WWF RAW is WAR (April 21, 1997)

Original Airdate: April 21, 1997

From Binghamton, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler

Vince brings Steve Austin - fresh off of winning top contendership to the WWF Title - out for an in-ring interview. But Steve doesn't really care about his title shot at the next pay per view, he's pissed that he couldn't properly finish Bret Hart off last night, and wants a Street Fight tonight. He challenges Hart to come out right here and now, but instead the Hitman appears on the TitanTron, accepting the challenge, but when he's good and ready. This was short, to the point, and very effective. No need to spend twenty minutes jawing when you can make the same point in five

Backstage, Austin searches for Bret to force a start to their Street Fight

Ahmed Johnson v Sultan: Ahmed is short on patience, and shoves Sultan around at the bell, then wins a criss cross with a (sloppy) bicycle kick. Axekick follows, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Sultan swats him down with a superkick. Sultan unloads in the corner, but Ahmed turns the tables, so Sultan throws a knee. Piledriver connects for two, so Sultan goes to a chinlock, but a telegraphed backdrop allows Johnson to counter with a gourdbuster for two. Spinebuster follows, and it's Pearl River Plunge time, but the Nation of Domination show up at the top of the ramp to distract him. That allows Sultan to attack on the outside, so Ahmed grabs his 2x4, and there's the DQ at 4:34. Sloppy, a major lack of energy, and a poor finish. ¼*

Backstage, Austin has found the Hart Foundation's dressing room, and is trying to kick the door down, so Bret tells him to go out to the ring, he's ready 

Over in Kuwait, Tiger Ali Singh wins a tournament for the Kuwait Cup by defeating Owen Hart in the finals

Also in Kuwait, Vader threatens a TV host after getting asked if wrestling is fake, and is currently detained as a result. Or, as the WWF calls it, 'held hostage.' They kind of have a point, though. He just grabbed the guy by the necktie, not like he powerbombed him through a table. Calm down, Kuwait. Stop being such a pussy 

Ken Shamrock is going to teach Vader a lesson at In Your House, because apparently Vader is a bully, and Ken has a problem with bullies. He must have loved Bradshaw, then. Ken also throws out a challenge to Mike Tyson while he's got our attention. He must have been so excited when he heard Mike was coming in nine months later. I'd love to have been there when they were, like, 'uh, sorry Ken.' You know, after the laughter subsided

Street Fight: Bret Hart v Steve Austin: Austin is all but foaming at the mouth waiting for Bret, but the Hitman takes his time, frustrating Stone Cold. And then Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith pop out of the crowd to attack before he can even get his hands on Bret. They go to work, but Shawn Michaels pops out of the crowd with a chair to chase them off, and the match is on. Austin is still down, allowing Bret to hit a legdrop, and he unloads in the corner. Watching Bret work in street clothes is odd. It's also one of the few times I've ever seen the dude in street clothes. He almost always wore his gear, even when he wasn't wrestling. I'm pretty sure he was born wearing a singlet. Hart with a piledriver, and his leg (which he legitimately injured during the international tour they were coming off of) is clearly bothering him. Bret grabs a chair and decides to Pillmanize Austin, but Steve dodges the dive, and bashes him in the leg with the chair to turn the tide. Austin unloads on the knee with the chair, but a defiant Hart shoots him the double bird anyway, so Steve decides to punish him with the Sharpshooter. He gets it locked on, but a whole bunch of officials run in to try and call Steve off. Bret hasn't, you know, submitted though, so Steve is, like, fuck that. He keeps the hold on, but Bret won't quit, and really why should he when an army of officials seem to want to save him? And this guy was crying about how unfair the WWF has been to him? So the officials are finally able to break it up, and I guess it's a no-contest at around 7:00. Uh, okay. So this wasn't really a match so much as an angle, but it's TV, that's fine. Afterwards, Bulldog and Owen return to check on a badly injured Hitman, and you know if anyone can sell the shit out of something, it's Bret Hart, and he's in good form tonight. So Bret gets carried out by EMTs, as President Gorilla Monsoon shows up to eject Austin from the building. Why? It's a street fight! No rules! All he did was use a chair and then put a guy in a (perfectly legal even in normal circumstances) submission hold. DUD

Salvatore Sincere v Tiger Ali Singh: This is Singh's TV debut. His tights look just like Owen Hart's just with different colors. Tiger unloads in the corner, as we split screen to Bret getting carted to the ambulance in the back. Tiger with a corner splash and a suplex, and a bulldog follows. What is with Sincere's weird overselling here? Tiger tries a vertical suplex, but Sincere counters with a bridging northern lights version for two, and a slam sets up a 2^nd rope elbowdrop for two. Tiger comes back with a sunset flip for two, but Sincere cuts him off with a clothesline for two. Chincrusher gets two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Tiger counters with a backslide for two. Sincere cuts him off again with chops, but criss cross goes Tiger's way with a spinheel kick for the pin at 4:26. Never mind that the kick missed by several inches. Boy, Sincere looked miserable having to job to this guy here. And, sure, Singh had a bad look and moved awkwardly, but who the fuck is Sal Sincere to think he's above putting anyone over? ½*

Backstage, Bret is still being wheeled to the ambulance. Just how big is this building? So they finally get him into the ambulance, and suddenly we have another camera in there, where Austin is waiting in the drivers seat to attack again. He gets some shots in before Bulldog and Owen can save, and poor Bret hangs off the stretcher while strapped to it. Interesting how we now suddenly have coverage of everything from many angles, like in a TV show or movie, as opposed to the usual style where the camera has a reason for being somewhere, and is acknowledged as being there by the wrestlers. The 'invisible camera person' is definitely something that got tiresome later on, but it was an interesting change of pace in 1997. So, with Bret finally on his way to the hospital, Bulldog and Owen set off to find (and kill) Austin. Owen's University of Michigan tracksuit is an interesting choice. Maybe Scott Steiner left it behind on his way out the door in 1994?

