WWF Monday Night Raw Results
May 13, 1996 (Taped April 29)
Sioux City, Iowa (Civic Auditorium)
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 Raw intro video plays.
WWF Tag Team Champions The Bodydonnas head to the ring. Conspicuous by her absence is Sunny.
Tonight, we’ll see what happened to WWF Champion Shawn Michaels over in Kuwait.
Backstage Interview
Fresh off winning the Kuwait Cup International Tournament, Ahmed Johnson is backstage with Jim Ross. He’s asked about facing Zip. Johnson says he’s ready. Sunny walks up to him and asks to put more baby oil on him. Johnson says his momma always told him to take the trash out, not bring it in. Johnson walks off as Sunny is outraged.
WWF Tag Team Champion Zip w/ Skip vs. Ahmed Johnson
Referee: Mike Chioda
They lock up, and Zip hooks a side headlock. Johnson easily powers out and applies an overhead wristlock. Johnson takes Zip down, but Zip quickly transitions into a hammerlock. Johnson turns it on him and goes for a back suplex, but Zip flips through and nearly lands on his face. Zip pops up and goes for a roll-up, but Johnson holds the ropes. Johnson wildly hits the ropes and hits a pair of clotheslines.
Sunny angrily charges down to the ringside area and yells at Johnson. Skip trades places with Zip and starts to attack Johnson. The referee doesn’t notice the switch. Skip puts Johnson on the ropes and avalanches him before giving Sunny a high-five. Skip clubs away at Johnson before sitting on his back and applying a rear chin lock. Johnson fights up and puts Skip in the electric chair before dropping him down. Johnson gets up and goes for an elbow drop, but Skip moves. Skip hits the ropes, but Johnson hits a back body drop over the top rope.
Zip runs back in, and the referee notices the switch. Skip runs in, but Johnson hits him with a spinebuster. Johnson hits him with a Pearl River Plunge for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Ahmed Johnson
Sunny is furious that Ahmed Johnson pinned the wrong guy.
Mike’s Thoughts: Goofy match to kick off the show. One of the storylines that was featured last week (but I’m sure will be dropped just as quickly) was Harvey Whippleman evaluating the officiating for Gorilla Monsoon. They made the referee look stupid in this, and it had nothing to do with that storyline. He was dumb for the sake of being dumb. Anyway, Ahmed Johnson gets an easy win here.
Video: The Ultimate Warrior shows up to promote his Warrior University. If you believe in yourself and can make sacrifices, the door to Warrior University could lead to the dressing room of the WWF. He can turn your fantasy into a reality.
Mike’s Thoughts: That was strange. As part of the Ultimate Warrior’s deal to come back to the WWF, he got to promote his little projects, one of which was this Warrior University. Essentially, the Ultimate Warrior, who wasn’t much of a wrestler himself, was going to teach you how to be a wrestler. It didn’t last long and produced no notable talent.
Jim Cornette will be on commentary for the next match.
Duke “The Dumpster” Droese vs. Vader
Referee: Tim White
The bell rings, and Vader flexes his muscles. They lock up, and Vader headbutts him before growling at him. They lock up, and Vader shoves Droese to the corner before hitting some vicious right hands to the face. Droese drops to his knees. Vader sends Droese into the ropes, but Droese kicks him in the midsection. Droese punches Vader, ducks a clothesline, and hits a clothesline. Droese clubs away at Vader before hitting a running crossbody over the top rope!
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Vader sends Droese into the ropes for a clothesline. During the break, Vader whipped Droese twice into the steel ring steps. Back to live action, Vader hits the ropes and crushes Droese with a big splash. Vader punches away at Droese in the corner before hitting a short-arm clothesline. Vader pulls Droese up and applies a sleeper hold. Vader continues to maul him and claps his hands against his face. Droese eventually fights up, but Vader rag-dolls him. Droese gets out with a sit-out jawbreaker.
Droese punches away at Vader before hitting the ropes for a clothesline, but Vader stays on his feet. Droese hits another clothesline, but Vader is still standing. Droese then dropkicks him down. Droese hits a double leg takedown and drops a headbutt on the midsection. Droese heads to the top rope for a diving splash, but Vader moves. Vader picks Droese up and hits a front slam. Vader follows up with a Vader Bomb for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Vader
Vader and Jim Cornette celebrate in the ring.
