In Your House: Revenge of the Taker

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

In Your House: Revenge of the Taker

April 20, 1997

Rochester Community War Memorial

Rochester, New York

News & Notes: The night after WrestleMania, Bret Hart apologized for his actions. He said he was sorry to his fans in Canada, South Africa, Europe, and everywhere else except for one place. Bret did not apologize to the American fans. They turned their backs on him. Fans in the United States forgot their values. Those fans cheered people like Steve Austin. This promo made Bret a heel in America while keeping him face in all the other countries. It was the first time someone attempted this. But it didn’t end there. The following week, tensions came to a head between Owen & Bulldog. Owen demanded a match for the European title. It led to them brawling after the bout. Bret stopped their fighting. He said the American fans turned them against each other. It’s what they wanted. Bret made an impassioned plea for peace. He told Owen he loved him, which brought a tear to Owen’s eyes. They hugged and reconciled for the first time in almost four years. This new unified group called themselves The Hart Foundation. They add more members in the coming weeks. For now, they focused their attention back to Steve Austin. Bret faces Austin in a #1 Contender match at this event.

Meanwhile, The Undertaker has his own problems. The WWF named Mankind as his first opponent. But it seemed Paul Bearer betrayed Mankind. Bearer approached The Undertaker and begged for forgiveness. Since Taker was champion again, Paul wanted to manage him. Taker said he could never forget what Paul did, but he might forgive it. He then handed Bearer the belt. But Taker punched Bearer in the face! Paul retreated, but it was a trap. Mankind appeared from under the ring and threw a fireball into Taker’s face! The Undertaker stumbled around blindly and swung at anything that moved. Paul Bearer and Mankind laughed at what they had done.

I have two more bits of news before we begin. First, Vader landed himself in trouble during a tour of Kuwait. The Undertaker and Vader appeared on a program called Good Morning Kuwait. The producers told Vader the host would ask the dreaded question. Is wrestling fake? They instructed Vader to ham it up a bit. But no one warned the host. Vader got in his face and intimidated the man. The host felt threatened and pressed charges. They placed Vader under house arrest in his hotel. The second bit of news is about a dreadful episode of RAW. They simulcast the event from South Africa and America. Issues plagued the episode, despite it being taped. This show was so bad Vince changed the creative team. He gave a certain someone a more prominent role. That man was Vince Russo. Welcome to the Russo-era!

Freddie Blassie narrates an epic opening video. (I could get used to this. He has an awesome voice.) They show Mankind throwing fire in The Undertaker’s face. Blassie makes it biblical. He speaks of demons rising to vanquish the almighty. The wicked revel in their misdeeds. But they will gaze upon the face of vengeance and know their fate is sealed! Then we hear what sounds like the opening of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. (It’s not. The WWF couldn’t afford that.)

Vince welcomes everyone to In Your House, while the LOD enter the arena. McMahon says there are three championships on the line tonight. Then we see a recap of the LOD/Owen & Bulldog feud. The Godwinns slopped the Legion of Doom. Owen & Bulldog also cost LOD a match. Lawler finds it hilarious. Next, Vince introduces the international announce teams. And JR sings the praises of the teams in the first match.

Tag Team Title Match: Legion of Doom vs. Owen Hart & The British Bulldog (c)

Notes: The Legion of Doom got on the wrong side of the Hart Foundation when they saved Austin from a beating. The WWF announced LOD as #1 Contenders to the tag titles. So the LOD confronted Owen & Bulldog after they faced the Godwinns. Henry & Phineas tried slopping Owen & Bulldog, but they moved. The slop hit the LOD instead. This lead to a fight between the LOD and The Godwinns. Meanwhile, Owen & Bulldog thought it was hilarious. They demanded multiple replays of the slopping. Then they cost the LOD a victory against The Godwinns when Davey hit Animal with the belt. (On a side note, they show Stone Cold arriving during this bout. Pat Patterson asks why he’s late. Austin tells him to get lost.)

The Match: The Legion of Doom controls the encounter early with strikes and knockdowns. But Bulldog answers with a clothesline and a stalling suplex on Hawk. Then Davey & Owen try double-teaming them. It doesn’t work. The LOD use powerslams and holds until Owen nails an enziguri. Owen then grabs a sleeper hold on Hawk. He almost rallies, but Bulldog kicks Hawk in the back. However, Hawk sends Bulldog & Owen crashing into each other. Animal then gives Bulldog a super powerslam for the win!

