WWF Monday Night Raw Results
January 1, 1996 (Taped December 18, 1995)
Newark, Delaware (Bob Carpenter Center)
Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
Video: The USA Network proudly presents the 1996 Raw Bowl. People are excited about the Raw Bowl. Coach Blassie has given his final pep talk. Dandy Dok is walking the lot. Jimbo Jim is waiting for interviews. The Raw Bowl Queen has been crowned. A galaxy of stars has been assembled. Diesel, King Mabel, and Goldust are here. We also have The Nacho Man, The Huckster, Scheme Gene, and Billionaire Ted.
Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcome us to the show. They talk about all the Bowl Games this show isn’t before saying this is the Raw Bowl. Lawler is wearing a personalized Cleveland Browns jersey.
WWF Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns run through a paper Monday Night Raw sign. They have football tops and eye black on.
As Yokozuna and Owen Hart come to the ring, we see a video of Brother Love talking to someone in the locker room.
While Razor Ramon and Savio Vega head to the ring together, Goldust’s usher comes up to Ramon with some gold gilded flowers. Ramon attacks him and pushes him away. Goldust is seen near the “end zone” and blows a kiss.
Mike’s Thoughts: It should be noted that Razor Ramon/Scott Hall absolutely hated this rivalry with Goldust. It was around this time that he began complaining loudly to anyone who would listen backstage about the angle. The Kliq also began to take their frustrations out on Dustin Rhodes. I wonder if this angle was a catalyst behind Ramon leaving the WWF in just a few months.
Raw Bowl Tag Team Battle Royal
WWF Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns (Billy Gunn and Bart Gunn) vs. Yokozuna and Owen Hart w/ Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji vs. WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon and Savio Vega vs. The 1-2-3 Kid and Sycho Sid w/ “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
Referee: Earl Hebner
Here are the rules for the match:
— One timeout per team can be used at any time
— Team is eliminated when a teammate is pinned, disqualified, counted out, or submits
— Any player may be tagged in at any time
— Once tagged, physical contact must be made with the opponent before tagging out
The ring canvas has a pseudo-football-field look. Earl Hebner is dressed up like an NFL Referee.
Owen Hart and Bart Gunn will start the match. They get in the three-point stance and charge. Bart hits Hart with a drop toehold before hitting a hip toss and a dropkick. Bart follows up with a pair of arm drags, so Hart pops up and tags Billy Gunn in. According to the rules, Billy must make physical contact with Bart before he can tag out. It’s teammate against teammate. The Smoking Gunns shrug and lock up. Bart hooks a side headlock, but Billy whips him off, drops down, and does a leapfrog. Bart goes for a hip toss, but Billy twists out. The Smoking Gunns then double tag Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They must now fight each other! Jim Cornette is irate.
Yokozuna and Owen Hart are flipping out. Referee Earl Hebner threatens to throw a flag for delay of game. Hart hits the ropes and ducks two shots from Yokozuna before sliding through his legs. Yokozuna then shoulder tackles Hart down. Hart pops up and quickly tags in Savio Vega. Vega punches away at Yokozuna. Yokozuna reverses a whip. Vega ducks a back elbow, but Yokozuna catches him with a shoulder tackle. Vega avoids an elbow drop, but Yokozuna quickly fires back with a scoop slam. The 1-2-3 Kid tags in. The referee stops Razor Ramon from coming in. Vega grabs Kid, but Kid holds the ropes. Vega ducks a spin kick and clotheslines him down for a two-count. Vega catches him with a wheel kick for a two-count. Kid tags Hart in. Vega hits Hart with a hip toss and a pair of clotheslines. Hart quickly pops up and hits a spinning heel kick for a two-count. Vega quickly tags his partner Ramon in.
Jerry Lawler is interviewing the Raw Bowl Queen, who says this match is wild. Ramon wrenches Hart’s arm, but Hart twists out and applies a side headlock. Ramon whips him off and punches him down. Hart tags Bart Gunn in. Ramon hooks a side headlock, but Bart shoves him off. Ramon shoulder tackles him for a two-count. Vega tags in and wrenches Bart’s arm before tagging Sid in. Sid comes in and points at the crowd. Sid goes after Bart, but Bart sidesteps him. Sid rakes the eyes and kicks him in the midsection before choking him on the top rope. Sid clubs the back and sends him into the ropes. Bart ducks a clothesline and hits a clothesline for a two-count. Bart hits Sid with a delayed vertical suplex for a two-count. Sid avoids an elbow drop and kicks Bart back. Vega tags in off Bart. Sid signals for a test of strength before attacking Vega with punches. Vega fights back and goes for a scoop slam, but he falls back under Sid’s weight. Sid picks up a two-count. Sid tags Hart in. Hart takes it to Vega and takes him down with an enzuigiri for a two-count. Yokozuna tags in, and he chops Vega’s chest.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Yokozuna is beating on Vega before Hart tags back in. Hart goes for a Sharpshooter, but Vega kicks him away. Hart tags Kid in. Kid kicks Vega and sends him into the ropes for a spinning back kick. Yokozuna tags in and attacks Vega’s ribs.
