WWF Monday Night Raw
Wk 3, January 1992
Manhattan Center
New York City
Dark Matches:
-Crush def. Louie Spicolli by submission with the Cranium Crush
-Haku def. Jim Powers by pinfall with the Tongan Spike
-The Berzerker def. Nikolai Volkoff by pinfall
Main Show:
-We open with the Monday Night Raw show open, & the sirens go wild as we open inside back live at the Manhattan Center in New York City, the crowd going crazy as they are ready for live action!
Vince McMahon: History was made just 24 hours ago at the Royal Rumble as a new WWF World Heavyweight Champion was crowned, & it was none other than the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair! And as you can see, the celebration was so rambunctious that Bobby Heenan isn't here tonight! So sit back as I'll...
Just then, some familiar sounding music plays over the speakers. Yet the music is different enough so as not to alert the copyright lawyers.
It's none other than "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, & the fans inside the Manhattan Center are more than familiar with him as he gets a big pop upon appearing from behind the curtain & making his way to ringside.
Vince McMahon: Well we always say that Monday Night Raw is uncut, uncooked, & uncensored. It just might be all three within the first three minutes because none other than "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert is coming out here!
Eddie Gilbert joins Vince McMahon at ringside.
Vince McMahon: Eddie Gilbert, what on earth brings you here to Monday Night Raw tonight?!
Eddie Gilbert: Well, McMahon, my good friend Bobby "The Brain" Heenan needed the night off to celebrate Ric Flair's glorious victory at the Royal Rumble last night, so he called me up & asked if I could fill in for him.
Vince McMahon: But I didn't know...
Eddie Gilbert: That I worked here? Well guess what, Vin-Daddy, I do, & there's nothing you can do about it! Now as for tonight, we will see "El Matador" Tito Santana & Virgil in tag team action!
Vince McMahon: Wait a minute!
Eddie Gilbert: We will also see "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, front & center!
Vince McMahon: Hey!
Eddie Gilbert: And we have a double feature, tonight! After what happened during the Rumble last night, Pres. Jack Tunney made it official, & we will see Sid Justice taking on Skinner! And in from there, We will see "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan team up with Sgt. Slaughter to take on the Nasty Boys, who now will have Sensational Sherri at ringside!
Vince looks shocked that Eddie Gilbert stole all of his announcer shtick.
Vince McMahon: ...
Eddie Gilbert: Without any further adieu, let's go to Howard Finkel!
-"El Matador" Tito Santana & Virgil def. Duane Gill & Barry Hardy when Virgil pinned Hardy after a Russian Leg Sweep.
After the match, Vince McMahon regains control of broadcasting duties from Eddie Gilbert & says that Mean Gene Okerlund filed a report last night after the Royal Rumble concluded. A graphic saying "Taped last night" is shown on the screen as we see Mean Gene backstage in front of the Royal Rumble backdrop, where interviews are conducted. Gene recaps how we have a new WWF Intercontinental Champion in the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, pointing out that DiBiase reached into his trunks & used a foreign object to knock out Bret "Hitman" Hart while the referee was down & trying to pick himself back up. Gene also recaps that the mystery entrant turned out to be none other than Jerry "The King" Lawler, & he drew #30 while the eventual winner, Ric Flair, drew #3! That's right, the new WWF World Heavyweight Champion is Ric Flair, who outlasted the likes of Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Sid Justice, among others. Speaking of Hulk Hogan & Sid Justice, Gene says that he tried to get a word from both men after the big argument they had at the end of the Royal Rumble match, as well as the shouting match they had afterward, but neither man wanted to talk about it. Back to Vince McMahon, who says that Sid's frame of mind could very well be bad news for Skinner later tonight, but stay tuned. "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith is next!
COMMERCIAL BREAK
-We see a hype video for newcomer, Tatanka. We see him taking part in a sacred Native American ceremony as he dubs in a voice over about the culture of his people, the heritage of his ancestors, & how he looks to be as much of a warrior as his ancestors were when he arrives to the WWF.
-Before we go to our next match, Vince McMahon informs Eddie Gilbert & the fans watching at home that there is a phone call on the line. It's none other than "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who says he has a huge announcement. Eddie Gilbert says "What, you're retiring again to make another alien B-movie? Haha!" Eddie even mocks Piper's "Chew bubblegum" line from "They Live." "I came to chew bubblegum & kick butt in the Royal Rumble last night, & I ran out of bubblegum at the worst possible time because Shawn Michaels kicked my butt instead!" "Real funny," Piper replies. Piper goes on to announce that next week, we will see the return of Piper's Pit, & his guest next week will be none other than the "Macho Man" Randy Savage. "Vince, Randy & I have to hash this out. We broadcasted alongside you most of last year without incident, then for whatever reason, we've been at each other's throats in recent weeks. So next week, Piper's Pit, I bring on Macho Man & we settle this like men!"
-"The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith def. Iron Mike Sharpe by pinfall with a Running Powerslam.
