WWF May 1996

[Kimmel]

Monday Night Raw
Broadcast on the USA Network
May, 6, 1996
Hosted by: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler

The show starts with an IN MEMORY graphic for “Crippler” Ray Stevens

Ahmed Johnson w/ WWF Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors wrestles to a no contest with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhardt w/Owen Hart and The British Bulldog when both men’s entourages get into the ring for a full out brawl!!!!

Michael Hayes is backstage with European Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Hayes replays footage from In Your House: Rage in the Cage where Helmsley and Mero brawled and the injury that Mero suffered which many say lead to his losing his match with Jarrett for the IC Title later in the night. HHH says that this is boring him and wants to know what Hayes’ point is. Hayes says his point is that Mero will be cleared for action again on May 26th, for In Your House: Collision Course, and that Mero is on a Collision Course with HHH because President Monsoon has just signed HHH to defend the title against Mero on that show, HHH doesn’t seem fazed by this and says that Mero is going to wish he had just stayed home instead of stepping in the ring with him.

Razor Ramon and XPac with Diesel defeat Marty Jannetty and Bob Holly when Ramon pins Jannetty after the Razor’s Edge. Vince McMahon gets into the ring to talk to The Wolfpac, Diesel is angry that Shawn is getting a title shot tonight and says the match will not happen, he says he and the Wolfpac will make sure of it. Just then Gorilla Monsoon and a host of security officers arrive, Gorilla says that is exactly what he thought, but hearing Diesel say it makes this decision so much easier, he then EJECTS THE WOLFPAC FROM THE BUILDING FOR A SECOND WEEK IN A ROW!!!! Monsoon says security will see them out and he doesn’t want any interference in tonight’s Main Event!!! Diesel yells that Monsoon will regret this!!!!


Todd Pettingill is backstage with Crush! Crush is calling out the Undertaker, he wants the Dead Man one on one in a match at In Your House: Collision Course, Crush says he doesn’t care if he wins or loses as long as he makes the Undertaker suffer!!!


“Stone Cold” Steve Austin defeats Billy Gunn w/ Sunny with the Stone Cold Stunner, during the match we get a cut in promo from Brian Pillman who says next week here on Raw he will have a Street Fight with someone, just to show up what Austin is in store for!!!


Michael Hayes is backstage with WWF Champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart and asks him about what happened with the Wolfpac being ejected, Hart says he likes Gorilla Monsoon’s style and that he is glad it happened, so Shawn Micheals can’t cry and whine and have a bunch of excuse when he is Excellently Executed later tonight!


WWF Champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Micheals wrestle to a no contest when the Wolfpac comes through the crowd late in the match with baseball bats and attack both men!!! The match caused Raw to run a good 20 minutes over as Shawn and Bret threw everything they had at each other, HBK did look a little slower and perhaps a little more cautious due to his recent health problems, but still he and Bret gave it all they had for 30 minutes until the Wolfpac attacked!!! Xpac pulled out the red spray paint and started to paint WP on both men when the locker room emptied, every wrestler in the back seemed to come out to try and brawl with the Wolfpac, who were holding their ground and swinging the ball bats!!! The show went off the air in total anarchy!!

[Kimmel]

Monday Night Raw
Broadcast on the USA Network
May, 13, 1996
Hosted by: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler

Show opens with Gorilla Monsoon sitting behind a desk, he says in recent weeks we have seen the Wolfpac create total anarchy on the show and cause havoc where ever they go. He wishes that he could suspend them indefinitely for their actions, but knows that is not what the fans want to see. So while he is laying the largest fine in the history of professional wrestling and perhaps in all sports on them, he has made a decision that he hopes will clear up the WWF Title picture once and for all and give us a clear winner. At In Your House: Collision Course, WWF Champion Bret Hart will defend his title against “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel AND “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Micheals in a Triple Threat Elimination match. He thanks the fans for their time and hopes they enjoy tonight’s show!

“The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels defeats Billy Gunn w/Sunny in an exciting back and forth match up where Billy Gunn got to show what he can do. Sunny got involved late in the match and ended up getting kissed by Shawn Michaels, which she fought at first but didn’t seem to mind afterward! HBK finished Gunn off with Sweet Chin Music! Jim Ross met HBK in the aisle on the way back to the locker room to get his reaction to Monsoon edict and HBK says it’s perfect, he gets a chance to take out both Bret and Diesel, plus win the World Title all in one night!

