Raw Deal - Raw recap for October 21, 1996

On Option 6 of the WWF Superstar Line: Jim Ross explains why Sycho Sid will become the next WWF Champion.

Sycho Sid beats Owen Hart by disqualification after The British Bulldog interferes. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels rushes into the ring and helps Sid clean house. Sid shakes Shawn's hand, and Shawn tells him he would do the same thing for him.

We see a recap of the Buried Alive match between Mankind and The Undertaker from last night. The man in black that attacked The Undertaker from last night is identified as "The Executioner."

Jim Ross joins in on commentary for the next match.

The Godwinns (Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn) beat The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart Gunn).

Pat Patterson, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka and Vincent J. McMahon are announced as inductees of the 1996 Class of the WWF Hall of Fame.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley attacks Mr. Perfect backstage by wheeling an equipment crate into the back of Perfect's leg.

The WWF's Big Bang Boom Tour is heading to Cincinnati, Ohio; Evansville, Indiana; Springfield, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; St Louis, Missouri; Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Richmond, Virginia!

Jim Ross interviews Bret "The Hit Man" Hart in Hart's first appearance on WWF programming in six months. He says that for the past couple of weeks or more, he's had to deal with a lot of things such as a rival wrestling organization making him a great offer to jump ship. Hart says he's not greedy for money, he's greedy for respect, and after a lot of soul searching, he owes everything he's done and everything he ever will do to the WWF fans. WWF Superstars (one of whom is Rocky Maivia, interestingly enough, who isn't debuting for another five weeks) watch from the back as Hart says that he will be with the WWF forever. As for why he left in the first place, he says that "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels beat him for the WWF Championship and he has no excuses, and he considers Shawn his opponent, not his enemy. He does say that there is something about Shawn that bugs him, and says that while Shawn may be a little younger, a little more popular and maybe even cuter than he is and that he has done a great job as WWF Champion, he says Shawn will never be as tough and as smart as him. He accepts the challenge of the best wrestler in the WWF today, and at Survivor Series, he will face "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. (This causes Brian Pillman to visibly celebrate, which causes "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to look back and give Pillman the thousand-yard stare as if Pillman is acting a fool.) Bret says he may be a little rusty, but maybe he isn't, but he says that Madison Square Garden isn't a church, but it's holy ground, and they'll see who kicks whose ass that night. Since he's been off, he's thought about a lot of things, and knows he has some of the best fans in the world and it is something he takes quite seriously as a role model. He says the one thing missing from the WWF the last five or six months is him, and that he's coming back because it wouldn't be fun not to take advantage of the opportunity not to. Bret talks about how he went to the bedside of a very sick child and how he came out of his illness when he told him that he would come out of retirement if he could turn the corner. The child got better, but unfortunately he passed away not long after. That child was his nephew. From that day on, he decided to come back and give people someone to look up to, and while he can't dance or pose very well for "girly mags," he's the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.

Jerry "The King" Lawler and Todd Pettengill host the first annual Karate Fighters Holiday Tournament. Lawler is disqualified from the tournament after the "taped foot" incident from last year. The first round consists of Bob Backlund vs. Sunny; Dok Hendrix vs. Sable; Sycho Sid vs. Marlena and Mr. Perfect vs. Henry O. Godwinn. Pettengill and Lawler have a Karate Fighters match, which Lawler wins clean.

Mr. Perfect comes to the ring for his match against Hunter Hearst Helmsley with "Wildman" Marc Mero, Sable and WWF President Gorilla Monsoon. Perfect calls out Hunter Hearst Helmsley for injuring him to the point that he can't wrestle tonight. Helmsley calls Perfect a chicken, and Perfect says that Mero is a stand-up guy and has offered to wrestle Helmsley in his place. Helmsley says he is not under contract and not obligated to face Mero, and says the only way he'll face him is if the WWF Intercontinental Championship is on the line. After Mero agrees to defend the belt to return the favor to Perfect for helping him and Helmsley agrees to the match, Gorilla says that the match is on. Mr. Perfect guests on commentary for the next match.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley beats "Wildman" Marc Mero after Hunter Hearst Helmsley grabs a chair after pushing the referee into Marc Mero and knocking the referee down. Sable grabs the chair, but Mr. Perfect grabs the chair from Helmsley. Just when it is believed that Perfect will hit Helmsley with the chair while the ref is down, he hits Mero with it as he gets back up. After the match, it is revealed that it was all a hoax and that Perfect was in cahoots with Helmsley, and that he did all this to help Helmsley get the Intercontinental title. During the match, it is announced that Ahmed Johnson has been temporarily suspended from the World Wrestling Federation, and that more info will be available this weekend on Livewire.