The Piledriver Report 04.04.13: The History of Vince McMahon’s Wrestling Empire: Part Twelve

The year of 1996 was a huge transition for the wrestling industry, and the WWF in particular. Over the last decade plus, the World Wrestling Federation was the top wrestling promotion in the United States. Their stranglehold on being the king of the wrestling industry was slowly being loosened. In 1994, the federal government tried to bring down Vince McMahon, but failed. However, their failure helped distract Vince McMahon’s attention away from his wrestling business. At this time, Eric Bischoff signed a “retired” Hulk Hogan to work for World Championship Wrestling. The face of the World Wrestling Federation went down south to work for the WWF’s biggest corporate rival. In the summer of 1995, WCW put the wheels in motion to compete head-to-head against the WWF. In September of that year, WCW presented “Monday Nitro” on TNT. In 1996, WCW would not only compete with Vince McMahon, but by the end of the year; they would be the top promotion in the United States.

THE ROAD TO A DREAM

When 1995 ended, it was obvious that 1996 would be the “Year of the Heartbreak.” After losing as a heel during his WrestleMania XI title shot against Diesel, Shawn Michaels started to inch his way towards becoming the WWF’s top babyface. As such, Michaels was being groomed to become the next WWF World Champion.

When the year began, “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel was learning to live his life as the ex-WWF World Champion. His character took an extremely interesting turn. At this point in time, Extreme Championship Wrestling was starting to create a real buzz in the industry. In ECW, the lines between good and bad were blurred. There were no true babyfaces or heels in ECW. The WWF used the Diesel character in early 1996 to test the ECW character development formula on a national level.

At the 1996 Royal Rumble, the last two men remaining in the battle royal match were clique members Diesel and Shawn Michaels. “The Heartbreak Kid” eliminated Diesel to win the match, and advance to the WWF World title match at WrestleMania XII. Diesel came back into the ring, and started to have a few words with Shawn. Eventually, they high fived each other, and remained friends. Before leaving the ringside area, Diesel came face to face with the Undertaker, who was about to challenge Bret Hart for the WWF title. WWF officials broke the two apart before any punches were thrown. The Undertaker went on with his match against Bret Hart. Towards the end of the match, the Undertaker had Bret Hart in the position to receive a tombstone piledriver. After the move, while the Undertaker covered the champ for the pin, Diesel pulled the referee out of the ring. After Taker’s disqualification victory, Diesel gave the Undertaker the finger. The WWF’s first official “tweener” was born.

The two other main news items to come out of the Royal Rumble was that Vader made his WWF debut in the Royal Rumble battle royal match, and Golddust defeated Razor Ramon for the WWF Intercontinental championship.

The next night on RAW, the WWF debuted a very shocking vignette. In the past, Vince McMahon never acknowledge WCW as a wrestling company, never mind as his competition. However, after seeing his top stars from the eighties and early nineties now wrestling for WCW, along with the fact that WCW featured these wrestlers at the same time that RAW was being broadcast, WCW was about to be acknowledged. The WWF featured a parody of a WCW boardroom where “Billionaire Ted” asked the “Huckster” and the “Nacho Man” for some original ideas, while focusing on the advanced age of these wrestlers.

Vince McMahon interviewed Shawn Michaels when Jim Cornette interrupted. Cornette told Shawn to put his WrestleMania title shot on the line against Owen Hart. After making his debut one night earlier, Vader attacked Savio Vega. Several WWF officials tried to break up the assault. However, Vader continued to brutalize the Latin wrestler. Finally, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon suspended Vader indefinitely. Vader then attacked Gorilla Monsoon for his trouble. This angle was used to give Vader time off to get shoulder surgery before he began his WWF tenure. In the final segment of the night, Bret Hart challenged Diesel in a steel cage match at the next pay per view.

On February 18th, 1996, the WWF presented In Your House 6 from Lexington, KY. Shawn Michaels beat Owen Hart to keep his WrestleMania title shot. Bret Hart successfully defended his title against Diesel by escaping over the top of the cage as the Undertaker broke through the mat, and pulled Diesel under the ring.

The Road to WrestleMania started the next night on RAW. Razor Ramon beat the WWF Intercontinental champion Golddust by count-out. After the match, Razor asked the acting WWF President Roddy Piper if he would sanction a non-title street fight between the IC Champion and Ramon. On a future edition of WWF Superstars, Roddy Piper announced that Razor and Golddust would face each other at WrestleMania XII in a street fight that would take place in Razor’s home base of Miami. That segment would never air, as the WWF decided to go with Roddy Piper against Golddust in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl at WrestleMania. On the February 19th edition of RAW, Vince McMahon presented a little foreshadowing into the character of the “RingMaster” Steve Austin when he called Austin’s personality “stone cold.” The final bout of the evening featured the Undertaker beating Tatanka. This segment helped to further the Undertaker/Diesel feud. During the match, Diesel led a camera crew to the backstage area. He then destroyed the Undertaker’s casket with an axe. During Diesel’s match the next week against Bob Holly, the light’s flickered on and off as the Undertaker briefly appeared at ringside to try to get into Diesel’s head. The build-up to the Diesel-Undertaker match continued leading up to WrestleMania XII. One of the most memorable segments was when a casket was delivered to the ringside area. When Diesel opened the casket, he found a body at rest. The body and face that he saw was his own.

