WWF: Raw is War
November 17, 1997
Cornwall, Ontario
Civic Complex

The current WWF champs are as follows:
World Champion: Shawn Michaels (11/9/1997)
Intercontinental Champion: Steve Austin (11/9/1997)
European Champion: Shawn Michaels (9/20/1997)
World Tag Team Champions: The Legion of Doom (10/13/1997)

TIME TO GET RAW! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

It turns out that last week on Warzone after the broadcast went dark, Ken Shamrock kicked out on Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Instead of Shamrock scoring any kind of victory on Helmsley, Commissioner Slaughter first shoved down HHH and then shoved Shawn Michaels back into a rollup from Shamrock for the unofficial three-count. So wait, they are mirroring the Zbyszko-Hall feud now?

Stone Cold Steve Austin starts off the show and since we’re still in Canada, it’s not the strong reactions he normally receives in the USA. He tries to goad Rocky Maivia out to the ring telling everybody that he sucks. Well, Rocky shows up on the ramp with the rest of the Nation of Domination. He heads back through the curtain though and the NOD guys head down to the ring. Austin is ready and willing to fight them all. D’Lo Brown serves as the sacrificial lamb as he gets in the ring and takes a STONE COLD STUNNER. During the ruckus, Rocky shows up again and steals the IC title. Now that the mission is complete, the NOD clear out while Austin stays in the ring and gives them some non-TV friendly gestures. Austin goes over and puts on JR’s headset to tell him and everybody listening that he will get his payback.

• Marc Mero (w/Sable) vs. Jerry Lawler (w/Brian Christopher)
  

This match is about Lawler getting revenge on Mero for giving his son a lowblow a month ago in a moment that everybody had forgotten. Butterbean is back again this week and now he’s just blatantly waving at Sable. JR tells us a story that Sable was kicked in the head by her horse. The only injury she sustained though was a black eye. Lawler gets a hiptoss on Mero and Fargo struts over to Sable. Out comes Brian Christopher to ringside. Lawler hits a dropkick on Mero and goes out to high five his son. Mero baseball slides into both of them. Christopher now grabs a third headset while Lawler gets into a boxing match with Mero. Cornette asks Christopher if he can get Sable’s number. He does the best he can to sweet talk and charm her with his ways to zero success. This ultimately distracts Mero allowing Lawler to hit the PILEDRIVER, but Sable breaks up the pin using her riding crop for the DQ. (5:00) Afterwards, Mero gives Lawler a TKO and then goes over to yell at Sable for getting him disqualified. Now that she has her sunglasses off, Cornette brings up a good point about it being a bad idea that the live audience doesn’t know the story behind the black eye. ½*

WHY BRET WHY?: The Untold Story. It’s part one of JR’s sitdown interview with Vince McMahon. Recapping won’t really do it justice.

• Savio Vega & Jose Estrada Jr. vs. Road Dogg & Billy Gunn
  

As they have been known to do, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn come out mocking Los Boricuas. Before anything even gets going, the other two Boricuas come out and help clear the ring of the Outlaws.

Video package airs on Ken Shamrock to show why he is the World’s Most Dangerous Man and really the only contender for Shawn Michaels right now.

• Max Mini, Mini Nova & Mini Taurus vs. El Torito, Tarantula & Battalion
  

As she has been known to do, Sunny is the special guest referee for this match. As best I can tell, this is the last of the minis matches on Raw. The crowd is too busy whistling at Sunny to care. The action is too fast to even recap. Lots of lucha-style headscissors and armdrags everywhere. At one point, Sunny has leapfrog El Torito to get out of the way. Next thing we know, the lights go out and Kane and Paul Bearer show up as everybody in the match clears out. As the pyro goes off at the stage, you can see all the people flinch in fear. Of course, they are VERY close to the stage there unlike today. For some reason, the Headbangers come out and break a boombox over Kane’s face. That has no effect. Kane gives them both individual TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVERS as he continues to run through the WWF to get to his brother. No contest at around 3:00. Why didn’t Kane just destroy the minis instead? That would have been amazing. You know you’re asking yourself the same question. *

