10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1998
2. The Only Time Guns Worked
Back in 1996, the mere sight of Brian Pillman toting a handgun was enough to give TV execs an aneurysm. The USA Network weren't happy with Vince McMahon for that, and perhaps rightly so. After all, his Raw show was still supposed to be family-friendly entertainment. 1998, meanwhile, was a tad different.
By that point, Raw had become a raunch-filled fantasy land of violence, sex, lewd gestures and more. So, when Steve Austin held a gun to McMahon's head on the 19 October episode and threatened to pull the trigger, the live audience egged him on. Vince, playing the role of terrified boss, pee'd his panties.
Somehow, despite the gun, this was way more palatable than the Pillman stuff.
Maybe it was the way they played the angle for laughs, or maybe it just fit the product better. Whatever the case, the iconic 'Bang 3:16' moment became one of Raw's best. This fan even had a poster of the pant-wetting angle on his bedroom wall as a kid.