We see a video of Brother Love still talking in the locker room with his eyes closed. Kid sends Vega to the corner and charges, but Vega moves. Sid quickly tags in and stomps Vega. Sid tags Kid in and holds Vega up for Kid to kick him. Kid hits Vega with a scoop slam before trying an elbow drop, but Vega moves.
Ramon tags in and squares off against his major rival, the 1-2-3 Kid. Ramon catches him and hits a fallaway slam before signaling for the end. Kid calls for a timeout, which the referee grants him. Ramon disregards the timeout and hits Kid with a Razor’s Edge. Ted DiBiase gets on the apron, so the referee throws a flag. Sid runs in and attacks Ramon from behind before putting Kid on top of him. The referee counts the pin to eliminate Ramon and Vega.
WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon and Savio Vega have been eliminated from the Raw Bowl.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Jerry “The King” Lawler shows highlights on the telestrator from what just happened, which saw Ramon and Vega get eliminated.
Back to live action, The 1-2-3 Kid is taking it to Bart Gunn. Sid tags in and wrenches the arm before tagging Hart in. Hart clubs Bart down before bouncing him in the corner. Hart hits some shoulder thrusts before hitting a vertical suplex for a two-count. Hart sends Bart into the ropes, drops down, and hits a kitchen sink knee to the midsection. Hart stomps the midsection and pulls him to his feet. Bart comes back with a roll-up for a two-count. Hart headbutts Bart down and hits a scoop slam. Hart heads to the top rope and dives for a splash, but Bart moves.
Billy tags in and punches Hart before attacking Sid and Yokozuna. Bart takes it to everyone, including punching Jim Cornette off the apron. Billy hits the ropes, but Kid kicks him in the back of the head. Hart hits Billy with a neckbreaker and tags Yokozuna in. Yokozuna goes to the second rope. Bart yanks Billy away, knocking Hart down. Yokozuna accidentally hits Hart with the Banzai Drop! Bart dropkicks Yokozuna out of the ring as Billy covers. Yokozuna calls for a timeout, but the referee doesn’t see it. 1… 2… 3.
Yokozuna and Owen Hart have been eliminated from the Raw Bowl.
Sid runs in and stomps away at Billy. Sid pulls Billy up and punches him down. Sid stomps him against the ropes. The referee blows the whistle and backs him up. Kid stomps Billy as the referee deals with Sid. Bart runs in, so the referee stops him. Sid and Kid send Billy to the corner. Kid hits a running dropkick, and Sid turns Billy inside out with a clothesline for a two-count. Sid applies a rear chin lock, but Billy elbows out and hits the ropes. Billy ducks a clothesline, but he can’t avoid the big boot. Sid hits the ropes and drops a leg for a near fall. Sid pulls Billy up and goes for a scoop slam, but Billy counters with an inside cradle for a two-count. Sid stops Billy from making a tag and punches him. Billy blocks a punch and fires back with some right hands. Sid reverses a whip, but Billy ducks a clothesline. Sid grabs Billy by the throat and hits a chokeslam before posing.
Sid big boots Bart off the apron before holding Billy up. The referee stops Bart from getting in. Kid goes to the top rope, but Razor Ramon runs down and pushes him off the ropes into Sid. Billy rolls Sid up. Bart pulls Kid out of the ring. 1… 2… 3.
Winners by Pinfall: The Smoking Gunns
The Smoking Gunns have won the 1996 Raw Bowl! Ted DiBiase gets in the ring and furiously stomps around. The 1-2-3 Kid is furious.
Mike’s Thoughts: Well, you gotta give them credit for trying something different. They were at the bottom of the barrel creatively coming out of 1995 (this was also taped at the end of 1995) and wanted to try a goofy little crossover between wrestling and football. Did it work? I’d emphatically say no, it did not, but they were trying. This just went too long, didn’t have much exciting action, had a few too many rules, and WAY too many campy football references from Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. This didn’t hurt anyone, but it didn’t exactly help anyone, either.
