WWF 1997.06.16 - Monday Night Raw

Location: Olympic Center, Lake Placid, New York

Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross

This event was broadcast live.

Vince McMahon and Jim Ross report that there was a fight in the locker room between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart last week. It happened off air before last week's edition of Raw. I don't remember it being mentioned. Both men sustained injuries. Shawn will be out of action for four to six weeks. Bret will return within a few days, hopefully next week. As a result, the tag team title, currently held by Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels, has been vacated. There will be a tag team tournament of eight teams. The winning team will face Steve Austin and a partner of his choice to become the tag team champions.

Steve Austin comes to the ring and asks Vince McMahon to interview him. It can hardly be called an interview, because Steve doesn't allow Vince to speak. He complains that Vince is talking about him, making decisions about his future while he's sitting in the locker room. He says he doesn't need a partner to become tag team champion.

Mankind appears  on the Titantron and says that since last week he's felt a bond with Steve Austin. That's why he took over the fight against Brian Pillman. He asks to become Steve's partner. He says he has long hair and a nice ass, just like Shawn Michaels.

Ken Shamrock comes out and says that Steve Austin shouldn't have stunned him when he came out to help him last week. He demands a match against him. Ken wants to fight him immediately, but Steve says that he wants to beat up Brian Pillman first.

Match 1. British Bulldog & Owen Hart vs New Blackjacks

This is the first match of the tag team tournament. The Blackjacks sure have nasty moustaches. Someone should pull them off. It's a fast-paced match that the Blackjacks would have won if British Bulldog and Owen Hart hadn't cheated. British Bulldog pins Blackjack Bradshaw after he's been double teamed behind the referee's back.

Match 2. Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Phineas Godwinn

Phineas Godwinn is the first in the ring. He's joined by Triple H, with Chyna standing outside the ring.

Triple H throws his jacket out of the ring, and a man picks it up. Chyna grabs the man and threatens him.

I have no idea who the man is, but he's no match for Chyna. He's scared stiff.

Now that the distraction's out of the way, Chyna can watch the match.

Chyna doesn't get involved in the ring, but she can do enough damage outside. When Triple H throws Phineas out, Chyna punches him, knocking him off his feet.

I spotted a sign in the audience saying "Chyna Spank Me". That's not something she'd do. Chyna doesn't spank men, she punches them in the face and the balls. She's not interested in consensual roleplay.

The match continues, and Phineas gains the advantage. While Triple H is lying on the apron, Chyna climbs up to distract the referee. Phineas approaches her. He must have been impressed by her punch. He likes it rough. He grabs her and kisses her, but she's disgusted and pushes him away. I don't think he's had a wash all month. Triple H attacks him from behind and pins him.

After the match, Henry Godwinn comes out and tells his brother off for being such a fool.

Match 3. Chris Candido vs Brian Christopher

Sunny comes to the ring as the guest ring announcer. She's a lot prettier than Howard Finkel. Paul Heyman is the guest commentator. Sunny announces the match as an interpromotional match. Brian Christopher works for the USWA (United States Wrestling Association), while Chris Candido works for the ECW. (Do I really have to tell you what that stands for?)

Paul Heyman drops a bombshell at the commentary table. He says that Brian Christopher is Jerry Lawler's son, although he's never acknowledged that Jerry is his father. After all, anybody would be ashamed to have Jerry Lawler as his father. Jerry has also never acknowledged that Brian is his son. There's another story that isn't mentioned. Chris Candido is Sunny's boyfriend, and he's been together with her since high school. Lucky man!

Jerry Lawler comes to the ring and attacks Paul Heyman because of his comments. Then he intervenes in the match, attacking Chris Candido, so Brian Christopher is disqualified. Rob Van Dam comes to the ring to attack Chris. Tommy Dreamer comes out to defend him. It's typical ECW chaos in the ring.

Tragically, both wrestlers suffered early deaths. Chris Candido died in 2005 at the age of 33 as a result of injuries sustained in the ring. Brian Christopher hanged himself in a police cell in 2018, aged 46, after being arrested for drunk driving.

