Raw is War - April 21st 1997

• Raw kicks off with Stone Cold Steve Austin who won last night’s main event (via disqualification). He immediately barks at Vince McMahon to “shut his stinking hole” and he blows past the news that he will challenge for the WWF title at the next PPV to focus on tonight and Bret Hart. He says he whipped Hart’s ass last night and he’ll do it again tonight in a street fight! He wastes zero time and demands Bret come out and fight him now because this won’t be over as long as he’s breathing air! He throws a big clock up on the screen which counts down from 30 but I don’t think anyone expects Austin to take No as an answer. The fans are really into this chanting for Stone Cold and counting down. He says Bret is too much of a damn coward so he’ll come and find him! Bret finally shows up on the titantron with Owen and Bulldog and says that the American public are hyenas and bloody thirsty just like Austin. He accepts the challenge for a street fight tonight and takes a couple of shots at Shawn Michaels too before calling him getting a title shot a disgrace. He tells Stone Cold to go to heel and Austin says that if he’s going to hell he’s taking Bret with him! Awesome. Stone Cold rampages backstage and is looking for Bret backstage to start the fight early.

• In the ring, Ahmed Johnson takes on The Sultan. It’s now confirmed that the much talked about gauntlet match against the entire Nation of Domination will take place at the next In Your House PPV. The commentators spend a lot of this match talking about how much South Africa loves Ahmed and how he has “united an entire nation” which I’m sure is hyperbole. Ahmed dominates the Sultan and likely has the match won but the Nation comes out onto the entrance ramp to look on. Ahmed is taking no chances and grabs his trusty 2x4 from under the ring and gets himself disqualified, sending a message to Faarooq, Crush and Savio by hammering on The Sultan with the 2x4. 

• Stone Cold continues to hunt for Bret and the other Harts and hammers on their locker room door with a steel chair like a maniac. Bret calls for the officials to send him to the ring and he’ll get his fight out there, not in the locker room.
• Ken Shamrock joins commentary for the next match. Vader has been detained in Kuwait, arrested for losing his temper on a TV show when the presenter asked him if wrestling is fake. It was a little too real for the host it seems and he spent close to two weeks in a foreign jail! Assuming he’s released and is able to come back to America he’s scheduled to face Ken Shamrock at In Your House. Shamrock gives a pretty bland babyface promo about how he doesn’t like bullies and Vader is a bully. Jerry Lawler mentions the rumours that he wants to fight Mike Tyson so Shamrock doubles down and challenges Tyson to a fight to see who really is the world’s most dangerous man. That was Shamrock’s very real nickname in the press at the time and I’m sure makes Vince VERY uncomfortable by bringing up Mike Tyson’s rape charge (he did time for raping an 18 year old girl, something which the world seems to have forgotten in the decades since when he’s become a pop culture novelty).

• Stone Cold is sick of waiting and heads down to the ring for the street fight now in the middle of the show! Neither Austin nor Hart are dressed to compete because this isn’t a match, it's a fight. Bret is walking with a heavy limp from the match last night and Austin is like a caged animal, talking trash and beckoning Bret to get in the ring and fight him. He plays this pissed off mad man so incredibly well and I’m sure at the time the motivation was how desperately hungry he was for his big main event break in the WWF. Bret keeps Austin distracted so that he can be jumped from behind by Bulldog and Owen Hart! All three members of the Hart Foundation beat down Stone Cold until he’s rescued by, of all people, Shawn Michaels! HBk runs down with a steel chair and while Bret avoids the big swing, Owen and Bulldog both get cracked in the head! Michaels chases them off through the crowd with the chair but that leaves Stone Cold and Bret Hart alone in the ring so that the street fight can properly begin. This is chaos. Bret is ruthless in picking apart the wounded Austin and gets a steel chair to use on his leg wanting to break it, just like Stone Cold did to Brian Pillman but Austin swings his leg out of the way at the last second and goes right after the Hitman’s leg with the chair himself. The crowd goes nuts as Stone Cold stomps at Bret and hammers on his injured leg with the steel chair. Credit to Bret who shows no fear, giving Austin the finger as he crawls around the mat but that just motivates Stone Cold to wail on his leg with the chair some more and then lock him in the Sharpshooter! This “match” doesn’t get a finish as the ring fills with referees who try to break it up which I think means technically Austin wins via referee stoppage. Hilariously he continues to talk trash and give the finger to the referees for trying to get him off Bret. It takes a very, very long time and after a commercial break Stone Cold is FINALLY gone as a distraught Bulldog and Owen call for a stretcher and medical assistance. Austin even hit Bret in the wrist with the edge of the chair and he’s selling that like it might be broken too. This was an awesome segment and a really good example of the benefit of the Monday Night War with the WWF having to book huge things to happen on Raw as well as ratcheting up the story and intensity to grab people’s attention - compare this to Monday Night Raw a couple of years ago and it's like a totally different company. Backstage Gorilla Monsoon kicks Austin out of the arena and Stone Cold screams in his face that he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the rules and regulations and he’ll whip GORILLA’s ass too if he wants to. He is out of control and it's awesome.

