WWF 1997.03.03 - Monday Night Raw

Location: Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany

Commentators: Vince McMahon, Honky Tonk Man

The ring announcer for today's matches is Carsten Schaefer, who's been working for the WWF as a moderator for the German WWF broadcasts since 1989.

Match 1. Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Bret Hart

Over the last few weeks Honky Tonk Man has sporadically appeared as a guest commentator. It's good to see him commentating for the whole evening. My only criticism is that his commentary sounds like a clone of Jerry Lawler's. He hardly makes himself popular with the Berlin audience. When talking about the crowd's support for Bret Hart, he says "That's the problem with these fans, they're a bunch of foreigners".

Bret Hart is disqualified when he hits the referee Earl Hebner.

After the match the mystery woman that we first saw at last month's PPV enters the ring and challenges Bret Hart to a fight.

The officials escort her out of the ring.

But Hunter Hearst Helmsley pushes the officials away and walks out with her. Are they somehow connected?

Match 2. Intercontinental Title, Rocky Maivia vs Vader

While the two are fighting outside the ring, Mankind hits Rocky over the head with an urn, causing Vader to be disqualified. Rocky keeps the Intercontinental Title, which makes Vader angry.

Match 3. Sultan vs Flash Funk

This week Flash Funk isn't accompanied by his dancing girls. Maybe he was too mean to pay their plane tickets to Germany. Sultan wins when Flash Funk submits in a Camel Clutch.

Match 4. WWF Championship, Sycho Sid vs Mankind

Sycho Sid pins Mankind and retains the WWF Championship Title.

Match 5. European Championship, British Bulldog vs Owen Hart

The next match is for the European Championship, the first new title introduced in the WWF for 20 years.

Over the last 10 days the WWF has been touring Germany. There has been a tournament for the European Championship Title. Unfortunately, the matches weren't televised. Berlin is the final date of the tour, and the final of the European Championship tournament. As you can see from the names of the eight participants, the wrestlers weren't European, apart from British Bulldog.

Despite the animosity between the tag team partners over the last few months, it's a very fair fight. It's a long match with exciting technical wrestling. British Bulldog eventually pins Owen Hart, meaning that a genuine European is the first wrestler to hold the European Championship belt.

Incidentally, this episode of Monday Night Raw was taped five days previously on 26th February. The whole event was shown on German television, but three matches had to be omitted from the American broadcast for time reasons. (The WWF only had a two hour time slot on Monday evening). These matches were shown on the WWF weekly programme Superstars on 2nd March.