But wait! Another ref appears. He says Bulldog wasn’t the legal man. They restart the bout, but Bulldog & Owen don’t want to continue. They want their belts so they can leave. The ref orders them to return or he’ll give the titles to the LOD. The champs run back to the ring. Owen takes control with a wheel kick, a neckbreaker, and a leg drop. Bulldog also distracts the ref. So he misses Animal’s rallies. But Hawk tags when Owen misses a flying headbutt. He cleans house, and the LOD gives Owen a Doomsday Device. This draws out Bret Hart. He attacks to cause a DQ.

Thoughts: I wanted to like this. Some action was good. Owen & Bulldog were entertaining. But it was an overbooked mess. Why restart this only for it to end with a DQ? I’ll give them credit for putting heat on The Hart Foundation. However, it was disappointing for a PPV encounter. This is something you’d put on RAW. Again, welcome to the Russo-era. Get used to these types of finishes.

Winners: The Legion of Doom (by DQ) (10:11)

Dok Hendrix gets a word with Owen & Bulldog backstage. He calls them lucky, but Owen disagrees. They’re the best tag team that is, was, and ever will be. They beat the LOD like they beat everybody. Then Dok tells them Austin arrived during their bout. Owen & Bulldog don’t believe it. Owen says, “You better make sure. There’s a lot of bald guys walking around!” (I love Owen.) Hendrix assures them it’s the truth. So Bulldog says they’ll beat Austin like they did the Legion of Doom.

Next, Sunny and Brian Pillman are on the Superstar Line. We catch them flirting. Brian tells McMahon to eat his heart out. Vince is calling suplexes, but they’re finding out the dirt from the WWF Superstars. Brian says they have ways of making them talk. He grabs Sunny, and she lets out a squeak. Sunny then says people from the United States, Canada, or the UK can call. But get your parents’ permission first. (Imagine the phone bill if you called from the UK. Plus, it’s the middle of the night there. I can’t picture kids waking their parents for permission to call the Superstar Line.) Meanwhile, Jim Ross wants a cigarette after that segment.

During the entrances for the next match, Kevin Kelly interviews Rocky Maivia. Kelly asks Rocky if he feels uneasy facing The Nation. Maivia says the past is the past. Tonight counts. Lady luck has been on Rocky’s side since he debuted. If it’s his night to lose the title, then so be it. But Savio Vega is in for the fight of his life. (You can see the growing frustration on Rocky’s face. This was a better promo than he’s done in the past. But he still needs work. He’s getting there.)

Intercontinental Title Match: Savio Vega (w/ The Nation of Domination) vs. Rocky Maivia (c)

Notes: The original plan was a Gauntlet Match. It would pit Ahmed Johnson against the entire Nation. Faarooq issued the challenge to Johnson. If Ahmed won, the Nation would disband. However, Faarooq separated his shoulder in the Street Fight at Mania. They pushed the gauntlet to the next PPV. This bout is a replacement. They set it up with a non-title victory by Savio. Faarooq is there with his arm in a sling. He does commentary for this encounter. Faarooq’s headset doesn’t work, so JR gives up his own. Vince compliments Ross for doing so. But Faarooq spins it as a conspiracy against him and The Nation.

The Match: Rocky catches Savio with punches and arm drags. Savio answers with wheel kicks and uses nerve holds. Rocky rallies with crossbodies and roll-ups. But Vega keeps returning to the hold. Rocky also uses a fisherman suplex, but the Nation distracts the ref. This allows Savio to nail more spin kicks, chops, and a hip toss. Then Rocky counters with a float-over DDT and sends Vega into the corner twice. Maivia continues with a belly-to-belly and an uranage! (It’s not The Rock Bottom yet.) Next, Savio sends Rocky through the ropes. He lands on Crush. It pisses off the big man. Crush gives Rocky the Heart Punch. But it leads to a count-out.

Thoughts: This was a slow and uninteresting bout. Half of it was nerve holds. Then it had a weak finish. I get this was a last-minute replacement match. But it could have been better. Both men went through the motions to reach the end. It existed to set-up dissension in The Nation, but that’s it. This show feels like a commercial-free episode of RAW instead of a PPV.

