Written by: Matt Peddycord
WWF: Raw is War
October 6, 1997
Kansas City, MO
Kemper Arena
The current WWF champs were as follows:
World Champion: Bret Hart (8/3/1997)
Intercontinental Champion: Owen Hart (10/5/1997)
European Champion: Shawn Michaels (9/20/1997)
World Tag Team Champions: The Godwinns (10/5/1997)
SIDE NOTE: All heel champions right now.
Vince McMahon is in the ring and announces that Brian Pillman tragically died yesterday. All the WWF superstars and referees are on the ramp with a picture of Pillman on the TitanTron. Oddly enough, Owen Hart is the first wrestler that gets a close-up shot. If you’ll notice, we are in the same building where Owen unfortunately descended from the ceiling and ultimately fell to his demise. Of course, Pillman was a member of the Hart Foundation, but you can see why that’s weird, right? Brian receives the ten-bell salute as everyone reflects on this great wrestler. But the show must go on.
TIME TO GET RAW! Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler.
The group soon to be known as D-Generation X come out to speak with Michael Cole. JR and Vince announce that Shawn Michaels was victorious over the Undertaker last night in the Hell in a Cell match; albeit, not without getting 16 stiches in his head. Cole asks Shawn a question, but Michaels completely ignores the question and tells Cole that he hasn’t got a proper hello from the Kliq. Basically, they give him an exaggerated wedgie like a team of bullies would do. While Hunter Hearst Helmsley is giving Cole noogies, Shawn has the mic and says if you want to know how it went at Badd Blood, take a look at who is here and who isn’t. Shawn reminds the world that he is the greatest sports entertainer today. He calls himself the only ICON in the WWF. Geez, here we go. Some WCW fossils are calling themselves icons right now, but HBK says he’s the only one who can still go. Helmsley gets some mic time and just strokes HBK’s ego. Shawn wants the guys in the truck to play his video from last night. Instead of something from Badd Blood, they show the MSG Incident from May 1996. The crowd seems completely confused because NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THAT GRAINY FOOTAGE IS IN 1997. Shawn and Hunter only did this to piss off and bully Vince around. This continues on through a commercial break which is when the Hart Foundation come out.
Shawn is using all kinds of “insider” words to Vince and I can’t imagine the typical wrestling audience knows what the heck they are talking about. Bring us back to wrestling sanity, Bret. He drops some truth on Shawn saying that he doesn’t have any respect for anybody and Shawn reacts like a 15 year-old punk. Bret – “Shawn Michaels, you’re nothing but a degenerate.” Bret also thinks the HHH stands for “homo”. I miss the days when you could make those jokes on TV. Helmsley says he’s no queer. LOL. Bret thinks Shawn may have barebacked his way to one PPV main event after another, but the fact is Bret makes more money than everybody in the ring right now. Bret then comments that Shawn will never be the Showstopper until he takes the WWF title away from him. He says he ran their pals Razor Ramon and Diesel out of the WWF and he’ll do the same with Shawn and Hunter starting tonight with a match with HHH. Shawn and Hunter are still acting like a couple of jackasses. Shawn tells Bret to “suck it” and that he doesn’t need this business, this business needs him. He calls Bret a paper champion that has a supporting role on his PPVs. DANG. He also doesn’t want Bret to confuse destruction with expansion because the Kliq owns this business and at Survivor Series, Shawn and the Kliq are going to own Bret. Crotch chops everywhere!
Non-title Lumberjack Match: WWF Tag Team Champions The Godwinns (w/Uncle Cletus) vs. The Headbangers
The lumberjacks are comprised of the midcarders of the time. Thrasher body surfs half way around the ring for laughs. Pretty standard back and forth match that I’d rather not transcribe until all the lumberjacks jump in the ring for a big brawl. When it spills back out on the floor, Mosh rolls up Phineas for the three-count. (4:17) So there ya go. Legion of Doom get their tag titles shot next week. ¾*
We sneak a peek at Brian Pillman’s home. There’s a picture of the Hollywood Blondes on his wall with the WCW tag belts.
