesel in a triple threat elimination match; Bret and Undertaker wrestled each other first, and Bret pinned Taker after Diesel interfered; Diesel then wrestled Bret and Bret got the pin after Taker interfered (the first triple threat match)
WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – March 17, 1996 (17,000; sell out; 14,824 paid)
Matches advertised for the May 19 return included WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel in a steel cage match, Razor Ramon vs. WWF IC Champion Goldust, Vader vs. Yokozuna, and Ahmed Johnson vs. Davey Boy Smith
Aldo Montoya pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with a small package
Justin Bradshaw pinned Avatar with the lariat
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip
Steve Austin defeated Barry Horowitz with the Million $ Dream
WWF World Champion Bret Hart & Undertaker defeated Diesel & Shawn Michaels via disqualification when Diesel hit the Undertaker with a steel chair as Taker had Michaels set up for the tombstone; Dok Hendrix was the guest ring announcer for the bout; after the match, Diesel hit Hart with the chair before doing the same to Michaels; moments later, as Michaels was helped from the ring, WWF TV cameras picked up him saying, “I’m going to kick his seven-foot ass”
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose in a No DQ match following the Pedigree onto a trash can lid
WWF IC Champion Goldust pinned Savio Vega after hitting him with the title belt; earlier in the match, Goldust attempted to walk out of the match but was threatened by the referee that he would lose the title if he did
Ahmed Johnson pinned the 1-2-3 Kid with the Pearl River Plunge
Jake Roberts & Yokozuna (w/ George Steele) defeated Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart when Yoko pinned Hart after a DDT from Roberts and a legdrop; during the match, Jim Cornette was handcuffed to Steele at ringside for the duration of the bout; after the match, Steele ripped open one of the turnbuckles (Roberts’ return to MSG after more than a 4-year absence)
USWA @ Memphis, TN – Mid-South Coliseum – March 18, 1996
Brian Christopher & Isaac Yankem DDS defeated Men on a Mission
Unified Champion Jerry Lawler defeated Mankind via disqualification when Mankind piledrived Lawler; after the bout, Mankind hit a piledriver on the referee and a second one to Lawler
WrestleMania XII – Anaheim, CA – Arrowhead Pond – March 31, 1996 (15,855; 12,909 paid)
Free For All: WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) at 5:24 when Skip pinned Phinneas with a roll up after Sunny distracted Phinneas from the apron by lifting the back of her skirt as he attempted the Slop Drop (Free For All, Sunny)
Pay-per-view matches – featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary:
Vader, Owen Hart, & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated Ahmed Johnson, Jake Roberts, & Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) at 13:11 when Vader pinned Roberts with a running Vader Bomb followed by a Vader Bomb off the middle turnbuckle as Roberts attempted to hit the DDT on an interfering Cornette; had Yoko’s team won, Yoko would have received 5 minutes alone in the ring with Cornette
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Savio Vega via submission with the Million $ Dream at 10:08 after twice hitting Savio in the head with the Million $ Belt; after the bout, Austin kept the hold applied for several moments until more officials came to the ring
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Sable) at 1:39 by placing two knees on the chest after hitting the flying shoulder block, gorilla press slam, and splash, moments after Helmsley hit the Pedigree; immediately following the bout, Todd Pettengill conducted a backstage interview with ‘Wildman’ Marc Mero (mistakenly calling him ‘Maro’), during which Mero and Helmsley got into a brawl after Helmsley verbally berated Sable and interrupted Mero’s interview (Warrior’s return match after nearly a 4-year absence; Sable’s debut; Mero’s debut) (Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology)
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Diesel with a chokeslam and the tombstone at 16:47; during the bout, Diesel hit two consecutive powerbombs (Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker, The Undertaker: 15-0)
Roddy Piper defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) in a non-title Hollywood Backlot Brawl; in a pre-taped segment which aired following the 6-man tag, Piper and Goldust battled on a Hollywood Backlot, with Goldust eventually fleeing in his gold Cadillac and Piper chasing after him in his white Ford Bronko; later in the show, footage from the OJ Simpson police chase was shown to ‘document’ Piper making his way to the arena; Piper and Goldust then came out and battled in the ring, where Piper stripped the champion down to his lingerie, with Goldust then escaping backstage to end the contest; after the bout, Piper celebrated in the ring with his son Colt (Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story)
Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) defeated WWF World Champion Bret Hart in an Ironman match to win the title; the original decision was a draw at 60:02, as neither man had scored a fall in the 60-minute time-limit, however the match was restarted by WWF President Gorilla Monsoon, with Michaels hitting two superkicks in sudden death to pick up the win at 1:53; prior to the bout, Monsoon was formally introduced as the newly reinstated president; during the challenger’s entrance, he came down from the ceiling on a zipwire, eventually landing in the crowd; during the contest, several members of the Hart Family were shown at ringside, including Stu and Blade; Freddie Blassie was shown sitting next to Stu; during the last 34 seconds of the bout, Micheals was trapped in the Sharpshooter but refused to submit; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Match of the Year (Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Express Tour, Shawn Michaels: From the Vault, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart)
WWF @ San Bernardino, CA – Orange Pavilion – April 1, 1996 (3,000; sell out)
Monday Night Raw taping:
In a non-televised segment before the tapings, Jake Roberts was being interviewed until he was attacked by Mankind, with Marc Mero making the save; Bret Hart vs. Diesel vs. the Undertaker in a triple threat match was originally scheduled for the show
The Ultimate Warrior defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out
Ahmed Johnson & Jake Roberts defeated Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart when Johnson pinned Owen with the Pearl River Plunge
The Undertaker pinned Vader with a chokeslam
4/1/96 – included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with the new WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels:
Mankind defeated Bob Holly via submission with the Mandible Claw (Mankind’s TV debut)
Marc Mero pinned Isaac Yankem DDS
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated Aldo Montoya & Barry Horowitz when Zip pinned Aldo with a sit-down splash off the top after Skip hit a Frankensteiner off the top
The Undertaker defeated Justin Bradshaw via disqualification when Mankind interfered after Taker hit the tombstone on his opponent; moments later, Mankind hit the elbow off the apron to the floor and applied the Mandible Claw (Before They Were Superstars Vol. 1 DVD)
4/8/96 – the first episode to begin at 8:57pm, to counter WCW Monday Nitro which had been airing 3 minutes before Raw and was winning over viewers by doing so; included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with the Ultimate Warrior regarding his match with Goldust at In Your House:
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith in an arm wrestling match; after the match, Smith attacked Ahmed with the table
Vader defeated Yokozuna via referee’s descretion after Yoko received a Vader Bomb on his leg, seemingly breaking it
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Jerry Lawler with the superkick; after the match, Diesel – who did guest commentary for much of the bout – was challenged to come in the ring by Michaels; moments later, Diesel knocked the champion out with a belt shot to the head
4/15/96 – featured an opening graphic which read viewer discretion is advised; included Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included McMahon & Lawler speaking with Diesel, calling in from Germany, regarding his attack on Shawn Michaels the previous month at Madison Square Garden and knocking Michaels out the previous week on Raw thanks to Mr. Perfect; during the segment, it was noted Diesel would face Michaels in a no holds barred match at In Your House; featured McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Jim Cornette & Vader in which Cornette bragged about Vader sending both Gorilla Monsoon and Yokozuna to the hospital; moments later, McMahon announced Vader would face Razor Ramon at In Your House, with Cornette saying Ramon would soon cease to exist and made a bad career move agreeing to face Vader; included a Sunny music video to the tune of Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny;” featured the announcement Vader, Mankind, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn would be in action the following week; included a closing segment in which backstage footage from WrestleMania 12 was shown of Bret Hart leaving ringside, hanging his head, forcing the cameraman out of his locker room, and driving from the arena without showering – prior to which he told the cameraman to “Fuck off” (the word was bleeped); Hart then spoke from Bonn, Germany about the fact his match with Michaels at WrestleMania was not a 60-minute match as he agreed to, the match was stopped as Michaels was in the Sharpshooter, and was then ordered to continue; Hart then said he couldn’t see himself working for another wrestling company because it would be a step down, then saying he wasn’t greedy for money, he was greedy for respect; he continued by saying he had less yearning to return to the WWF because he felt betrayed but he would take a title shot anytime and any place:
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Leif Cassidy (w/ Marty Jannetty) with a sunset flip off the top at 9:28; during Mero’s entrance, the English commentary was accidentally replaced by the Spanish commentary for about 30 seconds; during the match, it was noted Yokozuna did not sustain a broken leg in his match with Vader the previous week (Sable’s debut in Mero’s corner)
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Bart Gunn with the Million $ Dream at 11:18 after escaping Gunn’s sleeper and ramming him shoulder-first into the ringpost; during the match, Jerry Lawler said Dibiase was offering $1 million to any wrestler that could break Austin’s Million $ Dream; it was noted during the bout that Ahmed Johnson’s thumb was broken the previous week during his arm wrestling contest with Davey Boy Smith but Johnson would not take any time off to recover
Savio Vega pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) to win the title at 15:44 by hitting him with the title belt after the champion attempted to use it while referee Earl Hebner was knocked down; during Goldust’s entrance, it was noted he would face the Ultimate Warrior at In Your House; mid-way through the match, Goldust took the mic and threatened to kiss everyone in attendance if they didn’t shut up; during the final moments of the match, referee Tim White saw Savio use the belt and ordered Goldust was the winner by disqualification; moments later, after Vega was announced as the new champion, Gorilla Monsoon came out to the ring and told Howard Finkel that Goldust had been stripped of the title, the title was vacant, and a rematch would take place the following week to determine the championship
4/22/96 – included footage from the Germany tour in which Davey Boy Smith interjected himself in a match pitting Jake Roberts against Owen Hart, only for Jake to hit a short clothesline on him and take Revalations out of the snake bag:
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Savio Vega after Steve Austin and Ted Dibiase came ringside, with Austin hitting Savio in the head with the Million $ Belt as Marlena distracted the referee; due to pre-match stipulations, Goldust won the vacated WWF IC Championship
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Fatu with a moonsault
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Yoshihiro Tajiri & Ken Patterson following the Slop Drop; during the bout, Sunny came ringside with the tag team championship belts and lured Hillbilly Jim backstage, allowing Skip & Zip to jump the Godwinns from behind after the match and slop Phinneas
Mankind defeated Aldo Montoya via submission with the Mandible Claw
WWF @ San Diego, CA – Sports Arena – April 2, 1996 (7,052; 5,557 paid)
WWF Superstars taping:
In a non-televised segment before the tapings, Savio Vega was interviewed until he was attacked by Mankind, with Marc Mero making the save; Bret Hart vs. Diesel vs. the Undertaker was originally scheduled for the show
Barry Lee defeated Raven Clark
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose
Ahmed Johnson & Marc Mero defeated Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) when Mero pinned Owen at 4:35 with a leg backslide after avoiding a back suplex attempt (Action Zone)
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) at 3:12 with a flying clothesline and chokeslam, moments after Taker sustained two Vader Bombs from his opponent (Action Zone)
The Ultimate Warrior defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via count-out when Goldust left ringside
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superkick
4/6/96:
Ahmed Johnson pinned Tim Patterson with the Pearl River Plunge
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Fatu with the Pedigree
Jerry Lawler pinned Greg Davis with the piledriver; Lawler brought a mic into the ring and did his own color commentary during the match
Duke Drose pinned Raven Clark with the tilt-a-whirl slam
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Shawn Dakota with the powerbomb
4/13/96:
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Mike Starr & Larry Sampson after Henry hit the Slop Drop
Mankind defeated Jason Castro via submission with the Mandible Claw
Marc Mero pinned Adam Grove with a legdrop over the top into the ring
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Dave Starr with the lariat
The Caribbean Kid pinned Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) with a small package; after the bout, the Caribbean Kid unmasked himself as Savio Vega (Austin’s first TV loss)
4/20/96:
Ahmed Johnson pinned Gary Lee with the Pearl River Plunge
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated Stephen DeLeon & Wayne Bradley with a top rope Frankensteiner by Skip followed by a sit-down splash off the top by Zip
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Bob Holly with the running powerslam after Holly became distracted by Cornette
The 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) pinned Greg Davis with a roundhouse kick
Savio Vega pinned El Diablo with a spin kick
4/27/96 – included comments from Diesel, taped in Bayreuth, Germany, regarding his upcoming title match against Shawn Michaels; in the promo, Diesel referred to Vince McMahon as a corporate puppet:
Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated Fatu via submission with the Sharpshooter after hitting a superplex; mid-way through the bout, the Gangstas briefly appeared at ringside
WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Mark Cassell in a non-title match with the Curtain Call
The Bushwhackers defeated Tim Patterson & David Starr following the battering ram
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned John Black with the Vader Bomb
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned the 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) in a non-title match with the superkick; after the bout, Michaels started throwing Dibiase’s money into the crowd before Steve Austin came to the ring, with the two trading blows until Michaels sent Austin to the floor
WWF @ Dortmund, Germany – Westfalenhalle – April 7, 1996 (7,339)
The Bushwhackers & Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated the 1-2-3 Kid, Leif Cassidy, & WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip
Savio Vega defeated Owen Hart via disqualification when Owen Hart interfered
Justin Bradshaw defeated Duke Drose
Ahmed Johnson defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Davey Boy Smith defeated Jake Roberts
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Razor Ramon
The Undertaker defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via disqualification
Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin via submission to the Sharpshooter
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Diesel with the superkick
WWF @ Kassel, Germany – Eissporthalle – April 10, 1996 (4,500)
Savio Vega pinned Isaac Yankem DDS at 4:40
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated the Bushwhackers at 8:30
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith in an arm wrestling match via disqualification
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose at 5:20
Justin Bradshaw pinned Jake Roberts at 7:50
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Leif Cassidy & the 1-2-3 Kid at 14:50
WWF IC Champion Goldust pinned Razor Ramon at 12:42
Bret Hart pinned Owen Hart at 13:40
The Undertaker pinned Diesel at 6:58 with the tombstone
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin at 27:03
WWF @ Bonn, Germany – Hardtberghalle – April 11, 1996 (2,400)
The Bushwhackers & Duke Drose defeated Leif Cassidy, Dr. Isaac Yankem DDS, and the 1-2-3 Kid
Justin Bradshaw pinned Savio Vega
Owen Hart pinned Jake Roberts
Ahmed Johnson defeated Steve Austin via disqualification
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
WWF IC Champion Goldust pinned Razor Ramon
The Undertaker pinned Diesel
Bret Hart defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via submission with the Sharpshooter
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Davey Boy Smith
WWF @ Frankfurt, Germany – Festhalle – April 12, 1996 (6,202)
The Bushwhackers & Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated the 1-2-3 Kid, Leif Cassidy, & WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip
Justin Bradshaw pinned Duke Drose
Savio Vega defeated Owen Hart via disqualification
Davey Boy Smith pinned Jake Roberts with his feet on the ropes
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Razor Ramon with the Pedigree
Ahmed Johnson pinned Isaac Yankem DDS
Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin via submission with the Sharpshooter
The Undertaker defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust via disqualification
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Diesel
WWF @ Dusseldorf, Germany – Philipshalle – April 13, 1996 (4,000; sell out)
The Bushwhackers defeated the 1-2-3 Kid & Leif Cassidy
Justin Bradshaw pinned Duke Drose
Jake Roberts pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with the DDT
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega
WWF IC Champion Goldust pinned Razor Ramon with his feet on the ropes; Goldust was injured during the match and went home early from the tour where it was revealed he suffered a torn hamstring, a torn calf muscle, and torn ligaments in his knee
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Ahmed Johnson defeated Owen Hart via disqualification when Davey Boy Smith interfered
Bret Hart pinned Davey Boy Smith
The Undertaker pinned Diesel with the tombstone
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF @ Bielefeld, Germany – Seidenstickerhalle – April 14, 1996 (3,300)
The 1-2-3 Kid & Leif Cassidy defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Justin Bradshaw defeated Jake Roberts
Savio Vega defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith in an arm wrestling match via disqualification when Owen Hart interfered
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Duke Drose
Razor Ramon defeated the 1-2-3 Kid (sub. for Goldust)
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated the Bushwhackers
Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart
The Undertaker pinned Diesel
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin
WWF @ Oldenburg, Germany – Weser-Ems-Halle – April 15, 1996 (5,500)
The Bushwhackers & Duke Drose defeated Leif Cassidy, Isaac Yankem DDS, and the 1-2-3 Kid
Justin Bradshaw pinned Savio Vega
Owen Hart pinned Jake Roberts
Ahmed Johnson defeated Steve Austin via disqualification
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Razor Ramon defeated the 1-2-3 Kid (sub. for WWF IC Champion Goldust)
The Undertaker pinned Diesel
Bret Hart defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via submission with the Sharpshooter
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Davey Boy Smith
WWF @ Hamburg, Germany – Sporthalle – April 16, 1996
Katarina Waters (Katie Lea Burchill) was in attendance for the show
Razor Ramon defeated the 1-2-3 Kid
Justin Bradshaw defeated Duke Drose
Jake Roberts defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega
The Bushwhackers defeated Leif Cassidy & Justin Bradshaw
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in an arm wrestling match
Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
The Undertaker defeated Diesel
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superkick at 20:50
WWF @ Berlin, Germany – Deutschlandhalle – April 17, 1996
The Bushwhackers and Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated the 1-2-3 Kid, Leif Cassidy, and WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in an arm wrestling match
Jake Roberts pinned Isaac Yankem DDS
Justin Bradshaw pinned Savio Vega
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Razor Ramon
Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin
The Undertaker pinned Owen Hart
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Diesel
WWF @ Rostock, Germany – Stadthalle – April 18, 1996 (3,000)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Leif Cassidy & the 1-2-3 Kid
Justin Bradshaw defeated Jake Roberts
Savio Vega defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Duke Drose
Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated the Bushwhackers
Razor Ramon defeated the 1-2-3 Kid
The Undertaker defeated Diesel
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Steve Austin
WWF @ Halle, Germany – Eissporthalle – April 19, 1996 (4,751; sell out)
Razor Ramon defeated the 1-2-3 Kid
Justin Bradshaw defeated Duke Drose
Jake Roberts defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Savio Vega defeated Steve Austin via disqualification
The Bushwhackers defeated Leif Cassidy & Justin Bradshaw
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in an arm wrestling match
Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
The Undertaker defeated Diesel
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF @ Bayreuth, Germany – Oberfrankenhalle – April 20, 1996 (3,637)
The Bushwhackers & Duke Drose defeated Leif Cassidy, Isaac Yankem DDS, & the 1-2-3 Kid
Justin Bradshaw pinned Savio Vega
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in an arm wrestling match
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Jake Roberts defeated Owen Hart via disqualification when Davey Boy Smith interfered after Roberts hit the DDT; after the bout, Roberts wrapped his python around Smith
Razor Ramon pinned Justin Bradshaw
Bret Hart defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
The Undertaker pinned Diesel
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin
WWF @ Stuttgart, Germany – Hanns-Martin-Schleyerhalle – April 21, 1996 (4,900)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Leif Cassidy & the 1-2-3 Kid
Savio Vega defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Justin Bradshaw defeated Jake Roberts
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in an arm wrestling match
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated the Bushwhackers
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Razor Ramon
Bret Hart defeated Owen Hart
The Undertaker defeated Diesel
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Steve Austin
WWF @ Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle – April 22, 1996 (4,702)
The Bushwhackers and Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated the 1-2-3 Kid, Leif Cassidy, and WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in an arm wrestling match
Jake Roberts pinned Razor Ramon
Justin Bradshaw pinned Duke Drose
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Savio Vega
Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin
The Undertaker pinned Owen Hart
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Diesel
USWA @ Troy, TN – April 26, 1996
Vader & Brian Christopher defeated Jeff Jarrett & Sir Mo
In Your House “Good Friends…Better Enemies” – Omaha, NE – Civic Center – April 28, 1996 (9,563; 8,273 paid; sell out)
Free for All – featured Dok Hendrix conducting a backstage interview with the Ultimate Warrior, during which Marlena interrupted with Goldust then blowing goldust into Warrior’s face; Warrior then chased Goldust around backstage, with Goldust falling down and suffering what appeared to be a leg injury; included Sunny confronting Phinneas Godwinn backstage and appearing to flash him; featured pre-taped comments from WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels, in the empty arena, and Diesel about their title match, with Diesel saying he would have a surprise for Vince McMahon during the contest:
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated the 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) via disqualification at 7:17 when Hunter Hearst Helmsley interfered and hit the Pedigree on Mero
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included Dok Hendrix conducting a backstage interview with Marc Mero, with Sable, about the attack he sustained from Hunter Hearst Helmsley during the Free for All as well as the announcement Mero would face Helmsley at the following month’s In Your House:
Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart defeated Jake Roberts & Ahmed Johnson at 13:45 when Roberts submitted to a modified half crab by Smith after Smith repeatedly hit Roberts in the knee with Jim Cornette’s tennis racquet which had been left at ringside; the match was originally scheduled as Roberts vs. Smith in a singles match but was changed after Roberts was forced to take his snake backstage and then returned with Ahmed, to counter Hart who was already in Smith’s corner alongside Cornette & Clarance Mason; Mason took Cornette backstage moments into the match after Roberts scared Cornette with his snake; prior to Roberts’ entrance, footage was shown from the 4/20/96 match in Bayreuth, Germany between Roberts and Hart in which Roberts wrapped his snake around an interfering Smith; Diana Hart Smith was shown watching the match from the crowd
The Ultimate Warrior defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena & Bruiser Mastino) via count-out at 7:38 when Goldust & Marlena left ringside after Warrior stuck Marlena’s lit cigar in Goldust’s hand and then clotheslined him out of his director’s char in the ring; there was no contact made in the match aside from what happened at the finish; Mastino was not referred to by name during the match; after the bout, Mastino – acting as Goldust’s bodyguard – attacked Warrior but Warrior fought him off and hit a bodyslam; moments later, footage was shown of Davey Boy Smith trying to get into WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels’ locker room backstage but was stopped by Dave Hebner and Tony Garea
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Razor Ramon with a sit-down splash after blocking an attempt at the Razor’s Edge and hitting a backdrop at 14:49; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Vader injuring Yokozuna’s leg three weeks earlier on Raw; after the match, Dok Hendrix interviewed Vader & Cornette at ringside during which he announced Vader would face Yokozuna at the following month’s In Your House, with Vader then arguing with Cornette over the announcement (Scott Hall’s return TV match after a 2-month absence and his last TV appearance for nearly 6 years)
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) at 7:16 when Zip pinned Henry with an inside cradle after switching places with Skip, moments after Henry hit the Slop Drop on Skip but the referee was distracted by an altercation on the floor between Phinneas, Hillbilly, and Sunny; prior to the bout, footage was shown of the Body Donnas defeating the Godwinns for the tag team titles at WrestleMania
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Diesel in a no holds barred match at 17:52 after landing a low blow, hitting Diesel with Mad Dog Vachon’s prosthetic leg – which the challenger ripped off Vachon as he sat at ringside – and hit the superkick; earlier in the bout, Diesel powerbombed Michaels through the announce table; prior to the match, Michaels was escorted to the ring by Jose Lothario (Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Express Tour, Shawn Michaels: From the Vault, The Best of In Your House)
Dark Matches after the show:
Savio Vega defeated Steve Austin
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Marc Mero
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Mankind with the chokeslam and tombstone at 11:04 (WWE: Attitude Era Unreleased Volume 3)
WWF @ Sioux City, IA – Municipal Auditorium – April 29, 1996 (4,000; 3,200 paid)
Monday Night Raw taping:
This show was to have originally included the Ultimate Warrior vs. Diesel and Razor Ramon vs. Goldust but those were later cancelled due to Razor and Diesel’s contract status with the WWF
Greg Walsh pinned Carl the Lumberjack with a sunset flip
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
4/29/96 – included an opening segment from the end of the previous night’s pay-per-view in which a furious Davey Boy Smith claimed Shawn Michaels wanted to sleep with his wife and then went ringside before officials could hold him back; featured an in-ring interview segment conducted by Vince McMahon in which Davey Boy Smith, Diana Hart Smith, and Jim Cornette accused Shawn Michaels of trying to sleep with Diana; after Diana slapped Michaels for asking her not to flatter herself, Davey Boy and the champion brawled around the ring once Michaels said he knew who wore the pants in the Smith family:
Mankind defeated Bart Gunn via submission with the Mandible Claw; after the bout, Jim Ross interviewed Gunn at ringside regarding the match before he was jumped by Mankind and once again sustained the Mandible Claw
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Scott Taylor via submission with the Million $ Dream; after the bout, Savio Vega – who did guest commentary for the bout – challenged Austin to a Caribbean Strap Match; after both Austin and Dibiase rejected the challenge, Savio got in the ring and attacked Austin with the strap
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy fought Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) to a double count-out when the legal men were unable to return to the ring; during the closing moments of the bout, Sunny came out to scout the competition as the winner of the bout would have earned a title shot against the Body Donnas; after the result of the bout, it was announced a rematch would be held on WWF Superstars
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with the flying shoulder block and splash (Yankem’s last TV appearance; Glen Jacobs’ last TV appearance for 5 months)
5/6/96 – the broadcast was dedicated to the memory of Ray Stevens, who passed away the previous day:
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase) at around the 11-minute mark when the Kid failed a superplex, with Mero falling on top for the win; Hunter Hearst Helmsley did guest commentary for the match and crotched Mero on the top rope during the closing moments of the contest
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette & Diana Smith) pinned Fatu with the running powerslam at around the 10:30 mark
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated Techno Team 2000 in a non-title match at around 9:15 when Zip scored the pin with a double axe handle off the top after Skip hit a Frankensteiner off the top
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Owen Hart at around 9:15 by picking his opponent off the apron and hitting the tombstone after Hart became distracted by having his ass grabbed by Goldust at ringside; Goldust did guest commentary for the match and, afterwards, was scared from ringside along with Marlena after Paul Bearer brought a gold casket to the ring
5/13/96 – included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with the Undertaker & Paul Bearer which was interrupted by Goldust and Marlena, with Mankind attacking Taker from behind moments later and applying the Mandible Claw; featured footage of the WWF’s tour of Kuwait in which Davey Boy Smith attacked Shawn Michaels on the beach, dragging him into the ocean:
Ahmed Johnson defeated WWF Tag Team Champion Zip (w/ Sunny & Skip) by pinning an interfering Skip with the Pearl River Plunge, with the referee not noticing it wasn’t the legal man
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Duke Drose with the Vader Bomb
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Aldo Montoya with the lariat; after the bout, Aldo was branded
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at around the 20-minute mark in a non-title match after reversing an attempt at the Pedigree with a backdrop, then hitting the superkick; late in the contest, Mr. Perfect came ringside and stole Helmsley’s valet; after the bout, Jim Ross informed Davey Boy Smith backstage that Michaels would be doing guest commentary during Smith’s match the following week against Jake Roberts
5/20/96 – included footage from the previous night’s show at Madison Square Garden, focusing on the Godwinns winning the tag team titles from the Body Donnas; featured footage of Ahmed Johnson winning the Kuwaiti Cup Tournament; included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Paul Bearer in which Mankind came out and attacked the casket which the Undertaker was laying in, eventually destroying it with a steel pole as Goldust and Marlena came out to hold off Bearer:
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Marc Mero (w/ Sable) via disqualification when Savio Vega interfered, hitting Austin in the back with the Caribban strap as Austin was perched on the top rope; after the bout, Mero took slight exception to the loss
Savio Vega pinned the 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase); after the bout, Steve Austin and the Kid double teamed Savio, trying him up with the Caribbean strap, and letting Dibiase put the chauffer’s hat on Vega’s head
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette, Clarence Mason, & Diana Hart Smith) fought Jake Roberts to a no contest when Smith attacked Shawn Michaels, who was doing guest commentary for the bout, on the floor after Michaels grabbed Jim Cornette, who was also doing commentary; prior to the bout, Cornette stated that Michaels would not be able to do commentary since Mason had written up a 100-yard restraining order on behalf of Diana Hart Smith; this brought out WWF President Gorilla Monsoon who agreed that it was a valid document before ordering Diana backstage; Diana returned ringside late in the contest and threw a cup of water at Michaels, with Michaels grabbing Cornette soon thereafter
WWF @ Des Moines, IA – Veterans Memorial Auditorium – April 30, 1996 (7,000; 5,373 paid)
WWF Superstars taping:
Early versions of the card included Razor Ramon vs. Mankind, Vader vs. Shawn Michaels, Diesel vs. the Undertaker in a casket match, and the Ultimate Warrior vs. Davey Boy Smith
Tony Williams defeated Carl LeDuc
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via submission with the figure-4
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader following three clotheslines and a splash
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) with the superkick (Shawn Michaels The Showstopper: Unreleased)
5/4/96:
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn when Cassidy, the illegal man, pinned Phinneas with a sunset flip off the top after Skip & Zip came ringside and distracted the referee; due to pre-match stipulations, Jannetty & Cassidy earned a tag team title shot against the Body Donnas
Mankind defeated Scott Taylor via submission with the Mandible Claw
The Bushwhackers (w/ someone in a kangaroo costume) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) in a non-title match at around 5:16 when Butch pinned Skip after Phinneas Godwinn, who came ringside at the 3-minute mark with Henry Godwinn, hit Skip in the back of the head with his slop bucket, knocking Skip off the top; during the bout, Jim Ross left the commentary table to interview Harvey Wippleman, watching the contest from the aisle, who said he was watching all the officials in the WWF and would present a report to WWF President Gorilla Monsoon (Action Zone)
Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated Duke Drose via submission with the Sharpshooter; after the bout, Hart refused to release the hold, prompting Bob Holly to come out; moments later, Davey Boy Smith appeared as well, with Cornette issuing a challenge to Holly & Drose for the following week
5/11/96:
The Smoking Gunns defeated Techno Team 2000 at 4:31 when Billy pinned Troy following a back suplex / neckbreaker double team
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Matt Hardy via submission with the Million $ Dream
Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart defeated Duke Drose & Bob Holly at 9:53 when Smith pinned Holly with the running powerslam after Owen hit a spinning heel kick
Jake Roberts pinned Derrick Stone with the DDT
Fatu fought Mankind to a no contest when Mankind attacked Fatu before the match began
5/18/96:
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy when Zip pinned Cassidy following a forearm to the back of the head behind the referee’s back; during the bout, both the Smoking Gunns and Henry & Phinneas Godwinn watched the match from the aisleway
Ahmed Johnson pinned David Haskins with the Pearl River Plunge
Bob Backlund defeated Roy Raymond via submission with the Crossface Chicken Wing
Savio Vega fought Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) to a double disqualification when Bradshaw began using his bullrope as Savio used his Caribbean strap
5/25/96:
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Fatu via submission with the Million $ Dream after throwing Fatu to the floor; after the bout, Austin refused to break the hold, prompting Savio Vega to come out and whip Austin with his Caribbean strap; during the match, the two Samoans who knew Fatu watched on from the aisle (the last TV appearance of the Fatu character)
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated the Brooklyn Brawler via submission with a figure-4; after the bout, Bob Backlund attacked Mero and locked him in the Crossface Chicken Wing; moments later, Hunter Hearst Helmsley came out and hit the Pedigree on Mero
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette & Diana Hart Smith) pinned Jason Ahrndt with the running powerslam
The Bushwhackers defeated Tony Roy & Brian Walsh following the battering ram
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Bob Holly with the Vader Bomb
– 5/5/96: Ray “The Crippler” Stevens passed away at the age of 60.
