WWF Raw Results – 6/17/96 (The first Stone Cold Stunner on Raw, Brian Pillman signs, go home show to the King of the Ring event)

WWF Monday Night Raw Results
June 17, 1996 (Taped May 27)
Fayetteville, North Carolina (Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium)
Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com

Video: The WWF intro video plays, but we hear the music of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Replay: Last month at In Your House 8, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Savio Vega fought in a brutal Caribbean Strap Match.

King of the Ring Tournament
Quarterfinal Match
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Savio Vega

Referee: Mike Chioda

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin attacks Savio Vega as soon as he gets in the ring, and the bell rings to start the match. Austin clubs away at Vega’s spine before stomping away at him. Austin bounces Vega off the top turnbuckle before chopping his chest. Vega turns him around and chops Austin’s chest. Austin reverses a whip to the opposite corner. Vega pops out and goes for a kick, so Austin blocks it. Vega counters with an enzuigiri for a near fall. Austin rolls out of the ring to recover.

Austin gets up, sweeps Vega’s feet, drags him over to the ring post, and slings his leg off the ring post twice. Austin gets in the ring as Vega limps around. Austin connects with a chop block. Vega hobbles around, so Austin clips the leg and attacks it. Austin puts the leg on the bottom rope and jumps onto it. Austin twists the ankle around the middle rope before knocking Vega out of the ring. The commentators take this moment to run down the matches and segments we’ll see on tonight’s show. Vega takes Austin down and pulls him toward the ring post before slinging his leg off the ring post twice.

Austin and Vega get in the ring. Vega kicks Austin’s leg out and chops his chest. Vega tries to whip him to the opposite corner, but Austin’s leg gives out. Vega attacks Austin’s leg before pulling him off the ropes for a slam. Austin tries to get to his feet, but he collapses. Vega slams Austin’s knee off the canvas. Austin quickly pulls Vega face-first into the top turnbuckle. Austin, hobbling on one leg, pulls Vega back and goes for a slam, but his leg gives out. Vega picks up a two-count. Vega quickly ducks a clothesline and hits a leaping clothesline for a two-count. Vega punches Austin and hits a kneebreaker for a two-count. Vega pulls Austin up and connects with a scoop slam. Vega goes for a big splash, but Austin gets his knees up to block it.

Austin pulls Vega up to his feet and knees him in the midsection, which also serves to hurt Austin’s knee. Austin sends Vega sternum-first into the opposite corner. Vega pops back, and they clunk heads.

-Commercial Break-

Back from the break, Austin tries to avalanche him against the ropes, but Vega moves. Austin and Vega go back and forth with strikes. Vega finally levels him with a chop to the chest. Vega sends Austin into the ropes and kicks his leg out. Vega sends him back into the ropes for a spinning wheel kick. 1… 2… Austin gets a foot on the bottom rope to break the pin.

Vega pulls Austin up and clubs away at his back. All of a sudden, Austin grabs his head and hits a Stone Cold Stunner. Austin picks up the win!

Winner by Pinfall: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin advances to the Semifinal of the WWF King of the Ring Tournament. He will face the winner of Owen Hart vs. “Wildman” Marc Mero later tonight.

Mike’s Thoughts: And just like that, we see the Raw debut of what could be the greatest move in professional wrestling history: the Stone Cold Stunner. Of course, it wasn’t called that on this night (it got the “What a maneuver” treatment from Vince McMahon), but it’s immediately a HUGE improvement over the Million Dollar Dream he was using before. In time to come, it’ll be a guaranteed humongous pop as a move that Austin can hit from out of nowhere at any time on any opponent of any size. To this day, people love seeing a Stone Cold Stunner. It’s probably the Stunner and the RKO/Diamond Cutter as the greatest “out of nowhere” moves in wrestling history.

Also, this is the final televised singles match between Austin and Savio Vega. Even though their WrestleMania match was nothing to write home about, these guys actually matched up really well in all of their other encounters, including a hard-hitting, high-impact Caribbean Strap Match (two of them, actually!). It won’t be long now until Austin is in another stratosphere from Vega.

