SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 30 years ago this week in the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter paper copy…
KELLER’S WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT
APRIL 22, 1996
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER (ISSUE #385)
(Taped 4/1)…
(1) Goldust beat Savio Vega to capture the Intercontinental Title. During ring introductions, Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler previewed the rest of Raw. Before his ring intro, Vega gave a promo in Spanish. Goldust scored the pinfall after Steve Austin interfered…
-A promo aired with Ultimate Warrior talking about his match against Goldust. Warrior said he’s not just coming for Goldust’s belt, but he would be trying to bust a hole in Goldust’s house and that Goldust would be squealing…
-An ad for In Your House’s Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel no holds barred match aired…
(2) Vader pinned Fatu after a moonsault. During Vader’s ring introduction they plugged Ultimate Warrior will face Isaac Yankem with Jerry Lawler in his corner next week on Raw. The hook all weekend was that Vader would do something he’s never done before during the match. It turned out to be his moonsault finisher. I can’t imagine very many viewers thought the move was worth the hype, even though when Vader first did the move in WCW it was a pretty big deal…
-They showed footage from Europe where Jake Roberts attacked British Bulldog during a match setting up their match this Sunday at IYH…
-McMahon mentioned that TV Guide gave the WWF Slammies a thumbs up. They then showed the Best Buns contestants (Yokozuna, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Sunny) and Sunny accepting the award at the ceremony. Highlights aired of the Godwinns beating The Body Donnas at the WWF Free For All to win the tag titles…
(3) The Godwinns won a squash match after which the Body Donnas attacked them and then slopped them. Will the violence never end?…
(4) Mankind beat Aldo Montoya…
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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-The Shawn Michaels-Diesel feud was recapped with narrated highlights of their relationship in the WWF going back to Diesel’s entrance as Michaels’s bodyguard…
-They showed a promo of Diesel in Germany. He sat back and with quiet intensity talked himself up. He called the WWF wrestlers idiots and said he was the real leader of the WWF New Generation. He said he’s a genetic wonder. He said his year with the WWF Title was the worst year of his life because McMahon tried to make him into something he’s not. Diesel concluded by saying, “When I’m done with Michaels, McMahon, watch yourself. I’ve got a score to settle with you. Anything can happen at In Your House.” Lawler laughed and said, “Bye bye, McMahon.” That may have been Diesel’s last national promo for the WWF, assuming the same one airs this weekend… Not even close to as hot a show as the last few, although that is conceivably by design in order to not give so much away for free that fans don’t have an appetite to pay for In Your House this Sunday. Even if a few viewers were lost to Nitro, it might be a sound strategy…
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