WWF President Gorilla Monsoon opens Raw by informing the fans that due to not appearaning at live events over the wekeend, he is suspending The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior will be un-suspended if he posts an appearance bond. Oh, and he's still on tonight's Raw wrestling Owen Hart because tapings. Also due to this, Warrior is out of the six-man tag match at In Your House. We'll get more into what this is all about after we cover our opening match for this edtion of Raw. It's The Ultimate Warrior taking on Owen Hart.
Owen tries a sneak attack on Warrior, but gets thrown out of the ring instead. While Owen regroups, we get an interview from Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson who have secured their third man. Unlike other shows, they're going to show their third man later on. Back in the ring, Warrior hits a clothesline that sends Owen over the ropes. Owen gets thrown over the ropes and then gets caught with a big flapjack. Warrior keeps on Owen in the corner, then hits a powerslam. He throws Owen sternum-first into the buckle then hits a sidewalk slam.
Owen hits a spin kick, but Warrior sits up. Owen hits clotheslines and Warrior gets up from each, but finally starts to feel weary. Owen goes for a suplex, but Warrior reverses with one of his own. He goes for a splash, but Owen gets his knees up.Owen gets in a boot to the midsection all while Lawler cheers him on. We return from commercial with Owen still in control. Owen even distracts the ref so Cornette can hit Warrior with his tennis racket. He catches Warrior with an enziguri and chooses to celebrate with his Slammy instead of going in for the kill. Owen goes up the buckle and lands a missile dropkick.
Cover, but Warrior throws him out of the ring. Owen drags Warrior into the middle of the ring for the Sharpshooter, but Warrior kicks him away. Suddenly British Bulldog comes to ringside. Warrior begins to power up and hits clotheslines and shoulder blocks. Bulldog enters the ring, but gets thrown into the buckle. Vader runs into the ring. Warrior brawls with all of Camp Cornette, but the heels overpower him. Running powerslam, diving cast strike, and a Vader Bomb to finish the job. Warrior gets carried out of the arena and out of the WWF.
Because it's time to say goodbye to The Ultimate Warrior. What happened? Well, according to Warrior, it had to do with the company selling Warrior's merchandise without giving him a percentage. Ultimately neither side could come to terms and Warrior left. This would be his last televised match for the WWF as things got really messy. We'll see Warrior again in 1998 in WCW, but now's a good a time as any to talk about Warrior and his tumultuous relationship with the WWE.
While both sides were far from cordial, things got worse when in 2005, the WWE Put out an infamous DVD known as "The Self Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior", which painted the Warrior as completely unprofessional and a trainwreck. Warrior would sue the company shortly after. That's not to say there isn't some fuel to that fire. Warrior infamously mocked Bobby Heenan after news of his throat cancer was breaking and Warrior infamous gave a university lecture using the infamous line of "Queering doesn't make the world work". So, you know, the perfect guy to use to sell breast cancer awareness T-Shirts. Although that's the WWE and a scumbag charity like Susan G. Komen, so are you surprised?
But eventually, everyone finds their way back home. In 2013, Warrior surprised everyone when he began working with the WWE again, becoming the pre-order DLC character for WWE 2K14. In 2014, The Ultimate Warrior was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame. He even made his return to Monday Night Raw the night after Wrestlemania 30, giving a strangely cryptic promo about how one day every man's heart must beat its final beat. Over 24 hours later, while returning home with his family, he would die of a heart attack. Part of me thinks that maybe Warrior had some sort of feeling that he was on borrowed time and that played a part in his reunion with the company. Trying to get that forgiveness from Vince and the rest of the WWE before his passing, getting to appear at Wrestlemania and have that last chance to be the Warrior.
I have my issues with the man as there is enough stories about him that makes him come off as a real terrible person. But I understand his importance to the business and certainly respect what he was to the business. He was a hero to a lot of kids. A wildman superhero, dressed in colorful attire and with seemingly unlimited intensity. He is one of the most iconic characters in the world of professional wrestling and in eighties/nineties nostalgia in general. His run in 1996, while brief and very bizarre, was okay, but he felt out of place. Too stuch in that era that the company was trying to move on from. But it was at least fun while it lasted.
Shawn and Ahmed don't seem too concerned about Warrior's injuries at the hands of Camp Cornette. They continue to hype the third man, and Shawn says that he's had his issues with this guy before.
Savio Vega heads to the ring to face Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw, but runs into Brian Pillman, who tries to hit him with his crutch. Pillman is sent to the back as Vega gets in the ring for our next match. Since the feud with Austin, he's been using the strap a lot more, so it's only natural to feud with the guy who uses a bull rope hence tonight's match. Bradshaw hits a stiff hiptoss and goes for an elbow, only for Savio to avoid. Savio gets a spin kick in the corner and covers for two. Bulldog from Bradshaw who slow covers for two. Both men exchange blows until the referee forces a break.