Mike’s Thoughts: Last week, I mentioned that some higher-ups in the WWF were starting to sour a bit on Vader at this point because he wasn’t the monster draw they were hoping for, but when they book him into matches like this, how can he be? Why is Vader having a competitive match against Duke “The Dumpster” Droese? Droese’s gimmick is beyond dead. Vader should have mauled him in minutes. Instead, he’s bumping for this guy multiple times. How can Vader be an unstoppable monster when he can’t even effectively put down the garbage man? WWF debuted him perfectly with the Gorilla Monsoon attack, but they can’t get out of their own way with bad booking choices.
Next week on Raw, “Wildman” Marc Mero will battle the Million Dollar Champion, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The 1-2-3 Kid will also take on Savio Vega. We’ll also see Jake “The Snake” Roberts take on The British Bulldog.
The Undertaker and Paul Bearer make their way to the ring. Bearer is wheeling the gold casket down to the ringside area.
-Commercial Break-
The Undertaker and Paul Bearer address Goldust
Vince McMahon is in the ring, and he introduces the Undertaker and Paul Bearer. The gold-covered casket is at ringside with Goldust’s logo on it. McMahon mentions that Undertaker will take on Goldust in a Casket Match. Bearer says, “Ohh yes, Mr. McMahon, In Your House, my Undertaker and Goldust, yes. You know, Goldust, he loves to be in the spotlight, but he’s getting ready to crossover into the Dark Side.” They have designed a special casket for his next movie, In Your House.
McMahon says Goldust is the single most bizarre individual in the history of the WWF. How will the Undertaker contend with the bizarreness? The Undertaker cannot believe McMahon is asking him and Bearer about the bizarre. WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust and Marlena head down to the ring. Undertaker sees them coming and removes his hat and jacket, ready for a fight. Goldust quotes a movie and says Undertaker is tall, clammy, and stiff. It’s driving him crazy. Is that Embalming Fluid No. 5? Goldust says Undertaker can lay him in that coffin anytime. He’s never danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight, but he’ll try anything once. Goldust touches the Undertaker’s hand and locks fingers with him. Goldust asks if he knows what rigor mortis is, but Undertaker squeezes his hands, bringing Goldust down to his knees.
Mankind runs in and attacks the Undertaker! Mankind applies the Mandible Claw to the Undertaker, causing paralysis. Goldust crawls near Mankind and blows in his mutilated ear. Mankind looks at him and leaves the ring. Goldust stands over the Undertaker and seductively removes his robe. Goldust straddles the Undertaker and slides down his body. Goldust moves to his lower body, and the camera cuts away. Undertaker sits up, and Goldust freaks out, running away. Goldust nearly hits his face on the barricade before running off with Marlena. Undertaker goes after him.
Mike’s Thoughts: Not a bad segment, but the most controversial stuff was cut out of it. What was shown on television was fine. The Goldust character continued to blur the lines of what’s appropriate and not on television, and he managed to creep out the Undertaker. Mankind got involved, which automatically clues you into the finish of their PPV match (which doesn’t seem like the most exciting match of all time, even if they’re adding the Casket Match stipulation to spice it up). Apparently, what was cut out was the reason why the cameras cut away toward the end of the segment. Goldust started to lick the Undertaker’s leg and moved up. According to the reports of the time, it was “far far beyond anything done before.” I’m glad that got cut. They’re pushing the envelope way too much with the character at this point. The audience also continued to chant the f-word slur toward Goldust, something the WWF seems to be encouraging, which is so gross.
-Commercial Break-
Aldo Montoya vs. Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw w/ Uncle Zebekiah
Referee: Jack Doan
The bell rings, and Bradshaw tries to get him into the corner, but Montoya sidesteps him. Bradshaw grabs him and takes him down. Montoya fights back and hits a dropkick, but Bradshaw doesn’t go down. Bradshaw connects with a scoop slam and drops an elbow. Uncle Zebekiah joins the commentary and says people are afraid of facing Bradshaw, including Shawn Michaels. Bradshawn absorbs a clothesline and hits a gutwrench powerbomb before kicking him in the spine. Bradshaw poses before hitting a scoop slam. Bradshaw hits a senton splash and throws up the horns again. Bradshaw applies a bear hug before backing him into the corner. Bradshaw whips him hard into the opposite corner. Soon, he hits a release vertical suplex. Bradshaw drops an elbow and continues posing. Bradshaw sends him to the corner, but Montoya sidesteps him. Montoya hits a pair of dropkicks, but Bradshaw stays on his feet. Montoya heads to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick, taking him down. Bradshaw quickly reverses a whip and hits a big boot. Bradshaw connects with a vicious lariat for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw
Uncle Zebekiah enters the ring and brands Aldo Montoya with the “JB” symbol as Bradshaw holds him down.
