Monday Night RAW (November 4, 1996)

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Monday Night RAW

November 4, 1996

War Memorial Coliseum

Fort Wayne, Indiana

News & Notes: Bret Hart returned the night after Buried Alive. He admitted he entertained offers from WCW. But he signed a new contract with the WWF. (I’ll speak more about that contract later. It becomes an issue, but it’s a story for another time.) Bret also accepted Stone Cold Steve Austin’s challenge for Survivor Series. This pleased Brian Pillman. But Brian’s reaction pissed off Steve Austin. When Pillman kept singing Bret’s praises, Austin had enough. He lashed out at his former tag team partner. Steve attacked him on Superstars. He placed Pillman’s injured ankle in a chair and stomped on it. (This move would forever be known as Pillmanizing someone because of this segment. They did it because Brian’s ankle wasn’t healing properly. He needed more surgery.) The WWF then announced they would interview Brian on this edition of RAW. Austin promised to show up at Pillman’s house and finish the job.

In other news, the WWF hyped the debut of a new third generation Superstar. You may have heard of this guy. His actual name is Dwayne Johnson. He’s the son of Rocky Johnson and the grandson of Peter Maivia. Both were wrestlers. He created a ring name out of his dad and grandfather’s names. They called him Rocky Maivia. Jim Ross called him a blue chipper. Rocky was all smiles and so happy to be there. It’s a far cry from what The Rock becomes. The character evolves, but it’s rough going at first. They announced his debut for Survivor Series.

I also want to discuss other developments. Hunter Hearst Helmsley didn’t face Mr. Perfect as planned. Someone attacked Perfect backstage. Helmsley faced Mero instead for the Intercontinental title. However, Perfect turned on Marc and helped Helmsley win the belt. (It’s a swerve, bro! You can tell Vince Russo’s influence is growing. Also, the punishment phase is over for Triple H.) Mr. Perfect stealing Hunter’s valets was a smoke screen. He made Mero think he was on his side. It was the—perfect setup. The other development I want to mention is the change in start time for RAW. They moved an hour earlier to compete with WCW. Vince felt Nitro getting the jump on them hurt their ratings. He wanted to start this new era with a bang. Let’s see if that happened.

The show opens with a recap of last week’s RAW. They got remarks from both Stone Cold and Bret Hart. Bret was at home. Austin was in the studio. A producer cut off Austin, so he beat him up and trashed the set. The producer called the police on Austin. Meanwhile, Kevin Kelly will interview Brian Pillman at home tonight. But guess who is coming to dinner! (It’s Austin.) Also, Vince asks whether Shawn Michaels can trust Sycho Sid. Lawler believes he can’t. (He expresses this by making a sports analogy.) They will team together next week. But tonight they go face-to-face on Monday Night RAW! The opening ends with the classic RAW intro. Vince forgot his mic was on and you hear him cough. (They taped this episode. Why didn’t they edit that?)

Kevin Kelly is in suburban Cincinnati (Walton, KY). He stands outside Pillman’s house and talks about his upcoming interview with Pillman. Kevin says Brian is inside with his wife. They sent their kids to grandma’s house to keep them safe. (That means no Brian Pillman Jr. in this segment. I wanted to see if he had that mullet back then.) Kevin promises to ask Brian what he will do if Austin shows up. He also wants to ask about Brian’s recovery time.

Goldust (w/ Marlena, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Mr. Perfect, Crush, & Clarence Mason) vs. The Stalker (w/ Marc Mero, Sable, Rocky Maivia, & Mark Henry)

Notes: Both The Stalker and Goldust have their Survivor Series teams with them for this bout. (Lawler is part of Goldust’s team, but he’s on commentary. He leaves the booth later in the match.) Rocky Maivia is on The Stalker’s team. He hasn’t debuted yet, but he wears his gear to stand at ringside. I also want to point out Dok Hendrix interrupts this encounter. Steve Austin is on the phone and wants to speak with Vince. They show a split-screen with Dok while Austin makes his call. Austin blames Pillman for this. Brian worshiped Bret Hart, so Austin has a new verse for him. Austin 25:17 says, “I will strike down upon on your ass with great vengeance and furious anger.” (This is the lesser-known verse from the book of Austin. It never became a shirt.) He then says he has a six-pack of whoop ass for Pillman and his friends.

