WWF Monday Night Raw Results
March 11, 1996
San Antonio, Texas (Freeman Coliseum)
Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
“The World Wrestling Federation: for over fifty years, the revolutionary force in sports entertainment.” The WWF video leads us into the show.
Video: The Undertaker and Yokozuna were once the fiercest of rivals. Highlights from their Casket Matches are shown. Tonight, they’ll team up to face Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith. Acting WWF President “Rowdy” Roddy Piper will be on the show to announce who will face the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania XII. He’ll also confront Goldust. WWF Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart and Shawn Michaels return to where it all began for them as they prepare for the one-hour Iron Man Match.
Video: The Raw video plays.
We go live into the Freeman Coliseum to see a fireworks display over the ring. Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcome us to the show. Savio Vega heads to the ring. McMahon says Vega will be facing the Ringmaster, who is “Stone Cold” for sure.
Non-Title Match
Million Dollar Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin w/ “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase vs. Savio Vega
Referee: Jack Doan
The bell rings, and they circle the ring before locking up. Vega applies a hammerlock, so Austin elbows him in the face. Austin hooks a side headlock, but Vega whips him off. Austin shoulder tackles him for a two-count. Austin goes back to the side headlock before transitioning to a hammerlock. Vega elbows him in the face, hits the ropes, ducks a clothesline, and hits a running crossbody for a two-count. Vega hits a pair of arm drags before trying a third, but Austin avoids it. Austin clubs away at him before kicking him in the chest. Austin clubs him on the neck before hitting a snapmare. Austin goes for a rear chin lock, but Vega fights out and clotheslines him down. Vega sends Austin into the ropes, but he misses a big boot. Austin then hits a hammer throw to the head.
Austin clubs Vega and chokes him on the middle rope. Austin hits a vertical suplex for a two-count. Vince McMahon mentions that Olympic hopeful Mark Henry is at ringside. Henry is shown on camera. Austin hits a snapmare and knees away at Vega’s back. Vega stumbles to the corner and chops Austin down. Vega hits the ropes for a big splash, but Austin gets the knees up. Austin covers and puts his foot on the middle rope, but Vega kicks out at two. Austin knees Vega in the head and shoulders his lower back in the corner.
-Commercial Break-
We return from the break to see Vega chop Austin. Austin reverses a whip to the corner, and Vega hits sternum-first. Austin clotheslines Vega in the back of the head. Austin punches away at Vega before snapping him off the top rope. Austin props Vega on the middle rope and punches away at a defenseless Vega. Austin takes Vega down and drops a knee for a two-count. Austin traps him in the corner and punches and elbows away at him. Austin sends him to the opposite corner, but Vega takes him down with a heel kick.
Vega punches away at Austin before sending him into the ropes for a hip toss. Vega sends him to the corner and hits a running heel kick that sends Austin over the top rope! Vega pulls Austin up at ringside, and they start brawling. They fight up to the apron, but the referee counts them out.
Double Countout
Austin knocks Vega into the ring. Vega pulls Austin over the top rope. Austin punches away at Vega in the corner. The referee pulls Austin off, and Austin falls onto him. Vega quickly big boots Austin down before punching away at him. They continue to brawl as the ring bell rings. Attempts to restore order are falling short. Austin sends Vega into the ropes. Vega ducks a clothesline and hits a heel kick. Austin falls out of the ring and hits the floor hard. Ted DiBiase runs over and checks on the Million Dollar Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Mike’s Thoughts: There it is! The transition from the Ringmaster to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has happened. The biggest, most important name for this entire Monday Night War became official on March 11, 1996, episode of WWF Monday Night Raw. They started this transition back in January at the Royal Rumble, where Vince McMahon started talking about the coldness of the Ringmaster’s eyes. A few weeks back during a match against Marty Jannetty, McMahon said the Ringmaster’s eyes were “Stone Cold.” Now, on this latest set of tapings, he is officially “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Technically, the name change happened the day before on the WWF Superstars tapings, which they taped to go up to WrestleMania XII. Austin replaced Razor Ramon as Savio Vega’s partner in the WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament after he was suspended for marijuana use (coincidentally on the same day he gave his notice to the company). Austin and Vega had already gone through their entire program heading into WrestleMania by the time they started this match to set it all up. It kind of hurts your brain knowing they’re filming this all out of order. Good way to kick off the program. I liked the aggression between these two. They matched up really well here.
Replay: Earlier tonight, Jerry “The King” Lawler taunted Mark Henry in the ring. The World’s Strongest Man pressed the King of Memphis over his head and slammed him down!
