WWF Monday Night RAW (November 11, 1996)

Original Airdate: November 11, 1996 (taped October 21)

From Fort Wayne, Indiana; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith v Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid: Steve Austin split screens in during the entrances to cut a promo on Bret Hart, as Vince hastily apologizes for what happened last week, though neither mentions the gun angle specifically. Owen tries to Pearl Harbor Sid at the bell, but quickly eats a corner whip, followed by a matslam. Sid unloads with those softball pitches in the corner, but Owen turns the tables with a ten-punch, so Sid shoves him off. Hart is bumping all over the ring here. Over to Shawn with a flying axehandle, and he holds Hart in an armbar, but Owen forces a criss cross. Shawn gets the better of it with a monkeyflip, followed by a hiptoss, and Owen takes a clothesline over the top. He passes to Bulldog on the way back in, but Shawn armdrags him over, and passes to Sid. Sid throws kicks, but Davey fights him off with a hanging vertical suplex, only to miss a legdrop. Tag back to Shawn for a 2^nd rope fist, but he takes a cheap shot from Owen while running the ropes, and the tag champs wishbone him. Hart with an inverted atomic drop as the champions cut the ring in half, and Vince gives us he hard sell for Survivor Series. Owen tries a flying bodypress to put it away, but Shawn rolls through for two, but is so disoriented that he falls into the heel corner while trying to dive for the tag. That allows the champs to double team, and Owen throws a spinheel kick for two. Suplex, but Shawn manages a small package for two, so Owen quickly traps him on the mat, and passes to Bulldog before Michaels can tag. More double teaming leaves Shawn in a heap, but Bulldog picks him up for Owen to missile dropkick - only for Hart to hit his own partner! That's finally enough to allow the hot tag to Sid, and Roseanne Barr the door! Chokeslam on Bulldog leads to the Powerbomb, but here comes Owen. That allows Smith to backdrop his way out of trouble, so Shawn launches a Superkick - only to hit Sid when Davey ducks! Bulldog falls on top of Sid as Owen neutralizes Michaels, and the champs retain at 11:52. Good stuff here, with exemplary heel tag psychology and smooth work from the champs, plus excellent timing on Shawn's part. Like his contemporary Bret Hart, he was a true expert at the timing and execution of hope spots. Afterwards, Owen gives Shawn a leg-feed enzuigiri for old times sake, leaving both babyfaces down and out in the ring. ***

Kevin Kelly is backstage, where Shawn and Sid have had to be separated following the tag match. Hopefully neither gets called down to the principal's office

Dok Hendrix is here with your Survivor Series report. I miss Pettengill. They're going really hard on the hype for the mystery partner in one of the elimination matches for what a dud that turned out to be

Kevin Kelly is outside of Sid's dressing room trying to get a word, but the big man is busy throwing a tantrum behind closed doors

Mankind v Freddie Joe Floyd: Floyd tries to stay off the ropes in the early going, and manages to land a dropkick, but gets dropped before he can follow up. Floyd takes a bump over the top, and Mankind hits a guillotine legdrop on the way back in, before cross corner whipping him to set up a running kneesmash. Piledriver connects, and the Mandible Claw finishes at 2:43. Afterwards, the lights flicker, and Undertaker's Paul Bearer effigy lowers from the ceiling again. ¼*

Hall of Fame ceremony ad

Rocky Maivia vignette. If you told me then that this goofy dork would one day become the biggest star in the world (not wrestling world, but world full stop), I would have... had a very hard time believing you. I mean, I wouldn't have called you an idiot, or anything, because that's not how I roll. But I might have been thinking it

Kevin Kelly is still backstage, where Sid has now taken his tantrum out into the hallway. This dude needs to chill in the worst way

Big Bang Boom tour ad

Backstage, Sid has finally calmed down enough to talk, and then Kelly has to go and set him off again by noting that it looked like what happened in the ring was an 'honest mistake.' Still though, a raging Sid is still probably a safer work environment than a gun toting Brian Pillman, so consider it a step up for old KK

Also backstage, Steve Austin is ready to kick Bret Hart's ass, but since that's still days away, he's going to settle for Bob Holly instead. He's either sweating a TON here, or someone poured an entire bucket of water over his head before the camera went on. No middle ground

In Karate Fighters Holiday Tournament action, this week it's Dok Hendrix taking on Sable, with Dok playing Karate Fighters like he's trying to show Sable how he motorboats, or something. Luckily he loses, so we never have to go through the trauma of watching Michael Hayes make any of those noises and/or faces ever again

Shawn Michaels is out of the shower, and ready to talk to Kelly, even though he's only wearing a towel. I get that it's a locker room, but it's hard to take a dude without pants seriously. Outside of prison and Winnie the Pooh, of course

Steve Austin v Bob Holly: Austin has dried off a lot, so I'm guessing he borrowed Shawn's towel in between the promo and his entrance. The only question that now remains is whether or not we have a naked and enraged Shawn Michaels running around backstage, or if Austin 'borrowed' the towel before Shawn got out of the shower. Hopefully the latter, or else I could see Kelly actively trying to get assigned to Pillman duty again. Feeling out process to start, as Bret Hart observes on a monitor backstage. Steve takes control with a hotshot to set up a 2^nd rope pointed elbow for two, as Bret studies him. Steve uses a kneedrop before going to town with turnbuckle smashes, and cross corner whipping Bob. Holly manages to knock him down for a splash, but Austin gets the knees up to block, and he works a headlock. Holly slugs free, but runs into a Thesz-press as they criss cross. Austin unloads with mounted punches, but Bob counters with a sunset cradle for two, and manages a rana. Dropkick finds its mark for two, so Holly goes up with a dive, but Austin lifts his boot to block. That allows him to hit the Stunner, and Holly is done at 7:19. Solid action. Afterwards, Austin marches to the back to go look for Bret, though the backstage stuff is obviously pre-taped, because he's covered in water the same way he was in the pre-match promo. Anyway, he finds the room Bret is in, but the door is locked, so nothing happens. Really, that's it? Last week, you drove out to Kentucky and broke into a man's home simply because you perceived some minor disrespect, but now a little locked door is enough to send you packing? ** ¼

BUExperience: Nothing ground breaking or water cooler worthy like last week, but solid action and focused build for the top matches at Survivor Series make this a good hour of wrestling.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	11/11/96
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.5	3.7
Total Wins	17	37
Win Streak		20
Better Show (as of 11/4)	17	34