I am currently watching this episode, and I cant disagree more. I think you are watching this and judging it against what the business is today. The focus then was more on the wrestling, and not every match had to advance something to a PPV. Sometimes there can be a wrestling match just to have a wrestling match and it can be exciting.

This is something that is lost today. Vince evn said as much in his Austin podcast when Austin asked him why every RAW has to start with a 15 minute promo. Vince claimed that you cant just start with a match without knowing why they are wrestling. I just find that to be so short sighted and flat out wrong

I dont think they show when it flies out, but you can definitely see the guy shoving it in his pocket. The slur was at the very end when they are backstage. It may even be the very last word spoken on the air. It might be hard to catch because everyone is talking but its there

I'm not looking for advancement in every segment. I'm looking for one of a few things in them. a) fun b) advancement c) a good wrestling match (wasn't in order). If they were even decent matches, I'd mention them. Like the opening match of Mark Henry vs Shamrock. It was advancing the storyline but it was terrible. It's also important that you put a relevant person in a match. Pantera vs Brian? Nobody cares and they can't wrestle. That's what I mean by filler. It did advance the LHW title storyline since there wasn't one but nobody cares about it and Pantera hadn't even been on tv (in the RAWs/RR i've watched) so why is he winning instead of BC?

My guess is that the BC vs Pantera match was there to advance the JR/Lawler dynamic with Lawler denying that BC is his kid just as much as the LW Title angle. I recall that angle and remember it being pretty big deal relatively speaking

Took a break from AE Era watching to watch this classic:



Most definitely one of the sickest matches ever. I haven't watched it in a few months. One of my favorites so I def watch often. I found it more disturbing this time for some reason. Match should have definitely been cut short a few minutes after he got cut. The storytelling in this match and after the match is superb. Would recommend if you're not like Tony Schiavone and throw up at the site of blood (a highlight of Uncensored 95?).

On a lot of these old Raws none of the matches even come close to 10 minutes nevertheless 15. I think you have it backwards; today the emphasis in WWF/WWE is more on wrestling, then it was on storyline. On WCW's undercard, sure, it was a lot of good decent length matches without a storyline, but not on Raw.

There's a website out there that has every episode of the Attitude Era from 97-2002, including PPVs. Don't know if I'm allowed to post the URL here, so I won't. I watched the entire year of 1998 in a week and a half. lol

I've been stuck on 1999 for several months though, as I've really gotten into reading books. Probably gonna pick it back up this weekend.

The episode where Mankind wins the title is just amazing. The pop he gets for winning and Austin's pop are just Godly. I still can't get over that the show was taped in advance and it was that great. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a taped WWE show that wasn't NXT. (That's still taped, right?)

Pretty sure it's been linked here multiple times. Don't think the mods here care. Do we have mods?

RAW on 2/2/98:

Epic DX presidential speech open.

DX campaigning for Tyson vs Austin LOL



Epic throwing off the stage of Funk and Mick. Why in the hell did he dress like a ****** and call himself CC when Ross constantly just says "Terry Funk" or "Terry Funk, as he's called in some circles"?

Amazing that when NAO went to throw Owen off the stage, the refs stopped them and the crowd booed loudly. Guess the crowd got what they wanted a bit over a year later...

Did Sable's tits get even bigger this week? Nasty. Not a fan of fake tits especially when they're so out of proportion with the body.

Kane/Vader segment was great. Usually fire extinguisher spots are so cheesy but this was well done. Looking forward to their ppv match. Kane does look green even when attacking people at this point though. I don't remember the "one eye" story of Kane. Is part of his story that he lost his vision in the fire?

Austin wrestling? This felt special seeing as who this is the first one-on-one match he's had on tv in at least 5 weeks. Almost unfathomable these days that Cena could go even two weeks without wrestling. Oops...match never started. This marks 3 straight weeks that there hasn't been a match to close out RAW.

RAW 2/9/98: Go home show to In Your House: No Way Out of Texas.

Opening with Sunny singing Happy Birthday to Freddy Blassie



OMG Austin stole HBK's belt!

Sunny out next looking smoking hot. What happened?



Henry Godwinn and Pierre put on a wrestling clinic followed by a ten minute mat classic between Thrasher and Goldust dressed as Marilyn Mansen.

For the fourth week in a row, there's no main event. So every week between RR and IYH there was no main event.

The episode accomplished the goal of hyping the ppv but there was nothing that was really good. Some bad stuff in it too that didn't help.

Aren't a few of these "Raw Saturday Night?" They always seemed to suck.

Not yet. I don't think any are on the Road to WM.

I thought there was one for sure, but it has been awhile since I've watched. I wonder if they would even put those on the Network? Most of them were terrible from what I remember.

For as awesome as that time was for WWF, I find it confusing that they would include any filler episodes with WCW on the other channel, but they did it.

Brag: Won some money playing daily fantasy baseball
Beat: Probably gonna end up not cancelling the network cause I don't have to reload my Draftkings account and will have money in my PayPal to cover it without effort.

I'm actually going to keep the Network because I'm using it and I don't think I'll finish another 47 RAWs + 11 ppvs in 5 days.

