WWE Raw Gallery: 25 Years Of Iconic Monday Nights

21. 1997 - Street Fight

The Rock CM Punk
WWE

Dateline: 21st April, 1997

Stone Cold Steve Austin had already opened up Monday Night Raw to another thunderous response from the crowd he professed not to give a sh*t about having slotted in as top babyface following an exquisitely booked WrestleMania 13 double turn with Bret Hart.

Throwing down the gauntlet to 'The Hitman' after coming within a Hart Foundation run-in of beating him the night prior, 'The Rattlesnake' survived further Bulldog and Owen beatings in an exhilarating show-long angle that saw his obsession with dismantling Bret reach a fever pitch.

Annihilating him with a steel chair when the pair were finally left alone, Austin followed up his assault by hijacking Bret's ambulance and continuing the attack. He had to be pried from attacking uneasy ally Shawn Michaels for having the gaul to help him, then suffered a show-closing beating from a returning and remorseful Brian Pillman. He was the shining star of what proved to be one of the greatest episodes in the show's history.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett