Raw Deal - Raw recap for June 16, 1997

It is announced that "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels has suffered another injury to his surgically repaired knee and will be out for at least four to six weeks. As a result, there will be a tag team tournament where the winning team will face "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and a partner of his choosing for the WWF Tag Team Championships.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin makes his way to the ring. He tells Vince McMahon he doesn't care about the tournament, saying he doesn't need "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels as the WWF stuck him with Shawn...or anyone, for that matter. Mankind appears on the TitanTron, saying that he felt a bond between the two of them when Austin flipped him off last night and that they could set the tag team division on fire. Austin isn't interested, but Mankind says that like Shawn, he has long hair, can wear one earring and can shake his ass as he has a nice ass. He gives Austin some time to think about it, and disappears from the TitanTron. Austin then tells Brian Pillman will get his ass whipped and join his friends in the sewer system when he gets flushed down the commode. As Vince McMahon says that rest of The Hart Foundation (Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) will be cuffed to each ring post, "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock shows up and tells Austin he only showed up to fight off the Foundation because he doesn't like bullies, and says that Austin is no less of a bully than the Foundation. He hasn't forgotten last week, and he will make him pay as he challenges him to a match right now. Austin accepts without any hesitation.

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Brian Pillman finds it ludicrous that The Hart Foundation is being cuffed to the ring, as they made a mistake in not cuffing him, the convicted felon with the rap sheet. He tells "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock he has nothing to worry about, as Austin is going down tonight.

Owen Hart and The British Bulldog beat The New Blackjacks (Blackjack Windham and Blackjack Bradshaw) to continue to the next round of the tag team tournament.

Paul Bearer says that both The Undertaker and Ahmed Johnson will do what he says if they know what's best for them tonight.

"The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock says "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will pay for the Stone Cold Stunner he gave him last week, and that he will make him pay tonight.

Before the next match, Phineas I. Godwinn tries to impress Chyna, and Chyna manhandles the backstage worker who takes Hunter Hearst Helmsley's jacket to the back.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley beats Phineas I. Godwinn after Phineas I. Godwinn kisses Chyna. Henry O. Godwinn shows up as Helmsley and Chyna leaves and confronts Phineas for his actions. He then points at Vince McMahon, screaming "This is your fault, McMahon!"

Faarooq insists that two bigger, better, badder and blacker members will join the new Nation of Domination tonight.

Sunny is guest ring announcer for the next match, while Paul E. Dangerously of Extreme Championship Wrestling guests on commentary as it is an inter-promotional match.

USWA's Brian Christopher vs. ECW's Chris Candido ends in a no-contest. During the match, Paul E. Dangerously acknowledges that Chris Candido used to be in the WWF (though does not exactly say that Chris Candido used to be Skip of the Bodydonnas) and that Brian Christopher is the son of Jerry "The King" Lawler as he says that Christopher's own father never gave him a chance in professional wrestling. Suddenly, Lawler shows up with Rob Van Dam, slaps Paul E. Dangerously and tosses Chris Candido off the top turnbuckle. As Christopher, Lawler and RVD stomp on Candido, "The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer rushes in with a steel chair. Dreamer flashes a ticket to the event afterwards.

Backstage, Ahmed Johnson says he thought about what Paul Bearer said last week, and tells Paul Bearer and The Undertaker that he hopes they can do it the easy way tonight.

We see footage from Saturday night's live event at the Toronto Skydome, where Bret "The Hit Man" Hart praises Canada, saying it is the best country on the planet as he and fellow Hart Foundation cohorts Owen Hart and The British Bulldog are treated like national heroes.

Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart says he doesn't like being treated like a common criminal or being handcuffed to a ring post, and that he doesn't what Goldust likes or doesn't like. He tells Goldust that if he thinks the Foundation are criminals, he'll show him that crime pays.

Goldust beats Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. During the match, The British Bulldog stalks Marlena, and grabs Marlena by the wrist when she tries to slap him. As the referee is distracted by Marlena, Neidhart and Bulldog attack Goldust, but it's not enough.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin says he has Brian Pillman and The Hart Foundation (Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) where he wants them and will run through them, then he will rock the world of "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock.

The intro to the show replays to signify the start of War Zone.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Brian Pillman ends in a no-contest. During the match, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin hits the referee with a Stone Cold Stunner, and Pillman takes advantage of the situation by hitting Austin with a foreign object. As another referee checks on the downed referee, Owen Hart takes the key from the downed referee and uses it to unlock the handcuffs, first his own and then those of The British Bulldog and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. All four members of The Hart Foundation attack Austin, and Mankind, Goldust and "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock rush in to make the save. After the Foundation retreats, Austin and Shamrock get it on, and Shamrock hits Austin with a belly-to-belly suplex before the two of them brawl. The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) run into the ring to separate both men. Goldust gets a microphone and tells everyone to stop the brawling, telling Austin and everyone that this is what the Foundation want. Goldust says the Foundation have laid down a challenge, and says all five of them will come to Calgary and whip their asses just like Stone Cold said so. Stone Cold relents for once and says this is a one-time thing and that after In Your House: Canadian Stampede, they're not going to be friends and it's going to be business as usual.

The Hart Foundation know who their five opponents are, and plan to treat them like the American scum that they are. They are equal opportunity destroyers, and the battle lines have been drawn in blood.

Sable is guest ring announcer for the next match.

Tommy Rogers beats Bobby Fulton, his long-time tag team partner in The Fantastics, after Fulton thinks he has won when the referee has caught him using the ropes for leverage. The match is the very first one to be part of what is called the Light Heavyweight Division, where all the competitors are 215 lbs. or less. After the match, "Wildman" Marc Mero shows up and walks Sable to the back.

The Headbangers (Thrasher and Mosh) beat "Mr. Monday Night" Rob Van Dam and Jerry "The King" Lawler to continue to the next round of the tag team title tournament. Paul E. Dangerously and "The Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer are seen in the front row during the match, but it is The Sandman who shows up and rams a kendo stick into Lawler's crotch as the referee is distracted. RVD, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer all fight each other in the front row after the match, and Paul E. has to hold The Sandman back.

Ahmed Johnson and The Undertaker are ready for their match against the new Nation of Domination tonight. When Paul Bearer says that he is the leader of the team, Ahmed tells Paul that he respects and fears The Undertaker, and that Bearer is nothing to him. Ahmed then tells 'Taker that if he is going to listening to Bearer tonight, they're going to have a problem.

Faarooq reveals the first of two new members of the new Nation of Domination: Kama Mustafa, who attacks The Undertaker from behind before the start of the match. This marks the return of Kama, who hasn't been seen since the 1996 Royal Rumble match.

The Nation of Domination (Faarooq and Kama Mustafa) as Ahmed Johnson confronts Paul Bearer at ringside, leaving The Undertaker unable to make a tag. After the match, Ahmed hits The Undertaker with the Pearl River Plunge, then walks up the entrance ramp and raises his fist in the Black power salute, revealing himself to be the second man.