WWF RAW 10/21/1996

Written by: Bob Colling

World Wrestling Federation presents RAW
Date: 10/21/1996
From: Ft. Wayne, IN

Matches:
1.) Psycho Sid defeated WWF World Tag Team Champion Owen Hart by disqualification
2.) The Godwinns defeated The Smoking Gunns
3.) Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Marc Mero to win the title

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) The number one contender for the WWF World Championship kicks off the show in singles action against one half of the WWF World Tag Team Champions. Sid showcases his strength early on by shoving Owen down to the mat and plays to the crowd. Owen kips up after a second shove but is sent over the top to the floor! Owen tries to come off the top but Sid delivers a strike to the midsection but Owen comes back with a missile dropkick and clotheslines Sid over the top to the floor. The British Bulldog makes his way down to ringside but is knocked down by Sid while the referee is distracted. Owen goes to the floor and chop blocks Sid’s leg to get the cheap advantage as RAW goes to commercial.

Owen focuses his offense on the left knee of Sid by wrapping his leg around the ring post a couple of times. Bulldog gets in on the action with Owen distracting the referee. Sid catches Owen on a cross body attempt and hits a slam but misses a leg drop. Owen goes right back to work over the knee. Sid kicks Owen away as he attempted the Sharpshooter. Owen ducks a clothesline but Sid plants Owen with the choke slam and signals for the powerbomb! Sid has the move set up but the Bulldog enters to cause the DQ. Shawn Michaels runs into the ring and beats down the Bulldog while Sid works over Owen. (*. The crowd is way into Sid and that made the match go by even quicker than it was. The action wasn’t earth shattering or anything, though.) After the match, Sid and Michaels exchange words regarding their Survivor Series match next month for the WWF World Championship.

2.) Photos from Buried Alive that saw Undertaker win the buried alive match, but was attacked by the Executioner and was buried by Mankind, Goldust, Crush and Hunter Hearst Helmsley among others.

3.) Bart and Phineas kick off the tag match with the winner apparently getting a title shot in the future. Bart hammers away on Phineas and drops him with a scoop slam as RAW goes to commercial. Phineas runs the ropes but Billy yanks on the ropes causing Phineas to fall over and hit the floor hard. Billy leaps off of Bart’s back but misses a splash in the corner and Phineas tags in Henry, who takes care of Bart upon his entry. All four men are in the ring briefly until Billy is sent to the floor and is knocked off the apron by Bart. Henry plants Bart with the Slop Drop for the win. (1/2*. That was a really quick match and the end of the Smoking Gunns as a tag team draws closer.) After the match, Billy is not happy about the outcome and voices his displeasure with Bart.

4.) Jim Ross is in the ring and introduces Bret Hart for an interview. This is the first televised appearance for Bret Hart since losing the WWF World Championship at WrestleMania XII. Bret Hart is met with a good ovation from the Ft. Wayne crowd as his addresses his future in wrestling. Ross asks what is in the future for Bret Hart. Hart says that he missed everybody and says that he has had to deal with a lot of things over the past several months. Bret notes that a rival promotion made him a great offer. Bret was faced with an incredibly tough dilemma. He didn’t know if he should come back to the WWF if he were to return to professional wrestling. Bret isn’t greedy for money but rather for respect. Vince McMahon is seen at the announcer table and is stressing over the announcement. Hart owes everything he has ever done to the WWF fans. Bret assures us that he won’t be going anywhere and proclaims that he will be with the WWF forever. Hitman says there is no excuse for his loss to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania. Hart says that there is something about Shawn Michaels that really bugs him. Hart suggests that Michaels may be a little more popular but the fans don’t seem to agree with that statement. Hart claims that Michaels will never be tougher or smarter than him. Hart accepts the challenge issued to him by Steve Austin at Survivor Series. We see Brian Pillman happy about the announcement and Austin gives him a glaring look. Bret thinks the only thing missing from the WWF for the past five or six months has been his presence. Bret talks about a little boy in Canada who got real sick and admired Bret. Bret promised the boy that he would come out of retirement for the sick boy. Bret doesn’t have a good end to the story as the little boy passed away. The boy was his nephew and says he hadn’t planned this return long in advancement. He wants to give the fans someone to look up to. Hart finishes off with his catchphrase to end the extended segment.

5.) Mr. Perfect makes his way down to the ring with WWF Intercontinental Champion Marc Mero and Gorilla Monsoon. Perfect appears to be limping as he enters the ring. Perfect says that Hunter Hearst Helmsley thinks he got away with one by attacking him backstage with a rolling case. Hunter taunts Perfect as Monsoon tells us that he isn’t going to allow Perfect to wrestle. Marc Mero has agreed to step up and wrestle Hunter in Perfect’s place. Hunter says the only way he will wrestle Mero only if the puts the belt on the line. Lets get this right, Hunter hasn’t won a match in five months and gets a title shot?

6.) Hunter is working over Mero with kicks in the corner but Mero hits a backdrop and follows up with an arm drag. Mero dropkicks Hunter over the top to the floor. Marc goes for the somersault dive to the floor but Hunter grabs Sable to prevent that from happening. Mero goes to the floor and decks Hunter a few times. Mero shoulder blocks Hunter from the apron and nearly wins with a sunset flip from the apron. Marc gets another two count with a backslide. Hunter stops Mero with a tilt a whirl back breaker. Hunter works over Marc in the corner and hits a snap suplex. Helmsley follows up with a knee drop but only gets a near fall on the cover attempt. Hunter drops Mero with a high knee lift and sends Mero hard back first into the corner. Mero catapults Hunter into the corner and gets a near fall but Hunter quickly comes back with a clothesline. Mero botches a slingshot leg drop from the apron as his ass hits the top rope on the way down for a near fall. Mero plants Hunter with a Samoan Drop and heads to the top rope but Hunter shoves the referee into the ropes and Marc gets crotched on the top. Hunter attempts a superplex but Mero slams Hunter off and hits a springboard twisting moonsault for a near fall! Hunter sends Marc into the referee in the corner and Hunter grabs a chair from the outside. Sable gets on the apron and grabs the chair. Mr. Perfect gets the chair from Hunter but whacks Mero over the head! Sable freaks out and tries to tell the referee what happened but to no avail. Hunter grabs Mero and spikes Mero with a Pedigree for the win. (**1/4. So, Hunter goes from losing every match for five months to winning the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Mero seemed to have just started to get in a groove as champion and producing some fun matches and gets his run cut short here. A decent match with a swerve. An entertaining end to RAW, which has lacked in recent months.)

Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed the show as it featured matches involving top talents. The action was average at best, but we got a heel turn and a title change so it is a rather memorable episode for the year, honestly.

Thanks for reading.