What the World Was Watching: WWF Monday Night RAW – 09.09.96

Jim Ross voices a video package to hype tonight’s Savio Vega-Faarooq match in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament and an appearance by the Undertaker on tonight’s program.

Kevin Kelly, Jerry Lawler, and Jim Ross are commentating, still taped from Wheeling, West Virginia.

Opening Intercontinental Championship Tournament First Round Contest: Faarooq (w/Sunny) (4-0) pins Savio Vega (9-7-2) after the inverted powerslam at 9:24 shown:

Ross frames the match as Savio wanting to get revenge for his friend Ahmed Johnson. The winner of this match gets Sid in the semi-finals. Savio does a standing spin kick for a near-fall but Faarooq avoids another and catches Savio with a spinebuster for a near-fall of his own. After a commercial break, the match devolves into a pattern of Faarooq working rest holds and Savio landing a move or two. Eventually, Savio puts his head down too early on an Irish whip and Faarooq counters into his finisher. The match got more disjointed as it went along. It would have been better lasting five or six minutes. Rating: *

After the bell, Sunny grabs the microphone and proclaims that Faarooq will win the tournament and get through Sid in the next round. Sid thinks that is an invitation to fight Faarooq, walking to the ring and going nose-to-nose with his semi-final opponent before referees get between them.

WWF wrestlers send well wishes to Ahmed Johnson. Savio Vega tells him to get well soon. Bob Backlund tells him that his campaign did not last long. Sid says that he is sad that Ahmed is out because he is one of the greatest competitors in the WWF. Steve Austin sends well wishes so he can pound Ahmed’s other kidney. Mark Henry talks about looking forward to meeting and working with Ahmed soon, a funny statement in retrospect because Henry and Ahmed could come to hate each other in the locker room. Clarence Mason wonders whether he could represent Ahmed to seek damages against the WWF. Goldust and Marlena quote Silence of the Lambs and talk of eating Ahmed’s kidney if it has to get removed. Lawler laughs at the idea of Ahmed getting a new kidney from Jake Roberts. Phineas Godwinn misconstrues the assignment, wishing Ahmed a happy birthday. Henry Godwinn corrects him. Owen Hart says that he does not like seeing anyone hurt but Ahmed should not take his words to mean that Owen will go easy on him when he returns to the WWF.

In a strange twist, Carlos Cabrera interviews WWF Champion Shawn Michaels and Jose Lothario. Michaels talks about how he has dismantled Camp Cornette except for its manager and Lothario is going to take care of that at In Your House 10: Mind Games. Lothario gives a weak promo about how he is going to kick Cornette’s butt and goes into a rant in Spanish. Cabrera does not translate. When it comes to Mankind, Michaels talks about ending Mankind’s run through the WWF and proving to him that he is his daddy. Michaels has another good line to end the promo about how Mankind “should not hunt what he cannot kill.”

There is an announcement that a new WWF show called Livewire is going to replace WWF Mania on September 21 on USA Network.

The Stalker pins T.L. Hopper (2-1) after a superplex at 3:33:

As noted in the vignettes the Stalker was Barry Windham, returning to the WWF after a seven-year absence. Windham was a second-generation talent, trained by his father Blackjack Mulligan and Harley Race. He started his career in 1979 in Texas when he was nineteen and first arrived in the WWF in 1984 as part of a tag team with brother-in-law Mike Rotunda. The duo were billed as the U.S. Express and they went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. Windham left the WWF in 1985 due to the rigorous WWF touring schedule and after brief stops in Florida and the AWA he arrived in Jim Crockett Promotions. He had great matches with NWA World Champion Ric Flair while there and won a lot of gold himself, becoming an NWA Tag Team champion, United States Tag Team champion, NWA Western States Heritage champion, and United States champion. In 1989, Windham came back to the WWF, wrestling as the Widowmaker, a heel cowboy gimmick he pitched to Vince McMahon based on violent rodeo bulls. He would only be around for five months, though, as his family got involved in a counterfeiting scandal and he thought it would be a distraction. Windham reappeared in WCW, rejoining Ric Flair’s Four Horsemen stable and turning babyface when he tried to defeat Lex Luger for the WCW World title. He would form a tag team with Dustin Rhodes and the duo won the WCW/NWA Tag Team Championship in September 1992, only to lose them a couple of months later at Clash of the Champions XXI and Windham turned heel again. Windham finally won a world title in February 1993, defeating the Great Muta for the NWA World Championship but it came at a time when the prestige of the title meant less than the WCW World Championship. Windham went on to lose the belt to Flair in July 1993 at Beach Blast and took time off for knee surgery. He made a surprise return to face Flair in 1994 at Slamboree but injured his knee again, scuttling a possible return to the WWF as there were rumors he would join up with Rotunda again as a new Money Incorporated. By Windham’s own account, he had to take more time off to rehabilitate his knee after another surgery and when he called the WWF he was heavy and out of shape. He was not crazy about the Stalker gimmick but thought it would be a chance to get his foot back in the door in a major promotion.

