Written By: Bob Colling
World Wrestling Federation presents RAW
Date: 5/6/1996
From: Sioux City, IA
RAW opens up with a video remembering the recently deceased Ray Stevens.
A wife of a former WWF superstar will reveal how WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels ruined her marriage.
RAW opening video
Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are on commentary. Hunter Hearst Helmsley is on commentary for the first match as well.
Opening Contest: Marc Mero defeated 1-2-3 Kid: Kid with a boot in the corner but Mero comes back with a right hand. Should block but Mero and takes Kid over with a arm drag. Mero controls Kid with a wristlock and is able to dropkick Kid to the floor. Mero leaps over the top and connects with a cross body! Kid blocks a slingshot splash back in the ring by getting his knees up. Kid stomps away on Mero for a few moments. Kid with several kicks in the corner and follows up with a dropkick. Sleeper hold locked in by Kid and Mero begins to fade. Mero drops down to the canvas and Kid proceeds to use the ropes for leverage. Mero elbows out and blocks a kick from Kid with a dragon screw leg whip. Kid recovers and nails Mero with a clothesline for a two count. Quick leg drop by Kid and goes back to a sleeper hold. Mero drops down to the canvas, again. Kid uses the ropes for leverage until the referee notices what is going on. Kid nails Mero with a kick to the chest and once again goes to a sleeper hold as RAW goes to commercial. Jabs by Mero and backdrops Kid. Mero drives Kid down with a tilt a whirl backbreaker. Mero comes off the top with a double axe handle for a near fall. Mero tosses Kid over the top to the floor. Mero takes Kid out with a somersault dive over the top to the floor. Hunter Hearst Helmsley leaves the commentary booth and crotches Mero on the top rope. Kid attempts a superplex but Mero blocks and falls on top of Kid on the canvas for the win. **
After the match, Mero and Sable celebrate while Hunter Hearst Helmsley flips out.
Footage from last week where Savio Vega whipped Steve Austin with a strap. On WWF Superstars, Ted DiBiase accepted Vega’s challenge to Steve Austin for a strap match at the next WWF In Your House pay per view. DiBiase added a stipulation that if Vega loses he must be DiBiase’s personal driver.
The unidentified wife of a former WWF Superstar talks about how Shawn Michaels ruined her marriage. She says Michaels smelled good and was so gorgeous that she went to bed with him and he was “the best I ever had.” She says she was used by Shawn Michaels. She isn’t going to allow this to happen to someone else.
Second Contest: the British Bulldog defeated Fatu: Fatu shoulder blocks Bulldog to open the match. Bulldog rams Fatu head first into the corner but Fatu isn’t affected. Head butts by Fatu send Bulldog to the floor where Bulldog hugs his wife. Bulldog wants to do a test of strength but instead head butts Fatu, which does nothing again. Bulldog crotches Fatu on the top rope and clotheslines Fatu to the floor. Bulldog taunts the fans by doing some pushups and poses. Fatu is sent into the ring steps and Bulldog hammers away on Fatu. Bulldog is able to avoid a spear in the corner and Fatu hit’s the ring post. Fatu’s family members have come down to ringside as RAW goes to commercial. Bulldog has a sleeper hold on Fatu. Fatu gets out and has a sleeper on Bulldog until Fatu is low blowed and falls to the floor. Jim Cornette gets a few shots in on Fatu on the floor. Scoop slam by Bulldog but misses a leg drop. Fatu with a few right hands and back drops Bulldog. Running ace crusher by Fatu for a two count. Bulldog accidentally nails Cornette off the apron. Bulldog connects with a running clothesline for a near fall. Bulldog finishes Fatu off with a running power slam. *¾
After the match, Fatu tells his family members that the WWF is his family and not them.
