WWF Raw Results – 7/1/96 (Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty, Problems with The Ultimate Warrior backstage)

WWF Monday Night Raw Results
July 1, 1996 (Taped June 24)
Green Bay, Wisconsin (Brown County Expo)
Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com

The show kicks off with WWF Champion Shawn Michaels making his way to the ring alongside his trainer, José Lothario. Michaels has a video camera with him, and we see footage from his “Kliq Cam.”

The New Rockers are already in the ring with Jim Cornette.

Non-Title Match
WWF Champion Shawn Michaels w/ José Lothario vs. Marty Jannetty w/ Leif Cassidy and Jim Cornette

Referee: Earl Hebner

The two former partners go face-to-face before backing up. They circle the ring and lock up. Jannetty powers Michaels into the corner and gives a clean break. Michaels smirks at him. Jannetty threatens to punch him, but he holds back. They lock up and tussle around the ropes. Jannetty shoves Michaels, so Michaels shoves him back. Michaels hooks a side headlock, but Jannetty whips him off. Michaels gets out of a slam and goes for a roll-up, but Jannetty holds the ropes. Michaels leapfrogs him and hits a hip toss. Jannetty quickly kicks him away. Michaels kips up, and Jannetty gets to his feet.

We’re at a stalemate. They lock up, and Jannetty applies a side headlock before hitting a takeover. Jannetty picks up a two-count. Michaels grapevines the head, so Jannetty flips onto him for a two-count. Michaels bridges up with Jannetty and goes for a backslide pin, but Jannetty flips through. Michaels ducks a clothesline, and Jannetty stomps in frustration. These two are very evenly matched.

They lock up, and Michaels quickly hooks a side headlock. Jannetty whips Michaels off and hits a pair of arm drags, followed by a hip toss. Jannetty then punches Michaels in the head. Jannetty celebrates and high-fives the goofy Leif Cassidy. Michaels pulls himself up in the corner, so Jannetty punches away at him. Jannetty sends him to the opposite corner, but Michaels slingshots over him. Michaels hits the ropes and slings Jannetty into the ropes for a hip toss. Michaels hits a quick pair of arm drags before dropkicking him out of the ring. Michaels celebrates as the crowd cheers. Jannetty is frustrated and regroups at ringside with Cassidy and Cornette.

Jannetty soon gets back in the ring, and they lock up. Michaels wrenches Jannetty’s arm, but Jannetty punches him in the face. Jannetty punches him to the corner and whips him into the opposite corner. Jannetty climbs to the second rope and starts the ten punches, but Michaels counters with an inverted atomic drop. Michaels then brings him down with a running clothesline. Michaels elbows him in the head and goes to the top rope for a diving ax handle. Leif Cassidy roots Jannetty on. Michaels goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Cassidy pulls Jannetty out of the ring. Michaels hits the ropes and hits Cassidy with a baseball slide. Jannetty comes off the apron and clubs Michaels down to the floor. Jannetty gets in the ring and taunts the crowd. Cornette distracts the referee as Cassidy stomps Michaels. Lothario comes over to keep Cassidy away. Cassidy sends Michaels into the ring.

Jannetty punches away at Michaels and hits a snapmare for a two-count. Jannetty punches Michaels into the corner, but Michaels reverses a whip to the opposite corner. Michaels charges, but Jannetty boots him down. Jannetty applies a side headlock and punches him in the jaw. Jannetty sends Michaels into the ropes for a back body drop. Jannetty celebrates in the ring as the crowd boos. Jannetty covers for a two-count. Michaels punches him in the midsection, but Jannetty pokes him in the eyes. Jannetty bounces him off the top turnbuckle before hitting a front suplex onto the top rope. Jannetty continues to taunt the crowd before covering for a near fall.

-Commercial Break-

Back from the break, Jannetty hits a rolling neck snapper for a two-count. Jannetty applies a rear chin lock. Michaels fights up and elbows out. Michaels hits the ropes, ducks a clothesline, and hits a running crossbody block for a two-count. Michaels pops up, but Jannetty clotheslines him down for a two-count. Jannetty goes back to the rear chin lock. Michaels fights up and punches out before hitting the ropes and rolling him up for a two-count. Michaels sends him to the corner and charges, but Jannetty moves. Michaels hits the ring post shoulder-first, and Jannetty picks up a two-count. Jannetty punches Michaels to the corner and sends him to the opposite side. Jannetty charges, but Michaels sidesteps him.