There is nothing creative about the Stalker gimmick as he wrestles in a camouflage top, black pants, and camouflage face paint. In the split screen, Brian Pillman talks with Owen Hart and Owen thanks Pillman for bringing him and Bret back together. When that finishes, Ross reads a “prepared statement” that regrets his role in messing with contract negotiations involving Razor Ramon and Diesel. According to Windham, this match was filmed right after he had done a 20-minute match with Justin Bradshaw and Vince McMahon was testing him. It showed him that he was out of ring shape. As a result of those factors, the squash is not good. Hopper also does not sell the Stalker’s offense well, kicking out of several of the Stalker’s moves like a gutwrench suplex and a clothesline off the ropes, which make them look less effective.

There is a recap of Mr. Perfect taking off with Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s ladies recently, which included the big house show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Kelly announces that Lawler will face Mark Henry at In Your House.

Crush (w/Clarence Mason) (3-0) pins Freddie Joe Floyd (4-5) after the heart punch at 2:50:

Mason puts over his client on commentary but he refuses to call himself a manager or answer questions about whether he wants to manage more people. Like Hopper in the last match, Floyd mounts no offense. Crush does some good power moves, which makes the squash tolerable. Still, there is just not a lot of traction for him at the moment.

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Call 1-900-737-4WWF to hear the latest news about the Razor Ramon and Diesel situation and get updates about Bret Hart in South Africa!

The Undertaker (9-5) beats Salvatore Sincere (3-0) after the Tombstone at 8:07 shown:

The Undertaker briskly walks to the ring because he is angry over the Boiler Room Brawl at SummerSlam and he pulverizes Sincere. Sincere does his best to defend his unbeaten streak, delivering a falling clothesline and side Russian leg sweep for near-falls. But there is a disgusting spot of Sincere putting his fingers up the Undertaker’s nose and then putting them in his mouth. In the split screen, Goldust and Marlena quote The Untouchables and promise to lay the final curtain on the Undertaker at In Your House. After a commercial break, Ross says he stands by his sources about Ramon and Diesel and that while there is a hang up about signing Ramon, Diesel’s negotiations are coming along well. Sincere makes the mistake of slapping the Undertaker after a powerslam off the ropes, leading to the Deadman sitting up, devastating his opponent with a flying clothesline, and then handing Sincere his first loss with a chokeslam and the Tombstone. Kelly delivers a terrible call for the ending, saying that Sincere will “not wake up until Spaghetti Day.” It was surprising how much offense Sincere was given against the Undertaker but it created a decent TV main event even if everyone at home knew Sincere was not winning. Rating: **

Tune in next week to see the two semi-final matches in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament as Marc Mero faces Owen Hart and Sid faces Faarooq!

The Last Word: Did the WWF really think this episode could compete with WCW? The show could have been entitled “Invasion of the B-show gimmicks” with appearances by T.L. Hopper, Freddie Joe Floyd, and Salvatore Sincere, even though the latter was treated as a legitimate superstar in comparison to the other two. The Stalker’s debut was a DUD out of the gate as Barry Windham did not seem to have much in the tank and the crowd was booing the poor work of the match by the end. And aside from Shawn Michaels’ promo, the show lacked any edge or energy. The WWF is giving a lot time to hyping the “Final Curtain” match at In Your House between the Undertaker and Goldust but that feud meant very little in July at In Your House 9: International Incident and it means even less now since the two characters just cut promos against each other and Goldust has failed to do anything dastardly to the Undertaker since their program in May. It seems like the WWF is content to limp its way toward In Your House as this show conceded the night to the competition, a shocking move since one would think the WWF would want a hard charging show since they were coming off a two-week hiatus due to tennis’ U.S. Open.

Monday Night War Rating: 2.4 vs. 3.7 for Nitro (Main Event: Randy Savage vs. John Tenta)

Up Next: WWF Superstars for September 14!

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