Raw Deal - Raw recap for May 5, 1997

The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) shows up to start tonight's show. Bret thanks all of his fans around the world for their support, especially in South Africa, Germany, England, the Far East, the Middle East and even up in Canada. He does not, however, thank the American fans, quoting "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Tough titties, said the kitty." He thanks Brian Pillman for his heartfelt words and inspiration last week, congratulates and thanks his brother Owen Hart for taking the gold and dedicating his Intercontinental title win to him last week, thanks The British Bulldog for thrashing The Undertaker in his name last week, and thanks his best pal and long-time friend Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart for coming up on the entrance ramp last week and protecting him from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. He says the American fans would have loved to see Austin toss him off the side of the entrance ramp because they are a sick, violent society. Bret says it doesn't look like Austin will be here tonight, because he doesn't think he's got "the jam" and that he's a gutless, rotten stinking hyena who got what was coming to him and is now a pile of broken bones as a result. He knows the American fans hate him, and says that's okay, because he hates all of them as they all have a tinge of jealously towards him for having so many of the championships, two Slammy Awards, gold in Neidhart's teeth, and Pillman, who knows the Golden Rule: "Do unto others, and enjoy it." He calls The Hart Foundation the best pack of lion in the entire world, and calls them "The Dream Team." Now that they have gotten rid of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, they need to destroy somebody else: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. Bret knows Shawn is hiding somewhere, and he feels it is high time to sic The Hart Foundation on him like Shawn is an antelope dancing around, wiping him out and making him sorry for running in on all of Bret's matches with a steel chair and a bad leg. He wants him right here, right now, so he can finish the job.

Rockabilly beats Ahmed Johnson (who is in black sweatpants and boots instead of his usual red wrestling gear) by disqualification after the referee catches Ahmed using the guitar against Rockabilly, who brought the weapon into the ring as The Honky Tonk Man had the referee distracted. During the match, Faarooq says he has never been impressed with Ahmed Johnson and that it will be a cold day in Hell before Ahmed can abolish the Nation of Domination, and Crush will beat up three men that he has personally hand-picked to make an example out of. He hopes that Ahmed watches Crush's match tonight, as it will be a taste of what is to come on Sunday.

The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) look for "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels in the locker room.

During the break, The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) go downstairs into another locker room but can't find "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels.

We get another look at Ken Shamrock via an ABC News special "The World's Most Dangerous Things." As a kid, he has fought from anger. He was good at football and wrestling, but stopped because he fought from anger. Now he has controlled his anger and now fights with skill. We also learn that he was a runaway as a youth, but met the man who would later legally adopt him. Now with a wife and four kids, he now has a family to call his own and has balance and self-importance in his life. As for why he made the challenge to Mike Tyson, he respects his ability as a boxer, but doesn't respect other things he's done and says that Tyson blames other people for things he has done, calling Tyson a bully.

Ken Shamrock guests on commentary for the next match.

Vader beats Goldust, looking straight at Ken Shamrock during the pinfall after landing the Vader Bomb. During the match, Vader steps out of the ring to stare Ken Shamrock down, and Vader does it again after the match, and this time dares him to get in the ring. After spitting at Shamrock, Shamrock speeds in and gets Vader with a takedown, causing officials to rush in. Mankind shows up and goes after Shamrock, but Goldust goes after Mankind and forces him to retreat alongside Vader.

Jim Ross interviews the husband-and-wife team of Dustin and Terri Runnels, better known as Goldust and Marlena, respectively. We learn that Goldust's dad is none other than Dusty Rhodes, whom Dustin says was everything he wanted to be. Dustin followed in his father's footsteps and entered the WWF, but never got the chance to step out of Dusty's shadow. He reinvented himself to escape his past and his father's shadow, and knew he was taking a great risk by becoming Goldust, and while he didn't get the respect he expected at first, especially when Razor Ramon (who is only mentioned once as "Scott Hall") refused to wrestle him. He has since obtained acceptance, and can now make his own destiny. He doesn't know if he's gained his father's respect, since he has not talked to him in at least two years, but he tells Dusty he's done the best that he can do.