Mike’s Thoughts: I like a good Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw squash. This is a typical “going nowhere” character for this time, but you can see that they have something with Bradshaw. He’s just got to figure it out. It should be noted that he’s pretty green. Every two seconds, he was throwing up the horns to taunt the crowd to try to garner any type of reaction. Once is fine. Twice… ok, we’re pushing it. Three times is desperate.
Video: It was just five years ago that the people of Kuwait temporarily lost their freedom and their homeland, as well as many citizens, to Iraqi aggression. Operation Desert Storm was successful. In celebration of the new freedom, WWF Superstars were happy to accept the invitation of the royal family. Highlights are shown from the live events. WWF Champion Shawn Michaels says it’s amazing that, of all the events they wanted to come to Kuwait, the people chose the World Wrestling Federation.
Over the week they were in Kuwait, Shawn Michaels was on a beach with some fans when the British Bulldog attacked him from behind. Bulldog threw Michaels into the ocean and held him underwater several times. Bulldog then retreated.
Mike’s Thoughts: That’s exactly the kind of stupid wrestling angle I love. They’re trying for something realistic/Jerry Springer-ish and have a ridiculous brawl in the ocean in their bathing suits. This got me to chuckle quite a bit. Is this worthy of a PPV main event storyline? Probably not, but they’re trying something.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley makes his way to the ring alongside a new escort, Amy Peterson. Vince McMahon says they’ll invite the woman who was in the silhouette last week on Raw to the WWF studios next week for more information.
WWF Champion Shawn Michaels heads to the ring with his trainer, José Lothario.
Amy Peterson joins the commentary table. Jerry “The King” Lawler warns her that Shawn Michaels is a skirt chaser and to keep her eyes on Hunter Hearst Helmsley… or him.
Non-Title Match
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. WWF Champion Shawn Michaels w/ José Lothario
Referee: Earl Hebner
They lock up to start the match, and Helmsley quickly hits an arm drag. Helmsley stares at the WWF Champion. They lock up again, and Helmsley grabs a waistlock. Michaels turns it on him, and Helmsley quickly slings him to the mat. Michaels is frustrated as Helmsley saunters around the ring. They lock up again, and Helmsley hooks a side headlock. Michaels whips him off and goes for a slam, but Helmsley gets out of it and hits a double-leg takedown. Helmsley does a Blueblood Bow as Michaels begins looking frustrated, slapping the mat in anger. Michaels takes his hair tie out and is ready to get serious.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Michaels sends Helmsley into the ropes, dropping down and then doing a leapfrog. Helmsley puts the brakes on and goes for a back suplex, but Michaels flips through and hits a double-leg takedown before walking on him. Helmsley shoves him, so Michaels punches him down and hits a hip toss. Michaels clotheslines him over the top rope and skins the cat to get back in the ring. Michaels goes over the top rope and jogs around the ring before going over to Amy Peterson. Michaels poses in front of her, and she looks smitten. An angry Helmsley runs over, but Michaels punches him down. Michaels skins the cat again to get back in the ring.
Helmsley gets on the apron and shouts at the crowd. Michaels hooks a side headlock and pulls him into the ring, hanging him on the top rope. The referee warns him, and Michaels drops him to the canvas. Helmsley holds his face in pain. Michaels checks on him and then bounces him off the top turnbuckle. Michaels hits a headlock takeover for a two-count. Michaels keeps the headlock applied, but Helmsley fights up. Helmsley tries to whip him off, but Michaels holds on by grabbing Helmsley’s nose! Michaels hooks the side headlock and cinches it in. Helmsley whips him off, drops down, leapfrogs him, and goes for a monkey flip, but Michaels stops and stomps his face. Michaels sends Helmsley to the corner and leaps, but Helmsley sidesteps him. Michaels is hanging precariously on the top rope, so Helmsley kicks him off to the floor! Helmsley holds his nose in pain.
