In Your House: Final Four

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

In Your House: Final Four

February 16, 1997

UTC Arena

Chattanooga, Tennessee

News & Notes: Bret Hart had much to say the night after Royal Rumble. He complained Shawn Michaels screwed him at It’s Time. Steve Austin screwed him at the Royal Rumble. He was sick of it. Bret Hart quit and left through the crowd. However, Gorilla Monsoon booked a Final Four Match for the next PPV. Steve Austin would face the men he illegally eliminated in the Rumble. The winner gets a WWF title match at WrestleMania 13. Bret liked the sound of it, so he returned and agreed to the bout. Meanwhile, Sycho Sid received a rematch for the WWF title. It would take place on RAW. But something changed everyone’s plans.

The dog show preempted RAW, so they held a special episode on Thursday. They called it Thursday RAW Thursday. (That’s redundant.) Sid vs. Shawn should have headlined the show. But Shawn couldn’t wrestle. A doctor told him he needed reconstructive knee surgery. He may never wrestle again. Shawn contacted the WWF with the bad news. He had to vacate the WWF title. Shawn made an emotional speech. He spoke of the rigors of being the champion. It took its toll on him. He lost many things in the last year. The biggest was his smile. Shawn had to return home and find his smile again. Two weeks later, Shawn sought a second opinion. He discovered he didn’t need surgery. Rehab would suffice. The first doctor wasn’t familiar with wrestler injuries. This led to some thinking Shawn faked the injury. They believed he didn’t want to job to Bret Hart at Mania. The melodrama and talk of lost smiles didn’t help his case.

Since the championship was vacant, Monsoon made the Final Four Match for the title. The winner would be the new WWF champion. Then they would face Sycho Sid the next night on RAW. They still owed him a title rematch.

What does it mean to be the World Wrestling Federation champion? For Shawn Michaels, it meant the world. Now, four men consumed by their quest for the title will battle. In times of desperation, these men aren’t the role models we once adored. A cruel twist of fate gave them a chance for gold. These men will go to any extreme and sacrifice it all to become the champion. Western Union presents In Your House: Final Four!

Jim Ross welcomes everyone to Chattanooga. He’s with Jerry Lawler. But there is no Vince. (Vince was busy backstage. He wanted things to run smoothly. They didn’t want more people losing smiles. This is a trial run for the iconic Attitude Era commentary duo.) Ross says we’re guaranteed a new WWF champion tonight. Lawler says Shawn Michaels’ adversity is an opportunity for someone else. Then JR introduces the Spanish and French announcers while Marc Mero enters the ring.

Wildman Marc Mero (w/ Sable) vs. Leif Cassidy

Notes: Now that Mero’s feud with Helmsley is over, they went a different direction with his character. He developed an edge. Mero moved into a tweener role. Sable interferes in his matches to help him win. She even kicked The Undertaker. They filmed Taker chokeslamming her but decided not to air it. However, it’s all for naught. I’ll explain why after the match.

The Match: They trade slaps, but Mero controls the bout with takeovers and arm holds. Cassidy answers by attacking Marc’s leg. But Sable keeps distracting him. When Leif confronts her, Mero admonishes Cassidy. Mero continues his attack until Leif dropkicks his knee. Cassidy then focuses on the leg. He puts Marc in multiple leg laces. Mero counters with some pin attempts. But Cassidy nails a shinbreaker and uses a Figure Four. Sable pushes the ropes closer and Mero grabs them. Leif yells at her about it, so she slaps him. This allows Marc to dive onto Leif. He returns Cassidy to the ring and hits a Samoan Drop. Then Mero lands the Wild Thing for the win.

Thoughts: It was a decent opener. The action was good, and I liked the story of the match. But it wasn’t thrilling. It was slow. It’s better to open with something explosive and faster-paced. Plus, it was a bout between a heel and a tweener. It didn’t have much heat. As I mentioned before, Mero’s character change is moot. He tears his ACL the next night on RAW. Mero is out for months. When he returns, he has a haircut and a new gimmick.

Winner: Marc Mero (9:31)

Mero limps, but he celebrates his win. Sable’s interference annoyed Lawler. Jerry says, “Never hit a woman with glasses. Always use your fists.” (Geez, Lawler! Calm down!) Then the Honky Tonk Man enters the arena. Neither Ross nor Lawler know why he’s there.