The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) think they have "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, but it's the wrong guy. They still beat him up, anyway.

Faarooq tells the crowd that he has found the three biggest, baddest man he can find and that Crush will destroy all of them. He tells Ahmed Johnson that this will be a taste of what will happen to him on Sunday. Crush demolishes the first two as advertised, but the third one is wearing a mask and a Green Bay Packers jacket. He hits Crush with a Pearl River Plunge and gets the three count before running out of the ring. The man is none other than Ahmed Johnson.

The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) look outside of the arena for "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels.

The show intro replays to signify the second hour.

Vince McMahon interviews "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels in the ring. Shawn has no idea where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is, but does tell him that if he feels he can take on The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) alone, so be it, but he may not be there again. If he is there, it will be to hurt the Foundation. He also notes that cutting down the fans seems to be "the in thing" to do right now, and that he is the one to start trends, not follow them. He says the search is on, but he's not exactly hiding, and that the Foundation should have found him by now. He says the Foundation may run in a pack, but The Kliq runs in a herd, and that there is no group more powerful than The Kliq. As for when he will return to the ring, it will happen at King of the Ring the following month. He says that Bret might not like exactly what America does, but America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, and if Bret doesn't like it, he shouldn't let the door hit him on the way out. Shawn proclaims that he and the fans are tired of Bret's whining and crying, and if he has to go through the rest of the Foundation to get to Bret, he will do it and he will tear Bret to pieces. As Shawn leaves, Bret and Brian Pillman show up on the TitanTron, and Bret tells Shawn he should have wiped him out when he got him in the Sharpshooter. He mocks Shawn's comeback and constant run-ins, and says there's nothing wrong with his knee and that there isn't much point in waiting until King of the Ring. He then challenges Shawn to a match against Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart if he's got the jam, and Neidhart shows up before Michaels has much time to accept. Shawn and Neidhart brawl, and Owen Hart and The British Bulldog join in to make it a 3-on-1 beatdown. The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) run in and even the odds.

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels is backstage, looking for The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart).

Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon beat The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) when The British Bulldog distracts the referee and Animal while Owen Hart attacks Road Warrior Hawk. During the match, officials have to keep "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) separated, but after the match is over, both parties are going at it while "Stone Cold" Steve Austin enters the building and joins in.

The Undertaker shows up. He is the World Wrestling Federation Champion, and the defender of the belt that belongs to the creatures of the night. He says that someone has decided to steal it, and tells the perpetrator that he may have the belt, but he is no champion and what he is doing is playing a deadly game that they cannot win. As his date with destiny grows near, his patience is wearing thin, and the perpetrator has chosen a bad time to cross into the valley of the dead. Before the end of the night, whoever took the championship will pay dearly. As for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the flame that is Austin's fury will be extinguished by the darkness. He respects that flame, but it will be a cold day in Hell before he becomes WWF Champion.

Sunny shows off the Steve Austin shirt with "Austin 3:16" n the front and a smoking skull on the back (and not much else, aside from white go-go boots), only $20 plus shipping and handling.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin beats The British Bulldog. During the match, it is mentioned that WWF is trying to negotiate a huge deal with "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels concerning King of the Ring, and that the details can only be heard on Option 6 of the WWF Superstar Line. After the match, Owen Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart attack Austin from behind, and Owen uses the WWF Championship as a weapon, revealing that The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) stole the title. All the while, Brian Pillman and Bret "The Hit Man" Hart watch from backstage. The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) show up to help Austin, while Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon show up to help The Hart Foundation only to be attacked by them. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels then shows up to fight off the Foundation, then the lights go out. The Undertaker appears in the ring after the lights come back on. The Hart Foundation, Furnas and LaFon leave, then Austin takes the WWF Championship. The Undertaker snatches the WWF title from him, then lays it in the middle of the ring. Austin almost leaves the ring, but Austin and 'Taker fight each other while officials try to separate them to end the show.