Monday Night Raw
April 1, 1996
San Bernardino, CA
Orange Pavilion

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Shawn Michaels (3/31/1996)
Intercontinental Champion: Goldust (1/21/1996)
World Tag Team Champions: The Body Donnas (3/31/1996)

WrestleMania 12 was last night! Things happened there!

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler.

• Mankind vs. Bob Holly
  

This is the wrestling debut for Mankind. He takes a cheap shot at Holly to start and generally beats him down into the corner. Running knee connects and Mankind celebrates by pulling out his own hair. SHEESH. Holly mounts a comeback and hits the Best Dropkick in the Business. Unfortunately for him, resistance (to losing) is futile. Holly flies out to the floor and takes a hotshot on the apron. Back in, Mankind sets up Holly in the tree of woe and delivers a running elbow on Bob’s face. Now Mankind sort of sulks around and then jumps on Holly to apply what would become known as the MANDIBLE CLAW. (3:22) Holly spits up something white to put over the finisher. ¾*

Let Us Take You Back: WrestleMania XII, Marc Mero was making his WWF debut in an interview with Todd Pettingell when Hunter Hearst Helmsley blamed “his escort” for jobbing to the Ultimate Warrior. Turns out that “escort” was Marc Mero’s wife! A fight ensued between the two men and now they have a thing going. Back to live action, the girl who started it all is now sitting in the front row! Shenanigans on the way?

• Marc Mero vs. Isaac Yankem D.D.S.
  

Here’s another wrestling debut for ya. After five years in WCW, Marc Mero had recently jumped ship after a disagreement in the DDP-Kimberly storyline. The man really needs to be more consistent with his outrage considering what the Mero-Sable storyline would turn into by 1998. Yankem takes a dropkick to the floor and receives the somersault plancha by Mero. Back in, a horrible looking slingshot legdrop by Mero gets two. Poor Yankem was too close to the ropes it looked like there. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors leads to a Knee Lift. Yankem finally cuts off Mero with a clothesline as Hunter Hearst Helmsley is shown sitting down beside Sable. He’s trying to get him some, but Sable is too busy watching her hubby being stuck in a chinlock. Mero fights out into a crucifix for a nearfall. Now Yankem works the back, but Mero flips out of a back suplex and applies the prawn hold for 1-2-NO! Kiss That Don’t Miss leads to the Flying Sunset Flip for the win. (4:26) Standard Johnny B. Badd stuff. Afterwards, Hunter tries to leave with Sable, but she hauls off and slaps him one good time. Mero helps his wife over the guardrail and takes her backstage while HHH tangles with some security guard. ½*

• WWF Tag Team Champions The Body Donnas (w/Sunny) vs. Aldo Montoya & Barry Horowitz
  

The Body Donnas winning the tag belts over the Godwinns in the tournament finals last night gets shown. Skip and Montoya start us off. Aldo gets the better of the two with his 1980s babyface offense. Tag out to Horowitz, he sticks with Zip no trouble. Now back to Montoya, the Body Donnas have to catch him with a blind tag and a pearl harbor job to stop him. Double Flapjack to Montoya and the tag champs are in total control. Montoya gets tossed and when Skip tries to suplex him back inside, Montoya reverses and takes Skip to the floor! Whoa, did not expect that. Montoya levels Skip with a crazy leap from the second rope. Back in, Horowitz gets the “hot” tag. He catches Skip with the HOROWITZ CRADLE playing off a nine month old storyline and nearly gets the win. I like that, though. Unfortunately, Sunny held the ref’s attention and prevented the count on time. Tag back to Montoya, he catches Skip with a flying body press for two. Skip hits a nice bridging German suplex and then stops a headscissors with a spinebuster. With Montoya stunned, Skip levels Montoya with a headscissors out of the corner and then tags Zip for the Whoopee Cushion finish. (5:31) Some talented dudes, for sure. The Body Donnas sure had potential. *½

Vince McMahon brings the NEW WWF champion to the ring: Shawn Michaels. He thanks the fans a ton. He thanks Bret Hart for the match and says that he will always be a champion in his eyes and in the eyes of the WWF fans. He promises to Bret, the Hart family, and the WWF fans that he will wear the WWF belt with the same honor, dignity and class of Bret Hart. Now what about Diesel? First, HBK must go through Jerry Lawler, which is no small potatoes. Burger King chants go up. As for Diesel, he says they made good friends, but make better enemies. Come In Your House, he and the Kliq will dance all – over – his – face.

• The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) vs. Justin Hawk Bradshaw (w/Uncle Zebekiah)
  

Bradshaw is UNDEFEATED. This would seem interesting if this wasn’t his first major challenge. He’s beaten the babyface JTTS who have already appeared and jobbed on this program, but no one else. He’s almost a complete Stan Hansen rip-off. He throws the wild lariats and puts up the bull horn sign. While Bradshaw dominates, we go to commercials. When we return, the Bradshaw domination continues. Flying shoulderblock gets two. The second one of course does not and UT powerslams him down. Bradshaw fires back with a Lariat and a big boot, but Taker nails the Jumping Lariat. Chokeslam and the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER connects, but here comes Mankind to keep the pinfall from happening for the DQ. (4:54 shown) Mankind runs Taker knees-first into the steps and delivers the Cactus Elbow for a great visual. With Taker incapacitated, he locks in the MANDIBLE CLAW until refs and security pull him off White stuff spews from Taker’s mouth too. ¾*

Well, that was QUITE an ending.

NEXT WEEK: Shawn Michaels takes on Jerry Lawler with Diesel on color commentary. Something tells me it’s going to get a bit crazy. Also, The Man They Call Vader battles Yokozuna! Plus, Ahmed Johnson meets Davey Boy Smith in an arm wrestling contest! The Ultimate Warrior will appear as well for a very special interview! Lawler thinks it will be the greatest Raw ever! We shall see.