King of the Ring Tournament

First Round

The Ultimate Warrior vs. Goldust ended in a Double Countout
Vader def. Ahmed Johnson
Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw def. Henry O. Godwinn
Jake “The Snake” Roberts def. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin def. Bob Holly
Savio Vega def. Marty Jannetty
Owen Hart def. Yokozuna
“Wildman” Marc Mero def. Skip

Quarterfinals

Vader receives a bye to the Semifinals
Jake “The Snake” Roberts def. Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin def. Savio Vega
Owen Hart vs. “Wildman” Marc Mero

Semifinals

Vader vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. the winner of Mero vs. Hart

Video: Three months ago, Mankind viciously attacked the Undertaker during his Raw debut. Last month, Mankind trapped Undertaker in a casket and destroyed it. Then, at In Your House 8 Part Two, Mankind cost Undertaker the Intercontinental Championship in a Casket Match against Goldust. Last week on Raw, Mankind cost Undertaker a match by countout against The British Bulldog.

The Undertaker says Mankind will pay for his sins at the King of the Ring. Undertaker will take Mankind’s tortured soul and plunge it into the eternal darkness for which he is master.

“Wildman” Marc Mero heads to the ring with Sable for a King of the Ring Quarterfinal Match against Owen Hart.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin will be on commentary for the next match. He will face the winner of this match at King of the Ring. Austin says he feels bad for either guy who wins this match because they’re going down against him.

-Commercial Break-

Sega Saturn Slam of the Week: This past weekend on WWF Superstars, Jake “The Snake” Roberts defeated Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw to advance to the Semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament against Vader.

Video: WWF pays tribute to Dick Murdoch: 1946-1996.

Mike’s Thoughts: A quick note on Dick Murdoch, whose passing the WWF just paid tribute to. Murdoch was one of the great territorial stars of the 1970s and early 1980s, where he found success in both the singles and tag team divisions. Famously, he teamed with Dusty Rhodes as one-half of the Texas Outlaws. He was definitely what you’d consider an old, rough-and-tumble brawler, and his style influenced many of the stars on this 1996 broadcast. His legacy has become a little more complicated in the thirty years since his passing, but he’s still regarded as one of the greats of his era. At just 49 years old when he passed away, it’s another reminder of how many performers from that era left us far too soon.

WWF Raw is brought to you by Burger King, where you can get your burger’s worth.

Replay: This past weekend on WWF Superstars, Owen Hart defeated Barry Horowitz by submission with the Sharpshooter. However, he held it on too long, and referee Harvey Wippleman, who has been on a crusade for better officiating in the WWF, reversed the decision and ruled it a disqualification for Horowitz.

Mike’s Thoughts: A rare finish, but one that would famously come back a few years later at WrestleMania XIV to help The Rock defeat Ken Shamrock by disqualification.

King of the Ring Tournament
Quarterfinal Match
“Wildman” Marc Mero w/ Sable vs. Owen Hart w/ Jim Cornette

Referee: Earl Hebner

The bell rings, and Hart, who still has his left forearm in a cast, talks to someone at ringside. They soon lock up, and Mero backs him into the corner. Mero gives a clean break, but Hart complains that Mero touched his cast. They lock up again, and Hart backs Mero into the corner. Hart pretends to give a clean break, only to chop Mero’s chest. They lock up, and Hart goes to the waistlock. Mero does a standing switch, so Hart hits a drop toehold and floats into a side headlock. Mero fights out and applies a hammerlock to the injured arm. Hart turns it on Mero, but Mero soon flips through. Mero connects with a hip toss. Hart pops up and complains that Mero touched his cast again.

They lock up, and Hart wrenches the arm. Mero turns it on Hart, so Hart rolls through, grabs his hair, and tries to back him up. Mero fights out and kicks Hart in the chest before clubbing him. Hart punches and kicks Mero before hitting a headbutt. Hart applies a side headlock and rubs his cast in Mero’s face. Mero whips him off, leapfrogs him twice, and hits a monkey flip. Mero connects with an arm drag, followed by a drop toehold. Mero wrenches the arm. Hart tries to get out of the hold with a monkey flip, but Mero holds on. Mero sends Hart into the ropes for a back elbow. Mero sends him back into the ropes for a back body drop. Mero follows up with a scoop slam before going to the top rope. Mero does a flip dive, but Hart moves. Hart stomps away at Mero before clubbing his back. Hart applies a rear chin lock. Mero fights up and elbows out. Mero hits the ropes, but Hart quickly takes him down with a spinning heel kick for a near fall. Hart connects with a backbreaker and stomps him. Hart stomps the midsection before hitting a gutwrench suplex for another two-count. Mero fights back, but Hart rocks him with a dropkick. Hart chokes him on the ropes.

