WWF Raw – 1996 Results
12/18/95; Newark, DE; Bob Carpenter Center
The Raw Bowl – 1/1/96 – included the announcement that Shawn Michaels would be holding a press conference the following week; featured a replay in full of the Helmsley / Godwinn Hog Pen match from In Your House; included a closing segment in which Billionaire Ted tried to get his men to copy the moves used by the WWF talent; featured the announcement that Vader would be a participant in the Royal Rumble match:
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Psycho Sid & 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted Dibiase), Owen Hart & Yokozuna, and WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon & Savio Vega in the Raw Bowl elimination match; eliminations saw the Kid pin Razor after a clothesline to the back of the head by Sid, even though Vega called for a time-out (which was an added stipulation); Billy Gunn pinned Owen after Yoko accidentally splashed his partner; Billy pinned Sid with a roll up after Razor returned ringside and caused the Kid to collide with Sid; during Razor & Savio’s entrance, Goldust’s usher brought out a bouquet of gold roses for Razor – resulting in Razor beating the usher up; during the bout, all the participants wore football jerseys – Billy Gunn wore 38, Bart wore 45, Owen wore 1, Yoko wore 641, Razor wore 4, Savio wore Uno, the Kid wore 1-2-3, and Sid wore 00; later in the broadcast, the Brooklyn Brawler presented the Gunns with the Steve Lombardi Trophy, with the Gunns, Ahmed Johnson, Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, and Savio Vega beating up the Brawler in response
Diesel pinned King Mabel (w/ Sir Mo) in 8 seconds following a boot to the face; after the match, Diesel hit the powerbomb on Mo; after the bout, Jerry Lawler attempted to interview Diesel but he walked on past Lawler and selected Ashley the Raw Queen to do the interview backstage
12/18/95; Newark, DE; Bob Carpenter Center
1/8/96 – featured an opening video package hyping Shawn Michaels’ big announcement, the new Billionaire Ted skit, Scheme Gene, and the reply of the WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith In Your House match; hosted by Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler; included Jim Ross in a Slam Jam segment in which it was noted Doug Gilbert, Jake Roberts, Lawler, Fatu, and Isaac Yankem DSS had been added to the Royal Rumble match; a vignette promoting the debut of Vader at the Rumble then aired before Sceheme Geme appeared; featured the announcement the Undertaker vs. Yankem and Owen Hart vs. Marty Jannetty would highlight the following week’s Raw; included an in-ring segment of the Brother Love Show, with guest Ted Dibaise, in which Dibiase said he found his Million $ Champion and introduced the Ringmaster; after the Ringmaster entered the ring, Dibiase officially presented him with the Million $ Title; the Ringmaster then said he was in the Royal Rumble match and would be getting the world title shot at WrestleMania 12 (Steve Austin’s surprise debut); featured backstage comments from Earl Hebner on why he didn’t stop the Bret vs. Smith match at In Your House; included a Slam Jam segment in which Ross showed footage from earlier in the day of Michaels at a press conference in Fresno, CA in which Micheals apologized to his friends and family because he was adding his name to the list of participants in the Rumble match, adding he would get the WWF World Title at WrestleMania; featured backstage comments from Diesel, WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon, and Owen Hart about Michaels announcing his return in the Rumble match; included the Bret vs. Smith match from In Your House, shown in full; coming back from a commercial break, a parental advisory message appeared on screen due to Bret’s bleeding; included a promo by Taker and Bearer on Taker facing Bret at the Rumble; featured the announcement that fan Kathy Schreck of Chicago, IL won the Royal Rumble Sweepstakes and a trip to the Rumble; included the announcement the Ringmaster would be in action the following week; featured a closing video of Billionaire Ted’s “Wrasslin’ Warroom” in which he tried to come up with a new slogan for his wrestling company; during the skit, the Hukster and Nacho Man joked that they didn’t have to worry about drug testing or being caught for steroids now that they left the WWF (Vince Russo appeared as a character in the skit):
Jeff Jarrett defeated Hakushi via submission with the figure-4 at around the 8-minute mark, after lifting his knees to block a springboard splash into the ring; following Jarrett’s entrance, he took the mic and sent a message to Ahmed Johnson, saying he had another smash hit in store for him; footage then aired of Jarrett’s assault on Ahmed at In Your House
Ahmed Johnson pinned Jeff Brettler with the Pearl River Plunge at 1:32; after the bout, Jeff Jarrett ran out and attempted to hit Ahmed over the head with his guitar but hit the turnbuckle instead; after scaring Jarrett to the floor, Ahmed destroyed the guitar in the ring
Goldust pinned Aldo Montoya with the Curtain Call at 2:17
12/18/95; Newark, DE; Bob Carpenter Center
1/15/96 – included Todd Pettingeil announcing that prior to the Royal Rumble there will be a ‘Free for All’ match where the winner would earn the #30 spot in the Rumble; featured an in-ring interview with Goldust conducted by Vince McMahon; included a closing segment in which Razor Ramon and Goldust fought in the backstage area, eventually taking it outside into the snow before Goldust was able to escape by driving off in a car:
Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) pinned Marty Jannetty
