WWF Monday Night RAW (May 6, 1996)

Original Airdate: May 6, 1996 (taped April 29)

From Sioux City, Iowa; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler

We start with a quick video tribute to Ray Stevens, who passed away a few days before this episode aired

1-2-3 Kid v Marc Mero: Hunter Hearst Helmsley sits in on commentary for this one. It's so weird to see HHH standing right beside Vince with a beautiful woman on his arm that isn't Stephanie. It's also weird seeing HHH in a full suit and tie at this point, though today it would be weird seeing him without one. Feeling out process to start, with Mero dominating. He overhead armdrags Kid down for a wristlock, and a dropkick sends Kid over the top, where Marc dives after him with a plancha. Mero tries a slingshot splash on the way back in, but Kid lifts his knees to block, and he puts the boots to the Wildman. Kid with lighting kicks in the corner, and a cross corner whip sets up a corner dropkick. Sleeper, but Marc fights free, so Kid tries a kick - only to get countered with a corkscrew legwhip. Kid fires back with a jumping clothesline for two, and a pair of sliding legdrops wear Mero down for another sleeper, and Ted DiBiase is in good form here, shaking the middle rope to help Kid's cheating go undetected. That's good heeling. Kid eventually gets busted anyway, so he throws more kicks, and grabs yet another sleeper. Mero escapes, and starts mounting a comeback this time, hitting a backdrop and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Flying axehandle gets two, and he throws Kid over the top like a bag of garbage - Kid taking a wild bump. Marc follows with a somersault plancha, so HHH helps Kid in to beat the count, then crotches Mero on the top as he tries a dive. HHH complaining to the referee about Mero throwing Kid over the top really shows how much the old school NWA stuff had a place in his heart, even then. Kid capitalizes on Helmsley's help with a superplex, but Marc topples him on the way down for three at 10:23. Watching this, it really felt like Kid's star was fading, while Helmsley was destined to be a lower-mid card JTTS guy, and Mero was going to be the breakout star. Fast forward to just two years later, and HHH and Kid are huge stars fronting one of the hottest groups in the sport, while Mero is busy getting overshadowed by his wife. This was fine, though Kid's heat segment was pretty slow. * ¾

Last week, Savio Vega challenged Steve Austin to a Caribbean Strap match at In Your House, and this past weekend on Superstars Steve accepted... given that Vega is willing to become Ted DiBiase's chauffer if he loses. Speaking of weird looks, add Austin in a windbreaker and wraparound shades to the list

A mystery woman (identified only as the ex-wife of a former professional wrestler) appears in a shadowy interview to mask her face, accusing WWF Champion Shawn Michaels of being a home wrecker who ruined her marriage. She's quite upset about it, but still makes sure to note that he was 'incredible' and the 'best she ever had.' That's two women who have now accused Shawn Michaels of sexual misconduct, though neither has provided any, you know, evidence. Also, you'd think of all people, Lawler would be the last to declare that an accusation is 'proof positive' of wrongdoing

Davey Boy Smith v Fatu: Fatu is doing everything short of passing out money and blowjobs to get people to like him on his way to the ring here. Bulldog tries to go after Fatu's head in the early going, but you can guess how that works out for him. He ends up regrouping in Diana's arms on the outside before heading back in to call for a test-of-strength, but Fatu headbutts him. Charge, but Smith is able to drop Fatu crotch-first across the top rope to avoid it, and he clotheslines the Samoan over the top. Davey whips Fatu into the steps out there, and he dodges another charge as they head back in. We're only, like, four minutes into this, and it's already badly dragging. Davey works him over as a couple of Fatu's family members (the unnamed Samoan Gangster Party) show up in the aisle, observing. Seeing Samu dressed like Godfather is weird. Smith works a sleeper, and Bulldog is acting way too goofy for a top heel involved in the type of angle he is. Fatu reverses the hold, so Bulldog mulekicks him, and dumps Fatu to the outside for Jim Cornette to abuse. Back in, Bulldog misses a legdrop to cue Fatu's comeback, and he hits a backdrop, followed by a cutter for two. That brings Cornette onto the apron, and Bulldog sends Fatu spiraling with a clothesline for two, before finishing with the Running Powerslam at 9:12. This felt like it went on forever. The crowd was hot throughout, though. Afterwards, the Gangsters try to buddy up with Fatu in the aisle, but he wants no part of those thugs. ½*

On Superstars over the weekend, the New Rockers defeated the Godwinns to earn top contendership for the tag team title

The Bodydonnas v Tekno Team 2000: The Bodydonnas' WWF Tag Team Title is not on the line here, because even in a tag division this thin, these two goofs don't warrant a shot. Skip starts with Troy, and gets pounded. Over to Travis for a tandem hiptoss for two, but Skip fights him off for the tag, as Harvey Wippleman observes the action from the aisle. A lot of that going on tonight. The challengers dominate Zip, and Sunny is not happy about that at all. Troy falls prey to a double team to put a smile on her face, and Skip delivers a slingshot side suplex, as we get a look at the New Rockers watching on a monitor in the back. Man, they're just throwing angles at the wall like strands of spaghetti this week. Skip with a northern lights suplex for two, so Troy tries a stinger splash, but Skip dodges. Perhaps he needs to head back to WCW and study the finer points of that one a bit more. The champs with a tandem slingshot suplex for two, and Zip adds a vertical suplex, but misses a flying back-elbowdrop, allowing Travis to snag the tag. He comes in hot, but runs into a double team, and Skip drops him with a rana off the top for Zip to punctuate with a flying axehandle drop at 7:50. Looks like he was going for something else, but Travis was out of position. This wasn't bad, but any world where the tag champions aren't wiping the mat with these guys in under three minutes is poor booking. **

Backstage, Vader is ready to finish the job on Yokozuna at In Your House

Undertaker v Owen Hart: WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust joins us to sit in with the commentary team for this, and immediately starts coming on to McMahon, but his mood drastically changes when Vince informs him that his match with Undertaker at In Your House will be a Casket match. Owen stalls at the bell, and then tries to stick and move, but gets trapped in the corner, and hammered. Undertaker chokes away for a while, but gets distracted by the referee's calls for a break, allowing Owen to run up and kick his leg. Hart goes to work on it, as Goldust abandons his post to go flirt with Paul Bearer. Talk about an 'odd couple!' Bearer's reactions here are fantastic, especially when Goldust tries to undress him right there at ringside. Owen keeps dutifully working the leg as poor Paul bails to the dressing rooms, and he sticks a missile dropkick to set up the Sharpshooter, but Undertaker grabs him by the throat to block. Undertaker comes back with a big boot, and he throws Owen over the top in violent fashion, where Goldust is waiting, and happy to help. Unfortunately, he decides to grab a handful of Owen's ass while 'assisting him,' and as Owen freaks out, Undertaker is able to grab him for the Tombstone at 7:24. Afterwards, Goldust advances on Undertaker, so Bearer returns with a gold colored casket to play his own mind games with the Intercontinental champ. Pretty lackluster match, which was mostly just background for the angle. ¼*

BUExperience: With Nitro again airing outside of its normal timeslot for the second week in a row, RAW is able to not only extend their streak to a record five weeks of competitive wins, but also deliver one of the highest ratings since the start of the war – a number more than double Nitro’s for the night. Despite the strong numbers, it’s another weak show this time out, with the locker room talent so thin that even these mere hour long episodes feel like they’re stretching the roster to a breaking point.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	5/6/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	4.1	1.9
Total Wins	15	14
Win Streak	5
Better Show (as of 4/29)	8	19