[narrator] In over 100 countries,
in seven different languages,
to more than a half billion viewers each week.
The World Wrestling Entertainment,
the worldwide leader in sports entertainment.
[alarms blaring]
["Thorn In Your Eye" playing]
♪ Yeah! ♪
♪ Too much dark, and not enough sky ♪
♪ Why am I the thorn in your eye ♪
[fireworks explode]
[crowd cheering]
[Jim] You're looking at the most fun-loving,
the most enthusiastic,
the most raucous fans in the world.
No, it's not the Super Bowl.
It's not the World Series.
This is Monday Night Raw.
We are sold out in Atlantic City.
And this upcoming interview should answer all the questions.
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome,
one of the all-time World Wrestling Entertainment greats,
"Ravishing" Rick Rude!
[upbeat music playing]
[Jim] "Ravishing" Rick Rude on his way to the ring.
Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler here at ringside.
Vince McMahon, as you can see, in the ring,
and certainly "Ravishing" Rick Rude shocked the world
last Monday night on Raw.
-Cut the music. -[music stops]
What I'd like to have right now,
is for all you fat,
out of shape,
Atlantic City sweathogs…
[Jerry laughs]
[crowd booing]
…button your lips,
open your eyes,
and pay attention to what a real man has to say.
[crowd booing]
Well, Mr. Rude, I wanted to take you back to last week if you don't mind.
Seems to me the more things change,
the more they stay the same, to a certain extent.
We saw you last week, however,
in somewhat of a different capacity here in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
It was as if you were acting as an insurance policy
or something of that sort.
Would you-- Would you care to elaborate?
What I am, McMahon, is an insurance salesman,
whether it be short term, long term,
life, disability, or accidental.
You supply the buck,
I supply the bang.
Well, you certainly supplied the "bang" last week
as it relates to Mankind,
and I wonder if you would care to let us in on who your benefactor,
is or was.
Just who paid that premium last week?
Was it Shawn Michaels?
Was it Hunter Hearst-Helmsley?
Who paid the premium?
That's something you don't need to know, McMahon.
Let's just say,
I was paid a handsome sum to get the job done.
Because I am the guardian shield.
You supply the money, Rick Rude supplies the muscle.
You know, McMahon, you can never have enough insurance.
As a matter of fact, it looks like you might need a little more yourself.
[chuckles] That might be true,
but I wonder if some other WWE superstar
might be in need of some insurance tonight.
Let's just put it this way.
Like a good neighbor,
Rick Rude's always there.
I see, Mr. Rude,
surely you would be here for someone else
who could use your services then here tonight, am I correct?
What I'm trying to tell you,
is that if you're wise, you look to all the piece of the Rude.
If you wanna be in good hands,
get Rude.
It pays.
I can imagine it does.
But let's face it, what we're talking about here is
one of the oldest rackets in the world, right.
We're talking about the protection racket, right, protection.
Get it through your thick skull, McMahon.
What I'm trying to tell you is to get the premium,
you've got to pay the premium.
And once that premium has been paid in full,
somebody is in for a rude awakening.
Hit the music!
[upbeat music playing]
[Jim] I'm not sure where he answered all the questions.
[Vince] "Ravishing" Rick Rude!
[Jim] We thought we would,
but certainly, "Ravishing" Rick Rude is in the building.
And King, that's gonna make some folks feel a little bit uncomfortable.
Well, I would think that it would make some folks feel very comfortable.
He's insurance. Like he said, you're in good hands with Rick Rude.
Ladies and gentlemen,
tonight we are going to share with you an exclusive interview
that have the opportunity to conduct this morning in Philadelphia
with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
He talks about his injury and his future. But King, that's not all.
[Lawler] You're right. That's not all.
There's gonna be a match tonight that's gonna feature a lot of firsts.
For the first time ever,
Hunter Hearst-Helmsley is gonna team with Shawn Michaels,
and for the first time ever,
Shawn Michaels is gonna be going against
The Undertaker and his partner, Mankind.
What a match.
[Jim] That's not all ladies and gentlemen, great tag team action also coming up next.
Hawk and Animal, The Legion of Doom,
have a big score to settle with The Hart Foundation.
And it's gonna be a tremendous tag team match-up.
As a matter of fact,
we have some comments from Owen Hart and the British Bulldog
about their match.
That is next.
LOD, tonight is just a small preview of what you're gonna get at Ground Zero.
As soon as we get in the ring with you tonight, we are gonna destroy you.
And then at that Fatal 4-Way, LOD,
when you get In the ring with The Hart Foundation,
it is gonna be fatal.
Oh, what a rush.
[Vince] We welcome you back ladies and gentlemen, to Raw.
Of course, what you're looking at is the old Atlantic City,
the way it used to be.
[Lawler] Had you a ride in one of those, McMahon?
[Vince laughs] Could have been.
And now we are live, ladies and gentlemen.
Yes, the new Atlantic City.
[Lawler] Watch it, you'll get mugged out there.
-Oh, stop it. -[Lawler] What?
[Vince] And we're told however
that Sgt. Slaughter is having a rather heated discussion
with Shawn Michaels,
and you can bet Shawn Michaels is not happy one bit
about being told to wrestle here tonight, ladies and gentlemen.
Hopefully, we will get some comments from Shawn Michaels momentarily.
But right now…
[announcer] With a 20-minute time limit,
making their way to the ring, at a combined weight of 480 pounds,
the two-time Slammy award winning Owen Hart
and the World Wrestling Entertainment European Champion, British Bulldog!
[Vince] The British Bulldog with the union flag in hand,
along with the European title, along with his brother-in-law,
the Slammy award-winning
and former Intercontinental Champion, Owen Hart, ladies and gentlemen.
They're gonna participate in something known as a Fatal 4-Way, right, JR?
[Jim] No doubt about it.
On Sunday, September the 7th, from Louisville, Kentucky.
By the way, that event is absolutely sold out in Louisville Gardens.
There'll be four teams
in a four team elimination tag team match-up.
There you see them on your screen, LOD, The Godwinns, The Hart Foundation,
and Dude Love, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
It's gonna be a rush!
["What a Rush" playing]
[announcer] And their opponents,
from Chicago, Illinois,
at a combined weight of 547 pounds,
Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal, The Legion of Doom!
[Jim] What a pay-per-view event it's gonna be,
Sunday, September 7th from the sold-out Louisville Gardens.
Four teams, one title, and it's gonna be on the line.
[Lawler] Look at these signs, McMahon. Where's your sign?
[Vince] Listen to them.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Atlantic City, wild about the Road Warriors.
Let's take you back to last week, ladies and gentlemen.
And Road Warrior Hawk not doing all that well
during that country reaping lash.
Look at this!
[Jim] Hawk being hung, and then being lashed
with that leather strap by Phineas until Animal was able to get in the ring.
Lot of bad blood between the Godwinns and The Legion of Doom.
[Lawler] Hawk wasn't doing some of it, maybe he was just kind of hanging around.
[Vince] Leaders of destruction, could very well be, yes.
Animal and Hawk, they are American originals.
They are locked up with many say,
the finest tag team all around combination in the history of the WWE,
the Bulldog and Owen Hart.
[Jim] I certainly could not disagree with that.
The Bulldog, a proud athlete from Manchester, England.
Of course, the WWE is gonna be in Birmingham, England
at NEC on Saturday night, September 20th.
But Owen Hart's speed and technical ability,
you don't get any better than The Hart Foundation.
[Vince] When it comes to brute raw power, how about that for athleticism.
Look at this, off the rope now, and Animal, whoa!
And right down on his forearm
and I'm not surprised if he didn't break his arm.
-Owen Hart came right down on his forearm. -[Lawler] That's a bad arm he had too.
[Vince] And look out, oh!
Right into Hawk.
Animal winding up and tagging in Hawk,
as Hawk takes over on Owen Hart.
[Vince] We mentioned that Fatal 4-Way
yet to come ladies and gentlemen, later on tonight.
-[Lawler] Look out! -Uh-oh, look out and…
-[Lawler] No! -Oh!
[Vince] That could do it.
Elbow, look at this now.
And Owen Hart-- No.
For a moment it appeared as though he might be in a vulnerable position.
Owen ever resilient, to the buckle,
and following right there, what a clothesline there.
Owen Hart to the buckle again and oh-- No.
[Lawler] Oh, yeah!
[Vince] Nobody there.
[Jim] Hawk struck the steel post with his shoulder.
[Vince] And look at-- Look at the Bulldog.
Oh!
[Jim] And again that shoulder ram into the steps.
[Vince] And the Bulldog, ever the opportunist,
now with Hawk, shoves him right back in,
perhaps ripe for the picking for his brother-in-law Owen.
[Vince] At Fatal 4-Way, the tag team title is up for grabs
for the first time ever in that capacity,
and later on,
JR is gonna be speaking with no less than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[crowd cheering]
[Jim] I had a chance to talk to Austin this morning in Philadelphia.
Certainly, his language is somewhat colorful.
I'll warn you of that now.
[Vince] And look at the strength of the Bulldog.
[Jim] Tremendous power by the European Champion.
