In this WWF Raw 12/15/97 review, Shawn Michaels and Triple H face The Legion of Doom, Owen Hart confronts Vince McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- SHOW: WWF Monday Night Raw
- DATE: December 15, 1997 (taped on December 9)
- LOCATION: Whittmore Center Arena in Durham, NH
IN THE RING: Michael Cole asks The Undertaker about his upcoming match with Shawn Michaels at the 1998 Royal Rumble. Cole brings up the stipulation being a Casket Match. Taker says he’s fought Michaels twice, and he can beat him again. Taker says he’s lost only one of these matches, and it took 10 people to put him in there. The lights go out, and here comes Kane with Paul Bearer. Kane goes face-to-face with Taker, and Bearer reminds everyone that Taker burned his parents. Bearer is gonna give Taker another opportunity to face Kane, who slaps Taker right in the face. He tries again, but Taker grabs his arm and walks away.
VIDEO: Promotion for WWF: The Music Volume 2. It was $14.95 on CD. Those were the days.
VIDEO: The 1-800-COLLECT rewind looks at Brian Christopher joining Jerry Lawler in his feud against Taka Michinoku.
Jerry Lawler vs. Taka Michinoku
Michinoku defeated Christopher to be crowned the first Light Heavyweight champ at In Your House: DX eight days before this show. Jim Ross reminds us that the UFC will be in Japan on Sunday, featuring Frank Shamrock. The difference between these two is obvious when Taka flies onto the ropes and hits a splash onto Lawler in the aisle. JR also brings up that Owen Hart is gonna have his first opportunity to address the “controversial” situation at Survivor Series. Lawler hits the piledriver on Taka but doesn’t go for the cover, so of course, he misses a flying punch. Taka gains the momentum, but Christopher interferes for the DQ. Christopher accidentally punches Lawler, and that’s that.
COMMENTARY: Call the hotline, and they’ll tell you a story about DX almost inciting a riot!
BACKSTAGE: Hawk and Animal are coming for DX.
VIDEO: Advertisement of the Jakks action figures championship series, featuring Legion of Doom, Rocky Maivia, British Bulldog, Owen, and Taker. Those were awesome.
VIDEO: Highlights of Steve Austin forfeiting the Intercontinental title to The Rock, and then hitting him with a Stunner.
IN THE RING: Rock introduces himself as The People’s Champion and best damn Intercontinental champ there ever was. Faarooq tries to speak, but Rock says the champ is talking. Rock orders Austin to bring him the title. Here comes Austin, and he calls Rock a piece of trash. Rock’s mannerisms are incredible. Austin tells Rock to grab a monitor because he has a surprise for him. Rock tells Austin he has an hour to return his property to him.
VIDEO: Head to Shopzone.WWF.com for merch!
Dude Love vs. Road Dog
JR informs us that Austin has left the arena. Where’s he heading? This is still the period where Billy Gunn is doing the entrance promo and not Road Dog, who still only had one “d” in his name. Gunn joins commentary. JR suggests that Dog and Gunn be called The New Age Outlaws, and Gunn likes it. History in the making. Gunn gets in a few cheap shots on Dude, but he eventually morphs into using Mankind moves like the Mandible Claw. Dude hits the Double-Arm DDT for the win.
Gunn tries to go after Dude with a chair, but they brawl up the ramp and Dog joins the mix. Dog and Gunn suplex Dude on the stage as the crowd chant for LOD. Gunn hits a DDT on Dude, and then they shoves a referee into Dude as he flies off the stage through a table. He sort of over shot the table and went hip-first onto the concrete floor. Dog and Gunn beat him down some more.
The Brooklyn Brawler vs. Mark Henry
This is Henry’s Raw debut. JR lets us know that Austin has requested a WWF cameraman follow him, so that’s intriguing. Henry destroys Brawler for the squash victory.
VIDEO: Highlights of Owen attacking Michaels at In Your House, then again on last week’s Raw.
