Raw Deal - Raw recap for August 18, 1997

Vince McMahon interviews "Ravishing" Rick Rude. He tells all the "fat, out-of-shape Atlantic City sweathogs" to zip their lips, open their eyes and pay attention to what a real man has to say. He fancies himself an "insurance salesman," whether it be short-term, long-term, life, disability or accidental. "You supply the buck, and I'll supply the bang," he says. When asked who is paying the premium, he says that doesn't matter and says he was paid to get the job done, then says one can never have enough insurance and that Vince could be in need of some more himself. After a play on the Allstate motto - "Like a good neighbor, Rick Rude's always there" - he says that if you're smart, "you'll own a piece of the Rude" and to "Get Rude. It pays." (The two quotes are a play on mottoes from Prudential and Metlife, two more insurance companies.) He tells Vince that to get the premium, you've got to pay the premium, and once it's paid in full, someone's in for a Rude Awakening.

Owen Hart and The British Bulldog tell The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) that tonight will be a preview of In Your House: Ground Zero, and that when they meet in the Fatal Four-Way that night, it will indeed be fatal.

Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter is seen having a heated discussion with "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels backstage.

Owen Hart and The British Bulldog beat The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) when The Godwinns (Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn) attack The Legion of Doom behind the referee's back. All three teams continue to fight each other while referees and officials try to restore order.

Mankind says his mind has not forgiven and his body has not forgotten. Now, he has to team with The Undertaker, and he will either be the best tag team partner 'Taker has ever had, or the final nail in his coffin, and they will find out together.

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels says Vince McMahon and the WWF is still giving him the shaft over SummerSlam, and he is being painted into a corner. He doesn't want to be with The Undertaker until Ground Zero, and doesn't want to tag with Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He accuses Vince McMahon of throwing him to the lions, and says that when he is painted into a corner, someone will get what's coming to them.

Sunny is the guest ring announcer for the next match.

Flash Funk beats "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher in a Light Heavyweight Division match after Jerry "The King" Lawler distracts Christopher by telling him to put Flash Funk in a piledriver, allowing Flash Funk to bounce off the ropes and cause Christopher to land on the top rope by his crotch. Christopher and Lawler argue after the match.

The Undertaker says that patience is a virtue, but when it comes to "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, his has run out. Shawn won't make it to Ground Zero, as he will settle the score tonight. As for Mankind, he never forgives or forgets, and if he gets out of line, he'll take him out just like he will Shawn.

Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter is seen talking to Chyna and Hunter Hearst Helmsley backstage, as it is rumored that Chyna and Helmsley are trying to get out of the tag team main event as well.

"The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock beats The Sultan with the ankle lock after hitting a Belly-to-Belly Suplex on The Iron Sheik and also taking an Iranian flag to the back.

The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, Rocky Maivia) show up, and request an impromptu interviews with Jim Ross in the ring as the crowd chants "Rocky sucks!" Faarooq tells the fans that Ahmed Johnson is a white man dying to get out of a black man's body who wants to be pretty like "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, and that he couldn't be white even if he was sandblasted twenty times. He also warns everyone to stand on their own two feet, as anything worth getting is worth fighting for and if you're weak like Ahmed, you don't have a place in The Nation. Faarooq goes on to say that he made Savio Vega and Crush, and if they want a street fight with him, they're in for a surprise as he is the streets, and he will grant them their wish and destroy them at Ground Zero. Faarooq then introduces Rocky Maivia, and says the fans soured on him. Rocky then mentions the "Die Rocky Die" chants, saying that this is about respect. He became the youngest Intercontinental Champion in WWF history, and all he got was "Rocky sucks" chants. He says he is a lot of things, but "sucks" isn't one of them. He calls The Disciples of Apocalypse "a racist faction," then says he and The Nation lives, breathes and dies respect, and that they will earn it by any means necessary. As The Nation raises their fists, we see Crush on the TitanTron, who calls them "A nation of constipation," and says the D.O.A. is here to kick ass and take names. He dares them to meet them in the parking lot and meet them face-to-face and fist-to-fist with no WWF Commissioner around if they've got the guts. The Nation run out of the ring and head to the back.

We see footage of Goldust and Marlena earlier today with daughter Dakota at the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley says he's not afraid of The Undertaker or Mankind, and says that when "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels" does the crime, he has to do the time. He then says if Vince McMahon wants a war with him, he's got one.

The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, Rocky Maivia) and The Disciples of Apocalypse (Crush, Skull, 8-Ball, Chainz) brawl in the parking lot only for Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Castillo, Jose Castrada Jr.) to steal the D.O.A.'s motorcyles. The D.O.A. immediately give chase after this.

"Double J" Jesse James beats Brian Pillman by disqualification after Goldust and Marlena shows up and Goldust drops an elbow on Jesse James. After the match, Michael Cole shows up and Goldust tells him he wanted to see him one more week in a dress. Brian Pillman grabs a microphone, and decides to call Goldust's bluff by asking him if he wants to see him gone for good. He then challenges him to a match, and if Goldust wins, he will leave the World Wrestling Federation forever. However, if Pillman wins, then Marlena is his personal assistant for 30 days, 24 hours a day. Goldust thinks Pillman is an idiot, but Pillman says Goldust isn't talking tough anymore now that he's thrown in the second stipulation. Goldust rejects the challenge, but then Pillman says that a piece of him is always around Marlena reveals that Goldust and Marlena's daughter Dakota isn't Goldust's daughter and is actually his love child. Goldust goes after Pillman, and Marlena accepts the challenge on Goldust's behalf much to the disappointment of Goldust, who tells Marlena that wrestling Pillman isn't worth it.

Vader says The Patriot's colors are red, white and blue, but they will change to black and blue because it's Vader Time.

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

Bret "The Hit Man" Hart shows up with the Canadian flag as soon as the next match begins, and watches the match from the stage.

The Patriot beats Vader, then Bret "The Hit Man" Hart makes his way down to the ring. As The Patriot is focused on Bret, Vader knocks him off the apron and send shim back into the ring. As referees try to restore order, Bret wraps the Canadian flag over The Patriot, stopping Vader from hitting The Patriot with the Vader Bomb and angerying him to the point that Vader breaks the Canadian flag's pole over his knee. Owen Hart and The British Bulldog rush in and attack Vader, then The Patriot gets back up, fights Owen and Bulldog, and is kept away from Bret as Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter forces a smiling Bret to the back.

We see an interview from earlier today between Jim Ross and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin makes fun of the fruit basket that the WWF gave him after he broke his neck. Austin says he's Intercontinental Champion now, and says he couldn't move his arms or legs for almost a minute and was afraid he wouldn't move again, but he's over it. He says Owen Hart has hell to pay when he comes back, and he's really pissed off. He says the doctors have told him he should do something else, but he's not listening to them and he's going to continue wrestling regardless of what they say. He says he's rode around in his four-wheeler while drinking a few beers while thinking about it, and while he plans to take a few days or a few weeks off, he intends to put the black trunks on and get back in the ring as it has taken him eight years to get to the WWF and a piledriver won't stop him from coming to Ground Zero and whipping somebody's ass as he is on a whole new level.

The Undertaker and Mankind beat "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst Helmsley after Shawn hits 'Taker with a steel chair. During the match, Shawn calls "Ravishing" Rick Rude out to the ring, and he almost attacks 'Taker with a steel chair when 'Taker truns around and stop him. After the match, Shawn busts 'Taker open with a steel chair shot to the head as 'Taker confronts Rick Rude, but he gets back up despite being busted open. Shawn does it again, but 'Taker gets right back up again, and Shawn and Helmsley run.