WWF RAW is WAR (June 30, 1997)

Original Airdate: June 30, 1997

 

From Des Moines, Iowa; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler

 

Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Ken Shamrock: Vince is STILL on about freedom of expression this week. Ken dominates him with basic stuff in the early going, so HHH pokes him in the eyes, and unloads in the corner. Helmsley with a high knee, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two. He grabs a chinlock that quickly turns into a blatant choke, and a criss cross allows Hunter to dump him over the top for Chyna to toss into the steps. That draws Mankind out, and the distraction allows Shamrock to recover with a belly-to-belly suplex at 4:41. ¾*

 

Ahmed Johnson is in the hospital recovering from surgery on his knee, and he's calling out WWF Champion Undertaker for sending those bikers after him last week. Sounded pretty farfetched in 1997, but it sure wouldn't just a few years later. It's pretty funny seeing Ahmed whisper yell his promo, trying not to cause a ruckus in the hospital

 

Backstage, Michael Cole makes his debut, interviewing the Legion of Doom. He seems like such a Todd Pettengill clone at this point, and it's no surprise learning that Todd helped get him the job

 

Backstage, Sunny hypes up the SummerSlam Million Dollar Chance giveaway. I get that business was down and Bret had a huge contract, but how bad were things that they couldn't even afford to stick hundreds OVER the ones?

 

#1 Contender's Tournament Semifinal Match: The Legion of Doom v Faarooq and D-lo Brown: Both teams brawl to start, and the dust settles on Animal and Faarooq. Faarooq tries a 2^nd rope bodypress, but gets caught in a powerslam, and Hawk tags in with a fistdrop. That allows the tag to Brown (with Faarooq initially going to the wrong corner, in a funny botch), as the Godwinns show up to observe from the stage. Brown (called 'Kama Mustafa' by Vince, since they all look alike to him, apparently) dominates Hawk in the corner, but telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a neckbreaker for two. A brawl breaks out again for no real reason, and Animal powerslams Brown. That draws Kama (the real one) onto the apron, allowing the Godwinns to run in to break up the cover following the Doomsday Device (or 'Devastation Device,' per Ross). That allows Faarooq to cover Hawk at 3:01. This was bad, and the announcers were fucking up as much as the workers. Afterwards, Faarooq complains that, if Ahmed Johnson is hurt, then someone else from the Nation should take his place for the title shot at In Your House, not Vader. He's got a point, especially since Kama pinned Undertaker in a tag match a couple of weeks ago. This draws Savio Vega out, and he clarifies that he wasn't fired from the Nation, he quit. Shut up bro, you'll lose your unemployment. And, like Crush, he's got a new gang - introducing us to Los Boricuas, which I think means 'hospital orderlies' in Spanish, based on the way they're dressed. They get into a tame brawl with the Nation, until the DOA ride out on their bikes, and the other two gangs just stand around watching them. This was a pretty lame segment, kicking off one of my least favorite angles ever. And it went on seemingly forever, too. –¼*

 

Backstage, the Boricuas pop in, totally ruining Michael Cole's microphone holding practice time

 

This month's RAW Magazine exposes a secret relationship between Brian Pillman and Sunny. Based on the way he's dressed, I'm going to guess that relationship didn't amount to much more than painting each other's nails

 

Here's a look back at Ivan Putski, who competed about two hundred years ago, based on the footage

 

Brian Christopher v Scott Putski: Oh God, speaking of weird looks, Putski looks like he fell asleep in a tanning bed. For a week. But at least all of Ahmed's baby oil budget won't go to waste while he's on the shelf. Putski with a sidewalk slam for two, and I'm surprised he's even able to execute moves with all that baby oil. Brian fights him off and hits a 2^nd rope dropkick for two, and a northern lights suplex follows. Corner whip sets up a charge, but a rana ends badly when Putski counters with a sitout powerbomb. Scott makes a comeback, looking like the best student at Warrior University. Flying splash looks to finish, but Jerry Lawler hops on the apron to distract him, and Brian attacks. Putski quickly fights him off, so Lawler has to interfere AGAIN, and finally Brian is able to put it away at 3:34. Afterwards, Lawler and Christopher beat Putski down, and talk trash about his dad. *

 

'Cause Stone Cold Said So home video ad, which will feature clips from his time in ECW. That's definitely a first for this promotion. Vince seems particularly giddy about seeing Austin impersonate Hulk Hogan

 

Speaking of impressions, Undertaker seems to be doing his Mankind one

 

We get clips of Great Sasuke to hype up his appearance at In Your House, also with clips from outside promotions

 

Earlier today, Brian Pillman made a 'sincere' apology for assaulting a fan on Shotgun Saturday Night

 