Elsewhere, Jim Cornette is getting ready to say some things and some stuff.
Earlier today, Miguel Perez and Los Boricuas vow he can beat the returning Marc Mero in two minutes. I don’t know about that, pal.
Marc Mero (w/Sable) vs. Miguel Perez Jr.
Boy, did Vince miss Sable. This is the debut of Mero’s “Toughman” boxing gimmick. He’s got a buzz cut and has a more serious downplayed personality now. He punches Perez a bunch in the ribs and then debuts the TKO for the win in 2:23.
Time for the first edition of Jim Cornette’s diatribes. It pisses him off that talents like Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love get overlooked by everyone in favor of the nWo. They are just a bunch of childish, obnoxious, adolescents with severe cases of arrested emotional development and a fixation on trying to act macho. He calls Kevin Nash a 40 year old trying to act like a teenager. Nash is the biggest no talent in the business with six moves, no mobility, and enough timing to cover up for some of what he is lacking. He thinks Nash is a master manipulator. Together, he and Scott Hall left the very company that was finally able to help them to draw some money to go to WCW. As for Syxx, they only keep him around because they think it’s funny when he gets drunk and throws up on himself. He’s the only one of the bunch who was released by the WWF to go to the other side, which shows how valuable he is. DANG. Cornette tries to dash all of her preconceived notions that anyone actually believes that the nWo are trying to take over WCW 16 months into the angle by saying that it’s Eric Bischoff who really still runs WCW. He thinks Bischoff is just taking Ted Turner’s money and surrounding himself with studly guys so he’ll think his own wang is the same size as theirs. Cornette personally thinks Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Cactus Jack should be the ones who should still get all the attention because they have talent instead of all the attention going to the ones who suck up to the boss. This is Jim Cornette and this was his opinion. To be honest, this just all sounds like sour grapes to me.
Another shot of Brian Pillman’s living room with him on the cover of The Wrestler magazine.
Davey Boy Smith (w/the Hart Foundation) vs. Rocky Maivia (w/the NOD)
Bulldog starts wrestling babyface against Rocky here. He fights out of the corner with a running clothesline and sends Maivia running with a series of armdrags. Back inside, Davey Boy avoids a leapfrog and pokes him in the eyes. Nyuk nyuk nyuk. Rocky breaks loose of an armbar and buries a knee into Bulldog. He stomps a mudhole into Davey Boy and then slams him for something he would develop into the highly charismatic People’s Elbow for two. D’Lo popped for it. Bulldog fires back with the Hourglass suplex, but Rocky brings up a boot to block a charge. La Magistral cradle gets two! Bulldog finally has enough and hoists up Rocky for the RUNNING POWERSLAM for the win. (3:45) After the bell, the NOD and the Hart Foundation get into a big pull apart brawl until Commissioner Slaughter and some other stooges make the save. Clearly Faarooq wants a rematch with Owen over the IC title. *½
Still shots of the Taker/HBK Hell in a Cell match airs. THAT’S GOTTA BE KANE!
AND NOW WE ENTER THE WARZONE! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.
More still shots of the ending of the IC title tournament finals. Why did Steve Austin assist Owen Hart to regain the IC title? We’re about to find out. Somebody break that glass because here comes Stone Cold Steve Austin himself to meet Vince McMahon in the ring. So yeah, why did Austin help Owen last night? Because he does whatever he wants to do. As for the doctor’s note to clear Austin to wrestle, Austin doesn’t have one because he never went to see a doctor, jackass. And with that, Vince tells him to sign a waiver not to sue if he ever becomes paralyzed and come back to the squared circle. Austin says he will sign Vince’s stupid little paper once Austin signs a contract with Owen Hart for the IC title. Vince grants him the match and offers a handshake, but Austin tells him to take his hand and wipe his ass with it. WOO. Faarooq and the Nation of Domination interrupts on the TitanTron. Faarooq gives Austin some sob story about what it really means to be a tough guy. He says Austin’s ass belongs to Faarooq, to which Austin replies: “It ain’t a race thing, it ain’t a color thing, it’s a me kicking your ass thing.” AWESOME. Austin shoves Vince aside so he can hit the four corners for the fans. Afterwards, he goes out and grabs Jerry Lawler’s crown and punts it into the crowd, which REALLY gets Lawler hot. Like, Memphis HOT.
