Raw vs Nitro - Reliving The War

The date is 5.6.96 and it's time for another Monday Night TV ratings battle. WCW Nitro is live on TNT and WWF Raw is showing taped matches on the USA Network. Eric Bischoff and company are gearing towards Slamboree 96, a pay per view that will feature the Lethal Lottery / Lord of the Ring tournament while the WWF are getting prepared for In Your House: Beware of Dog. Which show will come out on top as we continue this series that aims to relive the entire Monday Night Wars?

This week, The Undertaker is in the main event as "The Phenom" faces Owen Hart. The WWF also progresses the British Bulldog vs Shawn Michaels storyline when an unknown lady reveals some information about the Heartbreak Kid. On Nitro, Lex Luger is scheduled to take on The Giant in a WCW World Championship match, and other guys in action include Jushin Liger, Dean Malenko, The British Bulldog, Fatu and the 1-2-3 Kid. 

WCW Nitro goes head to head with WWF Raw in another Monday Night television ratings battle! The date is 4.29.96, the WWF have been leading the way in the ratings recently as WCW hasn’t been building to anything significant on pay per view.

This week, Nitro is taped. The WCW show also broadcasted 1 hour earlier than normal due to a NBA game airing on TNT. Eric Bishcoff and company have a big surprise in store this week though and it all goes down in the main event, Ric Flair vs The Giant for the WCW Heavyweight Championship. 

WWF Raw is live this week on the USA Network, it’s the night after In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies, and Vince McMahon is already looking ahead to the next pay per view. Shawn Michaels begins his rivalry with The British Bulldog on this episode of Raw, a rivalry that also includes Diana Smith. The Ultimate Warrior also has his debut WWF Raw match this week. 

WCW Monday Nitro and WWF Monday Night Raw went head to head on 4.22.1996 in a battle for ratings supremacy. Nitro aired live on TNT while Raw was pre-taped, airing on the USA Network. It's time to look at another action packed night of the Monday Night Wars!

The WWF are days away from "In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies" where Big Daddy Cool Diesel tries to win the WWF Championship from Shawn Michaels. This episode of Raw features the finaly hype for IYH along with the promised Goldust vs Savio Vega Intercontinental title match. Over on Monday Nitro, a special tag team match takes place where the Tag Titles, the TV Title and the World Heavyweight Championship are all on the line. Ric Flair and The Giant team up to face Sting and Lex Luger in the Nitro main event. 

The WWF are gearing towards "In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies" which will feature a Shawn Michaels vs Diesel main event. Diesel explains why he turned his back on HBK on this episode of Raw. We also get an entertaining Intercontinental Championship match featuring Goldust and Savio Vega, and Stone Cold Steve Austin is in action. Over on WCW Nitro, Ric Flair and The Giant join forces to take on Sting and Lex Luger. Along with this, the Nasty Boys take on Public Enemy, and The Hulkster is also in action.  

WCW Monday Nitro was pre-empted on 4.8.96 so the WWF had a free night on the USA Network. Once again, the WWF would try to capitalize by presenting some of the biggest names in the company including Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Vader, Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart. This episode also features the Raw debut of The Ultimate Warrior, who made his return at WrestleMania 12. The WWF try to turn the Monday Night War in their favour by putting on an entertaining show, and it actually worked. The World Wrestling Federation would win the ratings war 5 times in a row… but it was the last winning streak the WWF would have for quite a long time. As we get further into 1996, the wheels begin falling off as WCW begin firing on all cylinders.

The Raw after WrestleMania usually has a few surprises and 1996 was no exception. With WrestleMania XII all wrapped up, the WWF went into San Barnardino for Monday Night Raw and not only did we get the in-ring debut of Marc Mero (WCW's Johnny B. Badd), but Mankind also worked his very first TV match on this show. Mick Foley's Mankind character would become a huge part of the Monday Night War, and right from the get-go, Mankind made an impact. 

Over on the WCW side, Eric Bischoff and company were getting ready for a rough month. Not only were there no PPVs scheduled for April 1996, but Nitro was getting ready for another pre-empted week on the 8th of April. 2 pre-empted shows in the space of a month meant storyline progession would slow down and the creative team would need to focus on building a PPV which was over 1 month away. Slamboree 1996 would also feature the "Lethal Lottery" tag matches that didn't do much in terms of storylines, so things are looking a bit shaky on Nitro over the next few weeks

WCW Monday Nitro and WWF Monday Night Raw went head to head on 3.25.96. The WWF are just 6 days away from their historic WrestleMania XII pay per view where Bret Hart would face Shawn Michaels in a 60 minute marathon match, while WCW are one night removed from their Uncensored 96 PPV that featured the ill-fated Doomsday Cage match. 

This week's episode of Raw puts a huge focus on WrestleMania 12 with promos from The Undertaker and Goldust. Shawn Michaels is in action and Bret Hart comes to ringside to get a closer look at his WrestleMania opponent. Over on TNT, Hulk Hogan is nowhere to be found after he and Randy Savage beat the "Alliance to end Hulkamania" at Uncensored. The Nature Boy Ric Flair defends his WCW Championship against The Giant in the main event while Sting & Lex Luger battle The American Males. We're still in the early days of the Monday Night War, but things are definitely heating up!

World Championship Wrestling are one week away from their Uncensored 96 pay per view and a ton of last minute booking takes place on this episode of Nitro. "The Alliance to End Hulkamania" is properly formed this week, featuring the WCW return of Zeus and another character that got Turner Broadcasting in some hot water. 

Over on Raw, the WWF are just 2 weeks away from WrestleMania XII where Bret Hart will face Shawn Michaels in a 60 minute marathon match. Bret is in action this week against Tatanka. Another big match thats been hyped for months in the Undertaker's match with Big Daddy Cool Diesel. This week's episode of Raw sees Diesel opening a casket at ringside, a casket that contains a spooky surprise!

While the WWF are still heading towards their WrestleMania 12 show, WCW start promoting their Uncensored PPV a little more in this week's show. A Doomsday Cage Match will headline Uncensored featuring The Mega Powers vs nearly every heel in the world.