WWF @ Kuwait City, Kuwait – Al Arabi Stadium – May 8, 1996 (20,000)
Savio Vega pinned Duke Drose at 12:01 with a roll up after blocking Drose’s attempt at the Trash Compactor; Drose played the heel in the match
Kuwait Cup Opening Round: Steve Austin defeated Marty Jannetty via submission at 13:18 with the Million $ Dream after kicking Jannetty in the face as he ran into the corner
Kuwait Cup Opening Round: Ahmed Johnson pinned Aldo Montoya at 3:31 with the Pearl River Plunge; Montoya played the heel for the match
The Bushwhackers defeated Bob Backlund & Isaac Yankem DDS
Kuwait Cup Opening Round: Bret Hart defeated Leif Cassidy via submission at 10:44 with the Sharpshooter after catching Cassidy in the air as he attempted a leapfrog
Kuwait Cup Opening Round: Owen Hart defeated Yokozuna via count-out at 5:31 when Yoko threw Owen back in the ring just before the 10-count as both men were brawling on the floor
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the tombstone
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Davey Boy Smith at 13:37 with a backdrop and the superkick; just as the match begun the match was stopped when an object was thrown in the ring and hit referee Earl Hebner in his eye knocking him down, with Hebner then being helped backstage to have a bandage put on his head before returning and restarting the match
WWF @ Erie, PA – Civic Center – May 9, 1996 (2,403)
Bob Holly defeated the Brooklyn Brawler (sub. for Bob Backlund)
The Smoking Gunns defeated Samu & the Tahitian Warrior (Billy Gunn’s return from injury)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Barry Horowitz
Jerry Lawler (sub. for WWF IC Champion Goldust) defeated Razor Ramon; Mr. Perfect was the guest referee for the bout
Marc Mero defeated Mankind via disqualification
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader
WWF @ Kuwait City, Kuwait – Al Arabi Stadium – May 9, 1996 (20,000)
Aldo Montoya defeated Bushwhacker Luke
Kuwait Cup Opening Round: Savio Vega pinned Bob Backlund at 4:30 after reversing Backlund’s powerslam attempt into a small package
Kuwait Cup Opening Round: Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Bushwhacker Butch at 11:56 with the Pedigree
Yokozuna & Ahmed Johnson defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy at 12:46 when Yoko pinned Cassidy with the Bonzai Drop after the Pearl River Plunge from Ahmed (World Tour 96)
Kuwait Cup Opening Round: Davey Boy Smith pinned Duke Drose at 10:36 with the running powerslam after Drose missed a top rope headbutt (World Tour 96)
Kuwait Cup Opening Round: The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Isaac Yankem DDS at 11:19 with the tombstone
Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin via submission with the Sharpshooter at 16:37 after avoiding a suplex (World Tour 96)
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Owen Hart at 14:27 with the superkick
WWF @ Hamilton, Ontario – Copps Coliseum – May 10, 1996 (11,515)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz
Bob Holly pinned Sexton Hardcastle (Edge)
The Smoking Gunns defeated Samu & the Tahitian Warrior
Marc Mero pinned the Brooklyn Brawler
Jerry Lawler pinned Razor Ramon after using an illegal object; Mr. Perfect was the guest referee
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Mankind defeated Jake Roberts with the Mandible Claw
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader
WWF @ Kuwait City, Kuwait – Al Arabi Stadium – May 10, 1996 (20,000)
Duke Drose defeated Bob Backlund
Aldo Montoya defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated the Bushwhackers at 10:09 when Jannetty pinned Butch with a fistsdrop off the top as Butch was pinning Cassidy
Raw – 8/26/96 (international version): Kuwait Cup Quarter Finals: The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Davey Boy Smith at 4:20 with the tombstone
Raw – 8/26/96 (international version): Kuwait Cup Quarter Finals: Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Savio Vega at 16:10 with the Pedigree after Steve Austin tripped Vega from the outside
Kuwait Cup Quarter Finals: Owen Hart pinned Bret Hart at 11:31 with a small package following a low blow after Owen pulled referee Mark Yeaton down when Bret was turning Owen over for the Sharpshooter
Raw – 8/26/96 (international version): Kuwait Cup Quarter Finals: Ahmed Johnson pinned Steve Austin at 9:20 with a spinebuster
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Yokozuna at 14:55 with the superkick after Yoko missed a legdrop
WWF @ Kuwait City, Kuwait – Al Arabi Stadium – May 11, 1996 (20,000)
Duke Drose pinned Aldo Montoya at 8:29 with a counter pinfall
Yokozuna pinned Isaac Yankem DDS at 7:47 with a legdrop
The Bushwhackers defeated Bob Backlund & Leif Cassidy at 12:06 when Butch pinned Cassidy with a roll up
Savio Vega defeated Steve Austin in a Caribbean Strap Match at 9:45
Bret Hart pinned Davey Boy Smith at 12:59 with a roll up after Smith ran into Owen Hart on the ring apron, who had grabbed Bret when he tried to stop him interfering as he had the Sharpshooter applied; after the bout, Bret was double-teamed
Raw – 9/2/96 (international version): Kuwait Cup Semi-Finals: Ahmed Johnson pinned Owen Hart with the Pearl River Plunge (World Tour 96)
Raw – 9/2/96 (international version): Kuwait Cup Semi-Finals: Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) via disqualification at 9:11 when Undertaker was caught using Helmsley’s foreign object that he brought into the ring
Raw – 8/26/96 (international version): WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Marty Jannetty with the superkick after missing a flying fistdrop off the top
WWF @ Syracuse, NY – War Memorial – May 11, 1996 (4,230)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz
The Smoking Gunns defeated the Gangstas in Paradise
Marc Mero pinned the Brooklyn Brawler
Jerry Lawler (sub. for WWF IC Champion Goldust) pinned Razor Ramon after using an illegal object; Mr. Perfect was the guest referee
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Mankind defeated Jake Roberts
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader
WWF @ Kuwait City, Kuwait – Al Arabi Stadium – May 12, 1996 (20,000)
Bushwhacker Luke defeated Aldo Montoya
Bushwhacker Butch defeated Leif Cassidy
Duke Drose pinned Marty Jannetty at 10:59 with the Trash Compactor
Yokozuna & Savio Vega defeated Bob Backlund & Isaac Yankem DDS at 9:39 when Yoko pinned Yankem with the Bonzai Drop
Bret Hart & the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith at 14:48 when Taker pinned Owen with the chokeslam and tombstone; Bret came to the ring wearing a traditional Middle Eastern headdress (WWE: Attitude Era Unreleased Volume 3)
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin at 16:41 with the superkick; Austin wore pink wristbands and tape for the match; following the ring entrances, referee Earl Hebner confiscated a weapon that was hidden in the back of Austin’s trunks; the lighting went out mid-way through the contest, with the match continuing in relative darkness until it was fixed; after the match, Michaels took the mic and thanked the fans for coming out before scaling a nearby scaffold with a poster promoting the event (WWE: Attitude Era Unreleased Volume 3)
Raw – 9/2/96 (international version): Kuwait Cup Finals: Ahmed Johnson pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 21:03 with the Pearl River Plunge; after the bout, Ahmed was presented with the Kuwait Cup (World Tour 96)
WWF @ Binghamton, NY – Broome County Arena – May 12, 1996 (3,278)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Barry Horowitz
Marc Mero defeated the Brooklyn Brawler
The Smoking Gunns defeated Samu & the Tahitian Warrior
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godiwnn
Mankind defeated Jake Roberts
Jerry Lawler defeated Razor Ramon; Mr. Perfect was the guest referee for the bout
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Vader
WWF @ Baltimore, MD – Arena – May 17, 1996 (6,559)
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy at 7:38 when Butch pinned Cassidy after Luke interfered behind the referee’s back
Justin Bradshaw pinned Aldo Montoya at 8:01 with a superkick
Savio Vega pinned Mike Khoury (sub. for Hunter Hearst Helmsley) at the 58-second mark with a back kick
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification at 10:45 when Owen Hart interfered as Ahmed prepared to hit the Pearl River Plunge; after the bout, Ahmed chased both men to the back
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts at 17:10 with a roll up and using the tights for leverage after Roberts thought he had won the match with the DDT; Ted Dibiase had placed Austin’s foot on the ropes to break the cover moments prior to the finish
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Owen Hart at 7:25 with a flying shoulder block
Vader pinned Yokozuna at 12:22 after hitting him with Jim Cornette’s tennis racquet
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn at 13:10
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (sub. for WWF IC Champion Goldust) pinned Razor Ramon at 12:32 with the Pedigree as Razor tried to revive the referee
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Diesel in a steel cage match at 11:10 after hitting the superkick, spitting on his knocked out opponent, and leaving through the door
WWF @ Philadelphia, PA – CoreStates Spectrum – May 18, 1996 (matinee) (8,308)
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy when Butch pinned Marty Jannetty with a roll up after Jannetty accidentally hit his own partner
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly with the lariat
Savio Vega pinned Marty Jannetty (sub. for Bob Backlund)
Davey Boy Smith defeated Ahmed Johnson after Owen Hart interfered
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Owen Hart
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts
Vader pinned Yokozuna with the Vader Bomb after Jim Cornette hit Yoko with his tennis racquet
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Razor Ramon
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Diesel in a steel cage match by escaping through the door after hitting the superkick
WWF @ Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Arena – May 18, 1996 (4,783)
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Savio Vega pinned Bob Backlund with a school boy roll up; after the bout, Backlund applied the Crossface Chicken Wing on his opponent
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly with the lariat
Ahmed Johnson pinned Justin Bradshaw with the Pearl River Plunge in an impromptu match; Ahmed was to have fought Davey Boy Smith but was left without an opponent due to Smith being bumped up to the main event
WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn after Phinneas became distracted by Sunny
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts with a clothesline; Austin originally won the match after a shoulderblock but had the bout continue after Roberts agreed
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Razor Ramon with the Pedigree
Vader pinned Yokozuna with the Vader Bomb
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Owen Hart with a flying shoulderblock
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Davey Boy Smith (sub. for Goldust) in a steel cage match by escaping over the top after Smith had his feet entangled in the cage bars
WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – May 19, 1996 (18,800; 16,564 paid; sell out)
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy (the Bushwhackers’ last MSG match)
Savio Vega pinned Bob Backlund
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification at 10:34 when Owen Hart interfered and attacked Johnson as Johnson attempted the Pearl River Plunge; Hart and Smith briefly double teamed Johnson before Hart returned backstage, with Johnson then hitting the Pearl River Plunge on Smith and leaving the ring
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts at 13:54 with a clothesline and grabbing the tights for leverage after Ted Dibiase grabbed Roberts’ foot from the floor; after the match, Austin punched Roberts before Roberts took Revelations out of his snake bag and cleared the ring (Roberts’ MSG return after a 4-year absence)
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) at 7:17 with two hands on his chest after landing three clotheslines and a flying shoulderblock (Warrior’s MSG return after a 5-year absence) (WWE: Attitude Era Unreleased Volume 3)
Vader pinned Yokozuna at 7:02 after hitting him in the face and knee with Jim Cornette’s tennis raquet behind the referee’s back; after the bout, Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Yoko before leaving the ring
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip to win the titles at 10:56 when Phinneas pinned Skip with a kick to the midsection and the Slop Drop after kissing Sunny on the ring apron; after the bout, the champions, Hillbilly Jim, Howard Finkel, and a young fan danced in the ring
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Razor Ramon with the Pedigree moments after referee Tim White was knocked down as Ramon lifted Helmsley up for the Razor’s Edge; after the bout, Ramon attempted to say goodbye to the fans but his mic was cut off (Scott Hall’s last MSG match; his last WWE match for 6 years)
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Diesel in a steel cage match at around the 20-minute mark by escaping out the door after hitting the challenger with a steel chair and following with the superkick; late in the bout, Davey Boy Smith briefly interfered and prevented the champion from escaping over the top; moments later, as Diesel was still knocked out and Michaels was posing with the title belt, Razor Ramon came out, hugged the champion and raised his hand; Michaels then revived Diesel and waved for someone else to join them in the ring; Hunter Hearst Helmsley then appeared and hugged Michaels before all four men embraced and held each others arm in the air (Kevin Nash’s last MSG match for 7 years; his last WWE match for 6 years)
Trans World Wrestling Federation @ Northampton, PA – Community Center – May 24, 1996 (350)
Benefit show; included appearances by Afa & Capt. Lou Albano
Lumberjack defeated Big Cotton
Virgil defeated Mad Russian
Kattra defeated Luna Vachon
Steve Smyth defeated Dan Steel
King Kong Bundy defeated Typhoon
Savio Vega defeated Vampire Warrior
Bam Bam Bigelow (sub. for Yokozuna) defeated Owen Hart
In Your House “Beware of Dog” – Florence, SC – Civic Center – May 26, 1996 (6,000; 4,796 paid)
Free for All: The Smoking Gunns defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim & Sunny) to win the titles at 4:57 when Bart Gunn pinned Phinneas with a back suplex after Phinneas became distracted by Billy Gunn kissing Sunny on the ring apron; during a pre-match backstage interview conducted by Mr. Perfect, Sunny announced she was the new co-manager of the Godwinns (Sunny, Action Zone)
Bob Holly pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with a top rope move
Pay-per-view bouts – only the first and final bout were shown on TV after the power in the arena went out; featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; while the power was out, McMahon & Lawler briefly appeared on television, urging fans to tune into Monday Night Raw for more information about how they could see the matches that wouldn’t be airing due to the outage; during that segment, the Fabulous Moolah & Mae Young were shown sitting in the front row, directly behind McMahon & Lawler:
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 16:23 by reversing an attempt at the Pedigree into a slingshot which sent Helmsley face-first into the ringpost
Savio Vega defeated Steve Austin in a Carribean strap match; after the match, Austin attacked Savio and hung him with the strap
Yokozuna pinned Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) with a Samoan Drop at around the 3-minute mark
WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) defeated the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) in a casket match at around the 8-minute mark after Steve Austin, Vader, Justin Bradshaw, and Isaac Yankem DDS attacked the challenger
Jake Roberts pinned Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) with a roll up at around the 30-second mark; after the match, Bradshaw attacked Roberts and branded him
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) fought Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette, Owen Hart, & Diana Hart Smith) to a draw at 17:25 when both men had their shoulders down following a German suplex into a bridge by the champion, with second referee Mike Chioda and original referee Earl Hebner each counting one wrestler’s shoulders down for 3; earlier in the night, it was announced that Owen had obtained a 1-night South Carolina manager’s license which allowed him to be at ringside; following a pre-match interview backstage, Michaels had a brief confrontation with Mr. Perfect backstage; prior to the bout, Clarence Mason issued Michaels a subpoena, which the champion then tore up; after the bout, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon came to the ring, regained possession of the title belt from Diana, declared the match a draw, and immediately scheduled a rematch between the two (Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Express Tour)
Dark matches after the show:
Ahmed Johnson pinned Jerry Lawler with a sidewalk slam at around the 7-minute mark
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Owen Hart with a series of clotheslines at around the 4-minute mark
WWF @ Fayetteville, NC – Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium – May 27, 1996 (5,000; sell out; 4,200 paid)
Monday Night Raw taping:
The Overlords defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy
Marty Garner defeated Jason Arndt
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader after 10 seconds following three clotheslines
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Jerry Lawler (sub. for WWF IC Champion Goldust) at 13:00 with the superkick
5/27/96 – included highlights from the ‘blacked out’ portion of the previous night’s pay-per-view which were not televised; featured Ted Dibiase challenging Savio Vega to face Steve Austin in a rematch of their Caribbean Strap Match, with Dibiase’s WWF career at stake:
KOTR Qualifying Match: The Ultimate Warrior fought WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) to a double count-out in a non-title match when Goldust tried to leave ringside and was attacked in the aisle by the Warrior; after the bout, Jerry Lawler attempted to retrieve the director’s chair for Marlena but the Warrior grabbed it instead, destroying it in the ring
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) defeated Skip & Zip in a non-title match when the momentum of a flying bodypress by Skip put Bart Gunn on top for the win; Hillbilly Jim did guest commentary for the bout until he ushered the Godwinns – who came ringside mid-way through the bout – backstage
KOTR Qualifying Match: Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Ahmed Johnson at around 11:20 after Owen Hoart, who did guest commentary for the bout, came off the top with a double axe handle, using his arm cast, as Ahmed covered Vader following a spinebuster; Cornette was chased backstage by Ahmed at the 3-minute mark but he returned late in the contest and his distraction allowed Hart to interfere; after the match, Ahmed was taken backstage on a stretcher where he was eventually revived by Goldust, using mouth-to-mouth; moments later, an enraged Ahmed chased through the arena looking for Goldust (Ahmed’s first TV loss) (Action Zone)
6/3/96 – included an opening segment in which WWF President Gorilla Monsoon announced Ahmed Johnson would face Goldust for the IC title at the King of the Ring as a result of the previous week’s altercation; featured the announcement that the Shawn Michaels / Davey Boy Smith rematch would take place at the King of the Ring; included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Goldust; featured Clarence Mason calling in and stating that even though the lawsuit against Shawn Michaels was thrown out, he plans to sue Gorilla Monsoon for aggravated assault and battery:
KOTR Qualifying Match: Steve Austin defeated Bob Holly via submission with the Million $ Dream
Mankind defeated Barry Horowitz with the Mandible Claw; after the bout, Jim Ross interviewed Mankind at ringside
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Techno Team 2000 after Henry hit the Slop Drop; Sunny did guest commentary for the bout; during the match, the Body Donnas gave out an address to write to for those looking to become their new manager
KOTR Qualifying Match: Jake Roberts pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the DDT
6/10/96 – included footage from a house show in Chicago the previous night; featured an in-ring interview with the Ultimate Warrior conducted by Jerry Lawler in which Lawler attempted to apologize for costing Warrior the match against Goldust several weeks back and offering a drawing of the Warrior as a present; after Warrior rejected the present and apology, Lawler smashed the framed picture over Warrior’s head before fleeing backstage; featured Jim Cornette announcing that Clarence Mason’s lawsuit against Gorilla Monsoon had been dropped in exchange for Camp Cornette being able to choose the referee for the Michaels / Smith rematch at King of the Ring:
KOTR Qualifying Match: Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Yokozuna by using the ropes for leverage after Yoko lost his balance while attempting the Bonzai Drop and fell to the mat; this was the first match in which Owen wore the cast on his arm; moments after the match, Jim Ross interviewed Yoko about the loss, with Yoko expressing the need to clear his mind and rethink things
KOTR Qualifying Match: Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Skip with a Frankensteiner off the top
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette, Owen Hart, & Diana Hart Smith) defeated the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) via count-out when Mankind prevented Taker from reentering the ring after Taker rolled Smith back inside; after the match, Mankind continued to attack the Undertaker until referees swarmed the ringside area
6/17/96 – included footage of Brian Pillman’s WWF contract signing; featured footage from a recent house show in which Jim Ross was interviewing Davey Boy Smith in the ring before Shawn Michaels came out and the two had to be held apart by officials and fellow wrestlers; included a closing segment in which Jim Cornette announced that the special referee for the King of the Ring world title match would be Mr. Perfect:
KOTR Quarter-Finals: Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega with the Stunner at around 10:30; after the bout, Austin joined the commentary team for the next match (the debut of the Stone Cold Stunner) (Action Zone)
KOTR Quarter-Finals: Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Owen Hart with a reverse victory roll; after the bout, as Mero opened the ropes for Owen to leave, Owen hit Mero with the cast on his arm – knocking him off the apron to the floor and then knocking him out after a second blow
Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought Aldo Montoya to a no contest when Jerry Lawler, anxious to show off the tactics he planned to use on the Ultimate Warrior at the King of the Ring, attacked Aldo before Helmsley made his entrance; moments thereafter, after Montoya sustained the piledriver, Jake Roberts came out to make the save
Jake Roberts defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) via reverse decision; Goldust had originally won the match via pinfall after throwing gold flakes into Roberts’ eyes but referee Harvey Wippleman changed the call after seeing the substance on Jake’s face after the match; moments thereafter, Jake hit the DDT on the champion
WWF @ North Charleston, SC – Coliseum – May 28, 1996 (4,500)
WWF Superstars taping:
Featured a non-televised segment where Vince McMahon announced that the Ultimate Warrior would not be able to compete against Vader as scheduled because Warrior injured his arm the night before against Goldust; Warrior still made an appearance though, appearing in a sling but was interrupted by Jim Corentte who called Warrior a chicken; Warrior responded that Cornette was the only tennis player he knew with no balls with Vader then attacking Warrior from behind; Warrior eventually cleared Vader from the ring with a clothesline
The Overlords (Ringlords) defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy
Ahmed Johnson defeated Owen Hart
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust
In Your House: Beware of Dog 2 – shown live; featured Jim Ross & Mr. Perfect on commentary:
Savio Vega defeated Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) in a Carribean strap match at 21:26 when Austin pulled Vega into the fourth and final corner after Vega touched the first three corners without Austin knowing; due to pre-match stipulations, Ted Dibiase was forced to leave the WWF; had Vega had lost the match, he would have been forced to become Dibiase’s chauffer; after the bout, Austin stormed off while Vega sang “Na Na Hey Hey” to Dibiase (Dibiase’s last appearance) (The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Yokozuna at 8:54 with the Vader Bomb following an assault on Yoko’s left knee after Yoko failed a Bonzai Drop on an interfering Cornette
WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) defeated the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) in a casket match at 12:34 when, after Taker hit the tombstone on the champion and prepared to stuff him inside the casket, Mankind came out of the casket, applied the Mandible Claw, forcing Taker into the casket, and then shut and locked the casket shut; after the bout, smoke came out of the casket and once it was opened, the Undertaker was no longer inside
6/1/96:
Jake Roberts pinned George South with the DDT
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy when Jeff was pinned following a powerbomb / top rope bulldog double team
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Marty Garner with the Pedigree
Yokozuna pinned Tony Johnson with the Bonzai Drop
KOTR Qualifying Match: Justin Bradshaw pinned Henry Godwinn with the lariat
6/8/96:
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated the Ringlords after Henry hit the Slop Drop
Steve Austin pinned Jason Ahrndt with the Stunner (the TV debut of the Stunner)
Mankind defeated Bruno Detista via submission with the Mandible Claw
Jerry Lawler pinned Marty Garner with a flying fistdrop and the piledriver at 1:47 (Legends of Wrestling Collection, Legends of Wrestling: Jerry Lawler and the Junkyard Dog)
KOTR Qualifying Match: Savio Vega pinned Marty Jannetty with a spinning heel kick
6/15/96:
Barry Horowitz defeated Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) via reverse decision when referee Harvey Wippleman disqualified Hart for not releasing the Sharpshooter after he had won the match
Vader pinned Tony Johnson with the Vader Bomb
Marc Mero defeated Jason Ahrndt
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy following the Sidewinder
KOTR Quarter-Finals: Jake Roberts pinned Justin Bradshaw with the DDT
WWF @ Savannah, GA – Civic Center – May 29, 1996
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Ahmed Johnson & Jake Roberts via disqualification
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via count-out
Savio Vega pinned Steve Austin
Ahmed Johnson (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) defeated Vader
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust
WWF @ West Palm Beach, FL – Auditorium – May 30, 1996 (4,777; sell out)
Duke Drose pinned Aldo Montoya with the Trash Compactor
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Ahmed Johnson & Jake Roberts via disqualification when Ahmed, after being attacked on the floor by Vader, powerslammed his opponents as well as the referee
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz with the lariat
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via count-out when the champions walked out of the match
Savio Vega pinned Steve Austin with a small package
Ahmed Johnson (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Vader with a spinebuster
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the chokeslam and tombstone
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a roll up after Sable hit Hemsley
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust with the superkick after avoiding the Curtain Call
WWF @ Tampa, FL – Sun Dome – May 31, 1996 (2,763)
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Justin Bradshaw defeated Barry Horowitz
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via count-out
Jake Roberts & Ahmed Johnson defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
Savio Vega defeated Steve Austin
Ahmed Johnson defeated Vader (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior)
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust
WWF @ Orlando, FL – Arena – June 1, 1996 (3,651)
The advertised Savio Vega vs. the 1-2-3 Kid match did not take place
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Justin Bradshaw defeated Barry Horowitz (sub. for Jake Roberts)
Savio Vega (sub. for Ahmed Johnson) defeated Steve Austin
Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart defeated Jake Roberts & Ahmed Johnson via disqualification
Ahmed Johnson (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) defeated Vader
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (sub. for Skip & Zip) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via count-out
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust
WWF @ Rockford, IL – Metro Center – June 6, 1996 (3,611)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated Aldo Montoya & Duke Drose
Savio Vega defeated Owen Hart
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Vader
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns via count-out
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification
Jake Roberts defeated Steve Austin
The Undertaker pinned Mankind
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust
WWF @ Peoria, IL – Civic Center – June 7, 1996
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
Duke Drose & Aldo Montoya defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Savio Vega defeated Owen Hart
Jake Roberts defeated Steve Austin
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via count-out
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Vader
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust
WWF @ Moline, IL – Mark of the Quad – June 8, 1996 (3,186)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Barry Horowitz
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated Duke Drose & Aldo Montoya
Savio Vega pinned Owen Hart
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Vader
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via count-out
Jake Roberts pinned Steve Austin
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust
WWF @ Chicago, IL – Rosemont Horizon – June 9, 1996 (13,650)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz (sub. for Bob Holly)
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated Aldo Montoya & Duke Drose
Savio Vega pinned Owen Hart
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Vader via count-out when Vader left ringside
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn after Sunny interfered
Davey Boy Smith defeated Ahmed Johnson via count-out when Goldust came ringside to distract Ahmed
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust with the superkick
WWF @ Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center – June 13, 1996 (4,032)
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated the Bushwhackers when Leif Cassidy pinned Luke after a trip from Marty Jannetty
Savio Vega pinned Owen Hart with a spin kick
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Steve Austin pinned Duke Drose
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Vader via count-out after 12 minutes when Vader left ringside
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via count-out when the champions left ringside
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification after Owen Hart interfered and hit Ahmed with his cast
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust with the superkick
WWF @ Denver, CO – Coliseum – June 14, 1996 (2,203)
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated the Bushwhackers
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz with the lariat
Savio Vega pinned Owen Hart with a spin wheel kick
Steve Austin pinned Duke Drose with the Stone Cold Stunner
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
The Ultimate Warrior fought Vader to a double count-out
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via count-out
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification when Owen Hart interfered
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust with the superkick
– 6/15/96: Former WWF Tag Team Champion Dick Murdoch passed away at the age of 49.
