RAW vs Nitro #49 (9/23/96)

Welcome to another edition of RAW vs Nitro! Click here to read the last one if you missed it. So let's get into it, this is RAW vs Nitro #49.

But first! A quick recap of In Your House: Mind Games, which happened the night before this episode of RAW

• Savio Vega defeated Justin Hawk Bradshaw in a Caribbean Strap match. During the match, we see some familiar faces in the crowd.
  
  Yep, that's the Sandman, Paul Heyman, and Tommy Dreamer sitting front row. Sandman even showed up in his zebra Zubaz. They don't just sit and watch the show either. During the match, Sandman spits beer on Vega before he & Dreamer try to hop the barricade. They end up getting escorted out of the arena as Vince McMahon calls them a local wrestling group trying to make a name for themselves at the expense of the WWF. This won't be the last time we see ECW wrestlers showing up on WWF TV.
• After this match, we see what appears to be Diesel & Razor Ramon attacking Savio Vega
• Jose Lothario defeated Jim Cornette in 56 seconds after a punch.
• The Smoking Gunns defended the WWF Tag Team Championships against Owen Hart & the British Bulldog. Bulldog shoved Bart Gunn into Billy Gunn when Billy had his back turned on the apron. This prompted Billy to shove Bart, who turned into a powerslam by Bulldog for the three, the win, and the titles. After the match, an angry Sunny berates the Gunns and fires them.
• Mark Henry made his WWF debut, squashing Jerry Lawler and submitting him with a backbreaker rack. After the match, the New Rockers & Hunter Hearst Helmsley tried to jump Henry, but Henry fended them off. Henry does not wrestle for over a year after this due to a combination of injuries and needing further training.
• The Undertaker faced Goldust in a "Final Curtain match." It is no different from a regular match. The Undertaker won after hitting the Tombstone Piledriver for the three.
• In the main event, Shawn Michaels defended the WWF Championship against Mankind. Mankind came down to the ring in a casket. The match ended in a disqualification after Vader ran down and attacked Michaels. Sid came down to even the odds as Paul Bearer hit Michaels in the back of the head with the urn. Mankind applied the Mandible Claw on Michaels as Bearer opened the casket again, only for the Undertaker to pop out and attack Mankind before chasing him & Bearer to the back.

RAW

• Faarooq with Sunny vs Marc Mero with Sable-Intercontinental Championship-We kick off the show with the finals of the Intercontinental Championship tournament, with the winner being crowned the new champion. For this match, Mr. Perfect provides guest commentary while Pat Patterson is the special guest referee. Mero rushes the ring right at the start, which goes poorly as Faarooq starts to beat him down in the corner. Mero comes back with a headscissor takedown followed by a roll up for a near fall, only for Faarooq to hit a surprising enziguri. Mero is able to dodge a corner splash before hitting an arm drag and clotheslining Faarooq out of the ring so he can hit a somersault plancha. Mero brings Faarooq back into the ring before going to the top rope for a moonsault called the Merosault. Faarooq is able to back body drop Mero out of the ring before getting Mero on the apron and knocking him back down. At this time, we get Ahmed Johnson. He says he'll be back soon and wishes Marc Mero luck. Lawler throws in a joke about Johnson getting a kidney transplant from Jake Roberts because Jesus Christ, we're still on this. Faarooq takes Mero to the top rope Samoan drop, after which Patterson blatantly slow counts the fall. Faarooq controls the match until Patterson catches Sunny choking Mero with the ropes and ejects her from ringside before the commercial break. We come back to Mero countering the Dominator and getting a near fall off a backslide. Faarooq quickly responds with a clothesline for a near fall before locking in a headlock. Mero is able to fight out, but Faarooq floors him with a knee strike. Mero gets a near fall off a sunset flip, but Faarooq quickly goes back to the headlock, which prompts a fan in the front row to hold up a "WE LOVE REST HOLDS" sign.
  
