Raw Deal - Raw recap for November 24, 1997

The show starts with Harvey Wippleman - aka "Handsome Harvey" - dressed up like "Ravishing" Rick Rude, coming out to his music and even carrying the steel Halliburton briefcase. He calls the crowd "fat, ugly out-of-shape North Carolina nobodies" and tells them to give him his complete and total silence before bringing out D-Generation X ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna). Shawn says "Lord knows that was a tough spot to fill" - indicating that "Ravishing" Rick Rude is no longer int he group and no longer in the WWF - before he and Triple H boot Harvey out of the ring, then says that taking up airtime is apparently what he does. He hasn't had a lot of sleep since Survivor Series due to what happened between him and Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, and says he never thought it would end the way it did. He knows that he and Bret had their differences personally and professionally, but never in his wildest dreams did he think it would come down to telling Bret that he takes full and total responsibility for what happened that night. He says the world should know that Bret Hart is still under contract to the World Wrestling Federation until November 30th. Shawn says Bret deserved better, and so did Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. As God as his witness, he and Bret have finally had contact with each other without anybody's knowledge - not the media's, the Internet's, the underground dirtsheet writers' or even Vince McMahon's. He and Bret have made an agreement. Tonight, they will settle this once and for all, and Shawn tells Bret this is up to him as this can end with either a handshake or a fight. He says he and Bret will meet face-to-face in the ring, and the controversy will be settled once and for all.

Before the next match, "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn show up, making fun of The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk), wearing shoulder pads much like theirs, saying "Oooh, what a flush!" and saying they are going to wrestle "the last of the dinosaurs." The Legion of Doom do not take too kindly to this, and immediately take the fight to them on the entrance ramp, starting the tag team title match early.

"Road Dog" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn beat The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk) to win the WWF Tag Team Championships! This happens after Animal accidentally shoulder tackles the referee, knocking him down. The Legion of Doom have the match won and are about to hit Gunn with the Doomsday Device when Road Dog hits Animal in the back with a chair. Another referee shows up and makes the three-count, allowing Road Dog and Billy Gunn to win the tag titles. During the match, it is announced that ECW has bought some time from WWF for this weekend and that their next pay-per-view, November To Remember, will take place live on pay-per-view on November 30th. After the match, the new champs head backstage and run straight into a Dodge Charger, speeding off in it and almost running into a white limousine as they speed away from the arena.

During the commercial break, referees, officials and even arena security try to calm down The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk), but an arena security guard gets hit with the Doomsday device.

We see a close-up of the white limousine. It is impossible to see who is inside, but it is assumed that Bret "The Hit Man" Hart is in the limo.

Goldust shows up, pushed out on a wheelchair by a nurse, giving the middle finger to everyone to the left of him with his right hand as his left remains in a cast - this one now being pink. Michael Cole interviews Goldust, who says that he is an invalid and that "it" - "it" being a broken hand - spread from his hand to his whole body and he became a paraplegic. He says he woke up and couldn't even move, and that it makes him a quadriplegic. He doesn't know if he will ever be 100% again, then asks Goldust to cross his legs for him, as he can't move them, then asks him to move his blanket, which he does. He then asks the nurse to rub alcohol across his shoulders, and says the alocholo is the only thing that soothes his souls. He thanks everyone for the support and the prayers, then Vader shows up ready to fight. Vader tells Goldust that the last time he saw him, he hit him with a ball peen hammer, and that there's nothing wrong with him or his hand. He tells Goldust to get out of the chair or he will make a permanent part of it. Vader punches Goldust, but the nurse squirts the alcohol into his eyes before taking off the scrubs and mask to reveal her true identity - Luna Vachon, who hasn't been seen in the WWF since 1995. Goldust gets out of the chair to attack Vader, revealing he had faked his injuries all along. Luna announces she is back as we see that Vader is still blinded.

We see a short video package of WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaugher, covering his career and the recent events that have led up to the match between him and "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley at In Your House: D-Generation X. Michael Cole then interviews Slaughter on the stage. Slaughter says that it is not Helmsley and "The Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels' attack on him that caused the match, but it was the personal attacks that did. He says that he will get back in the ring and fight, and Triple H will be fighting Sgt. Slaughter, not "Commissioner Slaughter," as the sports coat comes off, the fatigues come back on, the boots will be laced back up, the Slaughter Cannon will be locked and loaded, and the Cobra Clutch will be ready. He tells Triple H since he is the Commissioner of the World Wrestling Federation, not only will he be facing him on December 7th, he will make it "Slaughter Rules" and declares the match a Boot Camp Match. He asks Triple H to ask himself if he has ever smelled napalm in the morning, dug a foxhole, been pinned down in an ambush on Christmas Eve, or felt the cold steel of a bayonet inside in his guts, seen his fellow soldier blown up by a minefield, played Russian Roulette, awarded the Purple Heart, watched anyone die, or killed anybody with his bare hands. He tells Triple H December 7th will be a day of infamy for him, and that he might be dismissed...permanently.

"Too Sexy" Brian Christopher beats Flash Flanagan to continue to the semi-finals of the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship tournament. Jerry "The King" Lawler punches Flanagan out of the ring after the match.

The door of the white limousine is opened...

A new intro is played to signal the start of War Zone.

