to The Smoking Gunns, then afterwards his alliance with Razor quietly ended. Various feuds (1996–1997) Vega was the twelfth entrant in the 1996 Royal Rumble, eliminating Dory Funk, Jr. before being eliminated by Vader. The following night on RAW, he lost to Vader. On the March 11 RAW, he wrestled Stone Cold Steve Austin for the first time, resulting in a double countout. This led to a feud, and a series of matches. The first of these happened at WrestleMania XII, both men's WrestleMania debut, which Austin won. On April 15, Vega challenged Goldust for the Intercontinental Championship. Vega won the match, but WWF President Gorilla Moonson reverted the decision and vacated the title. The same day, Vega and Goldust fought for the title, which was won by Goldust. On the April 13 Superstars, Rivera, wearing a mask featuring the flag of Puerto Rico and billed as "The Caribbean Kid", defeated Austin by pinfall, then unmasked himself. This was Austin's first singles defeat in the WWF, and The Caribbean Kid's sole appearance. Austin won a rematch at In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies on April 28. One month later, at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog, Vega defeated Austin in a Caribbean Strap Match. According to the stipulations, Austin's manager, Ted DiBiase, had to leave the WWF. This was DiBiase's last appearance on WWF TV until 2005. Vega then feuded with Justin Bradshaw, winning their first match on July 8. On July 21, he lost a rematch at In Your House 9: International Incident. On August 12, 1996, Vega lost his first match by submission to Crush. At SummerSlam, he lost a match to Owen Hart, and was then assaulted by Bradshaw. At In Your House 10: Mind Games, he defeated Bradshaw in a Caribbean Strap Match, ending their feud. On the September 7 episode of Raw, Vega defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley. This was followed with a victory over the fake Razor Ramon, who had appeared following the original Razor's departure to World Championship Wrestling. On the December 22 Superstars, he teamed with Jesse James to unsuccessfully challenge Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Vega entered the 1997 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by eventual winner Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Nation of Domination (1997) On January 25, 1997, Vega turned heel and joined The Nation of Domination, a stable led