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Matt Hardy via submission with the Million $ Dream at 4:36 after hitting a Stun Gun (Austin’s in-ring debut on Raw)
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated the Spiders following the Sidewinder; during the bout, it was announced that Sunny obtained a tag team title shot for the Body Donnas at the Royal Rumble
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Isaac Yankem DDS with the tombstone at around the 8:30 mark; mid-way through the bout, Taker scared Jerry Lawler, who was doing commentary, backstage after Lawler tried to steal the remains of the urn (Confirmed Hits)
1/22/96; Stockton, CA; Civic Auditorium
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)
1/22/96; Stockton, CA; Civic Auditorium
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)
1/22/96; Stockton, CA; Civic Auditorium
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)
2/19/96; Cincinatti, OH; Cincinatti Gardens
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 often 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
2/19/96; Cincinatti, OH; Cincinatti Gardens
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
2/19/96; Cincinatti, OH; Cincinatti Gardens
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
3/11/96; San Antonio, TX; Freeman Coliseum
3/11/96 – in pre 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
3/11/96; San Antonio, TX; Freeman Coliseum
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
3/11/96; San Antonio, TX; Freeman Coliseum
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
4/1/96; San Bernardino, CA; Orange Pavilion
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)
4/1/96; San Bernardino, CA; Orange Pavilion
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
4/1/96; San Bernardino, CA; Orange Pavilion
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
4/1/96; San Bernardino, CA; Orange Pavilion
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
4/29/96; Sioux City, IA
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)
4/29/96; Sioux City, IA
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
4/29/96; Sioux City, IA
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
4/29/96; Sioux City, IA
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
5/27/96; Fayetteville, NC; Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium
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)
5/27/96; Fayetteville, NC; Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium
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
5/27/96; Fayetteville, NC; Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium
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
5/27/96; Fayetteville, NC; Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium
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
6/24/96; Green Bay, WI; Brown County Expo
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
6/24/96; Green Bay, WI; Brown County Expo
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
6/24/96; Green Bay, WI; Brown County Expo
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
6/24/96; Green Bay, WI; Brown County Expo
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
7/22/96; Seattle, WA; Key Arena
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)
7/22/96; Seattle, WA; Key Arena
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
7/22/96; Seattle, WA; Key Arena
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
7/22/96; Seattle, WA; Key Arena
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
8/19/96; Wheeling, WV; Civic Center
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); 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 the first 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 pre 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
8/19/96; Wheeling, WV; Civic Center
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)
8/19/96; Wheeling, WV; Civic Center
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
8/19/96; Wheeling, WV; Civic Center
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 (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
9/23/96; Hershey, PA; Hersheypark Arena
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
9/23/96; Hershey, PA; Hersheypark Arena
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
9/23/96; Hershey, PA; Hersheypark Arena
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
9/23/96; Hershey, PA; Hersheypark Arena
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
10/21/96; Ft. Wayne, IN; War Memorial Coliseum
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)
10/21/96; Ft. Wayne, IN; War Memorial Coliseum
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
10/21/96; Ft. Wayne, IN; War Memorial Coliseum
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 Pettingill & 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
10/21/96; Ft. Wayne, IN; War Memorial Coliseum
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
11/18/96; New Haven, CT; Coliseum
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
11/18/96; New Haven, CT; Coliseum
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)
11/18/96; New Haven, CT; Coliseum
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
11/18/96; New Haven, CT; Coliseum
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)
12/16/96; Tampa, FL; Ice Palace
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’
12/16/96; Tampa, FL; Ice Palace
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
12/30/96; Albany, NY; Knickerbocker Arena
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