Next, they recap Shawn Michaels vacating the WWF title. We see Shawn’s speech from Thursday RAW Thursday. Shawn is emotional. He may be beyond reconstructive knee surgery. If he can’t achieve his usual level, he can’t perform. Shawn says he does nothing half-assed. He speaks about his hectic schedule as champion. Shawn tried doing too much. Everyone’s trying to be tough, but Shawn says he has no toughness. He has only sorrow. Shawn hands Gorilla Monsoon the belt. Then he talks about the things he lost. The biggest one was his smile. Michaels says he’s going home to find the smile again. He doesn’t care if that makes him unpopular. Whether or not you like him, the last year was the best year of his life. He thanks both Vince and the fans before heading home. Then Gorilla Monsoon announced the Final Four Match was now for the vacant title.

Kevin Kelly is with Sycho Sid. He faces the winner of the Final Four Match on RAW. Kevin talks about time, which pisses off Sid. He doesn’t like that word. Time ran out for Shawn Michaels and he’s sad for him. But Sid didn’t get his rematch for the title. Now, time will have a different meaning. It’s Sid’s time and a new time for Monday Night RAW. Sid claims the winner of the Final Four will pay the ultimate price. They will give him back what is his. Sid is the man and the master and ruler of the world. (Someone forgot to tell Sid It’s Time was the last In Your House. Time isn’t the theme of this one.)

Meanwhile, The Honky Tonk Man disappeared. Why did he come to the ring? Did he cut a promo for the live crowd while they showed recaps and interviews? (Don’t worry. You’ll see more of him.)

Faarooq, Crush, & Savio Vega (w/ The Nation of Domination) vs. Goldust, Flash Funk, & Bart Gunn (w/ Marlena)

Notes: The Nation added a new member. Savio Vega teamed with Ahmed Johnson against them. But he attacked Johnson during the match. On Shotgun Saturday Night, Vega claimed his Latin temper got the best of him. But he wasn’t a member of The Nation. That was a lie. Savio joined them in a beat down of Ahmed later in the show. You may ask why Ahmed isn’t in this bout. He’s not injured. They’re drawing out the feud. The three men in this fight are all victims of attacks by The Nation.

The Match: Faarooq grabs a mic, but Goldust jumps him. Everyone brawls until The Nation regroups. Flash dives onto them. Faarooq answers with a spinebuster and Savio enters the bout. Flash gives him a super Frankensteiner. Then Bart Gunn presses Flash out of the ring and onto The Nation. They catch him and stomp Funk. Faarooq continues the attack. He calls Flash a southern black redneck. But Flash raises his knees into Faarooq’s crotch. However, The Nation gives Flash a spike piledriver while the ref is distracted. Flash rallies again. He flips through a double clothesline and hits one of his own. This allows Bart Gunn to tag and clean house with clotheslines and powerslams. The match becomes a brawl and Bart lands a flying bulldog. But Crush leg drops him in the chaos. Faarooq covers for the victory.

Thoughts: It was a pointless match. But the action was decent. It didn’t drag. Flash had some cool spots. The bout was inoffensive but forgettable. Goldust didn’t do much. But they’re saving him for his feud with Triple H. This was a placeholder for Goldust while Hunter deals with Rocky.

Winners: The Nation of Domination (6:43)

Dok Hendrix is backstage with Stone Cold. Austin stares at him like he wants to kill Dok. This doesn’t deter Hendrix. He says Austin doesn’t have clear victories over any of the men in the Final Four Match. This offends Austin. Steve reminds Dok he eliminated them from the Rumble Match. That constitutes a clear victory in Austin’s eyes. The WWF doesn’t have instant replay. He won the Rumble. Austin accuses the WWF office of using bureaucratic politics to hold him down. Stone Cold promises to win the Final Four Match and calls Dok a piece of trash. (This wasn’t one of Austin’s better promos. He stumbled a couple of times. Steve won’t be the only one tonight.)

Intercontinental Title Match: Rocky Maivia (c) vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley

Notes: The fans didn’t get Sid vs. Shawn on Thursday RAW Thursday, so Vince made up for it. Rocky Maivia upset Hunter Hearst Helmsley to win the Intercontinental Title. It was a mixed reaction, to say the least. Fans already chanted Rocky sucks. They don’t care for this smiling babyface persona. Now, Hunter wants his title back. But his issues with Goldust aren’t over.

The Match: They trade takedowns, holds, and even slaps. Hunter controls the match early with a baseball slide, a diving elbow on the apron, and a knee drop. He also wears down Rocky with chinlocks and uses the ropes for leverage. But Hebner catches him. Rocky rallies with pin attempts and a crossbody. Hunter answers with a backbreaker and more chinlocks. Then Rocky punches Hunter on a flying axehandle attempt. He whips Helmsley around the ring and throws punches. He also uses a powerslam and a flying crossbody. Rocky then lands a sloppy float-over DDT. Hunter fires back with a neckbreaker. But Goldust appears in the aisle. He distracts Hunter by rubbing himself. This allows Rocky to pin Hunter with a bridging back suplex.