Vince McMahon says “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is standing up at commentary.

-Commercial Break-

Back from the break, Hart sends Mero into the ropes. Hart counters a sunset flip by sitting on his shoulders, but Mero pulls him down for a two-count. Austin has gone to the back. Hart bounces Mero off the top turnbuckle before hitting a vertical suplex. Hart applies a Boston Crab and sits back. Mero manages to power out and pins Hart for a two-count. Mero punches back and rocks Hart. They trade chops before Hart kicks him and hits a Perfect-Plex for a two-count.

Hart connects with a scoop slam before heading to the top rope. Hart goes for a splash, but Mero gets his knees up. Mero punches Hart before sending him into the ropes for a back body drop. Mero sends him back into the ropes for a kick to the midsection, followed by a knee to the face. Mero pulls him up, but Hart rakes the eyes. Hart sends him sternum-first into the turnbuckles. Hart goes for a back suplex, but Mero flips through and rolls him up for the win!

Winner by Pinfall: “Wildman” Marc Mero

Mero holds the ropes open for Sable to get in the ring, but Hart attacks him, knocking him to the floor. Hart comes off the apron with a flying club with the cast to knock Mero out. Hart yells that Mero tried to hurt his injured arm. Sable checks on the unconscious Mero. Medical officials come down to check on Mero.

Mike’s Thoughts: This wasn’t a good match. Marc Mero seemed completely spent from his match against Skip earlier in this taping (shown on last week’s Raw) and couldn’t get anything going. He was slow and sloppy, which I guess fits the “Wildman” gimmick, but it was also devoid of his high-flying stuff. This was a disappointment because even Owen Hart couldn’t coax much out of him. The longer the Marc Mero experiment goes on, the more he looks like a total bust. It’s amazing he’s the first person in WWF history to ever get a guaranteed contract.

King of the Ring Tournament

First Round

The Ultimate Warrior vs. Goldust ended in a Double Countout
Vader def. Ahmed Johnson
Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw def. Henry O. Godwinn
Jake “The Snake” Roberts def. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin def. Bob Holly
Savio Vega def. Marty Jannetty
Owen Hart def. Yokozuna
“Wildman” Marc Mero def. Skip

Quarterfinals

Vader receives a bye to the Semifinals
Jake “The Snake” Roberts def. Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin def. Savio Vega
“Wildman” Marc Mero def. Owen Hart

Semifinals

Vader vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. “Wildman” Marc Mero

Video: This past weekend, The British Bulldog, along with his wife, Diana Hart-Smith, was interviewed by Jim Ross during the WWF Attitude Adjustment Tour. What is Bulldog’s mental frame of mind heading into the King of the Ring? Bulldog says he has all the confidence in the world. Shawn Michaels messed with his most prized possession, his beautiful wife, Diana Smith. Bulldog says this Sunday, at King of the Ring, he is going to take Michaels’ most prized possession away from him: The World Wrestling Federation Title. Bulldog will chew him up, spit him out, and bury him like an old dog… bone. Heed the words of the British Bulldog: the WWF Title is his at King of the Ring. Ross mentions that Michaels is in the arena. Bulldog doesn’t care where Michaels is. If he had any guts… Shawn Michaels ran down and attacked Bulldog! WWF officials ran down to break them apart.

-Commercial Break-

Video: The WWF Superstar Line is open. On option six, find out which five superstars are coming to the World Wrestling Federation.

Mike’s Thoughts: The answer probably wasn’t Ron Simmons (who is going to debut imminently) or Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who is supposedly coming in with a new gimmick. It’s actually Tracy Smothers (Freddie Joe Floyd), Tony Anthony (TL Hopper), Alex “The Pug” Pourteau, Bill Irwin (The Goon), and Tom Brandi (Salvatore Sincere). They were brought in as a set of “jobbers with gimmicks” to help flesh out the roster. As WCW is bringing in major talent, this is something the WWF actually did.

Video: The 1996 King of the Ring commercial where Jerry “The King” Lawler goes to heaven… only it’s actually hell.

Aldo Montoya is in the ring, ready to fight.

Replay: Footage shows Owen Hart knocking out “Wildman” Marc Mero with his cast from moments ago.

Backstage Segment

“Wildman” Marc Mero is shown on a stretcher, and he is conscious.