Third Contest: WWF World Tag Team Champions the Bodydonnas defeated Techno Team 2000 in a non-title match: Skip and Travis start off with Travis controlling Skip with a wristlock. Troy enters and Skip is hip tossed by both members of Techno Team 2000. Zip enters and chops Troy in the corner. Troy gets the upper hand with a wristlock. Travis lifts Troy over his head and Troy splashes Zip in the corner as RAW goes to commercial. Skip tags in and the Bodydonnas flapjack Travis. Skip connects with a slingshot back suplex on Travis. Travis is double teamed briefly. Explosion suplex by Skip on Travis for a near fall. Travis misses a big splash in the corner and is taken down by the Bodydonnas with a double slingshot vertical suplex. Skip leg drops Travis’s arm and keeps the advantage with a few right hands. Zip enters and yanks Travis down by the hair. Vertical suplex by Zip but misses a backward elbow drop off the top rope. Troy tags in and cleans house. Bodydonnas are able to double team Troy where Skip hurricanranas Troy off the top rope and Zip leaps off the top rope with a splash for the win. *
Backstage, Jim Ross is with Vader and Jim Cornette. JR says Yokozuna will wrestle Vader on May 26th. Cornette puts Vader over as being better than Yokozuna in every way. Cornette also says that Duke Droese will not last with Vader next week.
Before the next match, WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust comes down to the commentary table and gets right in Vince McMahon’s face. McMahon announces that Goldust will wrestle the Undertaker in a casket match on May 26th! Goldust doesn’t like the sound of that and tries to leave but isn’t able to as the Undertaker makes his way down to the ring for his match. Goldust is freaked out by the Undertaker.
Main Event: the Undertaker defeated Owen Hart: Owen with a few right hands but Taker tosses Owen into a corner and delivers several right hands. Taker chokes Owen and drops Owen to the mat. Owen kicks Taker’s leg from behind and works on the left knee for a few moments. Goldust goes after Paul Bearer and the urn while Owen continues to work on Taker’s knee. Bearer runs to the back as Goldust rubs his chest and buttocks. Taker misses a big boot and Owen continues to work on the left knee. Owen connects with a missile dropkick and goes for the Sharpshooter but Taker grabs Owen by the throat to break free. Taker with a knee lift and a big boot to drop Owen to the mat. Taker tosses Owen over the top to the floor. Goldust touches Owen as Taker pulls Owen back into the ring by the hair. Taker plants Owen with the tombstone pile driver for the win. *
After the match, Paul Bearer comes back with a gold casket and Goldust runs away to close out the show.
End of show
My Take: The opener between Mero and Kid wasn’t bad. I thought the match used the sleeper hold way too much and that kinda took me out of the match. I was expecting more of a fast pace, high flying match considering both of their styles are like that. They had a few decent spots, so it was a decent match.
This whole unidentified woman deal is dumb. Her reasoning is dumb and it makes Michaels look good which is the point, I guess. I don’t know. As a man I am not interested in how good Shawn Michaels smells or how he performs in bed. I don’t care about that.
Bulldog/Fatu was okay at best. I find it slightly odd that a jobber (Fatu) has a actual storyline. By the way, I think the family members that Fatu has been interacting with are Rosey (3 Minute Warning) and maybe Samu but I am not entirely sure. I don’t really have any interest in Fatu at this point.
Bodydonnas/Techno Team 2000 was boring. The Bodydonnas had a few good double team spots but the overall match sucked. One of the guys teaming as the Techno Team 2000 is Erik Watts. How Erik Watts has a job in the WWF is just amazing considering he is not talented.
I must say, Goldust is still doing a great job at being weird. Which, I know may not be difficult but he does it so well that fans just have to hate him.
Undertaker/Owen may look like a good main event on paper but again this one sucked. It was jut Owen working a slow match working on Taker’s knee the whole time. A simple way to try and get viewers while not giving any actual good action. That seems about right for this one.
Overall, a lackluster show. Kid vs. Mero was the best match of the night but everything else was just really uninteresting.
Thanks for reading.