Vince McMahon is at ringside and interviews a young man in the front row, third generation superstar Rocky Maivai. Rocky hasn’t been seen for awhile, as he has been traveling the world, getting some more experience and training with his dad and other family members. Rocky says he is ready to rejoin the WWF and so he will show the fans what he can do!

Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett w/Debra defeats Savio Vega with the Nashville Legsweep in a match that Vega came close to winning but Debra put Jarrett’s foot on the bottom rope after Vega had connected with a Caribbean Kick. Vega then turned his attention to Debra and that allowed Jarrett to bushwhack Savio and get the victory. After the match Jarrett went down to ringside and got in the face of Rocky Maivia!! He yelled that Maivia was nothing special and that Vince should have been interviewing him, not Maivia, Maivia tried to play it cool until Jarrett slapped him. Maivia then jumped the railing and the two men brawled until security broke it up!!!

Todd Pettingill is backstage with Crush, Crush says the Undertaker is a coward, Todd says Taker has sent in a video and shows it. In it the Undertaker is in a graveyard at night, he is deep in a hole he is digging, when the camera pans up it shows a tombstone, on it reads CRUSH MAY 26, 1996, the date of In Your House: Collision Course. Crush says these mind games do not scare him, and he plans to beat the Undertaker to a pulp at In Your House: Collision Course

“The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman comes down to the ring with a scraggly looking man in tow. The man looks like he hasn’t showered in months, long unkept beard and hair, dirty clothes, Lawler says he can smell the man all the way in the commentary booth. Pillman introduces this man as Steve Austin’s drunk hobo uncle Richard, and says he’ll just call him Dick, Pillman says he found Dick on the side of the road eating out of a garbage can and recognized him instantly. Pillman says that he wants to educate the fans who may never have seen a Street Fight as to what a Street Fight is, and what better way than to fight a homeless person!!!! And even better, it’s a homeless person related to Austin!!! Pillman beats the crap out of the Dick, using everything around ringside that he can find. When he is about to Pillmanize the old man’s ankle, Austin runs out to make the save and Pillman runs away. The old man thanks Austin, but Austin simply gives the dude a Stunner and leaves him lying in the middle of the ring.

Michael Hayes is backstage with WWF Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors and Ahmed Johnson, Ahmed says he will be in the Road Warriors’ corner at In Your House: Collision Course to even the odds with The Anvil, the Road Warriors say they are going to keep a close eye on this next match.

WWF Champion Bret Hart joins the commentary team for the Main Event.

Owen Hart, The British Bulldog and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhardt defeat Diesel, Razor Ramon and XPac when Owen Hart pins XPac after a Superplex. The Wolfpac took the microphone before the match and Diesel cut on promo saying for once he agreed with HBK, he is all for this Triple Threat Match, as he gets to take out Bret and Shawn and become the WWF Champion. On commentary Bret said the Triple Threat Match would be his chance to prove once and for all that he is the best in the wrestling world today. Huge back and forth battle between the six men, the big surprise though was the finish as Bret left the broadcast position to crotch XPac on the top rope, the referee did not see it and it allowed Owen to get the superplex and the win. Vince wondered why Bret would help the Hart Foundation as Bret just headed up the aisle, even the Hart Foundation looked perplexed in the ring over these turn of events!

[Kimmel]

Monday Night Raw
Broadcast on the USA Network
May, 20, 1996
Hosted by: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler

Vince McMahon opens the show in the center of the ring and invites out WWF Champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Vince wants to know why Bret interfered last week in the match between the Hart Foundation and The Wolfpac, and why he helped the Hart Foundation? Bret says it’s none of Vince’s damn business, but he’ll answer him, it had nothing to do with the Hart Foundation, he just saw a chance to give the Wolfpac a piece of their own medicine and did it!!! Vince says tonight Bret will have to face one of the members of the Wolfpac when he battles Razor Ramon in a non title match and asks if the other members of the Wolfpac gets involved , will Bret be counting on the Hart Foundation to help him out? Before he can answer Shawn Michael’s music plays. Shawn comes into the ring and said he thought he better come out here and save the show before everyone turned the channel from having to listen to Bret drone on and on and on and on. Shawn says he is looking forward to In Your House this weekend so that he can take the title away from Bret and give the fans a Champion that freaking smiles once and a while. Shawn says Bret is always so damn serious, he never looks like he is having fun and he should be, HE IS THE WWF CHAMPION!!! That’s as big as it comes, he is on top of the heap in a sport that he loves. Shawn tries to get Bret to crack a smile, but Bret is not amused. Bret says that is Shawn’s problem he never takes anything seriously and that’s why he is never going to be the WWF Champion. Bret says he is done with this interview and goes to leave, but when Shawn turns his back to talk with Vince, Bret attack Shawn from behind!! Bret drops Shawn to the mat and quickly locks on the Sharpshooter, Shawn is selling the hell out of the Sharpshooter as officials come down to break things up!!!

It is announced that Brian Pillman and Steve Austin were ejected from the building when they were brawling in the locker room, Vince and Lawler wonder just how crazy their Street Fight will be at In Your House: Collision Course?

Rocky Maivia makes his return to the WWF and defeats The Sultan with the Rock Bottom, gone is the goofy outfit that Maivia originally showed up in, instead he came to the ring in a simple black WWF T Shirt, black trunks and white boots. He was put over as an athlete and a third generation star. Cut in promo from Jeff Jarrett who is not impressed by Maivia at all and says that if he ever gets in the ring with Jarrett he’ll find out that he doesn’t cut it in professional wrestling. Jarrett says he heard that Maivia was in the King of the Ring Qualfying Battle Royal this weekend and says that so is he and he is going to make it a point to toss Maivia out of the ring!!

Michael Hayes is backstage with Owen Hart, The British Bulldog and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhardt, Hayes asks them point blank if they will come to Bret’s rescue tonight if he needs it and they say no. Owen says he doesn’t know why Bret interfered last week and doesn’t really care, Bret isn’t family, they are family, and if Bret gets in trouble tonight then all he’ll have is himself. Anvil says tonight he will take out Ahmed Johnson.

European Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeats Bob Holly with the Pedigree, during the match “Marvelous” Marc Mero calls into the show and says he is looking forward to getting revenge on Helmsley at In Your House: Collision Course this weekend!!!

Todd Pettingill is backstage with The Wolfpac, Ramon says he is going to kick Bret’s ass for interfering last week. Diesel says that his strategy for this weekend is simple, sit back and watch Bret and Shawn take each other out and then just pick off whomever is left standing.

Ahmed Johnson with The WWF Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors defeat Jim “The Anvil” Neidhardt with Owen Hart and The British Bulldog when Ahmed pins The Anvil with the Pearl River Plunge. Johnson came to the ring wearing shoulder spikes just like The Road Warriors.

Vince McMahon interviews The Undertaker in the ring, Vince asks Taker about the accusation made by Crush that Taker abandoned him. Taker says he and Crush were close friends, closer than brothers and then Crush turned down the wrong path. Taker said he tried to help Crush as much as he could but Crush refused to listen so Taker cut him off, and Crush ended up in jail. Taker says Crush had to pay the price for the things he had done and Crush didn’t want to hear that, and Crush wanted to blame everyone else for what had happened to him. Taker says Crush will soon pay the ultimate price when they meet at In Your House: Collision Course, and vows to lay Crush’s soul to rest!!!!

WWF Champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart defeated Razor Ramon by pinfall after a miscue with XPac caused Ramon to get hit in the head with the WWF Title and Bret rolled Ramon up for the three count. Bret then slipped out of the ring and escaped up the aisle to get away from the Wolfpac, only as he backed up to the curtain, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Micheals appeared!!! Bret turned around right into Sweet Chin Music!!! The WWF Champion lay in the aisle while the Wolfpac stood in the ring and Shawn pointed down at Bret, said something to him then pointed up to the ring and told Diesel “YOU’RE NEXT” as the show went off the air!!!