D-Generation X ("The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna) show up. Triple H tells WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaugher he can do whatever he wants, but the same shtick he came out with earlier is what he grew up with, and it scares him now as much as it did back then - not at all. He pledges to finish Slaughter off once and for all at In Your House: D-Generation X. He also says that he has heard that Sgt. Slaughter is supposedly some sort of Fort Bragg legend, then says that while all the G.I. Janes are pretending to be soldiers, their old ladies will be back here standing at attention for the sergeant with the purple helmet, keeping in tradition with last week's penis jokes. Shawn then says it's time to put it all aside and get the facts as the controversy comes to an end, and introduces Bret "The Hit Man" Hart to the ring. Bret's music hits, then a little person dressed like Bret "The Hit Man" Hart and wearing a Bret Hart mask shows up and gets in the ring. D-Generation X has a laugh at what's going on. Triple H then makes fun of Shawn and Bret's match at Survivor Series, and as the little person in the mask taps to the Sharpshooter, he says that Shawn is the man, the icon, the showstopper, the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. He then calls D-Generation X the most powerful force in wrestling today. Triple H places a plastic decal on the butt of the little person that says "WCW" before playfully kicking him in the butt and saying "There you go! Right where you belong!" Suddenly, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, stating that he is The Hart Foundation. After hiding behind sunglasses for 15 years, he can see things clearly and calls D-Generation X degenerates. He states that he is married to a Hart, and threatens to kick their butts. Shawn says there's nothing standing between them but air and opportunity, and offers Jim the opportunity that Bret Hart never gave him. Ten years ago, when Shawn walked into the WWF, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart were The Hart Foundation and the greatest tag team going then. He says Neidhart had the knowledge, the experience, the charisma and personality that Bret never had, and that he hasn't gotten much in the way of thanks from Bret or his family. With Bret at home, The British Bulldog having minor knee surgery, and Owen Hart being at home mentally distraught from what happened to Bret, Neidhart is standing alone and is here only because he has a family to feed and looking for opportunity. Shawn gives Neidhart an opportunity to join DX, and gives him until the end of the show to decide whether or not he should join.

It is announced that "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels will take on Vader in a non-title match later tonight as per WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter.

We see footage of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin going out to eat with Survivor Series Super Supper Sweepstakes Jacqueline Brooks and some of her friends.

It is announced that a four-round Toughman fight between "Butterbean" Eric Esch and Marc Mero will take place at In Your House: D-Generation X.

"The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock beats Savio Vega with the ankle lock. During the match, Miguel Perez shows up as Savio Vega has the referee distracted and gets some cheap shots on Shamrock. He tries to stop Shamrock from locking in the ankle lock, but Shamrock sees him coming and knocks him out of the ring as soon as he gets in it. Perez confronts Shamrock after the match, but a referee holds both men back.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin shows up in a black Austin 3:16 pick-up truck...

Michael Cole interviews The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, Rocky Maivia) in the ring. "The Rock" takes the microphone, saying a jabroni shouldn't be asking him questions when he has all the answers. He says that he is the real Intercontinental Championship and "the best damn Intercontinental champ there ever was." At In Your House: D-Generation X, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin wants a knock-down, drag-out fight, which he has no problem, but he is fighting on his own terms and calling all the shots on that. The words "Rocky Sucks" show up on the TitanTron as red strobe lights spin around on the stage, saying that Austin wants to call him a jackass when it's obvious who the real jackass is. The arena lights dim in and out, and Rocky Maivia tells the rest of the Nation to "fix that incompetence." Suddenly, Austin shows up on the TitanTron, in the control room pressing buttons and twisting knobs. He tells Rocky that when he looks down at his beeper at the airport and it reads "316," he will know that his ass belongs to him. He tells the producer to wear a Stone Cold hat, then we see Austin behind Maivia. The TitanTron reverts to what's going bac on, and Rocky's beeper goes off. It is implied that Rocky sees the numbers "316" on it and Austin then attacks Rocky from behind. Austin runs out of the ring, grabs a steel chair, then charges at The Nation as soon as they get in the ring. The Nation retreats to the back, and Austin tells Rocky to take the belt and enjoy his Thanksgiving, then gives him "a little bird to enjoy right now" and flips him off.

Before the next match, Jeff Jarrett says he was born ready, but he has been re-reading his contract and mentions certain stipulations in his contract aren't being met, as he is not in a plush locker room and his meals are far from catered. He will not perform unless Vince McMahon performs. He also complains about his choice of opponent, saying nobody wants to see him wrestle Crush (who he calls "Chainz"). Jarrett tells Vince that if he wants to see him in the ring, he had better re-read the contract and live up to his end of the bargain. Crush beats Jeff Jarrett by forfeit, then Kane and Paul Bearer show up. Crush easily falls victim to the choke slam and the Tombstone Piledriver, and the rest of The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull, 8-Ball, Chainz) show up. Referees and officials try to hold them back, and Kane choke slams Gerald Brisco.

Before the next match, "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels introduces Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart as the newest member of D-Generation X (Shawn, "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna).

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels beats Vader after Chyna distracts the referee to allow "Triple H" Hunter Helmsley to toss hot coffee into Vader's non-bandaged eye and hold him down from the apron to allow Shawn to hit Sweet Chin Music for the win. After the match, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart celebrates with Shawn and Triple H, then Chyna hits Neidhart with a low blow before Shawn and Triple H attack and double-cross him. After a Sweet Chin Music to Neidhart, Triple H punches out the referee, then the attack on Neidhart continues. Shawn says he is the man, the icon and the showstopper and that DX rules the wrestling world. Shawn and Triple H continue to attack Neidhart, then the show ends.