The main match that was being used to sell WrestleMania XII was the World title match. This would be the be the first time since WrestleMania VI that two babyface wrestlers fought for the World Championship at a WrestleMania. The storyline surrounding the match was the Shawn Michaels was a man chasing his boyhood dream of winning the WWF World title. On the February 26th edition of Monday Night RAW, during the Shawn Michaels/Bret Hart interview segment, Roddy Piper announced that their World title match would be a 60-minute Iron Man match. Over the next few weeks, the WWF aired several video packages featuring both men training for their one-hour match.

A BOYHOOD DREAM IS REALIZED

In the final couple of weeks before WrestleMania XII, a major news story broke out over a relatively new medium called the Internet. Diesel and Razor Ramon have accepted offers worth $900,000 a year each to join Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling. The wrestling world was buzzing. Even sport talk show host Chet Copcheck asked Diesel about the WCW deal on his show the week before WrestleMania XII. The loss of Diesel and Ramon was going to be a huge blow to the WWF. It was one thing when the WWF lost their “older” stars to WCW. However, it was something totally different to lose two guys that were considered “in their prime.” Diesel, in particular, was supposed to be the leader of the WWF’s “new generation” just a year earlier. Now, he was joining Ted Turner’s wrestling company. As much of a blow as it seemed at the time to the WWF, the dual signing would send shockwaves throughout the wrestling industry for the next two years.

WrestleMania XII was held on March 31st, 1996 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA. In the “Free For All” before Mania, Skip and Zip (Chris Candido and Tom Prichard) beat Henry and Phinneas Godwinn in the finals for the WWF World Tag Team Championships. In the opening match at WrestleMania, Vader, Owen Hart, and Davey Boy Smith beat Yokozuna, Jake Roberts, and Ahmed Johnson. Steve Austin beat Savio Vega by submission. The Ultimate Warrior returned to the WWF after a four-year absence, and beat the future Triple H in under two minutes. After the match, during a backstage interview with the debuting Marc Mero, Hunter Hearst Helmsley started berating his valet, a debuting Sable (Rena Mero). This led to a backstage brawl between the “Wild Man,” and Helmsley. The Undertaker pinned Diesel after two tombstone piledrivers. In the Hollywood Backlot Brawl, Roddy Piper beat Golddust. In the main event, Shawn Michaels beat Bret Hart in an overtime period to win the WWF World Championship.

The night after WrestleMania XII featured the debut of a wrestler who would turn out to be one of the most important players in future of the World Wrestling Federation. On that night’s Monday Night RAW, Mankind made his first WWF appearance. Mankind was a mentally unstable wrestler who wore a Hannibal Lecture style mask, and used a weapon called the Mandible Claw as his submission finishing hold. On that night, Mankind used his two fingered vice grip hold to beat Bob Holly. Mankind’s night was not over though. During the Undertaker’s match against Justin Bradshaw, Mankind attacked the “deadman.”

Also on the show, Shawn Michaels gave an interview in which he talked about his WWF title victory from the night before. However, there would be no rematch set up between the two. Bret Hart had decided to take time off for the immediate future. A new challenger would emerge the next week. After Shawn’s match against Jerry Lawler, the “Heartbreak Kid” challenged “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel to come into the ring. Diesel answered the challenge by nailing Shawn Michaels in the head with the WWF World championship belt.

THE CLIQUE SAYS GOODBYE

On April 28th, 1996, the WWF presented In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies from Omaha, Nebraska. One of the main matches featured the Ultimate Warrior beating Golddust by countout when the WWF Intercontinental Champion refused to return to the ring. The two main matches on the pay per view featured the WWF farewell pay per view performances of Razor Ramon and Diesel. In a surprisingly very competitive match, Vader beat Razor Ramon. In the main event of the evening, the WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels beat Diesel in one of the first WWF “hardcore” style matches, since ECW made them famous.

May 19th, 1996 would go down as one of the most historic days in the history of the World Wrestling Federation. On this day, the WWF ran a house show at Madison Square Garden. Henry and Phinneas Godwinn won the WWF World Tag Team titles from the BodyDonnas. However, that was just a minor footnote on this night. The Ultimate Warrior pinned Owen Hart in his Madison Square Garden return after a five-year absence. However, that too, was just a blip on the radar screen that made this night one of the most talked about evenings in wrestling history. This was the last show for Razor Ramon and Diesel in the World Wrestling Federation. Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Razor Ramon. After the match, Razor tried to say goodbye to the fans, but the microphone was immediately cut off dead. In the main event, Shawn Michaels successfully defended the WWF World Championship inside of a steel cage against Diesel. Two departing wrestlers doing the “time honored tradition” are usually not newsworthy. However, this night was different. After the title match, Razor Ramon came to the ring and hugged the WWF Champion, and raised his hand. Shawn Michaels then revived the beaten “Big Daddy Cool,” and waved towards the lockerroom. Hunter Hearst Helmsley hit the ring. He hugged Shawn, and then all four men hugged and raised their arms. This incident is known as the “Clique Good-bye.” This was probably the first break of kayfabe in WWF history. For this public display, Hunter Hearst Helmsley was the only one punished. They couldn’t punish Diesel or Razor Ramon, as they now were off to World Championship Wrestling. Shawn Michaels was off limits, because he was the World Champion. HHH was left holding the bag. His scheduled King of the Ring tournament victory was cancelled. He also was turned into a high-class jobber for the next few months.

With the loss of half of the Clique from the WWF roster, it was time for a new challenger to emerge into the WWF World title picture. Enter Davey Boy Smith. His feud with Shawn Michaels was centered on Davey’s belief that Shawn Michaels was hitting on his wife Diana. Their first match ended in a double pin at In Your House 7. A rematch was scheduled for the King of the Ring pay per view.