Winner: Savio Vega (by Count-Out) (8:33)

Vega yells at Crush. He cost him a chance at the belt. Crush enters the ring and they argue. So Faarooq leaves the announce table to play peacemaker. He stops the fighting and instructs them to put Rocky in the ring. They attack Maivia. Faarooq whips him with a belt. But Ahmed Johnson arrives with a 2×4 and clears the ring.

Johnson addresses Faarooq’s gauntlet challenge. Ahmed says he must beat the illegal immigrant, the convict, and Faarooq’s black ass. Faarooq thinks he’s crazy to accept the challenge. Well, he is crazy! And he accepts! Ahmed promises to face the three of them in one night and all at once if they want it. Faarooq tells Johnson he has a deal, as The Nation leaves the arena.

Meanwhile, Ken Shamrock chats online in the AOL room. He grins about something. Vince claims Ken will challenge Mike Tyson on RAW. (I see Vince is already planning to use Tyson. It won’t happen for a few more months.)

Dok Hendrix interviews Sable and Marc Mero outside a bathroom. (What an odd choice for a location.) He congratulates Sable on her Miss Slammy award. Sable thanks him and says 1997 will be their year. Dok turns his attention to Marc next. He asks Mero for the prognosis on his knee. Mero says it’s fine. He’ll be back for a wild summer! Then Hendrix brings down the mood. He asks Marc if he feels bittersweet. Marc isn’t competing tonight. But they’re in the building where Mero won his Golden Gloves. Mero answers that question until Stone Cold enters the bathroom behind them. We hear yelling and clattering noises. It confuses everyone. Mero & Sable leave while the officials enter the restroom. Owen & Bulldog then emerge. They see the camera and make comical faces before slinking away. Dave Hebner says Owen & Bulldog attacked Austin. They need help!

Jesse James sings his way to the ring, but JR continues talking about the Austin situation. James is there to face The Honky Tonk Man’s new protege. They show a recap of the storyline so far. (I’ll give details in a moment.) Honky arrives to introduce the man he chose. He’s alone, so Vince thinks it’s Honky himself. It’s not. HTM says he promised his fans and friends a protege to break Jesse’s neck. That man is the artist formerly known as Billy Gunn. It’s—Rockabilly! Vince says he doesn’t understand this at all. (He booked it!) JR asks Honky for an explanation. HTM claims Gunn’s aggression impressed him. It made Honky persistent. He wore down Billy’s resistance and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse! Honky claims JR knows what that means. (Does he mind sharing it with the rest of us?)

Jesse James vs. Rockabilly (w/ The Honky Tonk Man)

Notes: Honky first approached James. He was a singer, so Honky thought Jesse was a perfect choice. James wanted no part of it. He broke Honky’s prized guitar. Then HTM chose Billy Gunn. But Billy lost a match with Honky in his corner. He punched Mr. Tonk Man for his troubles. So it makes little sense for Gunn to agree to this. The reason it makes no sense is Gunn wasn’t the first choice for the role. It was supposed to be Disco Inferno. He was on the outs with WCW for refusing to job to Jacquelyn. But Disco signed a new deal with them. So Billy Gunn is the backup plan. Now, The New Age Outlaws explode before they begin!

The Match: James catches Billy with arm drags and hip tosses. (They make Billy shout, “Oh, jeez!”) He also sends Rockabilly over the ropes and nails a jumping clothesline. When they return to the ring, Billy lands a jumping Rocker Dropper. (It isn’t the Fameasser yet.) Then Billy continues with a neckbreaker and dances. (He does this often.) Billy follows with a back elbow and tries a Stinger Splash. But he misses it. James returns fire with punches, clotheslines, and his own dancing. However, Billy sends him through the ropes. Rockabilly then attempts—something out of the corner. James turns it into a roll-up for the victory.

Thoughts: You can tell this gimmick is dead in the water. The commentators made fun of it. And Billy lost the match. This was dull and pointless. They spent half of the match dancing. The crowd couldn’t care less. I felt bad for both men. They feud on TV for months before finally becoming the team we all know. We have a while until then.

Winner: Jesse James (6:46)

Honky sneaks up behind James with his guitar. But Jesse senses him and moves. (Maybe he smelled the Brylcreem.) HTM hits the turnbuckle as James slides out of the ring. Double J tells Honky and Billy to kiss his butt.