• Tiger Ali Singh makes his in ring debut as a bland babyface. You’ll recall the company made a bit of a deal out of signing him late last year and he won the Kuwait cup during the overseas tour, something Ahmed Johnson did last year. The company seems to be treating him like a big deal but then he didn’t get an entrance and the commentators spend this match chasing medical updates on Bret Hart’s leg. His bad night isn’t over as after he’s loaded into the back of an ambulance he’s attacked AGAIN by Austin who has to be dragged away by Bulldog and Owen! The Hitman finally is carted off to hospital and Bulldog and Owen promise to get their revenge on Austin before the night is over. 

• Jesse Jammes takes on Rockabilly in an In Your House 14 rematch. Honky Tonk Man is at ringside supporting his new charge again as well. It’s a dull match which Rockabilly wins with Honky Tonk’s old Shake Rattle and Roll neckbreaker. Post match Jesse attacks so Honky Tonk smashes his guitar over Double J’s head. 
• Backstage Gorilla Monsoon tries to keep the peace between Stone Cold and Shawn Michaels who are now having a blistering argument of their own! Austin doesn’t want or need Michaels’ help with the Hart Foundation, but Michaels wants to make it crystal clear that he was there to fight them, NOT help Austin. No trust between these two would-be allies.

• From the boiler room, Mankind screams about how Uncle Paul’s handsome face has been horribly disfigured by The Undertaker and the fire last night at In Your House. Get well soon, Uncle Paul. 

• WWF Champion The Undertaker battles Hunter Hearst Helmsley, with Chyna. Undertaker has a new, angrier more intense attitude and is still sporting the big white bandage on his head from the burn a few weeks ago. He attacks HHH before he’s even done making his entrance and his evolution into his Attitude era form is complete in the all black attire and showing a lot more speed and wrestling ability with submission holds and take downs. The commentary trio take this match to talk about the chaos unfolding tonight backstage; we don’t know where Mankind or Stone Cold are and Bulldog and Owen Hart are still hunting for Austin somewhere! During this match a couple is shown at ringside who Jim Ross refers to as “Dustin and Terri” but we know as Goldust (with no facepaint) and Marlena. He’s just dropped their real names apparently. As the match continues Mankind comes to the ring carrying a lit blowtorch! He hits Undertaker with the metal canister to cause the disqualification and beats him up with the steel but then, thankfully for everyone he’s unable to light the blow torch (as planned, this time). Undertaker rises from the dead and grabs Mankind around the throat before brawling with him out of the ring and through the crowd. The chaos isn’t over as Goldust and Marlena jump the security rail and attack HHH and Chyna! Vince confuses himself not sure whether to call him Goldust or Dustin so I suspect there was some kind of segment on Shotgun Saturday Night or Livewire where these two broke character and told us their real names. 