AUSTIN 3:16

The King of the Ring took place on June 23rd in Madison, Wisconsin. This event gave the wrestling fans one of the most memorable and marketable catchphrases in the history of wrestling. In the main event, Shawn Michaels retained the WWF World title over Davey Boy Smith. The Ultimate Warrior defeated Jerry Lawler. Mankind beat the Undertaker with the Mandible Claw after Paul Bearer accidentally hit Taker with the urn. Ahmed Johnson pinned Golddust to capture the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Steve Austin fought Jake “The Snake” Roberts in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament. After Austin beat Roberts for the crown, he delivered one of the most powerful promos in the WWF. Austin told Roberts that he can “keep his palms, his hymns, and his John 3:16, because Austin 3:16 just whipped your ass.”

While Austin 3:16 was about ready to explode, an old friend of “Stone Cold’s” was about to make his federation debut. In late 1995, World Championship Wrestling help to create a new gimmick for Brian Pillman. “Flying Brian” was about to become a “loose cannon.” The angle was one of the first “worked shoot” angles in the new Internet age. Pillman’s new character was supposed to be a character that said and did whatever he wanted. On February 11, 1996, Brian Pillman fought Kevin Sullivan at SuperBrawl VI. The most memorable part of the match was when Pillman called his opponent “booker man” on the show. To give the angle more realism, Brian Pillman had Eric Bischoff give him an official release from the company. This release allowed Pillman to show up on several ECW shows to give the fans the appearance that Pillman was indeed gone from WCW. This was a brilliant move on Pillman’s behalf. By getting an official release from World Championship Wrestling, Brian Pillman essentially made himself a free agent in the wrestling industry. Pillman used his free agency status to cause a bidding war between the WWF and WCW. He eventually chose the World Wrestling Federation, as he became the first WWF competitor to receive a guaranteed contract. Shortly before he signed with the WWF, Pillman was involved in a automobile accident while driving a Humvee. The accident shattered Pillman’s ankle to the point where it had to be fused together in a fixed position. The accident did nothing to stop the WWF from securing the services on the top free agent in the business. On June 17th’s edition of Monday Night RAW, the WWF aired the footage of Brian Pillman’s contract signing.

On July 8th, the Ultimate Warrior made his final ever television appearance for the WWF on an episode of Monday Night RAW. He defeated Owen Hart by disqualification when Davey Boy Smith interfered. They were then joined by Vader, who hit the Warrior with a Vader Bomb. The WWF aired a promo by the WWF “President” Gorilla Monsoon where he indefinitely suspended the Ultimate Warrior for failing to appear at three house shows. He mentioned that the ban would be lifted if Warrior posted a $250,000.00 bond in case he fails to appear again.

BRET’S BACK

While the WWF won the battle for wrestling’s hottest free agent during the beginning of the summer, they were about to wage war with World Championship Wrestling over trying to sign another free agent. Since sitting out of the ring since his WWF title loss to Shawn Michaels in March, Bret Hart’s WWF contract had expired. Eric Bischoff made a strong push to land Bret Hart. There were rumors that Bischoff wanted him to be a part of WCW’s New World Order stable. He offered Bret an extremely lucrative three-year contract. Vince McMahon felt that he couldn’t afford to lose another main event wrestler to WCW. After all, he lost Hall and Nash to WCW. World Championship Wrestling was in the middle of a hot angle with a group of renegade wrestlers called the New World Order. This group of wrestlers included Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall as they were threatening to take over WCW. The New World Order storyline helped to propel WCW into the top of the ratings in their war with the WWF. To counter Bischoff’s offer, Vince offered Bret a 20 year contract, which included 3 years as an active wrestler, and the rest he would serve in an executive capacity.

August was truly the “dog days of summer” for the WWF. SummerSlam was held on August 18th at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Shawn Michaels successfully defended the WWF World title against Vader. Mankind beat the Undertaker in a Boiler Room match after Paul Bearer turned on the Undertaker by hitting him in the head with the urn. At the RAW tapings, Jim Ross announced that the WWF has resigned Diesel and Razor Ramon. However, the Diesel and Razor Ramon that Ross was talking about were not Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. They were two different men playing the Diesel and Ramon characters.

It was around this time that Steve Austin started to call out Bret Hart. At the WWF In Your House pay per view “Mind Games,” Brian Pillman interviewed Owen Hart. Owen suggested that the reason Bret didn’t show up, as Pillman had promised, was because he was afraid of Steve Austin. Steve said, “if you add an ‘s’ to the word ‘hitman,’ you have Steve Austin’s opinion of Bret Hart.” For weeks, Steve Austin issued challenges to Bret Hart. Finally, Bret Hart made his WWF return on October 21st’s edition of Monday Night RAW. In an interview that night with Jim Ross, Bret admitted to the contract offer by WCW, and that his loyalty was towards the World Wrestling Federation. He also agreed to wrestle “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at that year’s Survivor Series.

While Bret Hart accepted Austin’s challenge, Austin was involved in a feud with his former “Hollywood Blondes” partner, Brian Pillman. One of the most controversial segments in wrestling history took place on Monday Night RAW’s November 4th edition. On that night, Steve Austin was going to Brian Pillman’s house to confront the “loose cannon.” Austin was shown outside the Pillman home beating up Brian’s friends. In the meantime, Pillman was shown inside his house holding a gun, with his wife by his side. Austin broke into Pillman’s home, and Pillman had his gun aimed at Austin. At that instant, the satellite feed was lost. When the WWF was able to restore the feed, Kevin Kelly insured the viewers that no one was shot, and that Austin had left. Before the ending of the show, Austin tried to get back into Pillman’s house, but was restrained by Pillman’s friends.