Jesse James v Rockabilly: The match so nice you had to see it twice! Rockabilly attacks before the bell, pounding Jesse into the corner to start. Rocker dropper, but James dodges, and hooks the leg for two. Armdrag puts Rockabilly in an armbar, but he fights into the ropes, so Jesse uses a sunset flip for two. Rockabilly cuts him off with a clothesline for two, and a vertical suplex gets two. Corner whip sets up a backelbow on the rebound for two, and Rockabilly snaps Jesse's throat across the top rope. This is painfully dull 'action,' and needs to get off my screen, like, now. Rockabilly with a snapmare into a chinlock, and he pounds him in the corner, as I fight the urge to sleep. Jesse finally starts making the comeback following a bodypress for two, and thank God, because I was about to try cleaning my teeth with a handgun. Rockabilly fights him off with a hotshot in the corner, however, and the Shake Rattle and Roll ends it at 8:49. Afterwards, Honky Tonk Man comes in to break a guitar over Jesse's head as payback for a couple of weeks ago. –¼*

Backstage, Austin and Michaels are arguing, as apparently Monsoon ejecting Steve from the building was less an 'ejection' than a 'suggestion'

Backstage, Mankind describes watching Paul Bearer's face melt away after the match with Undertaker last night. Pleasant

Undertaker v Hunter Hearst Helmsley: Undertaker's WWF Title is not on the line, since poor HHH just can't get a break. Undertaker is eager to get started, and drags HHH in to pound in the corner. Backdrop, but HHH counters with a kneeling facebuster, and uses a clothesline to rattle the champion. Undertaker won't go down for him, however. Undertaker starts working the arm, and a ropewalk forearm gets him two, so he goes to a chinlock. HHH escapes and throws more right hands, this time managing to actually get Undertaker down in the corner as he works the burn on his face from Mankind's fireball a few weeks ago. HHH looked like such a slim anus at this point. Kneedrop gets him two, but a cross corner whip backfires when Undertaker rebounds with a rocker dropper. Undertaker with a cross corner whip of his own to flip HHH over the buckles, and he adds a right hand for two. Nervehold time, since he probably remembers Yokozuna doing it do him all the time in 1994, and he got a year long title reign, so why not? HHH escapes and dumps him to the outside for a trip into the steps, and he dives from the apron with an axehandle. Back in, Hunter works a chinlock of his own, which Undertaker sells by looking slightly annoyed. Hunter pounds him into the corner as we spot Goldust and Marlena hanging out in the crowd, but Undertaker starts no-selling, and turns the tables - Hunter taking a bump over the top off of a right hand. Undertaker forces him back in for a chokeslam, but he gets distracted by Mankind coming down the aisle wielding a blowtorch. Yeah, well, that'll do it. Undertaker abandons HHH to go after him, but gets bashed in the face with the canister, triggering a DQ win at 13:55. This was super boring. Mankind comes in to beat Undertaker down with the canister so he can light him up proper, and some poor kid in the crowd looks ready to shit. Fortunately for his underpants, Mankind can't get it lit, and Undertaker makes the comeback for a brawl into the crowd. Meanwhile, HHH is standing around watching, so Marlena jumps Chyna, and Goldust attacks Hunter. The kid in the crowd shrugging at all this sums it up perfectly. ¼*

Vince brings Austin back out to recap his evening, and Steve is happy to gloat. He also gets in Vince's face, noting that McMahon is 'trying to jump on the Austin train,' and threatening to 'knock (his) ass out.' I love how unapologetically heelish he is, despite being programmed as a babyface, and getting a babyface reaction. Like, he even tells the crowd that he doesn't care what they think, and they just cheer him louder. So all this leads to Bulldog and Owen running in on him, and Vince actually tries to get physically involved to save him, but that goes badly. Cue Shawn with that chair again to chase them off, and Vince is looking pissed at all the chaos. That allows Austin to recover, but before he can leave the ring, Brian Pillman comes out of the crowd to attack him with a chair of his own. He sets up a Pillmanizing, but Shawn returns to save, and we're out

BUExperience: Everybody talks about what a great episode this was, but I dunno, I don’t really see it. I remember that I hated it back in 1997 because I couldn’t stand Austin, and loved Bret. Even now, it’s got five matches, all of them terrible, and nothing in the way of angles outside of the Hart/Austin stuff. And, sure, that’s strong stuff, and the Pillman attack at the end was strong stuff... but not quite enough to carry a two hour episode of television.

 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	4/21/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.8	3.4
Total Wins	17	59
Win Streak		42
Better Show (as of 4/14)	29	44