WWF Monday Night Raw Results
January 15, 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 show kicks off with a Vince McMahon-narrated video about Dr. Martin Luther King, who was celebrated on this Monday in 1996.
“The World Wrestling Federation: for over fifty years, the revolutionary force in sports entertainment.” The WWF video leads us into the show.
A warning label appears on the screen, which says, “Warning! The following program contains action of a graphic nature. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!”
Mike’s Thoughts: This was put there because they’re going to be doing a number of seductive skits with Sunny. Someone backstage (probably Vince Russo, who was beginning to emerge as a player with creative) realized that Sunny was hot and could be exploited for ratings, so that’s what they did. Sadly, life has not been kind to her.
Video: Sunny, lying seductively on a pool table, is shown. Tonight, we’ll see the Undertaker battle Isaac Yankem, DDS. We’ll also have a special interview with Goldust.
Backstage Segment
Dok Hendrix says we might not have that interview with Goldust. Hendrix’s sources tell him that Razor Ramon is coming to the arena to confront Goldust.
Video: We’ll also have another edition of Billionaire Ted’s Wrasslin’ War Room.
Video: The Raw video plays, which curiously includes footage that hasn’t happened yet, like Roddy Piper slapping Goldust.
Marty Jannetty vs. Owen Hart w/ Jim Cornette
Referee: Jack Doan
The bell rings, and they lock up. Hart wrenches the arm, but Jannetty turns it on him and hits an arm drag. Jannetty hits a monkey flip, so Hart frustratedly gets up and shoves him. They lock up, and Hart hooks a side headlock before applying a hammerlock. Jannetty fights out and applies a front facelock. Hart fights up and puts Jannetty on the top rope. The referee backs up Hart. Jannetty jumps over Hart and hits an arm drag. Hart shoves him a few times, so Jannetty starts punching him. Hart gets out of a slam and goes for a roll-up, but Jannetty holds the ropes. Jannetty hits a clothesline for a two-count. Jannetty applies a rear chin lock. Hart fights up and whips him off, but Jannetty shoulder tackles him. Jannetty hits the ropes, but Hart hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Hart stomps the midsection before hitting a backbreaker. Hart stomps Jannetty and sends him to the corner, but Jannetty springboards off the middle rope with a crossbody block for a two-count.
Hart quickly fights back with an enzuigiri for a two-count. That’s the move that caused Shawn Michaels to collapse. Hart applies a rear chin lock, but Jannetty soon fights up with an arm drag. Hart avoids an elbow drop and tries for a Sharpshooter, but Jannetty kicks him away. Hart stomps him and hits a dropkick. Hart shoulders him in the corner and uppercuts him. Jannetty knees him back and hits a clothesline. Hart fights back with an eye rake, followed by a gutwrench suplex for a two-count.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Hart is stretching Jannetty out and drops a leg. Jannetty fights back with a facebuster, followed by some right hands. Hart reverses a whip to the corner, but Jannetty boots him back. Jannetty goes to the second rope and hits a blockbuster. Jannetty sends Hart into the ropes for a scoop powerslam. Jannetty goes to the top rope, but Hart backs away. Jannetty comes down and clotheslines Hart over the top rope. Vince McMahon points out that Hart would be eliminated from the Royal Rumble if that happened on Sunday.
Jannetty punches Hart on the apron and goes for a suplex into the ring. Hart gets out, flips Jannetty down, and does a cradle pin for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Owen Hart
Mike’s Thoughts: A solid match to kick off Raw. Owen Hart was so darn talented. Against an opponent like Marty Jannetty, he could really shine.
WWF Slam Jam
Todd Pettengill is shown and says we’ll be hearing from Dok Hendrix soon. Pettengill talks about the Royal Rumble this Sunday. He mentions that the Royal Rumble Free for All will be bigger than TLC’s “Waterfalls” song (what a throwback!). Two Royal Rumble participants will draw blanks and battle on the Free for All. The winner will be No. 30. The loser is No. 1.
Video: Diesel says Shawn Michaels and Vader are getting a lot of talk heading into the Royal Rumble, but it will be Diesel Time.
Video: Vader is shown in a hype video. He calls himself the Prince of Power.
Pettengill makes one final drive for the Royal Rumble and puts over the other matches on the show as well. He finishes by saying we’ve been seeing some matches from a WWF PPV on Raw over the last two weeks, but the only way you can see any Royal Rumble match is on pay-per-view.