Mike’s Thoughts: This is a pretty neat episode from a historic perspective already. It’s the first actual television appearance of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, even though he debuted with the character at WWF Superstars taping the night before (though not aired to the world, yet), and now we have the debut of another future WWE Hall of Famer, “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. A real babyfaced Mark Henry showed up and press slammed Jerry “The King” Lawler before the show started. The WWF was sponsoring him as he was hoping to make it onto the 1996 Olympic weightlifting team for the United States. We’ll see Mark Henry later on in this series, and I’ll get into him then. Really cool to see him here, not yet a professional wrestler, but a weightlifting superstar at the top of his game.
Video: This past weekend on WWF Superstars, Savio Vega and Razor Ramon were victorious over the 1-2-3 Kid and Tatanka in the First Round of the WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament.
This weekend, the Bushwhackers return to face the Bodydonnas in the First Round.
Mike’s Thoughts: Why are the WWF Tag Team Titles vacant? What happened to the Smoking Gunns? In mid-February, Billy Gunn underwent neck surgery following an injury. It’s amazing that, as of this writing in 2026, Billy Gunn is still active in professional wrestling and looks great. The man had neck surgery thirty years ago and is still going. Amazing.
WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust makes his way to the ring with Marlena.
Video: Dok Hendrix has some people model some WrestleMania XII denim jackets. Only three easy payments of $22.95.
-Commercial Break-
Goldust confronts Acting WWF President “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
Acting WWF President “Rowdy” Roddy Piper makes his way to the ring. Vince McMahon is in the ring with WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust and Marlena. McMahon holds Piper back from attacking Goldust. McMahon mentions that Piper said he’d give Goldust a piece of his mind. Jerry “The King” Lawler warns that Piper doesn’t have much to spare.
Piper asks, “What exactly is your major malfunction, you fruitcake?” Goldust chomps his teeth. Piper says Goldust looks like he’s wearing the curtains from the Days Inn and has Phyllis Diller hair. Piper says Goldust looks like a “transvestite.” Piper says he saw Goldust’s movie. Piper has made 17 movies and has never seen Goldust near a catering truck. Piper says Goldust is embarrassing him. Goldust is just looking for attention. Piper tells the crowd not to let Goldust fool them. Piper says he dealt with Adrian Adonis and beat him half to death with a baseball bat. These mind games Goldust are playing aren’t fooling Piper. Only a great athlete can win the Intercontinental Title. Only somebody who trained hard.
Piper says he wants to get their sexualities right. Goldust is what he is, while Piper is a “lesbian.” McMahon says sexual proclivity has nothing to do with this. Piper says the thing that ticks him off with Goldust is he saw him blowing the bagpipes. Goldust has no talent. What bothers Piper is the pride Goldust doesn’t have. Piper points out the kids and adults in the crowd. The Intercontinental Title is a position to be proud of. Goldust has to make a big mockery to get himself higher in the ratings. Piper warns Goldust that he’s messing with the wrong guy. Not even Freddy Krueger comes into Piper’s nightmares.
Goldust says he wants to deal with what they know rather than what they don’t. It’s a quote from 1992’s “Patriot Games.” Goldust says he wants a piece of Piper really badly. It’s time to quit pretending. Goldust gets on his knees and says he knows the films Piper have been in. Piper has strayed from reality, but Goldust is here to bring him down to earth. Goldust looks at Piper’s crotch and tells him to come, if he will, to his backlot. That’s where he does his best work. Goldust rubs Piper and goes around him. Piper looks frustrated.
Goldust says Piper is so hot. In the meantime, they can have a sneak preview. Goldust starts to lift Piper’s kilt, so Piper grabs his arm and pulls him up. Piper warns him he’s had enough. Goldust grabs Piper’s belt and rubs himself. Piper shoves him back. Goldust rubs himself before slapping Piper in the face. Piper then slaps him down! Piper says if Goldust wants a backlot fight, then he’s got it. Piper says he’s going to make a man out of Goldust. Piper storms off.
Mike’s Thoughts: Definitely another segment that would not fly in today’s culture, which is good. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was great once he got going about the match itself, but the jokes and remarks are definitely baiting the audience to hate Goldust because of his proclivities. The WWF was already getting hammered by civil rights groups about the way Goldust was being portrayed, so Vince McMahon kept trying to interject a few things when Piper really started sounding homophobic, but there’s no doubt about their intentions here. McMahon is trying to have it both ways. He still wants to portray this as a family company, but he knows they have to get edgier and thinks this is the way. As I’ve said before, I love what the Goldust character becomes, but this portrayal right now is begging the audience to demonize him because of the way he acts and less about the character itself.
