WWF Monday Night RAW (March 18, 1996)

Original Airdate: March 18, 1996 (taped March 11)

From San Antonio, Texas; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler

Davey Boy Smith v Jake Roberts: Feeling out process to start, and Jake quickly goes for the DDT, but Bulldog hits the deck and bails. Roberts looks like he's working the senior circuit here, barely even putting anything behind his moves. He tries for the DDT twice more in the first two minutes, before Davey gets sick of him, and pounds him down. Jim Cornette gets in his usual cheap shots, but Bulldog misses a legdrop, allowing Jake to make his comeback. DDT, but Cornette distracts him, ad Bulldog sneaks up with the Running Powerslam - only to get countered with the DDT! Cover, count, but Cornette pulls Jake off at two! Roberts responds by letting the snake loose, but ends up getting himself counted out at 4:53 while chasing Jim around on the outside. I love how Jake acts all shocked that he was counted out, like he hasn't been doing this for years and years. DUD

Jim Ross narrates another look at the training for the Iron Man match at WrestleMania. These continue to be great, and a nice way to build up a babyface/babyface showdown

Goldust v Fatu: The Intercontinental title is not up for grabs here. Goldust's sporting a kilt here to mess with Roddy Piper. Fatu jumps him, and hits a quick backdrop. He tries a second, but Goldust blocks, and tries a hip attack - only to get countered with a spanking from Fatu. Yeah, not sure that's the best strategy with him. Fatu with a cutter as Piper calls in to note that when Goldust wears it, it's a skirt. Where's Bobby Heenan when you need him, he'd be having a field day. Fatu misses a flying splash, allowing Goldust a clothesline, and the Curtain Call finishes at 4:40. Not much to this one. ½*

We take a look back at WrestleMania VII, where Ultimate Warrior beat Randy Savage. Hey, that dude looks a lot like the Nacho Man!

Vince brings Camp Cornette out to discuss the six-man tag for WrestleMania, as well as why Vader continues to dress like Tim 'Tool Man' Taylor every week

Over the weekend at Madison Square Garden, Bret Hart and Undertaker tagged against Shawn Michaels and Diesel, which saw Diesel turn on Michaels with a chair. Really whacked him with it, too. They released that full match as part of an Undertaker collection on the Network last year, and it's actually pretty disappointing

Diesel v Barry Horowitz: The crowd of course doesn't know that Diesel turned on Shawn Michaels the day before this aired, because this is taped before the MSG show. Diesel proceeds to squash Horowitz as Paul Bearer wheels a casket down to ringside, which distracts Big Daddy Cool long enough for Barry to get some offense in. Briefly though, as Diesel shrugs him off with a big boot, but Horowitz has the chutzpah to kick out at two instead of appreciating the mercy kill, so Diesel knocks him out with a punch to the face for three at 2:06. Cute finish, actually. Afterwards, Diesel carefully approaches the casket (assuming Undertaker is inside), but when he pops the lid open, he sees himself inside. ¼*

Backstage, the Million Dollar Corporation (or, well, what's left of them by this stage) strategizes

Next week, Shawn Michaels takes on Leif Cassidy, while Ahmed Johnson battles Owen Hart

Bret Hart v Tatanka: Bret's WWF Title is not on the line here. Vince notes that he's certain that the Iron Man match at WrestleMania will "go down in WWF history!" Doesn't literally every match do that? His fake laugh is also really annoying. Tatanka tries to go to work in the corner, but Bret fights him off, as Vince continues to grate my ears with his phony chuckles. The Hitman works an armbar, but Tatanka counters a hiptoss with a short-clothesline, as 1-2-3 Kid joins us at ringside. Tatanka with a bootchoke in the corner, and a cross corner whip rattles the ring, setting up a sidewalk slam for two. Tatanka grabs a chinlock, and he's literally sucking wind like he just got done climbing a hundred flights of stairs. Tatanka with an elbowdrop for two, but a backdrop is countered with a small package for two, so Tatanka quickly cuts him off with a clothesline. Back to the chinlock to wear Bret down for a bodyslam, but Hart blocks a flying tomahawk chop with a gutpunch, and starts making a comeback. Sharpshooter summons Ted DiBiase up onto the apron, which allows Kid to grab Hart for Tatanka to nail, but it ends up backfiring, and Bret rolls him up at 8:49. Vince is shocked that Hart 'somehow, some way' pulled off the victory. Against TATANKA?! In 1996?! No wonder Bret felt like he was being buried. ¾*

Billionaire Ted sits before the 'Federal Turner Commission,' where he's grilled about trying to create a monopoly, and put the WWF out of business. He replies to the questioning by paraphrasing Jack Nicholson's speech from A Few Good Men, and the skit ends with a title card urging people to write into the actual FTC to complain about the proposed Turner/Time-Warner merger. This, for those wondering, has to be the absolute nadir for these skits. At least usually they temper it with some humor. This was horrible

BUExperience: I thought this looked okay on paper, but it didn’t really deliver in reality. They’re kinda just chugging along towards ‘Mania without any real intrigue yet, outside of the main event, and the Goldust/Piper stuff – both of which didn’t have any interactions between the principals this time out.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	3/18/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.9	3.6
Total Wins	10	13
Win Streak		3
Better Show (as of 3/11)	5	16