• The show ends the same way that it started; with Stone Cold and Vince McMahon in the ring. Austin is pissed and yells at the crowd for holding up their signs and cheering for him but he did everything by himself. He tells Vince off for jumping on the Stone Cold bandwagon too and tells him that he’ll knock his lights out and says that Bret Hart is done which means it’s one down and two to go - Bulldog and Owen are next on his hit list. Vince brings the conversation back to his PPV match for the WWF title at In Your House. Stone Cold says Undertaker is going to have the coldest day in hell, giving the PPV its name. He shows no signs of being a babyface but before he can say anything else he’s attacked by Owen Hart and Bulldog who hammer on him two on one until finally Shawn Michaels runs down with a steel chair and chases them off for the second time tonight. While Austin struggles to recover he’s attacked from behind by the returning Brian Pillman who goes right after Stone Cold’s leg and tries to use a steel chair on his ankle the same way Austin did to him last year. Before he can do some serious damage. Shawn Michaels returns and chases him off, saving Austin for the third time tonight! He’s made it very clear that all he’s doing is going after Hart Foundation members and anyone who might be on Bret Hart’s side, not being friends with Stone Cold. 

Raw is War - April 28th 1997

• Here’s a full recap of last week’s Raw because while I did my best to cover it all as normal, I don’t think I captured JUST how chaotic it all was

• Brian Pillman kicks off the show and explains that people have him all wrong; he’s deeply religious. Last week’s Raw disturbed him and he wants the people to bow their heads and join him in prayer. He prays for a swift recovery of Bret Hart, for the souls of everyone who cheered on last week’s brutality and for a swift end to Stone Cold! He wants him to be stricken down so that he cannot practice “his evil craft”. He asks everyone to let the Savior of the WWF Bret Hart into their hearts and soul. Stone Cold cuts him off on the titantron and tells Pillman that he should pray that he doesn’t come out there to kick his ass, and even Bret Hart can’t save him from the ass whipping he’s going to get. Pillman says he’ll turn the other cheek and shows his ass to Austin which draws loud Austin chants and the man himself coming out to fufill his promise! He’s going to beat the hell out of Pillman for sure but its a trap! Bulldog and Owen are close on his tail. Stone Cold clearly saw it coming just like the rest of us and gets out of the ring, out of dodge and leaves though the crowd to avoid a three on one attack. He’s not that stupid! Pillman asks Owen and Bulldog to join him in a moment of silence, praying on one knee for Bret’s recovery. Meanwhile, Stone Cold is backstage and arms himself with an axe! He does at least knock the head off it so he doesn’t literally kill someone and comes BACK out carrying the axe handle! He’s armed with a weapon so the three heels run for cover, roles now reversed and running off through the crowd! Austin tells the three of them to give their soul to the lord because their ass is his! That gets a big cheer from the crowd who have started to really LOVE Stone Cold Steve Austin and his pissed off, bad ass, take no prisoners and show no fear attitude. It wasn’t mentioned during this segment but JR did talk about it in the following segment; Bret Hart has now had knee surgery and will be out of action for a little while BUT is still on the way here tonight.

• Rockabilly faces Flash Funk. Billy’s dyed his hair black now as his transformation into the Honky Tonk Man’s lackey. Flash Funk picks up the win with a surprise roll up and then sore loser Rockabilly smashes a guitar over his head! 
• Bret Hart arrives in a wheel chair, brought to the arena in an ambulance. He has something to say and comes out onto the stage flanked by Owen and Bulldog. He talks about how depraved and disgusting the American public are and has a great line, asking if everyone is sick of hearing him tell us how great he is and then shouting thats how the rest of the world feels about America! He’s not wrong. He says these people make him sick and that tonight it’ll be Stone Cold and Shawn Michaels leaving in an ambulance courtesy of the Hart Foundation. 

• The Legion of Doom takes on Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon. These two are super workers but haven’t quite connected. Before the match they turn heel in a prerecorded interview talking about how the fans haven’t accepted them by the American public. Hawk and Animal are super over and during a match with The Godwins on the previous Shotgun Saturday Night they broke Henry Godwin’s neck as he landed badly from the Doomsday Device, flipping off of Animal’s shoulders and landing hard on the side of his head. Brutal. The LOD wins this match with a double clothesline on Lafon which is fair; no chance I’d be taking the Doomsday Device. Post match, Jim Ross gets an in ring interview with the losers and asks what cost them this match? LaFon says that the LOD get a home field advantage with the American crowds cheering for them and the referees being biased towards them. Furnas says they want a rematch with Hawk and Animal ASAP.

