Monday Night Raw
January 20, 1997
Beaumont, TX
Montagne Center

The current WWF champs were as follows:
World Champion: Shawn Michaels (1/19/1997)
Intercontinental Champion: Hunter Hearst Helmsley (10/21/1996)
World Tag Team Champions: Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (9/22/1996)

For those of you who missed the Royal Rumble, some still shots of the PPV are shown before anything can happen.

I must say, they really do need a new intro by this point. LAME.

Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler.

Right out of the gate, Bret Hart hits the ring and he is PISSED. Bret has a lot to say to Vince right now. He was told that if he decided to return to the WWF late last year, he would be getting a WWF title shot. When he did get the opportunity, Shawn Michaels screwed him out of it last month at the In Your House PPV, now Stone Cold Steve Austin screwed him over in the Rumble match, which ruined his chance to go to WrestleMania 13 to get another title shot that he feels he is owed. The crowd seems to agree. Bret feels that since he isn’t getting these title opportunities, he has indeed been screwed by the World Wrestling Federation and more specifically by Vince McMahon. Long story short, Bret QUITS right on the spot. As Bret starts to leave through the crowd, Vince tries to reason with him, but Bret won’t hear any of it. We hear some CLEAR “We Want Bret” chants as he continues to exit the arena. Meanwhile back in the ring, Stone Cold Steve Austin is there to speak the truth – Bret has done nothing but piss and whine since he’s been back in the WWF. Stone Cold – “When the going gets tough, the Harts get going back home.” SNAP! The winner of the Rumble was supposed to face the loser of the WWF title match at the Royal Rumble, but WWF President Gorilla Monsoon (as far as he goes, Austin says he’s got a whole bunch of bananas and he can tell Monsoon exactly where to stick each and every one of them) says that Psycho Sid is at home with a concussion, which means Austin’s going to take on the Undertaker tonight – in this very ring – LIVE on Monday Night Raw. Next thing you know, Vince McMahon has left ringside to go to the back because BUSINESS HAS PICKED UP!

JR announces a record crowd came to the Royal Rumble in the Alamodome. The number given is 60,525. I wonder how many got in for free?

• WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (w/Clarence Mason) vs. Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon
  

Alright, let’s get to some ‘rasslin. This is supposed to be non-title since these All-Japan boys haven’t “earned” a title match yet. They show Owen dumping out Davey Boy at the Rumble, but JR says apparently they have patched things up. Owen and LaFon get into a fancy wristlock exchange. Tag to Furnas, he shows off his power and hits Owen with a nice dropkick. Big overhead suplex connects, but then Owen levels him with the Spinning Heel Kick. Bulldog tags in, but eats a rana for two. Davey Boy ducks out while LaFon gets a tag. Back in, the tag champs attempt to corner LaFon, but it doesn’t work out. However, Owen blind tags and suckers Furnas right into a missile dropkick for two. Awesome. Commercial time! When we come back, they advertise La Femme Nikita and make a lame joke at the New Adventures of Robin Hood which airs after Monday Nitro. Anyways, Furnas is still trying to fight off this onslaught from the tag champs. The enziguri stops a comeback for 1-2-NO! Belly to Belly Suplex hits, but Owen misses the Flying Headbutt. HOT TAG TO LAFON! Running senton gets two. Northern Lights suplex scores another nearfall. LaFon tries the hiptoss counter into a DDT, but it doesn’t look all that pretty. Cover, 1-2-NO! Owen makes the save, but Furnas knocks him out of the ring. While the ref is with Furnas, Owen distracts LaFon and blasts him with his Slammy Award. DONE! Davey Boy grabs a loopy LaFon and finishes him off with the RUNNING POWERSLAM. (10:22 shown) Good action, but I think Owen and Bulldog needed to do more cheap heel stuff to really get these guys over. ***

They show us the Shawn Michaels entrance from the Royal Rumble. If you want to see the rest, you’ll have to PAY to see it.

• Faarooq (w/Nation of Domination) vs. Bart Gunn
  

Always cool to see Ahmed put that NOD suit through the table. Bart is all over Faarooq to start. He’s pretty much just a glorified jobber now, if that. After some commercials, Faarooq puts Bart down with the Spinebuster. Not sure that was supposed to happen, but anyways. He chokes Bart in the ropes and lets PG-13 help out as well. Bart starts up his big comeback after slam dunking Faarooq when he tries a flying shoulder tackle. He hits Faarooq with a Running Bulldog (because he’s a TEXAN~!) and one of the PG-13 boys puts Faarooq’s foot on the bottom rope. Bart gives chase and beats down both Wolfie D and JC Ice, but here comes Faarooq with a forearm shot off the apron. Crush helps Bart back into the ring so he can receive a DOMINATOR for the 1-2-3. (5:17 shown) The hot crowd helped us through this one. ¾*

It’s time for the WWF President Gorilla Monsoon’s big announcement. Vince McMahon takes over the proceedings and holds the mic. Gorilla says that there’s nothing he can do about Stone Cold Steve Austin winning the Royal Rumble because a referee’s decision is always final, but he will not be getting a title shot at WrestleMania 13 because of the way he won the match. He makes a four-way elimination no-DQ match and the winner will face whoever the WWF champ is at WrestleMania 13. The four participants who will be involved in the match are the Undertaker (illegally eliminated by Austin in the Rumble), Vader (illegally eliminated by Austin), Bret Hart if he so decides (illegally eliminated by Austin in the Rumble), and of course Steve Austin considered he is the so-called winner of the 1997 Royal Rumble match. So there you have it. Once Vince and Gorilla head out of the ring, Steve Austin comes out and picks up the microphone. Is it just him, or did Bret Hart quit earlier in the show? Gorilla Monsoon pretty much ignores him until Austin calls him a jackass. HA! Even though he shouldn’t have to be in the match, Austin accepts the challenge and then threatens to toss Gorilla Monsoon over the top rope as well. Austin starts to get up in Monsoon’s face when Vince begins to interject himself. Ahh sweet, a Vince-Austin exchange. Just when it starts to get good, the camera finds Bret Hart is coming down through the crowd to get to ringside. He grabs the mic and accepts the spot in the four-way elimination match and then meets Austin in the aisleway for a sweet brawl. After a quick commercial break, Austin is in the ring as Bret is being detained by a bunch of referees and Pat Patterson. BONG! Here comes the Undertaker. He trades a few shots with Bret on his way to the ring to meet Stone Cold.

• The Undertaker vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
  

After some ringside brawling, Undertaker goes Old School on Austin. Soon after, UT telegraphs a backdrop and takes a swinging neckbreaker. Meanwhile, Jerry Lawler is trying to communicate to Austin to go after Taker’s ribs after he missed that splash up against the guardrail at the Royal Rumble. It doesn’t work out too well though. Austin tries to keep UT down on the mat with a chinlock. At this point, Lawler gets up from his chair to let Austin know about the ribs. Still no dice. UT goes low to stop Austin, but then takes a STONE COLD STUNNER out of nowhere. Meanwhile in the back, an angry Bret Hart and an irate Vader are being separated! INSANITY! Commercials! When we return, Austin is still in control. All the same, he heads up top and gets crotched. He fights off a superplex and drops an elbow from the second rope for two. UT hits a desperation Jumping Lariat as Vader and Paul Bearer waddle down to ringside. Vader comes into the ring to attack Undertaker for the DQ. (6:38 shown) Lots of ground and pound and not a whole lot of story here. **¼

Vader’s attack doesn’t work out too well as UT sees him coming and gives him a CHOKESLAM. Bret storms to the ring as we have all four men in the ring at the same time beating the heck out of each other as we close out the show.