Michaels goes for a monkey flip, but Jannetty lands on his feet and hits a clothesline! Jannetty heads to the second rope and leaps, but Michaels boots him in the face. Jannetty is first to his feet and sends Michaels into the ropes, but he lowers his head. Michaels counters with a facebuster. Michaels hits the ropes and crushes Jannetty with a flying forearm. Michaels kips up, and the crowd is getting loud. Michaels hits a scoop slam before stomping his face. Michaels punches Jannetty down before sending him into the ropes for a dropkick. Jannetty reverses a whip and goes for a back body drop, but Michaels counters with a powerbomb attempt. Jannetty counters into a roll-up, but Michaels rolls through for a two-count. Michaels bounces him off the top turnbuckle, but Jannetty reverses a whip. Michaels leaps to the second rope, so Jannetty drops down, anticipating a crossbody block. Michaels fakes him out and goes to the top rope for a twisting crossbody block! Jannetty rolls through and picks up a near fall! Jannetty pops up and clotheslines him down. Jannetty crawls over and picks up a near fall.

-Commercial Break-

We return from the break, and Jannetty hits him with a Rocker Dropper. Jannetty heads to the top rope and jumps, but he lands on his feet when Michaels moves. Jannetty kicks Michaels and goes for a suplex, but Michaels twists through. Michaels kicks him and connects with a piledriver. Jerry Lawler exclaims, “That’s my move, McMahon!” Michaels heads to the top rope and hits his flying elbow drop.

The crowd is getting going. Leif Cassidy looks disgusted as Michaels begins to tune up the band. Michaels connects with Sweet Chin Music! 1… 2… 3!

Winner by Pinfall: WWF Champion Shawn Michaels

Leif Cassidy quickly charges the ring and attacks Michaels. Cassidy sends him to the corner, but Michaels flips through a back body drop. Michaels hits Cassidy with Sweet Chin Music! Jim Cornette gets in the ring to hit Michaels with his tennis racket, but he’s caught. José Lothario gets in the ring and punches Cornette down to a huge ovation! Michaels and Lothario celebrate in the ring!

Mike’s Thoughts: This was a really good match between two guys who know each other really well. Marty Jannetty could absolutely still go in the ring, which almost makes this whole thing a little sad. Four years earlier, Shawn Michaels throwing Jannetty through the Barber Shop window was one of the defining angles of the early 1990s. It certainly is one of the more memorable tag team breakups of all time. The expectation was that these two would become bitter rivals and anchor the WWF for years to come.

It just never happened.

Jannetty’s well-documented personal struggles repeatedly derailed his momentum. Shawn Michaels, meanwhile, kept climbing until he became the WWF Champion and the centerpiece of the New Generation. By the time this match took place, they were no longer equals who were revisiting an old rivalry. They were two wrestlers whose careers had gone in completely opposite directions. That’s what makes this match so interesting. It’s a glimpse of what could have been. Had circumstances been different, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty could have spent years headlining shows together. If not headlining, at least being a featured main event of the card. Instead, they’re wrestling a very good television match in July 1996 that ultimately feels like a footnote in both men’s careers.

Replay: This past weekend on WWF Superstars, Sunny was trying to manipulate Phinneas I. Godwinn once again. She asked how he feels about her. Godwinn said, “I love you.” Sunny pretended she wanted to kiss him, only to slap him in the face. Godwinn was brought to tears. Sunny chastised him for thinking she’d ever be with someone like Godwinn. The Smoking Gunns then double-teamed him until Henry O. Godwinn and Hillbilly Jim ran down for the save. They fought off the Smoking Gunns. Phinneas couldn’t bring himself to slop Sunny, but he eventually did after she blew him a kiss. They show multiple angles of Sunny getting slopped.

