–Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler are doing commentary and they are still in Newark, Delaware.
What the World Was Watching
What the World Was Watching: WWF Superstars – January 7, 1995
–Vince McMahon announces that the Smoking Gunns are not going to be in the tag team tournament because Bart Gunn suffered a knee injury when his horse fell on him in a rodeo. Yes, that is the best excuse that the company could come up with but it fits the cartoonish product at the time. In reality there was no injury and Vince simply decided to push another team for the tournament and that team is the one that will take the Gunns place: the 1-2-3 Kid and Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly.
–McMahon and Jerry “the King” Lawler are doing commentary and they are taped from Newark, Delaware. The show was taped on December 14, 1994.
What the World Was Watching: WrestleMania XV
–Boyz 2 Men sing “America the Beautiful” to kick off the show. They receive a Cena-like mixed reaction.
–Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are in the booth and they are live from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw – March 22, 1999
–Steve Austin arrives at the arena and comes across a driver of a Coor’s Light truck. Product placement 101.
–Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are calling the action and they are live from Albany, New York. This is the last RAW we have to hear called by Cole for a while so I am happy about that. This is the go home show for WrestleMania XV.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw – March 8, 1999
–A video package chronicles Steve Austin attacking the Rock on Sunday Night Heat and Paul Wight not trying to save the Rock from the assault.
–Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are calling the action and they are live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw – March 1, 1999
–A video package recaps the Undertaker’s recent threats against Vince McMahon, culminating in the Undertaker burning a teddy bear at the end of last week’s RAW.
–Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are doing commentary and they are live from Cleveland, Ohio.
–The Corporation comes out and Vince McMahon discusses how the audience does not understand his capacity to love. He fires Kane for losing the inferno match to the Undertaker last week and has orderlies come down to send Kane to the insane asylum. However, Chyna comes to Kane’s aid and they fight them off. Chyna tells McMahon that she can control Kane and asks for Kane to be booked against Steve Austin, with Kane’s job on the line. McMahon counters by also putting Chyna’s job on the line. Mankind then joins the festivities and volunteers to referee the Steve Austin-Kane match to prove himself worthy of refereeing the title match at WrestleMania XV. McMahon agrees on the condition that Mankind is able to defeat the Undertaker on tonight’s show (this is later clarified in the broadcast to mean that McMahon will consider Mankind for the role at WrestleMania based on how the match goes). The Undertaker’s voice then comes on via the loudspeakers and he says that he has already told McMahon what he is going to take from him.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw – February 22, 1999
–A video package recaps the Rock winning the WWF title in a ladder match against Mankind on last week’s show.
–Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are in the booth and they are taped from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
–Vince McMahon comes out to hype tonight’s Inferno Match between the Undertaker and Kane. He welcomes Paul Wight to the ring, who is booked to be the guest referee at WrestleMania. Cole is trying to get Wight over as “The Big Nasty,” so I guess it is good that “The Big Show” name was chosen instead. WWF Champion The Rock also comes out, quickly getting into a verbal confrontation with Wight, telling him to “Know his role.” McMahon’s efforts at playing peacemaker get nowhere until Mankind marches onto the stage and volunteers to referee the WrestleMania main event, as well as referee a Rock-Wight encounter tonight. Wight then proceeds to challenge the Rock to a match, which the Rock gladly accepts and he says he will put the WWF title on the line too.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw – February 15, 1999
–A series of narrated photographs recaps last night’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre pay-per-view.
–Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are in the booth and they are live from Birmingham, Alabama.
–Commissioner Shawn Michaels comes out and welcomes out the participants in the WrestleMania main event: WWF Champion Mankind and Steve Austin. Before anything can be said between them, Vince McMahon interrupts, wearing a neck brace and selling his beating from Austin the previous night. McMahon claims to be a broken man and that he wants a fresh start with Austin on the condition that Austin apologizes. Austin does apologize, but only for beating McMahon more than he intended. McMahon tells Michaels that people deserve a WWF title rematch between Mankind and the Rock because their match last night ended in a draw so he needs to do his job and book it for tonight. Mankind says he needs a week to recover, bringing out the Rock, who continues to goad Michaels into booking a title match for this evening. Mankind decides to take on the Rock after all and to make sure that there is a winner Michaels announces that tonight’s title match will be a ladder match. After that, McMahon welcomes out Paul Wight, who he says will be the special guest referee of the title match at WrestleMania. Austin simply flips him off from the ring to end the segment.
What the World Was Watching: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House
So after being away for several months due to some work obligations, “What the World Was Watching” returns by picking up where we left off in 1999. The Steve Austin-Vince McMahon rivalry is continuing and they are set to do battle in a steel cage match where if Austin loses then he surrenders his WrestleMania title shot. The Undertaker is busy with his Ministry of Darkness nonsense and Mankind is keeping the Rock busy before WrestleMania.
–Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are doing commentary and they are live from Memphis, Tennessee.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw – January 18, 1999
-Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are in the booth and they are taped from Beaumont, Texas. This is the go home show for the Royal Rumble.