-Before we go to commercial break, Vince throws it to Sean Mooney, who is backstage with Jimmy Hart & the Mountie. He notes that they must be furious about last night, but says that maybe they brought this on themselves. Jimmy Hart & the Mountie shake their heads & tell Sean that they are tired of biased tabloid journalists like him, "Scheme Gene" as Jimmy Hart put it, Vince McMahon & others brainwashing the fans into thinking that the Mountie is this mean, evil man who abuses his privileges as a law enforcer.
The Mountie: Well let me introduce someone who is completely unbiased, & only speaks the truth! Raymond Rougeau!
Raymond Rougeau walks into the shot as Sean Mooney points out to the Mountie "Hey, that's your brother!"
Raymond Rougeau: See, there you go again, Sean, with your biased yellow journalism. From now on, I conduct interviews with Jimmy Hart, the Mountie, & any other wrestler who wants to be sure that the truth is heard & that the fans can finally hear their side of the story without any biases.
Sean Mooney throws it to break, telling the fans to stay tuned as more Monday Night Raw is on the way!
COMMERCIAL BREAK
-Back from commercial break, & Vince McMahon & Eddie Gilbert are sitting at the broadcast table, discussing & debating what we just saw with the return of Raymond Rougeau, who now fancies himself a reporter. As Vince & Eddie are talking about what happened, the crowd starts buzzing & Vince & Eddie naturally wonder what the commotion is all about. They see someone that looks familiar walking down to ringside...
The crowd has come alive now as they all see that it's none other than former 2-time WWF Women's Champion, Wendi Richter, who hasn't been seen in years! (at least by those who only watch the WWF). Wendi looks rather angry & doesn't ask for a microphone from Howard Finkel. She doesn't even demand it. She just outright takes it! It's set to house mic settings so that the crowd inside the Manhattan Center can hear what is on her mind as well as the fans watching at home. Vince notes that Wendi Richter had recently signed a new contract to return to the WWF, & that's when Wendi Richter proceeds to cut the promo of her life. She talks about how all she ever wanted was an opportunity, & no matter how many matches she won, she wasn't getting that opportunity. She notes how it took an outsider, Cyndi Lauper, banging on the door of the Championship Committee for Wendi to finally get her opportunity. And in front of a record TV audience on MTV, she won the WWF Women's Championship for the first time. After losing it, she regained the title at the first ever WrestleMania, which until now turned out to be her last WrestleMania because of a fateful November night in this very city, not far from here at Madison Square Garden.
Wendi Richter: Just days before Thanksgiving, I'm told that I'm defending my title against a mysterious masked wrestler known only as the Spider Lady. No big deal. I've beat her before. But something was different. She didn't move like the original Spider Lady that I knew. In fact, she was a bit bigger. Before I know it, I'm pinned & the referee counts to three even though I kicked out at one, & the bell rings. I take off the mask, & low & behold it's the Fabulous Moolah. And to top it off, Moolah was allowed to keep the title despite competing as the Spider Lady. Whether it was because Pres. Jack Tunney was not there & couldn't do anything about it after the fact, I'll never know. But I bet you know a thing or two about it, don't you, Vince?!
Eddie Gilbert: Whoa-huh-ho! Something you're not telling us, Vince?
Vince McMahon: Wendi, please... not now.
Wendi Richter: Not now?! Then when, Vince?! How about the fact that I was so upset that I left this city in my ring gear & took the first flight I could out of this dump?!
The fans obviously aren't happy with that comment.
Wendi Richter: Or how about the fact that I wasn't getting the compensation that I deserved for the hard work I put in? I bet you know something about my compensation too, don't you, Vince?
Eddie Gilbert: C'mon, spill it, Vince! What do you know?!
Vince McMahon: Eddie, Wendi... not now, please.
Vince is visibly shaken as Wendi proceeds to inform us that Pres. Jack Tunney is putting the Women's Division back together & low & behold, who did they call to be a part of the division? Wendi Richter herself.
Rockin' Robin appears from behind the curtain, making her return. She asks for another microphone that the stage hands have on standby just in case a mic stopped working. She asks Wendi Richter what her problem is, & Wendi responds that Robin of all people should be standing side by side with her.
Wendi Richter: Don't you remember when you talked to me during a tour of Japan about how this company didn't have any room for you to compete & defend your Women's Championship at WrestleMania V? So instead, they had you sing "America the Beautiful," & how you felt embarrassed because you knew you couldn't sing at all?
That's enough to set Rockin' Robin off as she sparks a melee with Wendi Richter! A number of road agents have to run out to get the two ladies separated. Vince McMahon sounds like he's going out of character as he screams "DAMMIT! GO TO COMMERCIAL BREAK!" Eddie Gilbert pleads "Oh no, let's stay with this, Vince! Monday Night Cat Fight!"
COMMERCIAL BREAK
-Back from commercial, & Vince McMahon does his best to calm down & get the show back on track. We proceed to our next match...
