WWF Monday Night Raw Results
February 5, 1996 (Taped January 22)
Stockton, California (Stockton Civic Auditorium)
Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
We go right into the Stockton Civic Center to see Yokozuna and the British Bulldog in the ring with Jim Cornette. Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcome us to the show. Yokozuna and the British Bulldog will battle the Two Dudes with Attitude in a few moments. Later tonight, the WWF Championship will be on the line as Bret “Hitman” Hart defends against the Undertaker in a rematch from the Royal Rumble.
Replay: Last week on Raw, Yokozuna accidentally cost the British Bulldog a match against Diesel. Later that night, Owen Hart inadvertently cost Yokozuna a match against Shawn Michaels.
Tag Team Match
Yokozuna and the British Bulldog w/ Jim Cornette vs. Two Dudes with Attitude (Shawn Michaels and Diesel)
Referee: Earl Hebner
The bell rings, and it’ll be Shawn Michaels starting the match against the British Bulldog. Diesel and HBK played rock, paper, scissors to figure out who would start. Michaels and Bulldog start flexing to the crowd. Michaels receives cheers, while the Bulldog gets jeers. They eventually lock up, and Bulldog hooks a side headlock. Michaels whips him off, and the Bulldog runs him over with a shoulder tackle, knocking him out of the ring. Michaels regroups at ringside and gets back in the ring. They lock up, and Bulldog hooks a side headlock. Michaels whips him off and goes for a hip toss, but Bulldog blocks it. HBK rakes the eyes and does a backflip. Bulldog quickly fires back with a military press, but Michaels rakes the eyes again. Bulldog holds the ropes to avoid a roll-up, so Michaels clotheslines him over the top rope. Yokozuna comes in the ring to attack. Diesel gets in the ring, picks up HBK, and throws him into Yokozuna. Diesel then punches Yokozuna out of the ring. Camp Cornette recovers at ringside.
After a few moments, Diesel tags in. Bulldog thinks better of facing him and tags Yokozuna in. Diesel and Yokozuna start to brawl. Diesel hits some clotheslines, but Yokozuna doesn’t go down. Yokozuna hits a Samoan Drop, though the commentators don’t call it that. Yokozuna goes for an elbow drop, but Diesel moves out of the way. HBK runs in and wrenches the arm. Yokozuna whips him into the ropes, and Bulldog pulls the top rope down to get him out of the ring. Bulldog grabs Michaels at ringside and runs him into the steel steps. Bulldog bounces him off the ring apron and puts him back into the ring. Bulldog tags in. Yokozuna and Bulldog hit a double-team headbutt. Bulldog lifts Michaels for a delayed vertical suplex. Bulldog stomps Michaels’ face and shoulders him in the corner. The referee admonishes Bulldog as Yokozuna chokes Michaels.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Yokozuna punches Michaels down. Yokozuna punches away at HBK before applying a nerve hold. Yokozuna holds it on for a bit, and Michaels appears to be fading. Bulldog tags in and punches a very weak Michaels. Bulldog sends Michaels into the ropes. Michaels ducks a clothesline, but Bulldog quickly turns him inside out with a kitchen sink knee to the midsection. Bulldog grabs Michaels’ hair and slams him down before doing a nip-up. Yokozuna tags in and hits a double headbutt with Bulldog. Michaels tries to fight Yokozuna off, but Yokozuna slams him down. Yokozuna hits the ropes, but Michaels rolls to avoid a splash.
Both men are down as the crowd chants, “USA.” Michaels crawls over Yokozuna and tags Diesel in to a big reaction. Diesel punches away at Yokozuna, knocking him to the corner. Bulldog runs in, but Diesel big boots him down. Diesel punches Yokozuna down onto the ropes before avalanching him. Diesel connects with a big boot to take Yokozuna down. HBK tags in, goes to the top rope, climbs onto Diesel’s shoulders, and splashes Yokozuna. 1… 2… Michaels moves, and Bulldog accidentally leg drops Yokozuna. Diesel runs in and clotheslines Bulldog over the top rope. Michaels then knocks Yokozuna out of the ring with Sweet Chin Music. Owen Hart runs down as he and Bulldog try to get the unconscious Yokozuna to his feet. Yokozuna is too big. The referee counts him out.