[Vince] And a cover, we get two,
and a kick-out.
[Jim] Well, the Bulldog is pumped up
about returning to his mother country in the UK.
Saturday night, September 20th, Birmingham NEC.
What a homecoming it's gonna be for Davey Boy Smith, the British Bulldog.
[Vince] Bulldog tightening his grip a bit on Road Warrior Hawk.
[Lawler] Squeezing.
[Vince] Beg your pardon?
[Lawler] Squeezing him!
[Vince] Sgt. Slaughter, we're told, is quite busy with Shawn Michaels,
who apparently is having a temper tantrum in the locker room area.
[Lawler] Let me get something straight.
Is it Sgt. Slaughter or Commissioner Slaughter?
[Vince] It's Commissioner Slaughter. Beg your pardon.
[Jim] He's been promoted from Sergeant to Commissioner.
[Vince] Big job.
[Vince] Owen Hart and the British Bulldog thus far doing a pretty good job now
of keeping Hawk away from tagging his partner Animal.
[Vince] Owen Hart from way across the other side of the ring.
And that might be enough-- No.
[Jim] We talked about the Road Warriors' power.
We see the power of Hawk, the upper body strength.
He's able to survive that lateral press,
but now Hawk finds himself in no man's land.
[Lawler] Yes!
[Lawler] Look out.
[Vince] And Animal being escorted back by the official,
again now the double team effort continues.
[Vince] Capacity crowd on hand, ladies and gentlemen,
here at the Convention Center, the site of the Miss America Pageant.
And the only thing that might resemble that, I don't know.
-I'm told that Sunny is going to join us. -[Lawler] Oh, yeah!
[Vince] But I was saying that something might resemble that.
But it might be Brian Pillman a little bit later on.
Mr. Pillman-- Oh, look out, double clothesline.
[Jim] Great move there by Hawk knocking down the Bulldog,
LOD wanted us to say a very special at all their fans in Chicago.
The Legion of Doom will be ready to fight
when they get to the Rosemont Horizon this Saturday Night.
-[Vince] Oh! -[Lawler] Whoa!
[Vince] They're ready right now!
[Vince] Animal.
And Owen Hart-- body drop.
And Bulldog gets nailed off the apron.
[Vince] And-- Uh-oh.
Trouble right there for Owen Hart.
[Vince] Into a cover,
and Bulldog over to make sure there was no one, two, three,
risking disqualification.
[Vince] Oh!
[Jim] Spinning heel kick by Owen Hart, out-quickening Animal.
More technique, and here come the Godwinns.
[Vince and Jim] What?
[Jim] Henry and Phineas are coming.
[Vince and Jim] Powerslam!
[Vince] One, two, and--
Bulldog again to make sure there was no one, two, three.
But now, we've got four individuals.
Well actually, look at this. The Godwinns are in there.
Wait a minute. Oh, no!
[Jim] Oh, my god. Did you hear that?
Did you hear the crack?
[Vince] That would have knocked down a horse.
[bell ringing]
[Vince] Henry Godwin behind the official's back,
and look what they're doing now!
[Vince] A lot of bad blood between the Godwinns and LOD.
No doubt about that.
[Vince] However there gonna be four teams in that Fatal 4-Way and--
-[Vince] Look at this. -[Lawler] Look at this!
[Jim] Bulldog and Owen are now fighting the Godwinns.
[Vince] And it's every team or every man for himself,
so to speak, in there.
Just the way it will be when Stone Cold and Dude Love
[bell ringing]
join this Fatal-4-Way.
It is gonna be a melee, no doubt about that.
[Vince] And Phineas…
and Henry on the outside.
[Jim] I wouldn't wanna be the Godwinns
this Saturday night in Chicago at the Rosemont.
[Vince] And they are ready to go.
The Godwinns would love to get their hands back on LOD,
and obviously with the result that we saw here earlier on,
LOD would like to get up and be in there with The Godwinns.
["What a Rush" playing]
[Vince] Let's go back and show you
what Henry Godwin did behind the official's back.
[Lawler] Yeah. He brings that old down hall bucket into the ring.
O-ho. Beautiful.
-[Vince] There's a dent in the bucket. -[Jim laughs]
[Vince] And Animal somehow is on his feet.
[Lawler] Let's check out the dent in Animal's head.
["What a Rush" playing]
[Vince] Scheduled on little later on, ladies and gentlemen,
JR had the privilege of speaking with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
That's right.
Earlier in Philadelphia in a hotel room, JR spoke with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
Here's the bite.
WWE put me in a room like this, with all these fruits and trash like this.
You want a pear, you want an apple, you want a banana or something,
make yourself at home, man.
But if you got questions to ask,
go ahead and ask them because I'm getting a little tired of you.
[Vince] And tonight, the first, yeah, night of firsts,
we got Mankind and The Undertaker teaming up first time,
and Shawn Michaels and Hunter teaming up,
and here's Mankind and his comment.
My mind has not yet forgiven you,
and my body cannot forget!
But now, Undertaker,
the World Wrestling Entertainment says we've got to be a team.
So who knows,
I may be the most loyal partner you've ever had,
or I might be the final nail in your coffin!
I guess we'll find out together.
Have a nice day.
[Vince] Welcome back everyone to Atlantic City,
of course the site of the Miss America pageant,
as always since 1928.
Tonight, the site of WWE Raw.
[Lawler] Looks like they gave a beauty contest nobody won.
[Vince] Standing by right now, Shawn Michaels.
Mr. Michaels, why are you so upset?
Why am I so upset?
Because you and the rest of the World Wrestling Entertainment
are still giving me the shaft.
Everybody knows that what happened at SummerSlam is a job I had to do.
And up to this point, everything I've done has been a mistake.
And you people are painting me into a corner,
and when you paint me into a corner, all the mistakes stopped.
I got news for you-- No, I'm getting so sick and tired of this.
You are throwing me to the lions.
I'm not supposed to be with The Undertaker until Ground Zero.
You got me out there with him, Mankind, Hunter Hearst-Helmsley,
he's not my tag team partner, I don't have tag team partners.
You Caesar,
are throwing this young Catholic boy to the lions once again.
You always do that,
and you and the World Wrestling Entertainment
is gonna pay.
You paint me into a corner, you're gonna get what is coming to you.
Believe me when I tell you.
["I Know You Want Me" playing]
[Vince] Speaking of what's coming to you.
Shawn Michaels very upset, and I'm sure he would be.
[announcer] …Sunny!
[Vince] Because indeed,
I'm sure Mr. Michaels thought that he had plenty of time
until later on in September at Ground Zero on September 7th,
when he was gonna face The Undertaker,
but that's just too bad because tonight,
Michaels is in tag team action,
and one of this opponents is The Undertaker.
[Jim] Well, there's no doubt
that Shawn Michaels would love to have waited until September 7th
on pay-per-view to get his hands on The Undertaker or vice versa.
That's not the case, it's gonna be a war, right here tonight live.
[Lawler] Hey Ross, how about shutting up so we can listen to Sunny? Whoo!
[Vince] Sunny, the guest ring announcer.
[Lawler] Maybe we can just look at her.
Are you all ready for the next match-up?
[Brian Christopher theme playing]
First introducing,
[Brian Christopher theme playing]
from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Okay? Ready or not.
-[Sunny] [indistinct] -[Vince] Well, it seems as though…
From Memphis, Tennessee,
weighing 214 and one quarter pounds,
he is too sexy,
I know it, you know it, and most of all, he knows it,
-he is Brian Christopher! -[Lawler] Let me tell you something.
[Vince] What's that? What?
[Lawler] There's no way that Brian Christopher
is gonna wait in the back while Flash Funk makes a grand entrance.
Christopher has got to be first, he's number one,
and Flash Funk is just gonna be old news after this.
[Vince] Yeah, well, Brian Christopher had his pre-recorded comments,
ladies and gentlemen, to say about Flash Funk.
[Vince] High ambitions, Brian Christopher.
Last time I was on Monday Night Raw, I got beat,
but that was a fluke, it will never happen again.
Tonight, just to prove that I can beat anybody,
I want you, Flash Funk.
I want a Heavyweight.
And when I'm through with you, we're gonna call you a flash in the pan!
[cackles]
[Vince] The Light Heavyweight contender, ladies and gentlemen, Brian Christopher.
["Can't Get Enough" playing]
[Sunny] …weighing 643 pounds,
Flash Funk!
[Lawler] How about putting the camera on either Sunny or Brian Christopher?
[Vince] Flash Funk, ladies and gentlemen.
Certainly ready to meet the Light Heavyweight contender,
no doubt about that.
He is always ready and tonight is no exception.
Here, we have these pre-recorded comments.
Brian Christopher, Jerry "The King" Lawler,
you say you got something to prove, I'll fight in the Heavyweight.
If you think you can use Flash as a stepping stone,
you got another thing coming.
When you step to the ring,
I'm gonna stick my foot right down your throat.
[Vince] All the way down.
[Lawler] What's he including me in there for, McMahon?
-[Jim] 'Cause you're his father, King. -Oh, shut up.