• There’s footage from Shotgun’s “Under the covers with Sunny” segment where she was interrupted by Headbanger’s Mosh and Thrasher who ruined her bed sheets with snacks and popcorn.

• Backstage, Ahmed Johnson apologises to everyone for the injuries he caused to The Sultan which led to him being hospitalised but then loses his temper and screams that he’s in a gang fight all by himself, trying to fight three guys in The Nation and will do whatever he has to to survive! 
• Elsewhere, Bret Hart leads a little group huddle with Bulldog and Owen while Brian Pillman continues to pray, this time for Owen Hart’s good fortune. That leads to the next match which is Tag Team Champion and two-time Slammy winner Owen Hart challenging Rocky Maivia for the Intercontinental title. Bret and Bulldog watch from the top of the ramp and of course Bulldog is already a double champion. Owen dedicates the match to his loving brother Bret which gets a lot of boos. These two work well together and a baseball slide by Owen sends Rocky crashing head-first into the security rail which looked great. Owen dominates and gets some really nice near falls with a gorgeous missile dropkick and a spinning heel kick but he spends too much time taunting and falls foul of a back suplex off the top rope. The finish comes out of no where with a roll up and Owen Hart wins the Intercontinental Championship! That’s Owen’s first ever singles title and makes both he and Bulldog double champions! Earlier tonight Stone Cold was looking for the trainers room and now, after Owen’s big victory and Bret’s celebration with all four the group’s title belts from his wheel chair, Austin is shown wheeling himself through the backstage area in a wheel chair of his own. What is he up to? 

• Vince McMahon conducts an in ring interview with Stone Cold who comes through the crowd carrying the wheel chair and the axe handle. JR makes a good point; Stone Cold’s mind is NOT on the WWF title and his match on PPV, he is very very focused on Bret and the rest of the Hart Foundation. Austin wastes no time and challenges Bret to a wheelchair match! He wants to get his hands on Bret so badly that he’ll even do it while sitting in a chair. Stone Cold says that the reason the Harts have banded together is to make sure that he never becomes WWF Champion but no one can stop that from happening. 

• Ahead of his proper in ring debut at In Your House against Vader, here’s a video so we can get to know Ken Shamrock. He’s very quiet and softly spoken; that’s not an issue with my recording, even at full volume you can barely hear a word he’s saying over the music! 

• Shamrock’s PPV opponent Vader is out of the prison in Kuwait and makes his in-ring return against Jesse Jammes. The company was upset with him for the legal trouble and real life head of talent relations Jim Ross was disappointed that he’d put on weight and was perceived to be taking his career less seriously in the WWF than he had in WCW. The company shamed him by making jokes about his weight. JR gets mad at him for dragging this beating out longer than he had to and calls him a bully before going into the ring to interview him. JR asks him if he has any shame or remorse for the embarrassment he’s caused his family and the WWF. Vader apologises for nothing and to no one. Vader starts to lose his temper with JR and takes his hat off preparing to beat up the commentator. He’s a bully but fortunately for Jim, Shamrock runs down and surprises Vader with a big belly to belly suplex which gets a big pop from the crowd! 

• Backstage as Goldust puts the finishing touches on his make up - his gimmick change seems to be that he’s now a man playing a character rather than literally BEING Goldust - he tells Marlena that she is not to come to ringside for his match because it’s too dangerous. He’s right because the match is against HHH who as always now has Chyna with him at ringside. Goldust wastes no time and runs to the ring and goes on the attack immediately. The match goes back and forth and Marlena comes down to ringside when Chyna gets involved. It helps and she throws powder into Chyna’s face, blinding her so that when Hunter goes to check on her he’s grabbed and lifted into the air! Goldust wins by count out.

