What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw - August 11, 1997

by Logan Scisco

-Jim Ross narrates a video package that recaps the big events on last week’s show.

-Shawn Michaels tells a camera man to get away from him in the backstage area as we go on the air.

-Vince McMahon, Jerry “the King” Lawler, and Ross are doing announcing duties tonight and they are broadcasting from Biloxi, Mississippi.

-Ross interviews Shawn Michaels, who comes out to a chorus of boos.  He still high fives fans, though.  Michaels reiterates that he does not care how the fans feel about him and criticizes McMahon for not telling him that he would be wrestling Mankind tonight.  The fans work out a “Shawn is gay” chant and Michaels responds by telling them to ask their mothers and sisters how gay he is.  Michaels alleges that there is a conspiracy in the WWF against him and he warns Commissioner Sergeant Slaughter not to steal his spotlight.  This obviously brings out Slaughter, who says he is getting into Michaels business, and Michaels mocks him and tells Slaughter that he has an insurance policy to deal with Mankind and the WWF officials trying to mess with him tonight.  This opening segment went too long and it closed awkwardly, but it did continue Michaels momentum as a quasi-heel character.

-The Biloxi fans share their thoughts about tonight’s Shawn Michaels-Mankind match.  Most fans think Michaels will win.

-Hawk whips a Raw is War barrel in the locker room to prepare for tonight’s “country whipping” match with Henry Godwinn tonight.

-Henry Godwinn tells the announce team that he can’t wait to whip the skin off of Hawk’s back tonight.

-Opening Country Whipping Contest:  Hawk (w/Animal) defeats Henry Godwinn (w/Phineas Godwinn) at 3:48

In this match each competitor has a strap and they can use it as much as they please and it is no disqualification.  The winner is the first man who can send their opponent out of the ring.  The British Bulldog and Owen Hart are on commentary and they hype the Fatal Four Way tag team match at Ground Zero, which will be for the tag team championships.  This contest starts with some decent intensity, but quickly dies because of the limitations of the competitors.  That said, I do admire both guys for taking some nasty strap shots to the back.  Hawk modifies his flying clothesline finisher with the strap, but this brings Phineas into the ring to interfere.  Of course that brings Animal into the ring and he sends the Godwinns out of the ring by using one of their slop buckets and it ends the contest.  They should have just made this a tag match after going with that ending.  Rating:  ½*

-Sergeant Slaughter reminds Brian Pillman that because he lost last week that he will have to wear a dress this week.

-Light Heavyweight Exhibition:  Scott Putski defeats Tony Williams with a Polish Hammer at 3:28:

Before the bout begins, Goldust and Marlena come down to the ring for commentary and Goldust says that he and Marlena have a big surprise and they show a hidden camera of Brian Pillman’s locker room in the split screen.  It is basically GTV and Pillman is shown having difficulty getting into a dress for tonight’s match and he throws a tantrum.  Aside from the extracurriculars, Putski puts on a good match with Williams, which Ross tries to bring attention to, and he wins to build some momentum for his Ground Zero clash with Brian Christopher.  Rating:  **

-After the match, Sergeant Slaughter confronts Goldust and tells him and Marlena to head to the locker room.

-The Undertaker warns Shawn Michaels that he will be watching his match with Mankind tonight and that an insurance policy will not help him at Ground Zero unless that is burial insurance.

-Brian Pillman is shown leaving the locker room in his dress, although all we see of him are his legs.

-Ross hypes an article in RAW magazine about Goldust’s identity.

-Flash Funk beats “The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman with a small package at 3:15:

It is somewhat eerie to hear Ross talk about how making Pillman wear a dress is going to push him over the edge when you know that Pillman will only be alive for another two months.  As Pillman dominates the early action, Ross hypes the ECW Hardcore Heaven pay-per-view and Sergeant Slaughter appears in the split screen and says that the Patriot and a mystery partner will face the British Bulldog and Owen Hart later tonight.  Pillman uses his knees to block a Funk moonsault, a move that always seems very brutal to take, but when he appears to have the match won, Goldust and Marlena come out and put Pillman’s locker room footage on the Titantron.  This leads to the predictable finish and gives Funk his first RAW victory in what seems like ages.  The other result is that Pillman has to wear a dress next week on RAW.  Rating:  *

-Some kids are shown chanting for Dude Love.

-Call 815-734-1161 to get your VHS copy of SummerSlam 1997.  It will cost you $23.95 (plus shipping & handling)!

-A video package covers the lingering Steve Austin-Owen Hart feud.

-McMahon interviews Dude Love, who had arguably one of the best themes in the company at the time.  Love says that Austin will soon be back in action and gives his opinion about the Legion of Doom, the Godwinns, and Owen Hart and the British Bulldog, who will be in the Fatal Four Way tag team match at In Your House.  Love predicts that Mankind will triumph over the “would be hippie” Shawn Michaels.  Michaels appears on the Titantron, calls Love a “nimrod,” which is his new favorite word, and hypes his insurance policy.  After the promo, Love’s groupies from last week hit the ring and Love dances with them.

-More fans give their opinion on tonight’s Shawn Michaels-Mankind match.  Mankind still does not get a lot of love from the fans.  The winning response is a blonde that says Michaels will win because he’s a “sexy boy.”

-The Patriot is shown talking with his mystery partner, who we cannot see, and he says it is time for them to kick butt tonight.