  Faarooq controls the match until Mero connects with a clothesline. Mero goes for an elbow drop, but Faarooq dodges it and slams Mero down to the mat. Faarooq goes to the top rope, but Mero hits the ropes to crotch him. Mero goes to the top rope and sends Faarooq down to the mat with a super hurricanrana, but Faarooq kicks out. Both men go down off a double clothesline spot before Sunny comes back down to the ring with a purse. Sunny & Sable get in each other's faces and start to fight, but get separated by Patterson. Faarooq tries to use the purse as a weapon, but Mero avoids it and uses the purse himself to knock Faarooq out. Mero drags Faarooq over to the corner and hits the shooting star press, which he calls the Wild Thing, for the three, the win, and the Intercontinental Championship. This was a pretty solid match. I think Mero's a lot better than people give him credit for and even Faarooq was pretty good in this match. It was probably both of their best matches in the WWF so far. After the match, Sunny opens up her purse to reveal it was loaded with a brick.
  
  Jim Ross gets in the ring and congratulates Mero on his title victory. He "gives all glory & honor to his lord & savior Jesus Christ" before thanking the fans, Sable, and Mr. Perfect for the all the help they gave him. When Ross asks about himself, Mero just says he's a great guy. After a commercial break, we go backstage to see Mero celebrating with the other babyfaces
• Jeff Jarrett gets EXPOSED! Back at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks, Jarrett performed his new song "With My Baby Tonight" before his match with Shawn Michaels...HOWEVER...it turns out he was lip-syncing and never actually sang the song. Who did? We find out next week when the "Real Double J" comes to RAW.
• Owen Hart & The British Bulldog with Clarence Mason vs The BodyDonnas-So Hart & Bulldog are done with Jim Cornette, as Clarence Mason tricked Cornette into signing over Hart & Bulldog to himself after his match with Jose Lothario. Hart & Zip start the match going back and forth as loud ECW chants break out. That's because Taz had hopped the guard rail and held up a sign reading "SABU FEARS TAZ."
  
   They quickly go to commercial break and come back to Skip working over Bulldog with a hammerlock. Bulldog fights out and bodyslams Skip before tagging out to Hart. The two go back and forth before Zip hits a headscissor takedown and an arm drag. Hart is able to tag out to Bulldog, who gorilla presses Skip, only for Skip to slip out. Skip gets a near fall off a roll up, but Bulldog dodges a corner crossbody. We get a picture-in-picture interview from Jim Cornette, who bashes Mason for stealing Hart & Bulldog from him and says after he gets even with Jose Lothario, he's coming for Mason. Meanwhile, Zip tags in and runs through Hart & Bulldog before hitting a gutwrench powerbomb on Hart. Skip tags in for a Rocket Launcher for a near fall, but a cheap shot from Bulldog allows Hart to hit a spinning heel kick and lock in the Sharpshooter for the submission win. Pretty decent match.
• We get a promo from the Undertaker in a graveyard. He says the wounds he suffered at SummerSlam have begun to heal, but the scar of betrayal he got from Paul Bearer will stay with him forever. He says he is the master of the mind game and he has condemned Mankind to eternal damnation. He says he will bury Mankind alive at In Your House: Buried Alive and he will never rest...in...peace.
• Backstage, Dok Hendrix tries to interview Razor Ramon & Diesel, but they slam the door in his face.
• Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs The Stalker-Stone Cold is on commentary for this because something good needs to come from this match. He takes shots at Bret Hart, saying that because of censors he can't say what he really wants to, so he'll say something that rhymes with it; He spits on the life, career, and family of Bret Hart and that if his parents had practiced safe sex, he wouldn't have to deal with Hart. The Stalker starts off with an arm drag before going to work on Helmsley's arm. The Stalker continues to work on the arm and control the match until Helmsley tosses him out of the ring. The Stalker tosses Helmsley into the stairs as Mr. Perfect comes down to ringside. Back in the ring, Helmsley manages to create some space but gets distracted by Mr. Perfect, allowing the Stalker to hit a back suplex on Helmsley before the commercial break. We come back to the Stalker beating down Helmsley at ringside. Back in the ring, Helmsley takes the Stalker to the corner and beats him down until the Stalker gives him a thumb to the eye. Who's the babyface, again? The two trade shots before Helmsley hits a knee drop for a near fall. Helmsley goes to the headlock, which the Stalker breaks with a jawbreaker. The Stalker hits a dropkick as Stone Cold questions why the Stalker wears face paint when we all know he's Barry Windham. I mean, he's not wrong. Windham follows up with a clothesline and a leg drop before going to the headlock. Helmsley counters it with a back suplex, which the Stalker responds to with a suplex. Meanwhile, Mr. Perfect comes down to Helmsley's lady friend and escorts her to the back as Helmsley hits a bulldog. This distracts Helmsley long enough for Windham to crotch Helmsley on the top rope and hit a superplex for the three and the win. This was boring. Super boring. Before Helmsley is even out of the ring, Jim Ross gets in the ring and announces that Razor Ramon & Diesel will be coming out to the ring.
• We get a promo from Mankind & Paul Bearer in a graveyard. Bearer says it's the Undertaker's fault that Mankind didn't win the WWF Championship at Mind Games. Actually, it was Vader's fault, but whatever. Bearer says they still have the power of Taker's urn as Mankind questions how Taker got in the casket. He says Taker made a grave mistake by keeping him from the WWF Championship. He says he has no choice to but take something from Taker; his last breath.
• Now back to the ring, where JR stands in the ring, only to go to commercial. When we come back, JR says he's got something he's wanted to say for a long time. He says he has no loyalty to the WWF and only has loyalty to himself. He says he left a great job with the (holds beer mug in front of face) Atlanta Falcons to come to the WWF to be the lead play-by-play commentator. He says he's the best commentator in the business, but the WWF put him in a toga on his first day. He says he carried the broadcast at King of the Ring 1995 before saying that Vince McMahon took him off of commentary because he couldn't stand the competition, outing McMahon as the owner of the WWF for the first time on TV. JR says he was diagnosed with Bell's palsy, which was followed by McMahon firing him (In reality, JR suffered the Bell's palsy attack after he left the WWF.) He says he was only brought back to the WWF when McMahon got indicted during the steroid trials, only to fire him again, and then rehire him to work in the front office. He says all the people leaving the WWF was no accident before bringing out the returning Razor Ramon...and you know the rest. So remember how the commentators were giving Jeff Jarrett grief about being an imposter? Well, take a look at this.
  
