WWF Raw – 1997 Results
12/30/96; Albany, NY; Knickerbocker Arena
1/6/97 – included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with WWF World Champion Psycho Sid regarding his title defense against Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble; moments later, Michaels came out and jumped on the announce table:
Mankind pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart with a piledriver after Owen hit the turnbuckle (Owen: Hart of Gold)
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Razor Ramon II & Diesel II when Furnas pinned Razor with a clothesline off the top
Vader pinned Bret Hart with the Vader Bomb at around the 10:30 mark after Steve Austin interfered and hit the Stunner on Hart outside the ring, moments after WWF World Champion Psycho Sid appeared ringside, grabbed a cameraman, and led him backstage; Shawn Michaels did guest commentary for the bout and Jose Lothario provided guest commentary at the Spanish announce table; prior to the match, footage was shown of the Undertaker dropping Jim Cornette with the tombstone the previous day on WWF Superstars; during the match, Austin was shown watching on from backstage; after the match, Sid was shown backstage and hit the powerbomb on Pete Lothario, resulting in Michaels running backstage; the show went off the air as Michaels and Jose attented to Pete
12/30/96; Albany, NY; Knickerbocker Arena
1/13/97:
Jerry Lawler & WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Goldust (w/ Marlena) & Marc Mero (w/ Sable) via disqualification when Goldust trapped Helmsley in the ring ropes and refused to stop choking him
Rocky Maivia defeated WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) via count-out after Steve Austin interfered and clipped Bulldog on the floor and executed the Stone Cold Stunner; Bret Hart did guest commentary for the bout and, following Austin’s interference, ran backstage; Owen Hart, who came out to make sure Bret didn’t interfere in the match, missed the interference due to arguing with Bret at ringside
The Undertaker defeated Crush (w/ the Nation) via disqualification when the Nation and Vader interfered after Taker hit the chokeslam; after the bout, Vader hit two Vader Bombs on Taker while, moments later, Ahmed Johnson attempted to clear the ring of the Nation with a 2×4 before Farooq gained possession of the 2×4 and nailed Ahmed over the back with it
1/20/97; Beaumont, TX; Montage Centre
1/20/97 – featured Bret Hart interrupting the opening of the show by cutting an in-ring promo directed at Vince McMahon, going over the promises McMahon made to him since returning and the screwjobs that happened in his match with Psycho Sid at In Your House ‘It’s Time’ and the Royal Rumble the previous night; Hart said he had been screwed by Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, the WWF, and McMahon; moments later, he said since he wasn’t going to get his WWF title shot, he quit; Hart then slammed the mic down and – despite McMahon trying to stop him – left through the crowd as the audience chanted “We Want Bret;” Austin then appeared in the ring and attempted to cut a promo on a bad mic until he was given one that works; Austin then claimed Bret was a whiner and told him to go back to Canada because the only person he could beat was his own father; he then said he was supposed to wrestle Sid later in the show but WWF President Gorilla Monsoon said Sid was at home with a concussion and he would be facing the Undertaker instead; Austin then challenged Taker to an immediate fight, during which McMahon left the broadcast table and went backstage for an unknown reason; included McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Monsoon in which Monsoon announced that while Austin did win the Royal Rumble, he would not earn a WWF World Title shot at WrestleMania due to the controversial nature of the finish; he then said a four-man No DQ bout would be held at the next pay-per-view involving Taker, Austin, Vader, and Hart – if Hart chose to accept the invitation – and the winner of that bout would face the WWF World Champion at WrestleMania 13; moments later, Austin appeared, reminded Monsoon that Hart was gone, and called him a jackass; Austin then said when he was done with Hart, Taker, and Vader, he would finish Monsoon; Austin then confronted Monsoon and McMahon on the floor until Hart came back out from the crowd, got in the ring, and accepted the invite; Hart and Austin then began brawling in the aisle until referees, Gerald Brisco, Tony Garea, and Rene Goulet spent several minutes trying to break it up, leading into the main event:
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Clarence Mason) defeated Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon in a non-title match at around the 12:30 mark when Smith pinned LaFon with the running powerslam after Hart hit LaFon in the face with his Slammy; during the bout, it was announced the Undertaker had been fined his entire Royal Rumble pay for chokeslamming the referee after his loss to Vader at the pay-per-view; it was also announced Psycho Sid, out with a concussion, would be back in action Wednesday in Dallas
Farooq pinned Bart Gunn
The Undertaker (sub. for Psycho Sid, out with a concussion) defeated Steve Austin via disqualification at around the 10-minute mark when Vader and Paul Bearer appeared ringside, with Vader attacking Taker; prior to the bout, as Bret Hart was still ringside following his brawl with Austin moments earlier, Hart and Taker briefly fought in the aisle; Vince McMahon returned to commentary for the match after being backstage the majority of the show; during the bout, Jerry Lawler briefly left the commentary position to tell Austin that Taker’s ribs were still hurting from the Royal Rumble; moments later, backstage footage showed Bret and Vader having to be pulled apart by other wrestlers; after the match, Hart returned to the ring and joined in a brawl with Austin, Taker, and Vader, with Hart and Austin brawling in the aisle and Taker and Vader fighting in the ring as the show came to a close
1/20/97; Beaumont, TX; Montage Centre
1/27/97:
Crush pinned Ahmed Johnson
WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated Doug Furnas
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Vader & Mankind via count-out
1/31/97; Toronto, Ontario; Skydome
2/3/97 – featured Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Dok Hendrix on commentary; included highlights of Tiger Ali Singh signing his WWF contract during an in-ring segment taped prior to the show with Vince McMahon, Tiger Jeet Singh and Bret Hart among those on hand for the signing:
Vader defeated Steve Austin via disqualification at 8:13 after Austin kicked the referee and hit the Stunner; before the match, Bret Hart attacked Austin
Savio Vega (w/ the Nation) pinned Flash Funk at 4:21 after Funk missed a moonsault
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith via count-out at 14:30 after Owen seemingly injured himself after Smith accidentally backdropped his partner over the top to the floor; late in the bout, LaFon pinned Owen with a DDT but the referee immediately ordered the match to continue as Owen’s foot was on the bottom rope during the cover; as Owen was being counted out of the ring, Smith dropped LaFon with the running powerslam; after the match, Smith argued with Owen over the loss
Crush (w/ the Nation) pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) with the heart punch after Savio Vega interfered and hit a spin kick on Goldust as Goldust prepared to hit the curtain Call
WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Marc Mero at 13:57 after using a foreign object; this was mentioned as Mero’s last shot at Helmsley’s title; both Sable and Mr. Hughes were banned from ringside for the bout
The Undertaker & Ahmed Johnson defeated Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) & Farooq (w/ the Nation) in a No Holds Barred match at 10:29 when Taker pinned Mankind with a tombstone onto a steel chair after Vader’s interference backfired; moments earlier, Ahmed chased Farooq and the Nation to the back
2/13/97; Lowell, MA; Memorial Auditorium
Thursday Raw Thursday – 2/13/97 – featured Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, & Jim Ross on commentary; included an in-ring segment hosted by Vince McMahon in which WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels surrendered the title to WWF President Gorilla Monsoon due to a knee injury; as Michaels said a doctor had told him he may never wrestle again, the crowd started a “We want Sid” chant – as Sid was scheduled to face Michaels during the broadcast for the title; moments later, Michaels said he felt he couldn’t say “no” during his championship reign and wanted to do everything asked of him – from the heavy travelling to the public appearances; he then said he had lost his smile somewhere along the line, said the past year was the best of his life, and then thanked the fans for their support before making a round around the ring to shake and slap hands; after declaring the title vacant, Monsoon announced that the winner of the Final Four match that Sunday would become the new champion and that Sid would get a title shot against the new chamion the during following week’s edition of Monday Night Raw:
Rocky Maivia pinned WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley at 15:30 to win the title with an inside cradle as Helmsley lifted the challenger off the mat for the Pedigree; the Honkytonk Man provided guest commentary for the match; after the contest, Dok Hendrix conducted a ringside interview with Maivia regarding the title win as Helmsley stormed off to the backstage area (The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment)
The Headbangers defeated Aldo Montoya & Bob Holly at 5:43 when Montoya was pinned following the Stage Dive; Sunny was the guest ring announcer for the match
The Undertaker pinned Savio Vega (w/ the Nation) with the chokeslam at 8:50; after the bout, the Nation attacked the Undertaker until Ahmed Johnson made the save
Steve Austin defeated Psycho Sid via disqualification at 3:45 when Bret Hart attacked Austin; after the match, Hart and Sid had to be held apart by officials
Farooq & Crush defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith via count-out at 10:24 after Owen was tossed to the floor and seemed to injure his knee
Bret Hart pinned Vader at around the 6:45 mark after Vader missed the moonsault; prior to the bout, the Undertaker appeared in the aisle and cut a promo saying he hadn’t been getting his due respect and said they along with Steve Austin would rest in peace at Final Four; early in the match, Austin attacked Hart on the floor – until he was pulled away by referees – and then headed to the balcony to distract Bret during the closing moments of the contest
2/17/97; Nashville, TN; Arena
2/17/97 – featured Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with Goldust, with Marlena, in which Goldust said his feud with Hunter Hearst Helmsley was now personal; moments later, Marlena said Goldust was more man than Helmsley could ever be; Helmsley then appeared ringside, threw a cup of water into Goldust’s face, attacked him, and hit the Pedigree; Marlena then slapped Helmsley, with Helmsley’s mystery woman then coming in the ring and violently shaking Marlena until security pulled her away and escorted her from ringside:
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) defeated Savio Vega (w/ the Nation) via disqualification when the Nation chased Sable into the ring; moments thereafter, Ahmed Johnson made the save by clearing the ring with a 2×4
WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia pinned Leif Cassidy with the shoulder breaker
The Headbangers defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy at 4:02 when Thrasher pinned Jeff following the Stage Dive; during the bout, Farooq and the Nation were shown backstage with Jim Ross interviewing Farooq from the commentary table about his feud with Ahmed Johnson; during the promo, Farooq said he wanted his match with Ahmed at WrestleMania to be a Chicago Streetfight
WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart pinned Flash Funk (w/ the Funkettes) with a leg lariat and having Davey Boy Smith hold down Funk’s leg from the outside after Smith, who came ringside mid-way through the bout and ordered Clarence Mason backstage, hit Funk with Owen’s Slammy; during the bout, Jerry Lawler spoke to Paul Heyman on the phone – who called in to accept Lawler’s offer of having ECW wrestlers onhand for the following week’s edition of Raw
Bart Gunn defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via count-out when Goldust chased Helmsley into the crowd; during the bout, the Honkytonk Man did guest commentary
Psycho Sid pinned WWF World Champion Bret Hart with the powerbomb to win the title after Steve Austin interfered and hit the champion with a chair as Hart had the Sharpshooter applied; the bout was to have taken place earlier in the show on two seperate occasions but was postponed due to interference by Steve Austin both in the ring and backstage; during the bout, Hart used the ringpost figure-4 for the first time on TV; after the bout, the Undertaker – who had been named earlier in the broadcast as the #1 contender – came to the ring to confront the man he would face for the title at WrestleMania
2/24/97; New York City, NY; Manhattan Center
2/24/97 – featured in-ring action from the stars of ECW after being invited to Raw the previous week by Jerry Lawler:
The New Blackjacks defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn when Windham pinned Phinneas following Bradshaw’s lariat, even though Phinneas’ foot was on the bottom rope during the cover; after the match, the Godwinns hit a Slop Drop on the referee
Stevie Richards (w/ Super Nova, the Blue Meanie, & 7-11) pinned Little Guido following the Stevieknife powerbomb and Stevie Kick; Paul E. Dangerously did guest commentary for the match
Marlena defeated Sunny via disqualification in an arm wrestling contest
Goldust defeated Savio Vega (w/ the NOD) via disqualification in an impromptu match when Crush interfered; after the bout, Miguel Perez Jr. – who had been doing guest commentary for the bout – sent Vega out of the ring with a missile dropkick
Taz (w/ Bill Alphonso & Team Taz) defeated Mikey Whipwreck via submission at 3:33 with the Tazmission; during the bout, Farooq cut an insert promo on facing the Undertaker later in the show and his ongoing feud with Ahmed Johnson; late in the bout, Sabu lept off the Raw sign onto Taz’ entourage and attempted to get at Alphonso but was soon dragged off by Team Taz; Paul Heyman did guest commentary for the bout (Before they Were Superstars 2)
The Legion of Doom fought the Headbangers to a double count-out; after the bout, Road Warrior Hawk hit the flying clothesline on one of the Headbangers (LOD’s surprise return match after more than a four-year absence)
Tommy Dreamer (w/ Beulah) pinned D-Von Dudley (w/ Bubba Ray Dudley) with a DDT onto a steel chair placed inside the ring after Beulah hit a low blow on D-Von after being dragged into the ring; after the bout, the Sandman made the save against the Dudleyz; in a post-match altercation, Paul E. – who did guest commentary for the bout – had to be restrained by the ECW contingent of Taz, the Eliminators, and the Sandman when Dangerously attempted to get at Jerry Lawler at the commentary table
The Undertaker defeated Farooq (w/ the NOD) via disqualification when Crush and Savio Vega interfered; after the bout, the Legion of Doom made the save; prior to the match, Farooq had words with Ken Shamrock who was sitting ringside (Shamrock’s debut)
2/26/97; Berlin, Germany; Deutschlandhalle
3/3/97 – featured Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & the Honkytonk Man on commentary; included both Jerry Lawler and Paul Heyman calling in to speak with McMahon over the phone; Ahmed Johnson accepted Farooq’s challenge for a streetfight at WrestleMania during an in-ring interview; Steve Austin cut an in-studio promo from Stamford, CT in which McMahon recapped his recent attacks on Bret Hart, wanting to know why he was so bitter:
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Bret Hart via disqualification at 12:14 when Bret pushed the referee after tying his opponent upside down in the corner; after the match, Hart had a confrontation with Chyna who came into the ring and challenged Hart to fight her; moments thereafter, officials held Chyna back as Hart left ringside
WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia defeated Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) via disqualification at 10:17 when Mankind interfered and hit Maivia with the urn as the two participants battled on the floor; after the bout, Vader brutalized Maivia until officials entered the ring
The Sultan defeated Flash Funk via submission with the Camel Clutch at around the 5 minute mark (the bout began during the commercial break)
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid pinned Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) with the powerbomb at 13:19
WWF European Title Tournament Finals: WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart with a roll over out of a victory roll at 22:43 to win the title (The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary, Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology, Owen: Hart of Gold)
RAW IS WAR
3/10/97; Worcester, MA; Centrum
Raw is War – 3/10/97 – the debut of the new ‘Raw is War’ format with a new stage, explosions to open the show, and an intro featuring Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People”; included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with WWF World Champion Psycho Sid to begin the show, where Sid said he was reluctant to team with the Undertaker in the night’s main event; moments later, Taker appeared and said he would take care of Vader & Mankind by himself if Sid was too scared; Paul Bearer, Vader, & Mankind then appeared, with Bearer calling Sid & Taker cowards; Taker & Sid then won a brief brawl over Vader & Mankind; featured Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Ken Shamrock, during which it was announced he would be the guest referee for the Bret Hart / Steve Austin submission match at WrestleMania XIII; after Shamrock said he wasn’t intimidated by anyone, Austin appeared on the Titantron and said Hart would defeat Sid the following week in their steel cage title match so that he could beat Bret for the title at WrestleMania; Hart then came out, told Shamrock he respected him, said he was sick of the injustices in the WWF and how everyone had screwed him, and said he would beat Sid for the title next week; included closing comments from Bret about his title shot the following week where he sarcastically said he got the match by crying to Gorilla Monsoon, after it was stated earlier in the show that all Bret does is cry and whine:
WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia pinned Tony Roy at 1:38 with a flying bodypress; at the beginning of the match, the sultan, Mr. Bob Backlund, & the Iron Sheik appeared on the ramp, with Sheik & Backlund saying Sultan will win the IC title; after the contest, the sultan attacked the champion but Maivia cleared him from the ring and knocked Sheik & Backlund off the apron; moments later, Tony Atlas made a surprise appearance by coming out of the crowd to congratulate Maivia
Pierroth, Heavy Metal, & Pentagon defeated Latin Lover, Hector Garza, & Octagon
Ahmed Johnson pinned Roy Raymond with the Pearl River Plunge; during the bout, the Nation of Domination appeared on the stage; after the match, Farooq discussed his streetfight against Ahmed at WrestleMania and said he will bring the entire Nation with him; Ahmed then announced he would have the Legion of Doom with him at WrestleMania, with the LOD then coming out through the crowd and talking about the bout
Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in a non-title match at around the 5-minute mark after Smith shoved the referee
Miguel Perez pinned Leif Cassidy
Billy Gunn pinned Aldo Montoya
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Tim McNeedy with the Curtain Call; after the bout, Chyna, who had been standing at the top of the ramp, began making her way to the ring, distracting Goldust & Marlena; moments later, Hunter Hearst Helmsley attacked Goldust from behind and double teamed him with Chyna until Marlena jumped on Chyna’s back; referees eventually separated the two women, with Chyna throwing one referee into the others during the incident
Vader & Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated the Undertaker & WWF World Champion Psycho Sid at 6:52 when Vader pinned the Undertaker after Sid powerbombed his partner after the two began fighting each other; after the bout, Sid saved Taker from sustaining the Vader Bomb; the Honkytonk Man did guest commentary for the match
3/17/97; Syracuse, NY; War Memorial
3/17/97 – included footage from a New Jersey press conference, with Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, about bringing the WWF back to the state; featured comments from WWF President Gorilla Monsoon confirming that the steel cage match later in the show would be a title match; included Kevin Kelly conducting an in-ring interview with Bret Hart, discussing his title shot later in the show and his submission match against Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13; featured Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Shawn Michaels in which Michaels invited himself to appear at the Slammys and to sit ringside for the world title match at WrestleMania:
The Legion of Doom defeated Savio Vega & Crush (w/ the Nation) via disqualification at around the 9-minute mark when Farooq, who was barred from ringside, interfered and attacked the LOD with a nightstick; moments later, Ahmed Johnson, who was also barred from ringside, made the save with a 2×4; Farooq had attacked Ahmed backstage earlier in the show; during the match, footage was shown from the previous night’s MSG show of the Nation attacking Ahmed after his match with Savio Vega; after the bout, the LOD hit the Doomsday Device on D-Lo Brown;
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) pinned Flash Funk with the Pedigree at 5:47; after the bout, both Helmsley and Chyna attacked Funk (the first time Chyna was referred to by that name)
Mini Goldust & Mascarita Sagrada Jr. defeated Mini Vader & Mini Mankind at 2:57 when Sagrada pinned Mankind with a roll up; after the bout, Sagrada chased Vader up the ramp, shoved him off the stage, and dove off onto him
The Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik & Mr. Bob Backlund) defeated Mike Bell via submission with the Camel Clutch; WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia did guest commentary for the match; after the bout, Tony Atlas came out of the crowd to hold Rocky back from fighting the Sultan
WWF Tag Team & European Champion Davey Boy Smith (w/ WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart) defeated Vader (w/ Paul Bearer & Mankind) via disqualification at around the 8-minute mark when Mankind attempted to interfere but Hart stopped him before he could; after the bout, Hart was double teamed until Smith made the save by knocking Bearer off the apron and hitting Vader and Mankind with the urn
Billy Gunn defeated Aaron Ferguson via submission with an armbar; after the contest, Ken Shamrock, who did guest commentary for the match, accepted a challenge from Gunn and took him down on a number of occasions using an armbar and ankle lock; moments later, Gunn threatened to go into the ring with a steel chair but was stopped by the referee
WWF World Champion Psycho Sid defeated Bret Hart in a steel cage match at 7:40 by escaping over the top after the Undertaker interfered and slammed the cage door into the challenger’s face as Hart attempted to exit the cage, moments after Steve Austin interfered on behalf of Hart; after the bout, Vince McMahon attempted to interview Hart in the ring but Hart shoved McMahon to the mat after he made mention of Bret being frustrated, then responded by saying, “Frustrated isn’t the god damn word for it. This is bullshit!”; after a brief tirade about how the WWF higher-ups were turning a blind eye to all the injustices Hart has sustained in recent weeks, Steve Austin appeared on the Titantron and said he wanted Bret to win the title but Hart was too much of a loser to do so; moments later, Psycho Sid came to the ring and he and Hart were about to come to blows but then the Undertaker appeared and Hart hit a tope through the ropes onto Taker; eventually, Austin came ringside and began stomping Hart on the outside as Taker and Sid fought in the ring to close the show, with referees and officials trying to seperate the four men
3/24/97; Rockford, IL; Metro Center
3/24/97 – featured the announcement to open the broadcast that Mankind was the #1 contender to the world title and would face the Undertaker for the title at the next In Your House; included comments from Mankind in the boiler room where he said his Uncle Paul had left him, telling him to please come back and not to make Mankind search for him; featured comments from Bret Hart on the Titantron in which he said he hoped to have all the time he wants to speak his mind later in the show; included footage from WWF Fashion Mania event in Chicago over the weekend; featured footage from before the broadcast of Vince McMahon conducting an empty-arena interview with WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia and his father Rocky Johnson about what happened at WrestleMania; included footage from the Slammy Awards; featured comments from Ken Shamrock about his involvement in the submission match at WrestleMania, where he said he had no choice to stop the match when Steve Austin passed out and could no longer defend himself; included an in-ring segment with Bret Hart where he apologized to his fans all over the world for his actions the previous week, except the fans in America; Bret then said the American wrestling fans and their cheering of Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels disgust him and that the only reason he came back to the WWF was to clean it up as there were no role models in the company; during the segment, Hart mentioned that Michaels was not a role model because he posed for girlie or gay magazines; he then discussed in detail everything that has happened to him since returning at the Survivor Series and how he has been screwed by everyone and the American fans can kiss his ass; Michaels then interrupted and said the fans buy tickets to cheer or boo whomever they want; after Hart told Michaels to get out of his face, Michaels said the only way Bret would know Shawn posed for girlie magazines was if he looked himself; as Michaels started to leave the ring, Hart attacked him from behind, targetting his knee, and applied the ringpost figure-4 until a number of referees pulled him away; Psycho Sid then appeared at ringside, with Bret quickly going backstage; featured Vince McMahon conducting a closing in-ring interview with WWF World Champion the Undertaker, which was interrupted by Paul Bearer coming ringside and Mankind appearing on the Titantron; the show ended before anything could happen between the three:
The Headbangers defeated WWF Tag Team Champions – WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart via disqualification at around the 12-minute mark after Smith shoved the referee; after the match, the champions got into an argument, began fighting each other, and had to be separated by officials; moments later, Hart challenged Smith for the European title, calling him a gutless coward; Smith accepted and told Owen it would be the only shot he would receive; during the match, it was announced the Legion of Doom would get a tag team title shot at the next In Your House
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) pinned Bart Gunn with the Pedigree at 7:16 after Chyna bodyslammed Bart on the floor
Venum, Super Nova, & Discovery defeated Hysteria, Abysmo Negro, & Maniaco in a AAA match at 4:13 when Nova pinned Negro with a hurricanrana off the top
Flash Funk pinned the Brooklyn Brawler with the somersault splash off the top; the Honkytonk Man did guest commentary for the match
WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia pinned Leif Cassidy in a non-title match with a crossbody off the top; after the bout, Bret Hart, who did guest commentary for the bout, attacked Maivia and left ringside
Ahmed Johnson defeated Savio Vega (w/ the Nation) via disqualification at around the 8-minute mark when Crush pulled Savio out of the ring as Ahmed signalled for the Pearl River Plunge; after the bout, Ahmed challenged the Nation to a match where if he could beat one member then the Nation would be forced to leave the WWF; the challenge was never accepted or rejected; during the bout it was announced Farooq suffered a punctured lung and a separated shoulder and was hospitalized following the streetfight at WrestleMania 13
3/25/97; Peoria, IL
3/31/97 – featured Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Steve Austin regarding the outcome of his WrestleMania match against Bret Hart, with Austin emphasizing that he never submitted and he bled because of the guardrail and not because of Hart; Austin then said he would be the exact same person whether he was facing ‘a good guy’ or ‘a bad guy’ and then challenged Hart to an immediate fight; Bret then appeared on the big screen, gloated over his win at WrestleMania, and said he was finished with Austin; Austin replied he wouldn’t be finished with him until he was dead and told Bret to get Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith to back him up if he thought he needed it:
WWF European Champion & Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith fought WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart to a no contest at around the 13-minute mark when Bret Hart appeared and held both men apart after the referee was knocked to the floor and the two participants attempted to use a steel chair on each other; Smith played babyface and Owen heel for the match; after the match, Hart grabbed the mic and said Owen and Smith shouldn’t be fighting for a crowd that knew nothing of family values and spoke of his match with Smith at Wembley Stadium, how they hugged and made up only to return to America and have the fans turn them against each other again; Hart then addressed Owen and spoke of how he looked out for Owen at a young age and helped him get into the WWF; Hart then asked both men for their help and said he needed them, with Bret then telling Owen he loved him, prompting Owen to cry; moments later, the three men hugged and left ringside together
El Mosco pinned Super Nova
Jesse Jammes pinned Jerry Fox
Savio Vega & Crush defeated Adam O’Brien & Rod Bell
Goldust defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley via disqualification; both Marlena and Chyna were barred from ringside for the match
WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia defeated Bret Hart via disqualification at around the 13-minute mark when Hart refused to release the ringpost figure-4; prior to the match, it was announced Bret would face Psycho Sid at In Your House and that Shawn Michaels would appear the following week on Raw; during the bout, Tony Atlas was shown sitting in the crowd and it was announced Psycho Sid would face Mankind the following week; late in the bout, a crawl at the bottom of the screen ran several times advertising ‘La Femme Nikita’ airing in its entirety immediately following the match; after the match, when Hart refused to break the hold, Steve Austin attacked Bret until WWF Tag Team Champions – WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart ganged up on Austin; moments later, the Legion of Doom appeared with the Hart Foundation quickly escaping into the crowd
4/7/97; Muncie, IN; Worthen Arena
4/7/97:
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn when Owen pinned Henry following a blow behind the referee’s back
Steve Austin pinned Billy Gunn (w/ the Honkytonk Man) with the Stunner after avoiding a clothesline; after the bout, Honky tried to convince Gunn to be his protege but was punched in the mouth
The Headbangers defeated Freddie Joe Floyd & Barry Horowitz when Trasher pinned Floyd following the Stage Dive
Ken Shamrock defeated Vernon White via submission in an exhibition ‘shoot fight’; White was a graduate from Shamrock’s Lion’s Den, although that was not mentioned on television
Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Frank Stiletto with two Vader Bombs and a powerbomb
Steve Austin (sub. for Psycho Sid) fought Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer & Vader) to a no contest when Owen Hart & the British Bulldog interfered but were held at bay by the Legion of Doom and Vader’s interference backfired