The 1996 Survivor Series was held in Madison Square Garden on November 17th. The Undertaker finally beat Mankind, as he pinned him following a tombstone piledriver. A little known wrestler made his WWF debut as he teamed with Marc Mero, Barry Windham, and Jake Roberts in a win over Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Golddust, Crush, and Jerry Lawler in an elimination match. This little known wrestler was Rocky Maivia, or as he would later be known as the more famous name of The Rock. Bret Hart pinned Steve Austin in their long awaited match. Bret’s victory earned him a World title shot at the next “In Your House” pay per view. In the main event, SID beat Shawn Michaels for the WWF World title. The most shocking part of the match included the fan’s turning on Shawn Michaels during the match, and were cheering SID.

Austin’s war with Bret Hart wasn’t over. On November 25th, Bret fought his brother Owen on Monday Night RAW. While Bret had Owen locked in the Sharpshooter, Austin hit Bret from behind with a steel chair. Austin and Owen attacked Bret. Austin then placed Bret’s ankle between a steel chair to try and break his ankle. However, Owen’s tag team partner, Davey Boy Smith made the save. Owen and Davey Boy argued with each other a little. When Austin tried to do it again, Davey Boy stopped him again. Austin hit Davey Boy in the back with a chair, and left the ring.

At the WWF’s final pay per view of the year, Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart beat “Diesel” and “Razor Ramon.” After the match, Steve Austin hit Davey Boy with a steel chair. In the main event SID retained the WWF title in a match with Bret Hart. Towards the end of the contest, Bret collided with Shawn Michaels on the ring apron. SID then power bombed Hart for the victory. After the match, the “Hitman” attacked Shawn Michaels for costing him the title.

The year of 1996 started out extremely slow for the WWF, but ended on a high note. The WWF went from
a cartoon federation to a more violent, reality based formula. It was a slow build that would gain even
more momentum as 1997 started.

WWF GETS SOME ATTITUDE

The World Wrestling Federation found themselves in an unusual situation when the year 1997 began. For the first time in a long time, the WWF found themselves in the position of being the number two wrestling organization in the United States. The wrestling industry was no longer about who had the best house show attendance, merchandise sales, and best wrestlers. The wrestling of 1997 was about which group had the better television ratings.

In January 1997, World Championship Wrestling was the current champion in the Monday night wrestling ratings battle. The WWF decided that they needed to start to shake things up. On January 4th, the World Wrestling Federation debuted a new television show called “Shotgun Saturday Night.” This show was the WWF’s attempt to present a more ECW-like program. Instead of being taped in huge arenas, or even a small venue like the Hammerstein Ballroom, “Shotgun Saturday Night” was filmed in local clubs throughout the country. Unlike RAW, the Saturday show aired late at night, instead of during prime time hours. The program was supposed to be edgier, more gritty, and more adult oriented as compared to the WWF’s standard television shows.

On the first telecast, Marlena flashed the Sultan. Sunny let the fans know that she would show a sex tape of herself next week to prove that she was the WWF’s sexiest woman. The Flying Nuns debuted with a victory over Henry and Phinneaus Godwinn. Goldust defeated the Sultan by countout. Ahmed Johnson defeated Crush by disqualification. To show the program’s “hardcore” style, after the match, Ahmed Johnson hit D-Lo Brown with the Pearl River Plunge on the hood of a parked car. Mascarita Sagrada Jr. pinned Mini Vader in the final bout of the evening.

The WWF’s first big show of the new year took place on January 19th at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, TX. The show was the 1997 edition of the Royal Rumble. WWF IC Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Goldust. Ahmed Johnson defeated Farooq by disqualification. Vader beat the Undertaker. Perro Aguayo, Canek, & Hector Garza defeated Fuerza Guerrera, Heavy Metal, & Jerry Estrada. Steve Austin won the 30-man Royal Rumble match at 50:29 by illegally eliminating Vader, the Undertaker, & Bret Hart after Hart had eliminated Austin while the referees were not looking. In the main event, Shawn Michaels beat SID to recapture the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.

On Monday Night RAW the next night, Bret Hart said that he was quitting the WWF. He was upset because he felt that he was screwed out of his previous World title match against SID, and then was screwed from his Royal Rumble victory. Being “screwed” by the WWF in January would foreshadow a more serious, and real screwjob by the WWF against Bret Hart. The acting WWF President Gorilla Monsoon announced that Steve Austin would NOT receive the WrestleMania title shot due to the controversial nature of his Royal Rumble victory. Instead, Austin would fight Bret Hart, Vader, and the Undertaker in a four way match to become the #1 contender to the WWF World title. This announcement led to Bret Hart’s decision to “stay” with the WWF.

SHAWN DROPS THE TITLE. WELL, NOT REALLY

On February 13th’s special edition on Thursday Night RAW, the WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels came to the ring to address the crowd. This was the famous “I lost my smile” interview where he surrendered the title without jobbing it in the ring. According to Shawn Michaels in his autobiography “Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story,” in a triple threat match against SID and Bret Hart, Michaels tweaked his knee. He went to a local doctor in Texas, who informed him that his wrestling career was over. The doctor told him that he had no ACL in his knee. Michaels explained that he has been wrestling for years without an ACL. The doctor countered that Michaels’ knee has deteriorated, and he needed a knee replacement.

Shawn goes on to explain the basis of his speech on RAW. “I was devastated. He was doctor, and I thought his word was final. I thought my career was over. At the next TV, which was a special Thursday edition of RAW, I told Vince what my doctor said. I broke down and started crying.”

