WWF RAW 11/3/1997

Written by: Matt Peddycord

WWF: Raw is War
November 3, 1997
Hershey, PA
Hersheypark Arena

The current WWF champs are 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 Legion of Doom (10/13/1997)

TIME TO GET RAW! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

Stone Cold Steve Austin kicks off the program to meet Vince McMahon in the ring. This could spell trouble. JR remarks on what an incredible Austin is receiving tonight. Paybacks will be hell for Owen Hart at Survivor Series – and that’s the damnedest bottom line he ever bottom lined. When you drop Stone Cold Steve Austin on his head and nearly paralyze him, it means you get your ass kicked. Ross tells us that Owen Hart is watching from home in Calgary tonight. Vince even confirms that the Hart Foundation is not here tonight. Of all the people Austin has ticked off, now he has ticked off Ahmed Johnson. Vince takes us back to last week on Raw when Austin cost Ahmed the IC title match when he interfered and gave him a Stone Cold Stunner. They show us the moment with THREE different angles. Isn’t it obvious why he did that? He doesn’t have a beef with Ahmed, he just wants Owen. Ahmed was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Austin runs his mouth a little too much and says he’ll kick Ahmed’s ass if they are in the ring together. Well, here comes Ahmed. He did say last week that Austin had just entered his ZONE. Zebra shirts and wrestling suits stand in between Austin and Ahmed. When Johnson tries to speak, the crowd chanting for Austin is just too overwhelming. Ahmed finally speaks telling Austin he used to respect him, but now he’s going to kick his ass. Ahmed challenges him to a match. Austin wants a HELL YEAH if the crowd wants him to whip Ahmed Johnson’s ass. Well, HELL YEAH. JR thinks it’s unanimous. Austin will be glad to beat the hell out of Ahmed on live TV. Why? Because he said so. HA!

– WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Super Loco vs. Aguila

Since Sunny continues to have nothing better to do, she is the guest ring announcer for this match. Super Loco is Super Crazy before he learned him some English. He worked some Shotgun Saturday Night shows, but this is his one and only appearance as Super Loco on Raw before he signed to ECW. Aguila is a masked Essa Rios who would receive his biggest push in the WWF in the early part of 2000. He resembles Juventud Guerrera here. Clearly the favorite to win the tournament, Brian Christopher joins JR and Cornette for commentary. Lots of lucha style armdrags and headscissors to start from both guys. We go to the floor and Super Loco tries to fake a dive out to the apron and can’t quite flip out that way. Aguila hits a beautiful corkscrew somersault plancha. Back inside, Loco hits one springboard spinning heel kick and misses the second. Christopher doesn’t add much to the commentary except to put over his over the top narcissistic character. Whenever he does talk about himself, JR makes Daddy Lawler jokes. Loco applies a surfboard and rolls that all around the ring. Back to the floor, Loco delivers a nice moonsault plancha. In the ring, Loco misses a TORNILLO and Aguila missile dropkicks him in the back of the head to send him out to the floor for a beautiful moonsault press off the top. Back inside, Aguila armdrags Loco from the top rope and delivers the fancy flying splash for the three-count to advance. (5:13) Much like high-flying lucha libre in general, it’s a work of art when everything hits. When it misses, it’s a mess. **½

Next up, they air an interview that Jim Ross conducted with Goldust and Marlena. They are both dressed out of character and yet playing characters at the same time. Immediately, we can tell that Dustin Runnels has a sad look on his face and he’s carrying something on his mind. Marlena talks about how much she has enjoyed being back home with her family after all the craziness they have had to endure and tells us how important her family is to her. FAMILY. FAMILY. FAMILY. Dakota comes up and Marlena tells us she told her daughter that she went on a long vacation – because how else do you explain to your pre-school aged child that mommy went away to be a sex slave for Brian Pillman because her daddy lost a wrestling match? Dustin interrupts Terri and tells her he’s sick of living for his dad and he’s sick of living for her. While she was gone doing God knows what, Dustin wasn’t home playing Mr. Mom. Oh no. He reached out and found what he was looking for – something that will allow him to be what he wants to be. Terri starts to get upset and Dustin insists that he look at her when he’s talking to her. Dustin admits to her that he has found somebody else – somebody who will allow him to do whatever he wants to do. He also admits that he doesn’t love her anymore. Dustin says he is starting his life over. He will no longer live for his father or Terri anymore. He takes off his wedding band and tells her she can stick it up her butt if she wants to, because he’s done. WELL. That seemed like a conversation that would have been better left behind closed doors.