Jerry “The King” Lawler says no one cares about Marc Mero. It should be about what he’s going to do to the Ultimate Warrior. Lawler will give Vince McMahon a preview. Lawler gets on the microphone and gets in the ring with Aldo Montoya. Lawler says Montoya reminds him of the Ultimate Warrior. Warrior puts paint on his face to disguise himself, as Montoya does. Everyone is wondering what he’ll do to the Ultimate Warrior, so he’ll show them.

Lawler smashes Montoya in the face with his microphone. Lawler punches Montoya around the ring and psychotically shouts at the camera that this is what will happen. Lawler grabs Montoya and holds him up in a Piledriver position. Lawler shouts, “Warrior! Warrior! This is you!” Lawler then hits Montoya with a Piledriver. Montoya’s match against Hunter Hearst Helmsley will not be happening.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts charges down to the ring, scaring Lawler off. Lawler is afraid of snakes. Lawler gets back on commentary and is fired up.

Mike’s Thoughts: A good, effective segment with Jerry “The King” Lawler destroying Aldo Montoya. Lawler is acting like a comic book bad guy as he heads into the match against the Ultimate Warrior, which makes sense because Warrior has his comic book out where he’s the larger-than-life hero anyway.

Video: Erik Norgren, who is a Connecticut Special Olympian, is shown running with the Olympic torch outside the WWF Headquarters.

Video: Brian Pillman is shown signing his WWF Contract in the WWF Headquarters. Pillman is emotional. The events that have taken place in his life in the past eight weeks have changed the future of his life. From going to a point of not knowing whether he’ll live or not to standing here, signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation, is a dream come true. Pillman thanks J.J. Dillon and Gorilla Monsoon for making this happen. Pillman wipes tears from his eyes as the crowd claps.

Mike’s Thoughts: Man, when I think of Brian Pillman from this time in his career, all I can think of is the Loose Cannon. It’s really jarring to see him showing real emotion and treating this “press conference” as a real deal type thing. Pillman was reportedly only the second performer, after Marc Mero, to get a guaranteed contract from the WWF. This is a big signing for the WWF, which is hemorrhaging talent, but sadly, they’re not getting the Brian Pillman who left WCW a few months back. Let’s dive into what’s happening in Pillman’s life up to this point.

History Corner: Brian Pillman and the Accident That Changed Everything

By the spring of 1996, Brian Pillman was one of the most talked-about wrestlers in the business. As Scott Hall and Kevin Nash began to blur the lines between storyline and reality, Pillman had actually started this trend a few months earlier than they had, in a way few performers had before. He had become one of the most compelling personalities in wrestling (For more on Pillman’s WCW segments, check out Roy’s recaps from early in the year).

Pillman’s relationship with WCW had deteriorated. Eric Bischoff and Pillman devised an elaborate angle in which Pillman would appear to “go off the rails” on television, creating uncertainty about whether his increasingly wild behavior was part of the show or entirely real. The problem was that somewhere along the way, the line became too blurred. Bischoff believed that Pillman would return after being “fired.” Pillman was supposed to go to ECW and get more heat before returning. However, Pillman believed he had legitimately secured his release. The result was one of the most infamous misunderstandings in wrestling history.

The WWF moved quickly to secure Pillman once it became clear that he wasn’t returning to WCW, hoping to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the Loose Cannon character. But before he ever stepped into a WWF ring, tragedy struck.

On April 15, 1996, Pillman fell asleep while driving his Hummer in Kentucky and crashed head-on into a tree. The injuries were horrific. Pillman was found in a pool of his own blood. His ankle was shattered so severely that doctors were considering amputating it. Pillman, who had already spent much of his childhood in hospitals battling throat polyps, would undergo multiple surgeries to fix the ankle. While he eventually returned to the ring, he was never physically the same performer again.

That’s what makes this contract signing so bittersweet in hindsight. The WWF audience was being introduced to one of the most innovative minds of the 1990s at the exact moment his body began failing him. The Loose Cannon would still create memorable moments over the next year (and probably one of the more infamous Raw angles of all time), but the high-flying Brian Pillman of the early 1990s was gone forever.

WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust heads to the ring with Marlena by his side. He’ll face Jake “The Snake” Roberts next.

-Commercial Break-

Replay: Last month on Raw, Goldust applied “CPR” to an unconscious Ahmed Johnson. Johnson regained consciousness and realized what Goldust did to him. Johnson freaked out and terrorized people backstage.