-Commercial Break-
Replay: Footage is shown of Acting WWF President “Rowdy” Roddy Piper slapping Goldust down moments ago.
Tag Team Match
The Godwinns (Henry O. Godwinn and Phinneas I. Godwinn) w/ Hillbilly Jim vs. Jerry Meade and Alex Porteau
Referee: Mike Chioda
The Godwinns have already advanced in the WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament. Henry O. Godwinn starts against Jerry Meade. Henry runs him over with a shoulder tackle and tags Phinneas I. Godwinn in. Meade quickly powers Phinneas to the corner and tags Alex Porteau in. Phinneas goes wild, doing mule kicks to the air, and punches them all out of the ring before Henry has to hold him back. Phinneas does some mule kicks. Porteau gets in the ring and goes for a springboard crossbody, but Phinneas catches him and slams him down. Henry tags in and goes for an elbow drop, but Porteau avoids it. Porteau sends Henry into the ropes, but he lowers his head and eats a kick. Henry hits the Slop Drop for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: The Godwinns
Mike’s Thoughts: That was… something. Phinneas I. Godwinn kind of came out of nowhere, debuting right after the Royal Rumble to tag with Henry O. Godwinn, and he’s been a breath of fresh air for the gimmick. Much more intensity.
WrestleMania XII is brought to you by Tyco R/C Maximum Heat.
Shawn Michaels prepares for the Iron Man Match
Jim Ross narrates a video about Shawn Michaels returning to San Antonio, Texas, his hometown, to train for the Iron Man Match. HBK is shown at the Alamo. HBK says it’s his town and dream. WrestleMania and the World Wrestling Federation Championship. HBK introduces José Lothario, his original trainer. Lothario welcomes HBK home. At 19, Lothario told him he could make his dreams a reality. Now, they’re on the threshold of WrestleMania and the WWF Championship.
Footage is shown of HBK training in Lothario’s gym and doing some exercises, jogging up steps, climbing ropes, and doing monkey bars. HBK asks Lothario if he remembers him saying he wants to be WWF Champion. Lothario believed he could always do it. HBK says he can’t give up because it’s too important. Lothario says HBK has a dream, and it will come true.
WWF Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart prepares for the Iron Man Match
Next, Jim Ross takes us to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It’s cold and snowy there. WWF Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart talks about how tough the wrestling was in Canada. Hart says Shawn Michaels’ training was with Mexican wrestlers, who jump around and do a lot. They’re not really tough like him, though.
Stu Hart is shown stretching his son out and teaching him new ways to bring the pain. Hart says HBK doesn’t really have any effective moves because he bounces around. All he has is the big kick. People think HBK is better than Hart. It drives him nuts. Hart says HBK knows he can’t lace Hart’s boots. HBK is good, but he’s not the best.
Mike’s Thoughts: It’s a tale of two competitors in this video. On the one side, you’ve got this young, energetic, good looking guy named Shawn Michaels, who is from Texas and is shown doing upside down push-ups, sparring in the ring with rapid fire offense, and being on equal ground with his elderly trainer, José Lothario. On the other side, you’ve got the WWF Champion Bret Hart in a dingy basement getting stretched out by his ancient father and not doing too much. What Hart had to say was fine and made sense, but the visual is he’s this older guy who isn’t doing much and getting beaten up by an old guy, while Shawn Michaels is young and exciting with a great story. It kind of reminds me of what they said about the debate in 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. If you listened on the radio and didn’t see anything, people thought Nixon handily won the debate. But, for those watching on television, you saw Nixon sweating profusely and looking irritated while JFK was calm and composed, so people thought JFK won the debate. If you watch this, it’s HBK all the way. If you just listen to what was said, it’s Hart that makes more sense.
Still to come, the Undertaker and Yokozuna will battle Owen Hart and the British Bulldog. Coming up next, Scheme Gene will be talking about the Geriatric Match at WrestleMania.
Slam of the Week: Yokozuna took on two jobbers on WWF Superstars, stacked them up, and delivered a Banzai Drop.
-Commercial Break-
Hunter Hearst Helmsley is making his way to the ring alongside a beautiful blonde woman.