Sid Justice def. Skinner by pinfall with the Powerbomb. Skinner had tried to get the jump on Sid & was about to spit tobacco at the big man again, but Sid kicked Skinner right in the gut, causing him to spew the tobacco onto the mat. Skinner had no chance to mount any offense as Sid Justice was taking his anger out on the Alligator Man of the WWF because of what happened last night when Hulk Hogan cost Sid an opportunity to win the Rumble match.
-We see another hype video, this time for another newcomer, Papa Shango. He talks about his mastery of the dark arts as we see pictures of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Macho Man" Randy Savage & even "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Papa Shango claims that he is the reason Jake Roberts has finally embraced who he truly is, & soon, he will join forces with Jake to completely envelop the WWF in darkness. MUWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! After the video, Vince asks Eddie if Paul Bearer & the Undertaker know anything about what Papa Shango just said, & Eddie says "Surely Jake has let them in on the plan."
-Vince McMahon throws it to Gene Okerlund, who is standing by backstage with Pres. Jack Tunney. Tunney proceeds to announce that not only is the WWF Women's Championship returning to the World Wrestling Federation, but a new title has been commissioned by the Championship Committee. Pres. Tunney says that the timing couldn't be better with the recent premiere of Monday Night Raw, Wrestling Challenge being more competitive than ever, & Superstars bringing in new fans as well. Tunney announces that the WWF will soon crown its first ever WWF Television Champion. Pres. Tunney notes that the title will only be defended on TV & PPV, since PPV is on TV, don't you know. This title will not be at stake at non-televised events even though whoever is WWF TV Champion will still compete at non-televised events, & competitors who beat the TV Champion at non-televised events could find themselves in contention for the TV Title. Furthermore, with the Royal Rumble fresh on everyone's minds, there will be two 10-man battle royals: One next week on Monday Night Raw, & the other one in two weeks on Wrestling Challenge. The two winners will then face each other on Saturday Night's Main Event in February. Gene Okerlund says that this indeed is a huge announcement & one that fans no doubt will be happy with.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
-The Nasty Boys def. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & Sgt. Slaughter when Brian Knobbs pinned Sgt. Slaughter after Col. Mustafa interfered. The ref was distracted by Sensational Sherri's antics as she distracted Jim Duggan, causing him to jump down off the apron & back her off. Jerry Sags ran over to brawl with Duggan, & Slaughter was getting the better of Knobbs in the ring. However, he didn't count on Col. Mustafa running in & nailing him with a clothesline before getting out of the ring just as quickly. Vince is yelling at the ref to turn around, but he turns around to see Brian Knobbs pinning Sgt. Slaughter. Vince is irate & calls this a miscarriage of justice. Eddie Gilbert replies "How so? You demanded the referee to turn around, & he did!"
COMMERCIAL BREAK
-Back from commercial to Vince McMahon & Eddie Gilbert at the broadcast table, & Vince says another phone call has come in. It's none other than Shawn Michaels. Shawn first off compliments Eddie on doing such a wonderful job on commentary tonight, being a fair & objective broadcaster, & how Vince McMahon can learn a thing or two from him. Eddie thanks Shawn, then Shawn proceeds to make his own announcement. He says that this weekend on Wrestling Challenge, he will get the jump on Piper's Pit & premiere his own talk show, the Heartbreak Hotel, & his very first guest will be his new lady that he has met who will lead him to new heights in the WWF.
PROMOTIONAL CONSIDERATION... PAID FOR BY THE FOLLOWING
-Before the show wraps up, Vince McMahon hypes up next week's edition of Monday Night Raw. Eddie Gilbert interrupts & says we're going to see the first of two 10-man battle royals next week to determine the first WWF TV Champion. Vince takes back control of the proceedings & says he's got it from here. He notes how we'll see Hercules in action, as well as the Mountie. Rockin' Robin has also been given interview time, & she will respond to what Wendi Richter had to say earlier tonight.
Eddie Gilbert: And don't forget, Vince! Piper's Pit with the Macho Man!
Vince acknowledges what Eddie just said about Piper's Pit returning next week, & that's when Jim Duggan storms in. He's upset, almost out of breath, but he has something he has to say.
Jim Duggan: Vince, first off, I apologize that you had to be out here with Eddie Gilbert. Trust me when I say that I know he's bad news...
Eddie Gilbert: Hey!
Jim Duggan: Second of all, Sgt. Slaughter told me he will be alright & will be good to go for his match against Rick Martel this weekend on Wrestling Challenge. Thirdly, this thing with Col. Mustafa... it's been brewing for far too long. And it's obvious that the WWF is not big enough for both me & Col. Mustafa. So I'm going to petition Pres. Jack Tunney to make a match for next Monday night on Raw, me against Mustafa, & the loser leaves the WWF forever!
Eddie Gilbert: FOREVER?!
Jim Duggan: Forever!
Eddie Gilbert: Yes! We won't have to see your snot nose here anymore...
Jim Duggan: Watch it, tough guy!
Vince McMahon: Are you absolutely sure you want to put your WWF career on the line, Hacksaw?!
Jim Duggan: I'm positive, Vince!
Vince McMahon: What a way to cap off a chaotic edition of Monday Night Raw! See you next week, folks!
