What the World Was Watching: Monday Night Raw - September 22, 1997

by Logan Scisco

-Jim Ross narrates a video package that discusses the history of Madison Square Garden.  It even mentions the birth of Hulkamania.  The subtle purpose of this video package is to inform the audience that a big event is going to happen tonight.

-Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry “the King” Lawler are in the booth and they are live from New York City.

-Opening Intercontinental Championship Tournament First Round Contest:  Ahmed Johnson beats Rocky Maivia with the Pearl River Plunge at 4:54:

Commissioner Sergeant Slaughter orders the Nation of Domination away from ringside before the bout and Ross informs us that Ken Shamrock will not be able to compete in the semi-finals, so Faarooq will advance despite losing and will face the winner of this contest.  Ahmed gets a great pop from the crowd, showing that he still had potential if he found a way to quit injuring his opponents.  This is a fun match from a crowd reaction perspective as they loudly boo Maivia every time he seizes the advantage.  Unfortunately, the match isn’t as fun to observe, with Ahmed slashing his hand on a nail by the announce table after being thrown over the top rope being the only notable moment.  Did this guy walk under ladders backstage or something?  He’s always finding freak ways to get hurt.  It’s amazing to look back and imagine that Maivia, who did not look anywhere near Ahmed’s level in this match, would be Intercontinental champion by January while Ahmed would be on his way out of the company.  Rating:  *

-Steve Austin appears in the crowd and says that someone is getting their ass whipped tonight.  McMahon does not look happy about that announcement.

-Floyd Patterson, Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, is shown in the crowd.

-The announce team recaps the European championship match at One Night Only.

-McMahon interviews the Undertaker and mentions that the winner of the Hell in a Cell match at In Your House:  Badd Blood will face the WWF champion at Survivor Series.  The Undertaker gives some generic comments about Shawn Michaels, which brings out the Heartbreak Kid with his new European title and Michaels says that the WWF is conspiring against him with all of these stipulations for Badd Blood.  Michaels repeats the fact that he doesn’t lay down for anyone and that he will be one step ahead of everyone that wants to bring him down.

-Sunny comes out to be the guest ring announcer for the next match.

-The Legion of Doom defeats Faarooq & Kama Mustafa by disqualification when D-Lo Brown interferes at 2:30:

The crowd is hot for the LOD’s entrance, but go mild for everything else.  Less than two minutes in all hell breaks loose and the LOD prepare to give Faarooq the Doomsday Device, but D-Lo Brown interferes and all hell breaks loose.  After the bell, Rocky Maivia comes in and the Nation do a four-on-two beatdown and Ahmed Johnson’s save attempt goes nowhere.  WWF officials eventually intervene to stop the carnage.  All of this is building to a six man tag at Badd Blood.

-Call 815-734-1161 to get your VHS copy of One Night Only for $19.95 (plus $6 shipping and handling)!  That shipping and handling charge is pretty outrageous.

-Jimmy Snuka’s dive off of a cage against Don Muraco in October 1983 at Madison Square Garden is shown.

-Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semi-Final Match:  Owen Hart (w/Police Crew) defeats “The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman (w/Marlena) by disqualification when Goldust interferes at 3:53 shown:

Pillman comes out with his left arm in a sling, which he says he broke while having a good time with Marlena in the shower.  He says he is going to forfeit, but Commissioner Slaughter comes out, demands medical evidence of Pillman’s injury, and when he tosses a microphone at Pillman, Pillman catches it with his broken arm.  Based on this evidence, Slaughter orders that the match go on under threat of expulsion from the WWF.  Pillman and Owen proceed to move in slow motion into basic wrestling moves until Owen gets hit by Marlena’s purse and decides to wrestle the match normally.  This does not last long, though, as Goldust charges the ring, makes sure to deck Owen first, and then tries to go after Pillman, but WWF officials restrain him so Pillman can get away with Marlena.  It would have been interesting to see if Owen could have gotten a good match out of Pillman, but the booking of this match did not allow that to happen.  This would be Pillman’s last RAW match before he passed away.  Rating:  *

-After the match, Owen cuts a funny promo where he dedicates making the finals of the Intercontinental championship tournament to Bret.  However, before he can finish, Steve Austin attacks him from behind and teases attacking police officers.  McMahon runs into the ring and tries to talk sense to Austin about his medical condition and Austin responds by giving McMahon a Stone Cold Stunner before being taken to jail.  McMahon oversells the Stunner by convulsing all over the canvas, but all silliness aside, this planted the seed for the explosive Austin-McMahon feud of 1998.