Ross, I've had just about enough out of you.
Well, let me know when you get enough, will you?
-Yeah. I will, you know it. -All right.
[Vince] Flash Funk now ready to lock up with Brian Christopher.
[Lawler] Just because I admire that young man,
he has a lot of talent, a lot of ability,
and also just because he comes to me for advice?
He looks up to a true professional like myself.
[Jim] You're in the 25 percentile, King.
[Lawler] What?
[Jim] 25 percent of Americans say they're good at lying.
You perfected it. It's an art form for you.
[Lawler] Yeah, right.
[Lawler] There's an art form right there. Brian Christopher.
[Vince] Brian Christopher, knowing full well he needs this victory
going into the match at Ground Zero with Putski.
I would suggest he obviously wants to build a bit of momentum,
but he might be biting off a little bit more than he can chew
here with Flash Funk.
[Lawler] Just because he moved right on up into the Heavyweight division?
You see what he's doing so far? It's no problem. No sweat.
[Jim] I don't know if he's Roy Jones Jr. or not,
who also is gonna be moving up in classification, or so he says.
[Lawler] Wait a minute. Roy-- Now, I guess Roy Jones' is his father.
-[Lawler] Boy, I'll tell you something. -[Jim laughs] Well, you never know.
[Vince] All right now. Off the rope, Brian Christopher.
Very athletic and… here we go, Flash Funk with a big slam there.
Funk over the hip.
And Flash put-- Oh, forget about It.
And that's the difference between the Light Heavyweights
and the Heavyweights.
-[Jim] Flash not weighing-- -[Vince] The impact!
[Jim] Christopher about 30 pounds.
[Vince] Oh!
[Vince] And Flash Funk--
Look at that maneuver, would you?
Over the top rope. Unbelievable.
-[Lawler] Look out, Brian! -[Vince] Look out, oh!
[Vince] And Brian Christopher is being beaten from pillar to post.
Look out! Here comes Funk.
Oh wow. Thank goodness.
[Vince] Oh, he is so funky.
[Lawler] Yeah. Get in there and slap the funk out of him.
It's all you got to do.
[Vince] Brian Christopher just about as tough as they come.
He's right back in there notwithstanding being dropkicked
over the top rope
and then careening into that retaining barrier.
[Lawler] Almost as tough as me, McMahon, and, you know, he's got a lot of moves.
I wanna tell you something.
You know, he's got a Superkick that's right up there with Shawn Michaels,
but, you know what I wanted him to do?
I'm trying to get him to perfect--
-Oh. That was beautiful. -[Vince] It was.
[Lawler] I'm trying to get him to use a Piledriver.
When he gets ready to finish off some shmuck like this Flash Funk,
well, I want him to use the Piledriver.
[Vince] Kind of like the way Owen Hart used it on Stone Cold.
[Lawler] That would be beautiful. Look at this!
[Vince] Dropkick from behind the head. You saw Flash Funk's head snap over.
Unbelievable. What a maneuver there by Brian Christopher.
-[Lawler] Oh yeah. -[Vince] And this one is over.
[Vince] This young man certainly likes to show,
but why didn't he go for a cover there with Funk?
Brian Christopher. There we go.
[Lawler] He likes to deliver just a little more punishment.
Give him a Piledriver, Brian!
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Brian Christopher, who has taken the Light Heavyweight division
pretty much by storm, with the only exception of Taka Michinoku.
Oh my goodness.
-What a match-up that was, JR. -[Jim] Certainly was.
[Jim] Taka Michinoku scored the upset on Brian Christopher couples week ago.
[Lawler] I'm gonna get him to do a Piledriver. Hang on.
[Vince] Where are you-- What do you mean? Hey, King.
[Jim] Yeah, he's gonna go talk to beaver.
[Lawler] Brian, hey!
-[Jim] Where's June? Oh she-- -Hit him with a Piledriver.
-She's getting the alimony. -Piledrive him!
[Vince] Jerry "The King" Lawler giving instruction to Brian Christopher
up on the top rope, and here comes Flash Funk. Oh.
[Jim] I guess The King may never be a grandfather,
but that's a good thing.
[Vince] And Flash Funk back, can he capitalize?
Flash Funk up to the outside now.
Up on the top rope.
This could be [indistinct]. Look at this. Oh!
Unbelievable impact!
And Flash Funk gets the victory.
-[bell ringing] -[crowd cheering]
["Can't get Enough" playing]
[Jim] She warned you're a little rough on the beaver tonight.
[Sunny] And your winner, Flash Funk!
[Vince] And Brian Christopher takes advice from Jerry "The King" Lawler,
and pays the price for it.
[Vince] Let's go back and take a look at what happened.
You see The King here and Brian Christopher
having a rather heated discussion.
Look at this maneuver.
That's one of the most devastating maneuvers in all of the WWE.
When Funk hits this, it's goodbye.
[Jim] A 450 splash, the funky splash flash,
and what about father and son reunion here.
[Vince] Uh-oh. And a big time disagreement.
[inaudible arguing]
[Vince] Still to come here tonight, ladies and gentlemen,
that exclusive interview
that JR conducted earlier on this morning from Philadelphia.
[Vince] "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and he had a great deal to say to JR.
We'll pick up this small little bite.
So I was supposed to see the top guy,
the top sparring guy in the country tomorrow here in Philadelphia,
and see what he has to say.
And it doesn't matter really what he says, the end result, the decision is mine.
[Jim] And ladies and gentlemen, how would they co-exist,
for the first time ever, The Undertaker and Mankind
will join forces to meet Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst-Helmsley.
It's so unpredictable, it's gonna be a war,
and standing by now, the man from the dark side.
They say patience is a virtue,
but when it comes to Shawn Michaels, mine has run out.
Shawn Michaels, you're not gonna make it to Ground Zero,
because tonight, I settle the score.
And Mankind,
I never forgive, and I never forget.
You get out of line,
and I'll take you out just like Shawn Michaels.
[Vince] Welcome back, everyone.
Tonight, Raw is brought you by the Discovery Zone.
It's the ultimate entertainment spot and it's just for kids.
Go to your nearest Discovery Zone and get a free WWE poster.
DC, where kids wanna be.
[Vince] And the Sultan now,
awaiting the presence, ladies and gentlemen,
of the World's most dangerous man, Ken Shamrock.
However right now, we're told that Sgt. Slaughter
is having discussions with Hunter Hearst-Helmsley.
And seeing as though Mr. Helmsley is--
Rumor has it, trying to get out of this tag match
with the--
[Jim] For some reason, it seems that Helmsley and Shawn Michaels
are not pleased either to be partners,
or more specifically, to be in this match at all.
[announcer] His opponent, from Susanville, California,
weighing in upto 235 pounds,
the World's most dangerous man, Ken Shamrock!
["The Ultimate" playing]
[Vince] Tremendous ovation for Ken Shamrock,
who is all business. The Submission Specialist.
And when he is in the zone, nobody can beat him,
nobody, not a man on the face of the earth.
[Lawler] That's taking him quite a lot of territory, McMahon.
[Vince] Recently, this past Saturday,
Ken Shamrock, running a tremendous Battle Royal,
took place in Boston at the Fleet Center,
Boston, of course the home of Wrestlemania XIV.
At the Fleet Center, Shamrock victorious in the Battle Royal.
However, individual competition.
[Lawler] Yeah, but he only beat like 19 guys, right?
[Vince] What do you mean, only?
[Lawler] Well, not every man on earth was in there.
[Vince laughs] No, that's true.
[Vince] The Sultan, who outweighs Ken Shamrock
by quite a substantial margin.
[Vince] They have some degree of advantage as far as strength is concerned,
at least in the earlier moments of match-up.
[Vince] Downstairs, another shot there by the Sultan.
The Sultan, setting up Shamrock now, lifts him over the hip.
Nope, bit of a block there, and it's the Sultan who goes over.
And right on, and very quick into the rope.
[Vince] Shamrock lets go of that ankle submission.
-[Vince] Whoa! And oh, he was caught. -[Jerry laughs]
[Vince] Shamrock, trying a more traditional maneuver,
was caught there by the Sultan.
[Lawler] Oh, no.
[Vince] When Shamrock does what he does best, nobody can beat him.
-And that's a-- Oh, the clothesline. -[Lawler] Ah!
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Some say the only thing that can defeat Shamrock
would be Shamrock himself,
if he tries to adapt too quickly in a different style.
[Jim] That, and of course, Shamrock is so intense.
You know, when he was young, they said he was un-coachable.
He's the guy that ran away from home at the age of 10,
and lived in cardboard boxes and abandoned automobiles
for several years.
[Vince] Oh, no. Oh, no!
[Lawler] He didn't run away from home. I know the real story.
He went to school one day, and while he's gone, his parents moved.
[Jim] Sheik, he just broke that flag stick right over the back of Shamrock.
[Vince] Shamrock accustomed to No Holds Barred fighting,
he is not exactly accustomed to-- for this kind of [indistinct]
[Lawler] Look at this!
[Vince] And now, the Sultan trying to take over.
[Lawler] Trying to?