José Lothario shouts some advice to Michaels. Michaels pulls himself up, so Helmsley hits a baseball slide. Mr. Perfect makes his way to the ringside area. Michaels sidesteps another baseball slide and smashes his face on the apron. Michaels charges, but Helmsley drops him on the metal barricade.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Helmsley hit a diving forearm for a two-count. Michaels gets up in the corner, so Helmsley attacks him with strikes. The referee backs Helmsley up as Michaels sits in the corner. Helmsley sends Michaels into the ropes for a Harley Race-style high knee to the face for a two-count. Mr. Perfect is still watching. Helmsley applies a rear chin lock. Michaels soon fights up and elbows out. Michaels hits the ropes, but Helmsley punches him in the midsection. Helmsley then uppercuts Michaels down before kicking him in the ribs.
Michaels rolls to the apron to recover. Helmsley pulls him up and hits a forearm to the chest. Helmsley looks over at Mr. Perfect. Helmsley approaches Michaels, and Michaels shoulders him in the midsection. Helmsley fights back with a back suplex attempt, but Michaels turns around on Helmsley for a two-count. Helmsley quickly uppercuts him twice before Michaels counters a third with a backslide pin for a two-count. Helmsley quickly pops up and clotheslines Michaels down. Helmsley pulls him up by the hair and backs him into the corner before hitting some forearms to the face. Michaels is defenseless as Helmsley hammers him down. The referee backs Helmsley up. Helmsley stomps him and whips him hard into the opposite corner before hitting a punch to the midsection. Helmsley follows up with a swinging neckbreaker for a two-count.
-Commercial Break-
We return from the break to see Helmsley applying a rear chin lock to the WWF Champion. Michaels looks to be unconscious. Michaels is flat on his back, so the referee counts for two. Michaels soon fights up and elbows out. Helmsley quickly kicks him in the midsection and spins him in the corner for some punches. Michaels quickly turns him and punches back. Helmsley cuts him off and sends him to the opposite corner before attempting a Pedigree. Michaels counters out and catapults him into the turnbuckles.
Michaels hits an inverted atomic drop and hits the ropes for a diving forearm. Michaels kips up and stomps Helmsley’s face. Michaels scoop slams Helmsley and heads to the top rope for a diving elbow drop. Michaels covers for a two-count. Michaels sends him into the ropes, but Helmsley catches him and attempts a powerbomb. Michaels counters with a hurricanrana, but Helmsley counters into a roll-up for a two-count. Helmsley then stuns Michaels with a right hand.
Helmsley punches away at Michaels in the corner before sending him to the corner. Michaels slingshots over him, but Helmsley counters with a Pedigree attempt. Michaels counters with a back-body drop and starts tuning up the band. Michaels connects with Sweet Chin Music and covers! 1… 2… 3!
Winner by Pinfall: WWF Champion Shawn Michaels
Mr. Perfect doesn’t look impressed and walks to the back.
Mike’s Thoughts: This was a wonderful professional wrestling match with Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst Helmsley. It would fit in just fine in 1996 or 2026. Michaels was on absolute fire as the WWF Champion, having great matches with anyone. Even though he has great matches with everyone, it’s amazing to watch him against his friends. The match against the 1-2-3 Kid a few months ago was great. Obviously, the stuff with Razor Ramon is legendary, and he had a phenomenal match with Diesel at the last PPV. Now, against Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who is clearly on the rise, he gives him another awesome performance with Helmsley looking like a million bucks.
It’s crystal clear that they’re going to be doing something big with Helmsley, given how he was booked here. King of the Ring is next month, and he has to be considered a favorite at this point. Unfortunately for him, something big is going to be happening at a House Show in Madison Square Garden this weekend that will change things for him… and for wrestling history as well!
Backstage Interview
Jim Ross is backstage with The British Bulldog, Jim Cornette, and Diana Hart-Smith. Cornette looks irate. Ross says Bulldog will be facing Jake “The Snake” Roberts next week on Raw. Shawn Michaels will be on commentary for that match. Bulldog is furious that Michaels will be at ringside and will attack him if he gets near the ring. Vince McMahon asks Bulldog about his fear of snakes, but Bulldog says he’s not afraid of snakes. McMahon asks about Michaels being close to Diana. Bulldog warns Michaels to stay away from his wife.