4/9/97; Johannesburg, South Africa
4/14/97:
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated the Legion of Doom at 9:00 after Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith interfered and Bulldog hit Road Warrior Animal with his title belt (4/7/97; Muncie, IN; Worthen Arena)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) pinned Jesse Jammes at 14:52 with the Pedigree after the Honkytonk Man, who was doing commentary for the bout, tripped Jammes; after the contest, Honky revealed that his new protege would be at In Your House the following Sunday; moments later, Jammes challenged HTM to a fight then and there but Honky thought better of it
Savio Vega (w/ Crush and one other Nation member) pinned WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia in a non-title match at 17:35 with a roll up and using the ropes for leverage after avoiding the shoulderbreaker; after the bout, Ahmed Johnson made the save against the Nation
Goldust defeated the Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik) via disqualification at 13:00 when Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna interfered and, with the Sultan, triple teamed Goldust
Vader & Mankind defeated the Headbangers via disqualification at 5:45 when Mosh sprayed a substance into Mankind’s eyes, blinding him to the point where he mistakingly applied the Mandible Claw on his tag team partner (4/7/97; Muncie, IN; Worthen Arena)
Ahmed Johnson pinned Crush at 11:30 with a roll up after Crush missed the heart punch; after the bout, Farooq challenged Ahmed to face both he, Savio, and Crush in one night and if Ahmed were victorious the Nation would disband
4/21/97; Binghamton, NY; Broome County Arena
4/21/97 – featured Vince McMahon conducting an opening in-ring interview with Steve Austin in which it was announced he would face WWF World Champion the Undertaker May 11 at In Your House; during the segment, Austin challenged Bret Hart to an immediate match and then said he had one minute to come out or he would go back and find him; a clock then appeared on the big screen, with Bret, WWF Tag Team Champions – WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart appearing on the big screen after it ran out and Bret accepting the challenge to a streetfight later in the show; Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler announced the match would happen at the start of the broadcast; Hart then argued why Austin was getting a world title shot, with Austin saying if he was going to hell then Bret would be coming with; after McMahon joined the commentary team, footage showed Austin looking for Bret backstage; included Ken Shamrock joining the commentary team and issuing a challenge to Mike Tyson; featured Austin shown hitting the Hart Foundation dressing room door, with Bret shown inside having Pat Patterson, Tony Garea, Blackjack Lanza, and Dave Hebner send Austin out to the ring:
The Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik) defeated Ahmed Johnson via disqualification after Ahmed used a 2X4 to scare off the Nation at ringside before turning his attention to his opponent and using the weapon
Steve Austin fought Bret Hart to a no contest in a streetfight at around the 8-minute mark; prior to the match, WWF Tag Team Champions – WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart jumped Austin from behind, with Bret helping in triple teaming Austin; moments later, Shawn Michaels came out of the crowd and chased Owen and Smith backstage with a steel chair, leaving Bret in the ring with Austin; the bout was stopped when Austin refused to break the Sharpshooter after assauting Bret’s knee with a steel chair, with the crowd chanting “Austin” as referees tried to pull him away; after officials pulled Austin away, Bret remained on the mat during the commercial break, with Smith and Owen having returned to the ring to call for medical help; moments later, backstage footage showed WWF President Gorilla Monsoon berating Austin beside an ambulance, in which Monsoon ejected Austin from the building; after another commercial break, Bret was taken backstage on a stretcher and loaded into the back of the ambulance by medics, Owen, and Smith; once inside, it was revealed Austin was in the driver’s seat, with Austin again going after Bret until he was beaten off by Owen and Smith and pulled away by officials (Falls Count Anywhere: The Greatest Street Fights and other Out of Control Matches)
Tiger Ali Singh pinned Salvatore Sincere with a spinning heel kick (Tiger’s TV debut)
Rockabilly (w/ the Honkytonk Man) pinned Jesse Jammes with the Shake, Rattle, & Roll; after the match, Honky gave Jesse Jammes a guitar shot to the head
WWF World Champion the Undertaker defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) via disqualification when Mankind came into the ring with a blow torch and attempted to set the champion ablaze; after Taker and Mankind took their fight into the crowd, Goldust and Marlena (who were sitting ringside wearing streetclothes) ambushed Triple H and Chyna
4/28/97; Omaha, NE; Civic Center
4/28/97 – included Steve Austin chasing off Brian Pillman, Owen Hart, and Davey Boy Smith with an axe handle as the three prayed in the ring for Bret Hart’s speedy recovery; featured Bret Hart, now in a wheelchair, cutting an in-ring promo on America and Steve Austin; included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Steve Austin in which Austin cut a promo on facing the Undertaker for the title before Bret Hart appeared on the Titantron to promise that Austin wouldn’t leave the arena under his own power:
Flash Funk pinned Rockabilly (w/ the Honkytonk Man) at 4:42 with a hurricanrana into a cradle after Rockabilly collided with Honky on the ring apron; after the bout, Rockabilly smashed his guitar over Funk’s head
The Legion of Doom defeated Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon at 3:47 when Road Warrior Hawk pinned Furnas with a clothesline off the top after Furnas prevented LaFon from sustaining the Doomsday Device; after the bout, Jim Ross interfered Furnas & LaFon in the ring where they complained that the illegal man was pinned and demanded a rematch
Owen Hart pinned WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia with a leg backslide at 8:26 to win the title; prior to the bout, Owen dedicated the match to his injured brother Bret who, along with Davey Boy Smith, watched the match from the stage (Owen: Hart of Gold)
Vader pinned Jesse Jammes at 1:34 with the Vader Bomb; during the bout, Vader’s actions during the recent episode of ‘Good Morning Kuwait’ were discussed; after the bout, Jim Ross interviewed Vader regarding the incident overseas and when Vader took exception to JR’s tone, Ken Shamrock came to the ring and took Vader down with a waistlock suplex
Goldust (w/ Marlena) defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) via count-out at 7:49 when Marlena threw powder in Chyna’s face, blinding her, and Chyna lifted Helmsley in a choke outside the ring, thinking he was Goldust
WWF World Champion the Undertaker defeated European Champion Davey Boy Smith via disqualification at 4:08 in a non-title match when Owen Hart interfered as Taker prepared to hit the tombstone; after the bout, Steve Austin came to the ring, fought off Owen Hart, then hit the Stunner on the champion; moments later, Austin sustained the chokeslam from Taker before going after Bret who was at the top of the ramp; as Austin prepared to attack Bret, Jim Neidhart came from the back and assisted in sending Austn off the stage to the floor where he was later put on a stretcher (Neidhart’s surprise debut after more than a 2-year absense)
5/5/97; Green Bay, WI; Brown County Arena
5/5/97 – featured a segment focusing on the real-life background of Dustin & Terri Runnels, with Dustin talking about growing up in the shadow of his father Dusty, the harrassment he took early on as Goldust, and having to deal with other wrestlers – Scott Hall mentioned as one – not wanting to work with him; during the segment, Dustin said he hasn’t spoken to his father in over 2 years but he loved him:
Rockabilly (w/ the Honkytonk Man) defeated Ahmed Johnson via disqualification at 3:57 when Ahmed hit Rockabilly with his own guitar
Vader pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) with the Vader Bomb at 8:22; Ken Shamrock provided guest commentary for the match; after the bout, Vader challenged Shamrock to fight him then and there, with Shamrock then sliding in the ring, tackling Vader, and the two fighting until referees and Mankind intervened
Ahmed Johnson defeated Crush (w/ the Nation) in a gauntlet match; Crush defeated unknown #1 with a press slam gutbuster in 28 seconds; Crush defeated unknown #2 with a heart punch at 1:17; a third masked unknown hits the Pearl River Plunge and gets the pin in 10 seconds; after the match, he unveils himself to be Ahmed
Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated the Legion of Doom at 7:54 after Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith interfered and Owen dropped Road Warrior Hawk throat-first over the top rope, with LaFon getting the pin
Steve Austin pinned WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith in a non-title match following the Stunner at 13:02
5/12/97; Newark, DE; Bob Carpenter Center
5/12/97:
KOTR Quarter-Finals: Ahmed Johnson defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) via disqualification when Chyna interfered and hit Ahmed with a steel chair
Scott Putski pinned Leif Cassidy with a suplex; after the bout, Putski won a brief brawl with an incensed Cassidy
The Legion of Doom defeated PG-13 following the Doomsday Device on both Wolfie D and JC Ice; after the bout, the Nation left their fallen teammates behind
WWF World Champion the Undertaker defeated Savio Vega (w/ the Nation) via disqualification in a non-title match when Farooq interfered after the champion hit the tombstone and began whipping Taker with his belt
Rob Van Dam pinned Jeff Hardy with a split-legged moonsault at 2:29; prior to the bout, Jerry Lawler introduced RVD to the crowd, nicknaming him “Mr. Monday Night”, and then both he and RVD cut an anti-ECW promo (RVD’s WWF debut) (Before They Were Superstars Vol. 1, Rob Van Dam: One Of A Kind)
WWF Tag Team Champions – WWF IC Champion Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated the Headbangers, the New Blackjacks, and Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon in an elimination match; order of elimination: Furnas & LaFon, Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw by the Headbangers via interference from Furnas & LaFon who remained ringside, the Headbangers
5/19/97; Mobile, AL; Civic Center
5/19/97:
KOTR Quarter-Finals: Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) (sub. for Vader) pinned Crush; Vader was taken out of the match due to injuries sustained against Ken Shamrock at ‘Cold Day in Hell’; Helmsley was allowed another spot in the tournament because he was not properly instructed prior to his match with Ahmed Johnson the previous week that he could be eliminated via disqualification and thus threatened the WWF with legal action
Bob Holly pinned WWF IC Champion Owen Hart with an inside cradle in a non-title match
Scott Taylor pinned Leif Cassidy
Rockabilly defeated Goldust via disqualification when Goldust used Gunn’s guitar as a weapon
Farooq pinned Rocky Maivia
Steve Austin defeated Jim Neidhart via disqualification when Brian Pillman, who was doing guest commentary, hit Austin with a crutch at 1:51; after the bout, Shawn Michaels made the save for Austin against Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart; Austin and Michaels began to brawl after fending off the Hart Foundation (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
5/26/97; Evansville, IN; Roberts Memorial Stadium
5/26/97 – included an opening in-ring interview in which the Legion of Doom came out to confront Shawn Michaels & Steve Austin, with the four men agreeing to a title match the next week if Michaels & Austin won the championship later that night; featured Vince McMahon interviewing Steve Austin, who was backstage, with Austin being jumped by Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith before officials could break it up; included Part 2 of the Jim Ross / Mankind interview, which focused on the ‘Dude Love’ character featured in Mick Foley’s home video as well as the story of how he hitchhiked to see Snuka vs. Muraco at Madison Square Garden:
The Legion of Doom defeated Brian Pillman & Jim Neidhart via disqualification at 4:24 when Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith interfered as Pillman was set up for the Doomsday Device; after the bout, Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin made the save before brawling with one another (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
D-Lo Brown (w/ Farooq, Crush, & Savio Vega) pinned Bob Holly at 3:09 with a Tiger Bomb
KOTR Quarter-Finals: Jerry Lawler pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) at 5:19 with his feet on the ropes; after the match, Goldust knocked Lawler all the way down the ramp
Rocky Maivia pinned Flash Funk at 3:34 with a crossbody off the top after the Headbangers came ringside, with one of them hitting Funk with his boombox
Ahmed Johnson pinned Vader with a spinebuster at 3:05; had Vader won, he would have earned Ahmed’s spot in the KOTR tournament; Ken Shamrock did guest commentary for the match
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) pinned Rockabilly (w/ the Honkytonk Man) at 3:16 with the Pedigree after Chyna blocked Honky’s interference and hit him with his own guitar
Steve Austin & Shawn Michaels defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith to win the titles at 13:25 when Austin pinned Smith after Michaels hit the superkick behind the referee’s back; after the bout, Austin grabbed his title belt and left ringside to attack Bret Hart on the ramp while Smith, Owen, Brian Pillman, and Jim Neidhart attacked Michaels inside the ring; during the bout, Bret, Pillman, and Neidhart watched on from the ramp; if the champions had won, they would defend the titles as scheduled against the Legion of Doom at the King of the Ring but if the challengers won then they would defend against the LOD the following week (Best of Raw Vol. 6, The Monday Night War, The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin)
6/2/97; Huntington, WV; Civic Center
6/2/97:
Farooq (w/ Crush, Savio Vega, & D-Lo Brown) pinned Ahmed Johnson at 3:08 after the Undertaker came ringside and sent Farooq into Ahmed, who then crashed into the ring steps; in a post-match altercation, Taker hit the chokeslam on Ahmed (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
WWF IC Champion Owen Hart defeated Bob Holly via submission with the Sharpshooter at 3:17 after blocking a Frankensteiner into a powerbomb
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) with a roll up at 3:48 after Triple H collided with Chyna on the apron
The Legion of Doom defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Steve Austin & Shawn Michaels via count-out at 10:13 as the champions began fighting each other on the floor (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
KOTR Quarter-Finals: Mankind pinned Savio Vega (w/ Crush & D-Lo Brown) at 3:01 after Crush accidentaly hit Savio in the back of the head
WWF World Champion the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Psycho Sid at 4:47 in a non-title match following a flying clothesline and the tombstone; after the match, the Nation attacked both men (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
6/9/97; Hartford, CT; Civic Center
6/9/97 – featured Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with WWF Tag Team Champion Steve Austin, during which they showed footage of Austin attacking Brian Pillman the night before as part of the King of the Ring and dunking Pillman’s head in the toilet; Austin then talked about facing Pillman later in the show, with McMahon then bringing up the Hart Foundation’s challenge for a 5-on-5 match at Canadian Stampede and Austin accepting the challenge of being one of those five men to face the Harts:
The Legion of Doom & Ahmed Johnson defeated Farooq, Crush, & Savio Vega at 5:30
WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith fought Goldust (w/ Marlena) to a double count-out at 7:30; after the bout, Ken Shamrock made the save for the challenger (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