Vince McMahon announces that Shawn Michaels will have a press conference next Monday. Jerry Lawler says it won’t be a happy New Year for HBK fans because he’ll announce his retirement.
Wrigley’s Raw Bowl Halftime Report
This report is brought to you by Wrigley’s Winterfresh bubblegum. Dok Hendrix says this won’t be a meaningless, boring halftime show like you have to endure on NFL broadcasts. It’ll last two minutes. Still to come, Diesel will battle King Mabel.
“Jumbo” Ross is outside of Diesel’s locker room. Ross couldn’t get Diesel, but he did say that he was told Diesel would “kick the king’s can.”
Back to “Dandy” Hendrix, he wonders which king’s can Diesel is talking about. The Royal Rumble is coming on January 21. For the WWF Championship, Bret “Hitman” Hart will defend against The Undertaker. We’ll also see Ahmed Johnson take on Jeff Jarrett. Hendrix then explains the rules of the Royal Rumble.
Mike’s Thoughts: About the only thing good about this segment was that it reminded me how much I loved Winterfresh bubblegum.
Replay: The Arkansas Hog Pen Match from WWF In Your House 5. Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Henry O. Godwinn but soon suffered the ignominy of being thrown into the pig slop.
Next week on Raw, they will show the entire Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog match from WWF In Your House. We’ll also see Hakushi take on “Double J” Jeff Jarrett.
King Mabel is carried down to the ring on a throne held up by stagehands. One of them is future wrestling legend Jeff Hardy. Mabel will face Diesel next.
-Commercial Break-
Locker Room Segment
Brother Love is still talking in the locker room with his eyes closed, apparently not realizing that no one is there.
The Raw Bowl Queen says she needs a king for the new year. Jerry Lawler is excited.
King Mabel w/ Sir Mo vs. “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel
Referee: Mike Chioda
Diesel attacks Mabel from behind. The referee calls for the bell to start the match. Diesel sends Mabel into the ropes and hits a big boot. 1… 2… 3! Diesel has defeated King Mabel in nine seconds!
Winner by Pinfall: Diesel
Diesel pulls Sir Mo into the ring the hard way and hits him with a Jackknife Powerbomb. Diesel stands tall in the ring and throws his ring vest at the referee before posing as fireworks go off. Diesel shouts, “I want my belt back!”
Jerry “The King” Lawler gets up from commentary and wants to interview Diesel. Diesel goes over to him before taking the Raw Bowl Queen and walking off. Lawler is furious.
Mike’s Thoughts: Well, other than one final Royal Rumble appearance and a one-off appearance on a Raw show in 1998, this is the end of King Mabel on WWF television. He’d also lose a Casket Match rematch to The Undertaker on an episode of WWF Superstars. This nine-second loss to Diesel was nothing short of a total burial. Remember, this was the main event of SummerSlam.
This is a pretty spectacular fall from grace for the guy who won the 1995 King of the Ring tournament just a few months back. He had already developed a reputation as something of an unsafe worker, but after hurting Diesel at SummerSlam and cracking the Undertaker’s orbital socket at a house show in October, that all but sealed his fate. Plus, maybe WWF realized they weren’t going to turn the corner with WCW on their heel by pushing a guy like this as the top heel. We’ll see him back on these recaps more consistently a few years from now as the mighty Viscera, a phenomenal name.
Moments like this also show how desperate the WWF was becoming. They needed credibility at the top, and they couldn’t risk their main event scene being anchored by someone they no longer trusted. For now, Mabel will be heading on to WWC in Puerto Rico to feud with the legendary Carlos Colon.
Locker Room Segment
The Smoking Gunns are celebrating with Ahmed Johnson, Hakushi, Marty Jannetty, and Savio Vega. The Brooklyn Brawler walks in and wants to break up the celebration. He presents to them the “Lombardi Trophy,” a trophy with his face on it. His name is really Steve Lombardi. The Smoking Gunns destroy the trophy, and everyone attacks the Brawler. They then dump a tub of Lipton Brisk Iced Tea on him.
We’ll have an announcement for the Royal Rumble next. We’ll also look at “Billionaire Ted’s Wrasslin’ War Room.”
-Commercial Break-
Announced for the Royal Rumble so far are Diesel, Owen Hart, the British Bulldog, Dory Funk, Jr., Savio Vega, King Mabel, Bam Bam Bigelow, Barry Horowitz, Yokozuna, and Tatanka.
