Monday Night Raw
July 1, 1996
Green Bay, WI
Brown County Expo

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Shawn Michaels (3/31/96)
Intercontinental Champion: Ahmed Johnson (6/23/96)
World Tag Team Champions: The Smoking Gunns (5/26/96)

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler.

• Non-title match: WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels (w/Jose Lothario) vs. Marty Jannetty (w/Leif Cassidy & Jim Cornette)
  

Cornette is in the corner of the New Rockers here tonight intent on embarrassing Shawn Michaels. Fast-paced “I know you better than you do” action to start this one. Jannetty scores with a few armdrags and a right hand to fire himself up. Cassidy is excited! Michaels returns the favor causing Jannetty to take a powder. Back in, Jannetty pounds away on Michaels, but Shawn fires back with an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline. He hits a flying double sledge and calls for Sweet Chin Music, but Cassidy pulls Marty out to safety. Shawn nails Cassidy with a baseball slide into the guardrail, but doesn’t see Jannetty lowering the boom on him from the apron. That allows Cassidy to take some liberties with the champ. Jannetty controls the match inside the ring. He hangs Shawn out to dry and grabs a chinlock as we go to commercial. When we return, Jannetty keeps on with the chinlock. Shawn escapes, but misses a corner charge and runs his shoulder into the post. Marty misses a corner charge as well and takes the Bobby Eaton corner bump. Michaels tries a monkey flip, but Jannetty lands on his feet and clotheslines Shawn down. HBK brings up a boot to block a flying fist drop. HERE COMES SHAWN! Flying Forearm connects. Shawn tries a powerbomb, but Jannetty headscissors him down and the rollup gets reversed as Shawn scores a nearfall. Flying bodypress by Michaels, but Jannetty rolls through for 1-2-NO! We take another break. AND WE’RE BACK! ROCKER DROPPER! Michaels avoids another flying fist drop, but Jannetty lands on his feet. Shawn flips out of a suplex and hits a Memphis Piledriver. Flying Elbow connects! SWEET CHIN MUSIC! Michaels covers for the 1-2-3. (15:15 shown) Good match, but I think Jannetty could have an epic encounter if he just could switch from working babyface to heel. It’s got to be a hard thing to do when you’ve been nothing but a babyface for ten years. Michaels dishes out some more SWEET CHIN MUSIC to Cassidy after the bell. Corny tries to attack with his racket, but “Super Sock” Jose Lothario punches him away. ***¼

Let Us Take You Back to: Superstars, 6/26/96. Sunny professed an undying love for Phineas Godwinn. Everyone was shocked – even the Smoking Gunns. When she asked Phineas to close his eyes and pucker up, she gave him a slap across the face and proceeded to tell him how he’s a disgusting, pig-brained, hillbilly hog farmer that she couldn’t possibly care about. She calls for her Gunns to put the boots to Phineas, but Henry and Hillbilly Jim make the save. Phineas threatens to slop her, but can’t bring himself to do it until Sunny blows him a kiss. Of course it’s the greatest thing Vince McMahon has ever seen.

• Mankind vs. Duke “The Dumpster” Droese
  

This is the Dukester’s last match on Raw. Being Mankind’s scheduled opponent for the upcoming In Your House PPV, Jake Roberts joins us for commentary. They show clips and thank everyone who bought a ticket to see WWF house shows over the weekend. Pretty typical Mankind squash here. The main thing that happens here is Lawler having an endless supply of jokes directed at Jake’s drinking problem. Mankind finishes off Duke with the MANDIBLE CLAW. (4:12 shown) Over at the announce table, Lawler calls Jake a hypocrite. He tells Jake to “turn the other cheek” and slaps him across the face. Lawler slaps the other cheek and it’s on. As Jake chokes Lawler on the table, Mankind comes over and knocks out Roberts with the MANDIBLE CLAW while Lawler steps on his face. After the refs get rid of Mankind and carry Jake to the back, Lawler says that Jake is used to being carried and yells, “Last call! Last call!”. EDGY! ¾*

Call the WWF Superstar Line to find out why the Ultimate Warrior is in the WWF doghouse on option 6! The number is 1-900-737-4WWF!

They take us back to moments ago when Mankind assaulted Jake the Snake.

• Marc Mero (w/Sable) vs. Goldust (w/Marlena)
  

Steve Austin joins Vince & King for commentary after Goldust interfered in his match last week by throwing gold dust in the Undertaker’s face preventing Austin from taking the Tombstone. Austin faces Mero at the In Your House PPV on July 21 for a return match from KOTR. Lawler tells a story about Marlena getting a little fresh with Sable earlier today when her skirt had a static cling issue. Mero goes for the Kiss That Don’t Miss early and Goldust bails. Marlena walks toward Sable as we take a commercial break. When we come back, Goldust controls with a headlock while Marlena eyes Sable from across the ring. To the floor, Goldust slams Mero’s head off the stairs. Meanwhile, Lawler puts over Austin for refusing to quit on the KOTR when he had his mouth busted open. More commercials. When we return, Mero escapes a chinlock with an electric chair drop. As Mero mounts his comeback, Marlena draws closer and closer to Sable making her feel very uncomfortable. This ends up being a major distraction to Mero as Marlena blows cigar smoke in Sable’s face. That allows Goldust to attack from behind and deliver the CURTAIN CALL for the win. (12:36 shown) Austin calls Mero stupid for looking at Sable when he’s got a match. Not a very strong match and people have a hard enough time with Goldust. Now you have Marlena messing with other women to win matches? No wonder more people were watching WCW. **

NEXT WEEK: The Godwinns take on the British Bulldog and Vader! Also, the Ultimate Warrior battles Owen Hart!