Get the Badd Blood: In Your House Encore Presentation tomorrow night at 8PM!
WWF Intercontinental Champion Owen Hart vs. Road Warrior Hawk
He’s still wearing the Owen 3:16 shirt. Owen thinks Austin tried to get him DQ’ed, which is certainly a different twist. Hawk hits the Press Slam and the REVERSE NECKBREAKER early, but can’t secure the pinfall. He misses a charge and runs shoulder first into the ringpost as the Godwinns head down to ringside. Owen continues to break down Hawk with backbreakers and Gutwrench suplexes. As he comes off the ropes, Hawk gets nailed with a slop bucket. Owen jumps on the cover, but only gets two. Road Warrior Animal runs down to save the day and beats up the Godwinns. Meanwhile, Hawk delivers the Flying Clothesline to Owen and rolls into the ropes due to his own momentum only to be whacked in the face by Henry’s lucky horseshoe as Owen gets the three-count. (3:22) Well, that’s all the fuel we need for the Godwinns/LOD match for next week. *
In what is clearly a ratings-baiting tactic, Vince McMahon talks with Brian Pillman’s widow via satellite. She’s clearly upset and the whole thing is just bad TV. Instead of having that interview, they should have just shown the fitting and appropriate tribute video shown afterwards.
The Truth Commission vs. Jeff & Matt Hardy
Well, it was supposed to be the Truth Commission against the Hardy Boyz. No match. Instead, we see Kane and Paul Bearer make their RAW debut. Kane chokeslams both the Hardy Boyz and then throws Jeff out so he can throw Matt on top of him. Paul Bearer gets on the stick and says that your Undertaker forced me to bring in your brother Kane. YES OH YES HE’S ALIVE! The twenty years of suffering and hiding is now over. Bearer vows to destroy each wrestler in the WWF until he gets to the Undertaker. Welcome to your worst nightmare, Undertaker.
Non-title match: WWF Champion Bret Hart vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna)
A dream match of sorts in different eras. McMahon joins us at the announce table for the main event. Lawler continues to try and goad McMahon in commenting on what Shawn and Hunter had to say at the beginning of the show. Bret tries to wear down Helmsley to start with a suplex and the Russian legsweep. You know, vintage Bret. Hunter takes over for a few, but Bret fires back with a DDT for two. Out comes Shawn Michaels to stick Bret’s Canadian flag up his nose, which obviously distracts Bret. Harley Race knee gets two. Now Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart head down to keep an eye on things. HHH continues to work over Bret with a backbreaker and inverted atomic drop. He cuts off Bret with a sleeper, but Bret quickly counters with a back suplex. Time for the five moves of doom again. Helmsley blocks the flying elbow though with a boot in Bret’s face. Hunter hits Bret with some elbows and the like, but Bret again fights back and this time applies the SHARPSHOOTER. Chyna helps Helmsley reach the ropes. While Owen and Neidhart are paying attention to Rick Rude who just walked down to ringside, Bret tries to put Hunter in the Ringpost Figure Four. Luckily for Helmsley, Chyna tries to forearm Bret so he doesn’t notice Shawn Michaels coming around the corner to blast him with SWEET CHIN MUSIC to get Helmsley the cheap countout victory. (7:50 shown) The Kliq celebrate big time on the rampway while the Hart Foundation are incredibly pissed as we close the show. Nothing special, but Helmsley wasn’t really anything special at this point in time. If you could take 1994 Bret and 2000 Triple H; now there’s a good match. **¼
Fans, we’re outta time.