Non-Title Match
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust w/ Marlena

Referee: Harvey Wippleman

The bell rings, and Goldust quickly bails out of the ring. Referee Harvey Wippleman starts to count him out, so Goldust slides into the ring to break the count. Wippleman starts counting again, so Goldust slides back in again. Wippleman counts faster, forcing Goldust to get into the ring. Roberts gets the crowd chanting, “DDT.” Goldust winces and leaves the ring. Goldust gets in the ring before being counted out. Goldust goes near the canvas bag with the snake in it, so he freaks out and gets out of the ring again.

Video: On the WWF Action Zone, Jake Roberts spoke about how he hopes to help other athletes not make the mistakes he made.

They soon lock up, and Roberts wrenches his arm. Roberts brings Goldust to his knees with the arm wrench. Goldust shouts, “Ow, ow, ow!” Goldust gets to his feet and applies a waistlock before rubbing Roberts all over. Roberts is furious and grabs the Intercontinental Championship to hit Goldust. Goldust gets out of the ring, and Wippleman takes the title away. Goldust slowly gets in the ring. Vince McMahon says we’ll hear from Mr. Perfect after this match. Goldust covers up in the corner, thinking Roberts is going to attack him. Roberts approaches him, so Goldust covers up again. Roberts is frustrated and slaps Goldust on his rear end. Roberts punches Goldust and hits a hip toss. Goldust slides away and has the canvas bag with the snake between his legs. Goldust freaks out when he realizes and runs off.

The crowd chants, “DDT,” as Roberts gets them going. Goldust slowly gets in the ring and wants to do a handshake. Roberts refuses. They lock up, and Goldust rakes the eyes before punching him down. Roberts rolls out of the ring, so Goldust pulls him shoulder-first into the ring post. Roberts is down at ringside. Goldust rolls Roberts into the ring as Jerry “The King” Lawler legitimately gives away the ending of the “Mission Impossible” movie with Tom Cruise. No clue why. Goldust goes to give Roberts “mouth-to-mouth,” but Roberts turns his head before punching him away. Roberts’ cheek is covered in gold paint. Roberts punches Goldust and hits an inverted atomic drop. Roberts grabs Goldust’s legs and stomps his midsection. Roberts punches Goldust down to his knees.

Video: We cut to a split-screen with Mr. Perfect. Roberts sets up for a DDT, but Goldust slams Roberts down. Perfect says he knows who the Special Referee for Shawn Michaels vs. The British Bulldog for the WWF Championship will be. Jim Cornette is with him. Perfect has the scoop.

Goldust sends Roberts to the corner before putting his crotch in Roberts’ face.

-Commercial Break-

Video: See it… feel it… touch it… live it live on the WWF Attitude Adjustment Tour! This Saturday, they’ll be at the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. This Sunday will be the WWF King of the Ring at The Mecca in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but that’s sold out. Next Monday, Raw will be at the Expo Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Next Tuesday, they’ll be at the Lacrosse Center in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. A week from Wednesday, they’ll be at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin.

Back from the break, Goldust kicks Roberts in the ribs before stomping him. Goldust applies a leglock. Mr. Perfect and Jim Cornette are shown talking backstage. Goldust holds the bottom rope to apply more pressure. Roberts has his shoulders down, so Wippleman counts for two before Roberts kicks out. Goldust stomps Roberts’ head and applies a neck vice. Roberts punches Goldust away and lays in some jabs before punching him down. Roberts then floors him with a short-arm clothesline.

Marlena quickly puts some gold dust in Goldust’s hands. Marlena distracts Harvey Wippleman as Goldust throws the dust in Roberts’ eyes. Goldust punches him down and covers. 1… 2… 3!

Winner by Pinfall: WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust

Harvey Wippleman all of a sudden notices that Roberts’ face is covered in gold dust. Wippleman shouts over at Howard Finkel. Wippleman reverses the decision and awards the victory to Roberts by disqualification!

Winner by Disqualification: Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Roberts is struggling to get the dust out of his eyes. Goldust grabs the 41-year-old legend, who is struggling to see. Roberts swings wildly in the open air. Goldust grabs Roberts, but Roberts hooks his head and hits a DDT!