Backstage Segment
Dok Hendrix says Razor Ramon is confirmed to be on his way to the arena tonight. He wants to tear Goldust apart.
The Million Dollar Champion Ringmaster heads to the ring with “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.
Video: A seductive video of Sunny is shown. Everyone likes it Raw.
Later tonight, we’ll hear from Billionaire Ted, as well as see the Undertaker vs. Isaac Yankem, DDS.
-Commercial Break-
Non-Title Match
Million Dollar Champion The Ringmaster w/ “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase vs. Matt Hardy
Referee: Tim White
They lock up, and the Ringmaster hooks a side headlock before hitting a takeover. Ringmaster pulls him up and hits another takeover. Hardy rolls him onto his shoulders for a one-count. Ringmaster sends him into the ropes, but Hardy shoulder tackles him. Hardy hits the ropes, but the Ringmaster hits a Lou Thesz Press, followed by some right hands. The Ringmaster poses over Hardy, so Hardy rolls him up for a two-count. The Ringmaster forearms him in the back of the head, rocking Hardy. The Ringmaster elbows him in the back of the head before sending him into the ropes for a back body drop. The Ringmaster chops him in the corner. Hardy fights back, but Ringmaster knees him and stretches his legs out on the middle ropes. Ringmaster punches away at him before stomping the midsection. Ted DiBiase is gleefully watching. Ringmaster drops a knee and steps on his head. Ringmaster hits a snapmare before dropping a forearm. The Ringmaster takes a moment before covering him for a two-count.
The Ringmaster slams Hardy’s face off the canvas before sending him into the ropes. Ringmaster lowers his head, and Hardy kicks him in the face. Hardy kicks away at him and goes for a suplex, but Ringmaster counters with a front suplex. 1… 2… Ringmaster pulls him up. Ringmaster chokes him on the middle rope before the referee backs him up. Ringmaster goes back and chokes him again. Ringmaster then hits the ropes and goes for an avalanche, but Hardy moves. Hardy punches away at the Ringmaster. Ringmaster reverses a whip and hits a hotshot into the top rope. The Ringmaster then applies the Million Dollar Dream. The referee calls for the bell.
Winner by Referee’s Decision: The Ringmaster
Ted DiBiase gets in the ring with the Million Dollar Championship and stands with the Ringmaster. The Ringmaster gets a few more shots in on Hardy before leaving the ring.
Mike’s Thoughts: Wow, who’d have thought that the future Stone Cold Steve Austin’s first match on Raw would be against a jobber by the name of Matt Hardy. Two future legends in their respective fields: Austin in singles competition, Hardy in tag team competition (though his BROKEN Matt Hardy character was a great singles run). Austin was already a known commodity to many in wrestling at this point. His run as “Stunning” Steve Austin was good, as was his tag team with Brian Pillman. It’s kind of weird that they’d want to take a guy who was so good previously and showed a lot of personality in a brief ECW run and saddle him with a dead-end gimmick like the Ringmaster, but that’s Vince McMahon for you. Luckily, it’s going to work out for him. Well, for both guys in this match!
Video: Shawn Michaels is returning to action at the Royal Rumble. HBK calls himself the most exciting athlete in the World Wrestling Federation. He’s willing to go out there and lay it all on the line. There is no mistaking that he wants to steal the show. What can he do to give the people something they have never seen? He was riding high before being attacked by nine thugs in Syracuse, New York. It wasn’t easy for him to give up the Intercontinental Championship. At that point, his ego took over, and he got back in the ring against the advice of doctors, family, and friends. That proved to be a mistake. He collapsed in the middle of the ring on live television. HBK has goals and dreams. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t do the one thing he knows he’s really good at. Thanks to the fans, he’s been given a second chance. This Sunday night, the road to the WWF Championship goes through Fresno at the Royal Rumble. Once again, he’ll outlast 29 of the best superstars of the WWF. Then, he and his fans will have a one-way ticket to WrestleMania and the title.
Mike’s Thoughts: Strong babyface video package. By this point, it’s so crystal clear that Shawn Michaels is winning the Royal Rumble and getting the WWF Championship at WrestleMania.
Backstage Segment
Dok Hendrix says his sources told him he’s only a few miles away from the arena. He might make it in time for the Goldust interview. Hendrix says all hell will break loose if that’s the case.
