WWF Monday Night RAW (February 17, 1997)

Original Airdate: February 17, 1997

From Nashville, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

We're supposed to start with new WWF Champion Bret Hart defending his title against Sycho Sid, but Steve Austin runs in before they can start the match, and goes after Bret. Sid intervenes (more out of concern for his title shot than giving a shit about Hart or Austin), but engaging Steve proves to be a mistake, and Sid ends up getting his knee clipped. The officials manage to clear Austin out, but now Sid is hurt and can't compete, so they decide to postpone the match so Sid can get checked out

On Thursday RAW Thursday cried a lot, and vacated the WWF Title, which Bret then won last night at In Your House. You know the product is getting edgier when they're showing close-ups of Vader's extremely bloody face on TV, when just a year earlier they were still going to wide shots for minor cuts on pay per views, and writing condescending letters about WCW's blading practices

Kevin Kelly is backstage with Sid, who seems to be pretty okay, so maybe he's just got a case of the Shawn Michaels'

Marc Mero v Savio Vega: Vega pounds him at the bell, and a turnbuckle smash puts Marc in the corner for more shots. Criss cross ends in Marc pulling out an overhead armdrag, and a dropkick sends Vega to the outside for a somersault plancha - Mero taking Crush out along with Savio on the landing. Back in, Mero hits a cross corner whip, but the follow-up charge is met with a boot, and Vega chokes him down. Savio with a cross corner whip of his own to set up a corner spinheel kick, but a clothesline misses, and Mero hits a sloppy bodypress for two. Savio quickly cuts him off and delivers a turnbuckle smash to set up some chops in the corner, but Marc turns the tables, and rattles Vega with rights and lefts. Mero with a ten-punch in the corner, but Vega fights him off with a hotshot, as the camera spends more time on Sable than the action. Vega with a snap suplex before dumping Marc to the outside for the Nation to attack, but Sable chases them away, and Vega misses a corner splash on the way back in. That allows Mero to start making a comeback, and a Samoan drop looks to set up the Wild Thing, but the Nation is going after Sable, causing Vega to get disqualified at 4:13. That finish didn't even make any sense. Like, they were going after her on the outside, so she ran into the ring to get away from them, and somehow that results in Vega eating a DQ? She came into the ring! Doesn't matter why, that should be Mero's problem. And, honestly, it shouldn't even be a DQ anyway, since people come in all the time, the precedent has always been that some sort of contact triggers the DQ. Anyway, the Nation corner them both, and it looks like it's beat down time in Nashville, but Ahmed Johnson runs out with a 2x4 to make the save. ¾*

WrestleMania 13 ad. I thought 'heat' was such a stupid subtitle at the time, and it sounds even stupider now

WWF Champion Bret Hart is annoyed with Steve Austin, and shit dude, me too. I don't think I've ever hated a heel more than I did Austin in early 1997. I hated him so much that it took me until mid-1998 before I could get on board with him as a babyface

Sunny will be on Entertainment Tonight tomorrow to discuss being America Online's most downloaded celebrity. Pretty sure that was worked, but whatever, I'll allow it. I assume that honor would go to someone like Clint Eastwood today

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Rocky Maivia v Leif Cassidy: Sunny acts as the guest timekeeper for this one. They slug it out to start, won by Rocky with a clothesline over the top. Back in, Rocky hits a bodypress for two, and armdrags Cassidy into a wristlock, as Hunter Hearst Helmsley appears on split screen to cut a promo on Rocky and Goldust. Funny moment as Ross tells him that "Goldust is here tonight," to which HHH responds "I've heard Goldust is here tonight." Well, yeah. Cassidy escapes the hold, but Rocky schoolboys for two, so Cassidy goes to the eyes. This match is not working at all. Cassidy works an armbar, and this is getting so boring that we actually cut to a split screen of the announcers while they work. The announcers! Two guys sitting and talking is apparently more interesting than their match. Ouch. Cassidy with a single-arm DDT to set up another armbar, and now we get a split screen of Sunny, which at least is decidedly more interesting than this match. Cassidy with a bodyslam to set up a flying axehandle for two, and another bodyslam sets up a second dive, but this time Rocky slams him off the top, and starts making a comeback. Rocky with a flying bodypress, but he lets off his own cover at one, wanting to finish with the running shoulderbreaker instead at 9:26. Oh man, this was terrible. Everything about this reeked of some 80s house show match, and it's almost unbelievable that they actually put their secondary title on Rocky at this point. DUD