ENTER THE WARZONE! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

We’re flipping things around this week as DX started the show last week and Austin opened up Warzone. Now Austin opened up Raw this week and DX starts the second hour. The whole crew is in the ring – INCLUDING Rick Rude who has now jumped ship to WCW and becomes the one and only individual to be on both shows on the same night. You see, this episode of Raw was taped on 11/11. Nitro is live. Here he has the full beard he’s had since his return to the WWF. On Nitro, he just has the signature mustache that is synonymous with his look for the past fifteen years. What Rude has to say on Nitro will have to wait until I release that recap pretty soon. Anyways, Shawn Michaels tells us that the pinfall Ken Shamrock got on him didn’t count because it wasn’t a sanctioned match. No duh. Bret Hart is brought up and since Michaels ran him out of the WWF, now he plans to beat up all his friends as well – starting with Shamrock. Over to HHH, he demands Commissioner Slaughter come out. Helmsley goes nose-to-chin with Slaughter and tells him that DX runs things around here and the next time he sticks his chin in DX business, it will be the last thing he does. Helmsley continues to run his mouth saying that he heard a rumor that Slaughter’s wife isn’t happy with his ding-a-ling. If Slaughter doesn’t mind his business, Helmsley promises to essentially flash his wife. Understandably, Slaughter smacks Helmsley down. While Slaughter backs Michaels into a corner, Rude tosses Helmsley the Halliburton to whack the Commish. DX does a number on him culminating in a PEDIGREE. Slaughter can still take a very solid bump, I must say. Once Slaughter is down, DX places toilet paper all over him. Crotch chops all around! JR – “DX are not role models.” You don’t say.

• WWF Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Scott Taylor vs. Eric Shelly
  

Taylor SHOULD get the win after all these years of jobbing. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he is subbing for Jerry Lynn here. To show how important this tournament is, they use this time for Jeff Jarrett to call in and give his two cents on the Bret Hart situation. He wonders why the WWF is still promoting him. Other than that, he tells us that he will be making his in-ring return next week on Raw. The crowd didn’t care either as Taylor wins this rather pedestrian match with a flying DDT. (5:30) It’s hard to get excited about these two when there’s TAKA Michinoku and Aguila flying around. *½

Afterwards, Marc Mero and Sable head down demanding some interview time with Jim Ross. Mero is pissed that the WWF isn’t doing anything about Butterbean stalking his woman. He wants Butterbean to come get some RIGHT NOW. Well, Butterbean does just that until his manager stands in his way. Mero tells Butterbean not to look at her, try to touch her, or even come to the arena anymore. If he does, Mero promises to knock him out. He shoves Butterbean back and then gets shoved down in return. Refs head down to keep the two separated as Mero and Sable clear out.

WHY BRET WHY?: The Untold Story. Here is part two.

• Vader vs. Goldust
  

No match. This week, Goldust looks like he’s wearing Sparky Plugg’s tights on his face. His arm is still in a sling. Before anything can happen, Goldust pulls out a mallet from his sling and whacks Vader to leave him lying in the ring. YOU BETTER BELIEVE THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY.

Commissioner Slaughter comes back out looking better than how he was left by DX earlier. Long story short, Sgt. Slaughter orders Hunter Hearst Helmsley for a fight on December 7 at In Your House.

• Rocky Maivia (w/the NOD) vs. Dude Love
  

VERY loud “Rocky sucks” chants going on here. Rocky reminds us that he was the best damn Intercontinental champion and he’s got the belt back. However, this will just be a non-title bout. Ha! Dude is just being Dude here. Shucking and jiving all over the place. He doesn’t seem to care about any of this stuff with the Rock and Austin. He embarrasses Rocky by sending him to the floor while he was holding onto a waistlock. Rocky comes back with a DDT. Lots of punches by the Rock. He slams Dude for the People’s Elbow just as we go to commercial. Hard to imagine there was a time when that elbow drop is just another move. When we return, Rocky lands the elbow for two. He must have been running the ropes for that whole commercial break, huh? Dude fires back with a bulldog and lands the Johnson Shuffle on Rocky. There’s a series of turnbuckle smashes to set up Sweet Shin Music followed by the Double-Arm DDT! Dude covers the Rock, but that’s when the Nation jumps him for the DQ. (4:57 shown) After the Nation finish whipping Dude, they hold him up for Rocky to nail him with Austin’s IC belt. Here comes Stone Cold to get that payback he talked about earlier. While Rocky heads for the exit sign, Dude Love helps Austin fight off the Nation. Another Stone Cold Stunner to D’Lo! Rocky stands up at the top of the ramp with the IC belt held high above his head as they close the show. ¾*

And with that, we are outta here.

NEXT WEEK: Jeff Jarrett returns to the ring! More light heavyweight title tournament action as well!