Winners by Countout: Two Dudes with Attitudes
Jim Cornette gets in the ring and starts to berate Yokozuna for losing the match. Cornette is demonstrably going at him before starting to poke him on the chest. Yokozuna is becoming irate before finally shoving his manager down! Yokozuna starts to punch Cornette in the corner, so Hart and Bulldog attack him! Yokozuna lets out a huge scream and scares them all off.
Mike’s Thoughts: Good angle to start up a Yokozuna face turn. With Vader now in Camp Cornette, there’s one too many big men in there, so Yokozuna, who was dangerously overweight at this point, is the odd man out. I think turning face was actually a good idea for Yokozuna at this point in his career. He definitely was in need of a little freshening up, character-wise. However, turning face means that he can do a little less. The heel always winds up having to get beaten up and taking a lot of bumps. As Yokozuna bumps, it’s getting harder and harder for him to get up. Since we started this series in September, he has grown quite a bit in the five months since, definitely well over 600 pounds. It’s sad to see because he was a really great, unique big man, but he’s practically immobile. Even as he went to chase Bulldog and Hart after the match, it would be an insult to jogging to say that’s what he did. A face run where he can be a little more dominant and stay on his feet is a good thing.
This is the last televised traditional tag match for the Two Dudes with Attitudes until June 2003, when they faced Randy Orton and Ric Flair at the classic Raw from Madison Square Garden, where Kane unmasked for the first time. Sadly, by that point, Yokozuna and the British Bulldog had passed away. Owen Hart, who was also in this segment, would also be tragically gone. That’s only seven years after this match was taped, and so many great talents went so young. So sad.
Coming up next, Hakushi battles the 1-2-3 Kid. We’ll also see the next Billionaire Ted segment. The main event will see Bret Hart defend the WWF Championship against the Undertaker.
-Commercial Break-
Video: A video with Mankind is shown. Only his mutilated ear is shown. “It seems that things are starting to change around here, getting a little out of control. Maybe I’ve finally found a home… or a portal. And now I can have a nice day!”
Hakushi vs. The 1-2-3 Kid w/ “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
Referee: Jimmy Korderas
The 1-2-3 carries a large baby bottle to the ring, which he intends to use on Razor Ramon in the first-ever “Crybaby Match.”
The bell rings, and they take a moment before locking up. Hakushi hits a headlock takeover, but Kid gets out with a head-scissor. They circle the ring again and lock up. Hakushi hits another headlock takeover, and Kid applies a head-scissor, cinching it in. Hakushi manages to flip up to his feet to escape the hold. They circle the ring and lock up. Hakushi applies a side headlock, so Kid whips him off. Hakushi shoulder tackles him and hits the ropes. Hakushi blocks a hip toss, so Kid flips over him. Hakushi fires back with a superkick, knocking Kid out of the ring. Hakushi sets up for a dive, but Kid moves out of the way. Hakushi puts the brakes on.
After talking with DiBiase, Kid gets back in the ring. They lock up, and Hakushi uppercuts him before hitting some chops. Kid reverses a whip, drops down, and goes for a kick, but Hakushi blocks it and takes him down. Kid kips up. Hakushi catches him with a spin kick, but Kid soon sends him over the top rope. Kid then takes him out with a somersault plancha, landing on his feet.
The Kid gets back in the ring and distracts the referee as Ted DiBiase gets some stomps in on Hakushi. Kid puts Hakushi back in the ring and kicks away at him in the corner. Hakushi was rocked by the spin kick. Kid whips him to the opposite corner and hits a running dropkick.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, we see a slow-motion replay of Kid kicking Hakushi in the head. Kid connects with a vertical suplex for a two-count. Kid taunts the crowd and heads to the top rope. Kid leaps, but Hakushi dropkicks him out of mid-air.