Jerry Lawler grabs an 'ECW rules' sign away from some fan that's been waiving it in his face all night, and cuts a ranting promo on ECW, calling them a 'bunch of misfits and has-beens who couldn't make it in the WWF.' Well, he's mostly right. It's a good promo, making ECW look both small time and giving them street cred at the same time. Anyway, Lawler challenges these 'ECW boys' to show up at RAW next week, which is certainly something interesting. I really liked the part where he goes on a rant about how a friend of his in Memphis went to Nitro with a 'Jerry Lawler' sign, but they took it away from him, unlike here in the WWF, where they believe in free speech. Yeah, just like they think blading is 'barbaric,' right?

Kevin Kelly brings Goldust and Marlena out to talk about HHH, and Ross references The Nashville Network, which is funny considering RAW would later end up there for a little while. Anyway, Goldust is pissed because Hunter made an 'indecent proposal' to Marlena. Marlena then takes the microphone to clarify that Goldust is straight, and that's pretty much the whole point of the interview, since it's 1997, and fans were still booing Goldust because they thought he's gay. That draws HHH out, and he kicks the shit out of Goldust, but at least now it's not a potential hate crime, so that's a plus. HHH delivers the Pedigree, so Marlena attacks him, which I don't think will go a long way in making people see Goldust as 'all man.' Anyway THAT draws (a still unnamed) Chyna out, attacking Marlena a second time, and still being sold as a deranged fan. Or an 'amazon,' as Ross tries like hell to get over

The Headbangers v The Hardy Boys: No 'z' yet. The Bangers attack before the bell, and the dust settles on Mosh and Jeff Hardy. Jeff dominates by working the arm, and passes to Matt Hardy, who runs into a powerslam. Tag to Thrasher for a 2^nd rope clothesline, as Faarooq pops in for a split screen promo about Ahmed Johnson. Good promo, too. Meanwhile, the Bangers work Matt over, as Ross and Lawler have a funny conversation about mosh pits, and how Ross has 'seen them on the news.' Thrasher misses an elbowdrop to allow a tag to Jeff, and he comes in hot with dropkicks, but Mosh kills him with a big clothesline, and the powerbomb/flying legdrop combo finishes at 4:01. The Hardy's looked more like The Extreme from WCW at this point than the guys they'd eventually become. ½*

Sid is doing his Vader impressions backstage

WWF Champion Bret Hart and Sycho Sid are set to come back out to try having their match again, and Sid's knee is looking fine as he makes his entrance. Unfortunately, Austin attacks Hart before he even gets through the curtain (with Hart just leaving his dressing room well after his music starts playing... he really is late for everything), so no match for now. Couldn't they eject Austin from the building after the first time? Just lock the damn doors, you morons! I remember getting really annoyed by these teases back in 1997, but at least they're doing something to make things more exciting. WWF President Gorilla Monsoon then clarifies that we will get this title match tonight, since the WWF isn't like 'other people' who tease matches and then don't deliver. Who could he be talking about, I wonder? So mysterious

Owen Hart v Flash Funk: Funk's gimmick may not have gotten over, but damn, that music was pretty catchy. They trade wristlocks through a flashy reversal sequence to start, and Flash gets the first takedown, followed by a dropkick. Armdrag leaves Owen in an armbar, and another reversal sequence ends in Owen hitting a clothesline. Elbowdrop misses, however, so Flash throws another dropkick, and both guys back off. Owen tries some taunts to get this dead crowd into things, as Paul Heyman calls in to accept Lawler's challenge for next week on behalf of ECW. Flash with a superkick, but a corner charge misses, and Hart hits a lariat. Sharpshooter can't even wake up the crowd, but Owens gets distracted by Clarence Mason, and Flash cradles for two. Funk with a dropkick to send Hart over the top, and Flash dives after him. That draws Davey Boy Smith out to figure out what's up with Mason, as Owen and Flash get into a pinfall reversal sequence back in the ring. Owen with a bridging German suplex for two, and an overhead suplex gets two, as Austin pops up on split screen to explain 'what's wrong with him.' Again, why is he even still in the building? Hart with a 2^nd rope elbowdrop for two, and a gutwrench suplex is worth two. Meanwhile, the crowd is still asleep. Hart misses a corner charge to allow Flash to start making his comeback, and a flying bodypress gets him two. Corner whip and a corner splash lead to a bodyslam, and Flash goes up with a flying moonsault for two. That triggers interference from Bulldog, and Owen capitalizes with a spinheel kick at 10:33. Not a very good match, but notice how they're packing in as many angles as possible into every segment to up the intrigue now. * ¼

WrestleMania ad

Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Bart Gunn: Honky Tonk Man joins us for guest commentary. Ross calls Hunter over to the announce desk to ask what his relationship to the unnamed Chyna is, but he claims he has no idea who she is. Yeah, he does that now, too. Bart works a wristlock early on, so Helmsley tries criss crossing, but gets hiptossed. Bart adds a dropkick before armdragging HHH into an armbar, as Lawler makes cracks about the validity of Shawn Michaels' injuries. Yeah, him and everyone else at the time. HHH escapes the armbar, but misses a corner charge, and gets armdragged right back into it. HHH escapes again, and this time manages to land a high knee as they criss cross, but Goldust runs in, chasing HHH into the crowd to give Bart the countout win at 4:34. Nothing going on here before the angle finish. DUD

Dr. James Andrews sends in a pre-taped update on Shawn Michaels' condition. He won't need surgery at this point, and just needs rehab. There's an understatement

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Sycho Sid: Okay, so for real this time. Bret pounds him into the corner right away, but Sid turns the tables, and it's worth noting that Sid is getting a bigger babyface reaction than Bret here. Hart fights back with a Russian legsweep and a headbutt, but Sid just keeps punching, and it's hard to argue with that. Bret manages a backbreaker to set up a headbutt to the groin, and Hart dives with a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop. Hart pounds the lower back, as they clarify that Undertaker will challenge for the WWF Title at WrestleMania. Did they ever officially explain how he became top contender? Like, he already got his title shot at Final Four, and lost. If anything, Sid should have just gotten the title shot at WrestleMania. Not that Bret/Sid should have been the WrestleMania main event, but just logically within kayfabe for the same reason he's getting this title shot tonight. Bret goes after the leg in very heel-like fashion, and debuts the ringpost figure four. Sloppy version too, looked like Sid forgot to grab his leg there. Bret keeps working the part, but Sid fights him off in the corner, and hits a clothesline to set up a legdrop for two. Slam sets up a 2^nd rope legdrop for two, and holy shit did that look bad. Points for effort, but just... no. Chokeslam, but Bret blocks, and puts Sid on the ropes for a bodypress - only for the challenger to dodge, and Hart to wipe out in the ropes. Bret still manages to backdrop Sid over the top anyway, and here comes Stone Cold! Sid fights him off on the outside, and actually tries a slingshot sunset flip on the way back in, but Bret counters to the Sharpshooter. He gets the hold applied, but here's Steve to hit him with a chair to break it up, and Sid delivers the Powerbomb to win the title at 13:53 – the first time the big belt had ever changed hands on RAW. Oh man, I can't even begin to tell you how much that result pissed me off back in '97. The match itself wasn't very good, but Sid was trying really hard, pulling off stuff like dives, and sunset flips, and shit. Not that he did any of those things WELL, mind you, but you know. Afterwards, Undertaker shows up for a stare down to set up WrestleMania. ¾*

BUExperience: A very eventful episode, as the show starts to look more like what we remember as the Attitude Era product, even if visually it was still a New Generation presentation. I think they ran more angles on this show than they used to in a whole set of tapings just a few months before.

It’s also worth noting that tonight drew Nitro’s lowest rating in over six months, but RAW didn’t gain any audience at all. I assume there was something going on in the world that stole some attention away from wrestling that night, probably sports.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	2/17/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.1	2.9
Total Wins	17	50
Win Streak		33
Better Show (as of 2/10)	22	42