In this WWF Raw 1/13/97 review, it’s the go-home show for the 1997 Royal Rumble, as the tension builds towards Sid vs. Shawn Michaels and the Rumble match.
Let’s jump in!
- Show: Monday Night Raw
- Date: January 13, 1997
- Location: Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY
- Raw Rating: 2.3
- Nitro Rating: 3.4
VIDEO: Vince McMahon narrates the highlight package, with footage of Sid going after Pete Lothario, Stone Cold Steve Austin trying to destroy Bret Hart’s leg, and much more.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Jerry Lawler vs. Marc Mero (w/Sable) and Goldust (w/Marlena)
Honky Tonk Man is back on guest commentary. What’s more noteworthy is Sable is out with Mero. And of course, Marlena is out with Goldust, who will face off with HHH at the Royal Rumble. Vince hypes upcoming matches with The Undertaker vs. Crush, and Rocky Maivia vs. The British Bulldog. Lawler stalls in the early going, and they work to Goldust not being able to contain himself from going at HHH. Eventually, he gets in and delivers a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER to HHH and Lawler.
The heels go back to the underhanded tactics on Miro, but Goldust returns as Lawler wants the tag from HHH. He wants no part of that. More back of forth which features Lawler hitting Mero with a foreign object to give HHH the advantage. However, Mero makes the hot tag to Goldust, who goes off on HHH. That leads to a spot with HHH tied in the ropes, and Goldust chokes him until the referee calls for the bell. Goldust then hauls off on Lawler and Mero. *1/2
VIDEO: Shawn Michaels is in San Antonio, then we get a promo from earlier in the day with Sid in the Alamodome. He talks about German philosophy and how he’s gonna kick Michaels’ ass. Sid points where Michaels’ mom, Jose Lothario, and Michaels’ friends will be at in the crowd. He says they’ll all see him get his ass beat. Sid was at his best during this run.
INTERVIEW: Vince recaps Sid destroying Pete Lothario, then throws it to Michaels at an autograph signing in San Antonio. There’s one woman behind Michaels who can’t take her hands off of him. She’s rubbing him and everything. I mean, he is a sexy boy. Michaels says he’s gonna kick Sid’s teeth down his throat. Vince asks what if Michaels lets his fans down, and he says he delivers better than the US POSTAL SERVICE. That’s when you know he delivers, folks.
RINGSIDE: Bret Hart limps his way down to join Vince and Honky on commentary.
The British Bulldog (w/Clarence Mason) vs. Rocky Maivia
Bret’s exact words: “I think Rocky Maivia has shown more promise than any other wrestler I’ve seen come into the World Wrestling Federation.” He wasn’t wrong. Vince recaps the rift between Mero and Sable on Shotgun Saturday Night, which led to Rocky helping Sable, only to get pushed by Mero. Bret’s not happy with Austin trying to end his career, which makes sense. Honky isn’t having Bret’s greatness talk about Rocky and is only concerned with his own goals. Nice back and forth between Rocky and Bulldog, and the latter regroups on the outside with Mason.
The action continues, and here comes Owen Hart, who puts his Slammy on the announce table and stands in front of Bret to make sure he doesn’t interfere. Vince pushes the bad blood between the two, while Bulldog continues to dominate the match. Bret sounds like he wants to punch Vince for stirring the shit, and he’ll get his opportunity at Survivor Series. Rocky fires up and both men spill outside after a clothesline. Austin is here! He attacks Bulldog as Bret and Owen give chase, with Bulldog getting counted out to give Rocky the victory. **
BACKSTAGE: The Nation of Domination is backstage, and once again, Vince pushes that they’re gonna self-destruct in the Rumble match. Vince has no fucks to give when it comes to hyping dissension for the Rumble. It’s hilarious. Farooq talks about unity, then Crush says he’s gonna dominate Taker.
The Undertaker vs. Crush
The PG-13 version of the Nation was interesting. Taker wastes no time going after Crush in the aisle and proceeds to throw him into the steel steps. Taker and Vader will square off at the Rumble, and Honky is intrigued. Vince hypes the winner of the Rumble will face the loser of Sid/Michaels on next week’s Raw. Taker and Crush battle it out with a variety of power moves, including Crush hitting Taker with a pile driver.
Crush proceeds to destroy Taker on the outside, and now Vader is looking on from the aisle. Another long stretch of Crush working over Taker, but Taker mounts his comeback until Crush reverses the Tombstone with a belly-to-belly suplex. But Taker chokeslams Crush, and the Nation and Vader hit the ring and beat down Taker. Vader hits a pair of Vader Bombs for good measure. Ahmed Johnson hits the ring with a 2×4 and gets a beatdown as well. *1/2
Blake’s Take on WWF Monday Night Raw 1/13/97
- Best Match: The British Bulldog vs. Rocky Maivia (I guess?)
- Show MVP: Sid
- Overall Rating: 4.5/10
- Thoughts: Outside of the Sid promo and the entertainment value of watching a young Rocky Maivia, this wasn’t exactly a must-see go-home show for the Rumble. The three matches were long because they had to be long, not because they should be long. That made this particular episode a bit of a slog to get through.
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