[Vince] We have a count and not much of a cover there.
Last week, of course it was Ken Shamrock victorious,
when he was chosen by The Patriot to be his tag team partner.
Quite a victory last week.
Shamrock in individual competition now--
-[Vince] Ooh! -[Lawler] Oh, man.
[Vince] Now let's see if Shamrock can capitalize.
[Vince] Succession of right hands and…
-[Lawler] Whoa! -Shamrock, a very strong young man.
[Vince] Off the ropes, oh, the clothesline there.
[Lawler] Wow!
[Jim] Tremendous velocity by the powerful Ken Shamrock.
The first super flight champion of the ultimate fighting world.
[Vince] And here we go. This is the-- This has been with Shamrock.
[Lawler] The Sheik!
[Vince] The Sheik better stay down.
[Lawler] Hey.
[Lawler] What?
[Vince] Shamrock is pulling The Sheik into the ring and-- Look out!
[crowd cheering]
[Lawler] He suplexed The Iron Sheik!
[Vince] Whoa!
[Jim] Hurricanrana by Shamrock.
[Lawler] He's going nuts again. Get in there, Ross.
[Vince] Shamrock's getting this. Oh there it is. There it is right there.
[Jim] The ankle lock by Shamrock.
[Lawler] Oh, wait--
[Vince] Oh, look at that ankle, it's been over tackle.
[bell ringing]
["The Ultimate" playing]
[announcer] Here is your winner,
the World's most dangerous man, Ken Shamrock!
[Vince] Ken Shamrock victorious, ladies and gentlemen.
[Vince] That dreaded submission hold,
and he is adored by all these WWE fans
jam-packing the Atlantic City Convention Hall.
[Vince] Let's go back and take another look at the way
Shamrock defeated the Sultan.
[Vince] Although, as we stated before,
when Shamrock is doing what he does best, he's unbeatable.
Here and here.
[Jim] Shamrock using a move very unusual, the hurricanrana for a street fighter.
And now it's the ankle lock.
-[Jim] Look at the angle. -[Vince] Oh, look at that.
[Jim] Look at the position of the ankle right there.
[Lawler] That foot's not supposed to go that way.
[Vince] No, it's not.
[Vince] Yet to come ladies and gentlemen,
of course that extraordinary first ever tag team match-up,
Shawn Michaels, reluctant as he may be,
Helmsley, reluctant as he may be,
teaming up to face another team teaming up for the first time,
hopefully, we're not confusing you,
The Undertaker and Mankind, they may not get along.
It seems like nobody wants to have this match.
Why don't that big chimp commissioner just call it off?
All right, JR, let's go to Philadelphia earlier this morning.
Tell us about this extraordinary interview we're about to see now
with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
Well, I found Stone Cold to be just like you thought, folks,
that he's temperamental was--
["We Are The Nation" playing]
I thought we're going to the interview.
I guess we're not.
All right. We will hold that for you.
[Vince] The Nation of Domination on its way down,
ladies and gentlemen, to ringside,
and there with them the newest member of the Nation of Domination, Rocky Maivia!
[Vince] The Nation of Domination.
[Jim] Well, they're not scheduled on a match,
to the best of my knowledge, anyway.
[Lawler] They weren't even scheduled to be here tonight, were they?
[Vince] Think they're pointing-- They're pointing to you, JR.
[Vince] JR, they want you, thank goodness, and not the rest of us.
[Jim] Yeah?
[Lawler] Yeah, we'll sacrifice JR. Go ahead.
The Nation of Domination
apparently requesting an interview, an impromptu one with JR, and--
[crowd chanting] Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks!
[Vince] Ahmed Johnson ex-communicated from the Nation recently,
and Rocky joined just last week here on Raw.
[crowd chanting] Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks!
Now you-- What the heck. You called me out here.
You people want to know what happened with Ahmed Johnson?
Well, I'll tell you what happened with Ahmed Johnson.
What it is, is what I've always known all along.
Here he is, Ahmed Johnson,
and all that thick black skin of him is a white man that's dying to get out.
He wants to be pretty like Shawn Michaels.
He wants to be like Steve Austin.
Well, I got news for you, Ahmed Johnson.
You couldn't be white if they sand blasted your ass 20 times.
And another thing,
you better learn to stand on your own two feet,
because anything in this world than one skin is worth fighting for,
and anybody that's weak like you, does not have a place in the Nation.
And speaking of too weak butt,
Savio Vega crushed his two feet but I took him literally of the trash can.
All right? They are the-- I am the reason that they are successful in the WWE.
I made them.
You wanna tell it to me to a street fight?
Well, I got news for you.
I am the street.
I was raised up in the street.
I'm a product of the street.
I brought the streets to you.
And at Ground Zero at Louisville, I'm gonna play genie.
I'm gonna grant you one last wish.
And this chapter will be the final one in the book.
And you can title this chapter,
"How Farooq kicked those asses at Ground Zero in Louisville,"
and Ahmed Johnson, I want you to take a look at this man right here.
He is a young man that came to the WWE
trying to do things the American way,
but what did you people do?
No. You frowned on him.
He came out here,
kissing babies, shaking hands, helping old ladies across the street,
when he found out, hat is not the way to do it.
Anything in this world that's worth getting,
Rocky Maivia found out that the Nation stands for,
and that is fighting your way through.
Tell them, Rocky.
I got three words.
Die, Rocky, die.
That's the gratitude I get from you pieces of crap,
for all my blood, my sweat, and my tears?
You know, hey, this isn't about the color of my skin.
This is about respect.
I became the youngest Intercontinental Champion in WWE history.
And what did it get me?
In arenas across the country, I heard chants of "Rocky sucks."
[crowd chanting] Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks!
Well, Rocky Maivia is a lot of things, but "sucks" isn't one of them.
You know, hey, that's not a black thing.
It's not a white thing,
and, hey, let's talk about a racist faction.
You wanna talk about a group that's prejudiced?
Let's talk about the DOA.
The DOA epitomizes racism.
But hey, you know what? The hell with the DOA.
I wanna make one point to all you jackass fans out there.
[Lawler] Oh.
Rocky Maivia and the new Nation of Domination
lives, breathes, and dies respect,
and we will earn respect by any means necessary.
[Vince] And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.
[Lawler] Uh-oh.
-[Vince] No, wait a minute. -[unknown] Nation of Domination.
Punks, as far as we're concerned,
you guys ain't much more than the Nation of Constipation.
[Lawler] Oh.
You wanna talk about racism?
Hell, we're just here in the World Wrestling Entertainment
to kick ass and take names.
Well, I got an issue, a little challenge to you punks.
Beat us out here in the parking lot,
man to man, fist to fist,
with no Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter to save your butts.
If you're through running your mouths out there,
bring it on in here if you ain't scared.
[revs motorcycle]
[Vince] I guess they're not afraid.
They're gonna hook up out there in the parking lot somewhere.
Yet to come here tonight ladies and gentlemen,
after this commercial break we'll bring you whatever happened,
plus of course "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
in an exclusive interview that JR conducted earlier this morning.
I figured out 245, 250.
Bam, you get planted on the mat, [bleep] happens.
And for basically about 50 seconds, say, I can move my arms and my legs,
and I didn't know if I ever would move again.
It's pretty damn scary.
[Lawler] And then it's gonna happen tonight,
whether they want it to or not.
Shawn Michaels is gonna team with Hunter Hearst-Helmsley,
going against The Undertaker and Mankind.
[Vince] However, we know them as Goldust and Marlena,
but take a look, ladies and gentlemen.
They're Dustin and Terri Runnels with their beautiful daughter Dakota,
earlier today out on the beach of Atlantic City, just having a blast.
Watch this.
[Lawler] Give me a break.
[Marlena] Woo-hoo!
I got it, Dakota.
Dakota, come do it with me.
Come on.
[Lawler] We are back with some more of sole Atlantic City footage, McMahon.
This is 1920, when you are about 30 years old.
Look, it's the bathing suit police out on the beach [laughs].
[Vince] Standing by, Hunter Hearst-Helmsley.
Mr. Helmsley, we wonder whether or not,
are you afraid of The Undertaker and Mankind?
No. I'm not afraid of the Undertaker. I'm not afraid of Mankind.
McMahon, what are you doing? Shawn Michaels--
[Vince] You have no faith in Shawn Michaels as a partner?
Shawn Michaels does the crime, I pay the time again?
What is this about?
You want a war with Shawn Michaels, you get a war with Shawn Michaels,
but if you want a war with me, you've got one as of today.
-I beg your pardon-- -Undertaker and Mankind--
I'm sorry, we're gonna break away. I'm sorry.
We have this--
We're outside, ladies and gentlemen, we're in the parking.
[indistinct shouting]
-Come on! -Come on!
Disciples of Apocalypse awaiting for the Nation of Domination--
Look out, here they come.
[indistinct shouting]
[Lawler] Whoa!
[motorcycles revving]
[Vince] Whoa!
[Vince] The Boricuas have stolen their bikes.
The Boricuas stole the bikes of DOA.
[Vince] The chase is on.
[Vince] And we are live, ladies and gentlemen.