Video: Vader will make his WWF debut in the Royal Rumble match. It’s Vader Time!
Mike’s Thoughts: This is actually a pretty great get for the WWF. Vader was floating around after being fired from WCW following the pretty legendary locker room brawl against Paul Orndorff. He probably could have ridden out the rest of his career in Japan (and by the end of this run, maybe he should have), but Vince McMahon was able to make this deal. His initial attempt at a huge story was to get The Ultimate Warrior to come in for the Royal Rumble, but it didn’t work out. We’ll talk more about Vader’s run in the weeks to come because it started off so right, but it’ll end oh-so-wrong.
Next week on Raw, Hakushi will take on Jeff Jarrett. We’ll also see Shawn Michaels’ press conference. They’ll also show the Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog WWF Championship match in full.
Billionaire Ted’s Wrasslin’ War Room
A satirical portrayal of a fictional WCW War Room is shown. They never mention WCW by name. Billionaire Ted (Ted Turner) wants them to pull out all the stops. A nerdy TV executive says they have some suggestions. A video of Razor Ramon hitting the Razor’s Edge is shown. Vince Russo makes an appearance and asks The Huckster (Hulk Hogan) if he could do that. Huckster says, “No way, brother.”
The Nacho Man (Randy Savage) is asked if he could do Ahmed Johnson’s Pearl River Plunge. Savage shouts, “Never!” They show him the Jackknife Powerbomb, but The Nacho Man is incapable of doing that as well. Billionaire Ted asks what they can do. The Huckster and The Nacho Man start doing their trademark poses.
A voiceover says, “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks. The New WWF Generation: on top of the hill, not over it.”
Mike’s Thoughts: Is it sacrilege to say I actually thought this segment was kind of funny? This is goofy, low-brow, and completely embarrassing to the WWF in the context of its time, but now it’s pretty funny that they really thought something like this would be helpful. How they could think that is beyond me, but they did. It’ll get worse in the coming weeks and really upset some people in Atlanta, but it starts off innocuously enough with some goofy camp.
Quick Match Results
— WWF Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns (Billy Gunn and Bart Gunn) def. WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon and Savio Vega, Yokozuna and Owen Hart, and The 1-2-3 Kid and Sycho Sid to win the 1996 Raw Bowl Tag Team Battle Royal
— “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel def. King Mabel
Mike’s Wrap-Up: What We Learned from Raw
If nothing else, the 1996 Raw Bowl (the first-ever… and only-ever) proves that the WWF was willing to try anything as it limped out of 1995 and into a brand-new year. This show was peak mid-90s WWF camp: football puns out the wazoo, silly rules, goofy skits, and commentary that leaned so hard into the joke that it stopped being funny almost instantaneously. The match itself went way too long and didn’t really elevate anyone, but it also didn’t do lasting damage. Well, Sid and the 1-2-3 Kid keep losing despite being teased for a Tag Title match, but whatever. It was a gimmick, nothing more, nothing less.
Speaking of Sid, this will be the last show we see him on until July. He claims he had a neck injury around this time and took off for a few months, so the Sid and Kid tag team is over.
The much more important story was everything else around the football stuff. Diesel continued to redefine his character, going back to basics, and obliterating what was left of King Mabel’s credibility in nine seconds. Diesel looks like a guy who is reasserting himself at the top, much more focused and less of a stiff, corporate shell. We got hype for Vader’s debut, the Royal Rumble card began to take shape, and next week promises something big: Shawn Michaels’ press conference about his career. In other words, the future feels like it might matter again.
Next week, we’ll also see the WWF debut of the most influential wrestler of the Monday Night War. This man will carry the company through its most popular and exciting times, but he gets off to a rather inauspicious start. Who is it? Check it out next week… or Google it.
This show wasn’t good in the traditional sense, but it was interesting in a way that a lot of the WWF TV in late 1995 just wasn’t. If Raw Bowl was the goofy, awkward party hat, then everything else tonight hinted that maybe, just maybe, 1996 is where the WWF starts to grow up.
So, was the Raw Bowl enough of a draw to crack WCW’s two-week winning streak?
WWF Raw (USA Network, taped): 2.6 (Record: 7-7-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 2.5 (Record: 7-7-2)
Winner: WWF Raw
Yes, it was! I’m surprised they didn’t do a Raw Bowl tournament, given that they had a moderately successful show in the ratings. Thank God nearly the entire month of January was taped in December, so they couldn’t do it if they wanted to.
Email – mike@wrestleview.com
X – @MikeTedescoWV
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