WWF RAW is WAR (November 3, 1997)

Original Airdate: November 3, 1997

From Hershey, Pennsylvania; Your Host is Jim Ross, with Jim Cornette (hour one), and with Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler (hour two)

 

Vince brings Steve Austin out to open the show, with Austin clarifying that he cost Ahmed Johnson his title shot against WWF Intercontinental Champion Owen Hart last week because he wants to make sure Owen keeps the belt until Survivor Series so Steve can beat him for it himself. Did that really need clarification? Apparently, because now Ahmed is all angry, and wants Austin tonight. Steve, of course, gladly accepts. The crowd was solidly behind Austin here, and it watching this, it was obvious that he was going straight to the top of the promotion sooner than later

WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Aguila v Super Loco: Sunny acts as the guest ring announcers for this one, and Brian Christopher sits in on commentary. The crowd has no idea who either guy is, and is dead for this as a result. They do a bunch of reversals to start, until Loco spinkicks him out of the ring. He tries a dive, but botches it, and Brian laughs it up on commentary. Aguila has better luck with his own dive, and Loco is looking legitimately frustrated. He manages a springboard flying spinheel kick on the way back inside, and he crotches Aguila across the top rope to set up a flying spinheel kick for another botch. Loco works a surfboard, and a backdrop sends Aguila over the top, setting up a space flying tiger drop. At least it connected. Loco misses another dive on the way back in, allowing Aguila to get to the top, and he knocks Loco to the outside with a missile dropkick. Aguila dives with a flying moonsault press on the floor (or a ‘moonsault like maneuver,’ per Ross), and he armdrags Loco off the top on the way back in. That sets up a flying twisting splash, and Aguila advances at 5:08. This was not very good, with Loco blowing moves all over the place, and both guys looking unsure of themselves. ¾* 

Recently, Ross caught up with Goldust and Marlena in their home, and Marlena is still suffering PTSD from the whole Pillman deal. But things are better now that she can watch movies and have pizza with her family again. Pizza is really good, hard to argue with that. Meanwhile, Goldust sits there looking like someone just ran over his dog, and suddenly says that he ‘can’t do this anymore,’ and that every word out of her mouth is ‘making him sick.’ Maybe he has a gluten allergy? Let’s show some respect. So Goldust decides to dump her right here on TV, since he can’t ‘be himself’ around her. I don’t know, I’ve seen some of those Goldust segments over the last two years, and I’d say that she’s been incredibly tolerant of him ‘being himself.’ Especially in those days. But apparently he doesn’t feel that way, and gives her back his wedding ring, walking out, and leaving her in tears. This was a weird segment, and obviously the result of a rewrite after Pillman’s death

Video package reviewing the long feud between WWF Champion Bret Hart and WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels

Steve Austin v Ahmed Johnson: Doesn’t happen, as Kane comes out after Ahmed’s entrance, and gives him the Tombstone treatment. Clearly they’d lost all faith in Johnson by this point. Mankind runs in to attack Kane after that (drawing a good reaction), before officials break it up. Johnson came off like a complete jobber here, totally impotent. Opposite of that is Austin, who comes out after Kane/Mankind are gone, and he still wants to fight SOMEONE, so he just makes an open challenge. The Nation of Domination answer, and Kama Mustafa is sent in, but the Legion of Doom run out to brawl with the rest of the Nation, and the distraction allows Steve to drop Kama with a Stunner, before walking off - leaving a trail of destruction in his wake with a smirk on his face. For those keeping track, that’s the end of the first hour, and we’ve had exactly five minutes of wrestling thus far

Michael Cole brings DX out for an in-ring interview, since apparently we don’t need to have any actual matches tonight, I guess. They embarrass and run Cole off in short order, allowing Shawn to run his mouth. He takes shots at Hulk Hogan until Triple H interjects… but only so he can take his own shots. He pivots to talking about Ken Shamrock, and apparently his form of intimidation includes promising to get naked with Ken. Well, that would certainly intimidate me. So all this draws Commissioner Slaughter out, looking about a hundred years old out there. DX is ready with the face guards this time, including windshield wipers, however. Hopefully they dug those out again in 2020. You know, because it rained a lot that year. Hunter looks like he’s having the time of his life getting to be cool, but Slaughter rains on their parade by booking Michaels against Shamrock. Hopefully everybody wears pants for that one