• The Undertaker appears on the big screen and shows no remorse for having burned Paul Bearer at the previous PPV and tells Austin he better start focusing on him or he will be in a wheel chair for real. That leads neatly to the main event which is European and Tag Team Champion The British Bulldog vs. WWF Champion The Undertaker in a non-title match. Just like earlier. Bret and Owen come out onto the stage to watch from there and Bulldog dedicates the match to his brother-in-law Bret. Brian Pillman was shown backstage before the match praying for Bulldog too, just like he did for Owen earlier. Undertaker fights off Bulldog and hits an awesome looking chokeslam but Owen runs to the ring to break up the pin to end this match via disqualification. The Hart Foundation beat up Undertaker two on one until Stone Cold comes through the crowd to make the save. He fights them both off and sends Owen and Bulldog running away through the crowd! Austin grabs the WWF title belt and celebrates with it before throwing it at The Undertaker’s feet and dropping the WWF Champion with a Stone Cold Stunner! Austin takes some time to taunt Undertaker and pays for it, grabbed by the throat and spiked with a chokeslam. Stone Cold rolls out of the ring and takes a moment to decide whether he wants to go after Undertaker or head up to the now unprotected Bret Hart! He decides the Hitman is his priority and the one legged Bret is in trouble…until Jim Neidhart makes his return! Bret and Owen’s other brother-in-law attacks Austin from behind and Bret takes advantage, clobbering Stone Cold with his crutch which sends him falling off the entrance ramp to the concrete! Neidhart is back and the Hart Foundation has gained a member. Raw ends with referees and officials checking on Stone Cold who isn’t moving after being knocked off the stage and has to be loaded onto a stretcher. Another WILD episode of Raw is War. 

Raw is War - May 5th 1997

• Raw kicks off with the now complete Hart Foundation in full - Brian Pillman, Jim Neidhart, Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion Owen Hart, European and Tag Team Champion British Bulldog and the leader, wheelchair bound Bret Hart. Doesn’t Owen look great with all four title belts and his two Slammy awards? Bret takes pleasure in the injuries caused to Stone Cold last week and once again lectures the American public on their blood lust and calls them a pack of hyenas for cheering on Austin. Bret says that they’ve taken out Stone Cold so now he’s going to destroy another great American hero; the boy toy Shawn Michaels. He compares them to a pack of lions who will tear apart a dancing antelope. Later tonight Stone Cold is scheduled to fight the Bulldog but will Austin even be here tonight? He has yet to arrive at the arena.

• Ahmed Johnson (with some different ring gear in plain black trunks) takes on Rockabilly who has continued to alter his look to be more like Honky Tonk; his fake tan looks a lot darker this week. Faarooq chimes in during this match about Ahmed and his inability to run the gauntlet against the Nation on PPV, but says that later tonight Crush will face three men he hand selected in a gauntlet match of his own to prove that it can be done by a superior wrestler. Rockabilly tries to cheat so Ahmed grabs Honky’s guitar and smashes it over Billy’s head. He won the match via disqualification but Ahmed was the last man standing. 
• Backstage the Hart Foundation is on the rampage, bursting into the locker room and demanding to know the whereabouts of Shawn Michaels from all the other various wrestlers. In other news, the WWF title belt has gone missing; someone stole it from The Undertaker’s locker room!
• Here’s a commercial for the In Your House PPV which I thought was pretty cool!

• After another video package about Ken Shamrock (very similar to last week’s one) he joins commentary to watch his PPV opponent Vader battle Goldust. The Vader/Shamrock match was promoted previously as no holds barred but now JR says it’s a UFC style match which can only be won via submission or knock out. Just let him wrestle? This is a back and forth match but Vader gets a strong, clean win with the Vader Bomb. Post match Vader dares Shamrock to take him on so he does and he tackles Vader off his feet and starts to hammer on him. Vader’s partner in crime Mankind runs down to make the save and gets on top of Shamrock trying to lock in his Mandible Claw but Goldust rescues him from that which leads neatly into a video interview with Goldust and Marlena, or Dustin and Terri as they’re known without the theatrics. Jim Ross narrates the video package all about the real Goldust. There will be another video like this next week apparently.

• Crush takes on three unknown jobbers in a gauntlet match, easily muscling them around and pinning them after a gut buster and a heart punch but then the third opponent runs down in a mask, hits the Pearl River Plunge and pins Crush to win the match! It’s Ahmed Johnson who attacked and replaced the actual third man in the match. Clever, and Faarooq drops the sling when he’s reacting so it seems like his arm has magically healed! 