[Kimmel]

Free For All
Broadcast on the Preview Channel
May 26, 1996
Hosted by: Jim Ross and Michael Hayes

KING OF THE RING QUALFYING MATCH: Rocky Maivia wins a 10 Man Battle Royal, last eliminating Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett targeted the young man the entire match, but Maivia gave as good as he got, in the end these two were the last men left in the ring and went completely at it, Maivia was able to eliminate Jarrett after dropping him with a Rock Bottom. Jarrett laid Rocky out after the match when he bashed him in the head with the IC Title. Other wrestlers in the match included: Kama, Marty Jannetty, Mabel, Bob Holly, Ahmed Johnson, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhardt, The Sultan and Jesse James Armstrong.


In Your House: Collision Course
Broadcast on Pay Per View
May 26, 1996
Hosted by Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler


“Marvelous” Marc Mero w/Sable defeated European Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley by reversing an attempt at the Pedigree into a slingshot which sent Helmsley face-first into the ringpost and then grabbing him with a bridging german suplex. Hunter couldn’t believe it when the referee handed the title to Mero!!!


Undertaker defeated Crush in a total brawl after a Tombstone Piledriver, Taker didn’t get a chance to relish his victory however as Crush attacked Undertaker with a Steel Chain after the match!!! Crush wrapped the chain around Undertaker’s neck and threw him over the top rope in an attempt to hang him!!! Officials rushed out to break it all up!!!


KING OF THE RING QUALFYING MATCH: Billy Gunn w/Sunny defeated Savio Vega with a handful of tights!

In what has to be considered a shocker, Owen Hart and The British Bulldog w/Jim “The Anvil” Neidhardt defeat WWF Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors w/Ahmed Johnson when Ahmed Johnson turns on the Road Warriors, pushing Hawk off the top rope when they were attempting a Doomsday Device, that allowed Owen to use a victory roll on Animal to get the pin fall and the three count. Ahmed had been battling the Hart Foundation the entire match, including laying out Jim Neidhardt when he tried to interfere seconds earlier, Vince and Ross were at a total loss as to why Ahmed would do this!!!

Michael Hayes tries to get a word with Ahmed in the back, but Ahmed pushes past Hayes, grabs his bag from the locker room and quietly and calmly leaves the arena!!!!


In what may go down as one of the most brutal brawls ever in the World Wrestling Federation, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin defeated Brian Pillman in a Street Fight. The brawl went all over the crowd, into several parts of the building and even out into the parking lot!!! Both men were bleeding heavily and they used anything they could get their hands on to bash each other with. Austin wins the match after giving Pillman a Stunner on the roof of a car and then pinning him there!!!

New WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart and The British Bulldog are celebrating with Jim Neidhardt in the back when they are interrupted by the Wolfpac, Razor Ramon lets The Hart Foundation know, he and Xpac are coming for the titles!!!

In a Triple Threat Match for the WWF Championship Bret “The Hitman” Hart put the title on the line against “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel! Diesel followed his plan to the letter at the start, allowing Bret and Shawn to tear into each other, but they soon figured out that Diesel was just sitting back and watching and the two rivals teamed up to beat on the big man!!! The three battled it out until Bret Hart was attempting to apply the Sharpshooter to Diesel and HBK clocked him flush in the mush with Sweet Chin Music!!!! Shawn covered Bret for the three count and eliminated the WWF Champion!!!!! Hart was LIVID!!! He grabbed a steel chair and bashed HBK in the head with it before leaving the ringside area!!! Diesel gabbed Shawn and gave him a Jackknife Powerbomb, but Shawn somehow willed himself to kick out. What followed was Diesel just beating the tar out of HBK, including Jackknifing him through the announce table!!! Vince pleaded with Shawn to stay down but Shawn crawled back into the ring before getting counted out. Diesel continued to just punish HBK, HBK kept trying to make a comeback, but he was in no condition to do so. Diesel finally put Shawn away with a Jackknife Powerbomb and pinned him to become the NEW WWF Champion!!! Razor Ramon and XPac came out to celebrate with Diesel as medical personnel attended to Shawn Michaels and rushed him from the ring on a Stretcher!!! XPac pulls out the red spray paint and they pait the WP on the WWF Title belt as the show goes off the air!!!