The interview with Goldust is next. Then, we’ll get another edition of Billionaire Ted’s Wrasslin’ War Room. Tonight’s main event will be the Undertaker vs. Isaac Yankem, DDS.
-Commercial Break-
Non-Title Tag Team Match
WWF Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns (Bart Gunn and Billy Gunn) vs. The Spiders
Referee: Mike Chioda
We join this match in progress. The Spiders are taking it to Billy Gunn, but Billy soon drops one of them with a headlock leg drop. Bart Gunn tags in and slams both Spiders before hitting dropkicks. Billy tags in, and they hit the Sidewinder for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: The Smoking Gunns
Mike’s Thoughts: When they recorded this in December 1995, they probably thought they’d have more time to show this match than they did.
Billionaire Ted’s Wrasslin’ War Room
Billionaire Ted is seated at his conference table with some executives, the Huckster, “Scheme” Gene, and the Nacho Man. Billionaire Ted says he bought a network, a World Series, and a library of classic movies, some of which he colorized. Why can’t he buy the WWF? The executives say they’ve been trying. Ted wants to know why their wrasslin’ is better than theirs. Another executive, played by Vince Russo, says the WWF has better athletes. All they have are the disloyal, greedy has-beens from the 80s. Nacho Man says he started in the 70s. Ted wants them to buy some of the WWF Generation Superstars.
A voiceover says, “The new WWF Generation: It’s not for sale.”
Billionaire Ted suggests they call the Huckster, “The Boy Toy.”
Mike’s Thoughts: This one was pretty innocuous and funny. WCW would have to have supremely thin skin to be insulted by any of the things said in this one. Interestingly, the one from last week, where WWF was insinuating that WCW had no steroids policy (they really didn’t), really got Ted Turner’s company up in arms. WCW threatened a lawsuit against the WWF, but obviously, that didn’t deter the WWF from airing this segment this week (or any others in the coming weeks). Still, the joke is starting to get old, and it still reeks of desperation.
In-Ring Interview with Goldust
Vince McMahon introduces Goldust to the ring. McMahon calls Goldust bizarre and unnerving. It’s insinuated that Razor Ramon is unnerved by Goldust. Goldust rubs McMahon’s chest and touches his hair, upsetting him. McMahon wonders if Goldust means what he says, or if he is preying on the homophobic fears most men have.
Goldust asks, “Mr. Television Announcer, is that an extra microphone in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?” McMahon looks sickened. Goldust says there are a lot of men out there. He is selective. Goldust looks very carefully to find one who can give him the worst absolute time. That is when he makes his move. Goldust says, “Razor Ramon, I want you so bad, Bad Guy, more than any man or woman can ever want a human being. You look into these eyes, oh bad one, I am Goldust, and this is our little secret. Don’t you forget the name, buddy boy, of Goldust.” Goldust blows a kiss and poses. McMahon looks disgusted.
Mike’s Thoughts: They’re doing a really strong job of getting Goldust as a super uncomfortable character. Still, this is the 90s, and homophobia is a real issue. Not that it’s dissipated completely in this day and age, but people, at least I believe, are much more accepting now than they were then. Like WWF leaning into xenophobia in the 80s, this feels a little gross. Soon, some audiences will begin chanting the f-word at Goldust (and not the one that ends in k). While it’s a great character, leaning into those stereotypes to elicit that kind of reaction is exactly why people always thought of wrestling as low-brow entertainment at this time.
Backstage Segment
Dok Hendrix, with a psychotic look in his eyes, says Razor Ramon has just pulled into the parking lot. Hendrix is going to try to get a word with him.
Coming up next, the Undertaker will battle Isaac Yankem.
-Commercial Break-
Video: The Undertaker will battle Bret “Hitman” Hart for the WWF Championship at the Royal Rumble.
Backstage Segment
Dok Hendrix is backstage when WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon bursts into the building, demanding to know where Goldust is. Hendrix says Goldust headed toward the locker room.