IN THE RING: We’re into the War Zone hour, which means Jim Cornette joins commentary. Vince McMahon comes out and says Owen has been endangering ringside fans with his recent actions. Vince says Owen is under contract, so he must appear. Owen comes through the crowd, and Vince wants to know what this is about. Owen says he doesn’t owe Vince a damn thing, and he’s tired of apologizing. Owen says Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, and British Bulldog did what they had to do, and he’s gonna do what he has to do in the WWF. Owen says no one will run him out of the company. Vince turns this into a story about the WWF title, and Owen says “how stupid are you?” Owen says this is real life and his reputation. Owen is gonna make things hard on Michaels, and he’s gonna finish things between them. Vince brings out security and says Owen will enter like a WWF superstar next week instead of entering from the crowd. Owen grabs Vince by the collar and shoves him. This was a great segment.
VIDEO: Call 1-900-RUMBLE-98 to win Austin’s truck!
VIDEO: Highlights of Marc Mero demanding that Sable wear a potato sack on last week’s Raw. She removed it, and it was something many teenagers remember.
Tom Brandi vs. The Sultan (w/The Iron Sheik)
Cornette talks up Brandi’s athleticism. That may not matter in this match, because Sultan uses his strength to control the action. JR updates us that Austin is on a bridge, so there’s a development. The signal should come in for the next segment. Sheik gets on the apron to distract Sultan, but Brandi moves and Sultan runs into him. Brandi rolls up Sultan for the win. Mero attacks Brandi after the match, and the crowd wants them some Sable.
IN THE RING: Rock and The Nation of Domination are back out. We get another highlight package of Austin telling Vince he’s not gonna wrestle Rock, and then he knocks Vince off the apron. Vince wants to hit Austin with a chair, but officials get between them. Rock says they’re coming to get the title. We cut to the Titantron, and Austin is indeed on the bridge. He throws a variety of things in the river, including a pager and the belt. Rock’s eyes tell the story of this rivalry.
VIDEO: Vince says the WWF is making a conscious effort to open the creative envelope to entertain the fans in a more contemporary manner. Vince says they borrow from Days Of Our Lives, MTV music videos, King of the Hill, Seinfeld, and other forms of television entertainment. He says fans are tired of having their intelligence insulted and the theory of good guys vs, bad guys. He also takes a shot at the “take your vitamins and say your prayers” era. Vince encourages some degree of parental discretion. Vince says the new direction has resulted in a boost in viewership, and he thanks the fans for watching that Raw is the cure for the common show. And there’s the Attitude Era kickoff.
Jose vs. Steve Blackman
Los Boricuas were still featured in this era, but all his stable mates head to the back for the match. Blackman hits a German suplex, and that’ll do it for the victory.
BACKSTAGE: Michaels says he’s not hard to find if Owen wants him. He does rock, paper, scissors, and HHH wins, so he gets Owen.
VIDEO: The Lazer Tag Slam of the Week is Taker hitting the chokeslam on Sultan.
Shawn Michaels and HHH (w/Chyna) vs. Legion of Doom
This is quite a tag match on paper. The crowd loves them some LOD, and Hawk and Animal bounce Michaels around for a bit. Some shenanigans from the heels allow them to gain the advantage. There’s a sign in the crowd that says “WWF eats nWo raw” which is raw and full of attitude. Dog and Gunn hit ringside, and they try to choke out Hawk. Chyna gets in the ring and low blows Animal for the DQ. Chyna then hammers Animal with the title. Gunn shaves Hawk’s mohawk, and Michaels wants them to do something to Animal. They team up and powerbomb Animal through the announce table. And then Gunn flies off the top with a leg drop on Hawk. Michaels hits a flying elbow, and the four men want the titles. Michaels stares at them and says “not bad” as they head to the back.
Blake’s WWF Raw 12/15/97 Rating
- Show Rating: 7.5/10
- Show MVP: Steve Austin
- Thoughts: There was lots of attitude on this edition of Raw, so Vince’s promo was on point. While the WWF had already established the tone before this show, things like the Austin/Rock exchange, Owen’s approach, and the usual DX shenanigans added a different buzz to the company’s creative strategy. This type of episode was one of the reasons the Attitude Era was such a success.