Backstage, Marc Mero is manhandling Sable

Earlier today, Savio Vega swore revenge on Marc Mero

Marc Mero v Savio Vega: Wrestling? What black magic is this?! Mero dominates to start, and a jumping shoulderblock finds the mark. Vega tries a dropkick, but Mero dodges, only to have an elbowdropped dodged on him. That allows Vega some chops in the corner, but Marc no-sells, and unloads with some rights and lefts. Savio fires back with a spinheel kick in the corner, and he works a reverse chinlock, while taunting Sable. Vega lets off to go after her, but that allows Marc a schoolboy for two. Vega tries another spinkick, but Marc blocks with a low blow, and the TKO finishes at 2:31. Hey, at least it was a match. “Every day’s a gift… but does it have to be a pair of socks?” Afterwards, Cole comes out to try and talk to Sable about Mero’s new attitude, but Marc won’t let her speak, and drags her to the back. DUD

Dog Collar Match: Davey Boy Smith v Vader: This is four corner rules. Doug Furnas and Philip LaFon join Jim Neidhart in Bulldog’s corner for this, so maybe they were going to give another go at adding them to the stable with Bret’s impending departure? You know, I wonder what WAS the plan for the rest of the group after Bret left, since Davey and Owen weren’t going anywhere, and if Bret left on good terms, they likely wouldn’t have been buried. But, honestly, without Bret there, and the rise of DX (not to mention Austin, who was no fan of Owen’s), they likely would have been shunted pretty far down the card in no time. Vader tees off on him to start, but a big haymaker misses, and Smith clotheslines him over the top. His crew attack Vader on the outside, and back in, Davey touches two corners before the big man cuts him off. Vader unloads in the corner again, as we split screen to Cole asking what Furnas and LaFon are doing here, and apparently they’re teaming with Bulldog and Neidhart at Survivor Series. Vader with a powerbomb, so Neidhart tries blocking him from reaching the fourth corner, but Vader fights him off for the win at 3:31. This was terrible. Afterwards, the group gang up on Vader, until (an unidentified) Steve Blackman makes the save. And then promptly gets beaten up as well. What a star making debut! DUD

Backstage, Ken Shamrock warms up

Billy Gunn and Jesse James v Jose Estrada Jr and Jesus Castillo: I know it wasn’t meant to be, and I certainly wouldn’t want to mess with the trajectory of one of the biggest and most successful characters in the promotion’s history, but part of me really wishes Vince never turned heel, and just continued to do commentary through the Attitude Era. As great as Ross and Lawler were as a team, I feel like we missed out on some truly hilarious unintentional comedy from Vince during that era. The announcers literally don’t even know the names of half the workers in this, and the crowd doesn’t seem particularly interested in all four. Jose goes for the kill on Jesse, but Billy dives in to break the pin, and Jesse covers a clobbered Jose at 5:09. You know, maybe we should go back to the non-wrestling segments again. ¼*

WWF European Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Ken Shamrock: Shamrock attacks before the bell, and he press-drops the champion over the top, onto his entourage. Turtle and Drama would never put up with that. Shawn stalls out there, so Shamrock bashes his head together with Triple H’s, and he brings Michaels in the hard way. Ken continues to pound him in the corner, and a cross corner whip flips Shamrock into a suplex - Shawn able to block by going to the eyes. Shawn rattles him with a few turnbuckle smashes, but Shamrock reverses a cross corner whip, and a bridging fisherman suplex gets him two. He takes Shawn down in an armbar, but Michaels escapes, and forces a criss cross - losing via hiptoss. Looks like Shawn is trying to sandbag Shamrock here a little. Shamrock with a clothesline that sends both men tumbling over the top, and HHH gets in his face out there to allow Shawn a sneak attack. Shamrock fights that off by sending Michaels into the post, but here’s Chyna to send him into it as well. DX do a beat down on the outside before rolling Ken back in, where Michaels is ready with a pair of legdrops. Clothesline, but Shamrock ducks, and comes off the ropes with a bodypress for two. Shawn cuts him off with a clothesline for two, and he grounds his challenger in a chinlock. Ken escapes and hooks a cradle for two, so Shawn goes to the eyes to cut him off again, and a dropkick finds the mark. Cross corner whip works, but the charge in doesn’t, and now Shamrock is able to mount a comeback. Rana, but Michaels counters with a sitout powerbomb for two. Superkick, but Ken ducks, and plants him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Cue interference from HHH, allowing Shawn to try another Superkick, but Ken catches the leg, and counters to an anklelock! Shawn is in trouble, but here comes Rick Rude with his briefcase to save - triggering a DQ at 9:57. Though Shamrock was a bit out of his depth here, these two had definite chemistry, and this was much better than the boring match Shamrock had with Bret Hart last week. ** ½  

BUExperience: This was a bad show, with some of the worst instincts of the era bubbling up, though it had some memorable segments involving the usual suspects. It is kind of odd that we’re one week away from Survivor Series, and both the World and Intercontinental champions don’t even so much as appear this week.

 

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	11/3/97
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.6	4.0
Total Wins	17	84
Win Streak		67
Better Show (as of 10/27)	44	53