Mankind v Brian Pillman: Mankind has his 'pick me Steve' sign again this week, and he also brings Ross a gift as an apology for assaulting him during their sit down interview a few weeks ago. Pillman attacks and beats Mankind with his own gift, however, and chokes him with the sign. Inside, Brian tries a 2^nd rope dropkick, but Mankind dodges, and hits a running kneesmash in the corner. Steve Austin split screens in to clarify that he thinks Mankind sucks, however. Mankind with a clothesline, as Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna show up to observe from the ramp. That was such a popular thing to do in both promotions during this period. Mankind stays focused, dumping Pillman to the outside for a baseball slide, but Brian whacks him with the ring bell out there. Pillman sends him into the post next, so Mankind tries a charge, but ends up colliding with the steps. Back in, Pillman bites at him, but that sets Mankind off, and he crotches Brian on the post. Mandible Claw time, but HHH runs down, distracting him. Mankind brawls with Hunter on the outside, allowing Pillman to attack with his boot. Hunter grabs a chair, but accidentally hits Brian (in the softest shot I've ever seen - and it was a padded chair to begin with), though Pillman still beats the count for the win at 8:06. This was pretty bad, right on par with their other match from the night after King of the Ring. Mankind took it surprisingly easy with the bumping this week, though. ½*

 

Paul Bearer joins us, and actually gets tackled by some crazed goth fan during his entrance. But that doesn't deter him from spilling the beans on Undertaker's secret. So we get the debut of Kane (in name only, of course), as he tells a story of how child Undertaker started a fire that killed his parents and brother. This was a good segment, but it's significantly more interesting in hindsight, as an origin story for two of the longest running characters in WWE history. Bearer was also great at getting this particular type of thing over, as only he (or maybe Jim Cornette) could do properly. Too bad he doesn't touch on how Brother Love somehow factored into the whole thing

 

Sable hypes up the SummerSlam Million Dollar Chance giveaway. She doesn't have the natural charisma that Sunny does in this sort of role

 

#1 Contender's Tournament Semifinal Match: Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith v The Headbangers: Owen starts with Mosh, pounding him into the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Mosh backdrops him. Dropkick and a bodyslam get two, and it's over to Thrasher for a tandem flapjack for two. Owen fights Thrasher off with a chincrusher to allow the tag to Bulldog, but Thrasher is ready with a series of armdrags to shake him off. He tries a standing side-headlock, but Davey makes a blind tag to Owen, and Hart comes in with a spinheel kick. Owen with a vertical suplex for two, and a tandem clothesline with Bulldog gets two, as Bret Hart calls in from up in Calgary. Bulldog with a hanging vertical suplex, and Owen with a dropkick for two, as Bret hypes up the pay per view. Why does he sound so laid back, though? Not that he needs to be yelling and screaming, but he sounds like my accountant explaining IRA deductions, or something. Thrasher fights Bulldog off long enough for the hot tag to Mosh, and Roseanne Barr the door. The Headbangers go for a double team on Owen, but Bulldog cuts them off, and Hart somersault cradles Mosh at 4:07. This was solid enough, though completely forgettable. Afterwards, Jim Cornette shows up and sics the Squat Team on all four guys, though they're completely unimpressive, and the debut falls totally flat. Doesn't help that Bulldog and Owen just walked away from them, and the Headbangers fought them off with relative ease. * ½

 

Backstage, WWF Champion Undertaker reacts to the whole murder charge thing. He's all torn up about it, but he wants to clarify that the fire was started by his little brother Kane, and not him. This was strong stuff, and Undertaker did a good job with the material

 

Vader v Rockabilly: Vader looks like a toothpick beside Paul Bearer. Rockabilly breaks the guitar over Vader's back at the bell, and that's somehow not a DQ, but then Undertaker runs in, and that is a DQ at 0:26. Undertaker beats Vader down, and then attacks Bearer, threatening to 'kill (him) right now' if he doesn't tell the truth. And so Paul does, revealing that Kane is alive. This was more good stuff, and they showed surprising restraint for this era in not doing the reveal until October. DUD

 

Steve Austin v Jim Neidhart: Jim attacks before the bell, pounding Austin into the corner. Austin fights him off and manages a bodyslam for two, and he grabs a standing side-headlock, as Ross goes into hard sell mode for the pay per view. Neidhart reverses the headlock, so Steve forces a criss cross, and hits a sloppy Thesz-press to set up mounted punches. Steve goes for a sharpshooter, but Neidhart manages to block, so Austin works an abdominal stretch instead. Really? I do love that Steve still grabs the ropes for leverage, despite being a babyface now. No one understood his character and motivations quite like Steve Austin. They spill to the outside, where Steve bodyslams him on the ramp, as we see Bret Hart attack Ken Shamrock backstage. Well, I guess at least now he has an excuse for being so quiet earlier - he didn't want to be discovered. Into the ring, Neidhart gets control, as Ross seems more upset that Bret lied about his whereabouts more than he is that Shamrock just took a severe beating. Neidhart works a chinlock, but Austin fights free, so Jim tries a sleeper. Austin uses a jawbreaker to escape, covering for two, but Jim cuts him off with a front-facelock. I love how Neidhart is working like it's a house show in 1987. Jim with a bodyslam to set up a 2^nd rope splash, but Steve dodges. Austin makes a comeback, but here comes Bret for the DQ at 10:17. Hart and Neidhart puts a beating on Austin, and with Shamrock beaten up, Goldust and the Legion of Doom apparently not in the building, all looks hopeless for ol' Stone Cold. Cue Mankind for the save, so the rest of the Foundation run out to attack HIM - beating on him with chairs as we go off the air! *

 

BUExperience: Hot start to a solid go-home show for In Your House.

 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	6/30/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.5	3.3
Total Wins	17	69
Win Streak		52
Better Show (as of 6/23)	35	47