He continued, “Vince felt for me. He knew how much wrestling meant to me. He told me no matter what happens, I’d always have a job here. Then he said, ‘We have to get the championship belt off you. We will make an announcement tonight.’ That night I went to the ring and told the world I was retiring. It was very emotional. It wasn’t a work.”

Shawn talked about the “lost my smile” line. “The reason I was retiring was because of my knee, but the truth was, my fight wasn’t what it once was. I wasn’t Superman anymore. I was burnt physically and emotionally. A month earlier, my mom noticed that I wasn’t looking too good and she said ‘Honey, they are running you to death. You don’t look so good.’

“I’m working a lot,” Shawn said to his mother.

“Yeah, all the time,” she said. “You don’t even smile anymore. You always had such a sweet smile. You’ve lost your smile.”

Shawn continued, “So the speech I gave about losing my smile was real. The emotion I showed out there was authentic. I broke down on national TV because I was emotionally spent.”

Now that the WWF was without a World Champion, Vince McMahon had to act fast. WWF President Gorilla Monsoon announced that the Final Four #1 Contenders Match at the In Your House pay per view was now going to be for the WWF World title. The new champion’s first opponent would be SID, who was supposed to face Shawn Michaels in a World title rematch at the pay per view. SID would get his title shot on RAW, the night after the pay per view.

On February 16th at the UTC Arena in Chattanooga, TN, the WWF presented “In Your House: Final Four.” Bret Hart left the show as the new WWF World Champion. In his first title defense the following night, SID beat Bret for the title following interference from Steve Austin. Besides the title switch, this match was historic as it was the first time in his career that Bret Hart used the figure four leglock around the ringpost.

RAW GOES EXTREME

The next week, the WWF decided to go back to their Monday Night RAW roots. They held RAW from their original stomping grounds, the Manhattan Center. Aside from returning to their home, the WWF ran a storyline that their fans, and the wrestling industry never thought they would ever see. After an invite from Jerry Lawler the previous week, the stars of Extreme Championship Wrestling made their Monday Night RAW debut. Stevie Richards, Super Nova, the Blue Meanie, 7-11, Little Guido, Taz, Bill Alphonso, Team Taz, Mikey Whipwreck, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Beulah, D-Von Dudley, Bubba Ray Dudley, the Sandman, the Eliminators, and Paul E. Dangerously made their presence know. There were no inter-promotional matches on the show. WWF wrestlers fought WWF stars. ECW wrestlers battled ECW stars. The only inter-promotional interaction took place between Paul E Dangerously/Heyman and Jerry Lawler.

The WWF’s streak of groundbreaking television continued on the March 9th edition of WWF Superstars. This was the final WWF Superstars broadcast that featured matches that were exclusive to the show. After this edition, WWF Superstars was turned into a recap show. The results of the final telecast from Berlin, Germany included Salvatore Sincere over Alex Porteau, Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon defeated Aldo Montoya & Bob Holly, and Ahmed Johnson beat Leif Cassidy.

Monday Night Raw on March 3rd helped to set up the upcoming WrestleMania 13 pay per view. Both Jerry Lawler and Paul Heyman called in to speak with McMahon over the phone to further the ECW/Jerry Lawler feud. Ahmed Johnson accepted Farooq’s challenge for a streetfight at WrestleMania 13. In the finals of the WWF European Title Tournament: WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Owen Hart to become the WWF’s first European Champion.

RAW IS WAR

On March 10th, Monday Night RAW changed its name to RAW IS WAR. The WWF also gave the show a new look. There was a new stage, pyro shooting off, and Marilyn Manson’s “Beautiful People” blasting over the P.A. system to open the show. The March to Mania continued this week. J.R. interviewed WWF World Champion SID to begin the show. SID said he was reluctant to team with the Undertaker in the night’s main event. The Undertaker appeared and said he would take care of Vader & Mankind by himself if Sid was too scared. Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Ken Shamrock. It was announced that he would be the guest referee for the Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin submission match at WrestleMania. Austin appeared on the TitanTron and said Hart would defeat Sid the following week in their steel cage title match so that he could beat Bret for the title at WrestleMania. Hart came out and told Shamrock that he respected him. Bret said that he was sick of the injustices in the WWF, and how everyone had screwed him (he hasn’t seen anything yet).

On March 16th, the WWF presented their first wrestling card on the MSG Network in over five years. It would also be the final card televised by the MSG Network. Dok Hendrix (a.k.a Michael Hayes) conducted in-ring interviews with Ken Shamrock, Bret Hart, & WWF World Champion SID. The Sultan beat Flash Funk. Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn. Crush pinned Aldo Montoya. Ahmed Johnson beat Savio Vega by disqualification. WWF Tag Team Champions Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart defeated Phil LaFon & Doug Furnas. Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated WWF IC Champion Rocky Miavia by disqualification. Farooq pinned Goldust. Vader defeated the Undertaker in a casket match when Mankind came out of the casket and helped in double teaming the Undertaker. In a dark match, which was not broadcast on TV, WWF World Champion SID defeated Bret Hart in a steel cage match.