  Now, you don't need 20/20 vision to tell that that's not Scott Hall. Hell, you don't even need 20/40, or even 20/100. As long as you're not legally blind you can probably tell that's not the real Razor Ramon. That's Rick Bogner, best known outside of this flop as Big Titan from Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and later New Japan Pro Wrestling. No joke, guess what he does after this? HE JOINS THE NWO! I'm not even kidding. Like the man he impersonated, Bogner left the WWF and joined the nWo...Japan. He went over to New Japan to join nWo Japan, a sister stable of the original nWo led by Masahiro Chono. Unlike Chono, however, he never appeared in WCW' or as part of the original nWo. The commentators instantly sandbag it, saying that is not the real Razor Ramon. Ramon runs down his catchphrase before Savio Vega runs down and attacks him. The show goes to black as the two fight. I gotta say, JR's promo was great. That's all I'm gonna say until fake Diesel shows up.

That's it for RAW. Onto Nitro

Nitro

• So, if you remember from last time, a lot of WCW's top stars are on a tour of Japan, which is good news for the nWo and bad news for WCW...and the viewers. Need any proof? The main event of this show involves High Voltage.
• Before the show starts, Tony Schiavone & Larry Zbyszko clarify that the top stars of WCW are in Japan and now would be the perfect time for the nWo to strike. Schiavone then holds up a copy of the USA Today, featuring an ad taken out by nWo.
  
