Grilling JR - RAW Watchalong 02.13.97 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Today on Grilling JR we’ll be doing a Watchalong of a classic Raw episode - but it’s with a twist. Thursday Raw Thursday. The WWF is moved because of the Westminster Dog Show but we got a pay-per-view to build damn it so we’re going to be live in Lowell, Mass and man is there a whole lot going on at this time in the WWF.

The week leading up to this show has lots of highs and lows for the WWF. The WWF runs at Penn Station for a Shotgun Saturday Night show that is most remembered for the Undertaker piledriving Triple H on the escalator and Hunter goes all the way down where he’s helped away by the referees.

Shawn Michaels on February 9th wrestles in the main event teaming with Steve Austin and losing to Bret Hart & Sid at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford when Bret gets the pin on Shawn. When are you told that Shawn is dropping the title on the show?

From the Observer: “Perhaps the strangest week in World Wrestling Federation history ended up with three WWF title changes, the tease of the end of Shawn Michaels’ career, a strange twist in the working relationship with ECW, the beginning of the live Raw, a television special, a PPV event, a surprise IC title switch, numerous long-term plans switched…”

This week in particular with Final Four on Sunday…losing your World champion…you’re producing a live TV event on Thursday - a pay-per-view on Sunday - and then another live Raw the day after - is this the strangest week or most chaotic week in WWF history in your mind?

There’s rumor and innuendo out there that there was a thought process that trying out Raw on Thursday to help ratings since Nitro was kicking the WWF’s ass at the time…was that ever considered in to your knowledge?

The show draws 2,347 fans for a house of $41,218. What was it about Lowell that made it a frequent stop back then for the WWF?

From Meltzer…”On the Raw special, it was announced at the beginning of the show that Michaels would be vacating his title.”

It’s tough to open a show like this is it not?

Rocky vs. Hunter is the first match for the IC title, which will be a mainstay in the WWF main event scene for a long time to come after this. Hunter is scheduled to face Ahmed Johnson at Final Four but with Shawn’s injury the whole card ended up being re-shuffled. Do you remember when the decision was made to make Rocky the new intercontinental champion?

Hunter and Shawn are long notorious during this time for their political power even without being in DX. Was there any issues putting Rocky over here?

Curtis Hughes is not at ringside as it’s reported that he was having some issues. From the Observer: “He's had some very serious health problems over the past few weeks, beginning with blood pressure irregularities which resulted either from or in him losing about 40 pounds. He wound up last week hospitalized and was in Intensive Care in a life threatening situation for a short period with heart problems which led to kidneys malfunctioning which may have all stemmed from complications from diabetes.”

Was it the health issues or something else that forced the company to move from Hughes?

Did you know you already had Chyna lined up to debut at the Final Four?

From the Observer regarding the title change … “Rocky Maivia, the former Duane Johnson, with less than one year in the pros, was surprisingly given the IC title on 2/13 from Hunter Hearst Helmsley. There had been some question that Maivia's push was going to wind up in a Van Hammer/Erik Watts like situation, that fans wouldn't buy being a green wrestler being shoved down their throats and push back. If there was any doubt, during the match even before the title had changed were chants of "Rocky sux."”

The fans do chant that during the match but to compare Maivia at this point to a Van Hammer/Erik Watts situation…is that fair at the time?

Was Rocky ready for this role?

You got Honky Tonk Man on commentary for this match. How hard is a 4 man booth?

How good is Hunter at this point as it’s pretty obvious he’s carrying Rocky here?

Rocky gets the win and thus begins the legend of the Rock…sort of. It’ll be some time before he really gets going but this is a big first step.

Who pushed for the Rocky win here?

“1. Maivia pinned Helmsley to win the IC title in 17:03. Fans were chanting "Rocky sucks." Helmsley carried the match, which, since Maivia didn't do much offense was better than their PPV match and the best match of the TV show. He got near fall after near fall before the "surprise" title change. Maivia was out after a piledriver and a superplex. Helmsley twice tried the Pedigree but Maivia went limp on him. As he celebrated the certain win, Maivia caught him in a small package for the pin. Maivia thanked his father and his grandfather after the match. **½”

Here’s Doot Doot Doot for an interview and Rocky isn’t exactly the promo he would become later on is he?

Next up we got the Headbangers vs. Aldo Montoya & Bob Holly with Sunny as special guest ring announcer.

As this gets started Meltzer brings this up in his report… “ the biggest problem for WWF in going two hours once again appears to be a lack of talent depth. There are enough average wrestlers on the roster to fill two hours of average wrestling programming, but the number of top notch performers in that dressing room is slim and it isn't like there are a multitude of guys working in other promotions or even in other countries anymore that could be brought in and add depth to the roster.”

Is that a fair assessment at this point in 1997?

How hard are you looking at expanding the roster and finding people who can build up that locker room and fill out the card?

Why do you think it took Paul Heyman to make something out of Justin Credible?

Were you surprised Bob Holly was kept around as long as he was? Was Bob happy?

Vince has this great part during this match where he’s talking about the possible end of Shawn’s career and then transitions into a plug for USA’s Forbidden TV lineup on Saturdays. It just tickled me.

Were the Headbangers supposed to be babyfaces or heels here?

