Episode 384: 30th Anniversary of the RAW Bowl

As "The Voice of Wrestling" Jim Ross continues his recovery, we're firing up the time machine and heading back 30 years for one of the strangest nights in Monday Night RAW history, the first and last RAW Bowl! Jim Ross and Conrad Thompson revisit the January 1, 1996 edition of RAW and the WWF's unforgettable attempt to kick off the new year with a football-themed wrestling spectacle. JR shares his firsthand memories of calling the action, why Vince McMahon believed themed television could attract new viewers, and whether anyone backstage actually thought the RAW Bowl might become an annual tradition.

Then, the guys examine the state of the WWF entering 1996. The New Generation Era was nearing its end, the Royal Rumble was right around the corner, and the company was unknowingly standing on the doorstep of one of the most transformative years in professional wrestling history. Plus, JR discusses Diesel's final months in the WWF, the arrival of Vader, the infamous "Billionaire Ted's Wrasslin' War Room" skits, and a Monday Night War that was beginning to heat up faster than anyone could have imagined.

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