I always have trouble hammering out PPVs for some reason. But without further ado, here is IYH: No Way Out of Texas.

Mero/Goldust vs Headbangers - Some hardway blood is fun to see but the match went way too long. I think the Sable storyline is rubbish which is why I haven't mentioned it before.

Taka vs Pantera - It was terribly terribly terribly terribly (4 terriblys?!?! convincing, right?) awful match.

Quebecers vs Godwinns - The exciting heel vs heel dynamic. Crowd doesn't give two ****s because of it. In a moment of tag team expertise, Henry ran in after The Quebecers ridic finisher to elbow drop Pierre...missed him by about a foot but poor Pierre had to sell it.

Jeff Jarrett vs Bradshaw - for the NWA North American Championship!!! I see a cut every once in a while while watching these shows and wonder why they do it. There was a cut in this one midway through the match that seemed < 10 seconds. But why? I can only assume it was a chokehold. I've never like Jarrett. Everytime he comes on, I just want him to **** right off. Not even sure why, it sure isn't because I don't like him as a heel. Ref dq's Jarrett in this match after hearing the racket used. This, despite, not hearing it or steel chairs every other time in wrestling history.

The Nation of Domination promo. The Rock is gold in not being on the mic lol. This segment won me over with Rocky.

The "War of Attrition" match - Nation of Domination vs Shamrock/DoA/Ahmed - This was a war of attrition between this match and falling asleep. In the end I made it enough to open my eye and see The Rock tap to Shamrock.

Kane vs Vader - Good match. Thought Vader got way too much offense in for getting Kane over as this superhuman beast. Also, it took a Paul Bearer distraction for Kane to win. Vader looked beastly and Kane kind of looked like a bitch.

Austin/Owen/Cactus/Funk vs HHH/Billy/Armstrong/Savio w/no DQ's - Savio Vega main events a ppv in place of the injured HBK. Great brawl. Shocked I've never heard of this before. I'd put it at **** if not slightly higher. Austin sends everybody home happy by giving the stunner to Chyna in what was likely the first stunner to a female.

I'm grading this a 4.5. Everything before the final two matches was complete garbage. If you weren't asleep before the final two then you saw a meh ppv though nobody can fault you for falling asleep before then.

On to Kobashi vs Misawa from 3/1/03.

The 8-man was very entertaining, despite the annoyance of them hyping a "mystery partner" all night and then having the announcement be...Savio Vega. Watching that live at that point in time, with something like a mystery partner you always hoped for some kind of cool defection from WCW or something.

Savio did do a nice job in the match though, and the match was all kinds of fun.

Watched 2000 Bash At The Beach, when Jarrett just lays down in the ring. Thoroughly enjoyed that.

That was the best thing Russo did in WCW.

iirc Hogan and Russo planned it out as a worked shoot but when Russo told Jarrett to lay down, he didn't tell him Hogan was in it. The Hogan part when as planned but after that Jarrett or another heel was supposed to win the new title so Hogan could come back with the "real" title and go over. When Russo went on to bury Hogan in the promo later on and put Booker over, Hogan sued.

It was cool back then and created a little buzz because a lot of people thought it was 100% a shoot. The match being in the middle of the card was a pretty big give away though.

Wait so that wasn't real? On Russo's Wiki page, it doesn't say anything about it being a work.

Wasn't real. It's a very interesting story if you can find it.

edit: easy to find. It's here.

Yeah you have to give Russo credit for having the balls to do it. Back then there was no live streams or torrenting so I actually ordered the replay to see it.

EDIT: Just read that article. The announcers were absolutely in on it. Their responses to the first segment were completely different to their responses to Russo's shoot.

RAW 2/23/98:

The LOD break-up!!! Nobody cares because nobody wants to see it.
Jeff loses to Shamrock because of Cornette. Jeff after the match: "I think it's time for me and Cornette to go our separate ways". Again, nobody's invested in Jarrett or Cornette. No **** was given.
Oh yeah, The Truth Commission seemingly broke-up on RAW Saturday night two nights earlier. No ****s were given.
I see a trend here.
Kane challenging Austin is interesting but somehow I bet it's just a set-up for DX.
Chainsaw Charlie continues to be the definition of a terrible gimmick. Put chainsaw to NAO's car and just keep hitting the car with it (what?). Door opens but CC can't do any offense because he has a chainsaw in one hand and has to pretend it's real and just hits the passenger door frame with it repeatedly while staring at JJ (WHAT?!?!) until JJ knocks him over.
Oh my! More NOD disention. Another team breaking up?!?!
Rock'n Rolls argue with Cornette after losing belts to Headbangers!!!
Mero vs Owen main events with Mero and Goldust splitting up.
So basically, nothing interesting happened here. Nor did anything happen on RAW Saturday night, hence the no write-up.

Jericho and Stephanie......unless he talks about her being a "diry, rotten, stinkin, filthy, trashbag ho", then it's probably not worth watching tonight.

I don't think Russo understands the concept of diminishing returns. Not sure if Vince McMahon does either.