Monday Night Raw
April 15, 1996
San Bernardino, CA
Orange Pavilion

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Shawn Michaels (3/31/96)
Intercontinental Champion: Goldust (1/21/96)
World Tag Team Champions: The Bodydonnas (3/31/96)

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler.

• Marc Mero (w/Sable) vs. Leif Cassidy (w/Marty Jannetty)
  

This is the first time we’ve seen of Sable at Mero’s side to play Jane to his Tarzan. Wherever HHH is right now, Vince feels he is furious. Mero and Cassidy do some fancy arm work to start. Cassidy ends up on the floor. Back in, Cassidy attempts the Flair Flip out to the apron. He ducks the shot from Mero, but sticks his tongue out at him, and gets punched to the floor anyways. Mero meets the New Rockers for a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER, but gets baited into a sneaky clothesline from Jannetty. In the ring, Cassidy takes over with his goofy self. Clotheslines and a suplex or two follows. Commercials! When we return, Cassidy leaves Mero lying out on the floor so Jannetty can deliver some more cheapshots. Back in, Mero slips out of a full nelson and surprises Cassidy with what Lawler calls the carousel headscissors. With Cassidy retreating on the floor, Mero hits the somersault plancha. Back inside, Mero delivers the Flying Sunset Flip for the win. (6:35 shown) He really needs a new finisher. Match wasn’t bad, just wasn’t special. **¼

Let Us Take You Back: Monday Night Raw, 4/8/96. Diesel joins us via telephone from Germany! Was he surprised Shawn Michaels attacked him last week? All Diesel wanted to do was talk to him. He had to bash Shawn in the face with the WWF title to teach him a lesson. Sometimes lessons hurt.

• Million Dollar Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin (w/Ted DiBiase) vs. Bart Gunn
  

Vince wonders when Steve Austin will put the Million Dollar title up for grabs. He doesn’t ever have to! It’s a made up belt! Bart is adamant with a headlock to start. Austin finally has enough of that and throws Bart to the floor. Back in, Austin works a chinlock up until commercial. When we come back, Austin sticks with the chinlock. Bart fights out and mounts his comeback. Bulldog and a flying body press gets two. DiBiase trips up Bart as he tries coming off the ropes. As Bart grabs at DiBiase through the ropes, Austin comes flying in with the Bossman straddle. Bart tries for a couple quick pinfall attempts, but to no avail. Austin stops a sleeper with a jawbreaker (“STUNNER!”) and locks in the MILLION DOLLAR DREAM for the win. (7:57 shown) Again, just okay. *½

Vince McMahon meets Vader and Jim Cornette in the ring. All a sudden, Vader will be meeting Razor Ramon at In Your House on April 28. Cornette cuts his usual great promo. Ramon’s career will take a downward spiral after meeting Vader in two weeks. Because believe me when I say this, it will be your last. MUAHAHAHAHAHA! No, but seriously, it will be. He leaves for WCW. You know the story. If you listen closely, lots of funny double meanings in this promo.

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust (w/Marlena) vs. Savio Vega
  

This seems to the period where Vince tries to convince the audience that the Goldust character isn’t gay, he’s just messing with you. The director goes to a shot of the crowd every time Goldust does something gay. This eventually pisses off Savio to the point that he scares Goldust up the aisleway. Back in, Savio delivers a side slam and a back elbow. Basically house of fire stuff until we go to commercial. AND WE’RE BACK! Goldust stops a ten-count corner punch and sits down on a chinlock. Savio fights out and connects with a crossbody block for two. He telegraphs a backdrop allowing Goldust to start molesting him again, but Savio turns that into a nearfall. Goldust gets stopped up top and eats a superkick (!). Savio wants a superplex, but Goldust kisses him down. He takes too long on the top turnbuckle and eats a boot on the way down. Looks like we JIP to the ref bump. While Savio and ref Tim White try to wake up Hebner, Marlena tosses Goldust the title belt. Savio stops Goldust and kicks him away. He then sees the opportunity to KO Goldust to ensure a title victory and bashes Goldust with the IC belt. SHADES OF GRAY~! Cover, 1-2-3. (9:27 shown) Hebner raises Savio’s arm in victory, White raises the arm of Goldust in victory. Since there’s all this confusion, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon returns (I think?) and announces that Goldust’s current title reign has ended, yet the title does not belong to Savio Vega either. Next week, there will be a rematch to settle the score once and for all. Watchable, but still nothing to make you crazy over. **

Bret vents to a camera over in Germany. He says that he signed up for a 60-minute match, not a 62 minute match. If there needed to be ‘sudden death’, then why did the bell ring at all? I love when Bret makes VALID points. It makes the 1997 angle over being screwed that much more believable. He also mentions that other wrestling companies out there are wanting to throwing around lots of money to bring him in, but he can’t see himself wrestling anywhere but the WWF. Bret is SO the master of kayfabe.

Next week: Goldust vs. Savio Vega! The rematch!

WWF presents In Your House
LIVE on PPV
April 28, 1996
Omaha, NE
Civic Auditorium

MAIN EVENT: WWF Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel: No Holds Barred
The Ultimate Warrior vs. Goldust
Razor Ramon vs. Vader