Match 4. Goldust vs Jim Neidhart

It's an even match until British Bulldog enters the arena. He threatens Marlena outside the ring. Goldust comes out to protect his wife, and he's double teamed by Jim Neidhart and Bulldog. Goldust nevertheless manages to pin Jim. Then he leaves the arena, clutching his stomach in pain.

Match 5. Steve Austin vs Brian Pillman

This is the match that should have taken place last week, if the Hart Foundation hadn't attacked Steve Austin on the way to the ring. To stop it happening again, the members of the Hart Foundation are handcuffed to the ring posts.

Steve Austin has several chances to win the match, but he doesn't take them. Whenever Brian Pillman is incapacitated, he uses the opportunity to attack the helpless members of the Hart Foundation outside the ring.

When the referee tries to stop Steve, Steve stuns him. That should have been a disqualification, but the match is allowed to continue. The match continues as an uncontrolled brawl, and Brian Pillman hits Steve with brass knuckles. Owen Hart takes the key from the unconscious referee, so that he can free himself and the other members of the Hart Foundation. When they enter the ring Brian Pillman is disqualified, but the fight doesn't end there. All four members of the Hart Foundation attack Steve. Mankind and Goldust come out to assist him, followed by Ken Shamrock, who chases the Hart Foundation away. When Steve stands up, he attacks Ken. The Legion of Doom come out and separate Steve and Ken.

Goldust grabs the microphone and tells them to stop fighting, because that's what the Hart Foundation wants. He suggests that the team for the ten-man tag team match at the next PPV should be the Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock, Steve Austin and himself. Steve agrees to this, but for one night only. He says that when the match is over they won't be friends and drink beer together, he'll stun all of them.

Match 6. Tommy Rogers vs Bobby Fulton

Now it's Sable's turn to be the guest ring announcer. Howard Finkel should retire. Tommy Rogers (in red) and Brian Fulton are both veteran wrestlers who've been wrestling since 1980 and 1977 respectively, but they're new in the WWF. The WWF is famous for its big wrestlers, but they want to start a light heavyweight division with smaller wrestlers. New wrestlers will be hired over the coming months in preparation for crowning the WWF's first light heavyweight champion.

It's a fast-paced match, as is to be expected from lighter wrestlers. Tommy Rogers wins by a pinfall.

Sable waves to her fans. Her boyfriend Marc Mero comes to escort her out of the arena. He doesn't like the way she parades herself in the ring.

Match 7. Headbangers vs Jerry Lawler & Rob Van Dam

This is the second quarter-final match of the tag team tournament. Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer are sitting in the audience looking on menacingly. Jim Ross evidently doesn't like the way the Headbangers look. He says that he wouldn't want them hanging around his daughters. Vince McMahon defends them and says they're nice boys when you get to know them. That's a golden rule: don't judge people by their appearance.

The match degenerates into a brawl with a lot of cheating by Jerry Lawler and the Headbangers. Only Rob Van Dam fights fairly. The Sandman (another ECW wrestler) enters the ring and attacks Jerry Lawler, allowing Mosh to pin him. The Headbangers advance to the semi-finals. Outside the ring, Tommy Dreamer and Sandman attack Rob Van Dam.

Match 8. Faarooq & Kama Mustafa vs Ahmed Johnson & Undertaker

Before the match Ahmed Johnson says that he has respect for the Undertaker, but no respect at all for Paul Bearer. He tells the Undertaker that if he continues to listen to Paul Bearer they'll have problems with one another. 

Faarooq claims to have found two new members for the Nation of Domination, but he only introduces Kama Mustafa. Kama has wrestled for the WWF using different names since 1991, but this is his return to the WWF after a year's absence.

While the Undertaker is fighting in the ring, Ahmed Johnson attacks Paul Bearer outside the ring. The Undertaker wants a tag, but Ahmed isn't there, so Kama pins him. After the match Ahmed picks the Undertaker up and slams him. It's revealed that Ahmed Johnson is the other new member of the Nation of Domination.

This is the new Nation, from left to right Kama Mustafa, Ahmed Johnson, Faarooq and D-Lo Brown. What a revolting development!