The Headbangers defeated Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon at 3:38
Rob Van Dam defeated Flash Funk at 4:24
Psycho Sid pinned WWF IC Champion Owen Hart (w/ Jim Neidhart) in a non-title match with the chokeslam at 4:11; Ken Shamrock did guest commentary for the bout and, late in the contest, hit a belly to belly suplex on Neidhart on the floor (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
Rockabilly defeated Bart Gunn at 2:52
Mankind (sub. for WWF Tag Team Champion Steve Austin) defeated Brian Pillman via disqualification at 5:00 when WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith interfered as Mankind called for the Mandible Claw; during Austin’s entrance, he was attacked in the aisle by Owen, Neidhart, & Smith, with Mankind making the save as several referees came out to send the Hart Foundation backstage; after the bout, Austin came out to fight off the Hart Foundation, with Ken Shamrock following close behind; after the Hart Foundation was cleared from the ring, Austin dropped Shamrock with the Stunner (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
6/16/97; Lake Placid, NY; Olympic Center
6/16/97 – included Vince McMahon and Jim Ross commenting on the off-screen backstage fight the previous week between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and it was announced Michaels would be out for 4-6 weeks as a result of the incident; due to Michaels’ absence, a tag team tournament would be conducted to determine who will face Steve Austin and a partner of his choice for the titles:
Tag Team Tournament Quarter Finals: WWF IC Champion Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw at 3:35 when Smith pinned Windham after Owen interfered
Triple H (w/ Chyna) pinned Phinneas Godwinn at 3:37 with the Pedigree after Phinneas was distracted by Chyna on the ring apron and kissed her; after the bout, Henry Godwinn came ringside and scolded Phinneas for the loss
Chris Candido defeated Brian Christopher via disqualification when Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lawler interfered; Sunny was the guest ring announcer for the bout; Paul Heyman did guest commentary for the match and let it be known for the first time that Brian Christopher was Jerry Lawler’s son, which prompted Lawler to come ringside and slap Heyman before entering the ring
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Jim Neidhart with an uppercut and cradle at 3:47; mid-way through the bout, Davey Boy Smith came ringside to be in Neidhart’s corner; after the bout, Bulldog’s music accidentally played instead of Goldust’s
Steve Austin defeated Brian Pillman via disqualification at 11:45 when WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, who was handcuffed to a ring post alongside WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart, uncuffed himself and interfered; moments later, the remainder of the Hart Foundation joined in attacking Austin until Mankind, Goldust, and Ken Shamrock made the save; after the Harts were cleared from the ring, Shamrock and Austin brawled until the Legion of Doom appeared and helped Goldust break up the fight; moments later, Goldust told Austin to stop the in-fighting and that if the Hart Foundation wanted a 5-on-5 match then he, the LOD, Shamrock, and Austin were the team to accept the challenge; Austin then said he would only do it because he knew WWF President Gorilla Monsoon wouldn’t let him face the Harts by himself (Best of Raw Vol. 6, Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon)
Tommy Rogers defeated Bobby Fulton at 2:48; Fulton played the heel in the match; Sable was the guest ring announcer for the bout
Tag Team Tournament Quarter Finals: The Headbangers defeated Jerry Lawler & Rob Van Dam at 3:37 after the Sandman interfered and used his cane to hit a low blow on Jerry Lawler; both Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer were seen in the front row during the match; after the bout, RVD attacked Dreamer and Heyman before the Sandman made the save, with RVD escaping through the crowd
Farooq & Kama (w/ D-Lo Brown) defeated WWF World Champion the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) & Ahmed Johnson when Kama pinned the Undertaker at 6:07 after Ahmed refused to tag in to his partner, allowing the Undertaker to fall victim to a pinfall; after the bout, Ahmed hit the Pearl River Plunge on Taker before joining the NOD on the stage and raising his fist in solidarty; prior to the bout, Farooq stated that two new NOD members would be introduced; Kama was the first, Ahmed the second; during the bout, the commentary team pondered who would be the second choice and listed the Junkyard Dog, Abdullah the Butcher, Mr. Hughes, and Butch Reed as possibilities (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
6/23/97; Detroit, MI; Cobo Arena
6/23/97:
Ken Shamrock defeated Rockabilly (w/ the Honkytonk Man) via submission with the ankle lock
The Legion of Doom defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn when Road Warrior Hawk pinned Henry; after the bout, the Godwinns attacked the LOD; moments later, the Hart Foundation attacked LOD as well
Flash Funk fought Sabu (w/ Bill Alphonso) to a double count-out at 4:38 when Sabu set up a table on the floor, laid Flash across it, and hit an Asai moonsault off the middle rope onto the table as the bell rang; moments later, Sabu jumped from the top rope and hit a legdrop onto Flash, breaking the table; after the bout, Sabu left through the crowd; Paul Heyman did guest commentary for the match to promote ECW Hardcore Heaven 97
Mankind defeated WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith via disqualification in a non-title match at 4:09 after the champion used a chair; after the bout, Mankind applied the Mandible Claw on Smith (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
WWF IC Champion Owen Hart (w/ Brian Pillman) defeated Goldust (w/ Marlena) and Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) by pinning Goldust; Goldust originally won the match by pinning Owen with the Curtain Call but the champion had his foot on the bottom rope and Gorilla Monsoon had the bout restarted; Pat Patterson was the guest referee for the bout (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
Brian Christopher pinned Scott Taylor
WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Farooq & D-Lo Brown (w/ Kama) defeated WWF World Champion the Undertaker & Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) when Farooq pinned Vader after the Undertaker hit his partner; after the bout, Vader and the Undertaker brawled, with the champion eventually hitting the tombstone (Best of Raw Vol. 6)
6/30/97; Des Moines, IA
6/30/97 – included comments from Ahmed Johnson, recovering from the torn tendon he sustained the previous week during the brawl between DOA and the Nation, in which he said he would be coming for the Undertaker when he was healthy and would make him pay for sending the DOA out to injure him before their scheduled match at Canadian Stampede; featured Jerry Lawler discussing a recent Sunny photo shoot for Raw Magazine in which she was seen with Brian Pillman and said that the magazine was now available; included a preview of the “Cause Stone Cold Said So” home video in which Steve Austin was shown impersonating Hulk Hogan while in ECW; featured a pre- backstage promo from WWF World Champion the Undertaker in which he said tonight would be the worst night of his life because of the secret Paul Bearer would share with the fans and asked the fans to allow him to tell his side of the story; included Japanese wrestling footage of the Great Sasuke to promote his appearance at Sunday’s Canadian S e; featured Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Paul Bearer, with a female fan jumping the rail and being taken away by security before the segment began, during which Bearer told the story of the Undertaker, how his family was killed in a house fire, and that he blamed Taker for their deaths; included the first clue on how to win the Summer Slam Million $ Giveaway; featured a backstage promo from the Undertaker in which he gave his version of Paul Bearer’s story and said he was held back by firefighters when he came home and saw his house on fire and how that experience made him the Undertaker:
Ken Shamrock pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) with a belly to belly suplex at 4:42 after Helmsley became distracted by Mankind on the rampway; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Shamrock’s UFC career; after the match, Mankind scared Helmsley from the ring (Best of Raw Vol. 6 UK)
WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Farooq & D-Lo Brown (w/ Kama) defeated the Legion of Doom at 3:02 when Farooq pinned Road Warrior Hawk after Henry Godwinn, who watched the entirety of the match with Phinneas Godwinn on the entrance stage, hit Hawk in the back of the head with his slop bucket after D-Lo sustained the Doomsday Device; after the bout, Vince McMahon conducted an in-ring interview with Farooq, who complained that he, Kama, or D-Lo should be Ahmed Johnson’s substitute at Canadian Stampede against WWF World Champion the Undertaker instead of Vader; after Farooq began insulting Crush and Savio Vega, Vega appeared on the entrance stage and said he came for revenge and wasn’t alone; moments later, three men appeared to help Savio brawl with the Nation inside the ring; just as officials regained order in the ring, the four members of DOA drove to the ring on motorcycles and continued the brawl; referees, road agents, and uniformed security guards helped in breaking the fight up; after the commercial break, Michael Cole interviewed Vega and his three men backstage in which they referred to themselves as Los Boricuas (the surprise debut of Los Boricuas) (Best of Raw Vol. 6 UK)
Brian Christopher pinned Scott Putski at 3:38 with a roll over after Jerry Lawler got up from the commentary table and grabbed Putski’s foot as Putski held Christopher up in the air; prior to the bout, archived WWF footage was shown of Ivan Putski, along with more recent clips of Lawler; after the match, Christopher and Lawler double teamed Putski and hit a spike piledriver; moments later, as Putski was helped backstage by officials, Lawler and Christopher cut an in-ring promo telling Putski to go home to his daddy
Brian Pillman defeated Mankind via count-out at 9:03 when Mankind chased an interfering Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna backstage with a chair, moments after Helmsley accidentally hit Pillman in the back with the chair on the floor after Mankind moved out of the way; Mankind came to a ring wearing a sign around his neck which read “Pick Me Steve” as a message to Steve Austin to pick him to be his new tag team partner; prior to the contest, a pre-recorded statement from Pillman was shown in which he sarcastically apologized for attacking a fan on Shotgun Saturday Night, for which he was fired from doing commentary on the show; before the match began, Mankind gave Jim Ross a present at ringside, a prosthetic Mandible Claw hand; during the bout, McMahon spoke with Steve Austin backstage about what he thought of Mankind’s campaigning to be his tag team partner, with Austin saying Mankind sucks but at the same time no one was going to take the tag team belts off he and his partner, whoever that may be
WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: WWF IC Champion Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated the Headbangers at 4:08 when Owen scored the pin; prior to the bout, footage of the Headbangers appearing on W-ABC TV New York was shown; during the match, Bret Hart called in and discussed his return to the ring Sunday at Canadian Stampede and how the opposing team would be treated by the Calgary crowd; after the match, Jim Cornette appeared on the stage and told Owen & Davey that he had a team that couldn’t make the tag team tournament but wanted a fight; he then brought out the unintroduced Squat Team who brawled with the Headbangers and Owen & Davey; Owen & Davey quickly left the area and the Headbangers were eventually laid out by the Squat Team following a top rope moonsault (Cornette’s surprise return after a 6-month absence)
Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) fought Rockabilly (w/ the Honkytonk Man) to a no contest when Rockabilly broke his guitar over Vader before the match began, with Vader shrugging it off and assaulting Rockabilly until the Undertaker ran out and brawled with Vader; moments later, Taker held Bearer on the floor and slapped him around to force him to tell the fans the truth, with Bearer then saying Kane was still alive
Steve Austin defeated Jim Neidhart via disqualification at 10:33 when Bret Hart, who was said to be in Calgary earlier in the show but was seen attacking Ken Shamrock backstage mid-way through the match, attacked Austin; after the bout, Bret put Austin the ringpost figure-4 until Mankind came out and applied the Mandible Claw, with the remainder of the Hart Foundation coming down to beat Mankind off Bret (Best of Raw Vol. 6 UK)
7/7/97; Edmonton, Alberta; Northlands Coliseum
7/7/97:
The Great Sasuke pinned Taka Michinoku at 5:46
Savio Vega fought Crush to a double count-out at 2:24 after other members of the DOA and Los Boricuas began brawling at ringside
WWF Tag Team Title Tournament Finals: WWF IC Champion Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated Farooq & D-Lo Brown via count-out at 6:50; due to pre-match stipulations, Hart & Smith would face Steve Austin & a mystery partner for the titles the following week
Brian Christopher pinned Eric Shelley
Steve Austin pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley with the Stunner
Bret Hart pinned Goldust by blocking a sunset flip at 10:21; after the bout, the Hart Foundation brawled with the Legion of Doom and Ken Shamrock
7/14/97; San Antonio, TX; Freeman Coliseum
7/14/97 – included the return of Shawn Michaels after a month’s absence; featured the debut of the Patriot; included Paul Bearer announcing that he would prove the following week that the Undertaker’s brother Kane was still alive:
Ivan & Scott Putski defeated Jerry Lawler & Brian Christopher at 4:55 when Ivan pinned Lawler with the Polish Hammer; prior to the bout, Ivan sang in the ring (Ivan’s one-match return after a 10-year absence) (Best of Raw Vol. 7 97, The Most Powerful Families of Wrestling)
Taka Michinoku pinned Tajiri
Miguel Perez & Jose Estrada Jr. defeated the Headbangers
Ken Shamrock defeated Jim Neidhart via disqualification
The Legion of Doom fought Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw to a no contest
Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Flash Funk with the powerbomb at 4:11; after the bout, Vader hit a Vader Bomb on Flash
Steve Austin & Dude Love (mystery partner) defeated WWF IC Champion Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith to win the vacant WWF Tag Team titles at around the 9-minute mark when Dude pinned Smith after Austin hit the Stunner behind the referee’s back; Austin was prepared to wrestle the match as a handicap bout but Dude appeared on the Titantron and offered his services mid-way through the match; after the bout, several Dudettes came in the ring to celebrate the win as Austin shook Dude’s hand and left ringside (Dude’s surprise debut) (The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin)
7/21/97; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Metro Centre
7/21/97:
Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated Ken Shamrock via count-out at 7:02 after Davey Boy Smith attacked Shamrock in the aisle and hit the running powerslam on the ramp (Shamrock’s first TV loss) (Best of Raw Vol. 7 97)
Brian Christopher pinned Brian Walsh with a neckbreaker from the top at 3:53
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw and the Headbangers at 5:25 when Phinneas pinned Barry Windham after Henry hit him with a slop bucket
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated the Patriot via count-out at 3:04 when the Patriot left the ring to fight off the Hart Foundation at ringside; Bret Hart and Vince McMahon got into a scuffle during the match after it was revealed Shawn Michaels would referee the world title match at Summer Slam
Goldust (w/ Marlena) defeated Farooq (w/ Kama) via disqualification when Kama interfered at 3:24