• Kevin Sullivan & Konnan with Jimmy Hart & Big Bubba vs Brad Armstrong & Juventud Guerrera-Konnan & Juventud start off, with Konnan hitting a quick German suplex. Konnan follows up with an arm drag and cradles Juvi for a near fall. Juvi comes back with a headscissor takedown, sending Konnan out of the ring and in place for a plancha. Back in the ring, Juvi grazes Konnan on a springboard somersault leg drop, but Konnan quickly comes back with a cradle DDT. Konnan tries to tag out, but Sullivan doesn't, allowing Konnan to keep up the beat down. Konnan sets Juvi on the top rope and hits a muscle buster as Sullivan rejects another tag. Konnan going for the tag allows Juvi to tag out to Armstrong, who clotheslines Konnan before hitting a dropkick & an arm drag. However, Konnan catches him with a basement dropkick to the knee before powerbombing Armstrong. Sullivan calls for a tag, which Konnan does, allowing Sullivan to hit a standing double stomp for the three and the win. That is a terrible finish. After the match, Sullivan & Big Bubba attack Konnan, which Hart calls an "initiation." Konnan celebrates with the Sullivan & Bubba before leaving the ring.
• Mike Tenay interviews Randy Savage. He says he's a marked man, but he's going to take down Hulk Hogan and the nWo. He says he took himself off the Japan tour because he needed to protect Nitro tonight. He says Halloween Havoc is scary, but he's not scared of Hulk Hogan and he'll wipe him out.
• Mike Enos vs Chris Jericho-After an opening handshake, Enos slaps Jericho across the face. Jericho, however, is able to dodge a crossbody and hits a spinning heel kick. Enos is able to connect with a slingshot shoulder tackle before headbutting Jericho. Jericho comes back with an arm drag and slaps on an ARMBAR! Enos is able to scoop him up out of it and drops Jericho across the top rope. Enos beats down Jericho in the mat before throwing him into the corner. Jericho blocks a move in the corner, but Enos catches him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Enos rolls Jericho out of the ring so he can run off the apron and hit a diving clothesline. Outside the ring, Enos chokes Jericho with cables on the ground before dropping him across the guardrail. Enos throws Jericho into the ring post before turning over the ring steps and suplexing Jericho onto them.
  
  That must've sucked to take...but it looked awesome. Enos controls the match until Jericho catches Enos with two superkicks. Jericho clotheslines before hitting a butterfly suplex and going to the top rope for a missile dropkick. Jericho puts Enos on the top rope and goes for a super Frankensteiner, but Enos blocks it and hits a powerbomb, but Jericho kicks out. Enos catches Jericho on a leapfrog and goes for a powerslam, only for Jericho to cradle Enos for the three and the win. This was surprisingly good. I knew Jericho was awesome, but I wasn't expecting much considering his opponent. From what I'd seen of Mike Enos, seeing him come out didn't get my hopes up, but this was still good.
• Pat Tanaka vs Glacier-The two circle each other before Tanaka goes for a palm strike. Glacier blocks it and delivers a strike of his own. Glacier takes down Tanaka with a leg sweep, but Tanaka comes back and catches Glacier with a powerbomb. However, Glacier gets right back to his feet and catches Tanaka with a spin kick for the win.
• Harlem Heat (c) with Col. Rob Parker & Sister Sherri vs Public Enemy-WCW Tag Team Championships-Public Enemy brings a table down to ringside, which prompts Zbyszko to point out that foreign objects are only illegal if they're in the ring. I'm fairly certain that's not true. Harlem Heat rushes Public Enemy right away and takes out Rocco Rock with a double big boot, only for Johnny Grunge to come off the top rope for a diving double clothesline. Public Enemy follows up with a drop-toe hold/leg drop combo on Booker T for a near fall. Stevie Ray tags in and chokes Grunge in the corner before Grunge rolls him up for a near fall before the commercial break. We come back to Rock dodging a wheel kick by Booker, causing Booker to crotch himself on the top rope. Grunge tags in and runs through Booker before giving him a thumb to the eye. Booker comes back with a clothesline before tagging out to Stevie Ray for a leg drop. Rock inadvertently distracts the referee, allowing Booker to body slam Grunge on Public Enemy's table, which doesn't break. Harlem Heat controls the match as we get a picture-in-shot of the nWo arriving at the arena in limos. Grunge is able to connect with a swinging neckbreaker and makes the hot tag to Rock. Rock runs through Harlem Heat but gets cut off by a double clothesline. Stevie Ray hits a sidewalk slam as Booker climbs to the top rope, but Rock dodges the Harlem Hangover. Stevie Ray & Grunge brawl to the outside before Rock tries to get in on the brawl. Stevie Ray shoves him back into the ring and onto Booker. Nick Patrick counts the pin but stops when he sees Rock's foot on the rope. Booker cradles Rock, but Rock is able to turn it over into a pin for Public Enemy. Both teams celebrate and Harlem Heat's music initially plays, only for Patrick to announce Public Enemy as the winners and the Tag Team Championships. Fine match, nothing special.
• After a commercial break, we enter hour 2. Cue the unnecessary pyro.
  