WWF @ Phoenix, AZ – America West Arena – June 15, 1996 (7,028)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Barry Horowitz
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated the Bushwhackers
Steve Austin defeated Duke Drose
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Savio Vega defeated Owen Hart
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Vader via count-out
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust
WWF @ St. Louis, MO – Kiel Center – June 16, 1996 (8,047)
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated the Bushwhackers when Leif Cassidy pinned Luke with an elbow drop after Marty Jannetty tripped Luke behind the referee’s back
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz with the lariat
Savio Vega pinned Owen Hart with a spin wheek kick; St. Louis Rams’ Demarco Farr was the special referee
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley after Sable slapped Helmsley on the apron
Steve Austin pinned Duke Drose (sub. for Jake Roberts) with the Stunner
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Vader via count-out
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (sub. for Skip & Zip) when Bart rolled up Phinneas as he was distracted by Sunny
Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification when Owen Hart came off the top rope with his arm cast to break the cover following the Pearl River Plunge
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust with the superkick
WWF @ Winnipeg, Manitoba – Arena – June 22, 1996 (5,500)
Savio Vega pinned Steve Austin at 12:10 with the spin kick
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via disqualification at 6:55
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 9:35 with a reversal
Mankind defeated Jake Roberts via submission at 7:50 with the Mandible Claw; prior to the bout, Roberts threw his snake on Mankind
Ahmed Johnson pinned Owen Hart at 4:45 with the Pearl River Plunge
Yokozuna pinned Vader at 4:45 with a leg drop
King of the Ring 96 – Milwaukee, WI – Mecca – June 23, 1996 (8,762; sell out)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Aldo Montoya at 3:00
Free For All: Skip & Zip (w/ Kloudy) defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy at 8:06 when Skip pinned Cassidy with a roll up after Kloudy entered the ring behind the referee’s back and kissed Cassidy on the lips (Kloudy’s debut) (Free For All)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Owen Hart on commentary:
King of the Ring Semi-Finals: Steve Austin pinned Marc Mero (w/ Sable) at 16:49 with the Stunner after using an over-the-head throw, dropping Mero throat-first on the top rope; after the match, Austin went to the emergency room and had 16 stitches put in his upper lip (Mero’s first TV loss)
King of the Ring Semi-Finals: Jake Roberts defeated Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification at 3:34 when Vader grabbed the referee and pulled him into Roberts as Roberts hit the DDT; after the match, Vader brutally attacked Roberts, hitting several Vader Bombs, as Cornette held back the referee
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) at 10:10 when Billy Gunn pinned Phinneas after Bart used his boot as a weapon
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Jerry Lawler at 3:50 with a series of clotheslines and a shoulder block after no-selling Lawler’s piledriver (Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology)
Mankind defeated the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) at 18:21 with the Mandible Claw after Paul Bearer accidentally hit Taker with the urn (The Undertaker’s Most Dangerous Matches, The Top 25 WWE Rivalries)
Ahmed Johnson pinned WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) with a spinebuster and the Pearl River Plunge to win the title at 15:34 after the champion tried reviving Ahmed with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (The Best of King of the Ring)
King of the Ring Finals: Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts with the Stunner at 4:28; early in the bout, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon came out to check on Roberts, after he had been injured in the semi-finals, and to see if he wanted to go through with the match or give up; Roberts opted to continue; during the coronation speech held immediately after the bout, Austin coined the phrase “Austin 3:16” as an injured Roberts was helped backstage (Jake “The Snake” Roberts: Pick Your Poison, Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time, The Best of King of the Ring, History of WWE)
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette & Diana Hart Smith) at 26:25 with the superkick after an elbow off the top; after the match, Ahmed Johnson and the Ultimate Warrior saved the champion from Owen Hart, Smith, and Vader; Mr. Perfect was the original referee for the title bout but was made the outside referee before the bout by WWF President Gorilla Monsoon, while Earl Hebner was the official inside the ring (Shawn Michaels: Heartbreak & Triumph, The Best of King of the Ring)
WWF @ Green Bay, WI – Brown County Expo – June 24, 1996 (4,660; sell out)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Included Vince McMahon conducting a non-televised interview with Vader, Owen Hart, & Davey Boy Smith where they were cleared from the ring by WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, & the Ultimate Warrior
Barry Horowitz pinned Tracy Smothers at 9:00 with a fisherman’s suplex
The Undertaker pinned Mankind
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader at 1:00
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust at the 10-second mark
6/24/96 – featured an opening graphic which read viewer discretion is advised; included the announcement WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels would face Marty Jannetty the following week in a non-title match; featured a vignette showing a man confined to a wheelchair in heavy training, with the Ultimate Warrior’s logo then appearing and a graphic which read “Unleash the Warrior inside you;” included Vince McMahon conducting a ringside interview with Brian Pillman in which Pillman argued that he hadn’t been paid yet for signing with the WWF, with McMahon reminding Pillman that he hadn’t wrestled yet:
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a non-title match at 13:05 by blocking a backdrop and hitting the Pearl River Plunge; prior to the match, exclusive footage was shown of Johnson celebrating backstage with WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels, the Bushwhackers, Aldo Montoya, Marc Mero, Savio Vega, Hillbilly Jim, Henry & Phinneas Godwin after his title win the previous night; Helmsley was escorted to the ring by Julie Palardi before the match; Harvey Wippleman was the referee for the bout; during the contest, it was noted Michaels, Johnson, & the Ultimate Warrior would team the following month; moments later, Vince McMahon, from the broadcast table, spoke with Goldust, alongside Marlena, backstage regarding his title loss the previous night and facing the Undertaker the following month in Vancouver, British Columbia; after the bout, Dok Hendrix conducted an in-ring interview with Johnson regarding being the first African American IC champion, during which Johnson said he wouldn’t just defend the title for African Americans but for everyone and spoke of a rematch with Goldust
Skip & Zip (w/ Kloudy) defeated the Brooklyn Brawler & Jerry Fox at 3:56 when Zip pinned Fox following a Frankensteiner off the top / sit-down splash off the top double team; Sunny did guest commentary for the match, during which it was noted Skip & Zip would face WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns in a non-title match in Vancouver, British Columbia; prior to the bout, video clips and letters were shown of fans who wanted to fill Sunny’s spot as manager of the Body Donnas; during the bout, Sunny said she had her eye on a singles wrestler to take the titles from either WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels or WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson; after the bout, Kloudy chased Sunny around the ring; moments later, Kloudy approached Jerry Lawler at the broadcast table, forcing Lawler to leave through the crowd
Vader, Owen Hart, & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette & Diana Hart Smith) defeated Aldo Montoya, Savio Vega, & Barry Horowitz when Montoya submitted to Hart’s Sharpshooter at 4:19 after Montoya sustaind Smith’s running powerslam; Cornette did guest commentary for the bout, during which it was noted Michaels, Johnson, & Warrior would face Vader, Hart, & Smith at International Incident
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Steve Austin via disqualification at 15:35 when Goldust, who appeared ringside at the 10-minute mark, alongside Marlena, to provide guest commentary, threw gold dust into Taker’s face as Taker had Austin set up for the tombstone; during the bout, Jerry Lawler left the broadcast table to heckle Bearer about accidentally costing Taker his match the previous night against Mankind during the King of the Ring; moments later, it was announced Goldust would face Marc Mero the following week and Mankind would be in action as well; after the match, Goldust & Marlena left ringside as Taker cleared Austin from the ring; moments later, Lawler climbed in the ring and told Taker to confront Bearer about costing him the match with Mankind, with Taker lunging for Lawler before Bearer held him back
7/1/96:
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Marty Jannetty (w/ Leif Cassidy & Jim Cornette) with the superkick
Mankind defeated Duke Drose via submission with the Mandible Claw; during the bout, Jake Roberts did guest commentary to scout Mankind – his opponent at International Incident; after the bout, Roberts took exception to Jerry Lawler’s barrage of insults directed towards him
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Marc Mero (w/ Sable) with the Curtain Call after Mero became distracted by the women on the floor
7/8/96 – included an opening segment in which WWF President Gorilla Monsoon announced that the Ultimate Warrior was indefinitely suspended for failing to appear at three recent house show events; Monsoon offered to allow Warrior to return if he posted an appearance bond to assure the fans he would in fact appear when advertised; featured a closing segment in which Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson revealed to Jim Cornette and the world that their new partner in Warrior’s place would be Psycho Sid (Sid’s return after being gone since early in the year):
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification when Davey Boy Smith, who came ringside moments earlier, interfered – followed shortly thereafter by Vader; after the bout, Camp Cornette triple teamed Warrior before Vader dropped the Vader Bomb (Warrior’s last TV match)
Savio Vega pinned Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) with a spin kick; prior to the match, Brian Pillman was shown trying to take a swing at Savio with his crutch as Savio made his way to the ring; Pillman was quickly escorted from the area; during the bout, Jerry Lawler spoke to Mr. Perfect on the phone and asked him if he was going to be Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson’s new tag team partner
Davey Boy Smith & Vader (w/ Jim Cornette & Diana Hart Smith) defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) when Smith pinned Phinneas with the running powerslam after Vader interfered behind the referee’s back
7/15/96:
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Bart Gunn (w/ Sunny) with a spinebuster and the Pearl River Plunge at 11:28
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned TL Hopper with a right jab and left hand punch at around the 11:30 mark; prior to the bout, Goldust’s usher came ringside and handed Sable a box
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Billy Gunn (w/ Sunny) with an elbow drop off the top and the superkick at around the 14 minute mark; after the bout, Jim Cornette baited Michaels and Ahmed Johnson into an ambush by throwing coffee into Ahmed’s face, causing both men to chase him into the parking lot where they were attacked by Camp Cornette until Psycho Sid made the save
WWF @ LaCrosse, WI – LaCrosse Center – June 25, 1996 (3,523)
WWF Superstars taping:
Aldo Montoya pinned Don Callis
Alex Porteau pinned Barry Horowitz
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Don Callis
Ahmed Johnson defeated an unknown
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust with the superkick
Jake Roberts defeated Mankind via disqualification
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader with a shoulder tackle (Warrior’s last WWF match)
6/29/96 – included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Sunny in which she said that the Sunny everyone knew from TV and the magazines was not really her and she was ashamed of her recent actions regarding Phinneas Godwinn; moments later, Phinneas came out, with Sunny opening the ropes for him, and publicly apologizing, saying that she really cared about him and wanted their relationship to start fresh; she then got Phinneas to tell her he loved her and then asked him to close his eyes so she could kiss him but slapped him across the face instead and said someone like her would never be involved with someone like him; moments later, the Smoking Gunns, who came ringside earlier in the segment, attacked Phinneas in the ring, with Henry Godwinn and Hillbilly Jim eventually coming out to make the save; after clearing the ring of the Gunns, Henry and Hillbilly cornered Sunny on the floor, where Phinneas eventually slopped her after she insincerely blew him a kiss:
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Buck Zumhoff with the running powerslam
Duke Drose pinned the Brooklyn Brawler with the Trash Compactor
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Jerry Fox with the Pedigree
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Todd Bocker with the Curtain Call
Freddie Joe Floyd pinned Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) by reversing a powerslam attempt into a roll up
7/6/96:
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson pinned Rock Wagner with the Pearl River Plunge
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Barry Horowitz & RT Williams when Horowitz was pinned following the Sidewinder
Savio Vega pinned Who with an inside cradle
Salvatore Sincere pinned Dan Jesser with the Sincerely Yours
Henry & Phinneas Godwinns defeated Sonny Rogers & Kevin Kruger when Phinneas pinned Rogers following the Slopdrop
Aldo Montoya defeated Steve Austin via forfeit when Austin refused to wrestle; after the bout, Austin attacked Montoya and hit the Stunner
7/13/96:
Skip & Zip (w/ Kloudy) defeated Todd Becker & Rock Wagner when Zip pined Becker with a sit-down splash off the top after a top rope Frankensteiner from Skip
TL Hopper pinned Duke Drose with a suplex; after the bout, Hopper rammed his plunger into Drose’s throat
Mankind defeated Jerry Fox via submission with the Mandible Claw
Alex Porteau pinned Barry Horowitz with an inside cradle; after the bout, the two men shook hands
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Freddie Joe Floyd with the lariat; after the bout, Zebakiah branded Floyd
7/20/96:
Sonny Rogers defeated Steve Austin via forfeit when Austin refused to wrestle; after the bout, Austin attacked Rogers and hit the Stunner
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a Frankensteiner off the top
The Goon defeated Dan Jesser via count-out after the Cross-Check
The Bushwhackers defeated RT Williams & Rod Bell following the Battering Ram; after the bout, Brian Pillman attacked Luke with his crutch
Vader, Davey Boy Smith, & Owen Hart defeated Bill Payne, Rex Royal, & Kevin Kruger when Kruger submitted to Owen’s Sharpshooter
WWF @ Madison, WI – Dane County Coliseum – June 26, 1996
The Bushwhackers (sub. for the Smoking Gunns) defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Savio Vega defeated Justin Bradshaw (sub. for Steve Austin)
Owen Hart defeated Duke Drose
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson defeated Davey Boy Smith after about 2:30
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Yokozuna pinned Goldust after about 3 minutes
Jake Roberts defeated Vader in under 30 seconds
The Undertaker defeated Mankind after 6 minutes
WWF @ Louisville, KY – Louisville Gardens – June 27, 1996 (3,256)
Duke Drose pinned Aldo Montoya
Aldo Montoya pinned Duke Drose
The Bushwhackers defeated the New Rockers
Savio Vega pinned Justin Bradshaw
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Phinneas Godwinn pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Billy Gunn
The Undertaker pinned Mankind
Davey Boy Smith pinned Yokozuna
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust via count-out
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader via disqualification
WWF @ Indianapolis, IN – Market Square Arena – June 28, 1996 (5,501)
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy after a double team move
Savio Vega pinned Justin Bradshaw with a roll up after Bradshaw collided with Uncle Zebakiah on the apron
Phinneas Godwinn pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Billy Gunn with the Slop Drop
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust via count-out when Goldust left ringside after sustaining a spinebuster
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
Davey Boy Smith pinned Yokozuna with a roll up after Jim Cornette shook the ropes as Yoko attempted the Bonzai Drop, causing Yoko to fall off the turnbuckle
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a backdrop and hooking the legs to prevent a sunset flip
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Owen Hart with the Pearl River Plunge after about 30 seconds
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
WWF @ Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena – June 29, 1996 (5,930)
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust via count-out when Goldust left ringside
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy when Leif Cassidy was pinned after one of the Bushwhackers reversed a pin attempt behind the referee’s back, putting his partner on top
Savio Vega pinned Justin Bradshaw
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader via disqualification when Goldust interfered; following the match, Davey Boy Smith, Ahmed Johnson, and Psycho Sid did run-ins
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley after Sable distracted Helmsley
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via disqualification
Davey Boy Smith pinned Yokozuna after Yoko missed the Bonzai Drop
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Owen Hart with a chokeslam and powerbomb; Owen put up no offense (Sid’s return match)
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with a chokeslam and tombstone
WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA – Civic Arena – June 30, 1996 (6,264)
The Bushwhackers defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy; after the bout, the New Rockers teased a breakup
Savio Vega (sub. for Barry Horowitz) pinned Justin Bradshaw (sub. for Steve Austin)
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Owen Hart with the powerbomb in under a minute
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust via count-out when the challenger walked out of the match
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader via disqualification when Goldust interfered; moments later, Ahmed Johnson came out to make the save but was Davey Boy Smith followed him out; Psycho Sid eventually came out to make the save for Michaels and Ahmed
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn after hitting one of the challengers with a boot to the head
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Davey Boy Smith pinned Yokozuna (w/ local DJ Bubba the Bulldog) after Jim Cornette hit Yoko with his tennis racquet; after the bout, Yoko hit the Bonzai Drop on Cornette
The Undertaker pinned Mankind
USWA @ Memphis, TN – July 1, 1996 (1,300)
Jeff Jarrett & Goldust defeated Brian Christopher & Doug Gilbert
WWF @ East Rutherford, NJ – Meadowlands – July 5, 1996 (7,309)
There was a Parking Lot Party outside the venue from 4 to 7 p.m. with live music, lookalike contests, and appearances from the wrestlers
Duke Drose pinned Leif Cassidy at 9:22 with the tilt-a-whirl slam
Salvatore Sincere pinned Barry Horowitz at 9:38
Skip & Zip defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns and Henry & Phinneas Godwinn in a non-title elimination match at 19:51 after Kloudy kissed one of the champions, setting up the pinfall; the Godwinns had been counted out earlier after Phinneas chased Sunny around the ring
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader via disqualification at 6:56 when Goldust interfered; WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson made the save after the match
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust via count-out at 7:10 when Goldust left ringside
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in a No DQ match at 14:22 after a low blow
Jake Roberts pinned Justin Bradshaw at 7:34 with the DDT
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 12:42
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone at 17:01
WWF @ New Haven, CT – Coliseum – July 6, 1996 (4,462)
Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, & Marty Jannetty did not appear as scheduled
Duke Drose pinned Leif Cassidy with the Trash Compactor at 12:42 after Cassidy missed a moonsault off the middle turnbuckle
Salvatore Sincere pinned Barry Horowitz at 9:33 when the momentum of a flying crossbody by Horowitz put Sincere on top
Jake Roberts pinned Justin Bradshaw with the DDT
Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn and WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns in a non-title match
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader via disqualification when Goldust interfered and kissed the champion on the lips
Goldust defeated WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson via reverse decision after the champion hit the Pearl River Plunge on three consecutive occasions
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in a No DQ match
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
WWF @ Providence, RI – Civic Center – July 7, 1996
Duke Drose pinned Leif Cassidy with a powerslam as Cassidy came off the top
Salvatore Sincere (sub. for Owen Hart) pinned Barry Horowitz after Horowitz failed a crossbody off the top
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Skip & Zip and WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns in a non-title match; the Body Donnas were counted-out after they and Kloudy chased Sunny backstage; Phinneas pinned one of the champions with a roll up after Sunny returned ringside and accidentally slapped one of her wrestlers; Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy were to have participated in the match as well but were taken off (presumably because Jannetty didn’t show)
Jake Roberts pinned Justin Bradshaw (sub. for Davey Boy Smith) with the DDT
The Undertaker defeated Mankind via count-out after hitting him with a chair on the arena floor
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson pinned Goldust with the Pearl River Plunge
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in a No DQ match following a low blow and roll up
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a roll over into a bridge
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
WWF @ Albany, NY – Knickerbocker Arena – July 11, 1996
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns, and Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy in a non-title elimination match; Jannetty & Cassidy were eliminated; the Godwinns were eliminated; the champions were eliminated last
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in a No DQ match following a low blow
Owen Hart defeated Jake Roberts after avoiding the DDT
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
Goldust defeated WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson via disqualification after the challenger hit three consecutive Pearl River Plunges after originally winning the match via count-out
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Davey Boy Smith following the chokeslam and powerbomb
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
WWF @ Worcester, MA – Centrum – July 12, 1996
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns, and Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy in a non-title elimination match
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega in a No DQ match
Owen Hart defeated Jake Roberts
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
Goldust defeated WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson via disqualification
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Psycho Sid defeated Davey Boy Smith
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader
WWF @ Portland, ME – Civic Center – July 13, 1996 (4,536; 3,314 paid)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly with a lariat
Skip & Zip defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns, Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy, and Henry & Phinneas Godwinn in a non-title elimination match
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in a No DQ match
Owen Hart pinned Jake Roberts
Goldust defeated WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson via reverse decision; Ahmed pinned Goldust with a spinebuster but continued to beat him up after the match which resulted in the disqualification
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Davey Boy Smith with the powerbomb at around the 1-minute mark
The Undertaker pinned Mankind
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
WWF @ Bangor, ME – Auditorium – July 14, 1996 (2,022)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
Skip & Zip (w/ Kloudy) defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns, and Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy in a non-title elimination match
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega in a No DQ match
Owen Hart pinned Jake Roberts after hitting him with his arm cast; after the bout, Roberts hit the DDT on Hart
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone after hitting Mankind with a steel chair
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson pinned Goldust with the Pearl River Plunge
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) defeated Davey Boy Smith, despite interference from Owen Hart; after the match, Sid took the mic and referred to himself as ‘Sid Vicious’
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
USWA @ Memphis, TN – July 15, 1996
Psycho Sid defeated Jeff Jarrett via disqualification (Unified Title)
In Your House “International Incident” – Vancouver, British Columbia – GM Place – July 21, 1996 (14,804; 11,955 paid)
Phinneas Godwinn defeated Jerry Lawler
Free For All: Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned Savio Vega at 4:42 by catching Vega in a crossbody, with Zebakiah pushing Bradshaw so that he powerslammed Vega and held his proteges foot on the ropes for leverage during the cover; after the bout, Savio attempted to get at Zebakiah but sustained a lariat from Bradshaw and was branded (Free For All)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler on commentary; Bob Backlund was shown in the crowd campaigning for the 1996 Presidential Election:
Skip & Zip defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) in a non-title match when Zip pinned Bart at 13:06 after Skip dropkicked his partner on top as Bart set Zip up for the Sidewinder but Billy was distracted outside the ring; during a pre-match backstage interview, the Body Donnas said Kloudy showed them they don’t need a manager and thanked him / her for helping them
Mankind defeated Henry Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) (sub. for Jake Roberts) via submission with the Mandible Claw at 6:54 after holding onto the ropes to avoid the Slop Drop
Steve Austin pinned Marc Mero (w/ Sable) at 10:48 with the Stunner after clipping Mero in the knee; earlier in the bout, Marlena & Goldust’s usher came ringside before watching the remainder of the match from the aisle
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Goldust (w/ Marlena) via disqualification at 12:07 when Mankind came up through the canvas and drug the Undertaker underneath the ring after Taker hit the tombstone on Goldust; prior to the bout, an Undertaker music video was shown; after the match, the Undertaker came up through the opposite corner of the ring and brawled with Mankind into the boiler room
Vader, Owen Hart, & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario), WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson, & Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) when Vader pinned Michaels with the Vader Bomb at 24:32 following a splash in the corner as Cornette grabbed Michaels’ foot as the champion attempted the superkick; Cornette gave the live and pay-per-view audience a money-back guarentee if his team was not victorious in the bout; after the match, Sid hit the powerbomb on both Smith and Owen and attempted to do the same to Vader before Vader was pulled to safety; moments later, Michaels dove to the floor and breifly pounded on Vader before all the heels went backstage
WWF @ Seattle, WA – Key Arena – July 22, 1996 (6,755)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Included a presentation in which $6500 ($1 from each ticket sold) was given to the Big Brothers of King County, with Psycho Sid coming out to hand the check to a child; included a non-televised segment where Brian Pillman conducted an in-ring interview with WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels asking him how it felt to have the mandible claw applied to him, with Michaels referring to Pillman as a timebomb
Salvatore Sincere pinned Billy Two Eagles with a brainbuster
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Davey Boy Smith with the powerbomb after blocking a backdrop
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) with the superkick at the 21-second mark
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson fought Farooq (w/ Sunny) to a double count-out at 1:08 when both men battled their way backstage
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Mankind in a casket match at 2:20 after hitting a chokeslam and the tombstone
7/22/96 – featured an opening graphic which read viewer discretion was advised; included footage of the city of Seattle and of fans coming into the arena earlier in the show; featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; featured McMahon speaking with WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson, backstage, regarding Michaels’ birthday and challenging the WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns later in the show; included McMahon speaking with Sunny & the Gunns, backstage, regarding what happened to them earlier in the show and defending the belts later in the broadcast; featured McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Vader & Jim Cornette regarding Vader challenging Michaels for the title at Summer Slam; included an Olympic-themed ad for Summer Slam:
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) & WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson fought WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) to a no contest when, after the Gunns attacked Michaels & Johnson before the match, Michaels knocked out Billy with the superkick; prior to the match, the Gunns & Sunny came to the ring with a birthday cake, during which Vince McMahon noted it was both Michaels and the Fabulous Moolah’s birthday; after the match, Michaels put some of the cake’s icing on Sunny’s nose; Sunny attempted to put the cake in Michaels’ face but Johnson pushed it in her face instead, with Michaels then kissing her on the cheek; moments later, it was noted the match would take place as scheduled later in the broadcast; it was noted during the segment that Johnson was wrestling with a broken nose
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned the Goon with a legdrop over the top rope into the ring at 7:15; prior to the bout, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon spoke backstage and confirmed that WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns would defend their titles later in the show or be stripped of the belts; Steve Austin provided guest commentary during the match, during which it was noted Austin would face the Undertaker the following week; Austin then said he wanted to get in the ring with WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels, WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson, and even Bret Hart had he not left; moments later, Jake Roberts called in to talk with the commentary team about the injury that kept him out of International Incident, during which Lawler and Austin made fun of Roberts and Lawler pulled out a bottle of whiskey; Roberts said he would be back in the ring within 2 to 3 weeks if not sooner; later in the match, Austin made note of the WWF once putting someone in a red, white, and blue school bus and driving him around the country so he could kiss babies, then saying he wanted the WWF to put him on a bus so he could drive around to whip people’s asses