Mike’s Gross Tidbit: At this point in Sunny’s tenure in the WWF, she was not well-liked at all. She had made a lot of enemies by this point for numerous reasons. For one, she was difficult to work with, but that’s nothing unique to the wrestling business. It was her overall demeanor by this point. In real life, she was with Chris Candido (Skip) and had just recently become engaged to him. Unfortunately, she was treating him terribly in public and having affairs with another wrestler behind his back: WWF Champion Shawn Michaels. It actually wasn’t a secret at all. In fact, in just a few weeks, Shawn Michaels will insinuate in a promo that he is having an affair with Sunny. It’s a terrible predicament for poor Chris Candido, and he would be confronted by locker room leaders throughout this time about what she was doing, but he refused to leave her. They were high school sweethearts.

In any event, since Candido wouldn’t do anything regarding her, the WWF superstars took it upon themselves to teach her a lesson whenever they could. This segment is one legendary example. Throughout the day, the Godwinns left the slop bucket in the locker room, with many knowing Sunny was going to get it that night. It was confirmed by Phinneas I. Godwinn on the Undertaker’s podcast not that long ago (and widely rumored for years) that many WWF superstars left little… presents in the slop. It was truly a disgusting spot. I feel bad for the fans at ringside who got splashed with it.

Video: Highlights are shown from this past weekend’s live events. Tickets also went on sale for SummerSlam.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts will be on commentary for the next match.

Duke “The Dumpster” Droese vs. Mankind

Referee: Tim White

The bell rings, and they immediately begin trading punches. Mankind stomps him in the corner before ripping at his face. Jerry “The King” Lawler taunts Jake “The Snake” Roberts about his past demons on commentary. Mankind chokes Droese as we go to commercial.

-Commercial Break-

Back from the break, Droese punches back at Mankind. Droese sends him into the ropes, but Mankind clubs him in the neck. Mankind stomps him in the head and drives his shoulder into the ring post. Mankind pulls Droese out of the ring and clubs his arm. Mankind stomps him on the floor and rolls him into the ring. Mankind gets him in the ring and clubs Droese in the head. Mankind applies an arm wrench, but Droese fights back. Mankind rakes his eyes and bounces him off the top turnbuckle. Lawler is continuing to taunt Roberts about his past drinking problem. Mankind hits Droese in the face with a running knee to the face.

Mankind squeals and rips his own hair out of his head. Mankind stomps Droese in the head and headbutts him. Mankind hits the ropes, but Droese hits him with a spinebuster. Mankind is quickly to his feet, but Droese punches him back. Droese applies a sleeper hold, but Mankind backs him into the corner twice to get out of it. Droese boots back and clotheslines him down for a two-count. Droese sends Mankind into the ropes and applies a bear hug, but Mankind simply leans back and jams his fingers into his mouth, applying the Mandible Claw for the technical submission.

Winner by Technical Submission: Mankind

Jake Roberts, who is scheduled to face Mankind at the next In Your House event, gets into it with Jerry Lawler at commentary. Vince McMahon is stuck between them. Lawler is making fun of Roberts’ religion and calling him a hypocrite. Lawler says people like Roberts are supposed to turn the other cheek, so he slaps him in the face. Roberts doesn’t move. Lawler suggests they see how the other cheek is and slaps him again!

Roberts has had enough and grabs Lawler, choking him on the commentary table. Mankind comes over, punches Roberts in the head, and applies the Mandible Claw, taking the legend down to the ringside mat. Lawler puts his boot on Roberts’ face. WWF referees run down to pull Mankind away. They help Roberts to the back.

Mike’s Thoughts: Not much of a match with Mankind and Duke “The Dumpster” Droese. This, by the way, is the last we’ll see of Duke “The Dumpster” Droese in this series. No big loss whatsoever.

The bigger story was what was happening on commentary with Jake Roberts and Jerry Lawler. Jerry Lawler was absolutely ruthless here. As a heel, it was some of his best work. His delivery was tremendous, and I have to admit, some of the lines made me laugh. Saying Jake Roberts’ breath was bleaching his hair was an all-timer. Lawler knew exactly how to get under Roberts’ skin, and by the time he slapped him twice while mocking the old “turn the other cheek” teaching, I was ready to see Roberts finally snap on him.

At the same time, this is one of those segments that feels more uncomfortable with the benefit of hindsight. Jake Roberts wasn’t playing an alcoholic for television. He was a recovering alcoholic trying to rebuild his career after years of very public struggles. The WWF chose to make those real-life demons the centerpiece of the feud, and while it unquestionably generated heat, it also crossed into territory that feels exploitative today.