This capacity crowd here in Atlantic City,
seeing action on the inside,
action on the outside of the Convention Center.
[Lawler] Well, I'll tell you this.
Commissioner Slaughter better get his big chin out there
and get those motorcycles back.
[Vince] And ladies and gentlemen, waiting in the wings is Mr.,
or some would say Mrs. Brian Pillman,
because he's been wearing a dress as of late, for good reason.
[Lawler] You better not say Mrs. Brian Pillman.
[Vince] All right. And Brian Pillman, here he comes.
He's gonna wear that dress until he wins a match on Raw.
[announcer] Weighing in at 230 pounds, "The Loose Cannon" Brian Pillman.
[Lawler] Oh, no!
[Vince] That's a nice--
[Lawler] Oh, no. This--
[Vince] Well, nicer dress than he's been wearing.
[Lawler] This is cruel.
[Vince] The last several weeks, he's been having problems.
[Lawler] Nice cleavage though.
[Vince laughs]
[Vince] Let's show you what's happening with Brian Pillman
over the last two weeks ago,
that's the first time he had to appear in a dress.
It was right after SummerSlam.
It was right after that provision in the contract in a match with Goldust,
and he lost a match, had to wear a dress.
[Lawler] What is this music?
Miss America walking down the ramp or something?
[Vince] And then last week,
that's sort of a plain Gianni Versace, wouldn't you say there?
[Jim] Yeah, a dress to kill for.
[Vince] Well, I don't know about that.
All right, look at-- And look at this one.
Oh, this is a tackier model.
[fan whistling]
[bell ringing]
[Vince] I don't know.
[Jim] Maybe it came from the Loehmann's. He got it on sale.
[Vince] It looks like it might be on sale, but nonetheless, Brian Pillman,
whether he's in a dress or in regular wrestling attire,
he is a very dangerous human being.
-[Lawler] Hey, look at that! -[Vince] Oh, no.
[Lawler] Getting fondled.
You guys can laugh about this if you want to.
[Jim] I ain't laughing about it.
[Lawler] Yeah, Pillman is fixed to go nuts.
He's gonna go postal here on somebody.
[Jim] I think it's absolutely deplorable.
Pillman made a deal.
[Vince] Well, I think it's hardly deplorable at all.
[Lawler] Oh, no!
[Lawler] Oh, boy.
[Vince] I think it's about time
that people started having to do what they say they were gonna do
around here,
and Brian Pillman opened his mouth and it went into the contract.
Indeed, he would wear a dress if he lost the match. He lost the match.
And he's gonna wear a dress, according to Commissioner Slaughter,
until he wins.
And that might be at any moment right now.
[Lawler] I'm gonna tell you something, Loose Cannon is not just a nickname,
he's gonna hurt some people now.
[Vince] Brian Pillman with Jesse James for the ride.
-[Lawler] Oh! -[Vince] Oh, the right-- Look at that!
[Vince] Jesse James hammering away.
Jesse James with Brian Pillman, sets him up and whips him to the buckle.
And here it-- Oh, what a clothesline.
[Vince] Tremendous impact when there's no place for you to go
except right back in the buckle, and then--
-[Vince] From the top! Ah! -[Lawler] Look out Brian!
-[Vince] Nobody there. -[Jerry laughs]
[Jim] Pillman now has an opportunity to put Jesse James away.
[crowd cheering]
[Lawler] Hey.
Hey, what's this?
[Vince] Oh, there he goes.
DDT-- But wait a minute, Goldust.
Goldust is on his way down here.
Wait. Goldust is in the ring.
What's he doing?
[Vince] He's going after Jesse James.
[bell ringing]
[Vince] Why did he--
Why did he do that?
[Vince] Goldust out of nowhere…
[announcer] The winner of this match as a result of outside inference,
"Double J" Jesse James!
[Lawler] What? Wait a minute.
[Vince] Goldust wisely coming down, how about that,
and drops the elbow on Jesse James,
and disqualifies Brian Pillman in the process.
[Lawler] Come on, McMahon. This is some kind-- Look at those idiots.
[Vince] We're gonna try to get a word with Goldust, Michael Cole.
[Cole] Goldust, you interfered in a Brian Pillman match.
What is going on?
Oh, just look at him
in this pretty little frilly gold dress out there.
I just wanted to see him one more week.
Now, next week, he's gonna come out wearing another one.
[Goldust laughs]
[Goldust] Look at how funny this is.
It's unbelievable.
Look at him.
Oh, my gosh, tripping over that bottom--
[Brian] Hey, Goldust.
What?
You think this is a big joke?
You think it's funny for a world class athlete
like Brian Pillman
to come out in front of all of these sick freaks wearing a dress?
Yes, I do think it's funny. [laughs]
You probably would like to get rid of me for good, wouldn't you?
[Goldust] Yeah, sure would. Why don't you get the hell out of here?
You'd probably want to never ever see me again, huh?
Yeah. Why not? Why don't you get out of here?
Well, I'll tell you what.
You promise to give me one more match,
and if you beat me,
I'll leave the WWE forever!
[crowd cheering]
-[Goldust] Forever? -[Lawler] Uh-oh. Uh-uh. Don't do it.
-You're talking about forever, right? -[Vince] Why not?
-[Brian] Forever. -[Jim] Long time.
Well, show me the papers and let me sign.
-[Lawler] No, Pillman, don't do it. -[Brian] But…
if I beat you,
then I get little Marlena
as my personal assistant
for 30 Days, 24 hours a day.
[Goldust] Well, you really must think that I'm out of my mind.
To put my beautiful, lovely wife
on the line for you in a match.
You are stupid.
You are an idiot.
-You're crazy. -[Brian] Losing your guts?
Have you lost your manhood?
[Lawler] Hah.
Just a few seconds ago, you were talking tough.
Oh, how is it Marlena, or should I say Terri, as I know you?
-You shut your mouth right now. -Is he really the big man?
-Hey, did you hear me? -Are you sure he is?
I said shut your mouth.
There's no way in hell that I am wrestling you
with her as a stipulation.
No. That's a no go.
-[Brian] Well… -[Vince] Can't blame him.
You may not be gonna
ever see me again,
but let me let you in on a little secret.
There's always a big part of me around you all the time
because you know your little daughter, Dakota?
She's mine!
She's my love child.
-She's mine. It was so good. -[Marlena] We'll take-- Wait!
[Marlena] Wait! Wait!
[Brian laughs]
-We'll take that challenge. -[Brian] Ooh, yeah.
[Brian] It was good.
Ooh-hoo-hoo.
-[Vince] What is this? -Right there, baby.
[Marlena] We'll take the challenge.
[Marlena] Did you hear me?
-[Vince] Marlena trying to speak-- -We'll take it.
[Vince] Marlena trying to speak to Goldust, stating that…
And also to Brian Pillman that they're gonna take the challenge.
-[Vince] Goldust can't believe it. -[Marlena] We're taking the challenge.
[Brian] Yeah! [laughs]
[Vince] I can't believe this. What--
What do you mean we're taking the challenge? For what?
For what? What?
-What is wrong with you? -[Vince] Misunderstanding here.
[Goldust] I wouldn't do that. Why you wanna do this?
[Vince] Marlena has accepted the challenge, ladies and gentlemen.
[Goldust] This idiot isn't worth that. He's not worth it!
[Vince] Still to come, however,
that first ever tag team match-up, you may never ever see it again as well,
Mankind and The Undertaker teaming up.
They've been brutal enemies up to this date,
against, ladies and gentlemen, teaming up for the first time,
Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst-Helmsley,
all that, right here tonight.
[Jim] Well, that's not all, ladies and gentlemen.
The Patriot, he's on a roll.
He could be the next WWE Champion.
But to do that, he's got to survive tonight,
and survive against this man, Vader.
The colors of The Patriot are red, white, and blue,
but tonight, they're gonna change to black and blue.
Oh, yeah. Because it's time!
Have no fear for it's time, it's Vader time!
[narrator] In over one hundred countries,
in seven different languages,
to more than a half billion viewers each week.
The World Wrestling Entertainment,
the worldwide leader in sports entertainment.
[sirens blaring]
["Thorn In Your Eye" playing]
♪ Yeah! ♪
♪ Too much dark, and not enough sky ♪
♪ Why am I the thorn in your eye ♪
[fireworks explode]
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Look at this sea of humanity,
a jam-packed Atlantic City Convention Center.
[Vince] Look at this,
the personification of the freedom of expression
that are here, ladies and gentlemen, to voice their approval or disapproval.
They brought their signs, and posters, you name it,
they are here to have fun, World Wrestling Entertainment style.
[Vince] It's time for the War Zone.
And…what time is it, JR?
["It's Time" playing]
[Jim] What time is it? It will be Vader time.
[Jim] It is Vader time.
-[Vince] Here comes the Mastodon! -[bell ringing]
[announcer] The following contest is scheduled for one fall,
with a 20-minute time limit.
Making his way to the ring, being accompanied by Paul Bearer,
from the Rocky Mountains,
weighing in at 456 pounds,
the man they call Vader!