Mankind defeated Freddie Joe Floyd via submission with the Mandible Claw at 3:52; prior to the bout, Bob Backlund was shown campaigning in the crowd; following Floyd’s entrance, footage was shown from earlier in the day of WWF President Gorilla Monsoon meeting with Clarence Mason regarding Mason trying to bring someone into the WWF; during Mankind’s entrance, still photos were shown from the previous night’s Undertaker vs. Goldust match at International Incident and Taker then brawling with Mankind into the boiler room; during the match, it was noted Mankind would face Taker at Summer Slam in a boiler room brawl, where the match would begin in the boiler room and end in the ring; after the match, it was announced Marc Mero would face Vader and Psycho Sid would face Justin Hawk Bradshaw the following week
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Barry Horowitz with the Curtain Call at 2:28; Brian Pillman provided guest commentary for the bout; prior to the match, it was noted Goldust would face Marc Mero at Summer Slam; Mero, alongside Sable, then commented on facing Vader the following week and Goldust at Summer Slam, during which he said Goldust had been sending Sable letters and packages
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) via disqualification at 15:29 when an unknown man ran out and assaulted Johnson on the floor; moments later, Sunny began giving the man orders as Pat Patterson, Rene Goulet, and referees tried to send the man backstage; once the camera got a good look at the man, Lawler referred to him as Ron Simmons; Simmons and Michaels then tried to get at each other as the show went off the air (Simmons’ surprise debut)
7/29/96:
Psycho Sid defeated Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) via disqualification after about 45 seconds when Zebakiah hit Sid with a cowbell; after the bout, Sid hit the powerbomb on both men
Vader pinned Marc Mero (w/ Sable) with a powerslam as Mero came off the top
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Owen Hart) pinned Henry Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) with the running powerslam after Henry became distracted by Owen at ringside; Owen did guest commentary for much of the match
Steve Austin defeated the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) via count-out after Mankind came ringside and Taker stalked him backstage
8/5/96 – featured an opening graphic which read viewer discretion is advised; included a vignette of Mark Henry, during which it was announced the Olympian had signed a 10-year multi-million dollar agreement with the WWF; during the segment, Henry spoke of being in the crowd as a child and being picked up by Andre the Giant; to close the segment, footage was shown from March of when Henry press slammed Jerry Lawler in the ring during Raw; Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler provided commentary for the show; featured Kevin Kelly conducting an outdoor interview with WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels regarding his pinfall to Vader at International Incident, being attacked the previous week by Mankind, facing Vader at Summer Slam, and the battle royal later in the show that would determine Michaels’ challenger the day after Summer Slam; included footage from the previous Friday’s live event at the new Molson Centre in Montreal:
Jerry Lawler pinned Aldo Montoya at 2:34 after hitting two piledrivers; prior to the match, footage was shown from 8 days earlier of Montoya beating Lawler with the DDT during WWF Superstars; Lawler brought a mic into the ring for the early part of the match and did his own commentary; after the contest, Lawler dragged Montoya to the ring apron and forced him to drink a bottle of Jim Beam until he was forced away by referees, Tony Garea, Rene Goulet, & Jerry Brisco
Skip & Zip defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy via disqualification at 12:14 when WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns ran out, with Bart shoving Zip off the top as the Body Donnas attempted the Frankensteiner off the top / sit-down splash off the top; Hillbilly Jim provided guest commentary for the match; during the contest, it was announced Skip & Zip, Jannetty & Cassidy, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, and the Gunns would battle for the tag team titles at Summer Slam; moments later, Vince McMahon spoke from the commentary table with Sunny & Farooq Asad regarding Farooq’s match against Skip the following week; the Gunns and Godwinns were shown watching the match backstage from different locations; footage was later shown of Gorilla Monsoon meeting with Clarence Mason, who was trying to get a former WWF star back in the ring after he was arrested of weapons charges, with Monsoon agreeing to let the wrestler back in the ring but noted he would be closely watched; after the match, the Godwinns made the save and helped clear the ring with Skip & Zip
WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson won an 11-man battle royal at 25:42 by last eliminating Goldust; participants included the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer), Mankind, Goldust (w/ Marlena), Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Savio Vega, Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah), Steve Austin, Psycho Sid, Johnson, Marc Mero (w/ Sable); stipulations stated the winner would challenge the WWF World Champion the day after Summer Slam; order of elimination: Taker and Mankind by each other (0:09); following the elimination, both men continued to brawl their way backstage; Smith by Johnson (1:10); Bradshaw by Sid via a backdrop (2:38); Owen by Mero via a clothesline after Hart pulled himself back into the ring (4:03); Bradshaw eliminated (during the commercial break); Mero by Goldust via a backdrop (8:41); Savio eliminated himself while hitting a spin kick in the corner to Goldust (8:59); following the elimination, Taker and Mankind battled from the crowd, into the ring, and then back into the crowd; minutes later, footage was shown of the fight continuing backstage, during which Taker hit Mankind with a wooden palette while JJ Dillon, Blackjack Lanza, referees, and more tried to break up the fight; Sid by Austin after Smith & Hart returned ringside and distracted Sid from the floor (18:56); Austin by Johnson & Goldust (21:04); Goldust by Johnson when both men collided and Johnson hooked the ropes with his legs to avoid elimination; during the match, it was noted the Bikini Beach Blast Off would take place on the Preview Channel before Summer Slam and Marlena, Sable, and Sunny have been invited to participate; it was noted during the match that Goldust would face Mero at Summer Slam, Sid would face Smith, Johnson was wrestling the match against doctor’s orders after sustaining a ruptured kidney, and that Michaels would face Owen the following week in a non-title match; following the contest, Vince McMahon conducted an in-ring interview with Johnson regarding his title shot in two weeks time until Farooq Asad ran out, with the two brawling until referees and officials could get between them; during the closing moments of the show, it was implied Johnson would face Farooq at Summer Slam
8/12/96 – included an opening segment in which Vince McMahon announced WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson sustained a serious kidney injury at the hands of Farooq several weeks ago which was further aggrevated the previous week in the battle royal; featured a Sunny vignette in which she was shown preparing for the Bikini Beach Blast Off, which would air live on the Free For All immediately before Summer Slam; included a look at Farooq attacking Ahmed Johnson several weeks ago and the previous week after the battle royal, where Ahmed was said to have suffered internal bleeding; featured Kevin Kelly interviewing Ahmed at his home in Houston, Texas where Ahmed said he did not know if he would ever again be physically able to defend the WWF IC Title; included Mr. Perfect interviewing Bret Hart onboard the Wrestle Vessel about whether or not he would return to the ring, with Bret saying he would make his decision in 2 to 3 months; featured clips from the 8/9/96 Madison Square Garden show, including Mark Henry scaring Hunter Hearst Helmsley out of the ring after shoving him to the mat:
Farooq (w/ Sunny) pinned Skip at 4:34 with the Dominator; during the bout, a scroll appeared on the screen saying to stay turned to see what Vader had planned for Shawn Michaels (Farooq’s in-ring debut)
Crush (w/ Clarence Mason) defeated Savio Vega via submission with a full nelson at 7:16; prior to the bout, Jake Roberts called in to the commentary table to tell Jerry Lawler he would get his revenge at Summer Slam; Mason did guest commentary for the bout and said that while Crush had been arrested on weapons and drug charges he was never convicted; during the match, a scroll ran across the screen saying to stay tuned to hear Bret Hart comment about his possible retirement (Crush’s surprise return after more than an 18-month absence)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated TL Hopper & Who when Henry pinned Who with the Slop Drop at 5:31; during the bout, Bob Backlund briefly joined the commentary team and said he was planning to bring someone into the WWF to be WWF Champion and act as a better role model than Shawn Michaels; after Backlund left ringside, McMahon spoke with WWF President Gorilla Monsoon about the WWF IC Title, with Monsoon saying the title was now vacant and a tournament would begin the following week to determine the new champion
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) at 9:05 in a non-title match following two superkicks after dropkicking an interfering Vader off the ring apron; after the bout, Vader brutalized the champion and twice hit the Vader Bomb before Michaels was pulled out of the ring by officials
WWF @ Yakima, WA – July 23, 1996 (2,922)
WWF Superstars taping:
The Undertaker defeated Mankind in a casket match
Psycho Sid defeated Davey Boy Smith
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
7/27/96:
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Lou Andrews & Mike Miller at 2:04 when Phinneas pinned Andrews with the Slop Drop
Salvatore Sincere pinned Billy Two Eagles
Psycho Sid pinned the Brooklyn Brawler with the powerbomb
Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy defeated Suwio & Buddy Wayne at 4:31 when Jannetty scored the pin following a powerbomb double team off the top; the move had to be hit twice during the taping after they botched the first try; the mistake was later edited from the broadcast
Alex Porteau pinned Timothy Flowers
Aldo Montoya pinned Jerry Lawler by blocking a backdrop attempt with a DDT; Montoya dedicated the match to Jake Roberts
8/3/96:
WWF Tag Team Chapions the Smoking Gunns defeated Adrian Lester & Matt Farmer following the Sidewinder; Hillbilly Jim & the Godwinns did guest commentary for the match
Marc Mero pinned Who
TL Hopper pinned Barry Howoritz with a powerslam; after the bout, Hopper stuck his plunger in Horowitz’ face
Skip & Zip defeated Suwio & Randy Taylor following a Skip Frankensteiner off the top and a Zip sit-down splash off the top
Freddie Joe Floyd pinned Uncle Zebakiah; after the contest, Zebakiah challenged Floyd to a rematch and was pinned a second time; moments later, Justin Bradshaw came out and helped in double teaming Floyd until Savio Vega made the save
Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Savio Vega with the running powerslam after accidentally running into Cornette’s tennis racquet; Owen Hart did guest commentary for the bout
8/10/96 – included the first vignette promoting the debut of ‘The Stalker’ Barry Windham:
Vader defeated Alex Porteau & Lou Andrews in a handicap match following the Vader Bomb
Farooq Asad (w/ Sunny) pinned Adrian Lester with the Dominator
Sid pinned Marty Jannetty (w/ Leif Cassidy) with the powerbomb
The Goon (Bill Irwin) defeated Doug Allen via count-out following the Cross-Check
The Bushwhackers defeated Mike Starr & Timothy Flowers following the Battering Ram
8/17/96:
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Who at 1:08 with the tombstone
Freddie Joe Floyd & Savio Vega defeated Justin Bradshaw & Uncle Zebakiah at around the 6-minute mark when Vega pinned Zebakiah with a roll up after Zeb attempted to hit Savio with the branding iron; after the match, Bradshaw knocked Vega to the floor and Floyd was double teamed until Vega used the branding iron to clear the ring
Crush (w/ Clarance Mason) defeated Aldo Montoya via submission with the full nelson at 3:11
Mankind defeated Billy Two Eagles via submission with the Mandible Claw at 1:50
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated Steve Austin via disqualification at around the 6-minute mark when Mero fought with Mankind outside the ring after he saw Mankind stalking Sable around ringside while calling her “mommy;” moments later, Mankind applied the Mandible Claw on Mero before again stalking Sable around the ring until the Undertaker and Paul Bearer came through the crowd, with Taker following Mankind backstage; Goldust & Marlena appeared at the 2-minute mark and joined the commentary team, with Mr. Perfect handing over his headset to Goldust to discuss his match at Summer Slam the following night
WWF @ Spokane, WA – Coliseum – July 24, 1996 (3,810)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, and Skip & Zip
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega in a No DQ match
Owen Hart defeated Aldo Montoya
Psycho Sid (sub. for Ahmed Johnson) defeated Goldust after about a minute
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
Psycho Sid defeated Davey Boy Smith after about a minute
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick after 3 minutes
WWF @ San Francisco, CA – Cow Palace – July 25, 1996 (5,466)
Included an in-ring promo by Jim Cornette & Davey Boy Smith in which they argued they signed for Smith to face the Ultimate Warrior, not Psycho Sid
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly with the lariat at 6:33
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy, & Skip & Zip in an elimination match; Henry pinned Cassidy with the Slop Drop at 4:54; the Godwinns were counted out at 15:08; Bart pinned Skip with a small package after switching places with Billy as Skip kissed Sunny on the ring apron
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega with a roll up in a No DQ match at 9:15
Owen Hart pinned Aldo Montoya (sub. for Jake Roberts) with a spin wheel kick at 4:10
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the chokeslam and tombstone at 12:19
Yokozuna (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) pinned Goldust with the Bonzai Drop at 1:09
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a roll up at 5:09 after Sable slapped Helmsley from the apron
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Davey Boy Smith at 3:48 with the powerbomb, despite interference from Owen Hart
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick at 6:59
WWF @ Fresno, CA – Selland Arena – July 26, 1996 (5,032)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
Skip & Zip defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, and WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns in a non-title match
Owen Hart defeated Aldo Montoya (sub. for Jake Roberts)
Psycho Sid defeated Davey Boy Smith
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega in a No DQ match
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
Yokozuna (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) defeated Goldust
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader
WWF @ Anaheim, CA – Arrowhead Pond – July 27, 1996 (8,050)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, Skip & Zip, and Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Psycho Sid defeated Davey Boy Smith
Owen Hart defeated Aldo Montoya (sub. for Jake Roberts)
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega in a No DQ match
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader via disqualification when Goldust interfered
Goldust defeated Yokozuna (sub. for WWF IC Champion) Ahmed Johnson)
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF @ Montreal, Quebec – Molson Centre – August 2, 1996 (9,128)
The 1st card held at the Molson Centre
Carl LeDuc defeated Justin Bradshaw
Skip & Zip defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, and Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy in a non-title match
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 11:07 by blocking an attempt at the Pedigree, hitting a back drop, and then blocking a sunset flip attempt
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in a No DQ match at 9:00 after kicking Vega in the crotch
Aldo Montoya (sub. for Jake Roberts) pinned Jerry Lawler with a DDT
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the chokeslam and tombstone at 11:10
Yokozuna (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) pinned Goldust with the Bonzai Drop at 1:15
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) pinned Davey Boy Smith with the powerbomb
Ray Rougeau defeated Owen Hart (w/ George Chuvalo) via KO in the 4th round of a boxing match; Chuvalo and Hart got into an argument after the match, with Hart once again being knocked out
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick at 9:13
WWF @ Quebec City, Quebec – August 3, 1996
Owen Hart defeated Carl LeDuc via submission with the Sharpshooter; after the match, Raymond Rougeau made the save for LeDuc when Hart refused to release the hold
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in a No DQ match
WWF @ Ottawa, Ontario – Corel Centre – August 4, 1996 (5,572)
Carl LeDuc pinned Justin Bradshaw with a roll up
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, Skip & Zip, and Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy in an elimination match after the Godwinns were counted-out; earlier eliminations saw the Godwinns defeat Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy and Body Donnas
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley by blocking a sunset flip
Yokozuna (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) pinned Goldust with a legdrop
Owen Hart pinned Aldo Montoya with the enzuiguri
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in a No DQ match after a low blow
Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) defeated Davey Boy Smith
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
WWF @ Cohasset, MA – South Shore Music Circus – August 6, 1996 (1,733)
Bob Holly defeated Justin Bradshaw
Owen Hart defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Savio Vega defeated Goldust in a strap match
Steve Austin pinned Aldo Montoya
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
Davey Boy Smith defeated Marc Mero
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via disqualification
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF @ Warwick, RI – Warwick Musical Theatre – August 7, 1996 (1,651)
Bob Holly pinned Justin Bradshaw with a roll up
Owen Hart defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley; Hart played babyface in the match
Davey Boy Smith pinned Marc Mero
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via disqualification
Steve Austin pinned Aldo Montoya (w/ Jake Roberts) with the Stun Gun; after the bout, Austin attacked Roberts before Roberts put his snake on him
Savio Vega defeated Goldust in a strap match
Psycho Sid (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) pinned Vader with the chokeslam
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone in a no holds barred match
WWF @ Hyannis, MA – Cape Cod Melody Tent – August 8, 1996 (1,964)
Bob Holly defeated Justin Bradshaw
Owen Hart defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Owen played the babyface)
Steve Austin defeated Aldo Montoya (w/ Jake Roberts); Roberts scared Austin off with the snake after the match
Savio Vega defeated Goldust in a strap match
Psycho Sid (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) pinned Vader with a chokeslam
Davey Boy Smith pinned Marc Mero with his feet on the ropes
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns via disqualification
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone in a no holds barred match
WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – August 9, 1996 (14,000; 11,314 paid)
Included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Mark Henry regarding the Olympics which was eventually interrupted by Hunter Hearst Helmsley; Henry quickly scared Helmsley out of the ring; the announced card for the next month’s return was WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker vs. Mankind & Goldust, Farooq vs. Yokozuna, and Vader vs. Psycho Sid in a lumberjack match
Justin Bradshaw pinned Aldo Montoya with the lariat at 5:01
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy at 10:42 when Henry pinned the illegal man with the Slop Drop
Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a leg roll up at 9:02
Mankind defeated Jake Roberts via submission with the Mandible Claw at the 37-second mark after attacking Roberts on the floor before the match began (Mankind’s MSG debut)
Vader fought Psycho Sid (sub. for the Ultimate Warrior) to a double count-out at 10:16 when the two began fighting on the floor
Yokozuna (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) pinned Owen Hart with a leg drop and the Bonzai Drop at 6:37
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust with an elbow drop off the top and the superkick at 17:05; immediately after the match, Mankind attacked the champion until the Undertaker made the save
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Skip & Zip when Bart scored the pin at 7:23 after hitting the Sidewinder behind the referee’s back
Savio Vega pinned Davey Boy Smith at 7:32 by lifting his shoulder out of an abdominal stretch into a roll up
The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin via disqualification at 9:23 when Mankind interfered after Austin sustained the tombstone; after the bout, Goldust and WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels also involved themselves in the brawl (WWE: Attitude Era Unreleased Volume 3)
WWF @ Bethlehem, PA – Stabler Arena – August 10, 1996 (3,038)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Aldo Montoya
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Yokozuna (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) defeated Owen Hart
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy and WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns in a non-title match
Davey Boy Smith defeated Jake Roberts
Psycho Sid fought Vader to a double count-out
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Scranton, PA – CYC – August 11, 1996 (3,138)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Justin Bradshaw
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy and WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns in a non-title match
Marc Mero defeated Owen Hart
Savio Vega defeated Davey Boy Smith
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
Psycho Sid (sub. for WWF IC Champion Ahmed Johnson) defeated Goldust
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader
Summer Slam 96 – Cleveland, OH – Gund Arena – August 18, 1996 (17,000; 14,926 paid)
Free For All: Steve Austin pinned Yokozuna at 1:53 after Yoko failed an attempt at the Bonzai Drop, unhinging the top turnbuckle and falling backwards onto his head; prior to the bout, Todd Pettengill attempted to interview Austin backstage as he made his way out but Austin blew him off (Free For All, The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Mr. Perfect on commentary; included footage from several of the weekend festivities, involving the Smoking Gunns & Sunny, the Godwinns, Jerry Lawler playing baseball with the Cleveland Indians, and WWF talent repainting in the inner city; featured a video package focusing on the kidney injury sustained by Ahmed Johnson, the vacancy of the IC title, the title tournament which will begin the following night, and the announcement of the sudden death #1 contender battle royal, the winner of which would earn a world title shot on the September 6th edition of Raw; included Todd Pettengill conducting an in-ring interview with Farooq Asad & Sunny in which Farooq claimed he was the true IC champion:
Owen Hart defeated Savio Vega via submission with the Sharpshooter at 13:24 after taking off his arm cast and hitting Vega with it, knocking him out; mid-way through the bout, Clarence Mason came to the aisle and watched the match, later congratulating Owen in the ring following the match; after the contest, Justin Bradshaw & Zebakiah came out, with Bradshaw verbally berating the commentary team before assaulting Vega from behind as he was being helped from ringside
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim), and Skip & Zip in an elimination match at 12:19; Billy Gunn pinned Zip at 4:02 after Jannetty tripped Zip from the floor; Henry pinned Jannetty with the Slop Drop at 7:21 after Cassidy and Jannetty collided on the apron, with Jannetty falling into the ring; Billy Gunn pinned Phinneas when, after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop, Bart came off the top with a double axe handle; Skip wore a neckbrace for the bout after sustaining an injury at Madison Square Garden; after the bout, Sunny cut a promo in the ring and unveiled a giant poster of her, which dropped from the rafters
Psycho Sid pinned Davey Boy Smith with the chokeslam and powerbomb at 6:25 after avoiding the running powerslam; moments earlier, Smith hit the powerslam but was distracted by Jim Cornette and Clarence Mason arguing on the floor; Mason came ringside early in the bout to be in Smith’s corner
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Marc Mero (w/ Sable) with the Curtain Call at 11:03 after Mero hit the corner; early in the bout, Mankind came ringside and stalked Sable before being escorted backstage; during the contest, Mero debuted the ‘Wild Thing’ Shooting Star Press; after the bout, Goldust confronted Sable in the ring but was assaulted by Mero in and out of the ring before leaving ringside
Jerry Lawler pinned Jake Roberts at 4:10 after jabbing him in the throat with a bottle of alcohol; prior to the bout, Mark Henry came out to do guest commentary; after the match, Lawler poured the alcohol down the dazed Roberts’ throat; moments later, Henry stepped in to scare Lawler away and then helped Roberts backstage (Jake “The Snake” Roberts: Pick Your Poison)
Mankind defeated the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) in a Boiler Room Brawl match at 27:10 after Bearer hit Taker in the head with the urn and then handed it to Mankind; the backstage portion of the bout was taped several days earlier; pre-match stipulations stated that the winner would be the one to battle their way from the boiler room to the ring and claim possession of the urn; after the match, the Undertaker was carried backstage by several druids (The Undertaker’s Most Dangerous Matches)
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) at 17:21 with a moonsault onto a standing Vader, moments after the challenger missed his own moonsault; Vader originally won the bout via count-out at 8:49 after the challenger gorilla press slammed Michaels onto the ringside barrier but Cornette demanded that the match continue so that Vader could win the title; Michaels agreed; Michaels was then disqualified at 12:48 after repeatedly hitting the challenger with Cornette’s tennis raquet, then doing the same to Cornette; Cornette again demanded that the match continue, to which the champion again agreed (Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Express Tour, Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 90s, Wrestling’s Highest Flyers)
WWF @ Wheeling, WV – Civic Center – August 19, 1996 (4,903)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Rick Titan defeated Frank Stilleto
Flex Kavana (the Rock) defeated David Haskins
Barry Windham pinned Justin Bradshaw
Frank Stilleto defeated Lou Marconi
Marc Mero pinned Jerry Lawler in under a minute
The Undertaker pinned Mankind in under a minute with the tombstone
8/19/96 – included a viewer discretion graphic at the opening of the broadcast; featured Kevin Kelly, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler on commentary (Kelly’s debut on Raw); included footage of Farooq Asad’s attacks on Ahmed Johnson in recent weeks and having to undergo surgery; footage was then shown of Johnson responding to the fact he had to be stripped of the WWF IC Title due to his injury; featured an ad promoting the Summer Slam Sweepstakes in which the winners would win tickets to a pay-per-view event, along with hotel and airfare; included Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Mankind & Paul Bearer regarding Bearer turning on the Undertaker the previous night at Summer Slam, during which the lights in the arena dimmed; Ross then discussed Mankind’s upcoming match against WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels at In Your House, with Mankind saying he would pin Michaels and put him out of the WWF; Ross then claimed the lights dimming was because of Taker, with Bearer claiming Taker had passed away and was gone for eternity; just as he said that, Taker’s gong was sounded and the lights in the arena went out; several druids then carried Taker’s body out to the ring, with Bearer claiming he was behind it and it was only Taker’s body, which was being eaten by worms and maggots; after the druids laid Taker in the aisle, he sat up and had the ringposts spray pyro, with Mankind & Bearer then escaping into the crowd; featured a vignette promoting the debut of the Stalker; included Cornette cutting a backstage interview regarding his supporting Yoko in the night’s main event; featured an ad promoting a Michaels denim jacket:
WWF IC Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Owen Hart defeated Davey Boy Smith via count-out at at 8:55 after hitting a spin wheel kick on the floor; during the match, it was announced WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels would face Mankind at the following month’s In Your House and the Undertaker would face Goldust in a Final Curtain match; early in the contest, the video feed had faked static interference, with the commentators implying Taker was behind it; during the bout, Jim Cornette spoke to the commentary team from backstage, during which he said he wasn’t at ringside because he didn’t want to have to choose between his men and then ranted about Vader having beaten Michaels twice the night before and not walking out with the title and that Clarence Mason was trying to steal his talent; Cornette then said Yokozuna had rejoined Camp Cornette and he was the one that got Yoko a match later in the night against WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels; after the contest, Smith got into an argument with Sunny, who joined the commentary team mid-way through the match; moments later, Cornette came ringside and confronted Sunny and called her a slut for interfering in his men’s match; several in the crowd started a chant of “Bulldog” as Cornette and his men left ringside
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Freddie Joe Floyd following two Vader Bombs at 4:34; prior to the match, Mark Henry came ringside and signed autographs for several ringside fans; following Vader’s entrance, Vader confronted Henry at ringside but Henry only smiled and ignored him; Cornette joined the commentary team for the bout; more faked static interference happened during the match and the lights in the arena briefly dimmed
Goldust (w/ Marlena) won a 4-man battle royal by last eliminating Savio Vega at 8:38; stipulations stated the winner would earn a WWF World Title match on Raw Championship Friday; prior to the bout, Austin cut a pretaped insert promo; order of elimination: Sid by Goldust, Austin, & Vega (0:17); after the elimination, Sid returned to the ring and dropped the other three men with chokeslams; Austin by Vega via a catapult after Austin skinned the cat to avoid elimination (7:02); Goldust eliminated Vega with a backdrop after avoiding a clothesline; after the elimination, Austin slid back in the ring and attacked Vega from behind before referees forced him backstage
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Yokozuna in a non-title match with the superkick at 6:05 after avoiding a legdrop; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Yoko losing the previous night against Steve Austin during the Free for All before Summer Slam; mid-way through the contest, Jim Cornette came ringside to be in Yoko’s corner; minutes later, Cornette hit Lothario from behind with his tennis racquet and then ran backstage