Then Dok Hendrix shills an Undertaker door banner. You can hang it on your bedroom door for only $29.95, plus shipping and handling! It’s creepy. I wouldn’t want that in my bedroom.

Meanwhile, Kevin Kelly is in the locker room with Austin and Gorilla Monsoon. He asks Austin if he’s in any shape to wrestle. Stone Cold says he ain’t keeping him from the ring. Bret will have to kill him before he’ll leave him alone. Kelly says Austin refused medical attention. Austin replies he doesn’t need medical attention. But Bret will. Bret can bring his whole family, including his fat father Stu! It won’t matter. None of them can whip Steve Austin’s ass. They only got a part of it. Then Kevin asks Gorilla for his thoughts. Monsoon says only Austin knows if he can compete. But he will buy Austin some time. Gorilla rearranges the card. Bret vs. Austin will go on last. The WWF title match is first.

Next, they go to a newcomer in the WWF, Lance Wright. (He works as a manager in ECW. But he doesn’t last long in this WWF role.) Lance is with the Hart Foundation. He asks why they attacked Austin in the bathroom. Bulldog says Austin started it. They were celebrating their victory over the LOD and Austin attacked! Owen echoes these statements. He also doesn’t appreciate Austin interrupting their celebration. Or talking bad about their dad. (Do Owen & Bulldog regularly celebrate in bathrooms?) Then Bret says, “You know what the bottom line is? Who’s crying now?” He smirks as the Hart Foundation leaves the room. Vince calls it cold.

Vince says The Undertaker must be near because it’s damp in the arena. (Oh, my! At least he didn’t say moist.) This leads to a weird video recap of the Undertaker/Mankind feud. It involves backward talking, animal noises, and frantic edits. They show footage from the feud so far, including Mankind throwing fire in Taker’s face. Taker flailed around in pain. JR says he smelled burning flesh. Todd Pettengill says blind ambition will be redefined in the vision of Armageddon.

After the video, Dok interviews Paul Bearer and Mankind. Bearer holds his nose because he still smells burning flesh. Tonight his Mankind will be WWF champion! Mankind then claims it will be the greatest night of his life. The Undertaker’s screams will be music to his ear. (I liked that touch. Notice he said ear instead of ears.)

WWF Title Match: The Undertaker (c) vs. Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer)

Notes: Mankind carries the fire extinguisher to the ring. JR jokes with Vince about Mankind being the poster boy for the WWF. He asks if there would be a Mankind swimsuit calendar. (That’s disturbing.) During the match, Lawler also asks Vince how they’d market Mankind as the WWF champion. Vince says they’d find a way. (What an idea. That should put some butts in the seats!) Meanwhile, The Undertaker arrives with a bandage on his face to cover his burns. Mankind jumps Taker when he enters the ring.

The Match: They brawl in and out of the ring and over the railing. Taker rams Mankind’s head into the metal. Then he attempts Old School. But he turns it into a springboard clothesline! (He saved a botch, but it was fluid enough to look natural. I’ll dub this new version, The After School Special.) Bearer distracts the ref while Mankind uses the urn. It doesn’t work, so Mankind rips out his hair. Mankind tries a glass pitcher and a chair next. The ref does nothing about it. Mankind also nails two pulling piledrivers! It’s still not enough.

Taker answers with clotheslines, but one takes out the ref! A second official arrives, so Mankind dispatches him with the Mandible Claw! Next, Bearer gives Mankind a chair and Mankind grabs the steps. It backfires on Mankind. Taker sends him into a hangman spot and Mankind’s mask comes off. Then Taker hits Mankind with the steps. It sends him head-first into the announce table! He gets stuck in a hole. (That was an amusing sight.) Taker follows with a chokeslam. It’s not enough. So he also nails a Tombstone for the win.

Thoughts: This was chaotic and violent. I liked it. Mankind took enough crazy bumps to wake even this crowd. Plus, this match had some great visuals. I laughed at Mankind getting stuck in the table. His legs were kicking. It’s tough watching some of Mankind’s bumps. But I think these were fairly safe. It’s nowhere near as bad as what we’ll see from these two in the future. Now, what happens next brings it down a notch.