-The Stridex Triple Action segment is the Patriot winning a 20 man battle royal on Shotgun Saturday Night.

-The Patriot & Ken Shamrock defeat Owen Hart & The British Bulldog when the Patriot pins the Bulldog after Uncle Sam on a chair at 8:01 shown:

After a small battle between the America, Canadian, and British flags, Ken Shamrock is revealed as the Patriot’s mystery partner and he gets the loudest pop of all the participants.  One of the stories that they sell in the match is that the British Bulldog is afraid of tussling with Shamrock.  Bret Hart comes out to watch the match by the entrance as Shamrock is placed in peril.  Shamrock escapes that predicament with a cross body to both of his opponents.  The Patriot hits the Bulldog with the Patriot Missile, but Owen breaks it up as Bret teases coming down to the ring.  When the referee tries to deal with some of the chaos, Owen tosses a chair into the ring, but the Patriot delivers Uncle Sam on the Bulldog on it and that gets the duke.  An entertaining tag match that is by far the best match on the show tonight.  Rating:  **½

-Call 1-900-737-4WWF to hear about why Ahmed Johnson was kicked out of the Nation of Domination.

-A video package shows Bret Hart’s return to Toronto as WWF Champion and fans there spew some pro-Bret and anti-American language.

-Shawn Michaels is shown talking to his insurance policy, who is standing in a suit backstage.  Any educated wrestling fan would know who it is by their hair cut, but I’ll save the reveal for later in the review.

-The Patriot tells the announce team that he has beaten Bret Hart once before, but before he can finish his jingoistic promo he is attacked with a chair by Bret.

-Footage of the Nation of Domination expelling Ahmed Johnson on last week’s show is played.

-Faarooq pins Chainz after Rocky Maivia gives Chainz a Rock Bottom at 3:03:

The problem with wrestlers debuting as parts of faction is that they sometimes lack an independent personality and that is the big problem with Chainz.  It would have been better for them to bill him as Brian Lee, but I suppose they either wanted a trademarked name or something that was a cute fit for the Disciples of Apocalypse.  Both men work a surprisingly brisk pace, but Chainz blows several spots and you can tell that Faarooq potatoes him after he gets up too early from a spot where Faarooq crashes onto his back with his rear end.  The referee gets bumped on a collision between both men and Rocky Maivia comes out of the crowd, revives the referee, and then surprises Chainz with a Rock Bottom, enabling Faarooq to win.  After the match, Faarooq and Maivia give the crowd the Nation salute.  Rating:  *¾

-A cameraman in the locker room records Maivia talking to members of the Nation of Domination and the Disciples of Apocalypse trying to break into the Nation of Domination’s locker room as WWF officials, including Sergeant Slaughter, try to restrain them.

-Sable comes out and gets in the ring, but the Patriot interrupts her small dance and says that he wants Bret Hart.  Bret obliges and the Patriot attacks him and “builds momentum” (Ross’s words, not mine).  It does not take long for the Hart Foundation to hit the ring, though, and they pummel the Patriot and choke him with the Canadian flag before WWF officials intervene.

-Mankind promises to really hurt Shawn Michaels tonight.

-Brakus tells us that he is ready for the World Wrestling Federation.

-“The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels defeats Mankind with Sweet Chin Music at 8:41 shown:

For any WWE 13 fans, this is the beginning of the Attitude Era mode of that game.  Mankind brings a garbage can to the ring, but Michaels nails him with it, puts it on him, and then delivers a flying double axe handle to it.  This crazy battle then spills to the floor, where Mankind hot shots Michaels onto the guardrail and a young black kid gives Michaels a hug, which he reciprocates.  That’s a true fan right there.  Michaels backdrops Mankind onto the announce table and follows up with an elbow drop off the apron, but the table fails to break.  Michaels goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Mankind counters with the Mandible Claw, so Michaels counters THAT by falling to the floor and smashing the back of Mankind’s head into the ring post several times.  He then gives Mankind a side suplex onto the announce table and it STILL won’t break.  Neither guy is probably happy about that because those table bumps have not been cushioned at all.  Before the commercial break, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna wander out and when we return from break, Michaels has taken Mankind’s mask off and is pounding him with it.  When Mankind begins seizing the advantage, Rick Rude, the man in the suit Michaels was talking to backstage, wanders out and Chyna distracts the referee as Helmsley trips Mankind when he runs the ropes and Rude bashes Mankind with a chair.  All of that interference makes the match academic.  It is impossible to top the classic that these two had at In Your House:  Mind Games from 1996, but they put on an amazing match here that completely saved the show.  The physicality displayed was amazing and both guys came out looking good.  It would not be a stretch to say that this is one of the best RAW matches, if not the best, of 1997.  Rating:  ***¾

-After the match, the Undertaker comes out, but Paul Bearer appears on the Titantron and warns the Undertaker that Kane is coming and that he is going to burn in hell.  Fire appears near the entrance way and the show goes off the air.

Final Report Card:  Hour one was a snoozer, but everyone turned the switch into the “on” position for hour two and the main event makes the show an easy “thumbs up.”  Mankind-Michaels is definitely worth checking out as it is something of a lost RAW classic and because of that match we have the origins of D-Generation X.

Monday Night War Rating:  2.9 (vs. 3.8 for Nitro)

Show Evaluation:  Thumbs Up