Thoughts: This was solid, but it was basic. Rocky is still green. They kept it simple. It dragged in the middle. These two have much better matches. But we have a while until then. It accomplished the goal of giving Rocky a big win. It also furthered the Hunter/Goldust feud. It was fine.

Winner: Rocky Maivia (12:30)

Triple H is pissed at Goldust. He dares him to enter the ring. Goldust asks the fans if he should do it. They say yes. Goldust climbs on the apron. But wait a second. Who is that!?

A muscular woman in the crowd chokes Marlena! The security guard grabs her and they escort her out of the building. Jim Ross says, “Is that a woman!?” (That’s mean.) Goldust checks on Marlena. He screams for security to throw the woman in jail. JR can’t believe what happened. Lawler implies he thinks Marlena deserved it. (Hunter later reveals this is his new bodyguard, Chyna. For now, they act like she was a fan who attacked a wrestler.)

Kevin Kelly is backstage with Vader, who stares into the camera. Vader addresses Stone Cold. He says, “You’ve done let that canator—gator butt get that canary mouth in trouble, brother.” (Oops. What’s a canator? Is that a gator/canary hybrid?) Then Vader says he doesn’t think Bret is the best there is. He also tells The Undertaker to rest in peace. Paul Bearer speaks next. He says his Vader already destroyed the other men. Tonight you’re looking at the new WWF champion. Paul asks what time it is. Vader answers, it’s Vader Time. (I get what Vader went for. But he botched this promo. Poor guy.)

Tag Team Title Match: Furnas & Lafon vs. Owen Hart & The British Bulldog (c) (w/ Clarence Mason)

Notes: Furnas & Lafon faced Owen & Bulldog in a non-title match. The tag champs won when Owen used his Slammy as a weapon. But Furnas & Lafon got singles victories because of miscommunication between Owen & Davey. Owen hit Bulldog with his Slammy by accident. There’s trouble within their ranks. Owen still claimed he didn’t mean to eliminate Bulldog from the Rumble. Davey isn’t buying it. Davey is also tired of Owen cheating to win.

The Match: Owen & Davey exchange arm drags, suplexes, and pin attempts with Furnas & Lafon. But Owen attacks Lafon from behind. The tag champs then double-team them in their corner. Owen controls the match with eye-rakes, suplexes, and a backbreaker. Owen & Davey also use ref distractions. They nail a suplex/flying crossbody combo. Next, both teams take turns reversing a cradle. This leads to Owen & Bulldog arguing. It becomes worse when Owen hits Davey with a wheel kick by accident. Owen & Davey shove and slap each other, so Davey clotheslines his brother-in-law. However, he saves Owen from a pin.

Furnas & Lafon take control with backdrops, suplexes, and a hurricanrana. They also pinball Owen with clotheslines and superkicks. The sequence ends with a DDT. Owen rallies with an enziguri and tags Davey. Bulldog throws dropkicks and clotheslines until the match becomes a brawl. Furnas & Lafon whip Davey & Owen into each other. Then Owen and Furnas fight to the floor. Bulldog hits the running powerslam on Lafon. But Owen clocks Phil with his Slammy, and the ref calls for a DQ.

Thoughts: This was a solid bout. I liked the storytelling. They’re doing a good slow burn with the Owen/Davey issues. Plus, Furnas & Lafon had some cool moves. This was enjoyable, even with the DQ finish. It fit the current storyline, so I didn’t mind it.

Winners: Furnas & Lafon (by DQ) (10:31)

Davey yells at Owen. He can’t believe Owen cost them the match. Owen says it doesn’t matter because they’re still champions. Davey said he had it won. Bulldog throws down the tag belts in frustration. Then he takes Owen’s Slammy and breaks it. (How dare he!?) Clarence Mason tries calming Bulldog, so he yells at him too. They finally convince Davey to relax and leave with them. But Bulldog yells, “I had him beat!”

Dok is in a dark and smoky room with The Undertaker. Hendrix asks if Taker rediscovered his edge. Taker says he has, but not all of it. (No, he won’t find Edge until 1998. Oh, wait.) The force that dominated the early 90s isn’t far away. That spells doom for everyone else in the match. Taker promises to win the title by hook or by crook. If anyone gets in his way, he will annihilate them. Next, Taker says he still has issues with Vader. He will get even. It’s not a matter of when or how. But it will happen in a few minutes. (Wait, that sounds like a when. What is Taker talking about? Why is everyone flubbing their promos? Is something in the air?) Taker then ends the promo by saying rest in peace. He turns off the lights by lowering his arms. (I would have laughed if Dok stumbled around in the dark.)