–Cole is in the ring to interview Steve Austin, but Austin just turns it into a single man segment as he rips the microphone out of Cole’s hands. This is just a generic “build promo” for the Rumble, with Austin recapping a month’s worth of storylines about how he will be the first entrant, Vince McMahon will be the second entrant, and that all twenty-nine men will want to throw him out so that they can receive $100,000 from Vince.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw – January 11, 1999
It has been a long time since the World Was Watching appeared here on the Blog. That was partly due to some career moves on my part and just a general lack of time. That is solved for the time being, though, so we will head back into 1999. The last recap ended – somewhat fittingly – with Mankind’s upset title victory over the Rock. The Road Dogg also defended his Hardcore title against Al Snow out in the snow on the last show and the tasteless Terri Runnels pregnancy angle began with D-Lo Brown. Needless to say, 1999 will be a combination of some memorable moments and some really wacky Russo booking.
–Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler are in the booth and they are live from Houston, Texas.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw – January 6, 1997
by Logan Scisco
Last week a plurality of readers wanted to move onto 1997, so that’s where we are headed. According to Jim Cornette, 1997 is the year that laid the foundation for the late 1990s boom period, which allowed the WWF to regain its place as the top wrestling promotion in North America. Some of the Nielsen ratings for these Raw’s are not great, but the storylines improve throughout the year and as Cornette attests, created a new product that revolutionized the business. So, let’s start reviewing the 1997 season of Monday Night Raw.
–Vince McMahon and
Jerry “the King” Lawler are in the booth and they are taped from Albany, New
York.
Jerry “the King” Lawler are in the booth and they are taped from Albany, New
York.
-Opening Toughman
Contest: Mankind pins Owen Hart
(w/Clarence Mason) with a stump piledriver at 7:02 shown:
Contest: Mankind pins Owen Hart
(w/Clarence Mason) with a stump piledriver at 7:02 shown:
Owen is subbing for the British Bulldog in this contest
and he and Mankind have an interesting battle between Owen’s Slammy and
Mankind’s chair. Just so you know, the
Slammy wins. It’s hard to tell who’s
side the crowd is on, since they hate both guys. Owen takes a brutal shot to the head with a
cooler near the end of the match and a blind charge allows Mankind to hit a
piledriver for the finish. These two had
some nice chemistry and the transitions between technical wrestling and
brawling were very smooth. Rating:
**½
and he and Mankind have an interesting battle between Owen’s Slammy and
Mankind’s chair. Just so you know, the
Slammy wins. It’s hard to tell who’s
side the crowd is on, since they hate both guys. Owen takes a brutal shot to the head with a
cooler near the end of the match and a blind charge allows Mankind to hit a
piledriver for the finish. These two had
some nice chemistry and the transitions between technical wrestling and
brawling were very smooth. Rating:
**½
–Jose Lothario and
Shawn Michaels are backstage and Lothario says that Michaels is going to win
the WWF title back at the Royal Rumble.
Jose’s son Pete reiterates that and Michaels says that he’ll be doing
guest commentary for the Bret Hart-Vader main event tonight.
Shawn Michaels are backstage and Lothario says that Michaels is going to win
the WWF title back at the Royal Rumble.
Jose’s son Pete reiterates that and Michaels says that he’ll be doing
guest commentary for the Bret Hart-Vader main event tonight.
–Footage of Ahmed
Johnson’s altercation with the Nation of Domination on Shotgun Saturday Night
is shown.
Johnson’s altercation with the Nation of Domination on Shotgun Saturday Night
is shown.
–The Honky Tonk Man
joins McMahon and Lawler for commentary.
Honky is in the midst of scouting talent for someone that he can manage.
joins McMahon and Lawler for commentary.
Honky is in the midst of scouting talent for someone that he can manage.
–Doug Furnas &
Philip LaFon defeated The Fake Razor Ramon & The Fake Diesel when Furnas
pins Ramon after a modified Doomsday Device at 9:02 shown:
Philip LaFon defeated The Fake Razor Ramon & The Fake Diesel when Furnas
pins Ramon after a modified Doomsday Device at 9:02 shown:
With the tag team division in flux, this sort of
functions like a number one contenders match for Owen and the Bulldog’s
belts. The Fake Diesel is clearly the
star of the Fakes, as he brings some much needed energy to the contest after
the Fake Razor puts the crowd to sleep with armbars. Unfortunately, the crowd isn’t into Furnas
and LaFon at all here and they have very little sympathy for them when the
Fakes do their beat down. This was one
of those matches that you watch that you want to see end, but it just kept
going and going. Rating: **
functions like a number one contenders match for Owen and the Bulldog’s
belts. The Fake Diesel is clearly the
star of the Fakes, as he brings some much needed energy to the contest after
the Fake Razor puts the crowd to sleep with armbars. Unfortunately, the crowd isn’t into Furnas
and LaFon at all here and they have very little sympathy for them when the
Fakes do their beat down. This was one
of those matches that you watch that you want to see end, but it just kept
going and going. Rating: **
–Hunter Hearst
Helmsley throwing Goldust into Marlena on last week’s show is shown. Marlena flashing the Sultan on Shotgun
Saturday Night is also shown.