Bret Hart, WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated WWF World Champion the Undertaker, WWF Tag Team Champions Steve Austin & Dude Love in a flag match when Bret captured his team’s flag after Brian Pillman prevented the Undertaker from grabbing the American flag (Best of Raw Vol. 7 97, The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary, Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology)
7/28/97; Pittsburgh, PA; Civic Arena
7/28/97:
Crush fought Farooq to a double disqualification
Devon Storm defeated Ace Darling
The Truth Commission defeated Jesse Jammes, Flash Funk, & Bob Holly
The Legion of Doom defeated Savio Vega & Miguel Perez via disqualification
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Steve Austin & Dude Love via count-out when Owen Hart interfered
Vader fought Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) to a no contest when Mankind, disguised as a video cameraman, attacked Triple H before the match was able to begin
Goldust fought Rockabilly to a no contest
The Patriot pinned Bret Hart with a roll up after Shawn Michaels, who was doing guest commentary for the bout, distracted Hart from ringside (Best of Raw Vol. 7 97)
8/4/97; Bethlehem, PA; Stabler Arena
8/4/97 – the first episode to begin at 8:57 instead of 7:57pm; featured Jim Ross conducting an opening in-ring interview with WWF World Champion Bret Hart, alongside Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith, in which Ross recapped how Hart won the title the previous night; included Shawn Michaels cutting a heel promo on the fans on how he shouldn’t be held accountable for the result of Summer Slam’s main event:
Ken Shamrock pinned Kama
Taka Michinoku pinned Brian Christopher
Hunter Hearst Helmsley fought Vader to a double count-out
The Patriot pinned the Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik) at 1:45 with the full nelson slam; after the bout, the Patriot brawled with Bret Hart around ringside (Best of Raw Vol. 7)
Ahmed Johnson pinned Chainz
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated the Headbangers
Bob Holly defeated Brian Pillman via count-out; since Pillman lost, he had to continue wearing a dress due to the stipulations of his Summer Slam match with Goldust
WWF Tag Team Champion Dude Love pinned Owen Hart after Steve Austin interfered and hit Owen with his own Slammy trophy; Bret Hart, who was doing guest commentary for the bout, interfered on behalf of Owen moments earlier – which prompted Austin to come ringside (Best of Raw Vol. 7)
8/11/97; Biloxi, MS; Gulf Coast Coliseum
8/11/97 – included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Shawn Michaels to begin the show where Michaels was heckled by chants of ‘Shawn is Gay’ before he stated that he had a new insurance policy to watch his back, since he was on the hit list of every WWF official; featured footage from Bret Hart’s return to Toronto, now as champion; featured a confrontation between the Patriot and Bret Hart in which the Patriot was attacked by Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Brian Pillman; included a vignette on Brakkus:
The Legion of Doom defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn in a country whipping match at 3:47; pre-match stipulations stated that the losers would be the ones who were sent out of the ring; late in the bout, Road Warrior Animal used the slop bucket to hit both opponents, with Henry falling to the floor to end the match; during the bout, Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith did guest commentary
Scott Putski pinned Tony Williams at 3:33 with the Polish Hammer
Flash Funk pinned Brian Pillman at 3:17 after Goldust and Marlena came ringside and distracted Pillman by showing him putting his dress on backstagae before the match; due to pre-match stipulations, Pillman would continue wearing a dress when he wrestled in TV until he won a match (Best of Raw Vol. 7 97)
The Patriot & Ken Shamrock (mystery partner) defeated Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith at 11:17 when the Patriot pinned Smith after hitting the full nelson slam onto a steel chair; late in the bout, Bret Hart came ringside but was held at bay by WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter (Best of Raw Vol. 7 97)
Farooq pinned Chainz at 3:02 after Rocky Maivia interfered and hit a Rock Bottom on Chainz; pre-match stipulations stated that the other members of the Nation and DOA were barred from ringside; after the bout, Maivia was officially welcomed into the Nation
Shawn Michaels pinned Mankind with the superkick at 11:00 after Rick Rude hit Mankind in the head with a steel chair behind referee Earl Hebner’s back; prior to the bout, Mankind brought a trash can to the ring with him, with the two briefly using the trash can and trash bag as a weapon; during the match, Jim Ross noted ECW’s Hardcore Heaven 97 would air the coming weekend on pay-per-view; Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Chyna appeared ringside at the 4-minute mark; Rude appeared ringside in the last minute of the bout (Rude’s surprise return after a 7-year absence) (Best of Raw Vol. 7, DeGeneration X, Shawn Michaels: His Journey)
8/18/97; Atlantic City, NJ; Convention Center
8/18/97 – hosted by Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler; included McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Rick Rude to begin the broadcast who appeared to his old striptease music, who said he was provided a good sum of money for his actions last week and that he would provide the insurance for anyone who pays up; included a promo from Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith before their match with the Legion of Doom; featured backstage comments from Mankind regarding his match later in the show; featured an interview with Shawn Michaels from backstage where he complained of being in the ring with the Undertaker tonight before Ground Zero like he expected, as well as Mankind and Triple H, saying that he doesn’t have a tag team partner; included a backstage promo from Brian Christopher before his match with Flash Funk saying he wanted to fight a heavyweight and would make Funk a ‘Flash in the pan’ with separate comments from Funk also; featured comments from the Undertaker about the upcoming tag match, saying he would take out his partner Mankind if he got in his way, like he was going to do to Michaels; included the Nation of Domination coming to ringside and demanding Jim Ross interview them in the ring, with Farooq saying Ahmed Johnson didn’t deserve to be in the Nation, and Rocky saying he joined the Nation to earn respect after hearing chants of “Die Rocky Die” and “Rocky Sucks” since he became IC Champion; DOA interrupted the interview on the TitanTron from the parking lot challenging the Nation to a fight which they accepted, with the two factions brawling in the parking lot until Los Boricuas appeared and drove off on DOA’s motorcycles with DOA in chase after them; included footage showing Dustin & Terri Runnels on the beach with their daughter Dakota earlier in the day; featured comments from Vader about his upcoming match with the Patriot; included footage from earlier in the day of Jim Ross interviewing WWF IC & Tag Team Champion Steve Austin in Philadelphia where he would be getting his neck examined tomorrow, saying no matter what he would make Owen Hart pay regardless of what the doctors say and he would be at Ground Zero:
Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated the Legion of Doom at 4:57 when Owen pinned Road Warrior Animal after Henry & Phinneas Godwinn interfered and Henry hit Animal with the slop bucket; the Godwinns continued to attack LOD after the match until Owen & Smith attacked the Godwinns, with LOD then clearing the Godwinns from the ring after Owen & Smith quickly left ringside
Flash Funk pinned Brian Christopher at 3:42 with the 450 splash after crotching Christopher on the top rope when Christopher stalled too long after Jerry Lawler told Christopher to hit a piledriver instead of the Tennessee Jam; Sunny was the guest ring announcer for the bout
Ken Shamrock defeated the Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik) via submission at 3:16 with the ankle lock after hitting a belly to belly suplex on Sultan and Sheik
Jesse Jammes defeated Brian Pillman via disqualification at 1:47 after Goldust interfered and dropped an elbow on Jammes in order to get Pillman disqualified; after the bout, Pillman issued a challenge to Goldust for a match at Ground Zero; Goldust said no but Marlena accepted the match on his behalf after Pillman said that Goldust and Marlena’s daughter Dakota was his love child; Pillman wrestled the match in a gold dress (Best of Raw Vol. 7 97)
The Patriot pinned Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) at 4:55 with the full nelson slam; after the bout Vader attacked Patriot when he was distracted by Bret Hart on the entrance ramp and was about to hit the Vader Bomb, but Vader took exception to Bret laying the Canadian flag on top of Patriot; Vader then got down from the ropes, broke the flag pole in half and brawled with Bret; Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith then helped to attack Vader until Patriot made the save for Vader; after the bout, Michael Cole interviewed Bret in the locker room who said he would fight Vader anytime, any place
The Undertaker & Mankind defeated Shawn Michaels (w/ Rick Rude – who appeared midway through the bout) & Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) via disqualification at 12:18 after Michaels hit Taker twice in the head with a steel chair, busting him open after Taker had stalked Rude into the ring when he turned around as Rude was going to hit him with a chair on the floor; Undertaker quickly sat up from the chairshots with the heels quickly leaving ringside (Best of Raw Vol. 7, DeGeneration X Shopzone exclusive DVD)
9/8/97; Cincinatti, OH; Cincinnati Gardens
9/8/97:
WWF World Champion Bret Hart fought Vader to a no contest in a No Holds Barred match at 11:10 when Davey Boy Smith, the Patriot, and Owen Hart interfered – with Steve Austin eventually chasing the Hart Foundation backstage with a chair
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (sub. for two unknowns they jumped before the bout) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Headbangers in a non-title match at 3:05 after Uncle Cletus came out of the crowd and hit one of the champions with a horseshue (Cletus’ debut)
Max Mini pinned Piratita Morgan at 2:41 with a la magistral cradle
WWF IC Championship Title Tournament Quarter Finals: Owen Hart (w/ Bret Hart & Davey Boy Smith) defeated Goldust via disqualification at 2:09 after suffering a number of low blows; after the match, Austin again chased the Hart Foundation from the ring
Triple H defeated Savio Vega (sub. for the injured British Bulldog who was attacked before the bout by Shawn Michaels & Triple H) and the Patriot in a three-way bout at 17:04 when he pinned Vega with a roll up as Shawn Michaels, who was doing commentary, prevented the Patriot from breaking the cover
9/9/97; Muncie, IN; Worthen Arena
9/15/97 – Jim Ross opened the show by saying Vince McMahon, who was absent from the commentary table, was “on assignment;” featured Ross & Jerry Lawler interviewing Steve Austin backstage from the commentary table, with Lawler saying Owen Hart had a big surprise for Austin later in the show; included a commercial for the In Your House Ground Zero home video; featured Lawler interviewing Steve Austin in the ring with WWF World Champion Bret Hart, Owen Hart, & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith coming out and Owen serving Austin with a restraining order stating Austin couldn’t be within 100 feet of Owen; moments later, as Lawler looked over the paper work, Austin dropped him with the Stunner; Jim Cornette then took over Lawler’s spot at the commentary table; included Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Shawn Michaels, with Michaels explaining his attack on Davey Boy Smith the previous week was because he wanted Smith’s WWF European title so he could be the only man to hold all four major titles in the WWF (World, IC, Tag, Euro); moments later, Michaels spoke about his upcoming Hell in a Cell match with the Undertaker, with Taker briefly appearing on the big screen behind a chain link fence and issuing a warning to Michaels; Michaels then said he made Taker bleed at Ground Zero and he would make him bleed at Badd Blood:
WWF IC Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Ken Shamrock pinned Farooq at 2:43 with a belly to belly suplex; during the contest, Shamrock began bleeding from the mouth following a spinebuster; after the match, Farooq dropped Shamrock with the Dominator and the remainder of the Nation joined in attacking Shamrock until the Legion of Doom made the save; moments later, it was announced Shamrock & LOD would face the Nation at In Your House Badd Blood
Taka Michinoku pinned El Pantera at 3:59 with the Michinoku Driver (El Pantera’s TV debut)
The Legion of Doom defeated Recon & Sniper (w/ the Interrogator & the Commandant) via disqualification at 3:44 when the Interrogator interfered and broke Road Warrior Hawk’s cover after Recon sustained the Doomsday Device; after the bout, Ken Shamrock attempted to make the save but the Nation came out and asissted the Truth Commission in beating down Shamrock and the LOD; moments later, referees and officials broke up the fight
Max Mini & Mr. Lucky defeated Piratita Morgan & El Torito at 6:55 when Mini pinned Morgan with a top rope headbutt; Sunny was the guest ring announcer for the bout
WWF IC Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Brian Pillman (w/ Marlena) defeated Dude Love via disqualification at 4:46 when Dustin Rhodes, who had been barred from the arena by Sgt. Slaughter, jumped out of the crowd and attacked Pillman until he was held back by referees and officials, with Pillman then escorting Marlena backstage; prior to the bout, Ross interviewed Marlena at ringside during which she said she missed her daughter and her family; Dude Love was preparing to hit the Sweet Shin Music when Rhodes interfered
The Patriot pinned Owen Hart at 10:37 with a roll up after Steve Austin walked up on the ring apron and tore up the restraining order Owen served him earlier in the show; during the bout, it was announced the Patriot would team with Vader to face WWF World Champion Bret Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith in a flag match at In Your House Badd Blood; after the match, Owen grabbed the mic and ordered several policemen to arrest Austin but Austin casually left through the crowd; after the commercial break, the policemen were shown looking for Austin backstage
WWF Tag Team Champions the Headbangers defeated WWF World Champion Bret Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith via disqualification at 12:45 when Smith used an American flag from a fan at ringside as a weapon; Smith had scored the pin earlier in the bout over Mosh with the running powerslam, however the decision was later overturned since Mosh was the illegal man; after the match, Vader and the Patriot made the save for the tag team champions
9/22/97; New York City, NY; Madison Square Garden
9/22/97 – featured an opening segment showcasing many of the historic MSG moments with clips of Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Bruno Sammartino, Gorilla Monsoon, Jimmy Snuka, Superstar Billy Graham, Andre the Giant, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth; NY Athletic Commission Chairman Floyd Patterson was in attendance for the show; included the showing of still photos from the Shawn Michaels / Davey Boy Smith European title match at One Night Only; featured Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with the Undertaker regarding his upcoming Hell in a Cell match against Shawn Michaels, during which it was announced the winner would face the WWF World Champion at the Survivor Series; moments later, Michaels came out on the stage to interrupt, with his newly won European title, complained about the WWF stacking the deck against him and said he doesn’t lay down for anyone; included a commercial for the One Night Only home video; featured a clip from the Jimmy Snuka / Don Muraco steel cage match at MSG from October 1983; included a tribute to the passing of Dick “Bulldog” Brower; featured a clip of the Andre / Big John Studd bodyslam challenge at WrestleMania; included an in-ring promo by Michaels until the Undertaker came out, with Triple H jumping Taker from behind and allowing Michaels to assault Taker with a steel chair; moments later, Rick Rude came out and joined in attacking Taker but Taker eventually grabbed the steel chair away and scared Michaels and Triple H from ringside:
WWF IC Championship Tournament Quarter-Finals: Ahmed Johnson pinned Rocky Maivia at 4:58 with the Pearl River Plunge; Farooq, D-Lo Brown, & Kama escorted Rocky to the ring but were ordered backstage by Sgt. Slaughter before the match began; prior to Ahmed’s introduction, it was announced Ken Shamrock was injured and would be replaced in the tournament by Farooq; during the match, Capt. Lou Albano briefly appeared at ringside; Ahmed appeared to injure his hand during the contest (Ahmed’s TV return match after a several month absence)
The Legion of Doom defeated Farooq & Kama via disqualification at 2:32 when Rocky Maivia and D-Lo Brown interfered as the LOD attempted to hit the Doomsday Device on Farooq; Sunny was the guest ring announcer for the bout; prior to the match, footage was shown of the LOD and Steve Doocey giving the weather report earlier in the day on Fox News; after the bout, Ahmed Johnson attempted to make the save for the LOD but was beaten down as well until officials and referees intervened
WWF IC Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Owen Hart defeated Brian Pillman (w/ Marlena) via disqualification at 7:12 when Goldust interfered, punched Owen in the face, and then went after Pillman until he was held back by referees, with Pillman then escorting Marlena backstage; prior to the match, Pillman came out with his arm in a sling and said he broke his arm while he was making Marlena squeal like a pig; moments later, Sgt. Slaughter came out and – after proving the injury was a fake – threatened Owen and Pillman with never again wrestling in the WWF unless they had their scheduled match; moments later, the commentary team announced that Marlena and Goldust would renew their wedding vows during the Oct. 6 Raw from Kansas city; after the bout, Owen cut an in-ring promo dedicating his win to his brother Bret, with Steve Austin then coming out and attacking Hart until he was held back by police; moments later, Vince McMahon left the broadcast booth and grabbed the mic to calm Austin down and prevent him from going to jail; Austin told McMahon he appreciated that and then dropped McMahon with the Stunner, with Austin then being placed in handcufs as officials and referees checked on McMahon
Cactus Jack (sub. for Dude Love) pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) in a streetfight at 13:40 following a piledriver through a wooden table; before the match, Jerry Lawler spoke with Rhonda Shear, of USA Up All Night, who sat ringside for the show; prior to the contest, Dude Love appeared on the Titantron, saying that streetfights just weren’t his thing; after inviting out Mankind as a possible substitute, Mankind said that he had an idea for the perfect replacement – Cactus Jack (Cactus’ surprise debut) (Mick Foley: Greatest Hits & Misses, Falls Count Anywhere: The Greatest Street Fights and other Out of Control Matches)
WWF World Champion Bret Hart defeated Goldust via submission with the Sharpshooter at 12:50 in a non-title match after grabbing Goldust’s foot as Goldust held it in the air to block a top rope elbow; prior to the bout, Hart cut an in-ring promo regarding facing either the Undertaker or Shawn Michaels at the Survivor Series; after the bout, Shawn Michaels – who appeared mid-way through the bout – and Triple H attacked Bret, with Davey Boy Smith, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart and Rick Rude then coming out and joining in the bawl; moments later, the Undertaker appeared, helped clear the ring, and then hit a double chokeslam on Hart and Michaels to end the show (Neidhart’s return after a 2-month absence)
9/23/97; Albany, NY; Pepsi Arena
9/29/97 – featured Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview to open the show with WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Rick Rude, & Chyna regarding Michaels’ upcoming Hell in the Cell match against the Undertaker at In Your House Badd Blood; after Triple H told McMahon he was better than all the “superstars” Vince had been pushing in recent years, Sgt. Slaughter came out and said Triple H would be facing the Undertaker later in the show; moments later, WWF World Champion Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, and Owen Hart came out, with Bret saying Michaels and Triple H fired the first shot (by stealing the European title from Smith) and they would begin to pay for their crimes that night; included video and still shots from the Michaels / Smith European title match at One Night Only as well as the post-match altercation with Diana Hart Smith, Owen and Bret Hart; featured a commercial for the One Night Only home video; included an in-depth look at the college football career of Ron “Farooq” Simmons; featured a segment of Brian Pillman’s XXX Files in which he was shown in bed with Marlena, during which Pillman said he would not wrestle Dude Love at Badd Blood unless Dustin Rhodes was handcuffed to the ringpost so he couldn’t interfere (Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon); included an in-ring segment in which Steve Austin and Vince McMahon confronted each other about the previous week’s altercation where Austin dropped McMahon with the Stunner; Vince said Austin had three options – to either show up next week with medical clearance to wrestle, to sign a document saying the WWF would not be liable for him stepping back into the ring, or Vince could fire him; Austin then said if Vince fired him next week then he would beat his ass on nation-wide TV; featured Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Owen Hart, wearing an “Owen 3:16” t-shirt and accompanied by a riot squad, in which he hoped Vince would make the right decision and get rid of Steve Austin; following the interview, one of the riot guards took off his helmet to reveal himself as Austin, slid in the ring, dropped Hart with the Stunner, and then escaped through the crowd; included footage of the Hell in a Cell structure being built:
Vader defeated Davey Boy Smith via disqualification at around the 8:30 mark when WWF World Champion Bret Hart, Owen Hart, and Jim Neidhart interfered and attacked Vader after Smith sustained the Vader Bomb; after the bout, the Hart Foundation assaulted Vader with a Canadian flag pole and Bret locked him in the ringpost figure-4; moments later, the Patriot attempted to make the save but was beaten down as well and also locked in Bret’s ringpost figure-4; before leaving the ring, the Hart Foundation layed Canadian flags across the bodies of Vader and the Patriot
WWF IC Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Farooq (w/ Kama, D-Lo Brown, & Rocky Maivia) defeated Ahmed Johnson (w/ Ken Shamrock & the Legion of Doom) via disqualification at 2:28 when Ahmed twice hit Farooq with the steel ring steps on the floor before punching referee Mike Chioda; Ahmed wore a heavily wrapped bandage around his right hand after it was sliced open by an exposed nail during his match with Rocky Maivia at Madison Square Garden; after the bout, Shamrock & the LOD cleared the ring of the Nation
Goldust pinned the Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik) with the bulldog at 5:39; during the bout, Dude Love – who did guest commentary for the match – said that if he won his match against Brian Pillman at Badd Blood then Pillman would face Goldust in a No DQ match immediately thereafter
Jose Estrada & Jesus Castillo defated WWF Tag Team Champions the Headbangers via disqualification at around the 10-minute mark when the Godwinns and Uncle Cletus interfered and attacked the challengers to prevent the champions from losing their titles; prior to the match, it was announced Steve Austin would be at In Your House Badd Blood to present the IC title to the new champion and that the Godwinns would challenge the Headbangers for the titles at the pay-per-view; during the contest, it was announced Lou Thesz and Jack Brisco would be in attendance for the St. Louis event; after the bout, Savio Vega and Miguel Perez came out to send the Godwinns to the floor
The Undertaker defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels & Chyna) via disqualification at 1:52 when Rick Rude came ringside and hit the Undertaker with the steel briefcase as Taker attempted the tombstone; prior to the contest, Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith attacked the Undertaker until the Patriot and Vader made the save; after the bout, the Undertaker broke free of a bodybag, stalked Michaels and Helmsley up the stage, and hit the tombstone on Helmsley onto the stage as Michaels climbed the Titantron to escape
10/6/97; Kansas City, MO; Kemper Arena
10/6/97 – This episode was scheduled to include a segment in which Dustin Rhodes and Marlena renewed their wedding vows but the segment was pulled immediately following the death of Brian Pillman; included an opening segment in which Vince McMahon announced that Brian Pillman was found dead the day before and then had the bell tolled 10 times as the WWF roster stood on the entrance stage; featured Michael Cole interviewing WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels, Triple H, & Chyna in which Michaels ended up cutting his own in-ring promo as Triple H and Chyna harassed Cole, with Michaels referring to himself as the man, the icon, the show stopper, and the main event; moments later, Michaels put over his win against the Undertaker the previous night and then went to show footage from the match; however, after a lengthy pause, handheld camera footage from the 5/19/96 MSG show was shown instead, with Michaels and Triple H then confronting McMahon outside the ring about that still being a sore subject; the two continued to bully McMahon during the commercial break, with Rick Rude eventually appearing as well, until WWF World Champion Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, and Davey Boy Smith came out, with Bret referring to both Michaels and Helmsley as degenerates and homos and that Michaels would never be the show stopper until he took the belt from him; Hart then challenged Triple H to a match later that night; moments later, Michaels said the Clique owned the wrestling business and that it would also own Hart; included a backstage promo by Jim Cornette in which he said guys like Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Cactus Jack weren’t getting enough attention from the fans while guys like the nWo were getting too much; he then ran down Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman and said the only reason they’re in the position they’re in is because of Eric Bischoff; featured footage of the long line of fans waiting to see Bad Blood the night before in St. Louis; included Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with Steve Austin in which he offered Austin a document to sign that said the WWF would not be held liable for Austin returning to the ring before he was medically cleared to do so; Austin said he would only agree to sign the paper if McMahon agreed to give him a match against WWF IC Champion Owen Hart; McMahon tried to shake on it but Austin refused and said he didn’t trust McMahon; moments later, Farooq and the Nation appeared on the big screen, with Farooq cutting a promo on Austin and said his ass belonged to him; Austin then said he would kick the ass of every Nation member as soon as his legal problems were cleared up and then kicked Jerry Lawler’s crown into the crowd; featured Vince McMahon conducting an interview via sattelite with Melanie Pillman in Walton, KY regarding her husband’s death in which she said Brian died from an apparant heart attack; moments later, she said Brian lived for the business and died for the business; a video then aired in tribute to Pillman:
The Headbangers defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Uncle Cletus) in a non-title lumberjack match at 4:18 when Mosh pinned Phinneas with a roll up after the Legion of Doom interfered with the Godwinns’ bucket, leading to a brief brawl involving all the lumberjacks as referee Tim White was knocked out; lumberjacks included: Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw, Skull, 8-Ball, Chainz, Flash Funk, the Legion of Doom, the Sultan, Billy Gunn, Jesse James, Sniper, Recon, Tank, the Interrogator, Savio Vega, Jesus Castillo, Jose Estrada, Miguel Perez, Farooq, D-Lo Brown, and Kama; during the bout, it was announced that Bret Hart would face Triple H later in the broadcast
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Miguel Perez with the TKO at 2:23 (the debut of the TKO; the debut of Mero’s boxing gimmick; Mero’s return after a 7-month absence)
Davey Boy Smith (w/ WWF World Champion Bret Hart, WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, & Jim Neidhart) pinned Rocky Maivia (w/ Farooq, D-Lo Brown, & Kama) with the running powerslam at 3:45; after the bout, both factions brawled inside the ring after Farooq began whipping the Hart Foundation with a leather strap; eventually Sgt. Slaughter, Pat Patterson, and several referees broke up the fight
WWF IC Champion Owen Hart pinned Road Warrior Hawk at 3:22 after Henry Godwinn, who came ringside early in the match with Phinneas Godwinn and Uncle Cletus, hit Hawk in the face with his horseshoe after the challenger dropped Hart with the flying clothesline; prior to the bout, Hart cut an in-ring promo saying he wasn’t scared of Steve Austin and that he hoped Austin would be allowed back in the ring; late in the bout, Road Warrior Animal came out to counter the interference from the Godwinns but was held out of the ring as Hart made the cover
Sniper & Recon fought Matt & Jeff Hardy to a no contest when Kane, alongside Paul Bearer, appeared before the introduction of the Truth Commission, dropped both Hardyz with a double chokeslam, threw Matt to the floor, and then threw Jeff to the floor – onto his brother – with a gorilla press slam; Paul Bearer then cut an in-ring promo introducing for the very first time Kane and then said each wrestler would be destroyed until Kane faces the Undertaker
Triple H (w/ Chyna) defeated WWF World Champion Bret Hart via count-out in a non-title match at around 10:30 after Bret sustained a superkick from Shawn Michaels outside the ring as Hart grabbed an interfering Chyna and looked like he was about to punch her; Michaels came ringside early on, and even stuffed Hart’s Canadian flag up his nose, with Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart coming out moments later to be in the champion’s corner
10/7/97; Topeka, KS; Landon Arena
10/13/97 – included an opening in-ring interview conducted of Vince McMahon of WWF World Champion Bret Hart, WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, and Jim Neidhart; during the segment, Vince said Davey Boy Smith was off celebrating an anniversary and birthday; before Bret was able to comment on what happened to him last week, WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, & Rick Rude appeared on the big screen and Shawn showed footage from last week of the Canadian flag stuffed up his nose; while watching a clip of the finish of the Bret / Triple H match, Triple H referred to Owen and Neidhart as the Mulkey twins; Bret responded by challenging both or either of the “degenerates” to face him then and there; Michaels said the last time he got in the ring with Bret he took his “stupid piece of tin” and at Survivor Series he would do the same; at the end of the interruption, Michaels referred to his group for the first time as Degeneration X and Bret responded that they wouldn’t make it to the pay-per-view; featured a pre clip of the Legion of Doom talking about their career and partnership with Paul Ellering; included a clip of the Flash Funk / Rockabilly match from Shotgun, the newly renamed Road Dogg coming out to ask Billy Gunn to be his new partner, and Gunn breaking his guitar over Honkytonk Man’s head; featured a clip of the LOD beating the Nasty Boys for the WWF Tag Team Titles at Summer Slam 91, along with comments from the LOD about their fans; included an in-ring segment in which Steve Austin signed a contract reinstating himself into the WWF November 9 at the Survivor Series and a title shot against WWF IC Champion Owen Hart; when McMahon questioned him about his actions at Badd Blood, Farooq and the Nation appeared on the stage and cut a promo on Austin; Austin then challenged any of the four to take him on, with Rocky Maivia then running in the ring and sustaining the Stunner before Austin escaped through the crowd; featured the LOD talking about their entrance at Summer Slam 92; included the LOD talking about their look and names; featured the commentary team interviewing the LOD backstage about their possible retirement; included a Jim Cornette promo in which he targetted NY Post columnist Phil Mushnick for his recent comments about Brian Pillman’s death and told Mushnick to go to hell and try to reform things down there:
WWF IC Champion Owen Hart (w/ WWF World Champion Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart) fought Kama (w/ Farooq, Rocky Maivia, & D-Lo Brown) to a no contest at 4:46 when the Nation attacked the Hart Foundation on the floor after Bret became distracted by WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels at ringside; prior to the bell, Michaels and Triple H, accompanied by Rick Rude and Chyna, came out to do guest commentary for the contest, taking the headphones from McMahon and Jim Ross; after Jerry Lawler tried to kiss up to DX but was told to shut up, Rick Rude put on Lawler’s headset; late in the bout, Michaels said Stu Hart was dead but his brain and body didn’t know yet
Max Mini & Nova defeated Mosaic & Tarantula at 2:27 when Max pinned Mosaic with a sunset flip
Flash Funk fought WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels to a no contest when Kane, accompanied by Paul Bearer, came out before the champion’s entrance, and dropped Flash with a chokeslam and the tombstone; moments later, Bearer cut a promo on the Undertaker saying Kane would go through everyone in the WWF until he meets Taker in the ring; after Kane and Bearer left ringside, DX came out, Michaels covered Flash, Triple H counted him down for 3, Chyna rang the timekeeper’s bell, and Rude announced Michaels as the winner
Skull & 8-Ball (w/ Crush & Chainz) defeated Recon & Sniper (w/ the Jackyl & the Interrogator) via disqualification at 3:44 when the Jackyl pulled down the top rope, causing 8-Ball to fall to the floor; after the contest, both factions brawled on the floor until they were broken up by referees
Brian Christopher pinned Tajiri with a roll over and grabbing the tights for leverage at 5:23; prior to the bout, Vince McMahon referred to Phil Mushnick as a “miserable son of a bitch”
Goldust (w/ Marlena) pinned Savio Vega at 4:18 after hitting him with Marlena’s loaded purse behind the referee’s back; Los Boricuas were in Savio’s corner early on but were sent backstage after the referee caught them trying to interfere; they returned to the ring after the match
Ahmed Johnson (sub. for the Patriot) fought Triple H (w/ Shawn Michaels & Chyna) to a no contest when the Nation attacked Ahmed from behind before he got in the ring and targetted Ahmed’s injured hand; the Patriot was Triple H’s original opponent but was taken out of action when Rick Rude came up behind him on the stage and threw hot coffee in his face; as DX was in the ring celebrating the apparent victory, Sgt. Slaughter came out and said Triple H would wrestle a volunteer; after the Nation’s attack, Ken Shamrock and the Legion of Doom came out to make the save, with Road Warrior Animal then calling out the Godwinns for their scheduled title match
The Legion of Doom defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Uncle Cletus) to win the titles at 8:50 when Road Warrior Hawk pinned Phinneas with the flying clothesline, as Phinneas attempted to piledrive Road Warrior Animal; moments prior to the finish, Cletus accidentally hit Henry with the horseshoe; pre-match stipulations stated that if LOD did not win the titles, they would have to retire; after the bout, the Godwinns bloodied Uncle Cletus for costing them the titles (The Life & Death of the Road Warriors)
10/20/97; Oklahoma City, OK; Myriad Convention Center
10/20/97 – featured a segment in which Jeff Jarrett walked to the ring without introduction and cut a promo in the ring, explaining he was buried the previous week on WCW Monday Nitro because he refused to renew his contract and Eric Bischoff never gave him a chance because he wasn’t one of Eric’s “boys;” he said he was booked in WCW to work with an ex-football player that couldn’t lock up and his wife who gave new meaning to the term dumb blonde; he then turned to Vince McMahon at the commentary table and said he left the WWF in 1995 for the same reasons – he was working with a clown, a drug addict, and a black man who couldn’t speak english; Jarrett accused Vince of trying to bury him since he wasn’t able to put his dad out of business in the 1980s but said Vince now needed him to put butts in the seats and his new contract was for considerably more money than it was before; he then said “You can take ‘With My Baby Tonight’ and stick it up your butt” to Vince; Jarrett then cut promos on WWF World Champion Bret Hart, saying he was the best there “was,” Shawn Michaels, saying Michaels was broken down and could only wrestle once a week, and Steve Austin, saying he says “ass” to get a reaction, Austin would always be the Ringmaster, and he was personally offended by Austin ripping off the Bible to put money in his pocket; included a pre backstage promo by the Undertaker regarding his brother Kane and Paul Bearer, saying he would never fight Kane; featured an ad promoting WWF World Champion Bret Hart on MAD TV Nov. 1; included Jim Cornette’s pre promo in which he read various responses fans sent to Phil Mushnick following Cornette’s rant on Mushnick the previous week, with Cornette then telling the fans to let their voices be heard and not to put up with others looking down on them for being wrestling fans; moments later, McMahon posted the TV Guide mailing address on the screen and urged fans to send more letters to Mushnick:
Rocky Maivia & Kama (w/ Farooq & D-Lo Brown) defeated Ken Shamrock & Ahmed Johnson (w/ WWF Tag Team Champions the Legion of Doom) at 6:44 when Rocky pinned Shamrock after Rick Rude, who came ringside midway through the match, handed Farooq his metal briefcase, with Farooq then hitting Shamrock with it; during the bout, DX was shown at the top of the stage holding up various signs that read “I’d rather be in Chyna” and “Spank me Vince;” during the match, it was announced Shamrock would face WWF World Champion Bret Hart the following week in a title match; after the bout, Ahmed ran up the stage and battled with all the Nation backstage; moments later, as the LOD walked up the stage, they were attacked from behind by Henry & Phinneas Godwinn with trash cans
WWF World Champion Bret Hart (w/ Davey Boy Smith, WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, & Jim Neidhart) pinned Farooq (w/ D-Lo Brown, Rocky Maivia, & Kama) in a non-title match at around the 8-minute mark when Steve Austin came out of the crowd as both factions were brawling on the floor, dropped Farooq with the Stunner, and then left through the crowd; early in the contest, DX came ringside, with WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels doing guest commentary until Bret scared him backstage; the match was scheduled for later in the broadcast but Farooq came out and demanded Bret face him then and there after Michael Cole showed backstage footage of the Nation’s locker room, which was trashed and spraypainted to imply the Hart Foundation was responsible; moments prior to the bout, Vince McMahon announced a former WCW champion would be in the ring later in the night
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Brian Christopher at 4:13 with a low blow, as the referee was distracted by Jerry Lawler on the ring apron, and the TKO; prior to the bout, Christopher was escorted to the ring by Lawler, who did commentary for the match until the finish; during the match, Lawler put a Steve Austin hat on Sable’s head but Mero angrily took it off and threw it in the crowd
WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels fought WWF IC Champion Owen Hart to a no contest in a title vs. title match at around 9:35 after Steve Austin interfered and dropped the referee with the Stunner, with Bret Hart then coming out and attacking Michels after Owen sustained the superkick; moments later, DX came out and pulled Michaels out of the ring as the Hart Foundation, officials, and referees swarmed the ring; prior to the bout, Owen cut an in-ring promo saying he didn’t want the Hart Foundation or DX at ringside
Dude Love fought Davey Boy Smith to a no contest when Kane, accompanied by Paul Bearer, came out before Smith’s entrance; moments later, Dude clotheslined Kane to the floor and hit him over the head with a steel chair but Kane retaliated with two chokeslams onto the steel ramp
Billy Gunn & the Road Dogg defeated the Headbangers at 4:06 when Road Dogg pinned Thrasher after Gunn smashed the Headbangers’ boom box over his opponent’s head, cutting him open; during the bout, the crowd chanted “road kill” towards Road Dogg; after the bout, Road Dogg confronted the commentary team, called them all freaks, and said maybe now he’ll get a chance (the debut of the Gunn & Road Dogg tag team)
Taka Michinoku pinned Tajiri Yoshihiro with the Michinoku Driver at 2:55; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Taka signing a longterm WWF contract the previous Thursday
Henry & Phinneas Godwinn fought Skull & 8-Ball (w/ Crush & Chainz) to a no contest when all four DOA attacked the Godwinns before the bell rang, with the four members of the Truth Commission coming out and assisting the Godwinns in attacking the DOA; moments later, Mankind was shown in the boiler room and cut a promo to close the show saying if the Undertaker didn’t want to face Kane then he would have no problems fighting Kane anywhere or anytime
10/21/97; Tulsa, OK; Convention Center
10/27/97 – included Jim Cornette going off on WCW for using the Roddy Piper / Hulk Hogan steel cage match as the main event of the previous night’s Halloween Havoc, with Cornette later praising Ric Flair, the Undertaker, and Steve Austin as the real icons of wrestling for their professionalism inside the ring and maturity outside of it:
Triple H (w/ Shawn Michaels & Chyna) pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) at 5:35 with the Pedigree after Chyna interfered and hit Goldust with Marlena’s loaded purse
Ahmed Johnson defeated WWF IC Champion Owen Hart via disqualification at 6:17 when Steve Austin interfered and hit the Stunner on the challenger in order to save Owen’s title
WWF World Champion Bret Hart fought Ken Shamrock to a no contest at 12:15 when Shawn Michaels interfered after the referee had been knocked out; after the match, Shamrock took down Michaels
Billy Gunn & Jesse Jammes defeated Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw at 2:05 when Jammes pinned Bradshaw after Gunn used a steel chair; after the match, the Godwinns and Headbangers began brawling in the ring
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Flash Funk at 3:45 with the TKO
WWF Tag Team Champions the Legion of Doom defeated Savio Vega & Miguel Perez Jr. at 2:49 when Road Warrior Hawk pinned Miguel, despite interference from Billy Gunn and Jesse Jammes
11/3/97; Hershey, PA; Hersheypark Arena
11/3/97 – featured Jim Ross & Jim Cornette on commentary for the 1st hour, with Ross, Vince McMahon, & Jerry Lawler on commentary for the 2nd hour; included an opening segment in which Vince McMahon interviewed Steve Austin regarding his upcoming IC title match with Owen Hart at the Survivor Series as well as his recent altercations with the Nation of Domination and Ahmed Johnson; moments later, Ahmed came out – with several referees trying to block him from the ring – and cut a promo on Austin costing him the IC title the previous week; the fans repeatedly chanted “Austin” during Ahmed’s promo and subsequent challenge to Austin to face him in the ring; moments later, Austin said he would be glad to face Ahmed; featured a pre segment in which Jim Ross interviewed Goldust & Marlena regarding the past several months; after Marlena talked about being happy to be home and back with her family and daughter, Goldust said he was tired of her crap, he found someone who understood him while Marlena was gone, and he then told her to take his ring and their marriage and shove it up her ass; included a lengthy segment detailing the feud between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels; featured Ahmed Johnson coming out for his match against Steve Austin, which the commentators said wasn’t scheduled until later in the show, with Kane and Paul Bearer appearing moments later; Kane then dropped Ahmed with a chokeslam and two tombstones until Mankind appeared, applied the Mandible Claw on Bearer, and hit Kane over the head with a pipe; Mankind then protected Ahmed on the floor with a steel chair as Kane sat up inside the ring; included Austin cutting an in-ring promo, saying what Ahmed got was nothing compared to what he would have done to him, and then made an open challenge for anyone to come out and take Ahmed’s place in a fight, with Farooq, Rocky Maivia, Kama, and D-Lo Brown then coming out; just as the Nation went to get in the ring, the Legion of Doom attacked them from behind, allowing Austin to drop Kama with the Stunner and then leave ringside as the brawl continued; featured Michael Cole conducting an in-ring interview with Degeneration-X; as Cole attempted to ask a question, Michaels kissed Triple H on the lips and then did the same to Chyna; moments later, Triple H shoved Cole to the mat, with Cole then leaving the ring; Michaels then played air guitar on his belt, like Hollywood Hogan, as Triple H referenced the recent “Age in the Cage” Halloween Havoc main event; Michaels then said he would come out next week naked and face Ken Shamrock; after Sgt. Slaughter came out, Michaels and Triple H put on helmets with wipers to counter the implied spit from Slaughter talking; Slaughter then said Michaels would face Shamrock but it wouldn’t be next week, it would be later tonight:
WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarter Finals: Aguila pined Super Loco with a twisting splash off the top at 5:12; Sunny was the guest ring announcer for the bout and Brian Christopher did guest commentary for the match
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Savio Vega with the TKO after a low blow behind the referee’s back at 2:33; prior to the bout, Mero shoved a cameraman out of the way backstage and barged into Sable’s dressing room to grab her as she was topless; moments later, a pre promo from Vega was shown in which he said he would get revenge on Mero for what he did to Miguel Perez; after the match, Michael Cole attempted to interview Sable at ringside but Mero interrupted and said if he wanted to interview a superstar he could interview Mero; moments later, Jim Ross said Goldust had sustained a broken hand and plugged the WWF Hotline to find out how that happened
Vader defeated Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Neidhart, Doug Furnas, & Phil LaFon) in a No DQ dog collar match at 3:34, despite interference from the other members of Team Canada; prior to the bout, it was announced Vader would lead Team USA members Marc Mero and Goldust at the Survivor Series and that the Patriot, who was suffering from a torn tricep, would be replaced in the match; during the match, Michael Cole interviewed LaFon & Furnas at ringside as to why they were returning as part of Team Canada at the Survivor Series, with Furnas saying the team received support from around the world following their car wreck months earlier but no support from the fans in America; immediately after the match, a fan came into the ring and dropped several members of Team Canada until he was covered and protected by Vader as referees attempted to break up the fight; moments later, two policemen escorted the man from the ring (the surprise debut of Steve Blackman)
Billy Gunn & the Road Dogg defeated Jose Estrada Jr. & Jesus Castillo when Road Dogg pinned Estrada at 5:22 following a flying fistdrop from Gunn behind the referee’s back as Estrada covered Road Dogg after lifting Road Dogg up for a powerbomb and then dropping him face first onto the top turnbuckle