Isaac Yankem, DDS vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
Referee: Earl Hebner
The bell rings, and the Undertaker and Isaac Yankem, DDS, go face-to-face in the ring. They are just about the exact same height. Yankem pats Undertaker on the shoulders and goes to walk away before attempting a cheap shot. Undertaker blocks it and punches him to the corner. Undertaker sends Yankem hard into the corner and clotheslines him down. Undertaker connects with a scoop slam. Paul Bearer clutches the gold chain that used to be the urn. Undertaker grabs Yankem by the face and backs him into the corner. Undertaker scares the referee away as he tries to count him. Undertaker sends Yankem to the corner, but Yankem elbows him back and hits a clothesline. Undertaker quickly sits up and gets to his feet. Undertaker reverses a whip and lowers his head. Yankem kicks him, but Undertaker stands right up. Yankem begs him off. Undertaker kicks him and scoops him up. Yankem slides to the apron and falls to the floor. Yankem pulls Undertaker out of the ring. Undertaker uppercuts him a few times and presses him against the ring post. Undertaker grabs him by the throat and knees him in the midsection. Undertaker continues to hit him with uppercuts before driving him into the ring post. Undertaker gets in the ring.
Jerry “The King” Lawler gets up from commentary, puts his crown on, and runs over to Paul Bearer. Lawler attempts to steal the gold chain, but Undertaker catches him. Lawler runs away, and Bearer is happy. Yankem attacks Undertaker and rams his back into the ring post.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Yankem is taking it to the No. 1 Contender for the WWF Championship. Yankem stomps Undertaker and applies a single-leg crab. The crowd chants, “Rest in Peace.” Undertaker tries to get out, but Yankem stops him. Yankem smashes his face off the turnbuckle and applies a bear hug.
Video: Dok Hendrix says Goldust has promised to give him an interview about his match with Bret “Hitman” Hart next week on Raw.
Undertaker fights out, but Yankem applies a side headlock. Undertaker takes him down with a back suplex. Vince McMahon announces that Goldust doesn’t represent “the gay community, or any other community for that matter.” McMahon says his alleged sexual preference doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s been harassing Razor Ramon to get a psychological advantage. Was that an attempt at a legal disclaimer?
Undertaker hits the ropes and ducks a clothesline, but he can’t avoid a scoop powerslam from Yankem. Yankem drops a pair of elbows and stands tall. Yankem pulls Undertaker to his feet and sets up for a Tombstone Piledriver. Undertaker tries to bridge out and into a Tombstone Piledriver of his own, but they randomly cut to Dok Hendrix in the back, so it appears they botched the spot and fell to the mat. When we return to the action, they’re both down on the mat. Undertaker gets up and hits the ropes for an elbow drop. Undertaker scoops him up for a Tombstone Piledriver and folds his arms. 1… 2… 3.
Winner by Pinfall: The Undertaker
The Undertaker celebrates in the ring with Paul Heyman.
Mike’s Thoughts: This is another match that will be important in the future. This was the first televised singles match between the future Brothers of Destruction. For a character on the downward trajectory, they gave Isaac Yankem (the future Kane) a lot of offense over the Undertaker, who is the No. 1 Contender for the WWF Championship on Sunday at the Royal Rumble. After his feud with Bret Hart wrapped up in October, Yankem has been largely just hanging around, being put in random matches to put others over. They know they have something special on their hands with him. He’s the same height as the Undertaker. They just don’t know what to do with him yet (or many others, for that matter).
Much like Steve Austin’s debut last week and first Raw match tonight, these are important events that didn’t seem that way at the time they happened.
Backstage Segment
Dok Hendrix is backstage with Goldust. Goldust is rubbing his own chest. Hendrix says Goldust will battle Razor Ramon for the WWF Intercontinental Championship this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. Then, he’ll face Bret “Hitman” Hart next Monday.
Goldust begins to speak, but Razor Ramon runs in and viciously attacks him! Ramon drives him into a barricade before slamming him into a door. Ramon grabs a metal trashcan and smashes it onto him. Ramon throws him over a table before throwing the can onto him again. WWF officials surround Ramon. Goldust delivers a low blow.
-Commercial Break-
Video: Sunny, who is sitting naked in a bubble bath (you can’t see anything), says they’ve been doing it for almost an hour. Now, that’s Raw!
Replays show the brutal confrontation between Razor Ramon and Goldust.
Backstage Segment
A frustrated Razor Ramon is pacing with the WWF officials around him. Goldust has escaped.
Next week on Raw, WWF Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart will battle Goldust in a non-title match. Hart may not even be champion next week.
Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler talk about the Royal Rumble card.