The Match: They meet in the aisle and brawl. Windham uses some takedowns. But Goldust answers with a flying clothesline. The Stalker returns fire with his own clotheslines and a powerslam. Then he uses a Figure Four, but Goldust breaks free. When Goldust tumbles out of the ring on a missed crossbody, The Stalker’s team rolls him back inside. (Lawler leaves the announce table to help his team retaliate.) Barry continues with a backdrop and a gut-wrench suplex. He tries a superplex next, but Goldust headbutts and kisses him. They go to commercial and return as both men fall out of the ring. This leads to a brawl between the Survivor Series teams. The ref calls for a double disqualification.

Thoughts: This was pointless. It was background noise for the Austin phone call. It was also a weak attempt to hype the Survivor Series match. They went through the motions. You could tell they knew their match wasn’t the focus. It was basic and had a disappointing finish.

Winner: Double DQ

The teams continue fighting. Mark Henry chases Lawler down the aisle. They cut to other people brawling. When we go back to Mark Henry, we see he removed his jacket and pants. (Why did he take off his pants to fight Lawler? Wait, I don’t want to know.) Then Rocky Maivia climbs the turnbuckles and lands a flying crossbody on Goldust and Crush. (He almost loses his balance.) The Stalker’s team clear the ring, so the heels regroup.

When they came back from commercial during the match, they showed a video of Stone Cold. He had words for Bret Hart. Austin accused Bret of fleeing the WWF after losing to Shawn Michaels. He ran away in shame. Austin says, “I ain’t no sexy boy. I don’t dance, son.” (That made me laugh.) He promises to take seven years of frustration out on Bret’s ass. When Austin wins, Bret can go home with peace of mind. He’ll know he lost to a real man. (This was a great video. They stylized it in black and white. It included scenes of Austin walking through an abandoned building. They also had angry dogs barking at the camera. The WWF is getting better with these hype packages.)

Vince says Austin is circling Pillman’s neighborhood. Kevin is ready to interview Brian. But Dok Hendrix has a Survivor Series update first. He speaks about the Undertaker/Mankind match. At Survivor Series, they will lock Paul Bearer in a small cage and raise it above the ring. Dok caught up with Mankind, Paul Bearer, and The Executioner on the Big Bang Boom Tour! (What a name! Who came up with that?) Mankind says Taker angered him with his vicious lies. He says Taker will wish he stayed buried alive. When Mankind says this, Taker’s gong sounds. The lights flicker and we hear Taker’s voice. He says the rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. He then lowers a covered cage beside the ring. The Executioner pulls off the cover to reveal an effigy of Paul Bearer. It hangs upside down. Dok believes Taker has something waiting for Mankind at Survivor Series.

Then they go to Pillman’s house. Kevin asks Brian about his prognosis after reconstructive surgery on his ankle. He says he’s alive and well. There’s a good prognosis for ’97. But he wants to talk about Austin. Stone Cold crossed the line and made it personal. Kelly warns him Austin is on the way. Vince says he’s circling the neighborhood. Vince calls Pillman vulnerable. But Brian thinks Austin is the vulnerable one. They were best friends. Pillman knows him better than anyone. Pillman then gets a crazy look in his eyes. He pulls out a gun and says, “Steve is a dead man walking. When Austin 3:16 meets Pillman 9 millimeter Glock, I’m gonna blow his sorry ass straight to hell!” Kevin freaks out as they go to commercial.

They return from commercial with something completely different. It’s Milton Bradley’s Karate Fighters! (They’re an updated version of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.) Jerry Lawler and Todd Pettengill host the holiday tournament. WWF Superstars face each other in Karate Fighters. This week’s match is Sycho Sid vs. Marlena. Sid has the size, but Marlena has the directing ability. Marlena sweet talks her fighter. She promises to make him the biggest star in town. However, Sid wins the contest. Marlena tells her fighter he will never work in this town again. She also wants a re-shoot. Sid says nothing, but he grins like a goof. Lawler says Sid is fit to be the bellboy at the Bates Motel. Then Todd informs us next week Dok Hendrix faces Sable. (This is silly product placement. They did these tournaments every year for a while. Karate Fighters sponsors the Survivor Series.)

