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In the annals of the WWF, there are more than a few misfires: Brawl for All, ICOPRO, most of 1995, but sometimes there’s a good idea that just doesn’t work. That’s the best way to explain the RAW Bowl.

In 1996, the WWF was on the tail end of the New Generation, still relying on over-the-top angles, professions as gimmicks, and much more that was in desperate need for a change.

With that context in mind, maybe it would be understandable that this same year gave us the RAW Bowl. Understandable, but not forgivable. There’s a difference, damnit! Anyway, what exactly is the RAW Bowl? It was a 4-way tag team elimination match…with football jerseys…because RAW Bowl?

The RAW Bowl included 4 teams, The Smoking Gunns, Yokozuna & Owen Hart, Razor Ramon & Savio Vega, and Sycho Sid & the 1 2 3 Kid. All wearing jerseys. In a ring with a football themed canvas. Why? Because 1996, that’s why.

As if it matters, here are the rules for the first and only RAW Bowl:

• One timeout per team can be used at any time
• A team is eliminated when either teammate is pinned, disqualified, counted out, or submits
• Any player may be tagged in at any time
• Once tagged, physical contact must be made with opponent before tagging out

Outside of the time out rule (“there are no timeouts in wrestling” -Every babyface announcer ever), it’s a basic elimination tag match. Not that the WWF did many of these at the time, it took them until 1994 to do the first ladder match, for crying out loud, but it’s still a basic concept. So, unlike Brawl For All, which worked under the brilliant concept of “let’s do some real stuff in the middle of all this fake wrestling”, the RAW Bowl wasn’t some totally out there, Russo-esque something on a pole crapfest that was barely wrestling, it was a basic match. It even included some very talented people (and Sycho Sid), but it just…didn’t work. Why?

Well, it mostly comes down to two things: the match was sort of thrown together and….it was 1996. I know I keep harping on this, but realize that 1996 was still in the mid 90s slump and was just coming off the terrible year that was 1995. Even with Shawn Michaels fulfilling his boyhood dream of winning the WWF Title then traveling around with a 70 year old man, the WWF was still in a slump. House shows weren’t selling out, pay per views were being headlined by Diesel (shudder), and Monday Night RAW was being held in buildings almost as fancy as New Jersey strip malls. So when the January 1, 1996 RAW comes along, the WWF just decided to have a football match…because reasons. The Smoking Gunns win, by the way, and got the Lombardi Trophy. The STEVE Lombardi Trophy…get it? No? Ok.

So not only were we treated to this football match, complete with halftime, football jerseys, the show was headlined by Diesel vs. King Mabel.