[1996-10-14-WWF-Raw] Shawn Michaels vs Steve Austin

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I could see this a few years later, but they repeatedly state that this is the biggest match in RAW history. Yes, I'm expecting a good match too, but wow, did the WWF have the total reverse Midas touch on everything they promoted at this point. Not only do they hype it like this, but they give the match like 7 minutes. These two do everything they possibly can with the time they have. I guess Austin/Michaels was never done as a title program because they wanted to save Austin for Bret? A shame, because they do work well together, and both guys would have benefitted from the match no matter who won. It would have been interesting to see how the crowd reacted based on Austin being a star on the rise and Michaels being on a bit of a decline at this point. Vader runs in for the DQ, which is the only real finish they can do, as neither guy really needed to be jobbing for the other unless it was well built and on a big show. Shawn and Sid do their argument after the heels create an accidental bump, making the build to this match mirror Hogan vs Warrior strongly.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

I remember the "biggest Raw match ever" hype and thinking it was bullshit. They had just done Bret vs Undertaker eight months earlier, and that was bigger than this. I do believe this was the lowest-rated Raw of all time, at least up to this point, which makes the hype all the more humorous.

[Zenjo]

It certainly didn't feel like an important match. Just the standard PPV buildup.

[El-P]

Totally rushed, in every sense of the word. No heat. You get the fake Razor and Diesel in the picture too, which reminds everyone that the product sucks. Shawn has lost a lot of momentum. Vader looks like he's just another guy already. Austin is not yet over like he could (they really didn't take advantage on the 3.16 tuff yet, which sounds insane retrospectively). It's obvious they were going toward the Sid choice, which has always worked in the past, uh ?

[PeteF3]

"WHAT A WAY TO CELEBRATE COLUMBUS DAY!" was almost as laughable as the "biggest match in Raw history" blather. This is a mess--Austin and Shawn are working hard, but more attention is paid to the Vader/Cornette interview (with a great talker in Vader once again not saying anything), the Sid interview, Kelly and Ross talking about the Cardinals/Braves NLCS in a "this isn't four weeks in the can, really!" moment, the quick Vader run-in, Razor and Diesel (???) watching from the aisle...absolutely nothing is given time to breathe here, and Austin and Vader look pretty weak and ineffective in the post-match.

[Exposer]

This match felt like it was building to something good, then it stopped for the DQ finish & all the run-ins. I enjoyed the old school approach they took to the match. Austin stalling & both guys fighting over holds. The post-match is important because Sid-Shawn is teased after Austin sends Sid into Shawn when Shawn isn't looking. That's a great heel thing to do by Austin. The crowd popped for the Sid-Shawn face off. They clear the air & send the heels packing to close the show ending on good terms as they celebrate together. I'm interested to see how more over Sid is than Shawn during their program.

[soup23]

I liked the match especially the focus on the reversal by Shawn. I think I may like these two matched up more than most as I also rank KOTR 97 and WM 14 pretty highly. I do agree the ending was a little flat with Vader and Sid coming out but no one really looking that great coming out of the match. Cornette really didn't seem to fit with Vader now that the WWF is clearly moving to a more attitude heavy show. **3/4

[tim]

Biggest match in RAW history! And then they spend most of the match focused on backstage interviews, and it ends in a lame DQ. Match was good while it was going on but never amounted to much. It is cool in that billing this match as such makes actually makes Austin feel like a bigger deal.