Back at Pillman’s house, Austin fights with Pillman’s friends. (By friends, I mean indie wrestlers they paid to take a beating.) Austin tries drowning one in a kiddie pool. (Why is there a filled pool in the yard in November?) He then rams him into the garage door. (He dented it. Pillman never fixed the thing.) Next, Austin closes a car door on another guy’s head and throws a toy wagon. Austin warns them to never mess with him again. Then Stone Cold walks around the house and tries opening the front door. Vince calls this a publicity stunt. (That’s rich coming from Vince. Also, I want to point out Austin wore Pillman’s ECW t-shirt. That’s a nice touch.)

The Sultan (w/ Bob Backlund & The Iron Sheik) vs. Alex the Pug Porteau

Notes: The Sultan is the former Fatu in a new gimmick. They put him under a mask to hide his identity. Since he doesn’t speak, they gave a storyline reason for it. The idea is he had his tongue removed. He looks unrecognizable with the mask and shaved head. They also gave The Sultan Bob Backlund as a hype-man and The Iron Sheik as his trainer. The Sultan even wears The Sheik’s old hooked boots. It’s a strange gimmick and presentation. I’m unsure what they were going for. His opponent is Alex Porteau. He’s a journeyman wrestler. He worked in WCCW, Puerto Rico, and Japan. He’s one of many named jobbers the WWF added to enhance the bigger stars. These named guys occasionally get wins on the weekend programs. He joins the ranks of Freddie Joe Floyd (Tracy Smothers) and The Goon (Wild Bill Irwin). On a side note, Vince and Lawler are distracted by the Pillman situation. Jerry wants someone to contact Austin and tell him not to enter the house.

The Match: The Sultan trips Alex and gives him a belly-to-belly. Then he rams Porteau into his hooked boot and nails a back suplex. He follows with a backbreaker and puts Alex in the Camel Clutch for the victory.

Thoughts: This was a squash. It wasn’t interesting. Vince and Lawler spent the entire bout talking about Pillman. They barely noticed a match happened. It was another backdrop to the ongoing storyline.

Winner: The Sultan

They return to Brian’s house. Kevin is nervous because Austin is stalking around outside. He hears a noise and the camera cuts to the back door. Austin breaks the glass and enters the house. Brian’s wife Melanie screams. Lawler yells, “Don’t go in there, Steve!” We see Brian point his gun at Austin with a wild look in his eyes. But the feed cuts to static. They go to commercial and return, but it’s still static.

Meanwhile, Jim Ross is in the ring for a face-to-face segment with Shawn Michaels and Sid. Vince says Sid, Shawn, and Ross have no idea what is happening at Pillman’s house. He promises they will interrupt if they regain the satellite feed. He again calls it a publicity stunt.

Sid and Shawn stand across from each other at a podium. JR says Shawn and Sid will team next week in a tag title match. Then he shows a replay of Sid powerbombing Shawn in ’95. He asks if Shawn forgave Sid for the attack. He says he did. He was the one who fetched Sid from the loony bin because they’re buddies. Sid replies, “First of all, that’s bullshit!” Sid says you’re crazy if you think he walked out of a loony bin and into the WWF. Shawn doubles down on the claim. Then Ross shows a clip of Sid hitting Shawn from behind the previous week. Sid calls JR a fatso and says it was a mistake. Shawn agrees. They apologized to each other and are fine. But Shawn predicts victory at Survivor Series. Sid thinks he’s the odds-on favorite to win. Shawn counters by saying Sid isn’t in his league. Sid says, “That’s right. I’m not in the little league!” (Okay, Sid. You made me laugh with that one.) Sid says he’s the man, so Shawn quotes Ric Flair’s famous quote. Sid and Shawn yell at each other, and Shawn knocks over the podium. Jose tries stopping the fight. Sid threatens him. This leads to Sid and Shawn shoving each other. But then Cornette interrupts. Camp Cornette arrive and Jim complains that Sid stole Vader’s title shot. They attack. Owen hits Sid with a chair, but Shawn runs them off. He picks up the chair as Sid turns to look. Sid thinks Shawn hit him. They argue until Camp Cornette attacks again. This time, Sid and Shawn clear the ring and resume yelling at each other. The officials separate both men.