Uncle Zebekiah distracts Savio allowing for Bradshaw to attack. Lawler suggests that maybe the third man is John Travolta since he has healing powers (Phenomenon had come out around this time). Vince thinks he's referring to Benny Hinn because Vince doesn't know pop culture. Sleeper hold by Bradshaw, but Savio escapes and catches him with a cross body, covering for two. Bradsahw comes back with a stiff big boot and an elbow drop, covering for two. Bradshaw locks in a chinlock. While this goes down, Lawler takes this time to take more alcoholism jabs at Jake Roberts ("there's always rum for one more!").
Vince and Lawler continue to talk about who could be the third man, whch Lawler suggests that it could be Who. As in Jim Neidhart who returned under a mask and being called "Who", a lame attempt to make a bunch of Abbot and Costello Jokes. Wrestling is weird.
Leg drop by Bradshaw who covers for two. Lawler suggests that maybe the third man could be Jose Lothario, saying that even Cornette could beat him down. Another chinlock by Bradshaw while Lawler gets back to making Jake Roberts jabs. Savio breaks free, only for Bradshaw to keep on him with a forearm to the head. Lawler goes to the phone as we get Mr. Perfect on the line. But we lose him as soon as we go to break. Bradshaw hits a pumphandle slam and covers for two. Bradshaw heads up and hits a shoulder tackle. Cover, but Savio kicks out at two. Savio lands a back drop. Savio avoids offense and hits a back suplex.
Lawler continues to make jabs at Lawler while Savio takes a jab at Uncle Zebekiah. Bradshaw tries a clothesline from hell, but Savio avoids thanks by a tripping from Zeb. Spin kick by Savio and a cover gets the three. Post-match, Zeb tries to use the branding iron, but Savio stops him. This allows for Bradshaw to hit him from behind. He smashes him in the head with the cow bell
Shawn and Ahmed continue to hype the third man. We learn that Shawn will defend his WWF Title against Billy Gunn while Ahmed Johnson will defend the Intercontinental Title against Bart Gunn. Both men seem pretty confident that they will take down both of the Smoking Gunns.
Our main event is The Godwinns taking on Vader and The British Bulldog. Bulldog and Henry start things off. Godwinn gets in a hiptoss. Vader gets a cheap shot to the back of Godwinn allowing Bulldog to take him down. Tag to Vader who keeps on Henry with punches. Vader goes for a suplex, but Henry counters with a suplex of his own. Phineas gets a cheap shot on Vader as Henry hits a clothesline. Tag to Phineas who hits a splash, covering for two. Phineas unloads on Vader in the corner and bites the head. Vader comes back with a clothesline.
Tag to Bulldog who throws Phineas into the corner and begins to stomp him down. Phineas lands a bulldog on the Bulldog and covers for two. Tag to Vader as the heels hit a double headbutt. Vader splashes Phineas in the corner and follows with a clothesline. Phineas ducks another clothesline and throws him in the corner. Tag to Henry who keeps on Vader, hitting a clothesline. Sloppy cover only gets a two. He charges the corner, but Vader dodges and lands another clothesline. Tag to Bulldog who goes into the chinlock. He turns it into a body slam and a leg drop. Cover only gets a two.
Chinlock again by Bulldog. Henry escapes, but Bulldog gets a knee to the midsection. Tag to Vader who hits a splash. Cover, but Henry kicks out at two. So another splash to the back. Jim Cornette leaves the commentary table to berate the referee. Henry counters with a back suplex, but Vader pops up and hits another elbow drop. Vader hits a Vader Bomb to the back. Cover, but Henry surprisingly kicks out. After the break, Bulldog is brought in and goes for a suplex, but Henry breaks free. Tag to Vader who keeps on Henry in the corner. Big corner splash. He goes for a second, but Henry catches him and slams him down.
Tags to Phineas who takes out both men. Bulldog goes for a splash, but hits Vader by mistake. Slam by Phineas who covers, but Vader breaks it. Henry goes after Vader, but is sent back, allowing Vader to hit Phineas sending him into a powerslam. Cover by Bulldog for the win.
It's time to finally reveal who the mystery partner of Shawn and Ahmed is. Cornette is super excited since it's been a great night for Camp Cornette. They're bluffing! They have no partner. Nobody would step in. So Shawn and Ahmed finally reveal their partner...
And it's frigging Sid! Yes, Sid's back, and now he's a babyface for some reason. Cornette is in a panic saying that Camp Cornette won't face him. Sid's a nut! He won't put up with this.
This was an okay edition of Raw that managed to make good on the issues surrounding Warrior's suspension. They did a good job in building up the ambiguity of the third man, making for the great reveal of Sid at the end of the show. It's not a blip on how well WCW built up to the reveal of Hogan the night prior, but it's still excellently done. The in-ring was fine with Warrior and Owen meshing surprisingly well, Savio and Bradshaw being okay if not a bit overlong and the main event tag match being decent despite a bit of face in peril work. The build for International Incident has been tepid so far, but this has definitely helped build that much needed hype for the event. Raw gets a B-.
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