Raw Championship Friday – 9/6/96 – featured Kevin Kelly & Jim Ross on commentary; included pretaped comments from Ahmed Johnson and Dr. Joel A Hackett regarding Johnson’s injury and recovery; featured Jerry Lawler conducting an in-ring interview with Mark Henry, during which Lawler said Jake Roberts and the Olympics have something in common – they both got bombed; Lawler then spoke about the fact Henry was now signed to a contract with the WWF, his interference in the Lawler vs. Roberts match at Summer Slam, and being confronted by Vader recently on Raw; Lawler then challenged Henry to a match, with Henry saying he knew he wasn’t ready yet; Lawler then said Henry should have won a medal for being the biggest coward, with Henry grabbing him and accepting the challenge and saying Lawler would get a gold medal butt kicking; included a video package from CNE “EX”Perience in Toronto, during which Psycho Sid competed with an elephant in a tug o’ war contest, in which Sid eventually won with the help of Special Olympic athletes; footage was then shown from that day’s autograph session and live event show, the latter of which included a surprise appearance from Roddy Piper; featured an in-ring promo by Bob Backlund in which he said he would soon bring a man to the WWF to win the “WWWF” Championship and then introduced the Iron Sheik, who Backlund said would be the mystery wrestler’s trainer; Sheik then said Backlund was a 6-time former WWWF champion and that he was lucky to have beaten Backlund for the title; a commercial break cut Sheik off in the middle of his promo (Iron Sheik’s surprise return after a 4-year absence); included an ad promoting the new WWF fall season beginning Sept. 21 and 22:
WWF IC Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Psycho Sid pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the powerbomb at 3:39; early in the match, footage was shown from two weeks earlier on WWF Superstars when Mr. Perfect came ringside and took Helmsley’s escort backstage as well as from him doing the same recently at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto; late in the match, Perfect appeared in the aisle; after the contest, Perfect took Helmsley’s escort, named Kimberly, backstage
WWF IC Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated Steve Austin via disqualification at 8:39 when Austin pulled the referee in front of Austin as Mero was coming back into the ring; Brian Pillman did guest commentary for the match, during which he said he broke into the business in Calgary, Alberta in the Dungeon, was a friend of Bret Hart, and would interview Hart at In Your House in Philadelphia; Pillman then said Bret and Owen Hart had reconciled; moments later, Jim Ross noted Mr. Perfect and Hunter Hearst Helmsley were having to be held apart by officials backstage; after the match, Austin attacked Mero, dropped him with the Stunner, and threw him to the floor; moments later, Mero returned to the ring and brawled with Austin until referees, Jerry Brisco, Tony Garea, Dave Hebner, and Rene Goulet came out to break up the fight
Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Alex Porteau via submission with the Mandible Claw at 2:06; prior to the bout, it was announced the Undertaker would face Salvatore Sincere the following week in Raw; during the contest, Jim Ross announced Diesel and Razor Ramon were on their way back to the WWF; it was also noted during the bout that two-time Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle was in Stamford, CT the day before meeting with WWF officials
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) at 11:55 with a moonsault off the top after avoiding the Curtain Call; prior to the bout, the Undertaker cut an insert promo about his Final Curtain match against Goldust at In Your House; during the match, brief clips were shown from Michaels’ Playgirl photo shoot; Mankind was shown backstage during the match in which he said he had a surprise for Michaels; after the bout, Mankind ran through the crowd and into the ring but Michaels escaped both Goldust and Mankind, with Bearer then climbing in the ring and smiling at Michaels as the show came to a close (The Best of Raw Vol. 2)
9/9/96 – included Jim Ross announcing contract negotiations were going on between Diesel & Razor Ramon and the WWF:
WWF IC Title Tournament Quarter-Finals: Farooq Asad (w/ Sunny) pinned Savio Vega with the Dominator at 13:37; after the bout, Psycho Sid came to the ring and had a face-to-face confrontation with Farooq before officials seperated the two
Barry Windham pinned TL Hopper with the superplex at 3:28 (Windham’s return after a 7-year absence)
Crush (w/ Clarence Mason) pinned Freddie Joe Floyd with the heart punch at 2:41; Mason did guest commentary for the match
The Undertaker pinned Salvatore Sincere with the chokeslam and the tombstone at 9:55; Goldust & Marlena cut an insert promo during the match regarding Goldust’s Final Curtain match against Taker at In Your House “Mindgames;” during the bout, Ross said there had been a snag in negotiations between the WWF and Razor Ramon but negotiations were going well with Diesel
9/16/96 – featured Jim Ross announcing that Diesel & Razor Ramon would be on Raw the following week; included a public workout with Jim Cornette and preliminary wrestler Tony Williams in which Williams briefly dominated Cornette before Vader came to the ring and brutalized him; featured footage of Bret Hart during the WWF’s tour of South Africa in which he called Brian Pillman a liar for saying Bret would be at In Your House:
The Sultan (w/ Bob Backlund & the Iron Sheik) defeated Jake Roberts via submission with the Camel Clutch at 3:04; Roberts was distracted for the duration of the bout by Jerry Lawler, who was doing commentary at ringside (the Sultan’s debut)
Bob Holly & Alex Porteau defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) in a non title match when Holly pinned Billy Gunn with a roll up after the champions became distracted by Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Cornette at ringside
WWF IC Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Owen Hart at 9:26 by pulling the cast off Owen’s arm and hitting him with it; prior to the bout, Jim Ross – who left ringside earlier in the braodcast – returned with Pat Patterson who verified Ross’ claims to having Diesel & Razor on the show next week and said he would be the guest referee for the tournament finals the following week; WWF President Gorilla Monsoon argued during the match Scott Hall and Kevin Nash would not be appearing and Ross was misleading the audience; they later challenged each other to a rematch so they could redo the finish so it could be edited into the first match for when it aired on TV (Owen’s last appearance on TV with the cast)
WWF IC Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Farooq Asad (w/ Sunny) defeated Psycho Sid via disqualification when Sid hit Farooq over the back with a steel chair three times; they later challenged each other to a rematch so they could redo the finish so it could be edited into the first match for when it aired on TV
WWF @ Columbus, OH – Convention Center – August 20, 1996 (2,739)
WWF Superstars taping:
Ahmed Johnson vs. Davey Boy Smith was originally scheduled for the show
Owen Hart defeated Flex Kavana (the Rock)
The Grimm Twins defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
The Undertaker & Jake Roberts defeated Jerry Lawler & Mankind when Taker pinned Mankind
Psycho Sid pinned Vader with the chokeslam
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust with the superkick
WWF Mania – 8/31/96: The Bushwhackers defeated TL Hopper & Dave Criner when Butch pinned Criner following the battering ram
8/24/96:
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) defeated Frank Stilleto & Lou Marconi following the Sidewinder
Steve Austin pinned Tony Williams with the Stunner
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned David Haskins with the Pedigree
Farooq (w/ Sunny) pinned Chris Harris with the Dominator
Jake Roberts pinned Who with the DDT
8/31/96:
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Kenny Hendrix with the powerbomb
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Matt Duval & Bob Bolby when Phinneas pinned Duval with the Slop Drop; Bob Backlund did guest commentary for the match
Crush (w/ Clarence Mason) pinned Frank Stilleto with the heart punch
Psycho Sid pinned Leon Downs with the powerbomb
Justin Bradshaw pinned Chris Harris with the lariat; Zebakiah did guest commentary for the bout
Salvatore Sincere pinned Aldo Montoya with the Sincerely Yours full nelson slam
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Zip with the Curtain Call
9/7/96:
Mankind defeated Brian Scott via submission with the Mandible Claw
Farooq pinned Barry Horowitz at 2:08 with the Dominator
Steve Austin pinned Freddie Joe Floyd with the Stunner
Savio Vega pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a spin kick after Mr. Perfect came ringside and distracted Helmsley; after the bout, Perfect and Helmsley got into an argument
9/22/96 – the first episode to air on the USA Network; live portions of the episode took place in Philadelphia, PA, the site of In Your House ‘Mindgames’:
Vader pinned Savio Vega with the powerbomb
Barry Windham pinned the Goon with the superplex
Crush pinned David Haskins with the heart punch
Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Bob Holly & Alex Porteau at 3:28 when Porteau submitted to Hart’s Sharpshooter after sustaining the running powerslam from Smith; after the bout, Hart & Smith brawled with the Smoking Gunns
Marc Mero pinned Lou Marcolli with the Shooting Star Press
9/22/96 – international version: Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Barry Horowitz via submission with the Mandible Claw
WWF @ Toledo, OH – Sports Arena – August 21, 1996 (3,379)
Zip (sub. for Skip) defeated Leif Cassidy
Owen Hart defeated Aldo Montoya
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Bob Holly
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn after Phinneas was hit with a boot
Savio Vega defeated Justin Bradshaw in a strap match
Marc Mero fought Davey Boy Smith to a double count-out
Goldust pinned Jake Roberts with his feet on the ropes
Psycho Sid pinned Vader with the chokeslam
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin with the superkick
WWF @ Chatham, Ontario – Memorial Arena – August 22, 1996 (2,260; sell out)
Zip pinned Leif Cassidy (w/ Marty Jannetty) with a roll up after Cassidy missed a splash in the corner
Savio Vega pinned Justin Bradshaw with a roll up after Bradshaw accidentally hit Zebakiah
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Bob Holly with the Pedigree
Owen Hart pinned Aldo Montoya with an enzuiguri
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn after Phinneas was hit with a boot
Marc Mero pinned Davey Boy Smith
Goldust pinned Jake Roberts
Psycho Sid defeated Vader via count-out when Vader left ringside
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin with the superkick
WWF @ Toronto, Ontario – Exhibition Stadium – August 24, 1996 (21,211)
The Godwinns defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy when Phinneas pinned Leif Cassidy
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Bob Holly
Savio Vega defeated Justin Bradshaw in a Caribbean Strap Match
Jose Lothario pinned Jim Cornette at 3:30 with a punch
Steve Austin defeated Marc Mero via count-out at 14:03 when Mero began battling Mankind on the floor, who came ringside and tried to steal Sable
Psycho Sid pinned Vader in a lumberjack match at 9:23 with the chokeslam; the Toronto Argonauts were the lumberjacks for the bout
Farooq pinned Aldo Montoya with the Dominator at the 46-second mark
Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns via disqualification at 7:56 when Sunny pulled the referee out of the ring after Smith hit the running powerslam
The Undertaker defeated Mankind in a casket match at 13:24 after hitting the chokeslam and tombstone
WWF Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust in a ladder match after hitting the superkick; Dok Hendrix was the guest ring announcer for the bout
WWF @ Long Island, NY – Nassau Coliseum – August 25, 1996 (6,823)
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Zebakiah when Zebakiah was pinned
The Grimm Twins defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy (sub. for Skip & Zip) with a roll up
Marc Mero & Savio Vega defeated Steve Austin & Hunter Hearst Helmsley when Mero pinned Helmsley with a crossbody after avoiding a double clothesline
Goldust & Mankind defeated Jake Roberts & the Undertaker after Mankind applied the Mandible Claw on Roberts
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns via count-out; the challengers originally won the match and the titles but a second referee declared that Henry, who scored the pin, was not the legal man
Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Psycho Sid & Jim Neidhart (sub. for Ahmed Johnson) when Smith pinned Neidhart with a roll up after Owen hit a knee to the back as Neidhart ran off the ropes; after the bout, and after Neidhart left ringside, Sid was triple teamed by Owen, Smith, and Vader (Neidhart’s return after a 2-year absence)
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & Jose Lothario fought Vader & Jim Cornette to a no contest when, after Lothario was knocked out by Cornette’s tennis racquet, Psycho Sid came down to check on him and a brawl soon ensued involving Sid, Mankind, Goldust, Michaels, Vader, and the Undertaker
WWF @ Austin, TX – Frank Erwin Center – September 5, 1996 (3,452)
Included an interview with Mark Henry that was interrupted by Mankind & Paul Bearer, where Mankind tried to apply the Mandible Claw on Henry but Henry was able to block it, bearhug Mankind and then throw him in the casket that was at ringside; this segment replaced the scheduled Undertaker vs. Mankind match as Taker was unable to appear after acquiring a staph infection in his arm after working in Puerto Rico
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Uncle Zebakiah
Farooq (w/ Sunny) defeated Bob Holly
Jose Lothario pinned Jim Cornette
Barry Windham (sub. for Marc Mero) pinned Jerry Lawler with a piledriver
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns fought the Grimm Twins (sub. for Skip & Zip) to a double count-out
Psycho Sid pinned Vader with a chokeslam
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust
WWF @ Houston, TX – Summit – September 6, 1996 (6,948)
Included an interview with Mark Henry that was interrupted by Mankind & Paul Bearer, where Mankind tried to apply the Mandible Claw on Henry but Henry was able to block it, bearhug Mankind and then throw him in the casket that was at ringside; this segment replaced the scheduled Undertaker vs. Mankind match as Taker was unable to appear after acquiring a staph infection in his arm after working in Puerto Rico
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Uncle Zebakiah
Farooq defeated Bob Holly
Jose Lothario defeated Jim Cornette
Barry Windham (sub. for Marc Mero) defeated Jerry Lawler
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns fought the Grim Twins (sub. for Skip & Zip) to a double count-out
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Dallas, TX – Reunion Arena – September 7, 1996 (7,326)
Included an interview with Mark Henry that was interrupted by Mankind & Paul Bearer, where Mankind tried to apply the Mandible Claw on Henry but Henry was able to block it, bearhug Mankind and then throw him in the casket that was at ringside; this segment replaced the scheduled Undertaker vs. Mankind match as Taker was unable to appear after acquiring a staph infection in his arm after working in Puerto Rico
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Uncle Zebakiah when Luke pinned Bradshaw after Bradshaw accidentally struck Zebakiah
Farooq (w/ Sunny) pinned Bob Holly with the Dominator
Jose Lothario pinned Jim Cornette with a punch
Barry Windham pinned Jerry Lawler with a piledriver
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) fought the Grimm Twins to a double count-out
Psycho Sid pinned Vader with the chokeslam
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust with the superkick
WWF @ Oklahoma City, OK – Myriad Convention Center – September 8, 1996 (matinee) (3,405)
Included a segment where Bill Watts got into a brief scuffle with Mankind & Paul Bearer; this segment replaced the scheduled Undertaker vs. Mankind match as Taker was unable to appear after acquiring a staph infection in his arm after working in Puerto Rico
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Uncle Zebakiah after Bradshaw accidentally clotheslined his partner
Farooq pinned Bob Holly
Jose Lothario pinned Jim Cornette
Barry Windham (sub. for Marc Mero) pinned Jerry Lawler with a piledriver
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns fought the Grimm Twins to a double count-out
Vader pinned Psycho Sid with the Vader Bomb
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust with the superkick
WWF @ Tulsa, OK – Convention Center – September 8, 1996 (3,485)
Included a segment where Bill Watts got into a brief scuffle with Mankind & Paul Bearer; this segment replaced the scheduled Undertaker vs. Mankind match as Taker was unable to appear after acquiring a staph infection in his arm after working in Puerto Rico
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Uncle Zebakiah
Farooq defeated Bob Holly
Jose Lothario defeated Jim Cornette
Barry Windham defeated Jerry Lawler
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns fought the Grim Twins to a double count-out
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Durban, South Africa – Westridge Stadium – September 8, 1996 (9,000; sell out)
The Sultan defeated Aldo Montoya via submission with the Camel Clutch
Savio Vega pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with a spin wheel kick
Crush defeated Barry Horowitz
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts
Yokozuna pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a legdrop
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Owen Hart defeated Marc Mero
Bret Hart pinned Davey Boy Smith with a roll up
WWF @ Johannesburg, South Africa – September 9, 1996
The Sultan defeated Aldo Montoya
Savio Vega defeated Isaac Yankem DDS
Crush defeated Barry Horowitz
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Marc Mero defeated Owen Hart
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts
Yokozuna pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Bret Hart defeated Davey Boy Smith
– 9/10/96: Juanita Wright aka Sapphire passed away at the age of 61.
WWF @ Cape Town, South Africa – Good Hope Centre – September 10, 1996
Barry Horowitz pinned Marty Jannetty
Leif Cassidy pinned Aldo Montoya
Barry Windham pinned Phinneas Godwinn
The Sultan defeated Phinneas Godwinn
Crush fought Savio Vega to a double count-out
Steve Austin pinned Yokozuna
Henry Godwinn pinned Isaac Yankem DDS
Jake Roberts pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Bret Hart & Marc Mero defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith
WWF @ Miami, FL – Arena – September 12, 1996 (3,045)
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Zebakiah
Who pinned Alex Porteau
Barry Windham pinned Jerry Lawler
The Undertaker defeated Mankind in a casket match
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns fought the Grimm Twins to a double count-out
Farooq pinned Bob Holly
Psycho Sid pinned Goldust
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader
WWF @ Johannesburg, South Africa – September 12, 1996 (6,000; sell out)
Barry Horowitz pinned Marty Jannetty
Aldo Montoya defeated Leif Cassidy
The Sultan defeated Phinneas Godwinn
Crush fought Savio Vega to a double count-out
Steve Austin pinned Yokozuna
Henry Godwinn pinned Isaac Yankem DDS
Jake Roberts pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Bret Hart & Marc Mero defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith
WWF @ Huntington, WV – Civic Center – September 13, 1996 (3,163)
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Uncle Zebakiah
TL Hopper defeated Freddie Joe Floyd
Farooq defeated Bob Holly
Barry Windham defeated Jerry Lawler
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns fought the Grimm Twins to a double count-out
Psycho Sid defeated Goldust
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader
Sun City SuperBowl @ Sun City, South Africa – September 14, 1996
Televised on SuperSport – featured Jim Ross & Owen Hart on commentary:
Crush pinned Aldo Montoya with the heart punch
Yokozuna pinned the Sultan with a legdrop after ramming the Sultan into an exposed turnbuckle (WWE: Attitude Era Unreleased Volume 3 Blu-ray)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy when Henry pinned Leif with the Slop Drop; after the bout, Henry slopped Jannetty
Savio Vega pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley by blocking a sunset flip
Marc Mero defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification when Owen Hart interfered after Mero hit the Shooting Star Press
Bret Hart pinned Steve Austin with an inside cradle at 19:56 after kicking off the turnbuckle to make a reversal; prior to the bout, both men gave comments about the upcoming match, with Austin saying it took him 8 months and a flight to South Africa for Hart to face him and Hart saying it was his last official match with the WWF and while he could leave the company he alluded that he wouldn’t; following Austin’s entrance, he took the mic and threatened Owen Hart to not mess with his match; after his statement drew applause from the fans, Austin said he would “whip Bret Hart’s ass” and then the crowd’s too (Bret Hitman Hart: The Dungeon Collection)
WWF @ Louisville, KY – Louisville Gardens – September 14, 1996 (3,262)
The Bushwhackers defeated Justin Bradshaw & Uncle Zebakiah
Freddie Joe Floyd defeated TL Hopper
Farooq defeated Bob Holly
Jerry Lawler defeated Barry Windham
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns fought the Grimm Twins to a double count-out
Psycho Sid defeated Goldust
The Undertaker defeated Mankind in a casket match
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader
WWF @ Nashville, TN – Municipal Auditorium – September 15, 1996 (3,301)
The Bushwhackers defeated Freddie Joe Floyd & Uncle Zebakiah
Freddie Joe Floyd defeated the Punisher
Barry Windham pinned TL Hopper
Farooq pinned Bob Holly
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns fought the Grimm Twins to a double count-out
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader
Psycho Sid defeated Goldust
The Undertaker defeated Mankind in a casket match
WWF @ Baltimore, MD – Arena – September 21, 1996 (4,016)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Aldo Montoya after 8 minutes
Mark Henry defeated Jerry Lawler via count-out
Barry Windham pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superplex
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy when Leif Cassidy was pinned
Farooq pinned Marc Mero with the Dominator
WWF Tag Team Champions Smoking Gunns defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith when Smith was pinned
Savio Vega defeated Crush via disqualification when Crush began whipping Savio with his belt
Psycho Sid pinned Goldust with the powerbomb
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick; after the bout, Mankind attacked Michaels and applied the Mandible Claw
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone
In Your House “Mindgames” – Philadelphia, PA – CoreStates Center – September 22, 1996 (15,000; 11,969 paid)
Barry Windham vs. Crush did not take place as advertised
Free For All – included a face-to-face confrontation in the ring between Jerry Lawler and Mark Henry in which Lawler slapped Henry in the face before leaving the ring; featured an in-ring promo by Mankind and Paul Bearer in which Mankind made vague references to his time spent in ECW in an attempt to keep his heel reaction strong in the main event
Savio Vega pinned Marty Jannetty (w/ Leif Cassidy) at 3:55 when the momentum of a crossbody off the middle turnbuckle put Vega on top for the win; during the bout, Vince McMahon interviewed Justin Bradshaw backstage from the commentary table with Bradshaw saying he was angry that he had yet to appear on a WWF pay-per-view; after the bout, Uncle Zebakiah came ringside and distracted Vega long enough for Bradshaw to attack Vega from behind with a cowbell ; moments later, Savio issued a challenge to Bradshaw to face him later in the night which was accepted (Free For All)
Pay-per-view bouts – included an in-ring segment in which Brian Pillman interviewed Owen Hart, instead of the previously promised Bret Hart, about why Bret was not at the show; Owen suggested that the reason Bret was not there was because he was scared of Steve Austin; moments later, Austin came out and furhter insulted Bret by saying, “If you put the letter ‘S’ in front of Hitman, you have my exact opinion of Bret Hart”:
Savio Vega defeated Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) in a Caribbean strap match at 7:06 when Bradshaw catapulted Savio into the fourth and final corner; two minutes into the bout, the Sandman and Tommy Dreamer were shown sitting at ringside after Sandman spat beer at Savio; moments later, the two wrestlers from ECW were ejected by WWF officials; Harvey Wippleman was the referee for the bout
Jose Lothario pinned Jim Cornette at the 57-second mark following two punches that knocked Cornette to the mat; Cornette used Vader’s theme music while Lothario used Shawn Michaels’; during Cornette’s entrance, a camera backstage briefly showed footage of Razor Ramon and Diesel attacking Savio Vega backstage in a hallway before running off
Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns (w/ Sunny) to win the titles when Smith pinned Bart with the powerslam at 11:00 after Bart collided with Billy on the apron and Billy shoved his partner in retaliation; prior to the bout, a giant poster of Sunny was dropped from the rafters which had been defamed by Owen and Davey; during the opening moments, Clarence Mason came ringside in the place of Jim Cornette, who was still recovering backstage, after Mason stole the contracts of Owen & Smith out from under Cornette; after the match, Sunny grabbed a microphone, fired the Gunns, and stormed off (Sunny)
Mark Henry defeated Jerry Lawler via submission at 5:12 with a backbreaker; after the bout, Henry fought off an interfering Leif Cassidy, Marty Jannetty, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, eventually gorilla pressing Helmsley onto the two other men on the floor
The Undertaker pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) at 10:24 with a chokeslam off the top and the tombstone in a Final Curtain match; pre-match stipulations stated that the only way the match could end would be via pinfall
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) via disqualification at 26:20 when Vader interfered as Michaels had the challenger covered; moments thereafter, Michaels sent Vader to the floor where Psycho Sid came out and brawled with Vader to the backstage area; Michaels was soon knocked out after being hit by Paul Bearer with the urn and later sustained the Mandible Claw from Mankind; the Undertaker then came out of Mankind’s casket, which was brought ringside before the match, and stalked Mankind backstage (Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Express Tour, Mick Foley: Hard Knocks & Cheap Pops, Mick Foley: Greatest Hits & Misses, Shawn Michaels: From the Vault, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, The Best of In Your House)
Dark matches after the show:
Jake Roberts defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Farooq defeated Marc Mero
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
WWF @ Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Arena – September 23, 1996 (3,923)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Salvatore Sincere pinned Tom Casadi (Steve Corino) with the Sincerely Yours
Matt Hardy defeated Jason Ahrndt
The Undertaker defeated Mankind in 4 minutes with the tombstone
9/23/96:
WWF IC Championship Title Tournament Finals: Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Farooq (w/ Sunny) with the Shooting Star Press to win the vacant title at 14:50 after hitting him with Sunny’s loaded purse; during the bout, Sunny was ejected from ringisde after choking Mero on the mat but returned ringside late in the match to give Farooq the weapon; after the match, Mero was congratulated in the ring by Mr. Perfect, who did commentary for the bout, and it was revealed that a brick was hidden in the purse; Pat Patterson was the referee for the contest (Sunny)
Vader pinned Henry Godwinn with the moonsault
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Skip & Zip after Hart locked on the Sharpshooter; during the bout, ECW’s Taz briefly interrupted the contest by walking around the arena floor with a sign that read “Sabu Fears Taz”
Barry Windham pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superlex after Helmsley became distracted by Mr. Perfect at ringside
9/30/96 – featured a vignette of Mankind & Paul Bearer in a graveyard preparing for Mankind’s Buried Alive match against the Undertaker; included an in-ring promo by Hunter Hearst Helmsley in which he challenged Mr. Perfect to a match; featured a segment hosted by Dok Hendrix in which it was revealed the Roadie was the “Real Double J” and sang on behalf of Jeff Jarrett at the July 1995 In Your House; included a vignette of the Undertaker in the same graveyard Mankind & Bearer were at earlier, with Taker saying he would bury Mankind alive; featured the announcement Psycho Sid would face Goldust the following week:
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts with the Stunner at around the 10-minute mark after Jerry Lawler left the commentary table and spat alcohol in Roberts’ face moments after Roberts hit the DDT on Austin; during the bout, it was announced Austin would face Savio Vega at In Your House “Buried Alive” and Ross said he had recently spoken to Bret Hart who was upset over some of the recent comments made by Austin; after the match, Austin and Lawler double teamed Roberts until Savio Vega made the save with a leather strap
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Jason & Jared Grimm at 4:24 when Phinneas pinned Jason with the Slop Drop; prior to the bout, it was announced WWF Tag Team Champions Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart would defend against the Smoking Gunns at In Your House “Buried Alive; ” Hunter Hearst Helmsley did guest commentary for the bout; during the match, Mr. Perfect cut a backstage promo in which he accepted Helmsley’s challenge and would even give him a few weeks to train
Savio Vega defeated Razor Ramon II via disqualification at around 9:30 when Diesel II came ringside and pulled the top rope down as Savio ran the ropes, with Savio falling to the floor; WWF President Gorilla Monsoon did guest commentary for the bout and confronted Ross about his bringing in “Razor Ramon” and “Diesel;” during the bout, Hendrix was shown outside Razor & Diesel’s locker room and tried to speak with Diesel but he wasn’t in the lockerroom; after the match, Razor dropped Savio with the Razor’s Edge and Diesel hit him with the powerbomb
Vader & Jim Cornette defeated WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & Jose Lothario at around 9:30 when Vader pinned Michaels with a powerbomb and the Vader Bomb; prior to the bout, footage of Michaels appearing at Macy’s in New York City the previous Saturday on behalf of Rock the Vote; after the match, Vader attempted a second Vader Bomb but Psycho Sid made the save; the show went off the air as Michaels and Sid fought off Vader and Goldust
10/7/96 – a gravestone was positioned in at the entranceway for the show, advertising In Your House: Buried Alive; featured an opening graphic warning that viewer discretion is advised; included Kevin Kelly, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler on commentary; featured a vignette of the Undertaker digging a grave, with Taker then cutting a promo on facing Mankind in their upcoming Buried Alive match; included the announcement Mr. Perfect would face Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 2 weeks, followed by a Mr. Perfect vignette set to his theme music; featured a segment in which Jesse Jammes, alongside Jim Johnston, performed “With My Baby Tonight,” proving that Jeff Jarrett’s performance the previous year in Nashville, TN was a hoax; Jammes said he didn’t hate Jarrett but said Jarrett wasn’t the world’s best entertainer or even a good entertainer; footage then aired of Shawn Michaels beating Jarrett later that night to win the WWF IC Title after a miscommunication between Jarrett and Jammes; Jammes then said Jarrett could come back to carry his bags this time; it was then noted Jammes would be on America Online later in the week and the story would be investigated further the next week on Raw; included a backstage promo by Goldust, alongside Marlena, regarding his match with Psycho Sid later in the show; featured Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Vader, alongside Jim Cornette, regarding his win over Michaels the previous week, during which Ross said Vader would face Sid at Buried Alive, with the winner earning a WWF World Title match at the Survivor Series; Cornette then said Vader shouldn’t have to face anyone to earn a title shot since he’s beaten Michaels several times already; included an ad promoting the WWF Hall of Fame and Survivor Series, both to be held in New York City; featured a vignette of Mankind and Paul Bearer in the graveyard discussing Mankind’s Buried Alive match with Taker:
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated Diesel II via disqualification in a non-title match at 8:15 when Razor Ramon II interfered and, with Diesel, double teamed Mero in the ring; Jim Ross did not appear for the broadcast until he came out with Diesel during Diesel’s entrance; during the match, it was noted Mero would defend against Farooq at In Your House: Buried Alive; moments later, Ross spoke with Razor, who was backstage, who said he might need a closer look at the action; Razor then appeared ringside during the final moments of the match; after the contest, Diesel dropped Mero with the powerbomb
The Smoking Gunns defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy at 9:02 when Billy pinned Cassidy following the Sidewinder; prior to the match, Kevin Kelly spoke with Sid, who was backstage, regarding his match later in the show against Goldust; during the opening moments of the match, a pretaped promo by the Gunns aired in which Bart said they would regain the WWF Tag Team Titles from Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith at Buried Alive and Billy said they would win back Sunny in the process; moments later, the commentary team spoke with Sunny on the phone regarding whether she might manage the Gunns again, during which Jim Ross told her Ahmed Johnson would be a guest on Livewire the following Saturday, with Sunny then getting upset, saying Livewire was her show and it should be up to her as to what guests appear; during the match, it was announced Jerry Lawler would face Jake Roberts the following week and it was revealed Ross was Vice President of Talent Relations for the WWF
The Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik & Bob Backlund) defeated Aldo Montoya via submission with the Camel Clutch at 3:25; Backlund provided guest commentary for the match; prior to the bout, it was announced Steve Austin would face WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels the following week in a non-title match
Psycho Sid pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) with a chokeslam and the powerbomb at around the 6-minute mark; Razor Ramon II was shown watching Goldust’s entrance backstage before the bout began; during the bout, WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels called in to the commentary team to discuss whether he faces Vader or Sid at Survivor Series and battling Steve Austin the following week; late in the bout, Jim Cornette joined the commentary team; after the bout, Vader attacked Sid from behind and hit a splash from the middle turnbuckle but Sid immediately jumped to his feet and dropped Vader with the chokeslam, clearing Vader from the ring
10/14/96 – featured an opening graphic warning that viewer discretion is advised; included a promo from Steve Austin regarding his match later in the show against WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels; a gravestone was positioned in at the entranceway for the show, advertising In Your House: Buried Alive; featured Kevin Kelly & Jim Ross on commentary; included an ad promoting the WWF Hall of Fame and Survivor Series coming to New York City; featured Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Mr. Perfect regarding his in-ring return the following week against Hunter Hearst Helmsley, during which Perfect said he had been waiting a long time to get back into the ring against the ‘new generation,’ was the greatest WWF IC Champion of all time, and would prove it the following week; included a feature on Jesse Jammes in which he said he left the WWF with Jeff Jarrett the previous year after Jarrett promised him continued success elsewhere, which didn’t happen; during the segment, it was noted Jammes and Jim Johnston had an album in the works, which would feature “With My Baby Tonight,” and that Jammes’ Desert Storm tour would be detailed the following week; featured a backstage promo by Austin in which he said since he couldn’t get Bret Hart in the ring, he would beat the man that beat Hart; included an in-ring segment in which Sunny took the mic and praised herself, with a giant poster of Sunny then rolling down from the rafters; featured a vignette of Mankind and Paul Bearer at a graveyard during a rainstorm in which they discussed Mankind’s upcoming Buried Alive match against the Undertaker; included footage from the previous weekend’s Livewire of Farooq calling in as Ahmed Johnson was on as a guest, during which Ahmed said he wasn’t mad at him but payback would be coming, in or out of the ring; featured a vignette of Taker in a graveyard preparing for the Buried Alive match with Mankind, during which he said he would be willing to destroy himself to destroy Mankind:
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) with the Vader Bomb at 4:32; prior to the bout, it was announced Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler would host Raw beginning the following week, with Ross objecting and saying he would be on Raw the following week regardless; late in the match, Psycho Sid briefly appeared ringside, distracting Vader
Jake Roberts pinned Jerry Lawler with a kick to the mid-section and the DDT at the 39-second mark; prior to the bout, Lawler cut an in-ring promo on Roberts in which he said he heard Roberts fell off the wagon again; it was noted before Roberts’ entrance that Jim Ross, Lawler, and Vince McMahon would announce In Your House: Buried Alive; moments later, Roberts came out to the ring appearing to be drunk and with a brown bag in hand; Gorilla Monsoon soon followed, with Roberts signalling to Monsoon that he wasn’t really drunk and it was a ruse to get Lawler; after the bout, Roberts opened up his bottle of whiskey and poured it onto Lawler’s face, then wrapped Revelations around Lawler before Lawler esaped to the floor
Freddie Joe Floyd defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via count-out at 4:07 when, after Helmsley dropped Floyd with the Pedigree, he went to the floor to confront Mr. Perfect in the aisle after Perfect came ringside and left with Helmsley’s valet; prior to the match, Helmsley handcuffed his valet to the ring rope to prevent Perfect from coming out and taking her backstage; moments later, Perfect came out with a key, unlocked the valet, and left with her; after Helmsley confronted Perfect in the aisle, Perfect knocked him down with a punch
Farooq pinned Alex Porteau with the Tiger Bite (later known as the Dominator) at 3:02; Sunny provided guest commentary for the match, during which she said she and Farooq have parted ways but remain on good terms; during the match, Ross said Farooq’s head gear was embarassing and questioned whether Vince McMahon was truly a marketing genius since he put a costume on a 3-time All American
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) defeated Steve Austin via disqualification in a non-title match at around the 7-minute mark when Vader attacked Michaels; during Austin’s entrance, it was noted he would be a guest on Livewire the coming Saturday; during the match, Vader & Jim Cornette cut a backstage promo on Vader beating Psycho Sid at Buried Alive and challenging Michaels for the title at Survivor Series; moments later, Sid cut a backstage promo responding to Vader’s comments and potentially facing Michaels at Survivor Series; after the match, Savio Vega attempted to make the save, during which it was noted Vega would face Austin at Buried Alive, but Austin dropped him with the Stunner; Sid then came out to clear Austin and Vader from the ring; moments later, Razor Ramon II & Diesel II were shown watching on from the aisle; Austin then Irish whipped Sid into Michaels, with Michaels and Sid then coming face to face and arguing before then clearing Austin and Vader from the ring a second time and making up as the show went off the air
WWF @ State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center – September 24, 1996 (3,189)
WWF Superstars taping:
The scheduled Farooq vs. Jake Roberts match did not take place
Farooq defeated Barry Horowitz
Freddie Joe Floyd defeated Mike Fury
Farooq defeated Marty Gardner
Mike Fury defeated Jason Arndt
Al Phillips defeated Bob Starr
Savio Vega defeated Terry Gordy
The Undertaker & Psycho Sid defeated Goldust & Mankind
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader (Shawn Michaels The Showstopper: Unreleased)
9/29/96:
Psycho Sid pinned Marty Jannetty (w/ Leif Cassidy) with the chokeslam and powerbomb; after the bout, Sid hit the chokeslam and powerbomb on Cassidy as well
The Sultan (w/ Bob Backlund & the Iron Sheik) defeated Mike Khoury via submission with the Camel Clutch
Aldo Montoya defeated TL Hopper
The Smoking Gunns defeated the Spiders (Headbangers) following the Sidewinder
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Justin Bradshaw with the superkick
10/6/96 – featured Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with Sunny in which she said she might take back the Smoking Gunns if they beg hard enough and win the WWF Tag Team Titles from Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith at In Your House: Buried Alive; Sunny then said she and Farooq had parted ways but were still good friends:
Steve Austin pinned Zip with the Stunner at around the 7-minute mark; Brian Pillman joined Jim Ross & Mr. Perfect on commentary for the match
Jake Roberts pinned Salvatore Sincere with the DDT at around the 5-minute mark; after the bout, Roberts put Revelations on Salvatore
The Grimm Twins defeated Ingus & Wildo Jinx (Matt & Jeff Hardy) at 2:25 when Jason pinned Wildo following a double flapjack
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Leif Cassidy (w/ Marty Jannetty) at around the 6-minute mark in a non-title match with the Wild Thing
Diesel II pinned Aldo Montoya with the powerbomb at 2:34
10/13/96 – featured a vignette on “The Real Double J” Jesse Jammes in which he discussed Jeff Jarrett’s lip synching at In Your House 2 as well as the Jarrett vs. Shawn Michaels IC title match later in the show; included a vignette of Mankind & Paul Bearer in a graveyard to promote Mankind’s Buried Alive match with the Undertaker at In Your House; featured Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with Psycho Sid, discussing his match with Vader at In Your House and possibly facing WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series:
Salvatore Sincere pinned Savio Vega with the Sincerely Yours at around 7:30, moments after Vega brawled with an interfering Steve Austin, who provided guest commentary for the match; late in the bout, Austin left the broadcast booth following a verbal confrontation with Mr. Perfect
Crush (w/ Clarence Mason) pinned Freddie Joe Floyd with the heart punch at 2:33; after the bout, Crush attacked a fan at ringside (Steve Corino) who had taunted Crush during the match with a “Jailbird” sign
Barry Windham pinned the Goon with the superplex at 3:17; Goldust provided guest commentary for the bout
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) in a non-title match at around 6:50 when Henry pinned Smith with the Slop Drop after throwing Hart to the floor; early in the bout, the Smoking Gunns were interviewed in an insert about their tag team title shot at In Your House, with Billy Gunn saying Sunny would come back to them after they regain the belts, with Bart seeming more interested in the belts than her; Jim Cornette joined the commentary team mid-way through the bout and complained Mason stole Smith & Hart from him; after the bout, Kevin Kelly interviewed the winners in the aisle
Farooq pinned Jason Ahrndt with the Tiger Bite (Dominator) at 2:36
10/20/96 – the live portions of the show from Market Square Arena featured Kevin Kelly conducting interviews with Psycho Sid, WWF IC Champion Marc Mero & Sable and Dok Hendrix conducting interviews with Vince McMahon and Clarence Mason:
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Julio Sanchez with the Pedigree at 4:16; throughout the match, Mr. Perfect taunted Helmsley from the broadcast booth about their match on Monday Night Raw the following night; Perfect eventually came through the crowd and carried Helmsley’s valet away from ringside
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Alex Porteau at 2:53 with the Curtain Call; during the bout, Razor Ramon II was shown watching the match backstage and Barry Windham was shown watching the match from the entrance curtain
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned John Crystal at 2:06 with a moonsault
Jake Roberts pinned Marty Gardner with the DDT at 2:59
The Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik) defeated Barry Horowitz via submission with the Camel Clutch at 3:39; Bob Backlund provided guest commentary for the bout
Razor Ramon II pinned Bob Holly at around the 6:30 mark with the Razor’s Edge
WWF @ Danville, PA – Area High School Gym – September 25, 1996 (800)
Jose Lothario vs. Jim Cornette
Aldo Montoya vs. Justin Bradshaw
The Grimm Twins (sub. for Skip & Zip) vs. the Smoking Gunns
Barry Windham (sub. for Bob Holly) vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith vs. Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Savio Vega vs. Farooq
Jake Roberts vs. Steve Austin
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero vs. Goldust
Psycho Sid vs. Vader
WWF @ Saginaw, MI – Civic Center – September 26, 1996 (3,753)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Aldo Montoya
Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts
Barry Windham defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Farooq defeated Savio Vega
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns
Mankind defeated Bob Holly
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith via disqualification
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Goldust
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
USWA @ Union City, TN – September 26, 1996
Mark Henry defeated Unified Champion Jerry Lawler via disqualification
WWF @ Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena – September 27, 1996 (4,847)
Bob Holly pinned the Brooklyn Brawler
Jake Roberts & Aldo Montoya defeated Justin Bradshaw & Zebakiah
Barry Windham pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega
The Grimm Twins (sub. for Skip & Zip) defeated the Smoking Gunns
The Undertaker pinned Mankind
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Farooq via disqualification
Psycho Sid pinned Vader
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust
USWA @ Memphis, TN – September 28, 1996
Mark Henry & Brian Christopher defeated Unified Champion Jerry Lawler & Scott Bowden
WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA – Civic Arena – September 28, 1996 (4,990)
Bob Holly defeated the Brooklyn Brawler
Jake Roberts & Aldo Montoya defeated Justin Bradshaw & Zebakiah when Montoya pinned Zebakiah
Barry Windham pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with a superplex
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega (sub. for Marc Mero) with the Stunner
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone in a no holds barred match
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Farooq (sub. for Steve Austin) via disqualification when Farooq used the title belt as a weapon
Psycho Sid pinned Vader with the chokeslam
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust with the superkick
WWF @ New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – September 29, 1996 (matinee) (6,747; 3,917 paid)
Included a segment in which Brian Pillman came out, insulted New York City, and interviewed Sunny; Sunny then talked about Livewire and went on to insult Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; Phinneas then appeared and went to slop her before Billy Gunn attacked him from behind; Phinneas then chased the two backstage (Pillman’s MSG debut)
Salvatore Sincere defeated Bob Holly with the Sincerely Yours
Justin Bradshaw pinned Alex Porteau with a lariat
Jake Roberts pinned TL Hopper with the DDT
Barry Windham pinned the Goon with the superplex
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, the Smoking Gunns, and the Grimm Twins in an elimination match; Bart Gunn pinned one of the Grimm Twins with a forearm to the back, a roll up, and grabbing the tights for leverage; Smith pinned Henry after Owen came off the top behind the referee’s back onto Henry and put Smith on top; Owen pinned Bart as Sunny distracted Billy
Vader pinned Psycho Sid in a lumberjack match with the moonsault after Steve Austin interfered and hit the Stunner on Sid; after the bout, Sid dropped several of the heel lumberjacks with the chokeslam
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Freddie Joe Floyd with the Pedigree
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega with the Stunner
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Farooq via disqualification after Farooq hit the champion with the title belt; the match was initially advertised as Farooq vs. Yokozuna
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Mankind & Goldust at around the 30-minute mark when Michaels pinned Goldust with the superkick after kissing him
WWF @ Winnipeg, Manitoba – Arena – October 4, 1996 (6,099)
Barry Windham pinned Justin Bradshaw at 4:00
Crush pinned Bob Holly at 5:30 with the heart punch
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns at 9:00
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega at 13:15 with the Stone Cold Stunner
Jake Roberts pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 9:30 with the DDT
The Undertaker defeated Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) at 11:40 in a no holds barred match with the tombstone
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated Farooq via disqualification at 3:20 after Farroq hit Mero with the title belt
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn at 6:25
Psycho Sid pinned Goldust at 2:50 with the powerbomb
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader at 10:35 with the superkick
– 10/5/96: Vince McMahon appeared on WWF Livewire. During the live telecast, ECW promoter Paul Heyman called in under a fake name and confronted McMahon.
WWF @ Calgary, Alberta – Saddledome – October 5, 1996 (5,062)
Several of the talent on the show, including Shawn Michaels, donated their pay to disease research in memory of Matthew Hart, who died from a flesh eating disease weeks earlier
Ted Annis (Teddy Hart) (16) & Harry Smith (10) defeated TJ Wilson (16) & Andrew Pakarnyk after 5 minutes when Smith pinned Wilson with a splash after a superplex from Annis
Crush pinned Bob Holly with the heart punch; the match was dedicated to the memory of Matthew Hart
Jake Roberts pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the DDT
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn when Smith pinned Henry after Owen came off the top behind the referee’s back
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega with the Stunner
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone in a no holds barred match
Barry Windham defeated Justin Bradshaw
The Smoking Gunns defeated the Grimm Twins
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Farooq via disqualification
Psycho Sid defeated Goldust
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with a bodyslam and the superkick
WWF @ Edmonton, Alberta – Northlands Agricom – October 6, 1996 (5,418; sell out)
Barry Windham pinned Justin Bradshaw with a roll up after Bradshaw missed the lariat
Crush pinned Bob Holly with the heart punch
Jake Roberts pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the DDT
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn when Bulldog pinned Henry after Owen came off the top behind the referee’s back
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega with the Stunner
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns with a roll up
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Farooq via disqualification after the challenger used the title belt as a weapon
Psycho Sid pinned Goldust with the powerbomb
The Undertaker pinned Mankind in a No Holds Barred match with the tombstone
WWF @ Red Deer, Alberta – Centrium – October 7, 1996 (2,255)
Barry Windham defeated Justin Bradshaw
Crush defeated Bob Holly
Jake Roberts defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Steve Austin defeated Razor Ramon II
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, the Smoking Gunns, and the Grimm Twins in an elimination match
Savio Vega defeated Farooq via disqualification
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Goldust
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
The Undertaker defeated Mankind in a no holds barred match
WWF @ Lethbridge, Alberta – Canada Games Sportsplex – October 8, 1996 (3,834)
Steve Austin defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Crush defeated Bob Holly
Barry Windham defeated Justin Bradshaw
Jake Roberts defeated Razor Ramon II
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, the Smoking Gunns, and the Grimm Twins in an elimination match
Savio Vega defeated Farooq via disqualification
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Goldust
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF @ Medicine Hat, Alberta – Arena – October 9, 1996 (2,554)
Steve Austin defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Crush defeated Bob Holly
Barry Windham defeated Justin Bradshaw
Jake Roberts defeated Razor Ramon II
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, the Smoking Gunns, and the Grimm Twins in an elimination match
Savio Vega defeated Farooq via disqualification
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Goldust
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF @ Prince George, British Columbia – Multiplex Centre – October 10, 1996 (3,707)
Steve Austin defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Crush defeated Bob Holly
Barry Windham defeated Justin Bradshaw
Jake Roberts defeated Razor Ramon II
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, the Smoking Gunns, and the Grimm Twins in an elimination match
Savio Vega defeated Farooq via disqualification
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Goldust
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF @ Victoria, British Columbia – Memorial Arena – October 11, 1996 (3,825)
Barry Windham defeated Justin Bradshaw
Crush defeated Bob Holly
Jake Roberts pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the DDT
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero (sub. for Savio Vega) defeated Steve Austin via disqualification
Psycho Sid defeated Goldust
The Undertaker pinned Mankind with the tombstone in a no holds barred match
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
WWF @ Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome – October 12, 1996 (4,509)
Barry Windham defeated Justin Bradshaw
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns
Crush defeated Jake Roberts
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Anaheim, CA – Arrowhead Pond – October 13, 1996 (5,331)
Included Brian Pillman interviewing Sunny, which led to Steve Austin coming out and stating that he will face the winner of the world title match the next time the WWF comes to Anaheim
Barry Windham defeated Justin Bradshaw at 6:02
Jose Lothario pinned Jim Cornette at the 55-second mark
Vader pinned Jake Roberts at 10:47 with the Vader Bomb; in Vader’s corner for the match was Ben Savage (Cory), Rider Strong (Shawn), and Ethan Suplee (Frankie Stechino) from ‘Boy Meets World’; footage was shot for an episode of the series in which Cory and Shawn helped Frankie bond with his dad (Vader); prior to the bout, Brother Love introduced Vader to the ring; after the bout, Love taunted Roberts for losing with Jake hitting the DDT and putting the snake on him
Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega at 10:04 with the Stone Cold Stunner
Psycho Sid pinned Vader at 4:22 with the chokeslam and a legdrop
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 11:54 with a moonsault
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns at 4:45
The Undertaker pinned Mankind at 11:23 with the tombstone; during the bout, the top rope broke
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn at 6:39; during the match the top rope broke again
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust at 21:00 with the superkick after kissing him; because of the problems with the top rope earlier in the evening, the bottom rope was moved up and the bout was wrestled without the bottom rope
In Your House “Buried Alive” – Indianapolis, IN – Market Square Arena – October 20, 1996 (9,649; 8,238 paid)
Barry Windham pinned Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah)
Free for All – featured a backstage segment in which Ahmed Johnson was seen standing over an injured Farooq with a 2×4 in hand and several referees demanding Ahmed put down the weapon; the following weekend, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon announced he had suspended Ahmed Johnson pending an investigation into what exactly happened backstage
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, & Jim Ross on commentary; included Dok Hendrix conducting a backstage interview with the Smoking Gunns regarding their upcoming WWF Tag Team Title shot, during which Billy claimed Sunny would be back with him once they win the belts back; featured an in-ring promo by Ross, following the tag team title match, in which he claimed McMahon was trying to make him look bad and said he would have Bret Hart on Raw the next night; Ross then addressed McMahon and said if he wasn’t going to give him a working mic then he would leave, with Ross then throwing the mic at McMahon and leaving ringside; included footage from the Free for All pre-show of backstage interviews with Farooq and Ahmed Johnson and of the lockerroom incident in which Ahmed was found standing over an injured Farooq with a 2×4; featured an ad for the WWF Hall of Fame, Nov. 16 at the Mariott Marquee in Times Square, and the Survivor Series the next day; included Jim Ross interrupting Dok Hendrix’ backstage interview regarding his upcoming match with WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series:
Steve Austin pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley (sub. for Savio Vega) with the Stunner at 15:30; prior to the bout, Kevin Kelly conducted a backstage interview with Austin regarding Helmsley replacing Vega and Bret Hart returning the following night on Raw; mid-way through the match, Mr. Perfect appeared ringside to take Helmsley’s valet backstage; after passing Austin on the floor, Austin confronted Perfect and later threw water in his face before backing off and Perfect leaving ringside with the valet; during the match, Jim Ross’ audio went in and out, which he blamed on Vince McMahon (The Best of In Your House)
WWF Tag Team Champions Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart (w/ Clarance Mason) defeated the Smoking Gunns at 9:17 when Owen pinned Billy with a spin wheel kick after Smith stopped the challengers’ attempt at the Sidewinder; during the bout, Sunny was shown watching the match backstage and, afterwards, applauding Smith & Hart’s win
WWF IC Champion Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) (sub. for Farooq) with a Samoan Drop and Shooting Star Press at 11:37 after Mr. Perfect, who did guest commentary for the match, punched the challenger on the floor as the referee ordered Hunter Hearst Helmsley backstage when Helmsley appeared to confront Perfect at ringside; prior to the bout, the commentary team conducted an interview with Mero, backstage, about his facing Goldust instead of Farooq
Psycho Sid pinned Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) with the chokeslam at 8:00 after ducking a clothesline; due to pre-match stipulations, Sid earned a world title shot against WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels the following month at Survivor Series; after the match, Michaels, who did guest commentary for the contest, and Sid had words and shook hands
The Undertaker defeated Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) in a Buried Alive match at 18:25; after the match, the Executioner attacked the Undertaker from behind with a shovel – with Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Justin Bradshaw, Goldust, Crush, Mankind, and the Executioner (Terry Gordy) then burying the Undertaker; as the show was about to go off the air, a lightning bolt shot down from the ceiling before the Undertaker’s hand was seen coming out of the dirt (Terry Gordy’s surprise return after a 12-year absence) (Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker, The Best of In Your House)
Dark matches after the show:
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) at 8:13 with the superkick after kissing the challenger on the lips; following the entrances, Goldust took the mic and had Michaels’ music play as he danced around the ring like the champion; Jose Lothario was introduced before the match but was not at ringside (WWE: Attitude Era Unreleased Volume 3)
WWF @ Ft. Wayne, IN – War Memorial Coliseum – October 21, 1996 (4,555)
Monday Night Raw taping:
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Vader was originally advertised for the show
Flash Funk pinned Leif Cassidy with the 450 splash
Freddie Joe Floyd pinned Mike Diamond
The Undertaker, Jesse Jammes (sub. for Psycho Sid), & Marc Mero defeated Steve Austin (sub. for Farooq), Mankind, & Goldust when Jammes pinned Goldust
10/21/96 – included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Bret Hart in which Hart stated that he was back in the WWF and had agreed to face Steve Austin at the Survivor Series; several of the heels, with Steve Austin standing in front, were seen watching the interview backstage; after Hart agreed to the match, Brian Pillman jumped in excitement until Austin turned around and stared him down (Hart’s return after a 7-month absence):
Psycho Sid defeated WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart via disqualification when Davey Boy Smith interfered; after the match, Shawn Michaels made the save
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated the Smoking Gunns
Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned WWF IC Champion Marc Mero (sub. for Mr. Perfect) (w/ Sable & Mr. Perfect) to win the title at around the 10-minute mark with the Pedigree after Mr. Perfect, who did guest commentary for the match, grabbed a steel chair away from the challenger and hit Mero in the head with it; Perfect was to have made his in-ring return after a 3-year absence but was attacked backstage earlier in the show after Helmsley ran a cart into Perfect’s leg; prior to the bout, Jim Ross conducted an in-ring interview with WWF President Gorilla Monsoon, Mero, Sable, Perfect, and Helmsley in which Monsoon announced that Perfect was not cleared to wrestle due to the injury but Perfect said Mero had volunteered to take his place in the match; Helmsley then objected, saying he wasn’t obligated to wrestle Mero and that he would only do so if the IC title was on the line; Perfect then agreed on behalf of Mero that the title would be at stake and Monsoon allowed the match to take place; after the bout, Perfect and Helmsley celebrated the victory; later that weekend during Livewire, Monsoon announced he had revoked Perfect’s wrestling license indefinately (the match began during the commercial break) (Triple H: The King of Kings)
10/28/96 – featured the announcement that Brian Pillman, recovering from injuries sustained from Steve Austin the day before during WWF Superstars, would be interviewed at his home the following week; moments later, Austin threatened to be there as well:
Jesse Jammes pinned Salvatore Sincere
Crush pinned Aldo Montoya
Billy Gunn pinned Freddie Joe Floyd
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith via disqualification when Owen Hart interfered; Psycho Sid made the save