Quick Match Results
— Ahmed Johnson def. WWF Tag Team Champion Zip/Skip
— Vader def. Duke “The Dumpster” Droese
— Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw def. Aldo Montoya
— WWF Champion Shawn Michaels def. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (non-title)
Mike’s Wrap-Up: What We Learned from Raw
This was a pretty strong episode of Raw, even if the quality still varied wildly depending on where you looked on the card.
On the positive side, the WWF is starting to show signs of a real future taking shape. Shawn Michaels continues to deliver excellent matches as WWF Champion, and his chemistry with Hunter Hearst Helmsley made the main event feel far more important than it had any right to on paper. Helmsley is just a midcard guy going against “Wildman” Marc Mero at the moment. However, Helmsley feels like someone the company is preparing to elevate in a major way.
Elsewhere, there are still promising pieces developing. Vader remains one of the most physically impressive acts in the company, but his booking isn’t doing him any favors. Mankind continues to feel unique and unsettling, and even someone like Bradshaw shows flashes of potential (even if his gimmick is pretty dead-end).
The problem is consistency. The tag division still feels weak, some of the storytelling continues to lean heavily on shock value, and there are stretches of the show that feel stuck between old WWF ideas and whatever the company is trying to become next.
That’s really the fascinating part of this period. You can actively see the company changing week by week. Some acts feel like leftovers from an older era, while others feel like the foundation for something completely different.
And with Diesel and Razor Ramon now gone from television, there’s an even greater focus on finding who those next big stars are going to be. The answers are starting to emerge, even if the WWF doesn’t quite see it yet.
Speaking of Diesel, let’s wrap him up once and for all on this side of the Monday Night War recaps.
History Corner: Diesel, the New Generation Experiment
When Kevin Nash debuted the Diesel character in 1993 as Shawn Michaels’ bodyguard, few would have predicted he’d soon become the face of the World Wrestling Federation. He had a series of dead-end gimmicks in WCW as Vinnie Vegas and Oz, but there was a ton of untapped potential that Shawn Michaels saw flipping through the channels one night. Tall, imposing, and noticeably different from other stars the company was featuring, Diesel quickly rose up the card to ignite the New Generation era.
By late 1994, the WWF had fully committed to him as the company’s top star. Somehow, Bob Backlund found himself as the WWF Champion, so they had Diesel beat him in just eight seconds at a Madison Square Garden house show to win the WWF Championship, beginning a title reign that would last nearly a full year.
The problem was that the timing couldn’t have been worse for him. Business during the New Generation era was already struggling due to the Steroid Trial controversy (along with some bad ideas), and Diesel’s run at the top became (I would say) unfairly associated with declining attendance and weak house show numbers. While Nash himself was a talented performer with strong charisma, the company often leaned too heavily into long, overly competitive matches and babyface promos that didn’t fully connect with the audience. Also, some of his big matches featured King Mabel… not good.
Ironically, but in early 1996, Diesel had arguably become more interesting than ever after turning heel and adopting a cooler, more sarcastic edge. It felt like the company had finally figured out the best version of the character just as Kevin Nash was preparing to leave.
As Diesel exits WWF television, what remains is one of the defining experiments of the New Generation era. It was a push that didn’t fully succeed, but his work toward the end helped shape the direction the company would take moving forward.
Anyway, getting back to this show, let’s see how it measured up against WCW Nitro.
WWF Raw (USA Network, taped): 3.5 (Record: 16-14-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 2.3 (Record: 14-16-2)
Winner: WWF Raw (6-week streak)
Another solid victory for the WWF. A 1.2 point lead here… they’re really firing on all cylinders, but I think we know the future that is to come. WCW is in panic mode, as I talked about last week, and will debut a new two-hour format at the end of May (sorry, Roy!). Also, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash are on the way. Things are going to get interesting very soon!
Email – mike@wrestleview.com
X – @MikeTedescoWV
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Thanks for reading!
Part of Wrestleview’s Monday Night War: 30 Years Later series, with weekly Raw and Nitro recaps every Thursday.