[Vince] And look at Paul Bearer's strut, if you will.
[Vince] Paul Bearer, who promises that Kane,
The Undertaker's brother, is alive,
although we have not seen a great deal of evidence to support that.
And now…
Vader to lock up with The Patriot, who's really been on a roll as of late.
[Jim] The Patriot has been as hot as any competitor
in the World Wrestling Entertainment in the last month,
since upsetting Bret Hart in Pittsburgh, at the Igloo,
on the 28th of July,
nobody in the World Wrestling Entertainment
has been on a greater roll than Del Wilkes "The Patriot".
["Medal" playing]
[Vince] And speaking of whom.
[announcer] And his opponent,
from Columbia, South Carolina,
weighing in at 275 pounds,
The Patriot!
["Medal" playing]
[Vince] What an impact this young superstar has made
in such a short period of time here in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
[Vince] He's a big, old fighting gamecock from South Carolina.
[Vince] The Patriot.
[Vince] On a date with destiny perhaps at Ground Zero, September 7th,
when he faces Bret Hart
for the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship.
[Jim] The Louisville Gardens already sold out on September 7th.
The only way to join us is on pay-per-view, ladies and gentlemen.
[bell ringing]
[Vince] At the Ground Zero and-- Oh, wait, just a moment.
[Jim] The WWE Champion, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
[indistinct] polite reception.
[Lawler] Well, The Patriot wants to do some flag waving.
This is America, let's let Bret wave his flag.
[Vince] Oh, look out. Vader attacking The Patriot.
Bret Hart, whether intentional or not, distracting The Patriot.
And look at this Mastodon, he's just hammering The Patriot.
[Vince] Patriot, whipped to the buckle, and here comes-- Oh!
-[Lawler] Oh, oh, yeah. -[Vince] A 400-pounder.
[Vince] What a monster Vader is.
[Jim] If Vader is allowed to slow the pace down and use his mask,
he can be very, very deadly.
[Vince] And keeping his distance
is the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion,
"The Hitman" Bret Hart.
[Lawler] What do you mean keeping his distance?
Are you trying to imply that Bret "The Hitman" Hart is afraid?
He's just up there observing.
[Vince] Well, again, we saw what happened last week.
[Vince] Oh, and The Patriot to the ropes, and the big Mastodon--
Oh, there we go, riding high, way upstairs, The Patriot.
Succession of kicks and the Southpaw laying him in upstairs.
Look out, here comes the--
Look at that.
Patriot now going downstairs and it wraps the-- Oh, oh, wow.
-And Vader is in big time trouble. -[Lawler] Oh, no, no, no!
-[referee] One, two, three, stand up. -[Vince and Jerry] Oh!
[Vince] And that should slow Vader down.
And, again, The Patriot showing us that he will bend the rules,
if not break them, just like everybody else.
[Jim] Well, make the former baby bull come to his milk.
[Vince] Oh!
[Vince] And a risk taker as well.
The cover, the count, and a kick-out by big Vader.
[Vince] And "The Hitman" Bret Hart perhaps getting a closer look to--
Perhaps to pick up a point or two.
[Lawler] Sure, scout the competition. That's smart, McMahon.
[Vince] On the other side and going up high again.
And his turn, no, riding a little too high.
Kick-out by Vader.
[Lawler] Plus Bret can stand back there to just,
he's not like you and Ross,
not nearsighted, I mean, you don't have to have bifocals.
Look at this!
Whoa, squashed him like a bug.
[Jim] 458 pounds right in the sternum of The Patriot.
Both of these men have tremendous reputations in Japan,
two of the biggest international stars ever there.
You slow it down, you got heavy artillery,
and Vader can hammer you.
Vader has also come very close to becoming the WWE Champion
on more than one occasion.
[Vince] Indeed.
And now this is Vader's game.
[Vince] Vader, really slowing down The Patriot.
[Vince] And forget about it.
Oh, and a cover, a count and--
Oh, I thought for sure he got him.
[Jim] It took everything that Patriot had to kick out of that big splash from Vader.
[Vince] And a desperation head butt there, and perhaps another one.
[Vince] And Vader, a kick to the chest area.
Once he has an advantage, he's likely to keep it.
[Jim] Well, he doesn't make too many mistakes
when he gets in the driver seat here.
[Lawler] Well, if Vader can hit him with that Vader Bomb,
he'd be flatter than a pancake.
[Vince] I know that's right. Vader now, dropping the elbow again.
And The Patriot, whether or not he has his mind on this match,
or whether or not he has his mind on
the man standing up there with the Canadian flag,
the WWE Champion, Bret Hart,
you must take these matches one at a time.
[Lawler] You're not kidding.
[Vince] And Patriot questioned he had not signed for this match with Vader.
[Lawler] Oh, look! Here it comes!
Here it comes.
[Vince] Uh-oh.
[Lawler] He just said, "Bret, this is for you."
[Vince] And Vader getting ready to come off and--
Oh!
[Vince] And certainly The Patriot had read the playbook of Vader.
Now The Patriot trying to get himself up.
[Jim] Good opportunity here for The Patriot.
The Patriot's gotta make hay while the sun shines.
He may not get a second chance.
[Vince] And The Patriot-- Oh, yeah.
[Vince] The Patriot with the cover.
Is that enough to put the big man? No, uh-uh.
[Vince] Del Wilkes, The Patriot.
The Southpaw firing up. Here he comes down--
Whoa. What a-- Right into the mouth.
And another cover, hooks the leg,
and-- Oh. That was close.
[Vince] What a match-up.
And "The Hitman" Bret Hart, who has just about seen it all,
watching this match intensely.
[Lawler] I'd say confidently.
-[Vince] And-- -[Lawler] Oh, no!
[Vince] Here's Uncle Slam.
One minute.
He's got the leverage. He's got-- He's got it. He's got it.
-[bell ringing] -[crowd cheering]
["Medal" playing]
[announcer] Here is your winner, The Patriot!
[Lawler] Uncle Slam.
[Vince] And look at this, Bret Hart inching down to the ring.
He better keep his distance.
We know The Patriot will jump right on if he gets too close.
The Patriot with a tremendous victory, ladies and gentlemen,
Perhaps even an upset victory
against this huge Mastodon, the man they call Vader.
[Vince] Oh, wait a minute. Oh!
[Jim] Vader from behind, just nailed The Patriot.
[music stops]
[Lawler] He forgot about Vader. That's a big mistake.
[Vince] And Vader rolling The Patriot Back in the ring.
The match is over.
[bell ringing]
[Vince] And look at this.
[Vince] Vader trying to do more damage to The Patriot.
[Jim] Bret Hart getting a closer look here,
as Vader is extracting some revenge from The Patriot.
[Vince] Oh!
[Vince] And Bret Hart is coming into the ring.
The match is officially over.
[Vince] Bret Hart is coming into the ring, they're trying to keep him out.
And what's Vader doing now?
[Vince] Vader's going upstairs.
[Vince] Uh-- What. Wait a minute.
Vader is gonna--
Look at Bret Hart draping the Canadian flag
over The Patriot.
[inaudible conversation]
[Lawler] Uh-oh.
[Lawler] Look at Vader!
[Vince] The Patriot, look at this. Bret Hart--
[bell ringing]
[Vince] Bret Hart and Vader getting it on.
[Vince] The Bulldog-- The British Bulldog is in the ring.
Here comes Owen Hart.
[Jim] Vader being stomped by The Hart foundation,
but The Patriot is back up.
[Vince] The Patriot and The British Bulldog [indistinct].
[Vince] Patriot going for-- Going for Bret almost.
Oh!
[Vince] And "The Hitman" Bret Hart,
and Commissioner Slaughter now down Here.
Commissioner Slaughter taking control of this.
What a cheap shot by Bret Hart.
How low can they go?
[Vince] Bret Hart, with that smile on his face,
laying the Canadian flag over The Patriot.
["Medal" playing]
[Vince] Bret Hart and The Patriot,
will get it on September 7th on pay-per-view Ground Zero.
[Vince] And The Hitman got perhaps a little dose from his own medicine there
from, of all places, an [indistinct] Vader.
[Vince] Welcome back everyone, to Atlantic City.
Tonight, live inside of the War Zone in Raw.
[Lawler] That's live?
[Vince] That's the way Atlantic City used to look.
Here's the way it looks today.
[Vince] All kinds of action going on here tonight.
Of course, the biggest news of all is right here tonight with us.
[Vince] Big news as well, ladies and gentlemen,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a moment.
[Vince chuckles] Listen to this capacity crowd.
Let's take you back to SummerSlam.
Let's take you now to the Stone Cold story.
Steve Austin.
[Vince] Let's see what Austin can do.
Will he… No. How about that?
[Jim] [indistinct] Tombstone.
Tombstone piledriver [indistinct]
[indistinct] to The Undertaker.
Austin dropped right on his head.
[Vince] [indistinct] Austin is hurt.
[Vince] Hurt badly.
[Jim] Somehow, and Austin now--
Austin driving--
[Lawler] No. He got him!
