Raw #147 - February 19th, 1996

Sunny advises viewer discretion tonight for material too hot for some. Vince recaps the previous night’s pay-per-view which featured an “eerie” ending. Not “eary” like Mankind, however. And what does the Ultimate Warrior have to do with tonight’s Raw? We’ll find out on tonight’s episode, which opens with Razor Ramon challenging for Goldust’s Intercontinental title. All this, plus another Billionaire Ted skit.

Raw #144 - January 22nd, 1996

This post-Rumble Raw opens with Sunny, who warns us that tonight’s program contains “action of a graphic nature.” I’d like to have action of a graphic nature with her! Sex, I mean.

Raw #143 - January 15th, 1996

Tonight’s Raw opens with an intro honoring Martin Luther King and his dream, which is good news for the Federation’s one black wrestler, Ahmed Johnson. Mabel and Mo will be gone after Sunday’s Royal Rumble. Dok Hendrix tells us that Razor Ramon is on his way to the arena to confront Goldust, who has an interview tonight. Plus, a new Billionaire Ted skit will air. Also, some guy named The Ringmaster will debut, but that doesn’t make the intro package.

Raw #141 - January 1st, 1996

It’s the Raw Bowl! The WWF’s first four-way match also happens to feature terrible commentary and unnecessary football elements. The challenge is to cover both the action and the countless puns spewed out by the announcers. Also, the very first “Billionaire Ted” skit airs tonight, while a pep band plays “You Can Call Me Al.”

Raw #140 - December 18th, 1995

In a live episode of Raw, one night removed from In Your House, Jeff Jarrett makes his return to the ring. Just don't blink, because Double J will be out of the Federation once again after the Royal Rumble. Will his unexplained five-month absence from competition make a difference? Speaking of making a difference, Fatu is his opponent tonight. "It's time to clean it up!" says the former Headshrinker's entrance theme, suggesting a future tag team venture with Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.

Raw #138 - December 4th, 1995

Bob Holly faces the number one contender for the WWF title tonight. Sparky's mullet is at its most glorious tonight, but will it help him knock off Davey Boy? Holly floats over Bulldog for the night's first Maneuver en route to delivering a flurry of offense. Bulldog fights back by lifting Bob up for a press slam and dropping him crotch-first onto the top rope. He follows this up with a delayed vertical suplex, a Maneuver (#2) that causes the blood to rush to Plugg's head. Holly makes a number of surprise pin attempts, but none are successful. The race car driver also hits a number of the best dropkicks in the business, but still can't put Smith away. Finally, Bulldog catches Holly in the corner and delivers a running powerslam for the victory.

Raw #135 - November 13th, 1995

Excited for tonight's Intercontinental title match between Razor and Sid? Well, Gorilla Monsoon isn't having this morning declared it a non-title match (this, despite the fact that both this episode and the episode where the title match was announced were taped weeks prior) due to altercations at house shows between Ramon and special referee 123 Kid. On a brighter note, the intro to this episode has not been dubbed over with the same annoying metal music as the rest of the re-released 1995 episodes, with WWE leaving intact the theatrical music from the broadcast.

Raw #133 - October 30th, 1995

It's a Halloween Raw, introduced with a WWF Jack O'Lantern and a Dracula-like voiceover by Todd Pettengill. Finally, someone in the WWF acknowledges that Todd sucks. Vince McMahon is dressed as a jailbird, which Jerry Lawler jokes about ("I heard you got that outfit about a year ago, and this is the first time you got to wear it!"). Vince resists making the same crack about Jerry Lawler, given his legal woes in late '93. Lawler, by the way, is dressed as a doctor, later revealing his costume to be a proctologist. At least it's not a pediatrician or gynecologist.

Raw #132 - October 23rd, 1995

It's the night after In Your House, and Raw has a new theme, dubbed over the intro the show has been using for the past two months. As wrestlers enter the ring for a battle royal (with an Intercontinental title shot at stake), Vince announces the upcoming events for tonight's episode, including the unfortunate debut of Avatar and a rematch of Women's Champion Bertha Faye vs. the only other woman in the division, Alundra Blayze, neither of whom have been seen or mentioned on Raw since Bertha won the title at Summerslam.

Raw #129 - October 2nd, 1995

Razor Ramon enters the ring to a veritable golden shower (of pyro) to face the Kid. No, this isn't an R. Kelly home video; this is Monday Night Raw, despite the cold open and lack of its new opening video and theme. Also tonight, Bret Hart faces Jean Pierre LaFitte in a rematch from In Your House, which, coupled with the negation of the Triple Header match's outcome, serves to further rub it in the faces of the fans who paid money to see that event.