That’s probably the best way to describe the whole angle that is to play out over the next few months. It’s definitely effective. It’s funny in places. Lawler is outstanding. But it’s also built around one of the most painful chapters in Jake Roberts’ real life. Wrestling has always borrowed from reality to make stories feel authentic, but in this case, the wounds were way too fresh. That makes it a complicated watch thirty years later.

-Commercial Break-

Video: Call the WWF Superstar Hotline at 1-900-737-4WWF to find out why The Ultimate Warrior is in the WWF doghouse.

Mike’s Thoughts: We’ll get into this in the Wrap-Up. The deal with The Ultimate Warrior blew up something fierce this week.

Replay: Moments ago, Mankind attacked Jake “The Snake” Roberts as he was choking Jerry “The King” Lawler, who had repeatedly made jokes about Roberts’ sobriety.

Replay: Last week on Raw, Goldust threw gold dust into The Undertaker’s eyes as he was fighting “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin will be on commentary for the next match. Austin’s lip is incredibly swollen from the lip injury suffered at the King of the Ring event.

Goldust w/ Marlena vs. “Wildman” Marc Mero w/ Sable

Referee: Mike Chioda

The bell rings, and Austin threatens Vince McMahon not to cut him off on commentary. In the ring, they lock up and tussle around for position. Goldust gets him in the corner and backs up. They circle the ring, and Goldust clubs away at him. Goldust bounces him off the top turnbuckle before sending him into the ropes. Mero ducks a clothesline and hits a running crossbody block for a two-count. Mero sends Goldust into the ropes, kicks him, and uppercuts him down. Mero celebrates and goes for a big left hand, but Goldust slides out of the ring to avoid it. Mero hits the ropes, but he puts the brakes on when Goldust moves.

Goldust slowly gets back into the ring. They lock up, and Goldust quickly applies a side headlock. Mero whips him off, does a leapfrog, and hits an arm drag. Goldust comes back with an arm drag, and Mero quickly pops up and dropkicks him down. Goldust rolls out of the ring and slaps the ring apron in frustration.

-Commercial Break-

Back from the break, Mero and Goldust brawl at ringside. Goldust gets into the ring and stomps Mero as he gets in the ring. Goldust sends Mero into the ropes for a clothesline. Goldust crawls over to Mero and grabs his head. Goldust then punches him and applies a rear chin lock. Marlena is apparently trying to make eyes with Sable. Mero fights up and elbows out. Mero hits the ropes and ducks a clothesline, but Goldust quickly turns him inside out with a kitchen sink knee to the midsection. Goldust then sends Mero out of the ring.

Goldust goes outside the ring and bounces Mero off the ring steps. Goldust gets in the ring. Mero punches him as he gets in the ring. Mero sends Goldust into the ropes, but he lowers his head and eats a kick. Goldust covers for a two-count. Goldust goes back to the rear chin lock. Austin says McMahon is starting to get on his nerves. McMahon keeps putting Mero over “like a million bucks,” but Austin is what’s happening, so he might punch McMahon in the mouth. Mero soon fights up and elbows out. Goldust quickly rakes his eyes and goes for a suplex, but Mero fights out. Goldust reverses a waistlock, so Mero counters with a roll-up for a near fall. Goldust quickly floors him with a right hand to the jaw. Goldust connects with a scoop slam, followed by a falling fist drop for a two-count.

-Commercial Break-

Video: See it… feel it… touch it… live it live! The WWF Attitude Adjustment Tour continues! This Friday, they’ll be at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On Saturday, the WWF heads to the New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut. They’ll close out the 4th of July weekend festivities at the Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Next Thursday, they’ll be in Albany, New York, at the Knickerbocker Arena. Finally, next Friday, they’ll be at The Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts. You only live once, so live it live!

Back from the break, Mero fights out of a rear chin lock and attacks Goldust’s arm. Mero hits the ropes for an elbow drop, but Goldust moves. Goldust gets super aggressive and punches away at Mero. Goldust grabs Mero by the hair and smacks him in the face. Goldust applies another rear chin lock. Goldust jumps onto Mero’s back and continues to pull back on his chin. Mero fights up and gets Goldust in the electric chair position before hitting an electric chair drop.