Winner: The Undertaker (17:26)

Taker celebrates and points at Paul Bearer. He chases him around the ring. Mankind tries doing—something. (He tried throwing another fireball. It would hit Paul Bearer by accident. But the flash paper doesn’t light.) They try again, but it still fails. Taker has enough and takes the lighter and paper. Bearer begs off in the corner. So Taker throws fire in Paul’s face. (He takes two tries as well. They can’t win with this stunt.) Bearer rolls out of the ring and covers his face with his jacket. Mankind escorts him to the back while the officials rush to help. (That was a disaster. It could have been cool if it worked. However, this leads to something big. I’ll explain more in future reviews.)

Next, they show a commercial for the next In Your House. It happens on May 11th. The WWF Superstars will show athleticism and kick some serious butt!

After the commercial, Dok interviews Bret Hart. (You hear Paul Bearer crying in pain in the distance. But they don’t acknowledge it. It’s amusing.) Hendrix asks why Owen & Bulldog are there. Bret says it’s none of his business. Then Bret says it’s a war. He doesn’t know who is less forgiving between himself and the American fans. Neither side would forgive the other if given the chance. Bret promises to make an example of Stone Cold. He beat him twice, but that’s not enough. Bret must end Austin’s career. Then he’ll do the same to everyone else in the WWF. (Does that include Owen & Bulldog?) It’s the only way to prove he’s still the best there is, was, and ever will be. Bret leaves and tells Owen & Davey to come with him. Dok can’t believe his ears.

#1 Contender Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart

Notes: Davey & Owen accompany Bret to the ring. But Gorilla Monsoon and the officials stop them. They order the tag champs to leave. Bulldog & Owen aren’t allowed at ringside for this bout. They’re furious. Owen tells Monsoon he’ll pay for this. Once they’re gone, Austin arrives. He’s wearing a knee brace for the first time. Austin had lingering knee issues. They factor it into the story of this match. (On a side note, they load Paul Bearer into an ambulance during the bout. He screams about his face.)

The Match: They brawl in and out of the ring. Austin whips Bret into and over the railing. But Bret grabs a chair, which leads to the ref getting wiped out. Bret uses the opening to attack Austin’s knee with the chair. He then wakes Hebner and puts Austin in a ring post Figure Four. It doesn’t work, so Bret uses the chair again. Bret removes the brace and focuses his attack on Steve’s leg. They trade low-blows. But Bret maintains control. Hart uses another Figure Four, but Austin reverses it. Then Austin argues with Hebner. So Bret attacks again.

They fight to the floor once more and Austin backdrops Bret over the rail. He also nails an apron clothesline. However, Stone Cold’s knee buckles on a piledriver attempt and an Irish whip. Next, Bret blocks a Stunner and they trade more low-blows. But Austin uses the brace to block a Sharpshooter and places Bret in the hold! Owen & Bulldog arrive to stop it. So Austin fights them. He then puts Bret in the Sharpshooter again. Bulldog hits Steve with a chair to cause a DQ.

Thoughts: This was a good intense fight. I liked the storytelling and action. It wasn’t as good as their previous bouts. But that’s a lofty standard to live up to. It was still quite good. The only downside is the ending. It’s yet another DQ finish on this show. Austin finally got a victory over Bret, but it wasn’t clean.

Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin (by DQ) (21:09)

Monsoon chases Bulldog & Owen away from the ring. The Fink announces Austin as the winner. But Bret searches for the ring bell. He tries using it on Stone Cold. Austin counters with a chair to Bret’s leg and puts him in another Sharpshooter! The officials try stopping Austin. Bulldog & Owen return to help. The refs get Austin off Bret, but the damage is done. The Hart Foundation helps Bret to the back. Meanwhile, Austin collects his knee brace and celebrates while Vince says goodnight.

The Good:

• Bret/Austin was a good intense fight.

• Taker/Mankind was violent and fun.

• Owen & Bulldog were highly entertaining.

The Bad:

• The first half of the show was dull and disappointing.

• Too many DQ and Count-Out finishes.

• Rockabilly.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Mankind. He took some crazy bumps in his match, as usual. Plus, I laughed at the sight of him stuck in that table. But I’ll give an honorary mention to Owen & Bulldog. They were great too.

Final Thoughts:

The last two matches saved this from being a disaster. You can skip the first half of the event. The WWF still struggle with their undercard. It will be almost a year before that improves. However, this show kick-starts some important storylines. I can’t hate it. There were enough entertaining things to make it decent.

Thank you for reading. My next review is the WWF’s In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell. Look for it next Sunday!