WWE RAW is WAR 11/17/97

The November 17th WCW Nitro was prominent due to the fact that Rick Rude showed up on Nitro, having left the World Wrestling Federation, in protest of Bret Hart getting screwed. Rude had previously sported a full on beard. However, on the 11th November, on a Tuesday, the WWF RAW is WAR was taped, with Rick Rude very much of part of DeGeneration X, with a full beard.

 So seeing Rick Rude open up Nitro without a beard and then an hour later, return with a beard, was quite a surreal sight. Also on that Nitro, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero all had your usual solid matches. The NWO was in full swing, beating up many of the top WCW stars, riding high after the destruction of Sting the previous week and the debut of Bret Hart the previous week. This was the go home show to WCW's annual three ring, sixty man battle royal, World War 3.

Now for WWF RAW is WAR for November 17th 1997, featuring the famous interview with Vince McMahon about Bret Hart. Plus Dude Love takes on the Rock and more in Part 3 of the WWF Attitude Era Series.


WWF RAW Is WAR 11/17/97.

Footage of the end of last week's main event, with Ken Shamrock pinning Shawn Michaels to win his match with Triple H and WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter made the count.

Steve Austin opens the show, cutting a promo. The Nation of Domination come out, and Faarooq, Kama, and D'Lo Brown rush to the ring, but Steve Austin beats them up. This allows the Rock to slide in and steal the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Steve Austin is not too happy as the Rock gets away and vows to get his belt.

For the second week in a row, Butterbean is the crowd.

Jerry "The King" Lawler defeated Marc Mero(w/Sable) via disqualification when Sable got involved.

A few weeks prior to this match, Marc Mero scored the win over Lawler's son, Brian Christopher. Although they were not really acknowledging Lawler and Christopher as father and son, it was more of a wink wink, nudge nudge thing at the thing. Sable is wearing sunglasses to hide a black eye. The announcers talk about how Sable's horse kicked her, to quell any unfortunate implications of a possible storyline of Marc Mero beating Sable. Sable gets involved, getting Mero disqualified and Mero is not too happy. Butterbean looks on from the crowd.

They show Vince McMahon's "Why Bret Why", interview. Bret screwed Bret and Vince McMahon allowed Bret to hit him. Bret's WCW Contract was the largest in professional wrestling history up to this point and Vince McMahon claims that he doesn't regret what happened. And I bet he still does not all these years later.

Billy Gunn and Road Dogg defeated Miguel Perez and Savio Vega via disqualification when Jesus Castillo and Jose Estrada interfered.

The still not New Age Outlaws steal the gear of the Boricuas before this match. A disqualification rather quickly. Nothing happening match.

A look at Ken Shamrock tapping out Vader, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart, along with some highlights from his career in UFC up to this point.

Sunny is out to referee the next match, which is with midgets.

Long story short, a bunch of midgets have a match, with Sunny doing a leapfrog spot. Kane comes out to attempt to murder them, but the Headbangers rush out and bust a boombox over Kane's head. Kane doesn't feel it and he attacks the Headbangers. Kane lays them out. Paul Bearer approves of Kane's actions.

Rick Rude has his beard back and he is with DeGeneration X, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chyna. Shawn Michaels promises to beat down Ken Shamrock and then DX calls out Sgt. Slaughter. It is nice Triple H's DeGeneration X act still has not varied over the past fifteen years, using the same humor that you all know and love, relating it to a military them, stating that Slaughter can't raise his corporal past half mast and Triple H will have Slaughter's wife, saluting his privates. He'll show her what it means to stand at attention and this causes Sgt. Slaughter to attack Triple H but DeGeneration X gangs up on Slaughter, and then lay him out, Pedigree and they throw toilet paper on him in a shape of an "X". Not all that good but I'm sure this was very edgy back in 1997.

Scott Taylor pinned Eric Shelley.

Eric Shelley is no relation to TNA Superstar Alex Shelley. Taylor wins the match. This was part of the Lightheavyweight Title Tournament. I'm pretty sure around this time on Nitro, we had Eddie Guerrero against Dean Malenko.

Also Jeff Jarrett plans to make his debut next week on RAW. Be sure to phone your friends and tune in.

Marc Mero and Sable get into bit of a bickering match and Mero turns his attention to Butterbean and tells him to stop looking at Sable. We have a shoving match. This feud is not lighting my world on fire.
Bret Screws Bret Part II. Vince McMahon says a statement that would really turn out to be quite prophetic here. "WCW would never know what to do with Bret Hart". We'd find that to be true the hard way over the next couple of years.

Vader and Goldust was scheduled to have a match but Goldust is still hurt. He waffles Vader with a weapon hidden in his sling and thus these two are not going to wrestle this week.

Sgt. Slaughter storms out, announcing that he's going to face Triple H in a Boot Camp Match, December 7th 1997, at DeGeneration X-In Your House.

The Rock is out, claiming that he's the WWF Intercontinental Champion, but this next match is a non title match. He's not quite the most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, rather low key actually but he'll be there slowly but surely. Its fun to watch the evolution of a character. He has a match with Dude Love. The Future Rock N Sock Connection collide tonight on RAW is WAR.

Dude Love defeated the Rock via disqualification when the rest of the Nation of Domination interfered.

Not a bad match but these two were to have more memorable and more brutal matches down the line for sure. Dude Love was gearing up to deliver some Sweet Shin Music, but the rest of the Nation of Domination rush into the ring and beat Dude Love. Steve Austin runs out to make the save and hits the Stone Cold Stunner on D'Lo Brown, but the Rock escapes with the belt. Next time, Gadget, next time, er I mean Rock.

Thoughts on this Show: Not too bad, although taped RAWs around this time were really stale. Main event was passable and Vince McMahon's interviews about Bret Hart obviously had a historical edge.

WWF Shotgun results for that weekend(11/22/97), Brian Christopher defeated Devon Storm. The Interrogator and the Jackly defeated two bums. D'Lo Brown defeated Flash Funk. Crush, Chainz, 8-Ball, and Skull of the DOA defeated Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Castillo, and Jose Estrada of Los Boricues.

Next week, Shawn Michaels puts his WWF Championship on the line against the man they call Vader and there's a new member of DeGeneration X. Or is there?