“2. Head Bangers beat Aldo Montoya & Bob Holly in 5:44 when Thrasher pinned Montoya with a legdrop off the top rope. *¼”

Now Shawn loses his smile…from Meltzer:

“In a memorable, but now totally over played and emotional interview, Michaels talked about a knee injury so bad it may be beyond surgical repair, how he wouldn't return to wrestling if he was anything less than 100%, and then broke down talking about this past year as being the top man in the business being the happiest year of his life because he got to do everything he dreamed of, and saying it would be okay if it never happened again because at least he got to do it for one year, thanked Vince McMahon for letting it happen, broke down even worse, said he needed to go home to find his smile because he lost it somewhere, and ended it by saying that he needed to go home now as he hugged McMahon in the ring. This sent shock waves throughout the industry because it was all totally unexpected--apparently the WWF higher-ups received word at about 6 p.m. the previous night from Michaels that he was taking time off when Michaels informed WWF officials that his doctor in San Antonio had told him his knee injury could be career ending. WWF sources claim that they chose this tact rather than do an angle on Michaels' knee with a wrestler like Sid or Steve Austin to give him a grudge match upon his return, because they were afraid of doing any further damage to the knee. Perhaps the real-life situation involving Brian Pillman, where both he and the WWF wanted to use him so much when he should have been re-habbing that his ankle healed improperly and he wound up having to have everything redone and start from scratch in an ordeal that will end up keeping him out of the ring for more than one year when all is said and done. Of course, at that same point in time, even with all the damage to Pillman's ankle, they still did the in-ring angle for the storyline explanation and the grudge match built up for the eventual return.

It was announced with the title vacant, that the Final Four match on the Sunday PPV, which was to determine who would get the title shot at Wrestlemania, would instead be for the title, and that the original title contender, Sid, would get the winner the next day.”

The crowd is chanting we want Sid during it. Michaels looks like shit. This isn’t the feel good moment I think a lot of people look back and think it is because it’s really not. Are you hot? Do you think Shawn should’ve gotten the forum to do this at the time? Is anyone super pissed over this?

It’s hard to move on after something like this but we do and it’s with Savio Vega - fresh off turning heel at Madison Square Garden and joining the Nation facing the Undertaker. Was turning Savio heel something that needed to be done at this point?

You can tell Taker and Savio are boys as Taker is selling heavily for Savio to help get him over as a heel. How close were these guys?

You note during this that the Nation will be part of the down south tour that the WWF is having and there’ll be some confrontations as a result. How badly does the WWF need top level heels and the hope of getting someone hot in this group possible?

The Nation does not get involved in the finish… “3. Undertaker pinned Vega in 8:44 after a choke slam. After the match Undertaker was beating on Wolfie D, Jamie Dundee and D-Lo Brown who all tried to interfere until Faarooq and Crush finally made it six-on-one. Ahmed Johnson made the save but eventually they got him down. Undertaker sat up as they pounded on Johnson and together the two cleaned house. Vega did a good job in this match. *½

So there’s a thought process to this that I think is missing in today’s professional wrestling. The crew is at ringside and doesn’t interfere for a DQ. I mean clearly Savio is beat so why interfere right? Do you think that’s a crutch that’s used way too often in modern wrestling?

“4. Austin beat Sid via DQ in 3:42 when Bret Hart attacked Austin. For a substitute match from a world title match, it was really lame. Since they went short, it was fast-paced but Sid was still awful. After the match they explained Hart interfered because he "watched the match and couldn't stand it any longer." I was thinking the same thing. Bret and Sid did a long pull-apart after the match to set up their match for the next Raw, although nobody knew what that was about at the time. *”

This…just isn’t good JR but man if Austin isn’t over as a babyface with a huge Austin chant. Crazy how just an hour earlier the crowd was chanting for Sid during Shawn’s promo…

It’s funny how Austin slides away and Bret and Sid go after each other to set up next week’s Raw…did you know at this point the title was going to Bret at Final Four?

Owen & Davey are set to defend the tag titles against Faarooq & Crush. There’s a lot of logic and storyline gaps in this match. Clarence Mason not being mentioned. You got heels vs. heels even with Owen & Davey Boy working babyface.

Owen blowing out his knee at the finish considering Shawn’s interview earlier…should that have been a different finish?

“5. Faarooq & Crush beat Owen Hart & Smith via count out so Hart & Smith retained the tag team titles in 12:23. Hart & Smith worked as total faces. There was no explanation of this match considering Clarence Mason manages both teams and his name was never talked about. Mason simply worked the Faarooq & Crush corner with no storyline as to why. Smith was mainly worked on the entire match and made the hot tag to Hart. Hart took a bump over the top rope and sold his knee again and stayed outside for the title-saving count out. 3/4*”

Owen making sure to circle back and get the tag titles though is such a great touch.

The show is running super long at this point and you can tell. Bret gets some power moves in on Vader which is surprising to say the least. These two worked well together in my mind. When the show runs super long like this is Vince at ringside starting to freak out?

“6. Bret Hart pinned Vader after a missed moonsault in 7:12. As the two were in the ring, Undertaker's music played and he did a promo. Austin also came out and attacked Hart. Austin came out later in the balcony and was taunting Hart and Vader both. It was okay, but not at the level you'd expect for these two guys in the main event of a television special. **½”

This is well remembered as a monumental show with Shawn’s speech and Rocky’s title win but the rest lacked or missed something. Do you think that has a lot to do with having to re-do everything in such a short time span?