After taking a few moments to recover, Goldust grabs Mero and smashes his face into the mat for a two-count. Goldust covers for another two-count. Mero fights back with some punches before sending Goldust to the corner. Goldust quickly elbows Mero back and charges, but Mero hits a snap powerslam for a near fall. They then get up and take each other out with a double clothesline.

At ringside, Marlena approaches Sable, looking her up and down. Sable is ignoring her, but Marlena won’t take her eyes off her. In the ring, Mero ducks a right hand and hits an inverted atomic drop. Mero jabs away at him and hits a big right hand. Mero sends Goldust into the ropes for a back body drop. Sable is becoming disturbed by how Marlena is crowding her. Mero comes off the top rope with a diving double ax handle for a near fall. Mero sends Goldust back into the ring before kicking him in the midsection and hitting a big knee lift to the face. Marlena presses Sable into the steps and blows cigar smoke in her face. Mero looks at what’s going on at ringside, and Goldust attacks him from behind. Goldust connects with the Curtain Call for the win!

Winner by Pinfall: Goldust

Next week on Raw, The British Bulldog and Vader will battle The Godwinns. Owen Hart will also take on The Ultimate Warrior.

Goldust and Marlena kiss as the show comes to an end. McMahon goes, “What the…?”

Mike’s Thoughts: A long and not-so-great match between Goldust and Marc Mero. It wasn’t bad, but it’s certainly not going to get anyone excited to tune in when WCW is doing a go-home show to Bash at the Beach, where everyone is wondering who The Outsiders’ third man will be. The WWF is still just throwing a bunch of crap at the wall in the hopes of being edgy to see what works. This week, the idea is for Marlena to have some sort of crush on Sable. This won’t last long because it is, well, stupid. Goldust did look good in this and had to look strong going into a PPV match against The Undertaker.

The best part of this match was “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on commentary. Austin is really getting the basics of this character down now, including threatening to attack Vince McMahon for talking over him on commentary. It’s amazing to think that in just about a year and a half, Vince McMahon, the nerdy commentator who growls with glee at the sight of Sunny getting slopped, will be the greatest nemesis of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s career in a feud that will catapult the company to heights never seen before.

---

Quick Match Results

— WWF Champion Shawn Michaels def. Marty Jannetty in a Non-Title Match
— Mankind def. Duke “The Dumpster” Droese via Technical Submission
— Goldust def. “Wildman” Marc Mero

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

This was a pretty good episode of Raw. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty had a very good match to kick off the show. Steve Austin continued to build momentum following his King of the Ring victory. Mankind remained one of the company’s most compelling acts, even in a relatively short appearance. On television, the WWF looked like a promotion slowly beginning to figure a few things out.

Behind the scenes, however, it was anything but stable.

The biggest story entering this week had nothing to do with what aired on Raw. It was the growing uncertainty surrounding the Ultimate Warrior.

By the time this show aired, Warrior had already missed several house shows over the weekend, reportedly because of a dispute with the company. Rumors spread quickly that he had either quit or been fired. Then came the sad news that Warrior’s estranged father had passed away. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, Warrior and Vince McMahon were reportedly trying to work things out, leaving just about everyone in the company wondering what was actually going on.

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Just weeks after losing Razor Ramon and Diesel to WCW, the WWF suddenly found itself dealing with another major headache involving one of its highest-profile stars. Depending on who you believed, Warrior had quit, been suspended, was on the verge of being fired, or would be back in a matter of days. Even the wrestlers reportedly weren’t sure what the truth was. At live events, the WWF buried Warrior by telling fans he had refused to wrestle in their city and even offered refunds to disappointed attendees. Yet on television, he was still being presented as one of the company’s biggest attractions, using his name to try to sell the upcoming In Your House: International Incident pay-per-view.

The drama with the Ultimate Warrior isn’t over yet. More to come next week!

WWF Raw (USA Network, taped): 2.6 (Record: 19-18-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 3.3 (Record: 18-19-2)

Winner: WCW Nitro (3-week streak)

The ratings tell the story. WCW’s momentum continues to build while the WWF searches for stability. Ironically, many of the performers who would right the ship were on tonight’s show.

Email – [email protected]
X – @MikeTedescoWV

Last week’s Raw | Last week’s Nitro

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 – 7/1/96 (Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty, Problems with The Ultimate Warrior backstage) appeared first on WWE News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW Results.

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