• Before the commercial break the Hart Foundation was running around the parking lot trying to find Shawn Michaels so after the break it's a surprise to have Vince McMahon introduce him in the arena for an in-ring interview. The Harts must not have played a lot of hide and seek as kids. Two weeks ago Shawn saved Stone Cold from Brian Pillman who thanked him by punching him in the mouth after the cameras stopped rolling. Michaels tells Austin that he might continue to show up when he’s fighting the Harts but that’s because he wants to fight Bret and co, not because he wants to help Stone Cold. Shawn makes a point of telling the crowd and fans how much he loves them and sucks up to them instead of telling them that he doesn’t want or need them like everyone else seems to these days. Shawn says that he’ll be back in the ring at the King of the Ring PPV in June, and defends America against Bret’s anti-American ranting before promising that he’ll get to Bret even if he has to go through the entire Hart Foundation member by member. As he then circles the ring sharing some love with the fans at ringside. Bret Hart and Brian Pillman appears on the titantron and tells Shawn that he plans to end his career and makes another gay joke when HBK takes his t-shirt off. He challenges Michaels to a match with Jim Neidhart right here tonight on Raw! Michaels obviously isn’t afraid and so tells him to bring it and, with neither man dressed to compete and no referee in the ring Neidhart comes down to attack HBK. It’s a trap and Owen and Bulldog quickly follow to join in the three on one assault. He’s rescued by Hawk and Animal of the Legion of Doom who presumably still want a shot at the Hart Foundation’s Tag Team titles and after a commercial break, Michaels is backstage with a steel chair in hand looking for the Hart Foundation to get his payback. 

• That leads neatly into the next match which is a rematch from last week; the Legion of Doom vs. Furnas and Lafon. Doug and Phil before the match claim to be the most exciting team in the WWF which is hilariously untrue obviously. Great wrestlers but they are both kind of charisma vacuums. Bulldog and Owen come down to ringside to distract the referee and the LOD and a well timed hangman on the ropes by Owen Hart onto Hawk gives Lafon and Furnas the victory! That’s a surprise.

• Backstage Shawn Michaels is furiously brawling with Neidhart and Pillman and about to be overwhelmed when Stone Cold Steve Austin finally arrives at the arena just in the nick of time, attacking the Harts and saving Shawn Michaels from the beating! Stone Cold is still scheduled to wrestle Bulldog tonight. 
• In the ring, Vince McMahon interviews The Undertaker who doesn’t have his WWF title belt. That’s the first thing Undertaker comments on, saying that he is the champion and the defender of the belt and someone may have stoken the physical belt but they are no champion. He says that whoever took the belt will return it and pay the price tonight, and that the flame that is Austin’s fury will be extinguished at the PPV. 

• After a fun segment where Sunny models the new Stone Cold t-shirt while Dok Hendrix sells it to us, European and Tag Team Champion The British Bulldog takes his sweet time in coming out for some reason - it might be part of the storyline as when he does he’s all alone and looks like he’s in a bad mood. Stone Cold heads down and only poses on one corner before going right after Bulldog, beating him up on the outside and clobbering him in the ring. The crowd loves this guy and they’re getting louder every week. Its a back and forth match and Bulldog works on Austin’s lower back. He guts it out and hits the Stone Cold Stunner to pick up the win but gets no time to celebrate as he’s attacked by Owen, Neidhart and Pillman. Owen hits Austin in the back over and over with a title belt but it takes a moment for people to click that it’s not Owen’s IC or Tag belt, it’s Undertaker’s stolen WWF title belt! Austin gets rescued by the LOD but then Furnas and Lafon come down to help out the Hart Foundation! It’s a Canadian coalition. Shawn Michaels runs down to get involved too and with all 10 men brawling in the ring, Undertaker’s gong sounds and the lights go out! The WWF Champion is here to reclaim his WWF title belt and appears in the ring like magic! Owen grabs the WWF title belt to use as a weapon so Shawn fights him off and the ring starts to clear until Stone Cold and Undertaker are the only men in the ring. Austin picks up the title belt so Undertaker snatches it from him accusingly and then lays it dramatically on the mat between them like a line in the sand. That quick;y turns into a brawl, all around the ringside area. Raw ends with referees and officials trying desperately to split up these two men and failing and catching strays of their own!