[Kimmel]

Monday Night Raw
Broadcast on the USA Network
May, 27, 1996
Hosted by: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler


Vince McMahon opens the show in the ring and invites out the new WWF Champion “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel. Diesel comes out with Razor Ramon and Xpac. The Wolfpac is in total party mode, Xpac press something he is carrying and red and black confetti rains down on the crowd. Diesel has the title, still with the graffiti spray painted on it. Vince congratulates Diesel on his victory, Diesel says it was a great night, not only did he win the WWF Title, but we have seen the last of Shawn Michaels! Vince says while that remains to be seen, he is afraid Diesel may be correct. Diesel says this is the Era of the Wolfpac, they are running things down and nothing is going to stop that. Diesel says that next Razor Ramon and XPac will win the WWF Tag Team Titles!! Vince reveals that at King of the Ring, Diesel will defend the WWF Title against Bret “The Hitman” Hart! Diesel says that he is fine with that, he got rid of HBK last night and at King of the Ring he’ll send Bret out as well!!!!


KING OF THE RING QUALFYING MATCH: Brian Pillman defeats The Undertaker via Count Out when Crush comes out to the ring and Taker attacks him. Taker and Crush continue to brawl until Crush bashes Undertaker with the Biker Chain!!! Crush again tries to hang Taker with the Chain!!!

Todd Pettingill interviews “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the back, next week he’ll face Crush in a King of the Ring Qualifying Match, Austin says he’s going into the King of the Ring with one goal, to kick everyone who is put in his way’s ass, get crowned King and then walk into Summerslam and become the WWF Champion, and that’s the Bottom Line, cause Stone Cold Said so!!!

Ahmed Johnson defeats Jesse James Armstong with a Pearl River Plunge. Jim Ross interviews Ahmed at ringside and Ahmed refuses to talk about why he turned on the Road Warriors.

Michael Hayes is backstage with former WWF Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors, they have no idea why Ahmed did what he did, they thought he was their brother, they made him a member of the Legion of Doom, Hawk says that they will get answers from Ahmed, even if they have to beat them out of him!!!

European Champion “Marvelous” Marc Mero defeats Kato with a Frankenstiener off the top rope, same way he defeated HHH the night before. HHH cut in promo about facing Mero next week in a non title King of the Ring Qualifying Match, Hunter says that last night was a fluke, and he’ll prove it next week when he beats Mero to advance in the King of the Ring Tournament.

Todd Pettingill is backstage with Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett and Debra, Jarrett is not happy about what happened in the King of the Ring battle royal, but Jarrett has another chance to get into the King of the Ring next week when he faces Marty Jannetty in a qualifying match. Jarrett says he is going to win next week and he hopes he gets another match with that punk Maivia, to teach him a thing or two.

KING OF THE RING QUALYFING MATCH: Owen Hart and Razor Ramon wrestled to a double count out, eliminating both of them from the King of the Ring, as a result Brian Pillman advances to the King of the Ring Pay Per View. XPac, Diesel, Bulldog and Anvil all got involved in the end of the match brawl. All six men are going at it, brawling all over the place when former WWF Champion Bret Hart appears out of the back in street clothes and carrying a baseball bat!!! Vince wonders who Bret is targeting and Bret goes right for Diesel as the show goes off the air!!!

[Captain Charisma]

Lot's of good stuff here...

Really like the entire Crush/Taker drama unfolding. Taker was turning away from the Deadman part of the gimmick at this point anyway. I think "revealing" a real life friendship with Crush would be very similar to a lot of stuff that went on with him starting in 96, resulting in Bearer turning and Kane coming in, and Attitude Era Taker's take off. And as limited as I think Crush was, I believe that a personal, brawling feud with Taker is maximizing his strengths. The Biker Chain thing was awesome, and I can't wait to see how that figures into everything.

Big Daddy Cool finally got his hands back on the WWF title. I loved the match, and HBK's performance was oh so Shawn wasn't it? Bret and Shawn gave Diesel by far his best matches, so you've positioned him to where he can succeed with the title. IRL when he got the belt he was working with Bundy and Backlund. He was put in a position to fail, but not here.

Really intrigued about heel Ahmed Johnson, I think I would have chosen someone other than the L.O.D. to turn on though,