Video: The Ultimate Warrior is returning to the WWF at WrestleMania XII on March 31. He will battle Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/ Michelle Snickler vs. Vin Grier
Referee: Tim White
The bell rings, and Helmsley kicks Grier before hitting some uppercuts. Helmsley punches him down before sending him into the ropes for a high knee to the face. Helmsley kicks him in the ribs and stomps him. Helmsley connects with a delayed vertical suplex before dropping a knee. Helmsley punches Grier in the head before backing him into the corner. Helmsley slaps him a few times before punching away at him. Helmsley brings him to the middle of the ring and hits a Pedigree for the win. Grier never got in a single piece of offense.
Winner by Pinfall: Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Mike’s Thoughts: It’s interesting that Hunter Hearst Helmsley beat this jobber without the guy getting even a swing in because, in just a few weeks at WrestleMania, Helmsley will be on the opposite end of treatment like this from the Ultimate Warrior. The hypocrisy of this company haranguing WCW for using older talent only to bring back the Ultimate Warrior and feed them one of their up and coming guys is unreal.
Geriatric Match Report w/ Scheme Gene
An impersonator of “Mean” Gene Okerlund named Scheme Gene greets the camera and promotes the Geriatric Match between The Nacho Man and The Huckster with Billionaire Ted as the Guest Referee is happening for free on the Free for All show. Scheme Gene says it might as well because even he can’t figure out how to make a buck on that.
A stipulation has been added: no handcuffs or ladies’ shoes at ringside.
Video: The Huckster is shown training and hurts his back doing some squats. He also struggles to do some sit-ups before needing oxygen, as well as getting knocked over by a medicine ball.
Scheme Gene says it’s obvious that the Huckster is in the greatest shape of his life.
Video: The Nacho Man is looking for a psychological edge. The Nacho Man is shown having his scalp massaged before they spray paint his bald spot black.
Billionaire Ted will be the Guest Referee if he can escape the FTC accusations. Don’t forget to call Scheme Gene on his hotline at 1-900-LYING-BALDY. Will there be nightfall tonight or not?
Mike’s Thoughts: I’ll give it to them. After weeks of painfully unfunny Billionaire Ted segments, this one actually landed and was hilarious. The 1-900-LYING-BALDY hotline was damn good comedy.
The British Bulldog and Owen Hart are in the ring with Jim Cornette.
Yokozuna makes his way to the ring. He’ll team with the Undertaker next.
-Commercial Break-
Next week on Raw, WWF Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart will battle Tatanka in a non-title match.
As the Undertaker heads to the ring alongside Paul Bearer, Diesel is shown watching backstage. This weekend, he’s got some Tag Matches with Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker and Bret “Hitman” Hart. Diesel will get a better look at the Undertaker in those matches. Diesel says he hopes the rumors about Shawn Michaels aren’t true. Vince McMahon asks what the rumors are, but Diesel shoves the camera away. Bruce Prichard is shown watching next to Diesel.
Tag Team Match
The British Bulldog and Owen Hart w/ Jim Cornette vs. Yokozuna and The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
Referee: Earl Hebner
Before the match begins, the Undertaker goes face-to-face with the man who was his mortal enemy and had a hand in injuring him last October, Yokozuna. They then turn around and attack Owen Hart and the British Bulldog before they can blindside them.
The bell rings, and Yokozuna punches away at Bulldog, while Undertaker lifts Hart by his neck. Undertaker and Yokozuna whip Hart and Bulldog into each other. Yokozuna sends Bulldog into the ropes for a clothesline before dropping a leg. Undertaker is punching away at Hart in the corner. Undertaker then sends Hart out of the ring.
Diesel heads to the ring and grabs Paul Bearer! Diesel hits Bearer with a short-arm clothesline on the floor and punches away at him. Undertaker was distracted by Hart at ringside. Diesel saunters off. Undertaker gets in the ring and realizes what happened. Undertaker gets out of the ring to check Paul Bearer. Undertaker has the urn, but Bearer points to the back. Undertaker walks off.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Hart is taking it to Yokozuna. Hart drops a pair of legs before dropping an elbow. Yokozuna’s partner, the Undertaker, has left him alone. Bulldog tags in and punches away at Yokozuna. Yokozuna fights back and takes Bulldog down. Hart runs in and punches Yokozuna down.
Vader starts to make his way down to the ring. Yokozuna starts to go off on Bulldog and Hart. Vader then clotheslines Yokozuna from behind.