Both men slowly get up. Hakushi lays in some uppercuts before kicking him in the midsection. Hakushi sends him to the corner and hits a handspring back elbow, followed by a running headbutt for a two-count. Kid blocks a kick, but Hakushi hits a donkey kick to knock him out of the ring. Hakushi sizes him up and hits a springboard crossbody to the floor! Hakushi gets him in the ring and heads to the top rope. Hakushi hits a diving battering ram, poses for a moment, and covers for a two-count. Hakushi sends Kid into the ropes, but Kid ducks a clothesline and hits a leaping heel kick. Kid rolls him up for a two-count, and Hakushi rolls through for a two-count. Kid quickly chops him, but Hakushi reverses a whip to the corner. Hakushi hits a hurricanrana for a two-count.
Hakushi heads to the top rope, but Kid dropkicks him down. Kid climbs to the top rope and hits a double underhook superplex for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: The 1-2-3 Kid
Mike’s Thoughts: This was a really good match. The 1-2-3 Kid and Hakushi absolutely killed it in this match. This is stuff you don’t see often on Monday Night Raw. It’s too bad that Kid was having so many issues at this time, while Hakushi was a few decades too early in the WWF. Hakushi would have been a really good opponent for Shawn Michaels for his title run. This is a sneaky great match and has held up well thirty years later.
Video: Earlier today, Jim Cornette was with his attorney, Clarence Mason. Mason says it’s been one week since they wanted Vader reinstated, but they haven’t heard anything from the World Wrestling Federation. Mason talks about a case he’s argued to prove that Gorilla Monsoon cannot unilaterally usurp his powers. Mason says they will sue if Vader isn’t reinstated.
Replay: Two weeks ago on Raw, Vader viciously attacked Gorilla Monsoon.
Gorilla Monsoon addresses Vader’s attack
Gorilla Monsoon is shown at his home wearing a neck brace. Monsoon says he has a few serious injuries and feels like he was hit by a freight train. He has a hairline fracture of the transverse process of the third cervical vertebrae and some torn intercostal cartilage, but that will all heal. Monsoon apologizes to the fans of the World Wrestling Federation for his actions. Vince McMahon asks what he means. Monsoon says Vader provoked him, and he didn’t respond as Interim President. He responded as Gorilla Monsoon. Monsoon apologizes, but thanks the thousands of fans who sent him cards and letters. McMahon asks about an apology to Vader. Monsoon says it’s highly unlikely. As for Vader’s reinstatement, it’s in the hands of the Board of Directors.
Jerry “The King” Lawler asks what Monsoon was thinking by handing the reins of the World Wrestling Federation to “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Monsoon says the Hot Rod has been a friend of his for twenty years. Piper is a man’s man. He can be a loose cannon, but in desperate times, you have to take desperate actions. Piper will be good for the WWF until he returns after WrestleMania.
Mike’s Thoughts: Decent follow-up from Gorilla Monsoon here. I love how this guy could just riff off a bunch of bogus injuries with such confidence.
The Undertaker heads to the ring with Paul Bearer leading the way. The World Wrestling Federation Championship will be defended next.
-Commercial Break-
The 1996 Slammy Awards take place during WrestleMania weekend. You can cast your ballot now.
Vince McMahon announces that WWF Raw will not be on the air next week because of the Westminster Dog Show. In two weeks, the Undertaker will battle Goldust.
Replay: At the Royal Rumble, Diesel interfered in the WWF Championship match between Bret Hart and the Undertaker.
WWF Championship
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart (c)
Referee: Tim White
The bell rings, and Bret Hart goes to the ringside area to give his sunglasses to a fan. Hart gets in the ring and sidesteps Undertaker as he stalks him. Hart paces in the ring and looks at Undertaker. Hart has a HUGE black eye from being punched by Goldust earlier in this taping. Undertaker headbutts Hart down and hits an uppercut. Hart fights back with punches and a headbutt. Undertaker kicks him in the midsection and bounces him off the top turnbuckle. Undertaker chokes Hart with his boot in the corner and scares the referee back. Undertaker chokes him on the middle rope and hits another uppercut. Undertaker bounces him off the top turnbuckle and chokes him in the corner. Undertaker uppercuts him down and applies an iron claw while rolling his eyes back. Hart fights up, stunning Paul Bearer.