Raw #127 - September 18th, 1995

The 123 Kid faces Razor Ramon in tonight's first match. We see clips of the Kid's first victory against Ramon two years ago. As Razor enters, the announcers promote his confrontation with Dean Douglas this Sunday at In Your House. The Kid takes it to Razor right off the bat, hitting him with a Maneuver (#1 - spinning back kick) and setting a record for earliest use of a maneuver in Raw history.

Raw #126 - September 11th, 1995

It's Raw's "season premiere," complete with a new intro and theme song. I can't believe my ears, as I was expecting an entirely different theme, one that didn't suck nearly as much. Raw "premieres" with a theme called, "I Like it Raw," which would be quickly scrapped the following week, with its vocals replaced by faux-police radio messages, then sirens before the theme would be abandoned altogether for a generic but passable tune with no vocals. The highlight of the introductory video is Shawn Michaels running towards the edge of the roof with a vest and leather hat, which disappear in the next shot as he supposedly leaps from the roof onto Kama. The shaky start to the "new fall season" continues with both announcers appearing in front of a green screen, a practice I thought had ended months before. Tonight, the newly-turned heel British Bulldog will face Razor Ramon, whom Lawler claims will have to be picked up with a pooper-scooper after Davey Boy is through with him. "Pooper-scooper!?" says McMahon.

Raw #124 - August 14th, 1995

This week's Raw opens with Vince McMahon hinting that Shawn Michaels is injured (after getting smashed into a ring post by Mabel) and vulnerable to losing his title at Summerslam. That also spells bad news for HBK tonight, as he faces Jerry Lawler. However, no mention is made of the title being on the line, which had been heavily implied ever since In Your House. Why would Lawler want to challenge new Intercontinental Champion Michaels specifically after he won the title and King called him a "marked man," only for it to be a non-title match? Non-title match or not, Lawler is replaced by Ted DiBiase on this night at the commentary table.

Raw #123 - August 7th, 1995

Last week, Razor and Savio Vega nearly defeated the tag team championship team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna, but time ran out on the episode (despite it being pre-taped). Tonight, they have a rematch. Also, Sir Mo promises part one of the Royal Plan tonight. I have a feeling that most of the parts to the Royal Plan involve losing to Diesel.

Raw #122 - July 31st, 1995

King Mabel opens Raw, entering through the new "RAW" entranceway, which last week replaced the old neon sign set that bathed the show in gaudy colors since the Monday night program's debut. Mabel rides in on a throne carried by a team of jobbers to take on one of their ham 'n' egger colleagues, Nick Barberry.

Raw #112 - May 22nd, 1995

Shawn Michaels returns to the ring after being sort of powerbombed by Sid and then powerbombed twice again. His opponent: Sid's fellow Corporation member, King Kong Bundy. And in case fans don't buy into this as a grudge match, it's a King of the Ring qualifier now. Michaels-Bundy: this time, it's impersonal.

Raw #109 - May 1st, 1995

Vince and Jerry are at ringside in the flesh to open this taped edition of Monday Night Raw, perhaps marking the end of the brief but unfortunate era of green screen technology on Raw. Our opening match is the Allied Powers versus George Anderson and Ron Hagan, two jobbers who probably still make a better team than Davey Boy and Luger. For one thing, I bet you that Hagan won't accidentally powerslam his opponent on top of his own partner like Luger did at Wrestlemania. McMahon and Lawler discuss the events of yesterday's Action Zone, in which Bob Holly (filling in for the newly-injured 123 Kid) appeared to defeat Jeff Jarrett (who had his foot on the rope) for the Intercontinental Title. As a result, the title was vacated instead of just immediately restarting the match or returning the belt back to Jarrett.

Raw #103 - March 20th, 1995

Jim Cornette promises the most historic night in Federation history, as his own Heavenly Bodies try to take the tag titles from the Smoking Gunns. Steve "Mongo" McMichael will also be on hand to deliver color commentary. Razor Ramon makes his way to the ring for the opening match, all the while oozing machismo. Cornette suggests that penicillin would help. The Bad Guy takes on the hog farmer from Bitters, Arkansas.

Raw #98 - February 6th, 1995

Raw begins in much the same way as last week, with Shawn and Vince in front of a green screen and Mabel entering first. He is joined by Mo and later Lex Luger for the six-man match against the Million Dollar Corporation. With this being Black History Month, Vince wonders if Men on a Mission will make history tonight.

Raw #94 - January 9th, 1995

Tonight, Raw hails from Houston, Texas for the first time for its second anniversary. Monday Night Raw pays tribute to the very first episode of Raw by not being very good! At least tonight, there will be an Intercontinental title match that will not include Max Moon. There will also be male nudity and William Shatner, who will be on King's Court tonight. The Star Trek star tells Lawler in advance to leave him alone, because he's only there to promote the new USA series Tech War. If the King wants a piece of Shat on this Monday Night, he's come to the right place!