Backstage Segment
Dok Hendrix is talking when a battered Goldust walks by. Razor Ramon viciously attacks him from behind. Ramon stiffly sends him into an electric box, prompting Hendrix to exclaim, “Oh shit!” It was uncensored. Ramon sends him out of the arena, and they brawl in a snow pile. Goldust punches away at Ramon. Ramon grabs a snow shovel and swings, but Goldust ducks. Goldust quickly sends him into a production truck and runs away. Goldust gets in a car. Ramon grabs a garbage can and throws it at the car as it drives off.
Mike’s Thoughts: WOW! That was a vicious, violent brawl. I mentioned in the recap two weeks ago that Razor Ramon was loudly complaining to anyone who would listen that he was unhappy with the angle involving Goldust. He and the Kliq began taking it out on Dustin Rhodes behind the scenes. It looks like he was also pretty happy to take it out on him in this segment. That was a wildly stiff brawl. Even Michael Hayes (Dok Hendrix) let out an expletive due to the viciousness. It seemed like Ramon was taking liberties with him, with some excessively brutal shots and some reckless weapon shots. Not a good look. And that weird disclaimer from Vince McMahon? This felt like something was going on more than just a storyline. Rough segment. Really, really well done. But rough.
Quick Match Results
— Owen Hart def. Marty Jannetty
— Million Dollar Champion The Ringmaster def. Matt Hardy (non-title)
— WWF Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns (Bart Gunn and Billy Gunn) def. The Spiders in a non-title Tag Team Match
— The Undertaker def. Isaac Yankem, DDS
Mike’s Wrap-Up: What We Learned from Raw
This was one of those episodes that didn’t feel important in the moment but looks massive in hindsight. On the surface, it’s easy to shrug this off as another mid-January Raw that got absolutely crushed in the ratings, worse than any match-up between WWF and WCW so far (more on that in a few). WCW was rolling, WWF was struggling and doing dumb stuff, and most fans probably flipped the channel without a second thought. But buried inside this show were the early building blocks of the next era.
The Sunny vignettes added nothing to the wrestling product itself, but they were a clear signal of where the company was headed. With Vince Russo beginning to emerge a bit (the former magazine writer has been working his way up the ladder by this point, even appearing in the Billioinaire Ted skits), Vince McMahon was convinced to start leaning into edgier presentations, sex appeal, and controversy as tools to grab attention. It didn’t fully work yet (and wouldn’t for a while), but it’s impossible not to see this as a precursor to the tone that would define the Attitude Era just a couple of years later.
That same shift was felt in the Razor Ramon and Goldust brawl. This wasn’t the cartoonish violence that had been accentuating so much of the last few years of the WWF. This was raw, uncomfortable, and borderline ugly. The stiffness, the chaos, even Vince McMahon’s strange on-air disclaimer (which seemed primed to convince more people to be against Goldust and his alleged preferences) made it feel like something had crossed from storyline into reality. It was well known backstage and in the “dirt sheets” that Scott Hall was not happy with this angle. Whether intentional or not, it created an atmosphere that felt far more dangerous than anything WWF had been doing in years.
Then there’s the stuff that truly matters historically. Steve Austin’s in-ring Raw debut (against Matt Hardy) and the first televised singles match between the Undertaker and Isaac Yankem (the future Kane) happened on this very show. Two of the most important rivalries and careers of the next decade (and longer) quietly took place here, with almost no fanfare or real interest at the time.
That’s the irony of this episode. It was a consequential Raw that nobody realized was consequential. It got buried in the ratings, overshadowed by WCW’s momentum, and probably dismissed by most viewers as just another taped show. But with the benefit of hindsight, we know this was a special night. This was a night where the seeds of the next generation were planted. Austin, Kane, edgier storytelling, and a tone shift that would soon change the entire industry forever.
So, I mentioned this show got crushed in the ratings. How bad was it?
WWF Raw (USA Network, taped): 2.4 (Record: 8-8-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 3.5 (Record: 8-8-2)
Winner: WCW Nitro
Yeah, that’s pretty brutal. That ended WWF’s two-week streak. So far, this is the widest trouncing of the Monday Night War. It’s also WCW’s first rating over 3.0. Not a good sign as the WWF heads toward the Royal Rumble that weekend. WCW is only just getting started. For more on what happened on that show, check out Roy Nemer’s recap!
Be on the lookout for the 1996 Royal Rumble retro recap!
Email – mike@wrestleview.com
X – @MikeTedescoWV
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Part of Wrestleview’s Monday Night War: 30 Years Later series, with weekly Raw and Nitro recaps every Thursday.