Diesel saunters to ringside as Undertaker wrenches Hart’s arm and climbs to the top rope. Undertaker looks up and sees Diesel, so Hart slams him off the top rope. Undertaker sits up, so Hart starts attacking his leg. Diesel sits at the commentary table and says he thought he could get a pay increase if he did some commentating. Hart stretches Undertaker’s leg on the rope before taking him down and dropping an elbow on the leg. Undertaker gets to his feet, but he’s hobbling. Hart keeps going after the leg. Diesel says Undertaker has bitten off more than he can chew with him. Hart drags Undertaker to the ring post and smashes his leg against it. Hart gets in the ring, and Undertaker stuns him with a pair of uppercuts. Diesel gives some credit to Hart for being able to take a beating.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Undertaker hits a back suplex. Undertaker gets Hart to his feet and tosses him out of the ring. Undertaker goes to the ringside and bounces his face off the metal barricade. Undertaker gets in the ring, and Hart slowly rolls in. Undertaker chokes him with his boot before standing him up and hitting an uppercut. Undertaker wrenches the arm and climbs to the top rope, walks along the top rope, and comes crashing down with a club to the back. Undertaker hits the ropes and connects with a flipping lariat.
The crowd starts to chant “Tombstone.” Undertaker scoops Hart up, and Hart’s legs accidentally hit the referee. Hart slides off and rolls Undertaker up. Hart would have pinned him, but the referee is down. Undertaker punches Hart and clotheslines him. Undertaker goes for an elbow drop, but Hart moves. Undertaker sits up, so Hart goes after the injured leg. Hart drags him over to the ring post again and smashes Undertaker’s leg against the ring post.
All of a sudden, Diesel attacks Hart from behind before sending him into the ring post. Undertaker sees what’s happening and attacks Diesel at ringside. Undertaker hits an uppercut and rams Diesel into the ring steps. Diesel grabs a steel chair and smashes Undertaker from behind. Diesel gets Undertaker into the ring and hits him with a Jackknife Powerbomb! Undertaker starts to sit up, but he’s too weak to get all the way up. Diesel challenges Undertaker and grabs him for a second Jackknife Powerbomb! Paul Bearer cannot believe this. Diesel poses as the crowd boos him. Diesel leaves the ring.
The Match ends in a Draw
Mike’s Thoughts: I don’t think this was a bad match, but they definitely weren’t giving their all on a long taping the night after they had a PPV match. As soon as Diesel came out, you knew what was happening. Bret Hart really looked banged up and exhausted in this. Hart was struggling at this point, feeling like an afterthought in the build to WrestleMania, where it’s crystal clear that a new Face of the WWF would be crowned.
-Commercial Break-
During the break, Hart got up and attacked Diesel from behind. Moments ago, the commentators talked about Undertaker making a beeline to the locker room, but they only showed footage of him unconscious in the ring.
Vince McMahon announces the match was officially ruled a draw.
Now, despite the threat of legal action from Turner Broadcasting System, here’s the latest from Billionaire Ted.
Billionaire Ted’s Press Conference, Part II
When we last left the press conference, Billionaire Ted was asked about predatory tactics against the WWF. The reporter asked what he wouldn’t do to put the WWF out of business. Billionaire Ted says he won’t use his own money. The Huckster and the Nacho Man looked at him funny.
Another reporter asks about Billionaire Ted’s wrasslin’ company losing millions of dollars over the last few years, wasting his stockholders’ good money. Billionaire Ted says he’s having fun with this “plaything.” Another reporter asks if he’ll exhibit the same attitude toward the Time Warner stockholder. Ted says he doesn’t care and is entitled to a plaything. What motivates Billionaire Ted? Money and power. Ted wants everything so he can tell his dad to kiss his butt.