When we come back, Jim Ross tells Dustin Runnels to finally become a man. He should be ashamed of himself!

We get a lengthy video package highlighting the Bret Hart versus Shawn Michaels feud dating back to WrestleMania 12. They meet this Sunday at Survivor Series LIVE on PPV~! Ross says this match will probably never happen again and encourages us to order this history-making event. Those sound like buzz words to me, people. MONTREAL SCREWJOB IS A WORK.

Ahmed Johnson comes out to the ring ready to face Steve Austin, but instead we get Kane and Paul Bearer as the arena turns red. Kane gives Ahmed a Chokeslam, sets the turnbuckles on fire, and then delivers TWO TOMBSTONES. Mankind runs down and puts Bearer in the MANDIBLE CLAW long enough for him to go down. He then whacks Kane with a pipe from the boiler room (we are to assume). Crowd goes NUTS. Mankind gets Ahmed out of the ring and protects him from Kane as he grabs a steel chair. So I guess Austin versus Ahmed won’t be happening tonight.

Steve Austin comes out and challenges anybody – including what’s left of Ahmed Johnson. The Nation of Domination answers the challenge. Faarooq sends Kama down to the ring. HERE COMES THE LEGION OF DOOM. They brawl with the NOD while Austin drops a STONE COLD STUNNER on Kama.

After the break, they re-air the Mankind/Kane confrontation and the dramatic conclusion of the Runnels family interview.

ENTER THE WARZONE! Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler. The final episode for Vince as a commentator.

To kick off the second hour, Michael Cole brings out Shawn Michaels. Of course he never goes anywhere alone these days, so Rick Rude introduces D-Generation X: the WWF European champ Shawn Michaels, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and Chyna. Vince tells us that Bret Hart has refused to be here tonight because of HBK’s comments. Once again, they emphasize that could possibly be the last time we will ever see Bret versus Shawn. Of course, the reason is two-fold: Bret has made the decision to go to WCW and the MONTREAL SCREWJOB IS A WORK. Michael Cole sets up the interview around Bret Hart, but Helmsley tells him he’s done enough talking. Helmsley and Chyna schoolboy Cole and decides he’s had it and leaves. Shawn grabs the mic. Everybody knows he’s the showstopper, the main event, the icon of the WWF (that can still go), and now he’s decided to take it up a notch and call himself a wrestling god. Well, before he finishes, Helmsley takes the mic away and says that to be a god, you actually have to be as old as God. HBK plays his European title like a guitar to send a cute little message to a particular guy on the other show. HHH says you have to be able to walk on water if you expect anybody to watch “Age in the Cage”. More anti-Hogan sentiments from DX. HBK says a bunch of people are upset over cracking up a few people last week, but next week will be even better. There are two things he will do: walk naked on RAW, and then he will take Ken Shamrock and show him the world’s most dangerous MAN – pointing to his dick, I suppose. Helmsley says that DX calls the shots and demands that WWF Commissioner Slaughter come out and make that match official. Here comes Slaughter. Before he starts talking, Shawn and Hunter put on face shields to protect themselves from the spit that flies out of Slaughter’s mouth when he talks. Apparently it’s not enough, so they add little shield wipers to their masks. This comedy does not hold up well. Since Shawn is so frustrating, Slaughter makes the match for tonight instead of next week. Shawn feigns concern.

A pissed off Marc Mero tries to hurry up Sable in *her* dressing room. She’s having a hard time covering up those fun bags.

– Marc Mero (w/Sable) vs. Savio Vega

We’re roughly an hour and twenty minutes into this show and so far there’s only been ONE match. Savio is looking for some revenge on Mero for squashing his Los Boricuas brothers here lately. Vega lands the spinning heel kick in the corner and sits down on a chinlock for a moment. Savio reaches out to Sable and avoids a slap from her, but falls back into a rollup for two. Mero ducks a big roundhouse kick and low blows Vega while the ref jabberjaws with Sable. TKO! Cover, 1-2-3. (2:33) Mero continues his win streak here on Raw since his return a few weeks ago. ½*

Michael Cole asks Sable why Mero keeps using low blows in his match. Mero comes over and ends the interview lickety-split. If Cole wants to talk to the superstar, he talks to Marc Mero. Sable tries waving at the fans, but Mero quickly escorts her to the back. Anybody know if this angle is a rib on Randy Savage and Elizabeth?