JR and Lawler recap the end of the Rumble. They show clips. Lawler tries claiming Austin wasn’t eliminated. Jerry also implies he’s flying the Western Union blimp.

During the entrances, Kevin Kelly interviews Bret Hart. Kevin asks if anything can stop Bret from winning the title. He says no. But Bret takes nothing away from his opponents. They’re all tough. Bret doesn’t want any excuses. Whoever wins will rightfully be the WWF champion. He ends by saying, “May the best man win. Me!” (It wasn’t a thrilling promo. But he’s the only competitor who didn’t botch their interview. He gets points for that.)

Final Four Match for the vacant WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. The Undertaker

Notes: This is an elimination match. All four men fight at once. There are no count outs or disqualifications. You can eliminate someone by pin, submission, or by throwing them over the top rope. Vader enters first and fights with the ring steps. Then Austin arrives and flips off Vader. Taker is next. He raises the lights and Vader looks startled. Bret does his promo after this and the camera follows him through the curtain. (It’s a cool shot.)

The Match: Everyone pairs with their rivals to start. Vader and Taker fall through the ropes and fight on the floor. Vader grabs a chair, but Taker kicks it into his face. (It busts open Vader’s eye. He bleeds profusely.) Meanwhile, Bret and Austin use backbreakers and sleeper holds. Austin breaks it with a jawbreaker while Taker chokeslams Vader. Then they trade fighting partners. Vader uses the chair on Bret. Taker reverses a piledriver attempt by Austin. Next, Vader and Austin hit each other with the belt and the ring bell. Vader even uses The Sharpshooter on Bret, so Austin stomps Hart. Vader then attempts and misses a moonsault. This leads to Vader and Taker choking each other with cables. Everyone continues fighting until Bret dumps Austin over the ropes! (Elimination: Steve Austin)

Bret and Vader then double-team Taker. Paul Bearer clocks Taker with the urn while he’s on the floor. Then Vader climbs the ropes, but Bret lands a superplex. He follows with a Sharpshooter, but Taker breaks it. Austin then returns and attacks Bret. The officials stop him. While this happens, Vader climbs for a Vader Bomb. But Taker low-blows him and sends him over the ropes. (Elimination: Vader) Austin attacks Bret again, so Taker saves Hart. Taker then nails a chokeslam and tries for a Tombstone. Austin pulls Bret down, so Taker confronts Stone Cold. Taker and Bret both fight with Austin. The distraction allows Bret to clothesline Taker out of the ring! (Final Elimination: The Undertaker)

Thoughts: This was an enjoyable brawl. It dragged a little in the middle. But the beginning and end were great. The blood added to the match. There was great intensity. They woke up a crowd that was quiet all night. Plus, it did a good job building the Bret/Austin feud. This is Bret’s 4^th reign as champion. However, it doesn’t last. Bret loses the title to Sid on RAW. Stone Cold interferes to cost him the match.

Winner: Bret Hart (New Champion) (24:06)

The Undertaker chases Austin to the back and looks at the ring with disappointment. Bret celebrates before they show a commercial for WrestleMania 13. The narrator speaks about athletes performing on the ultimate stage. Emotions pour forth and dreams become reality. When you succeed at that level, they call you a legend. Then they return to Bret Hart celebrating in the ring. But Sycho Sid interrupts. Sid says Bret has something that’s his. He’s there to take it. Sid points at the belt, but we can’t hear what he says. The show ends with Sid arguing with Bret.

The Good:

• The main event was great.

• The tag title match was fun.

• Chyna’s debut.

• Vader’s performance.

The Bad:

• Two matches had no build.

• Botched promos.

• Pointless Honky Tonk Man appearance.

Performer of the Night:

It’s Vader. This is the finest moment in his WWF run. He looked like a badass in the match.

Final Thoughts:

The main event and the tag title match took this from an average show to a good one. Nothing was terrible and the final match was great. I’d almost call this a forgotten gem. It’s a solid show. They did a good job of building to WrestleMania. It’s commendable, considering the changes in plans. The WWF scrambled to rebook Mania because of Michaels. They did okay with what they had.

Thank you for reading. My next review is WCW’s SuperBrawl VII. Look for it next Sunday.