A photo of a rejected advertisement for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal is shown. It has a picture of Ted Turner with the caption, “Attention: Stockholders. Time-Warner Beware!” It goes on to read, “Has Ted Turner lost $40 Million dollars of YOUR money in his personal vendetta against the World Wrestling Federation? Where are these losses reported in TBS’s financial statements?”
A modified version will be posted in the New York Times’ financial section this Thursday.
Mike’s Thoughts: That was absolutely bottom-of-the-barrel pathetic. Everything from the conclusion of that ridiculous skit (which is no longer funny) to the advertisement for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal… horrendous. This is the best they’ve got. The WWF at this moment is begging to be put out of its misery if that’s the best they can do. Sometimes, when people talk about what a great promoter and businessman Vince McMahon was, it seems like he got luckier than he was good.
I was able to find that modified advertisement in the Thursday, February 8, 1996, edition of the New York Times. It read, “Attention: TBS Stockholders. Does Ted Turner have a personal vendetta against the World Wrestling Federation? Time-Warner Beware!” How absolutely embarrassing. Horrible way to end what wasn’t a bad show.
Quick Match Results
— Two Dudes with Attitudes (Shawn Michaels and Diesel) def. Yokozuna and the British Bulldog in a Tag Team Match
— The 1-2-3 Kid def. Hakushi
— The Undertaker vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart (c) for the WWF Championship ended in a Draw
Mike’s Wrap-Up: What We Learned from Raw
This is one of those Raw episodes that’s actually pretty good on a micro level but so incredibly frustrating on a macro level. The wrestling was mostly good and was the focus of the night. The opener with the Two Dudes with Attitudes (God, I hated that name) vs. Yokozuna and Bulldog did exactly what it needed to do to turn Yokozuna into a babyface. The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Hakushi match was legitimately great, and the kind of undercard wrestling WWF rarely spotlighted in this era. Usually, when they did, they would immediately back off from it for a few weeks. Even the main event between Bret Hart and the Undertaker was solid before the inevitable Diesel interference.
And that’s kind of the story of this entire episode (and this era): good pieces, messy direction.
But for as much focus as this entire television taping has shown on the product post-Royal Rumble, the WWF is tossing it all aside to look like the most whiny, pedantic, petulant loser of a company by going HARD on this Billionaire Ted stuff. I’ll admit, I thought it was kind of funny when it came on the show back in December. It was goofy fun… but then it turns out, this whole thing is part of the WWF’s “strategy” to fight back against WCW. They’re trying to do it by insinuating a drug issue in the company, talking about Ted Turner wasting stockholder money, running insulting ads in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, threatening complaints to the FTC… rather than focusing on making their product better, Vince McMahon decided this was the way. PATHETIC.
It’s hard to overstate how badly this stuff misses the mark. Instead of making WCW look small, they’re making the WWF look small. These skits aren’t elevating the show or the product. They’re interrupting it. They no longer feel like clever satire (which is a stretch to call even the early skits that were funny “clever”); they feel like a company yelling at its competition because it doesn’t know how else to compete. If the goal was to undermine WCW’s stars, the end result is the opposite. Hogan, Savage, and Bischoff come off bigger simply by being the targets, while the WWF looks like it’s spending precious airtime on parody instead of building its own stars. In a war for perception, they’re playing dead.
With these tactics, despite the promotion of a decent card heading into this show (and a WWF Championship match to boot), did it help the WWF in the ratings?
WWF Raw (USA Network, taped): 2.7 (Record: 9-10-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 2.9 (Record: 10-9-2)
Winner: WCW Nitro (2-week streak)
Nope.
Raw in 1996 is off next week because of the Westminster Dog Show, which is probably just as well for them, since they can’t really do any more Billionaire Ted skits at that time. Hopefully, some time off helps them to think about a real strategy (spoiler alert: it doesn’t).
Email – mike@wrestleview.com
X – @MikeTedescoWV
Thanks for reading!
Part of Wrestleview’s Monday Night War: 30 Years Later series, with weekly Raw and Nitro recaps every Thursday.