11/4/96 – the first episode to air at 8 p.m.; featured a viewer discretion graphic at the opening of the broadcast; included Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; featured a live opening shot outside Brian Pillman’s home in Walton, KY; included comments from Kevin Kelly outside Pillman’s home in which he said Pillman and his wife were inside but their children had been sent away in the event Steve Austin was to show up as he threatened; featured a vignette of Steve Austin promoting his match with Bret Hart at Survivor Series; included a Survivor Series Control Center hosted by Dok Hendrix in which it was announced the Undertaker would face Mankind with Paul Bearer hoisted above the ring in a cage; footage was then shown of Hendrix conducting an in-ring interview with Mankind, Bearer, & the Executioner during the “Big Bang Boom” tour, with Taker’s voice eventually interrupting them and revealing a cage at ringside with a dummy hoised upside down, meant to represent what Taker would do to Bearer at Survivor Series; the interview appeared to have taken place at the very same Raw taping; included Kelly conducting an interview with Pillman, recovering from the attack sustained at the hands of Austin the week previous during WWF Superstars, and his wife Melanie at their home, during which McMahon interrupted to note Austin was circling the neighborhood, with Pillman then displaying a 9mm handgun and implying he would shoot Austin if he came through the door; featured a segment of Karate Fighters Holiday Tournament, hosted by Todd Pettengill & Lawler, in which Psycho Sid defeated Marlena to advance; it was noted Hendrix would face Sable the following week; included footage of Austin arriving at the home and beating up two men outside before smashing his way through the front door; the live feed went out just as Austin barged in the living room and Pillman pointed the gun at him; featured Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Sid and WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels, alongside Jose Loathario, regarding their history, miscommunication on Raw weeks earlier, and facing each other at Survivor Series; during the segment, Sid responded to Michaels’ comments by saying “bullshit;” the comment was censored out; moments later, Michaels said Sid wasn’t in his league and said “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man;” the two continued to have words until Michaels knocked over the podium between them; eventually, Jim Cornette, Vader, WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith, & Clarence Mason surrounded the ring, with Hart hitting Sid in the back before Michaels used the chair to clear the ring; once Sid turned around, he assumed Michaels had used the weapon on him; after Sid and Michaels had words, Camp Cornette again attempted to jump them but they cleared them from the ring; referees and officials then swarmed the ring as Sid and Michaels went face to face; included footage from Pillman’s home in which Pillman was seen being held back and Austin gone; moments later, Austin returned to the living room and was held back again; as the show came to a close, Pillman was heard screaming “Let him go, I’m going to kill that son of a bitch!” and “You don’t know who you’re fucking with!” (Pillman’s last appearance for 5 months):
Goldust (w/ Marlena, WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Mr. Perfect, Crush, & Clarence Mason) fought Barry Windham (w/ Marc Mero, Sable, Rocky Maivia, & Mark Henry) to a double disqualification at around the 8-minute mark when each man’s cornermen began fighting at ringside; prior to the bout, it was announced Jerry Lawler, Goldust, Helmsley, & Crush would face Mero, Windham, Rocky Maivia, & Mark Henry at the Survivor Series in an elimination match; during the contest, Dok Hendrix interrupted from the WWF Studios in which he said he spoke with Steve Austin and said Austin was on his way to Brian Pillman’s home from the Cincinnati airport; moments later, Austin spoke to the commentary team over the phone in which he said he didn’t care who was waiting for him at Pillman’s house and he was going to do whatever it takes to get his hands on Pillman; Austin then said he could do whatever he wanted because Vince McMahon needed him at Survivor Series; mid-way through the match, Lawler left the broadcast table to join his Survivor Series team at ringside; after the contest, Mero’s team eventually dominated the fight and cleared the ring (Maivia’s debut)
The Sultan (w/ Bob Backlund & the Iron Sheik) defeated Alex Porteau via submission with the Camel Clutch at 2:09; during the bout, McMahon noted Steve Austin and Brian Pillman were once tag team champions
Razor Ramon II (w/ Diesel II) pinned Marc Mero (w/ Sable) at around the 14-minute mark with the Razor’s Edge after Mr. Perfect & WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley came ringside and Helmsley shoved Mero off the top behind the referee’s back, with Mero injuring his knee in the fall; Jim Ross joined the commentary team for the match; during the bout, director Kerwin Silfies called in from the production truck to say their equipment failed at Pillman’s home and the electricity is out at the home; Silfies then said he’s not sure what happened but he did hear some explosions inside Brian Pillman’s home; following the commercial break, Silfies said the authorities hadn’t arrived and he didn’t know why; Silfies said most of the crew were staying in the production truck; moments later, the call dropped after Silfies was heard yelling; later in the bout, it was noted Perfect would appear on Livewire the following Saturday
11/11/96 – featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included an ad promoting ‘WWF Full Metal: The Album’:
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) defeated WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) & Psycho Sid at around the 13-minute mark when Smith pinned Sid moments after Michaels accidentally knocked his partner out with the superkick when Smith moved out of the way; prior to the match, footage was shown of the altercations in previous weeks between the four wrestlers; early in the bout, Steve Austin cut an insert promo in which he said he wouldn’t apologize for what happened the previous week with Brian Pillman, would beat Bob Holly later in the show, and then would go look for Bret Hart so he wouldn’t have to wait until Survivor Series on Sunday; during the match, it was noted Michaels would field questions the following night at 8 p.m. EST on AOL; after the contest, Michaels tried to make the save but was knocked out following an enzuiguri from Hart; following the commercial break, Kevin Kelly was shown backstage with several officials and referees after Sid and Michaels had to be kept apart
Mankind defeated Freddie Joe Floyd with the Mandible Claw
Steve Austin pinned Bob Holly
WWF @ Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati Gardens – October 22, 1996 (3,137)
WWF Superstars taping:
Flash Funk defeated an unknown
Barry Horowitz pinned Mike Diamond with a victory roll
Steve Austin defeated Lou Marconi
The Undertaker, Psycho Sid, & Marc Mero defeated Goldust, Mankind, & Steve Austin
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the superkick
10/27/96 – featured Brian Pillman conducting an in-ring interview with Steve Austin regarding Austin’s upcoming match against Bret Hart at the Survivor Series; Austin brutally attacked Pillman’s already injured ankle toward the end of the segment after Pillman praised Hart, locked the ankle in a steel chair and then stomped it; moments later, Pillman was taken backstage on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance:
The Smoking Gunns defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy at around the 6-minute mark when Bart pinned Cassidy with a roll up; Billy walked out of the match earlier following a miscommunication
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated John Faulkner & Mike Diamond at 1:36 when Henry scored the pin with the Slop Drop
Justin Bradshaw (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) pinned David Haskins with the lariat at 3:06
Psycho Sid pinned Jason Grimm (w/ Jared Grimm) at around the 4-minute mark with the chokeslam; the Grimms switched places several times during the match
11/3/96 – international version: Barry Windham pinned Brian Costello at 3:27 with the superplex; during the bout, Windham cut an insert promo on his match scheduled for Survivor Series
11/3/96 – featured a live interview with Bret Hart from WWF Studios in Stamford, CT in which he discussed his upcoming return at Survivor Series:
Diesel II & Razor Ramon II defeated Barry Horowitz & Aldo Montoya at 3:57 when Diesel pinned Horowitz with the powerbomb
Jesse Jammes pinned Frank Stilleto with the pumphandle slam at 3:06
Steve Austin pinned Tom Mores at 2:59 with the Stunner; during the bout, Brian Pillman called in to speak with the commentary team and said he had successful ankle surgery and expected to be back in the ring in early 1997; Pillman then discussed appearing on Raw the following night from his home and the rumors of Austin saying he will be there as wells
Crush (w/ Clarence Mason) pinned Bruno Taylor at 1:37 with the heart punch; Mason did guest commentary for the bout, during which Mr. Perfect asked for his business card due to his legal issues with Gorilla Monsoon
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) fought Goldust (w/ Marlena) to a double disqualification at around the 2-minute mark when Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Barry Windham interfered while Mr. Perfect was talking to Sable on the floor
11/10/96 – featured Jim Ross & Jim Cornette on commentary, during which it was noted Cornette was substituting for Mr. Perfect because Perfect would be in WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s corner later in the show; in reality, Perfect had no-showed Livewire the previous day and didn’t do the voiceovers for WWF Superstars; the show thus had to be edited so as not to show Ross & Perfect in the arena; included a preview of the 11/15/96 episode of “Boy Meets World” that would feature Vader:
Bart Gunn & Freddie Joe Floyd defeated Billy Gunn & TL Hopper at around the 7:30 mark when Bart pinned Hopper following a double dropkick; after the bout, Billy shook Bart’s hand and hugged him but then dropped him with a clothesline; moments later, Billy took his boot off and assaulted Bart, Floyd, and Hopper
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Mr. Perfect) pinned Alex Porteau at 2:41 with the Pedigree (Perfect’s last TV appearance for over 5 years)
The Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik) defeated David Haskins via submission with the Camel Clutch at 2:29
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) pinned Salvatore Sincere in a non-title match with the superkick at around the 8-minute mark
11/17/96 – live portions of the show took place at Madison Square Garden, site of that day’s Survivor Series; featured Vince McMahon conducting an interview with WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels regarding the previous night’s Hall of Fame and facing Psycho Sid that night; included Todd Pettengill conducting an interview with Steve Austin regarding his upcoming match with Bret Hart; featured footage from the previous night’s Hall of Fame ceremony:
Jesse Jammes pinned the Goon with the pumphandle slam at around the 4-minute mark; during the bout, it was mentioned WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Mr. Perfect had a meeting before the Hall of Fame ceremony and that the two had a major falling out
Billy Gunn pinned Bob Holly at around the 5-minute mark with a legdrop off the top
WWF Tag Team Champions Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart (w/ Clarence Mason) defeated Frank Stilleto & Tony Williams at 2:37 when Hart forced a submission with the Sharpshooter
Mark Henry defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Crush (w/ Clarence Mason), & Goldust in a tog-of-war contest; the match was originally scheduled for Henry vs. Crush in a tug-of-war but Goldust and Helmsley soon came out to help Crush; after the bout, Henry was triple teamed (Henry’s last appearance for a year)
Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer & the Executioner) defeated Dan Parks via submission with the Mandible Claw at 1:38
WWF @ Evansville, IN – Roberts Municipal Stadium – October 23, 1996 (2,646)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Barry Horowitz
Crush defeated Bob Holly
Steve Austin defeated Barry Windham (sub. for Savio Vega)
Psycho Sid defeated Mankind
The Sultan defeated Aldo Montoya
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley (sub. for Farooq) via disqualification
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, the Smoking Gunns, and the Grimm Twins
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Springfield, IL – Prairie Capital Convention Center – October 24, 1996 (2,480)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Barry Horowitz (sub. for Barry Windham)
Crush defeated Bob Holly
Steve Austin defeated Barry Windham (sub. for Savio Vega)
Psycho Sid defeated Mankind
The Sultan defeated Aldo Montoya
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley (sub. for Farooq) via disqualification
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, the Smoking Gunns, and the Grimm Twins
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust (sub. for Vader)
WWF @ Chicago, IL – Rosemont Horizon – October 25, 1996 (7,979)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz (sub. for Barry Windham) with the lariat at 4:45
Crush pinned Bob Holly at 4:40 with a punch to the face
Steve Austin pinned Barry Windham (sub. for Savio Vega) at 10:37 with the Stunner after avoiding a dropkick
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns at 9:35 following a double boot to the face of Bart; Billy walked out on his partner late in the match
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader via disqualification at 12:13 when Steve Austin interfered; Psycho Sid made the save
The Sultan defeated Aldo Montoya at 5:38 with the Camel Clutch
WWF Tag Team Champions Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn at around 8:30 after double teaming; the challengers originally won with the Slop Drop on Owen at 5:30 but the match continued since Owen’s foot was on the rope during the cover
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Mr. Perfect) pinned Marc Mero at 9:45 with the Pedigree after Mr. Perfect hit Mero in the back of the head with the title belt as the referee was knocked down
The Undertaker & Psycho Sid defeated Mankind & Goldust when Sid pinned Goldust with the chokeslam at around the 15-minute mark, moments after Taker battled Mankind all the way backstage
WWF @ St. Louis, MO – Kiel Center – October 26, 1996 (4,778)
Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz (sub. for Barry Windham) with the lariat
Crush pinned Bob Holly with the heart punch
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Mr. Perfect) pinned Marc Mero with the Pedigree after Perfect hit Mero with the title belt
Steve Austin pinned Barry Windham (sub. for Savio Vega) with the Stunner
The Undertaker & Psycho Sid defeated Goldust & Mankind in a no holds barred match after Sid hit the chokeslam on Goldust
The Grimm Twins defeated the Smoking Gunns when Bart was pinned; Billy walked out on his partner late in the match
The Sultan defeated Aldo Montoya with the Camel Clutch
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers won the match earlier in the contest but due to Owen’s foot being on the bottom rope, the bout continued
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
WWF @ Cape Girardeau, MO – Show-Me Center – October 27, 1996 (2,089) (matinee)
Barry Windham (sub for Savio Vega) vs. Steve Austin
Marc Mero vs. Farooq
Psycho Sid vs. Goldust
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind
WWF @ Richmond, VA – Coliseum – November 1, 1996 (4,426)
The Sultan defeated Bob Holly with the Camel Clutch
Justin Bradshaw pinned Aldo Montoya with the lariat
Bart Gunn defeated Billy Gunn via count-out
Psycho Sid defeated Vader in a stretcher match
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn after Owen hit a double axe handle on Henry behind the referee’s back; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Mr. Perfect) pinned Marc Mero with the Pedigree after Perfect hit Mero with the title belt
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind in a steel cage death match after Goldust was hit with Micheals’ superkick and an Undertaker tombstone onto a steel chair after 18 minutes; the match could not end via pin or submission, only when a wrestler was deemed unable to continue
WWF @ Landover, MD – USAir Arena – November 2, 1996 (3,383)
The Sultan defeated Bob Holly via submission with the Camel Clutch at 7:51
Justin Bradshaw pinned Aldo Montoya at 6:09 with the lariat
Billy Gunn pinned Bart Gunn at 9:02 after crotching him on the top rope
Psycho Sid defeated Vader in a stretcher match after hitting a clothesline, sending Vader over the top rope onto the stretcher
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn at 10:40 when Owen pinned Henry following a top rope move behind the referee’s back; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Mr. Perfect) pinned Marc Mero at 8:30 with the Pedigree after Perfect interfered and hit Mero with the title belt
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind in an Armageddon Rules Match at 12:49 after Michaels superkicked Mankind and Taker hit the tombstone on Goldust and both were knocked out
WWF @ Worcester, MA – Centrum – November 3, 1996 (3,363)
The Sultan defeated Bob Holly
Justin Bradshaw pinned Aldo Montoya
Billy Gunn pinned Bart Gunn
Psycho Sid pinned Vader in a stretcher match
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind in a steel cage match
WWF @ Halifax, Nova Scotia – Metro 3000 – November 4, 1996 (4,691)
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
The Sultan defeated Carl LeDuc
Psycho Sid defeated Vader in a stretcher match
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind
WWF @ St. Johns, Newfoundland – Memorial Coliseum – November 5, 1996 (3,793)
Bob Holly defeated Justin Bradshaw
The Sultan defeated Carl LeDuc
Psycho Sid defeated Vader in a stretcher match
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind in an Armageddon Rules Match
WWF @ Sydney, Nova Scotia – November 6, 1996 (3,727)
Bob Holly defeated Justin Bradshaw
The Sultan defeated Carl LeDuc
Psycho Sid defeated Vader
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind
WWF @ St. John, New Brunswick – Harbour Station – November 7, 1996 (3,241)
The Sultan defeated Carl LeDuc
Bob Holly defeated Justin Bradshaw
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Psycho Sid defeated Vader in a stretcher match
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind in an Armageddon Rules match
WWF @ Buffalo, NY – Marine Midland Arena – November 8, 1996 (7,672)
Curt Hennig did not appear as scheduled
The Sultan defeated Bob Holly
Bob Holly defeated Justin Bradsahw
Steve Austin defeated Aldo Montoya
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Psycho Sid defeated Vader in a stretcher match
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind in a steel cage match
WWF @ Milwaukee, WI – November 9, 1996 (3,103)
The Sultan defeated Bob Holly
Jesse Jammes pinned Justin Bradshaw
Billy Gunn pinned Bart Gunn
Steve Austin pinned Aldo Montoya
Psycho Sid pinned Vader in a stretcher match
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind in a steel cage match
WWF @ Cleveland, OH – Gund Arena – November 10, 1996 (3,455)
Curt Hennig did not appear as scheduled
The Sultan defeated Bob Holly
Jesse Jammes defeated Justin Bradshaw
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Steve Austin defeated Aldo Montoya
Psycho Sid defeated Vader in a stretcher match
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Goldust & Mankind in a steel cage match
– 11/16/96: Capt. Lou Albano, Killer Kowalski, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Johnny & Jimmy Valiant, Johnny Rodz, Pat Patterson, Vincent J McMahon, and Jimmy Snuka were inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
Survivor Series 96 – New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden – November 17, 1996 (18,647; 16,266 paid)
Free For All:
Bart Gunn, Jesse James, Aldo Montoya, & Bob Holly defeated Billy Gunn, Justin Bradshaw (w/ Zebakiah), the Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik), & Salvatore Sincere in an elimination match at around 9:45; the Sultan defeated Aldo via submission with the Camel Clutch at 2:59; Bart pinned Salvatore with a side slam at around 5:50; Bradshaw pinned Holly with the lariat at around 7:30; James pinned Bradshaw with a roll up at around 7:40, even though Bradshaw’s shoulders were clearly not down for 3; James pinned the Sultan with an inside cradle at around 8:41; Billy pinned James with the Rocker Dropper at around 8:56; Bart pinned Billy with a forearm to the face after Billy missed a splash in the corner and hit his head on the turnbuckle; during the bout, Vince McMahon & Jim Ross announced that the winner of the Bret Hart / Steve Austin match later in the show would face the WWF World Champion at In Your House “It’s Time”; moments later, Dok Hendrix attempted to interview Austin backstage but was chased out (Free For All)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included Kevin Kelly conducting an interview with Mankind & Paul Bearer in the lower level of the arena regarding Mankind’s upcoming match with the Undertaker and the fact Bearer would be suspended above the ring in a cage for the duration of the bout; featured a look at Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon fielding questions on the WWE AOL website following their debut win; included Dok Hendrix conducting a backstage interview with WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Goldust, Marlena, Jerry Lawler, & Crush regarding the recent injury to Mark Henry and facing only three opponents instead of four; featured Todd Pettengill conducting a backstage interview with Steve Austin regarding his upcoming match with Bret Hart and the fact the winner would challenge the WWF World Champion at In Your House; Austin recieved a mixed reaction during his promo; included Hendrix conducting a backstage interview with Psycho Sid regarding his upcoming match against WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels, during which he said he would do anything in his power to win the title:
Doug Furnas, Phil LaFon, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Marty Jannetty, Leif Cassidy, WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) in an elimination match at 20:42; Henry pinned Jannetty with the Slop Drop at 8:12; Hart pinned Henry with a leg lariat at 8:19; Smith pinned Phinneas with the running powerslam at 9:04 after Owen made the blind tag and was then knocked to the floor; LaFon pinned Cassidy with a reverse suplex off the top at 13:43; LaFon pinned Smith with a crucifix at 17:22; after the fall, Smith clipped LaFon in the leg before leaving the ring; Furnas pinned Hart with a release German suplex; Harvey Wippleman served as the second ringside referee for the bout (Furnas & LaFon’s debut)
The Undertaker pinned Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) with the tombstone at 14:54; Bearer was suspended above the ring in a cage for the duration of the bout; during his entrance, Taker was lowered down from the ceiling, then scaring Bearer into the cage; after the bout, Taker waited in the ring as Bearer’s cage was lowered; moments later, the Executioner ran out and attacked Taker, allowing Bearer to escape the ring; Taker quickly sent the Executioner to the floor after a flying clothesline (Taker’s first TV appearance in a month; his first appearance in all leather, rather than his traditional wardrobe; Terry Gordy’s one-time return to MSG after a 12-year absence)
Marc Mero (w/ Sable), Barry Windham, Rocky Maivia, & Jake Roberts (sub. for Mark Henry) defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Goldust (w/ Marlena), Crush, & Jerry Lawler in an elimination match at 23:44; Sunny provided guest commentary for the bout, subbing for Lawler; during Helmsley’s entrance, the commentary team noted he was without an escort and Jim Ross added, “He’s more than perfect,” subtly referring to the fact Mr. Perfect was no longer with Helmsley; after Mero’s team made their entrance, Mero took the mic and introduced Roberts as the replacement for Henry; during the match, Sunny said HHH was tired of Perfect taking all the credit, explaining why Perfect wasn’t ringside; it was also noted Don Muraco was in attendance; Harvey Wippleman served as the second ringside referee for the bout; Roberts pinned Lawler at 10:01 with the DDT after avoiding a slam attempt; Goldust pinned Windham with the Curtain Call at 12:44; Mero pinned Helmsley at 19:19 with a moonsault onto a standing Helmsley; Crush pinned Mero with the heart punch at 20:30 after Mero missed a crossbody to the floor when Goldust pushed Crush out of the way; Crush pinned Roberts with the heart punch at 20:53; Maivia pinned Crush with a crossbody at 23:12 after Crush accidentally hit the heart punch to Goldust; Maivia pinned Goldust with a running shoulderbreaker (Maivia’s TV in-ring debut; Roberts’ return after a month absence) (The Epic Journey of Dwayne The Rock Johnson)
Bret Hart pinned Steve Austin at 28:34 by kicking off the top turnbuckle as he was caught in the Million $ Dream; following Austin’s entrance, Todd Pettengill conducted a backstage interview with Hart regarding his return, with Hart noting MSG wasn’t a church but it’s holy ground and that he wasn’t greedy for money but for respect and Austin would respect him; stipulations stated the winner would challenge the WWF World Champion at the following month’s In Your House; during the bout, it was noted Austin would face Vader the next night on Monday Night Raw in a toughman contest; both men were heavily cheered during the bout; after the match, Hart spent several moments greeting ringside fans, during which time he was congratulated by Vince McMahon at the commentary table (Hart’s in-ring return after a 2-month absence; his TV in-ring return after an 8-month absence) (The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Savio Vega, Yokozuna, Flash Funk, & Jimmy Snuka (mystery partner) fought Farooq (w/ Clarence Mason), Vader (w/ Jim Cornette), Razor Ramon II, & Diesel II to a draw in an elimination match at 9:45; prior to the bout, Capt. Lou Albano came out to provided guest commentary at the Spanish announce table; Farooq was escorted to the ring by the Nation of Domination, including PG-13; Funk was escorted to the ring by the Funkettes; Cornette provided guest commentary for the match; Vader was legit injured early in the bout after sustaining a uranage from Yoko; Jack Doan served as the ringside referee for the bout; Diesel pinned Savio with the powerbomb at 8:32 after Farooq rammed Vega into the ringpost on the floor; Snuka pinned Razor at 9:28 with a knee drop and the top rope splash; the remaining participants were disqualified when Diesel repeatedly struck Snuka with a steel chair, prompting the other wrestlers to brawl in the ring and Vega to return to the ring and hit Diesel with his own steel chair; moments later, Vega’s team cleared their opponents from the ring (Farooq’s first appearance with the ‘Nation of Domination’ theme music and with an entourage; PG-13’s surprise return after a year absence; Flash’s debut; Snuka’s one-match return after a 3-year absence; Yokozuna’s last appearance)
Psycho Sid pinned WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) to win the title at 20:00 with the powerbomb after hitting the champion with a video camera on the floor; moments prior, Sid hit Lothario with the same video camera; after the match, Lothario was taken backstage on a stretcher with Michaels close behind; Sid was heavily cheered and Michaels booed during the match (Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Express Tour)
WWF @ New Haven, CT – Coliseum – November 18, 1996 (4,968)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Glen Ruth pinned Brian Walsh with a legdrop off the top; Ruth came to the ring in Headbanger attire
Scott Taylor defeated Nick Barbarry
11/18/96 – featured Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with new WWF World Champion Psycho Sid regarding the events of the previous night as well as defending the title against Bret Hart at the next In Your House:
Steve Austin defeated Mankind (w/ Paul Beareer) (sub. for an injured Vader) via disqualification in a no holds barred match at 7:08 when Bearer went backstage to send the Executioner out to make the save for Mankind; prior to the match, footage was shown of Yokozuna injuring Vader the previous night during the Survivor Series, with the announce team saying Vader would be out of action for a few days; early in the contest, the fight remained outside the ring, prompting Jerry Brisco, Pat Patterson, Tony Garea, referees, and others to come out and send it to the ring; during the match, it was noted Bret Hart would be in action the following week; after the bout, the Undertaker came to the ring and sent Mankind and the Executioner to the floor before being sent to the floor himself by Austin following a clothesline (Mick Foley: Hard Knocks & Cheap Pops)
Farooq (w/ Clarence Mason & PG-13) pinned Savio Vega after interference from the Nation and use of a 2×4; prior to the bout, Ahmed Johnson was seen sitting in the crowd; Sunny did the ring introduction for the match before joining the commentary team at ringside; after the bout, Ahmed came ringside and cleared the ring of the Nation by using the 2×4 before cutting a promo on them
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Leif Cassidy & Bob Holly when LaFon pinned Cassidy with a piledriver suplex
11/25/96 – included Shawn Michaels & Jose Lothario live via satellite from San Antonio in which Michaels commented on losing the WWF Title and his plans to regain it:
Bret Hart defeated WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart (w/ Clarence Mason) via disqualification at around the 12:30 mark when Steve Austin interfered and hit Bret over the back with a steel chair as the Sharpshooter was being applied; before the match, Shawn Michaels was seen arriving at the San Antonio home of Jose Lothario, in preparation to comment later in the show about his recent loss of the WWF World Title; during the match, WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith was shown watching on from backstage; after the bout, Austin put Bret’s ankle in a steel chair and attempted to stomp it until Smith appeared and twice pulled it off; moments later, as Owen and Smith argued, Austin hit Smith in the back with the chair and walked off after Owen bearated him for attacking his partner
The Executioner (w/ Paul Bearer & Mankind) defeated Freddie Joe Floyd via submission with the Asian spike
Rocky Maivia pinned Salvatore Sincere with a shoulder breaker; Sunny did guest commentary for the bout
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated Billy Gunn via disqualification when Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who came ringside moments earlier, entered the ring and helped in double teaming Mero; after the bout, Jake Roberts came out to make the save (the match was held twice at the taping with the same finish)
12/2/96:
Flash Funk pinned the Goon with a somersault leg drop
Diesel II pinned Phinneas Godwinn with the powerbomb
Justin Bradshaw pinned Jesse Jammes with the lariat
Marc Mero & Jake Roberts defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Billy Gunn when Mero pinned Helmsley with the Shooting Star Press after Gunn walked out of the match, following several altercations with his partner
12/9/96:
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via count-out
Goldust pinned Bart Gunn
Jesse Jammes pinned Justin Bradshaw
The Undertaker pinned Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) in a no holds barred match with the tombstone (The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary)
Dark matches after the taping:
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid pinned Vader at 1:40 with a powerslam and legdrop
Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin at 10:00 with the superkick
WWF @ Springfield, MA – Civic Center – November 19, 1996 (5,230; 3,447 paid)
WWF Superstars taping:
Freddie Joe Floyd pinned Scott Taylor
Shawn Michaels defeated Farooq via disqualification when PG-13 interfered
The Undertaker & WWF World Champion Psycho Sid defeated Vader & Steve Austin when Sid pinned Vader with the chokeslam
11/24/96 – included footage from the Royal Rumble press conference the previous Wednesday in San Antonio, TX in which it was announced Shawn Michaels would challenge for the WWF World Title at the show and that the WWF had formed a partnership with the AAA promotion in Mexico:
Steve Austin pinned Bart Gunn with the Stunner at 6:10 after Bart became distracted by Billy Gunn, who came ringside mid-way through the match; after the contest, Austin hit the Stunner on Billy as well
Flash Funk pinned Brian Walsh with the 450 splash at 1:56; prior to the bout, the Funkettes escorted Funk to the ring
The Headbangers defeated Alex Porteau & Aldo Montoya at 4:57 when Thrasher pinned Porteau with the Stage Dive (the Headbangers’ TV debut)
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) defeated Nick Barberry & Roy Raymond at 2:26 when Henry pinned Raymond with the Slop Drop
Jesse Jammes defeated the Sultan (w/ Bob Backlund & the Iron Sheik) via disqualification at around the 5-minute mark when the Sultan refused to break a choke around the ringpost
12/1/96 – featured Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with Rocky Maivia in which Jim Cornette interrupted and offered to manage Maivia; after giving Maivia a contract, Maivia tore it up and said he would make it to the top of the WWF on his own; Cornette then said he would find someone in 5 minutes to get rid of Maivia; included comments from Bret Hart and Owen Hart, taped the previous Tuesday in London, England, regarding their match the previous week on Raw:
Crush, WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) defeated Savio Vega, Marc Mero, (w/ Sable) & Jake Roberts at around the 11-minute mark when Owen pinned Savio after Savio sustained Crush’s heart punch on the floor; Razor Ramon II & Diesel II were shown watching the bout from the aisle
The Executioner (w/ Paul Bearer & Mankind) defeated Bert Centeno via submission with the Asian Spike at 3:41
Leif Cassidy pinned Scott Taylor with a German suplex at 2:02
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Goldust (w/ Marlena) via count-out in a non-title match at around the 6-minute mark after the champion used Marlena’s cigar on Goldust
12/1/96 – international version: Barry Windham pinned Roy Raymond at 2:49 with the superplex
12/8/96 – featured Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with Ahmed Johnson, which was interrupted by the Nation of Domination in the crowd; included highlights from recent WWF shows in England and Dubai, with footage of Bret Hart being presented with a Dubai King of the Ring Cup after winning a tournament held over four shows:
Rocky Maivia pinned TL Hopper (w/ Jim Cornette) with the shoulderbreaker at 5:56
Savio Vega pinned Bert Centeno with a kick to the face at 2:30
Diesel II & Razor Ramon II defeated Brian Walsh & Tony Roy at 3:11 when Diesel pinned Roy following the Razor’s Edge and the powerbomb
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated the Headbangers at 5:26 when Furnas pinned Thrasher with a German suplex
Bart Gunn defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification at the 8-minute mark when Billy Gunn interfered and prevented the pinfall; after the bout, Bart was double teamed until Marc Mero made the save
12/15/96 – live portions of the show were held in West Palm Beach, FL, the site of In Your House: It’s Time; featured Dok Hendrix conducting a backstage interview with Shawn Michaels regarding his participation in the Bret Hart vs. WWF World Champion Psycho Sid match and who he thought he would face at the Royal Rumble; included Hendrix conducting an interview outside the arena with Hart until he was interrupted by Michaels, with the two then shoving each other; featured Hendrix conducting an interview with Sid until he was attacked by Michaels, with Hart then getting involved as well until several officials and Vince McMahon broke up the fight:
Farooq (w/ Clarence Mason & PG-13) pinned Freddie Joe Floyd with the Dominator at around the 6:30 mark; Sunny provided guest commentary for the match
Steve Austin pinned Barry Windham with the Stunner at 3:39; after the match, WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith came ringside with a chair but was held back by WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart; moments later, Smith & Hart were attacked from behind by Razor Ramon II & Diesel II
Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Tim McNeany with the powerbomb at 2:24 after refusing to make the pin following the Vader Bomb
Savio Vega fought Crush (w/ Clarence Mason & PG-13) to a double count-out at around the 8:30 mark when both men began brawling on the floor; after the match, both men continued fighting until referees pulled them apart
WWF @ White Plains, NY – Westchester County Civic Center – November 20, 1996 (2,075)
Barry Windham defeated Salvatore Sincere
The Sultan defeated Aldo Montoya
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Leif Cassidy (sub. for Davey Boy Smith) & WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart via count-out
Steve Austin defeated Goldust
Rocky Maivia won a 20-man Royal Rumble match
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
The Undertaker defeated Vader
WWF @ Hull, Quebec – Robert Guertin Arena – November 21, 1996 (1,732)
The Sultan defeated Bob Holly (sub. for Carl LeDuc) via submission with the Camel Clutch
Farooq pinned Barry Windham with his feet on the ropes
Steve Austin defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification after Helmsley used the title belt as a weapon
The Undertaker pinned Goldust with the tombstone
Carl LeDuc pinned Aldo Montoya when the momentum of a flying bodypress put LeDuc on top
Vader pinned Rocky Maivia (sub. for Savio Vega) with the Vader Bomb
Marc Mero fought Mankind to a double count-out
Bart Gunn & Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Leif Cassidy (sub. for Davey Boy Smith), Billy Gunn, & WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart after Henry hit the Slop Drop on Owen
WWF @ Montreal, Quebec – Molson Centre – November 22, 1996 (6,018)
Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker vs. Goldust & Mankind was originally advertised for the show
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Leif Cassidy (sub. for Davey Boy Smith) & WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart after Henry hit the Slop Drop on Owen
Barry Windham pinned Bob Holly with the superplex
Farooq pinned Aldo Montoya with a powerslam
The Undertaker pinned Vader with a chokeslam
The Sultan defeated Carl LeDuc with the Camel Clutch
Rocky Maivia pinned Goldust with the shoulder breaker
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid pinned Steve Austin (sub. for Vader) with the powerbomb
Billy Gunn pinned Bart Gunn with his feet on the ropes
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification when Mero attempted to use the title belt as a weapon; the champion had previously hit Mero with the title belt but the referee didn’t see it
Shawn Michaels pinned Mankind with the superkick
WWF @ London, England – Arena – November 28, 1996 (6,631; sell out)
Barry Horowitz pinned TL Hopper (sub. for Yokozuna) with an inside cradle
Rocky Maivia pinned Bradshaw with the running shoulderbreaker
Crush pinned Bob Holly with the heart punch
Farooq pinned Barry Windham with his feet on the ropes
The Executioner (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Aldo Montoya via submission with the Asian Spike
Steve Austin defeated WWF World Champion Psycho Sid via disqualification when Davey Boy Smith prevented the pin after Austin used the title belt as a weapon; after the match, Sid attempted to hit the powerbomb on Smith until Bret Hart made the save; after the match, the champion hit the chokeslam on Hart and left
Bret Hart defeated Vader via submission with the Sharpshooter
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn after Owen came off the top and reversed Phinneas’ cover of Bulldog; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
The Undertaker pinned Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) with the tombstone in a No Holds Barred match
WWF @ Birmingham, England – NEC – November 29, 1996 (7,899; sell out)
The Executioner (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Barry Horowitz via submission with the Asian Spike
Barry Windham pinned Justin Bradshaw with a small package
Crush pinned Bob Holly with the heart punch
Rocky Maivia pinned TL Hopper (sub. for Yokozuna)
Bret Hart pinned Mankind with a cradle
Steve Austin pinned Aldo Montoya with the Stone Cold Stunner
The Undertaker pinned Vader with a chokeslam
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn; the challengers originally won the match and titles after Phinneas hit the Slop Drop on Owen, but Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope so the match continued
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid pinned Farooq with the powerbomb
WWF @ Dubai, United Arab Emirates – SportsClub Outdoor Stadium – November 29, 1996
Aldo Montoya & Barry Horowitz vs. TL Hopper & Justin Bradshaw
Barry Windham & Rocky Maivia vs. Crush & Farooq
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith vs. Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid & Bob Holly vs. Vader & Steve Austin
Bret Hart & the Undertaker vs. Mankind & the Executioner
WWF @ Lowell, MA – Memorial Auditorium – November 30, 1996 (2,678; sell out)
Argo (Achim Albrecht) pinned Dr. X (Tom Prichard)
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
The Sultan defeated Jesse Jammes
Savio Vega pinned Salvatore Sincere
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
Razor Ramon II & Diesel II defeated the Grimm Twins
Billy Gunn pinned Bart Gunn
Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust
WWF @ Dubai, United Arab Emirates – SportsClub Outdoor Stadium – November 30, 1996
Included several Survivor Series style elimination matches
Bret Hart, the Undertaker & Barry Windham vs. Mankind, WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith
WWF @ Poughkeepsie, NY – Mid-Hudson Civic Center – December 1, 1996 (matinee) (1,737)
Argo pinned Dr. X (Tom Prichard) with an atomic drop
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy when Furnas pinned Leif Cassidy
The Sultan pinned Jesse Jammes with a roll up after Bob Backlund distracted Jammes
Savio Vega pinned Salvatore Sincere by blocking a sunset flip
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification when the champion pulled the referee into Mero
Diesel II & Razor Ramon II defeated the Grimm Twins following the powerbomb from Diesel
Billy Gunn pinned Bart Gunn with his feet on the ropes
Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust with the superkick
WWF @ Dubai, United Arab Emirates – SportsClub Outdoor Stadium – December 1, 1996
Bret Hart won a 20-man battle royal; other participants included: Aldo Montoya, Barry Horowitz, TL Hopper, Justin Bradshaw, Barry Windham, Rocky Maivia, Crush, Farooq, WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, WWF World Champion Psycho Sid, Bob Holly, Vader, Steve Austin, the Undertaker, Mankind, & the Executioner
Middle East Cup Tournament – Dubai, United Arab Emirates – December 2, 1996
Quarter Finals:
Bret Hart pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith
Farooq fought Vader to a double count-out
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
Steve Austin defeated WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart
Semi Finals: Steve Austin defeated the Undertaker via disqualification when Undertaker was caught using a chair that Austin had originally brought into the ring
Finals: Bret Hart pinned Steve Austin with a cradle after Austin was distracted by Davey Boy Smith at ringside; after the bout, Owen Hart pulled Smith away from the ring after Austin returned and gave Bret the Stone Cold Stunner
WWF @ Utica, NY – Memorial Auditorium – December 2, 1996 (1,256)
Brakkus defeated Dr. X
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
The Sultan defeated Jesse Jammes
Savio Vega defeated Salvatore Sincere
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
Razor Ramon II & Diesel II defeated the Grimm Twins
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Potsdam, NY – Cheel Arena – December 3, 1996 (1,646)
Fundraiser for the Disabled Persons Action Organization
Brakkus defeated Dr. X
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
The Sultan defeated Jesse Jammes
Savio Vega defeated Salvatore Sincere
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
Razor Ramon II & Diesel II defeated the Grimm Twins
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust at around the 3:30 mark
WWF @ Binghamton, NY – Broome County Arena – December 4, 1996 (1,622)
Brakkus defeated Dr. X
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
The Sultan defeated Jesse Jammes
Savio Vega defeated Salvatore Sincere
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
Razor Ramon II & Diesel II defeated the Grimm Twins
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Rochester, NY – War Memorial – December 5, 1996 (2,854)
Brakkus defeated Dr. X
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
The Sultan defeated Jesse Jammes
Savio Vega defeated Salvatore Sincere
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
Razor Ramon II & Diesel II defeated the Grimm Twins
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Scranton, PA – CYC – December 6, 1996 (1,755)
Brakkus defeated Dr. X
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
The Sultan defeated Jesse Jammes
Savio Vega defeated Salvatore Sincere
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification
Razor Ramon II & Diesel II defeated the Grimm Twins
Billy Gunn defeated Bart Gunn
Shawn Michaels defeated Goldust
WWF @ Syracuse, NY – War Memorial – December 7, 1996 (2,854)
Brakkus pinned Mr. X with an atomic drop
The Sultan pinned Jesse Jammes with a belly to belly suplex
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy after Furnas hit a suplex on Cassidy
Savio Vega pinned Salvatore Sincere with the spin wheel kick
Razor Ramon II & Diesel II defeated Tom Prichard & Jared Grimm after Diesel hit the powerbomb on Grimm
Billy Gunn pinned Bart Gunn with his feet on the ropes
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification when the champion put the referee in a sleeper as Mero had a sleeper on Helsmely
Shawn Michaels pinned Goldust with the superkick
In Your House “It’s Time” – West Palm Beach, FL – Memorial Auditorium – December 15, 1996 (5,708; sell out; 4,581 paid)
Brakkus pinned Dr. X (Tom Prichard) with a powerslam
Free For All: Rocky Maivia defeated Salvatore Sincere (w/ Jim Cornette) via disqualification at 6:01 when Cornette entered the ring after Maivia hit the shoulderbreaker; after the bout, Maivia cleared both from the ring (Free For All)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included footage of Steve Austin speaking on the WWF Superstar Line backstage with Ray Rougeau and Sunny; featured footage of the Nation of Domination taking part in the WWF America Online chat backstage; included McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Ahmed Johnson in which McMahon announced Johnson would face Farooq at the Royal Rumble; moments later, Johnson said the injury Farooq gave him led to Ahmed losing his girlfriend, car, and house and all he had left was the fans; moments later, Farooq and the Nation appeared in the crowd, called Ahmed an “Uncle Tom,” and said he would end Johnson at the Rumble; Ahmed then led the crowd in a chant of “You’re going down;” featured an ad for the 1997 Royal Rumble; included the announcement the Undertaker would face Vader at the Royal Rumble and that Austin, Rocky Maivia, Mankind, Jake Roberts, Crush, and Savio Vega would be part of the Rumble match; featured a video package recapping the 8-month history behind Marc Mero and WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley; during the segment, Curt Hennig was portrayed as Helmsley’s lackey who Helmsley got rid of after winning the title; included Dok Hendrix conducting a backstage interview with WWF World Champion Psycho Sid in which they reviewed footage from earlier in the day on WWF Superstars of Sid brawling with Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart outside the arena; featured a video package recapping the Undertaker’s feud with the Executioner; included Hendrix conducting a backstage interview with Hart regarding his upcoming match with Sid in which commented on the fight outside the arena earlier in the day, with Michaels’ entrance music eventually cutting off Hart’s comments to Hart’s dismay; at several points in the live telecast, the transmission went out for several seconds:
Flash Funk pinned Lief Cassidy at 10:34 with a back suplex and the 450 splash; prior to the bout, Funk was escorted to the ring by the Funkettes
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) defeated Razor Ramon II & Diesel II at 10:45 when Smith pinned Razor with a roll over after Hart, the illegal man, hit a spin kick as Razor attempted the Razor’s Edge on Smith; prior to the bout, Kevin Kelly conducted a backstage interview with the champions and Mason regarding their recent problems with Steve Austin; during Smith & Hart’s entrance, footage was shown of Razor & Diesel attacking them earlier in the day during WWF Superstars; during the bout, Cibernetico and Peirroth briefly appeared ringside, with it then being mentioned they would be part of the Royal Rumble; after they went backstage, Austin appeared ringside, with Smith and Austin brawling until referees, Tony Garea, and Rene Goulet swarmed ringside and pulled them apart; moments later, Austin was sent backstage by officials; the champions were cheered in the contest; after the bout, Austin returned ringside and clipped Smith in the back of the knee before leaving the ring
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via count-out at 14:03 after Goldust appeared ringside, as referee Earl Hebner was knocked out, accidentally struck Mero with the title belt, and then hit the champion in the face with the title belt as both wrestlers were fighting on the floor; after the contest, Mero hit the Shooting Star Press on Helmsley and left ringside with the title belt; moments later, as Helmsley attempted to leave ringside, Goldust knocked him down and verbally berated him before Helmsley was helped backstage by referees
The Undertaker defeated the Executioner (w/ Paul Bearer) in a last man standing match at 11:32 when the Executioner failed to reach his feet by the referee’s standing 10-count after being pinned by Taker’s tombstone; early in the bout, Mankind interfered on behalf of the Executioner, with Taker eventually throwing him through the pay-per-view entrance set minutes later, destroying the front door and window; minutes later, Mankind was maced by several security guards in the ring and had a straightjacket put on him, with Gorilla Monsoon and Tony Garea then appearing to send Mankind backstage; footage then showed Taker knocking the Executioner into the fountain outside the arena
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid pinned Bret Hart with the powerbomb at 17:04 after the challenger collided with Shawn Michaels on the ring apron, moments after Sid shoved Michaels in the face while Michaels provided guest commentary for the match; mid-way through the bout, Steve Austin attacked Hart outside the ring until WWF Tag Team Champions Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart came ringside; moments later, referees and officials kept Austin, Smith & Hart apart and ejected them from ringside; after the contest, Hart, his nose bloody, punched Michaels to the floor, pulled his shirt up over his head, and landed several more shots until referees forced him away; moments later, after Hart left ringside, Michaels picked up his headset and said he would kick Hart’s teeth down his throat
Dark matches after the show:
Steve Austin pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) after WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley interfered and hit Goldust with the belt
Shawn Michaels pinned Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) at 6:55 with the superkick after Mankind attempted to use the urn as a weapon behind the referee’s back (WWE: Attitude Era Unreleased Volume 3)
WWF @ Tampa, FL – Ice Palace – December 16, 1996 (2,925)
Television taping:
Marty Garner defeated Jason Arndt
Leif Cassidy pinned Jeff Hardy
Pierroth defeated Matt Hardy
The Undertaker defeated WWF World Champion Psycho Sid via disqualification when Mankind & the Executioner interfered
Hector Garza defeated Jeff Hardy
Brakkus defeated Dr. X
Shawn Michaels pinned Vader with the superkick
Monday Night Raw – 12/16/96:
Vader fought Steve Austin to a no contest
Diesel II & Razor Ramon II defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated TL Hopper & Doctor X
Bart Gunn defeated Billy Gunn via referee’s descretion after Billy received a stinger
WWF Superstars – 12/22/96 – featured Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with Shawn Michaels regarding his WWF World Title match against Psycho Sid at the Royal Rumble, during which he promised to regain the title and prove he was the man in the WWF; included a promo by the Honkytonk Man in which he said he would be on Monday Night Raw the following night to make a big announcement (HTM’s TV return after a 6-year absence):
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) defeated Jesse Jammes & Savio Vega in a non-title match at around the 7:30 mark when Smith pinned Vega with the running powerslam after Hart hit a spinning wheel kick
Steve Austin pinned Jason Ahrndt with the Stunner at 2:07; after the bout, Austin grabbed the mic and challenged Ahrndt to find a partner so Austin could face them both the following week in a handicap match; Austin then promised to throw Bret Hart out of the Royal Rumble so he could win his first WWF World Title
The Undertaker defeated Diesel II via disqualification at around the 4-minute mark when Vader interfered; after the bout, Taker was double teamed before Vader hit the Vader Bomb on him
Monday Night Raw – 12/23/96:
Marc Mero defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via count-out
Rocky Maivia pinned Salvatore Sincere
Pierroth & Cibernetico defeated Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Bret Hart defeated Razor Ramon II via submission with the Sharpshooter
WWF @ Daytona Beach, FL – Ocean Center – December 17, 1996 (2,055)
WWF Superstars taping:
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Ahmed Johnson via disqualification after Ahmed threw the referee out of the ring
Aldo Montoya defeated Mike Awesome
Marc Mero defeated Rick Thames
Brakkus defeated Dr. X (Tom Prichard)
Savio Vega defeated Vader via count-out (the match was redone)
Pierroth & Cibernetico defeated Bruno Sassi & Marty Garner
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid defeated the Sultan in 45 seconds
Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker defeated Vader & Mankind when Michaels pinned Mankind with the superkick
12/29/96 – featured an opening appearance by the Honkytonk Man, saying he had more important business to attend do and wouldn’t be able to sing or dance for the fans; included Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with WWF World Champion Psycho Sid regarding his upcoming title defense against Shawn Michaels as part of the Royal Rumble:
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Leif Cassidy with the Curtain Call at 3:08; the Honkytonk Man provided guest commentary for the bout alongside Jim Ross & Jim Cornette to discuss his search for a man that could reclaim his title as “the greatest of all time”
Jason Ahrndt & Eddie Jackie defeated Steve Austin in a handicap match at 4:31 when Ahrndt scored the pin after WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith interfered and hit Austin with a clothesline behind the referee’s back; earlier in the bout, Austin twice dropped Jackie with the Stunner but opted not to make a cover; later in the broadcast, backstage footage showed Ahrndt & Jackie being attended to by medics and other wrestlers after a backstage attack by Austin
Farooq (w/ the Nation) pinned Alex Porteau with the Dominator at 3:48
Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Henry Godwinn) pinned Barry Windham at 4:39 with a roll up after Windham distracted himself by taunting Henry; prior to the bout, Justin Bradshaw came to ringside, seemingly yelling at Windham for how stupid he looked in the attire he was wearing; Bradshaw then returned after the bout and attacked both Godwinns but was then double-teamed until Windham briefly made the save before walking away, Bradshaw then went up to him in the aisle but Windham pushed him aside
Savio Vega defeated Vader (w/ Jim Cornette) via count-out at around the 7-minute mark when Vader left the ring after the lights went out when he hit the Vader Bomb, and then the Undertaker’s voice could be heard over the PA system while the lights kept flickering with Undertaker saying it was time for Vader to meet the reaper at the Royal Rumble
1/5/97 – featured highlights from last night’s Shotgun Saturday Night debut show:
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Pierroth & Cibernetico via disqualification at 5:41 when Cibernetico pulled referee Jack Doan in front of him when LaFon went for a flying bodypress; Mil Mascaras did guest commentary for the bout; after the bout, Pierroth cut a promo in Spanish on Mascaras saying he was number 1 with Mascaras saying he would do his talking in the ring
Flash Funk pinned Salvatore Sincere at 3:42 with the 450 splash; prior to the bout, the Funkettes escorted Funk to the ring
The Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik) defeated Matt Hardy via submission with the Camel Clutch at 1:30; Bob Backlund did guest commentary for the bout
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Freddie Joe Floyd with the Pedigree at the 5-minute mark
The Undertaker pinned the Goon with the tombstone at around the 3-minute mark; after the bout, Jim Cornette from the broadcast booth showed the Undertaker a body bag that he said Vader would put him in at the Royal Rumble; Undertaker then made the lights go out and when they came back on he was stood behind Cornette at the broadcast booth, Undertaker then dragged Cornette to the ring where he tombstoned him and put him inside the body bag that Cornette had brought with him
1/12/97 – the Honkytonk Man provided guest commentary for the show, subbing for Jim Cornette; featured clips from the previous night’s Shotgun Saturday Night; included Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with Ahmed Johnson regarding his upcoming match at the Royal Rumble against Farooq:
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned the Executioner (w/ Paul Bearer) with a piledriver at around the 5:30 mark; after the bout, Bearer hit the Executioner in the head with the urn before leaving him in the ring; moments later, Goldust taunted Bearer, with Bearer then leaving ringside (the Executioner’s last TV appearance)
Hector Garza pinned TL Hopper at the 4-minute mark with a standing moonsault following a missile dropkick
Rocky Maivia pinned Dr. X (Tom Prichard) at 4:38 with the shoulderbreaker
Bret Hart defeated the Sultan (w/ Bob Backlund & the Iron Sheik) via disqualification at around the 7:30 mark when Sheik tripped Hart from the floor; after the bout, Hart cleared the Sultan from the ring before Steve Austin came out of the crowd and attacked Hart; moments later, Austin dropped Hart with the Stunner before trapping Hart’s ankle in a steel chair and stomping on it; Hart was helped backstage moments later by referees and officials
WWF @ Chicago, IL – Rosemont Horizon – December 26, 1996 (5,449)
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Razor Ramon II & Diesel II when Furnas made the pin
Crush pinned Savio Vega with a roll up after Farooq came ringside
Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust via disqualification when Farooq and Crush interfered; Goldust and Ahmed teamed up and cleaned house afterwards
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid pinned Mankind with the powerbomb
Farooq pinned Marc Mero with a roll up after Crush came ringside
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn and Bart Gunn defeated Justin Bradshaw and WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith when Bart pinned Bradshaw
The Undertaker defeated WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification after the champion used the title belt as a weapon
Vader & Steve Austin defeated Bret Hart & Shawn Michaels when Austin pinned Bret with a roll up after Vader threw Michaels into Bret; Hart and Michaels brawled after the match
WWF @ Long Island, NY – Nassau Coliseum – December 27, 1996 (9,107)
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Razor Ramon II & Diesel II when LaFon pinned Diesel with a spin kick
Farooq pinned Savio Vega with a spinebuster
Ahmed Johnson defeated Crush via count-out, despite interference from Farooq
Goldust pinned Jake Roberts
Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin with the superkick; after the match, Michaels taunted the many who booed him, even taking the mic and cutting a promo on them
Bart Gunn, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Justin Bradshaw (sub. for Billy Gunn), WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith when Henry pinned Bradshaw with the Slop Drop
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Marc Mero after hitting him with a foreign object
The Undertaker defeated Vader via disqualification when Mankind interfered as Taker attempted the chokeslam
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid pinned Mankind with the chokeslam and powerbomb, moments after the Undertaker and Vader appeared ringside; after the bout, Sid dropped Taker with the chokeslam; moments later, Taker and Sid brawled in the aisle all the way backstage
WWF @ Providence, RI – Civic Center – December 28, 1996 (4,634)
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Razor Ramon II & Diesel II when LaFon pinned Razor with a Cobra Clutch suplex
Farooq pinned Savio Vega with a sidewalk slam
Ahmed Johnson defeated Crush via disqualification when Farooq interfered
Goldust pinned Jake Roberts after Roberts failed a DDT attempt
Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin with the superkick
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn and Bart Gunn defeated Justin Bradshaw and WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith when Phinneas pinned Bradshaw after a Slop Drop from Henry
The Undertaker defeated Vader via disqualification when Mankind interfered
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Marc Mero after hitting him with a foreign object
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid pinned Mankind following a chokeslam and the powerbomb
WWF @ Hartford, CT – Civic Center – December 29, 1996 (4,957)
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Razor Ramon II & Diesel II
Farooq defeated Savio Vega
Crush defeated Ahmed Johnson via count-out after Farooq attacked Ahmed on the floor
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Marc Mero (sub. for Jake Roberts)
Bart Gunn, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Justin Bradshaw, WWF Tag Team Champions Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart
The Undertaker defeated Vader via disqualification when Mankind interfered
Shawn Michaels defeated Steve Austin
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid defeated Mankind
WWF @ Albany, NY – Knickerbocker Arena – December 30, 1996 (6,855)
Monday Night Raw taping:
Hector Garza defeated Nick Barberry
Mini Vader pinned Mascaraga Sagrada Jr. following a senton
Mike Bell defeated Nick Barberry
Jerry Lawler pinned Tony Devito with the piledriver; Lawler did his own commentary for the match
The Undertaker defeated WWF World Champion Psycho Sid via disqualification when the Nation interfered; Sid and the Undertaker cleaned house after the match
Shawn Michaels pinned Steve Austin with the superkick at around 2:00
12/30/96:
Bret Hart & Savio Vega defeated Steve Austin & Farooq via disqualification when Crush and PG-13 interfered; the match was originally Jesse Jammes & Vega against Austin & Farooq but Hart came in after Austin injured Jammes; after the bout, Ahmed Johnson made the save
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Flash Funk
Jerry Lawler defeated Goldust via count-out after Hunter Hearst Helmsley came ringside and kidnapped Marlena
1/6/97 – included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with WWF World Champion Psycho Sid regarding his title defense against Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble; moments later, Michaels came out and jumped on the announce table:
Mankind pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart with a piledriver after Owen hit the turnbuckle (Owen: Hart of Gold)
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Razor Ramon II & Diesel II when Furnas pinned Razor with a clothesline off the top
Vader pinned Bret Hart with the Vader Bomb at around the 10:30 mark after Steve Austin interfered and hit the Stunner on Hart outside the ring, moments after WWF World Champion Psycho Sid appeared ringside, grabbed a cameraman, and led him backstage; Shawn Michaels did guest commentary for the bout and Jose Lothario provided guest commentary at the Spanish announce table; prior to the match, footage was shown of the Undertaker dropping Jim Cornette with the tombstone the previous day on WWF Superstars; during the match, Austin was shown watching on from backstage; after the match, Sid was shown backstage and hit the powerbomb on Pete Lothario, resulting in Michaels running backstage; the show went off the air as Michaels and Jose attented to Pete
1/13/97:
Jerry Lawler & WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Goldust (w/ Marlena) & Marc Mero (w/ Sable) via disqualification when Goldust trapped Helmsley in the ring ropes and refused to stop choking him
Rocky Maivia defeated WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) via count-out after Steve Austin interfered and clipped Bulldog on the floor and executed the Stone Cold Stunner; Bret Hart did guest commentary for the bout and, following Austin’s interference, ran backstage; Owen Hart, who came out to make sure Bret didn’t interfere in the match, missed the interference due to arguing with Bret at ringside
The Undertaker defeated Crush (w/ the Nation) via disqualification when the Nation and Vader interfered after Taker hit the chokeslam; after the bout, Vader hit two Vader Bombs on Taker while, moments later, Ahmed Johnson attempted to clear the ring of the Nation with a 2×4 before Farooq gained possession of the 2×4 and nailed Ahmed over the back with it