The March 17th edition of RAW IS WAR featured footage from a New Jersey press conference, with Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, about bringing the WWF back to the state. The governor would prove true to her word, because later in the year, SummerSlam would be held at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ. In the WWF’s final build-up for WrestleMania 13, Kevin Kelly conducted an interview with Bret Hart, discussing his title shot later in the show and his submission match against Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13. Vince McMahon interviewed Shawn Michaels, in which Michaels invited himself to appear at the Slammys and to sit ringside for the world title match at WrestleMania. In the WWF World match, SID defeated Bret Hart to retain his World title in a steel cage match by escaping over the top after the Undertaker interfered and slammed the cage door into the challenger’s face as Hart attempted to exit the cage, moments after Steve Austin interfered on behalf of Hart. After the match, Vince McMahon attempted to interview Hart in the ring but Hart shoved McMahon to the mat after he made mention of Bret being frustrated. Bret told Vince, “Frustrated isn’t the god damn word for it. This is bullshit!” After a brief tirade about how the WWF higher-ups were turning a blind eye to all the injustices Hart has sustained in recent weeks, Steve Austin appeared on the Titantron and said he wanted Bret to win the title. He said that Hart was too much of a loser to do so. SID came to the ring. Hart was about to come to blows with SID, but the Undertaker appeared, and Hart hit a tope through the ropes onto the “deadman.” Austin came to the ring and began stomping Hart on the outside, as the Undertaker and SID fought in the ring to close the show.

THE TURNING OF THE HITMAN

WrestleMania 13 took place at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois on March 23rd. The Headbangers defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon, and Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw in an elimination match. WWF IC Champion Rocky Miavia pinned the Sultan. Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Goldust. WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith fought Mankind & Vader to a double count-out. Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin in a submission match when guest referee Ken Shamrock stopped the match after Austin passed out while in the Sharpshooter after being hit in the head with the timekeeper’s bell. After the match, Shamrock held Hart off from further attacking Austin. Moments later, Austin hit the Stunner on an official, who attempted to help him to his feet. This match led to the famous double turn, where Austin became a face, and Bret Hart turned heel, with a twist. Ahmed Johnson & the Legion of Doom defeated Farooq, Savio Vega, & Crush in a Chicago Streetfight. The Undertaker pinned WWF World Champion Psycho Sid to win the WWF World title in the main event after Bret Hart came ringside and dropped Sid throat-first over the top rope as Sid attempted the powerbomb. When the match started, Hart entered the ring, claimed Shawn Michaels’ injury was fake, blamed the Undertaker for costing him the title on Raw, and called Sid a fraud before the champion hit the powerbomb on Hart.

On the following night’s RAW telecast, the unique Bret Hart heel turn continued. During an in-ring promo, Bret Hart apologized to his fans all over the world for his actions the previous week, except the fans in America. Bret said the American wrestling fans and their cheering of Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels disgust him. He said that the only reason he came back to the WWF was to clean it up as there were no role models in the company. Hart mentioned that Michaels was not a role model because he posed for girlie or gay magazines. Bret detailed everything that had happened to him since returning at the Survivor Series, and how everyone has screwed him. He told the American fans to kiss his ass. Michaels interrupted and said the fans buy tickets to cheer or boo whomever they want. Hart told Michaels to get out of his face. Michaels said the only way Bret would know Shawn posed for girlie magazines was if he looked himself. As Michaels started to leave the ring, Hart attacked him from behind, targeting his knee, and applied the ringpost figure-4 until a number of referees pulled him away.

The next week’s Monday Night RAW featured a match between the WWF World Tag Team Champions, Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart. Before their bond could be broken, Bret Hart came down to the ring to stop the match. He told the two in-laws that the WWF is trying to tear the two apart. Bret made up with Owen and Davey Boy. In the process, he reformed the Hart Foundation.

On the April 28th RAW IS WAR, the Hart Foundation storyline continued. The previous week, Bret Hart was sent to the hospital following his street fight with Steve Austin. When he was loaded into the ambulance, Austin attacked him once again. The latest RAW showed Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Brian Pillman in the middle of the ring, praying for Bret Hart’s recovery. Steve Austin managed to chase the trio from the ring with an axe handle. Bret Hart, sitting in a wheelchair cut a promo on America and on Steve Austin. In the main event, WWF World Champion the Undertaker defeated European Champion Davey Boy Smith via disqualification when Owen Hart interfered. After the match, Steve Austin came to the ring, fought off Owen Hart, then hit the Stunner on the champion. Moments later, Austin was chokeslammed by the Undertaker before going after Bret who was at the top of the ramp. As Austin prepared to attack Bret, Jim Neidhart came from the back and assisted in sending Austin off the stage to the floor where he was later put on a stretcher. This was Neidhart’s WWF return after a two-year hiatus. The Hart Foundation was now complete.

Shortly after Michaels gave his retirement speech, Shawn went to see Dr. James Andrews about his knee injury. Dr. Andrews told Shawn that his knee was terrible, but if he rehabbed it, trained his legs, and wore a brace, he could wrestle again. If he got the knee replacement surgery, his career would be over. Shawn Michaels decided on doing the rehab. His first match back was on the May 26th’s edition of RAW IS WAR. Shawn was going to be teaming with Steve Austin to go up against the WWF World Tag Team Champions Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith. In an in-ring interview, the Legion of Doom challenged Michaels & Austin on next week’s RAW if they won the tag team titles. In the first bout of the show, The Legion of Doom defeated Brian Pillman & Jim Neidhart by disqualification when Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith interfered. Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin made the save before brawling with one another.

Steve Austin & Shawn Michaels defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith to win the titles. After the bout, Austin grabbed his title belt and left ringside to attack Bret Hart on the ramp while Smith, Owen, Brian Pillman, and Jim Neidhart attacked Michaels inside the ring.