Ken Shamrock defeated WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Chyna & Triple H) via disqualification at around the 11-minute mark when Triple H and Rick Rude, who came ringside mid-way through the match, interfered after Shamrock reversed a superkick attempt into the ankle lock; after the match, Triple H dropped Shamrock with the Pedigree onto Rude’s metal briefcase to end the show
11/10/97; Ottawa, Ontario; Corel Centre
11/10/97 – included Jim Ross & Jim Cornette on commentary; featured the debut of the DX entrance music and video during an opening segment in which Rick Rude came to the ring and introduced Shawn Michaels as the new WWF World Champion, as the crowd chanted “Bullshit” and “We want Bret’;” as Michaels, Triple H, & Chyna came out to the ring, JR said Bret Hart had left the WWF; Michaels then played up the chants and said he beat Bret in his home country with his own hold and “ran him down South with the rest of those dinosaurs;” Michaels then said no one has the will – including Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Bret Hart – to be as good as him; moments later, Michaels said he would never beat up a 52-year-old man (alluding to Bret knocking Vince McMahon down backstage following the main event at Survivor Series); after Michaels said he was a fighting champion, Ken Shamrock came out, insulted Chyna’s appearance, challenged Michaels then and there, and said Rude could only attack people from behind because he was an old man; after Michaels said Chyna could take Shamrock out at any time, Rude could do the same, and Triple H could take him on at any time, Sgt. Slaughter came out, said Triple H would face Shamrock later on and that Michaels would defend the title against Shamrock in the very near future; Slaughter then said the remainder of DX would be banned from ringside during the Shamrock / Triple H match later in the night:
Ahmed Johnson defeated Marc Mero (w/ Sable) via disqualification at 2:27 after a low blow
WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarter Finals: Taka Michinoku pinned Devon Storm at 5:00 with the Michinoku Driver; after the match, Brian Christopher attacked Michinoku after doing guest commentary for the match
The Headbangers defeated Recon & Sniper (w/ the Jackyl & Interrogator) at 4:48 after Thrasher powerbombed Mosh onto Recon
The Road Dogg & Billy Gunn defeated Bradshaw in a handicap Bunkhouse match at 1:41 when both men made the pin after Gunn blocked a top rope move and hit a DDT off the top onto a chair
The Undertaker fought Kama to a no contest at 2:19 when Paul Bearer and Kane appeared on the ramp after Taker dumped Kama to the floor, with Bearer saying that whoever Kane destroys would be the Undertaker’s fault
Ken Shamrock fought Hunter Hearst Helmsley to a no contest at 9:54 when the show went off the air during the match after Shawn Michaels interfered on behalf of Helmsley; moments thereafter, Shamrock rolled up Shawn Michaels – who was in the ring – with a cradle and Commissioner Slaughter counted the pinfall
11/11/97; Cornwall, Ontario; Civic Complex
11/17/97 – included an opening segment in which Steve Austin fought off the Nation but had his IC title belt stolen by Rocky Maivia; this episode is memorable for televising taped footage of Rick Rude at the same time he appeared live on WCW Monday Nitro, after leaving the WWF for WCW earlier in the week; Butterbean was in attendance for the show; featured the infamous ‘Bret Screwed Bret’ interview segment between Jim Ross and vince McMahon regarding the Montreal Incident; included Commissioner Slaughter being beaten up by DX following his interference in the Ken Shamrock / Triple H match the previous week (as a result of the beating, Slaughter later ordered Triple H to face him at In Your House “DX”); included Marc Mero calling out Butterbean late in the show, with Butterbean knocking Mero down with a right hand:
Jerry Lawler defeated Marc Mero (w/ Sable) via disqualification when Sable broke the pin attempt after Mero became distracted by Brian Christopher and sustained Lawler’s piledriver; early in the bout, Mero yelled at Butterbean, who sat ringside, after catching Sable talk to him; Christopher came out mid-match to do guest commentary; after the match, Mero hit the TKO on Lawler
Billy Gunn & the Road Dogg fought Savio Vega & Miguel Perez to a no contest at around the 44-second mark when Jesus Castillo and Jose Estrada Jr. came out, with the New Age Outlaws escaping ringside; the Outlaws came to the ring wearing the Boricuas’ ring attire after vandalizing their dressing room earlier
Max Mini, Nova, & Taurus fought El Torito, Battalion, & Tarantula to a no contest at 2:48 when Kane and Paul Bearer came to the ring, with Kane scaring off the participants as well as guest ring announcer Sunny; after the bout, the Headbangers attacked Kane with a tool box but he fought them off and hit a tombstone on each man
WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarter Finals: Scott Taylor pinned Eric Shelley at 5:27 with a DDT
Vader fought Goldust to a no contest when Goldust hit Vader with a foreign object before the bout began
Dude Love defeated Rocky Maivia via disqualification at 4:22 when the Nation broke Dude’s pin attempt after hitting the Sweet Shin Music (For All Mankind: The Life and Career of Mick Foley)
11/24/97; Fayetteville, NC; Cumberland County Center
11/24/97 – featured the Bret Hart midget incident, the Austin / Rock 316 beeper segment, as well as the return of Luna Vachon:
Billy Gunn & the Road Dogg defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Legion of Doom to win the titles at 9:23 when Gunn pinned Road Warrior Animal with a victory roll after Road Dogg hit Animal in the back with a steel chair, preventing the Doomsday Device; immediately after the win, the new champions ran backstage and drove off
WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarter Finals: Brian Christopher (w/ Jerry Lawler) pinned Flash Flanagan at 3:30 with the legdrop off the top
Ken Shamrock defeated Savio Vega via submission with the ankle lock at 5:20, despite interference by Miguel Perez
Crush defeated Jeff Jarrett via forfeit when Jarrett refused to come ringside to wrestle; moments thereafter, Kane came to the ring and the DOA held Crush back from getting involved in a brawl; Kane eventually hit a chokeslam on Gerald Brisco
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Triple H, Jim Neidhart, & Chyna) pinned Vader at 3:00 in a non-title match following two superkicks after Triple H threw hot coffee in Vader’s good eye; Vader wrestled the bout with one eye up, the result of having alcohol thrown in his face by Luna Vachon earlier in the show; prior to the bout, Jim Neidhart was introduced as the newest member of DX only to be attacked immediately after the match
11/25/97; Roanoke, VA; Civic Center
12/1/97:
WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi Finals: Taka Michinoku pinned Aguila with the Michinoku Driver after a missile dropkick; Sunny was the guest ring announcer for the bout
Chainz (w/ Skull & 8-Ball), defeated Recon (w/ Sniper, the Jackyl, & the Interrogator), D-Lo Brown (w/ Farooq, Kama, & Rocky Maivia), and Miguel Perez (w/ Savio Vega, Jesus Castillo, & Jose Estrada) via disqualification in an elimination match; Chainz pinned Recon with a DVD; Miguel pinned D-Lo with an inside cradle; Savio Vega interfered and prevented a pinfall after Miguel sustained a DVD; after the match, all the men at ringside, save the Jackyl who joined the commentary team, entered into a brawl
Rocky Maivia (w/ the Nation) defeated Vader via count-out when Vader left ringside to chase an interfering TAFKA Goldust; during the bout, Steve Austin drove his pickup truck to ringside to watch the contest, with AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” playing in the truck; after the bout, Rocky challenged Austin to fight him but Austin decided to wait until IYH: Degeneration-X to reclaim possession of the stolen IC title
WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi Finals: Brian Christopher defeated Scott Taylor via forfeit when Kane and Paul Bearer appeared before Christopher made his entrance and Kane hit a chokeslam and tombstone on Taylor
Ahmed Johnson fought Jeff Jarrett to a no contest when Jarrett refused to wrestle; moments thereafter, Sgt. Slaughter came ringside and said that Jarrett would be wrestling the Undertaker at IYH: Degeneration-X
WWF Tag Team Champions the Road Dogg & Billy Gunn defeated the Headbangers via disqualification in a non-title match when the Legion of Doom interfered; after the bout, the Headbangers argued with the LOD for costing them the match when they were in full control of the contest
Triple H (w/ Chyna) pinned Jim Neidhart by hitting him with a steel chair after Shawn Michaels came ringside and distracted the referee; after the bout, Neidhart sustained a Pedigree onto the chair before having “WCW” spray painted on his back; Neidhart attempted to fight back but was handcuffed to the ring ropes and double teamed before Sgt. Slaughter and Ken Shamrock made the save – Shamrock locking HBK in the ankle lock, Slaughter putting Triple H in the Cobra Clutch, and Neidhart restraining Chyna from interfering
12/8/97; Portland, ME; Civic Center
12/8/97 – featured Owen Hart attacking Shawn Michaels in the ring after DX laid out the Headbangers for disrupting their game of strip poker in the ring:
The Legion of Doom fought Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ WWF Tag Team Champions the Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) to a no contest when Kane and Paul Bearer came to the ring, Kane hit a chokeslam and tombstone on Road Warrior Animal, and – after leaving ringside – the tag team champions continued the assault until Road Warrior Animal made the save with a steel chair
Dude Love pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Billy Gunn (w/ WWF Tag Team Champion the Road Dogg) with a double arm DDT; after the bout, the Road Dogg – who was doing guest commentary for the bout – entered the ring and hit Dude Love with a steel chair before placing one of the tag belts across Dude’s face so Gunn could hit a legdrop
Flash Funk defeated Kurrgan (w/ the Jackyl) via reverse decision (the first time the Interrogator was referred to as Kurrgan) when Kurrgan failed to release the claw hold after gaining the submission victory; after the bout, Recon and Sniper came ringside in an attempt to break the hold but the Jackyl – who did guest commentary for the bout – eventually had him break it after a slap to the face
Miguel Perez & Jose Estrada defeated Skull & 8-Ball when Skull was pinned after Savio Vega interfered and hit Skull in the knee with a 2×4; during the bout, Degeneration-X played a game of strip poker at ringside
Jeff Jarrett defeated Vader via count-out at the 40-second mark when Vader chased Goldust and Luna backstage after Goldust came ringside at the start of the match and flashed Vader
Salvatore Sincere defeated Marc Mero via count-out when Mero chased Sable backstage, trying to cover her up, after she took off a potato sack to show off a very revealing swimsuit underneath; prior to the bout, Mero referred to Sincere not only as a ‘jobber’ but as ‘Tom Brandi’
The Rock defeated WWF IC Champion Steve Austin via forfeit to win the title when Austin refused to give into Vince McMahon’s demands that he defend the belt; after willingly handing the belt to Rocky, Austin hit the Stunner on the new champion; moments thereafter, Austin said he had plans for the championship belt and that if McMahon wanted ratings he should tune in next week “same Stone Cold Time, same Stone Cold channel”; as the show came to a close, Austin ran the ropes, inadvertently knocking McMahon from the ring apron to the floor
12/9/97; Durham, NH
12/15/97 – included Steve Austin tossing the Intercontinental title belt, stolen from the Rock during the previous Raw, into a river as the Rock and the Nation watched on from inside the ring:
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku defeated Jerry Lawler via disqualification in a non-title match
Dude Love defeated WWF Tag Team Champion the Road Dogg; this was the first time tag champions were referred to as the the Road Dogg & Billy Gunn
Mark Henry defeated the Brooklyn Brawler
Tom Brandi pinned the Sultan
Steve Blackman defeated Jose Estrada Jr.
The Legion of Doom defeated WWF World & European Champion Shawn Michaels & Triple H (w/ Chyna) via disqualification at around 10:15 when Chyna interfered and hit a low blow on Road Warrior Animal as Animal was double teaming DX, while at the same time the Road Dogg & Billy Gunn had come ringside and were attacking Road Warrior Hawk on the floor, eventually knocking him out with chloroform; after the bout, the New Age Outlaws shaved one of Hawk’s two mohawks and moments later all four men, along with Chyna, assisted in powerbombing Animal off the apron through the announce table; inside the ring, Gunn hit a top rope legdrop on Hawk before Michaels hit the elbowdrop off the top; after DX and the Outlaws left the ring, the LOD were attended to by officials, among them Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson (The Monday Night War DVD)
12/11/97; Lowell, MA; Memorial Auditorium
12/22/97 – included Vader, dressed as Santa Claus, attacking TAFKA Goldust as Goldust and Luna cut a promo in the ring, with Goldust dressed as a Christmas tree:
Headbanger Thrasher (w Headbanger Mosh) defeated Henry Godwinn (w/ Phinneas Godwinn) via disqualification at 1:13 when Phinneas interfered; after the bout, the Godwinns whipped the Headbangers
The Undertaker fought WWF IC Champion the Rock (w/ the Nation) to a no contest at 10:15 when the lights went out, with Kane and Paul Bearer coming to the ring; after the bout, and a promo by Paul Bearer about how it’s the Undertaker’s fault that his parents have to spend Christmas with the worms and maggots, Taker attempted to attack Bearer but was attacked instead by Kane; since Taker refused to fight his brother, Kane easily dominated Taker
Marc Mero (w/ Sable) pinned Scott Taylor with the TKO at 2:16; prior to the bout, Mero had Sable come out in a reindeer costume; after the match, Tom Brandi attacked Mero and Sable disrobed to reveal a skimpy Santa costume underneath
Kurrgan (w/ the Jackal) pinned 8-Ball at 2:00; after the bout, Skull made the save against the Truth Commission
Ken Shamrock defeated D-Lo Brown via submission with the ankle lock at 2:22
Triple H pinned WWF World & European Champion Shawn Michaels to win the European title at 1:17 when Michaels laid down as the challenger ran the ropes and hit a faux splash for the pin; after the bout, Michaels pretended to cry over the loss; the match was to have occured at the start of the second hour of the broadcast but Owen Hart attacked Triple H in the aisle, with Sgt. Slaughter coming out to send Hart backstage; pre-match stipulations stated if Michaels didn’t wrestle Helmsley then Slaughter would strip him of the European belt; after the bout, Slaughter came to the ring and ordered that Triple H would face Owen the following week (D-Generation-X, The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary)
12/29/97; Long Island, NY; Nassau Coliseum
12/29/97:
Skull, 8-Ball, & Chainz defeated Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, & Jesus Castillo at 3:17 when Chainz scored the pin
Ken Shamrock defeated Kama (w/ Farooq & D-Lo Brown) via submission with the ankle lock at 3:36 following a miscommunication between D-Lo and Kama while Farooq distracted the referee; after the bout, the Rock came out and said that Shamrock wouldn’t be so lucky when he faces Farooq the next week; Farooq was not pleased about the announcement
Jerry Lawler & Brian Christopher defeated WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku & George Steele (mystery partner) via disqualification at 2:38 when Steele repeatedly hit both opponents with a foreign object before chasing the referee backstage
Cactus Jack defeated WWF Tag Team Champion the Road Dogg (w/ Billy Gunn) via disqualification at 2:12 when Gunn prevented the pinfall following a double-arm DDT; after the bout, Terry Funk made his return to the WWF by cutting his way out of a crate with a chainsaw and aiding Cactus against the Road Dogg & Billy Gunn
Owen Hart defeated WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Chyna) via disqualification at 10:14 when Triple H, who came ringside early in the bout on crutches, broke a crutch over the challenger’s head as Michaels was caught in the Sharpshooter; after the bout, Michaels and Triple H double teamed Hart using the crutch (D-Generation-X)