Next, they show a commercial for Full Metal: The Album. It’s a collection of wrestler theme songs. Freddie Blassie is in a recording studio. A little kid imitates various wrestlers while their music plays. He dresses up as Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, and Goldust. Blassie says these tunes make him want to mosh. (That would amuse me. I want to see that.)

They come back from break and the feed from Pillman’s house is still static. They show a replay of what we’ve seen so far. Vince reacts to it like he’s seeing it for the first time again.

“Razor Ramon” (w/ “Diesel”) vs. Wildman Marc Mero (w/ Sable)

Notes: This is the main event of RAW? They didn’t care about the in-ring side of this episode. Vince and Lawler once again speak about the Pillman situation. Vince rambles about some people in the WWF believing in themselves. He thinks that’s what happened with Austin. Lawler has no clue what Vince means. (Neither do I. What is he blathering about?) Since the fake Razor is in this bout, Jim Ross joins the commentary. He mocks Vince for not seeing the Austin situation coming. JR says he talked with Stone Cold and knew he was going to Pillman’s house, but no one asked him. Vince accuses Ross of being absorbed with himself. Also, WWF director Kerwin Silfies calls during the match. He says he heard explosions, and the power is out. Everyone is spooked and doesn’t want to approach the house. They’re waiting on authorities to arrive.

The Match: Razor shoves Mero around and slaps him. But Marc controls the match with takedowns and arm holds. They head to commercial and return to Mero nailing punches and a flying axehandle. But Ramon hotshots Marc. They awkwardly trade punches in the corner, and Razor uses a few of his own holds. Mero counters with a back suplex and a knee-lift. He also lands a super Frankensteiner. This draws out Hunter and Mr. Perfect as they go to another break. When they return, Mero nails a Samoan Drop. He climbs for the Wild Thing, but Hunter shoves Mero into the ring. This allows Razor to hit the Razors Edge for the win.

Thoughts: This was an awkward bout. You can tell Rick Bognar isn’t comfortable in the role. He doesn’t have the mannerisms down. Doing Razor’s move feels unnatural to him. Mero looked fine, but the action wasn’t great. It was a flat match in a show filled with pointless encounters. Plus, Vince and JR spent the bout arguing with each other.

Winner: “Razor Ramon”

They show another replay of what happened earlier. Lawler calls it stupid. They restore the feed and we see Pillman’s friends holding him back. Kevin Kelly says they don’t know where Austin is. Vince asks if anyone got shot. Kelly says, “Nobody has been struck by any of the—explosions.” (Can they not say bullets?) Vince tries getting more info, but Austin returns. Melanie screams. Kevin tells someone to call the police. Brian’s friends grab Austin. But Pillman tells them to get out of the way. He yells, “I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch!” Pillman also drops an f-bomb that isn’t censored. Lawler wants someone to grab the gun. The show ends with a shot of Melanie crying. (The uncensored cursing pissed off the USA Network the most. Vince told them about the gun. But they weren’t expecting the scene to be this intense. Some executives wanted RAW taken off the air. Vince apologized and plead his case. He convinced them not to cancel the show. However, this won’t be the last time Vince gets in hot water over content. This is only a taste of the new direction they’re going.)

The Good:

• The Pillman stuff was intense and interesting.

• The Sid/Shawn segment was entertaining.

• The Austin/Bret video package.

The Bad:

• None of the matches mattered.

• The silly gimmicks clash with the edgier material.

• The commentary was annoying.

Performer of the Night:

It’s Brian Pillman. He did a great job of portraying madness. His facial expressions were perfect. Both Pillman and Austin had good performances in the segments.

Final Thoughts:

It was a memorable episode, but it wasn’t very good. The Pillman stuff and the Sid/Shawn segment were the only decent things. Everything else was a backdrop for the main storyline. If I was a fan in the live crowd, it would have bored me. It doesn’t help this was in the middle of a month’s worth of tapings. However, this is a nice peek at what’s coming. This was Vince testing the waters for an edgier product. The WWF needs a change, but it’s a work in progress.

Thank you for reading. Look for my Survivor Series ’96 review this Sunday!