– Dog Collar Match: Vader vs. Davey Boy Smith (w/Jim Neidhart, Phil LaFon & Doug Furnas)

HERE COMES THE MASTODON~! JR informs us that the Patriot has a torn tricep muscle and will be out of action for surgery. A decision will be made this weekend as to who will replace him in Team USA at Survivor Series. Ross has a hard time understanding why Doug Furnas is out here as a member of Team Canada since he’s from Oklahoma. It should be noted that this is the final match for Davey Boy Smith on Raw is War until his return the fall of 1999. Strap match rules apply here, which isn’t typical for dog collar matches. Standard tug and pull to start. Vader takes a clothesline out to the floor to get beat on by Team Canada. Back inside, Bulldog touches three corners before he’s stopped. Michael Cole interviews Furnas and LaFon on the split-screen – particularly Furnas to find why he’s joined Team Canada. When Furnas was involved in a car wreck five months ago, every country in the world besides his own USA sent him letters wishing him well, so now he’s pissed. Meanwhile in the ring, Vader avalanches Davey Boy and gives him a POWERBOMB. He touches three corners with no problem, fights off Neidhart pretty easily, and touches the fourth corner for the win. (3:34) As Team Canada beats on Vader, a Karate Fighter fan tries to take out Team Canada. Vader gets him off Neidhart and covers him while Team Canada puts the boots to Vader. Refs, agents, even Hershey’s Finest come out to save the day. JR says this guy is a fan who got carried away. You’ll know him best as Steve Blackman. *

– Road Dogg & Billy Gunn vs. Los Boricuas

Road Dogg and Billy Gunn wear what remains of the New Blackjacks cowboy hats. They call Los Boricuas merely a stepping stone on their path to the top. Estrada and Castillo are representing Los Boricuas here tonight. JR tells us that Commissioner Slaughter has had a verbal altercation with the Legion of Doom backstage and has asked them to leave the building. Vince says the Jeff Jarrett segment may have to be held off until Livewire this weekend so that we’ll have time for HBK versus Shamrock. JR says if only they had their own network, they could go as long as they wanted. The segment will include comments on various WCW wrestlers and JR’s former understudy Eric Bischoff. WWF was so innocent during the Monday Night Wars, eh? This match plays like a squash to put over the NAO. Los Boricuas look like they might upset Gunn and Road Dogg, but then Gunn lowers the boom on Estrada behind the ref’s back. He puts Road Dogg on top of Estrada for the three-count. (5:23) Not exactly setting the world on fire tonight with these wrestling matches. ¾*

– WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels (w/DX) vs. Ken Shamrock

Since Shawn cost Shamrock the WWF title last week, now we get to see their showdown six days before Survivor Series. Shamrock starts off hot and heavy and throws Shawn on top of Helmsley and Chyna before he can even get his entrance gear off. Back inside, Shamrock whips Michaels in for the Ray Stevens bump, but Shawn avoids the Belly to Belly Suplex with a thumb to the eye. Shamrock isn’t all that bothered by it and delivers a Fisherman’s Suplex for two. Michaels looks a little off tonight, which MAY or MAY NOT be intentional to make Shamrock look less of a worker. Out to the floor, Shawn gets posted and then Chyna posts Shamrock. Out comes the insurance man Rick Rude as we go to commercials. When we return, Helmsley beats Shamrock back into the ring. Shawn wears him down with a chinlock. He connects with a standing dropkick, which seems oddly out of place for Michaels. Shamrock sidesteps a corner charge as Shawn runs his shoulder into the post. He follows up by whipping Michaels into the ropes a couple times, but Shawn blocks the hurracanrana into a sitout powerbomb. Cover, 1-2-NO! SWEET CHIN MUSIC is ducked. Shamrock catches Michaels with the Belly to Belly Suplex. Helmsley gets knocked off the apron. Shamrock catches the next try at SWEET CHIN MUSIC and leg whips Michaels down into the ANKLELOCK. He’s tapping out, but Chyna has the ref’s attention. Meanwhile, Helmsley and Rude get into the ring to ultimately draw the DQ. (7:51 shown) Shamrock gets whacked by Rude with the steel briefcase. To make matters worse, Helmsley delivers the PEDIGREE onto the briefcase. Yeah, it kind of felt like either Shawn was dogging it on purpose or something else was bothering him. **

NEXT WEEK: Shawn Michaels gets nekkid! Well, let’s hope not.