SHAWN VS. BRET

While Michaels was making a triumphant return to the squared circle, things backstage weren’t going so smoothly. According to Shawn Michaels, “By the time I wrestled in the tag match, Bret and I had nearly reached the breaking point. He had said bad things about my folks and apologized, but now he had gone on to stir things up by telling the dirt sheets, and others that I faked my injury and retired before WrestleMania 13 in order to avoid putting him over. He also had been lambasting me in his promos on television. Once again, he came to me and apologized for stirring things up. We were at a TV taping and we were talking in the back. He said things had gotten out of hand. I told him, ‘You’ve done nothing but bury me, and I don’t say anything.’ I looked him right in the eye and said, ‘Bret, I’ve got nothing to lose. Look at me, I have no life. If you do it again, then I’m taking the gloves off. You can’t do anything to me. You can’t hurt me. You can say whatever you want about me, and I’ll say it’s true. The difference between you and me is that I’ll admit to all the stuff that I do wrong. I don’t hide it. But if you keep screwing with me, that’s it.’ He said it was over. We shook hands and I thought we finally put it all behind us.”

“Bret and I were scheduled to do an interview segment. It was supposed to be a wrestling promo. He talks bad about me and then I talk bad about him. That’s how it works. Well he went on this tirade and just didn’t stop. It was a while before I got my rebuttal in. As I made my way backstage, someone told me that he had gone so long they had to go off the air before I spoke. So the whole time, viewers saw me standing there looking like an idiot.”

Shawn continued, “The next week, I cut a televised promo on him, and made the comment that he had been seeing ‘sunny days,’ exposing what I believed was his secret relationship with Tammy Sytch. Bret didn’t speak for me for a couple of weeks. During that time, you could feel the tension in the dressing room. Occasionally we would be in there together, but we never talked.”

In his autobiography, Shawn details their big backstage shootfight. “On June 9th, we had a TV taping in Hartford. I was in the dressing room when he came up to me and said, ‘I just want to say…..’ I cut him off before he could finish. ‘Don’t talk to me. You haven’t said a word to me for three weeks. If you can’t talk to me for three weeks, I don’t want to talk to you now.’ About five minutes later, I was turning around to get some gear out of my bag and I felt somebody push me from behind. I turned around and Bret asked, ‘What’s your f—— problem?’ ‘You!’ I yelled.”

He continued, “He tried to punch me, but I peeled back and he missed. He pushed me again, and this time I stood up. He swung again and missed. The next thing I knew, he went for a double leg dive. I caught him around the upper body and we went straight back through a piece of paneling. We had each other in front face locks when Pat Patterson and Davey Boy Smith came over and grabbed us. Pat was yelling, ‘come on, you guys!’ I let go and Bret yanked a handful of my hair off my head. That hurt like heck, but I didn’t retaliate. The fight was over.”

“I went storming into Vince’s office and told him, ‘I’m out of here, this is b.s.!’ I missed the show and flew home the next day. Vince sent my lawyer a letter stating that I had violated my contract. Skip (Michaels’ lawyer) responded by writing a letter claiming that WWF had failed to provide a safe working environment. In a few weeks, we had everything settled, and I was back.”

Tensions were high leading up to the Michaels/Bret altercation. The original plan heading into the King of the Ring was to be headlined by Bret vs. Shawn. However, Bret Hart’s knee injury led to the WWF changing plans. They decided to have Shawn face Steve Austin. To set up the Austin/Michaels match, the WWF made them into a tag team that hates each other. To further this angle, the new tag team champions lost to the Legion of Doom by countout on the June 2nd edition of RAW, because they were too busy fighting each other outside of the ring.

The 1997 King of the Ring took place on June 8th at the Civic Center in Providence, RI. A year earlier, Hunter Hearst Helmsley was supposed to be crowned as the 1996 King. However, due to the “Clique Goodbye” incident at Madison Square Garden a year earlier, the title was not to be his. In the first semi-final bout of the tournament, Hunter Hearst Helmsley beat Ahmed Johnson. In the second King of the Ring match, Mankind beat Jerry Lawler. In the finals, Hunter finally captured the crown that eluded him for the last year. Goldust pinned Crush. WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith, & Jim Neidhart defeated Psycho Sid & the Legion of Doom. WWF Tag Team Champion Steve Austin fought WWF Tag Team Champion Shawn Michaels to a double disqualification after Austin hit the Stunner on referee Tim White and Michaels superkicked the replacement referee before Earl Hebner stopped the match. WWF World Champion the Undertaker pinned Farooq.

On the June 16th edition of RAW IS WAR, Vince McMahon and Jim Ross talked about the backstage fight between Bret and Shawn. They said that Shawn will be out for 4-6 weeks. In the meantime, a tag team tournament will be held to see who the number one contenders for the WWF tag team titles will be. That team will face Steve Austin and a partner of his choice.

The July 14th RAW IS WAR featured the return of Shawn Michaels since his fight with Bret. The wrestler named the Patriot debuted. Paul Bearer told the Undertaker that his brother Kane was alive, and that he has proof. The main event of the evening featured the winners of the tag team tournament Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith facing Steve Austin and a mystery man. That mystery man turned out to be Dude Love (a.k.a Mankind). The match ended with Austin and Dude Love raising their hands held high in victory.

SummerSlam 1997 was held on August 3rd at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ. Mankind defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a steel cage match by escaping over the top after hitting an elbow from the top of the cage. Goldust pinned Brian Pillman. Due to pre-match stipulations, Pillman was forced to wear a dress on TV until he won a match. The Legion of Doom defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn. WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith defeated Ken Shamrock by disqualification when the challenger went berserk on the champion. Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Castillo, & Jose defeated Crush, Skull, 8-Ball, & Chainz. Steve Austin pinned WWF IC Champion Owen Hart with a roll up to win the title. During the match, both Austin and the WWF suffered a huge scare. Prior to the finish, Hart executed a tombstone piledriver incorrectly. This slip up caused Austin to suffer temporary paralysis. Bret Hart pinned WWF World Champion the Undertaker to win the title following guest referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hitting the champion in the head with a steel chair after Hart spat at Michaels. After the match, Taker stalked Michaels to the back.