-[crowd cheering] -[bell ringing]
[Vince] "Stone Cold" Steve Austin won the Intercontinental title
that night at Summerslam.
But, in return, lost all feeling in his extremities,
becoming temporarily paralyzed.
[Vince] Another look now at the video tape shows Austin's spine being compressed,
forced down, causing what is known as spinal shock syndrome,
or more commonly a Stinger.
Here now from a different angle.
Notice the placement of Austin's head, clearly below Owen Hart's legs.
How "Stone Cold" Steve Austin got up from this
is truly nothing short of remarkable.
It's the kind of things
that young men grow up and tell their sons about.
Most mortal men would be on a stretcher,
or in the back of an ambulance,
after receiving a Piledriver like that.
But not the toughest SOB in the WWE.
Fighting the numbness of partial paralysis,
Austin somehow, somewhere, and someplace
found the strength, the courage, and the fight to get to his feet.
Certain circumstances define certain competitors in our sport.
And Steve Austin's intestinal fortitude has defined his continuing legacy
here in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
JR, what was it like interviewing Steve Austin this morning?
Well, Vince, it was a very unique morning to say the least.
I've had better breakfasts, I'll tell you that,
but he's no doubt a man's man, and he's got a great fighting spirit.
As a matter of fact, I wanna say this,
there's a little bit of colorful language in this interview.
So be aware of that.
But this interview occurred this morning in Steve Austin's room
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
All right. Let's take a look.
Steve, I wanna thank you for letting us come in your hotel room.
I know you've got a very busy
and a crucial 24 hour period here in Philadelphia.
You're seeing a specialist for your neck,
but thanks for giving us your time.
You're welcome for the time,
but if you're here to ask questions, you might as well start asking.
Otherwise, I'll throw your ass out the window.
And then to cover the hotel room, this ain't a hotel room I would stay at.
You know, when I got hurt at SummerSlam and I got dumped on my head,
no one called me and said, "Hey, Steve, you okay?"
no one ever sent a card, nothing like that.
Not that I would expect it,
but at least, I would've made a call to see what the hell's going on
with the hottest damn wrestler in the world, but I got nothing.
So the WWE sees fit to put me to room like this,
where there's all this fruit and trash.
You want a pear?
You want an apple? you want a banana or something?
Yeah, make yourself at home, man.
But if you got questions, ask, go ahead and ask them,
because I'm getting a little tired of you.
I'd like to address three things if you don't mind.
-Sure. -One is SummerSlam.
Your paralysis after being driven in the mat
from the Tombstone by Owen Hart.
The second thing is what the doctors have told you.
And thirdly and lastly,
what you perceive your future to be here in the WWE.
Well, let's start with SummerSlam.
The bottom line is, I'm the Intercontinental Champion, right?
-Right. -Well, that's-- That's that.
But aside from that, at the end of the match,
close to the end of the match, when Owen Hart dumped me on my head,
he figured out I weighed 245, 250,
bam, you get planted in the mat, [bleep] happens.
And for basically about 50 seconds, say, I cant move my arms and my leg,
and I didn't know if I ever would move again.
And it was pretty damn scary.
So, you know, I'm through with that.
Looking past that, I've watched that on tape probably 30 or 40 times,
and it still still sucks each time I see it.
But I'm over it, I'm moving around, and I'm happy about that.
But Owen Hart has got hell to pay.
When you get dumped on your head, you get the position that I was put in,
it ain't worth a [bleep].
And I'm just a little bit [bleep] off,
and I'm a not a little bit [bleep] off, I'm a whole lot [bleep] off.
But you know what they say,
it's better to be [bleep] off than [bleep] on.
But Owen Hart has got hell to pay when I come back.
You say you got another question. What was the other question?
Well, the doctors, you've seen several doctors.
Yeah, I've seen a couple of doctors and one guy said,
"Maybe you should do something else."
Well, Steve Austin doesn't do anything else.
What I do is wrestle and I'm the best wrestler in the world,
and can't nobody tell me different.
So I was supposed to see the top spine guy
in the country tomorrow here in Philadelphia,
and see what he has to say.
And it doesn't matter, really, what he says.
The end result, the decision is mine.
He can sit there and say, "Don't do this. Try not to do this, whatever."
But I'm the one who makes the decisions.
So I'll sit there, rethink things, and go from there.
But regardless of what he says, Owen Hart has got hell to pay, you know.
When you do what he did to me, you know,
if it's my last step in life, you can damn well bet
he's gonna get the [bleep] kicked out of him one way or the other.
You know, I don't know when, where, or how, or what, but it's gonna happen.
As far as my future,
don't sit there and try to butt in because I'm talking, right?
As far as my future goes,
hell, like I said, I'll listen what to what the doctor says,
but I'm gonna do what I want.
The future for Steve Austin, as far as I'm concerned,
is to put on his black trunks and black boots and show up.
I'm gonna take a few days off, I'll probably take a few weeks off,
because when you're sitting there at the house,
you watch your film of getting paralyzed for about 50 seconds,
You watch it 30, 40 times, you know, you'll get a little depressed.
So I drank a few a cases of beer. I'll tell you exactly what did.
I just ride around in my Ford, drink a few beers,
and sit there and think about it.
But I'm gonna go and see this doctor and see what he has to say.
But as far as I'm concerned,
the only way I can see my future is to be "Stone Cold" Steve Austin,
continue on right to the top in the WWE, just like dozens have been here.
All the damn bureaucratic red tape, all the bull [bleep] I've been through
has taken me eight years to get to where I'm at right now.
If you think for one split second that a Piledriver is gonna stop me,
it ain't gonna happen.
Did it slow me down? Damn right. But it ain't gonna stop me.
Ground Zero, sub-zero, whatever the heck you wanna call it,
in Louisville, I'll be there,
Whether it's to hand a belt over,
if I decide maybe it's time to hang it up, I'll do that.
I don't think that'll happen.
I think when Ground Zero rolls around, you'll see Stone Cold--
Don't wipe your nose. It pisses me off.
You'll see "Stone Cold" Steve Austin-- And don't smile.
You'll see "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a black pair of trunks
and a black pair of boots,
and I'll out there whipping somebody's ass.
I don't know what kinda match it is, it's some kind of four tag teams,
or some kind of [bleep], is that right?
-That's right. -Okay. Well, I'll be there.
And the-- What gets me is,
is that Steve Austin is in a new level now
because, you know, if I was pissed off before,
I'm a lot more pissed off now,
and that makes me even more dangerous,
not a liability, and that's the bottom line.
You got anything else you want to say?
-No, sir. -Then get the hell out.
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Oh, my goodness.
Up next, ladies and gentlemen,
next, we're talking reluctant tag team partners.
Yes, fasten your seatbelts for this one.
We'll be back with more of the War Zone.
Hah! Stone Cold is something else.
[Vince] We're back.
WWE Ground Zero: In Your House is presented by Stridex.
Triple clean your skin with Stridex medicated pads.
["Ode to Joy" playing]
[bell ringing]
[announcer] The following tag team conjunction
is scheduled for one fall with TV time remaining.
In the ring, being accompanied by Chyna,
from Greenwich, Connecticut,
weighing in at 244 Pounds,
the King of the Ring,
Hunter Hearst-Helmsley!
[Vince] An extraordinary competitor.
This year's King of the Ring, Hunter Hearst-Helmsley,
and Chyna makes him all the more dangerous.
["Sexy Boy" playing]
[announcer] And his tag team partner,
from San Antonio, Texas,
weighing in at 234 pounds,
"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels!
♪ …I'm just a sexy boy ♪
♪ I'm not your boy toy ♪
♪ I'm just a sexy boy ♪
♪ I'm not your boy toy ♪
♪ I make them hot ♪
♪ I make them shiver ♪
♪ Their knees get weak ♪
♪ Whenever I'm around… ♪
[Vince] Whoa!
♪ …They hear me talk ♪
♪ I make them feel like ♪
♪ They're on cloud nine ♪
♪ I'm just a sexy boy ♪
♪ I'm not your boy toy ♪
♪ I'm just a sexy boy ♪
["Schizophrenic" playing]
[Vince] Shawn Michaels is not impressing Chyna,
but you can bet he impressed everyone last week,
one of the great matches that you'll only see in the WWE.
It was a grueling physical encounter
when Michaels and Mankind went at it last week.
As a result of that,
and Helmsley's interaction, and what have you,
Commissioner Slaughter has ordered some reluctant tag team partners.
And what a match-up this is likely to be.
[Jim] The question here is how will all these egos co-exist?
How will the giant ego of Shawn Michaels
and that of Hunter Hearst Helmsley co-exist,
and how can the Undertaker and Mankind forgive and forget?
-[bell tolls] -[Lawler] Oh.
[Lawler] Whoa.
[bell tolls]
[announcer] And his tag team partner,
from Death Valley,
weighing in at 328 pounds,
The Undertaker!
["Rest in Peace" playing]
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] He may not be the World Wrestling Entertainment Champion
due to a fluke,
but he is The Phenom!
[Jim] He is still the man.
Make no mistake about it.
He is still the man.