-A video tribute is given for Dick “the Bulldog” Browser.

-Jerry Lawler talks with Rhonda Shear, host of USA Up All Night, who promotes her show.

-Falls Count Anywhere Match:  Cactus Jack beats Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna) with a piledriver through a table at 9:14 shown:                                                                                                             

This is booked as Dude Love-Helmsley, but this is the famous segment where Dude Love and Mankind step aside so that Cactus Jack can take their place.  The crowd really loves that piece of booking and a loud “ECW” chant breaks out.  Chyna turns the tide for Helmsley, as per usual, and they brawl to the back, which brings back images of WrestleMania X.  Speaking of which, thank god they did not use the stupid stipulations of that “falls count anywhere match” for this one.  What’s funny about this match is that you have some white collar professionals in suits sitting in the expensive seats around ringside and they don’t really know what to make of the brutality on display in this match.  Chyna and Cactus have a fight over a chair and Helmsley nails Cactus in the back, which sends Chyna into the steps and incapacitates her.  Helmsley secures some near-falls as they battle up the ramp with a litany of foreign objects, but when Helmsley goes for a Pedigree on a table he sets up near the entrance, Cactus responds with a low blow and a beautiful piledriver through a table to secure the win, just before Chyna can make the save.  A very creative brawl that provided a fitting finish to the Foley-Helmsley 1997 feud and it was also enhanced by having Jim Ross on commentary.  I don’t know if Vince McMahon would have known how to call this thing.  Rating:  ****

-Call 1-900-737-4WWF to hear about everything that happened in the United Kingdom with WWF superstars!

-Footage of Andre the Giant slamming Big John Studd at WrestleMania I is shown.

-Ross and Lawler talk some more about the European championship match at One Night Only.

-European Champion Shawn Michaels comes out with a chair, which he sets up in the ring, and calls out the Undertaker so he slap him around “main event style.”  The Undertaker finally arrives and although he fends off an attack by Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Michaels decks him with the chair and D-Generation X work him over.

-WWF Champion Bret Hart tells the fans that he does not care who wins the Hell in a Cell match because he knows he can beat either of them at Survivor Series.  This promo shows that Bret really is the odd man out as far as booking is concerned.

-Non-Title Match:  Bret “the Hitman” Hart (WWF Champion) defeats Goldust via submission to the Sharpshooter at 9:40 shown:

I hope Bret wore a cup for this match considering Goldust’s latest match against a member of the Hart clan.  Bret spends most of the match working the leg and Lawler spends most of the match speculating on what’s happening to Marlena.  I have no problem with Bret working the leg, but when it happens for seven straight minutes without leading to anything, the match gets boring really quickly.  Goldust “builds momentum” (in Ross’s words), but pulling off a bulldog is ridiculous considering how much Bret has worked the leg.  The finish is somewhat nice, as Goldust lifts his leg to catch Bret’s aerial attack, but Bret realizes “why am I jumping straight down on someone’s exposed boot?” and applies the Sharpshooter for the victory.  Rating:  **

-After the bell, Shawn Michaels runs into the ring and attacks Bret and Hunter Hearst Helmsley joins in the beatdown.  Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Rick Rude, The Undertaker, and Jim Neidhart get involved in the brawl, which leads to the Undertaker chokeslamming Bret and Michaels to stand tall at the end of the show.  This was Neidhart’s return, but what makes it amusing is that he kept wanting to attack Rude, but Rude had to try to tell him to leave him alone since Neidhart beating on him would void his Lloyd’s of London insurance policy.

The Final Report Card:  The first hour was very pedestrian before the McMahon-Austin segment, but after that the show got rolling.  Anytime you get a **** match on RAW it is worth a thumbs up rating and Cactus-Helmsley is still fondly remembered today.  In light of what we know about concussions it is a little hard to watch, but for pure entertainment value it is tough to top.  The show was also a small tryout for Jim Ross, as he took over lead commentary duties when McMahon went out and he did a great job, especially with the Cactus-Helmsley match.  A really good show in the second hour, but I would expect no less from a show held in Madison Square Garden.

Monday Night War Rating:  2.4 (vs. 3.7 for Nitro)

Show Evaluation:  Thumbs Up