Helmsley throwing Goldust into Marlena on last week’s show is shown. Marlena flashing the Sultan on Shotgun
Saturday Night is also shown.
–Bret Hart tells
the announce crew that if Shawn Michaels wants to interfere tonight he can go
right ahead because he’ll be ready for it.
He also says he’s ready for Vader and then gets angry when Sid’s music
starts during his interview time.
the announce crew that if Shawn Michaels wants to interfere tonight he can go
right ahead because he’ll be ready for it.
He also says he’s ready for Vader and then gets angry when Sid’s music
starts during his interview time.
–Jim Ross
interviews WWF Champion Sid, who says that he was born the man and he’ll
overcome the odds and defeat Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble. Shawn Michaels
comes out to do color commentary and starts dancing and stripping on the
announce table. This leads to some
unintentional hilarity as Sid starts smiling at his dance and nodding his head. I think you can find a .gif of this sequence on the Internet.
interviews WWF Champion Sid, who says that he was born the man and he’ll
overcome the odds and defeat Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble. Shawn Michaels
comes out to do color commentary and starts dancing and stripping on the
announce table. This leads to some
unintentional hilarity as Sid starts smiling at his dance and nodding his head. I think you can find a .gif of this sequence on the Internet.
–Call
1-900-737-4WWF to find if Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin could co-exist as tag
team partners.
1-900-737-4WWF to find if Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin could co-exist as tag
team partners.
–Dok Hendrix hypes
the next Madison Square Garden card, where Sid will defend the WWF title
against the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels will face Mankind, Goldust collides with
Steve Austin, Bret Hart squares off with Vader, and Ahmed Johnson and Savio
Vega challenge Faarooq and Crush.
the next Madison Square Garden card, where Sid will defend the WWF title
against the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels will face Mankind, Goldust collides with
Steve Austin, Bret Hart squares off with Vader, and Ahmed Johnson and Savio
Vega challenge Faarooq and Crush.
–Ahmed Johnson
giving the Pearl River Plunge to a member of the Nation of Domination on a car
on Shotgun Saturday Night is the Starburst Fruit Twists Rewind segment.
giving the Pearl River Plunge to a member of the Nation of Domination on a car
on Shotgun Saturday Night is the Starburst Fruit Twists Rewind segment.
–Vader pins Bret “the
Hitman” Hart with a Vader Bomb at 8:03 shown:
Hitman” Hart with a Vader Bomb at 8:03 shown:
Jim Cornette is not at Vader’s side, nor will he be from
this point forward, because the Undertaker Tombstoned him on WWF Superstars. I’m really surprised that they would waste
this pay-per-view caliber match on free TV, but that shows you what kind of
booking funk Vader has been in since SummerSlam. We get a very physical match in the early
going, with Bret using the stairs, but Vader using his girth in flying at Bret
to generate an advantage. Bret is able
to block a Vader Bomb and take control, but when the action spills to the
floor, Sid comes and grabs a camera man.
Steve Austin comes out and gives Bret a Stunner, which the camera fails
to catch, and Vader uses that interference to pick up his biggest victory in a
while. The victory gives Vader some
needed momentum heading into the Royal Rumble and also continues the
Bret-Austin feud. This match was also a
little refreshing because Bret tended to win big matches like this on Raw. This match could’ve been better, but they did
what they could with their limited TV time
Rating: **½
this point forward, because the Undertaker Tombstoned him on WWF Superstars. I’m really surprised that they would waste
this pay-per-view caliber match on free TV, but that shows you what kind of
booking funk Vader has been in since SummerSlam. We get a very physical match in the early
going, with Bret using the stairs, but Vader using his girth in flying at Bret
to generate an advantage. Bret is able
to block a Vader Bomb and take control, but when the action spills to the
floor, Sid comes and grabs a camera man.
Steve Austin comes out and gives Bret a Stunner, which the camera fails
to catch, and Vader uses that interference to pick up his biggest victory in a
while. The victory gives Vader some
needed momentum heading into the Royal Rumble and also continues the
Bret-Austin feud. This match was also a
little refreshing because Bret tended to win big matches like this on Raw. This match could’ve been better, but they did
what they could with their limited TV time
Rating: **½
–The camera
backstage shows Sid beating up Pete Lothario and powerbombing him on a table
before Michaels can get backstage.
backstage shows Sid beating up Pete Lothario and powerbombing him on a table
before Michaels can get backstage.
The Final Report Card: The first Raw of 1997 had some good wrestling
and showed that 1997 was going to have more “attitude” than 1996. The feuds that the WWF was building had
multiple dimensions and the tangled web that encompassed Shawn Michaels, Bret
Hart, Sid, and Steve Austin would help carry the company to an entertaining
year. This show is an easy thumbs up
because of the good work during the main event and the opener.
and showed that 1997 was going to have more “attitude” than 1996. The feuds that the WWF was building had
multiple dimensions and the tangled web that encompassed Shawn Michaels, Bret
Hart, Sid, and Steve Austin would help carry the company to an entertaining
year. This show is an easy thumbs up
because of the good work during the main event and the opener.
Monday Night War Rating: 2.1 (vs. 3.0 for Nitro)
Show Evaluation: Thumbs Up