[Vince] And Shawn Michaels will come face-to-face with The Reaper,
tonight, right here, moments from now,
live, on Raw, from Atlantic City, New Jersey.
-[explosion] -[Vince] Boom!
[fans scream]
[bell tolls]
[Shawn] Give me that thing, you get up here.
You give me the camera, you wrestle. Come on.
Give me-- You wrestle.
[Vince] Shawn Michaels is likely to be very, very reluctant
to lock up with The Undertaker.
[Jim] And The Undertaker has got to be very, very reluctant
to trust Mankind.
[Vince] But nonetheless,
whether it was intentional or unintentional,
Shawn Michaels cost The Undertaker
the World Wrestling Entertainment title at SummerSlam.
No one can deny that,
whether you are a Shawn Michaels fan or not.
[Lawler] No one wants to start this match.
[Vince] The Undertaker does.
[Lawler] Uh-- I think Mankind does.
[Jim] Helmsley and Mankind had a heck of a cage match at SummerSlam.
Their rivalry is far, far from over.
No doubt about that.
[Vince] And here they go.
We might pick up right where we left off at SummerSlam.
Hunter Hearst-Helmsley and Mankind.
[Vince] Mankind in an unbelievable unruly match-up
we alluded to earlier last week
with Shawn Michaels and- Oh! Helmsley.
Now, look at this. Here comes Shawn Michaels.
[Vince] Whoa!
[Vince] Shawn Michaels being hammered by Mankind.
Hunter Hearst-Helmsley hammered.
Thus far, Mankind pretty much in control.
[Vince] And the official will have some degree of difficulty
maintaining order in this match.
Oh, no.
[Lawler] Here's a little team work. Uh-oh, look out.
[Vince] Yeah, but look at Mankind. Mankind fighting his way out of it!
[Vince] It remains to be seen just how effective
Hunter Hearst-Helmsley and Shawn Michaels will be as a team.
[Jim] And Undertaker tagged in Mankind,
and Shawn Michaels makes a quick exit.
Helmsley is the legal man in the ring.
Come on, you get him. You get him.
[Vince] And some encouragement by Shawn Michaels,
as Hunter Hearst-Helmsley will now enter the ring.
[Vince] And Undertaker distracted by Michaels,
and Hunter Hearst-Helmsley certainly taking full advantage.
And look at this. Look at Shawn Michaels.
-[Lawler] There you go! -[Vince] He is quick as a cat.
[Jim] Michaels can certainly be an antagonist.
And look at the power.
Look at Michaels trying to distract the Undertaker,
and he succeeded.
[Vince] Whoa, and over the top!
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] And Michaels on the apron.
Oh!
[Jim] And he got some of that glancing Sweet Chin Music.
Undertaker now at a disadvantage,
and Michaels is ready and happy to get the tag when the Undertaker--
[Vince] I beg your pardon. Michaels is just so quick.
He's just wearing the Undertaker out.
Michaels is lightning-like fast.
[Lawler] You said he's charismatic somewhat, whoa, he's opportunistic.
He better take the opportunity to leave, and he did.
Hey, what's he doing?
Come on!
[Lawler] Look at Shawn!
[Lawler] He's calling.
[Vince] Uh-oh. Wait a minute. Wait just a moment.
Can this be the insurance policy, walking down to ringside?
Stay with us, ladies and gentlemen. We'll take this break.
[Vince] We're live, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back.
Reluctant tag team match-ups signed by Commissioner Slaughter.
And now just tagging in Hunter Hearst-Helmsley.
It's Helmsley now against Mankind.
[Lawler] Here we go.
-[Lawler] Ah! -[Vince] Look at this!
[Lawler] The claw.
[Vince] Mandible Claw applied on Helmsley.
[Vince] And Chyna behind the official's back.
-[Vince] Oh. -[Lawler] Oh-ho-ho!
[Vince] And Chyna, the bodyguard of Hunter Hearst Helmsley,
took Mankind's feet right out from under him,
and split the post with his legs.
[Lawler] She can be a real difference maker.
[Jim] And now Shawn Michaels has the tag.
No Undertaker in there.
[Vince] And-- Oh!
Undertaker yet to get his hands on Shawn Michaels.
[Vince] And there's some of that athleticism we alluded to.
No question, Shawn Michaels, whether you like him or not,
truly one of the great athletes of our era.
Maybe any era.
[Vince] Tag was made.
Beautiful maneuvering on the part of Shawn Michaels.
A clothesline, brought him down.
[Jim] High and low and then to the knee.
What a beautiful move.
[Vince] And that's a first effort--
Here we go and the tag--
No, first effort we have seen
on the part of Michaels and Hunter Hearst-Helmsley
in terms of tag team coordination.
[Jim] Great move, showed teamwork.
It showed that they have spoken.
[Vince] Uh-oh, right out here in front of us now. Be careful.
[Vince] Hunter Hearst-Helmsley with Mankind,
and Shawn Michaels attacking Helmsley from behind.
So from a tag team stand point, it would appear…
-[Lawler] Look out! -[Vince] Oh, no.
that Michaels and Helmsley
seem to be coordinated a bit better than Mankind and the Undertaker.
[Vince] Mankind and The Undertaker have been bitter rivals in the past.
And there you see "Ravishing" Rick Rude
in the lower portion
of the right end portion of the of the screen there.
Just a moment ago,
the insurance policy that Michaels was waving down earlier.
[Lawler] I think Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst-Helmsley
have resigned themselves to the fact that if they don't operate as a team,
they're gonna get their butts kicked out here, or maybe even worse.
[Vince] And Michaels taunting The Undertaker.
[Jim] Michaels is like a banty rooster.
[Vince] More like a pitbull, JR.
This man can do some damage to you.
He's lethal.
[Vince] Double team effort.
[Vince] And Hunter Hearst-Helmsley Just hammering away,
and Michaels, again taunting the Undertaker.
[Vince] Shawn Michaels who will face The Undertaker
in one-on-one action at Ground Zero. Uh-oh.
[Vince] But the Undertaker counting on getting his hands on Michaels,
here tonight, live.
Perhaps now will be the opportunity, Michaels, the legal man in the ring.
[Vince] Michaels and Mankind going at it, just as they did last week.
[Lawler] Maybe Mankind can all of a sudden become Dude Love
and do a little better, what do you think?
[Vince] I don't know.
[Vince] Snap suplex, nicely executed by Shawn Michaels.
[Vince] Michaels is arrogant, no doubt about that, he is cocky.
[Lawler] Uh-oh. Here we go.
[Vince] You have his kind of athleticism, perhaps you can be.
And Michaels hits it!
[crowd cheering]
[Vince] Perhaps time for some Sweet Chin Music.
Here we go.
[Jim] Michaels made a tag with Helmsley.
[Vince] And, oh, Mankind catches--
Look at Mankind now!
[Vince] Mankind has a hold on Michaels now.
However, Helmsley-- No. Helmsley tried to get the Pedigree on him.
Mankind backed to the corner.
-[Lawler] Oh! -[Vince] Oh, no!
[Jim] Looks like somebody just got mugged on the boardwalk.
[Vince] That doesn't happen in Atlantic City.
-[Jim] Of course not. -[Lawler] Hah.
[Vince] And Undertaker desperately trying to get to the match.
There's a tag. Yes! Here we go.
[crowd cheering]
[Jim] The Phenom is cooking.
[Vince] Undertaker now, another clothesline,
off the rope, and drops the leg.
[Vince] One, two and--
Oh.
[Lawler] The Phenom is cooking
and Shawn Michaels is conveniently out of the kitchen.
[Vince] Over the top to the outside, and Helmsley's in trouble.
Wait a minute. Michaels has been caught.
[Lawler] Look out!
Oh, yeah.
[Lawler] Oh!
[Jim] What a right hand by the Undertaker.
And Helmsley's got a chair.
[Vince] Undertaker has Shawn Michaels.
[Vince] Wait, wait, wait, wait.
[Vince] Rude dropped the chair. Rude's backing off.
[Lawler] Get away Rick. Get away.
[Vince] Rick Rude's in the ring.
The Undertaker is gonna follow him.
Undertaker now just might get his hands on Rick Rude.
And now Helmsley has been guzzled!
[Vince] Oh, no!
[bell ringing]
[Jim] My God. What a shot to the face.
Look at the chair. Michaels has dented the chair.
[Vince] Shawn Michaels, an obvious disqualification.
[Vince] Michaels with The Undertaker.
And--
[Jim] The Undertaker has been busted wide open.
[Vince] Undertaker--
Oh, no.
[bell ringing]
-[Lawler] Oh! -[Jim] Oh, my God.
[Vince] Oh, no.
[Vince] Stay with us, ladies and gentlemen.
Oh, no.
We'll be back.
[Vince] That was the chair that was used, ladies and gentlemen, by Shawn Michaels,
and that was intentional.
[Vince] We'll show you some of the shots now. Look at this.
[Jim] This was nothing but assault.
Nothing more than a assault by Shawn Michaels.
[Jim] Look at that.
[bell ringing]
[Vince] Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen.
Ground Zero, there will be hell to pay. en.