Mike’s Thoughts: This was a pretty pitiful main event that came at the end of a long set of tapings. The crowd was in no mood for this match that featured more stalling than action. I’m not sure what the purpose of this was, but it didn’t instill a lot of hope that Jake Roberts could win King of the Ring, and it didn’t make Goldust look like he had any chance against Ahmed Johnson in a title match at King of the Ring. Awful booking.

Backstage Segment

Mr. Perfect is backstage with Jim Cornette. How did Jim Cornette come up with the Guest Referee? Cornette says it had to be a guy who couldn’t be bowled over like the other referees. It had to be a guy with integrity and honesty, who couldn’t be intimidated. Cornette says he has the PERFECT person: Mr. Perfect! Mr. Perfect smiles and says he will be the Special Guest Referee. As he’s proven at past WrestleManias, he is the perfect referee. He’ll call it down the middle. Cornette is thrilled.

Mike’s Thoughts: A few months ago, in April, Mr. Perfect randomly got involved in helping Diesel beat down Shawn Michaels. There was absolutely zero follow-up with that. Now, he’s randomly back in the picture in another adversarial position against Shawn Michaels, this time as Jim Cornette’s pick as Guest Referee in the title match at King of the Ring. I just don’t get it. I don’t see what Mr. Perfect’s problem is or why he keeps getting randomly inserted into stuff with Shawn Michaels. More random, odd booking.

---

Quick Match Results

— “Stone Cold” Steve Austin def. Savio Vega in a King of the Ring Tournament Quarterfinal Match
— “Wildman” Marc Mero def. Owen Hart in a King of the Ring Tournament Quarterfinal Match
— Jake “The Snake” Roberts def. WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust via DQ (non-title)

Mike’s Wrap-Up: What We Learned from Raw

This was one of those episodes of Raw that wasn’t necessarily great television (the curse of the last show of a long taping), but was incredibly interesting when viewed through the lens of history.

On screen, the WWF continued marching toward the King of the Ring. Steve Austin unveiled what would become the Stone Cold Stunner. Brian Pillman officially entered the WWF fold, even if the tragic car accident that changed his life meant the company wasn’t getting quite the same performer as he was in WCW.

At the same time, there are warning signs everywhere.

Marc Mero’s early run has struggled to gain any traction. Goldust and Jake Roberts somehow managed to damage both the Intercontinental Championship program with Ahmed Johnson and the King of the Ring Tournament. Also, Mr. Perfect keeps getting inserted into Shawn Michaels storylines with little explanation.

Then there’s Vader. We haven’t seen Vader on Raw all month since beating Ahmed Johnson. Only a few months ago, Vader seemed poised to dominate the WWF as a major league heel. He arrived with huge fanfare, attacked Gorilla Monsoon in a terrific angle, and established himself as a dangerous guy on the roster. Now, reports of the time suggest that the WWF is cooling on him greatly. There are concerns about his conditioning (they want him to drop weight). There were also frustrations caused by a few incidents involving the Ultimate Warrior during the weekend house shows, when Vader walked out of the match twice. The first time, upon getting to the back, he was told by WWF officials that he could keep walking all the way to Colorado if he didn’t get back in the ring. Vader returned to the ring, only to walk out and lose by countout rather than be pinned. This majorly changes his trajectory for the time being. It’s amazing how quickly one of the most feared wrestlers in the world has gone from unstoppable monster to a question mark. Seeing it in real time is mind-boggling. How are they missing on Vader?

That basically sums up the WWF in June of 1996. They’ve got strong pieces in play: Austin, Pillman, Mankind, Owen Hart. But there’s little conviction.

WWF Raw (USA Network, taped): 2.3 (Record: 19-16-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 3.4 (Record: 16-19-2)

Winner: WCW Nitro

This is the kickoff of one of the most legendary streaks of the Monday Night War. With Kevin Nash and Scott Hall on television now, WCW has all the momentum in the world. WWF is playing this game of “Maybe this? Maybe that? Let’s try this…” while WCW is just gaining major aura with a fresh storyline using two guys WWF put a TON of money into building up.

The next time the WWF gets a ratings win, they’re going to look like a VERY different company. Until then, it’s going to be a bit of a slog. Buckle up!

Email – [email protected]
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.

The post WWF Raw Results – 6/17/96 (The first Stone Cold Stunner on Raw, Brian Pillman signs, go home show to the King of the Ring event) appeared first on WWE News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW Results.

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