The next night, Shawn Michaels started the beginnings of his heel turn. He gave a heel promo where he told the fans not to blame him for the Undertaker’s loss. As part of his new heel persona, Michaels started to refer to himself as “The Icon. The Showstopper. The Main Eventer.”

Shawn explains the early phase of his latest heel turn, “I was going to do an interview with Jim Ross where I would call the Undertaker out. Taker and Vince were at a trade show and weren’t there, so what was going to happen was that I would call him out and he would come up on the TitanTron, threaten me, and I would act all scared. I was walking around the back in these skin-tight biker shorts that I used to wear because I knew it annoyed a lot of people. As a joke, I stuffed a roll of gauze down my pants and started goofing around. Right before I was set to go out and do my interview with J.R., Brian Adams-Crush-double dog dared me to go out in the arena and on television with the gauze in my shorts. I gathered everyone at a television monitor and went out fully loaded with my gauze. J.R. was trying to do a serious interview, but I was acting up and being obnoxious. I was jumping around, bumping and grinding, the gauze was pretty evident, and I cut the most over the top promo. I was having a blast and I knew all the boys in the back were loving it. I finally called the Undertaker out and he came up on the screen and threatened me. That part worked fine. J.R. was understandably angry over my making a mockery of his interview. I decided to have a little fun. I grabbed the mike, knowing full well that the Undertaker wasn’t there, and yelled, ‘You know what, if the Undertaker is so tough, why doesn’t he come out and fight me right now? If you don’t come out here by the count of ten, that means you’re afraid of me.’ I counted to ten. ‘See, he’s afraid of me!’ I came to the back, and the boys thought it was the funniest thing they had ever heard.”

Shawn’s improv act helped to pave the way for the WWE’s “Attitude Era” that was about to break. After the RAW incident, Vince called Shawn to tell him that he would be fined $10,000.00 for his gauze stunt. He told Shawn that he disrespected the company, and the Undertaker. He also mentioned that it was unprofessional and rude to J.R. Shawn told Vince that it was funny, and that everybody else thought it was funny as well. Shawn told Vince, “We are getting our backsides kicked in the ratings. We have to start doing better stuff. Our girls get boob jobs all the time. One week they come out they are flat and the next week they have huge breasts and nobody notices. The fans all see it. How come no one comments, ‘Sable, did you get the mumps last week? Gauze in the shorts, that’s funny. You can’t tell me that’s not funny.'”

While Vince tried to stand his ground with Shawn, two months later, he called a meeting to let the talent know that the WWF was going to a more racier, edgier, adult oriented product. With this more aggressive style came a new faction in the WWF. Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst Helmsley formed DeGeneration X, which was the WWF’s answer to the New World Order. They were rebellious and played high school pranks on the air. DX started out as a group of wrestlers who refused to grow up. Along with Michaels and Hunter, they were managed by Chyna, and had Rick Rude as their bodyguard.

Shawn’s first target during his DX run was against the Undertaker. Shawn fought the Undertaker in the main event of In Your House: Ground Zero on September 7th in Louisville, KY. They battled to a no contest.

GOODBYE BRET?

September 22, 1997 will go down in history as one of the most important days in the World Wrestling Federation. Prior to the RAW IS WAR telecast from Madison Square Garden, Vince McMahon had a meeting with Bret Hart. In the meeting, Vince talked to Bret about breaking their contract, so Bret could become a free agent. Vince told Bret that he could not afford the contract that he signed Bret to a year earlier. From a television standpoint, this night was important for two angles. Hunter Hearst Helmsley was scheduled to fight Dude Love in a street fight. However, Mankind appeared on the TitanTron and said that Hunter would be fighting a different opponent on this night. The opponent would be making his WWF debut. His name was Cactus Jack. The WWF was about to experience hardcore wrestling. Later in the evening, Vince McMahon delivered an in-ring promo where he announced that he would not let Austin wrestle due to his neck injury suffered at SummerSlam. Austin responded to this news by delivering the first Stunner to Vince McMahon.

On October 5th, the WWF presented In Your House: Bad Blood. The top match on the card featured Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker in a new match called the Hell in a Cell. The Hell in a Cell match was a steel cage match with a roof covering the cage. However, moments before the pay per view started, the WWF announced that Brian Pillman was found dead in his hotel room earlier that day. An autopsy found that a previously undetected heart condition had led to his death.

The pay per view was held at the Keil Center in St. Louis, MO. Rocky Miavia, D-Lo Brown, & Kama defeated the Legion of Doom in a handicap match. Max Mini & Nova defeated Tarantula & Mosaic. Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Headbangers to win the titles. In the WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals, Owen Hart pinned Farooq. Crush, Chainz, Skull, & 8-Ball defeated Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jose Estrada, & Jesus Castillo. WWF World Champion Bret Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated the Patriot & Vader in a flag match. WWF European Champion Shawn Michaels pinned the Undertaker in a non-title Hell in a Cell match after Paul Bearer and Kane came ringside. Kane ripped the door off the cage, and hit the tombstone on the Undertaker before leaving ringside. Due to prematch stipulations, Michaels earned a world title shot for the Survivor Series.

The last three months of 1997 would be one of the most controversial times in WWF history. Next week’s “Piledriver Report” will focus on this period in time.

Sources used for this article included www.thehistoryofwwe.com, www.wikipedia.com, and “Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story.”