Winners by Disqualification: Yokozuna and The Undertaker
Ahmed Johnson immediately runs in for the save. Johnson reverses a whip on Hart and hits a scoop powerslam. Bulldog charges, but Johnson hits him with a spinebuster. Vader attacks Johnson and sends him into the ropes, but Johnson takes out Vader with a diving clothesline.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts runs down to help out. Vader quickly headbutts Roberts, and Hart ties him up in the ropes. Jim Cornette hits Johnson with his tennis racket as Vader punches away at Yokozuna. Bulldog grabs the racket and smashes Johnson on the head! WWF officials and referees run down to help. Yokozuna gets to his feet and gets into a huge brawl with Vader. Camp Cornette soon retreats. Vader grabs a steel chair and starts to smash the ring posts, but he doesn’t get back in the ring. Vader walks off with Camp Cornette.
Mike’s Thoughts: This is the first time Diesel has made any appearances for the WWF since calling Vince McMahon on March 5 and informing him that he will be signing with WCW (see last week’s recap for more details). From a television perspective, it was business as usual. We’re in the middle of a co-main event feud with him and the Undertaker, so it was full speed ahead on that with Diesel attacking Paul Bearer. If you didn’t know any better, you’d have no clue that anything was going on with Diesel. Certainly no indication that the character would be going away.
Obviously, it’s different from the Razor Ramon treatment. Ramon gave his notice and miraculously was suspended the same day for failing a drug test (he tested positive for marijuana). Perhaps if Ramon was in the middle of the feud with Goldust, maybe they’d have had no choice but to see it through, but Ramon had no leverage and wasn’t the most recent WWF Champion, holding the title for a year, like Diesel was.
We also see that they’ve come to their senses and realized that a WrestleMania match between Vader, who had a bad shoulder, and the morbidly obese Yokozuna was a disaster waiting to happen. The seeds to make it a 6-Man Tag Match with Jake Roberts and Ahmed Johnson joining Yokozuna were made official at the Superstars taping the night before but shown to the public for the first time on this show. This is a good decision.
Quick Match Results
— Million Dollar Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Savio Vega went to a DCO (non-title)
— The Godwinns (Henry O. Godwinn and Phinneas I. Godwinn) def. Jerry Meade and Alex Porteau in a Tag Team Match
— Hunter Hearst Helmsley def. Vin Grier
— Yokozuna and The Undertaker def. The British Bulldog and Owen Hart via DQ in a Tag Team Match
Mike’s Wrap-up: What We Learned from Raw
This was actually a pretty fascinating episode of Raw when you look at it through a historical lens. The show itself was solid enough, but what makes it interesting is how many important pieces of the future just appear out of nowhere here.
For one, this is the first actually television appearance of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as that name officially became part of the WWF presentation. The transformation from the Ringmaster is now complete, and while nobody watching in 1996 could possibly know it yet, the most important figure of the entire Monday Night War has officially arrived. The pieces to end the war are already in place.
We also saw the continued build to WrestleMania XII, with the Undertaker-Diesel program moving forward despite what’s happening backstage and the Iron Man Match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels getting a strong promotional push. The video packages comparing the training styles of the two were particularly interesting. Visually, everything about the presentation makes HBK look like the young, dynamic future of the company, while Bret Hart is portrayed as the tough but older champion grinding away in a basement gym with his geriatric father. Whether intentional or not, the message comes across pretty clearly. Definitely something Hart will grow bitter about (among many, many other things).
For a historical standpoint, another moment on the show is worth noting. Competing in a dark match before Raw was a young wrestler named Dwayne Johnson. Reports at the time weren’t even sure who he was, identifying him as either “Duane Johnson” or “Craig Johnson,” and noting that he “looked green, but okay.” He lost to Skip after a top rope hurricanrana. Within months he would debut on television as Rocky Maivia. Years later, the wrestling world would know him by another name entirely: The Rock.
Not a bad bit of history for one night of Raw.
So, how did this live episode of Raw stack up against the live Nitro. As a reminder, Raw last week was unopposed with Nitro being off for the week. Unopposed, Raw scored 3.6, a personal best for this series so far. During the last match-up at the end of February, WCW defeated the WWF. We’re full blast on the Road to WrestleMania. Will that make a difference?
WWF Raw (USA Network, live): 2.9 (Record: 10-12-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 3.2 (Record: 12-10-2)
Winner: WCW Nitro (2-week streak)
Even being on the Road to WrestleMania isn’t enough to fend off a Nitro main event that featured Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Booty Man (seriously?) against Kevin Sullivan and the Four Horsemen.
Email – mike@wrestleview.com
X – @MikeTedescoWV
Last week’s Raw | Nitro two weeks ago
Thanks for reading!
Part of Wrestleview’s Monday Night War: 30 Years Later series, with weekly Raw and Nitro recaps every Thursday.