  
• Greg Valentine vs Randy Savage-Savage beats down Valentine in the corner before dragging his face across the top rope. Valentine floors Savage with a back elbow before working the leg. Valentine throws Savage out of the ring, only for Savage to get back in the ring. Valentine tosses him out again and drops Savage across the guard rail. Valentine beats down Savage at ringside before Savage hits him with a chair in the head. That's not a DQ for some reason, so Savage throws Valentine back in the ring and goes to the top rope. Valentine stands in place for a super chair shot, and that's a DQ.
  
  Savage tosses the referee out of the ring before the nWo runs down to the ring. Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Syxx beat down Savage before Hall hits an Outsider's Edge. We see Miss Elizabeth contemplate running down to help Savage again, but opts to run to the back. Nash gives Savage a Jackknife as the Giant announces the arrival of Hulk Hogan. The nWo continues to beat down Savage before Hogan hits two leg drops. Kevin Nash then whips Savage...with a Slim Jim. It's hilarious. Hulk Hogan then makes fun of Randy Savage's bald spot. Hulk Hogan. This guy.
  
  
  He then proceeds to spray paint Savage's bald spot black.
  
  
  Hogan says this is the nWo's show now before the go up to the commentary table. Bobby Heenan & Mike Tenay leave, but Hall & Nash force Eric Bischoff to stay. Hall then reveals the newest member of the nWo...
  
  
  Oh...Virgil...Virgil is in the nWo, now. Cool, I guess. Virgil is now "Vincent" actually, which is a shot at Vince McMahon since "Virgil" was a shot at Dusty Rhodes, who's real first name is Virgil. But that's a new nWo member, so:

nWo members: 8

• BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Along with Vincent, the nWo's got another new member that they reveal after a commercial break. And that new member is...Kyle Petty...a NASCAR driver. He doesn't show up, but Nash reveals Petty will be driving the nWo car.
  
  So...I guess that counts.

nWo members: 9

• So from this point forward, it's nWo Monday Nitro. The Giant is the ring announcer and sh*t completely hits the fans and everything is awful.
• Jim Powers with Teddy Long vs VK Wallstreet and it's already nonsense. Hall & Nash attack Powers before the match starts. Referee Randy Anderson says "f*ck it" and goes to the back, only for Nick Patrick to come out. Wallstreet just flat out disappears, so the Giant chokeslams Powers and makes the cover, which Patrick counts.
• Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan is spray painting "nWo" on the walls before knocking on the Nasty Boys' locker room door. As you might remember, Hogan & The Nasty Boys hang & bang frequently. He says that the Nastys have never knocked him and give him his hotel room key card to "talk business" later over champagne. He also tells Knobbs to take the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to the suite.
•  Jim Duggan vs Ron Studd and nope. Hogan & Nash beat down Studd and Syxx comes out to replace him. Duggan tries to fend off Syxx & Giant with his 2x4, but Syxx is able to get him from behind. Back in the ring, Duggan no sells Syxx's offense before completely squashing him and hitting the 3-point stance clothesline. However, the Giant pulls Duggan out of the ring and gently chokeslams him on the outside. He then rolls Duggan back in the ring for Syxx to get the win. 
• nWo Sting vs Bo Ladue-nWo Sting squashes a jobber, wins with the Scorpion Death Lock. Next. I just want to get through this as quick as possible, this is all terrible.
• High Voltage vs The Amazing French Canadians-So even though the nWo has taken over, the Canadians still sing the Canadian National Anthem until Hall & Nash come down. Rather than get beaten up, the Canadians dip. So Hall & Nash wrestle High Voltage and squash them, pinning Kenny Kaos after a Jackknife with Hall & Nash each putting a foot on Kaos. 

And thus concludes a brutal Nitro. Like...that was almost insufferable, There's only one good match and the rest is utter garbage. RAW had a good opener and a great promo to close the show (even if that promo involved something dumb), so it's any easy point to RAW for me.

RAW: 19

Nitro: 30

That's it for this edition of RAW vs Nitro. If you liked what you read, feel free to share this around and as always, stay tuned for the next one!