In Your House: Canadian Stampede

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

In Your House: Canadian Stampede

July 6, 1997

Canadian Airlines Saddledome

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

News & Notes: I know I sound like a stuck record, but the original card for this event was much different. Shawn Michaels was in the main event for the American team. But that changed after a real fight backstage. Bret confronted Michaels over the Sunny Days incident. The two got into a fistfight that resulted in Bret ripping out a chunk of Michaels’ hair. Shawn stormed Vince’s office and yelled about an unsafe working environment. He threatened to go to WCW. But Shawn had years left on his contract. Vince sent him home for a few weeks to cool off instead. Because of this, Shawn was out of the Stampede main event and Steve Austin needed a new tag team partner. (More on that later.)

The show must go on. Austin was the first to accept Bret’s challenge. He’d rather face the Hart Foundation alone. But he knew Monsoon wouldn’t let him wrestle without partners. Others had issues with the Hart Foundation. Goldust failed to take Bulldog’s European title. Davey then threatened Goldust and Marlena with a chair. Ken Shamrock saved them from the beating. Later, Austin almost faced Pillman until the Foundation attacked him. Mankind took Austin’s place. (I’ll explain this before Mankind’s match.) Austin returned and brawled with the Foundation. Shamrock aided him, but Austin gave Ken a Stunner for his trouble. This led to tensions between them. The following week, Austin finally faced Pillman and won. Steve then fought with Shamrock. But Goldust and the LOD arrived to pull them apart. Goldust called for peace. The Hart Foundation wanted five wrestlers, and they were the ones to do it. Austin agreed to team with them one time, but that was it.

Meanwhile, they made another change to this event. The WWF title match was The Undertaker vs. Ahmed Johnson. But Ahmed is injured again. Taker will face Vader instead. It began with the formation of a new Nation of Domination. Crush & Savio walked out on Faarooq the night after King of the Ring. So Faarooq fired everyone except D’Lo. He then promised a newer and blacker Nation. The first new member was the returning Kama. He now called himself Kama Mustafa. Kama & Faarooq faced Taker & Ahmed. However, Ahmed attacked Taker after the match. Ahmed was the newest member of the Nation! Johnson said no one, especially not Vince, had his back because he is black. Only The Nation cared about him. He also said he didn’t respect Taker because he took orders from Paul Bearer. This made Taker worse than a slave. Before Ahmed could say more, Crush arrived with his new group. It’s a biker gang named The Disciples of Apocalypse. This includes Skull & 8-Ball (The Blu Twins) and Chainz (Prime Time Brian Lee). They brawled with The Nation, which resulted in Ahmed injuring his knee. The next week, Savio also introduced his gang, Los Boricuas. They are Savio, Miguel Perez, Jose Estrada Jr., and Jesus Castillo. Welcome to the gang wars, everybody!

Speaking of Taker, his situation took a turn for the worse. Bearer made Taker team with Vader. But that ended with them fighting. Taker had enough and walked away. So Bearer revealed the secret the following week. Bearer once worked for Taker’s parents in their funeral home. They had two children. There was a sweet boy named Kane and a redheaded demon spawn (Taker). Taker encouraged Kane to play with chemicals and smoke cigarettes. Taker’s father warned them they were flammable, but they did it anyway. One day, Bearer returned to find the funeral home in flames. The fire apparently killed Taker’s parents and Kane. Paul spotted Taker lurking in the bushes. Bearer accused Taker of starting the fire. He killed his family! Taker was a murderer! Taker admitted the fire happened. But he said Kane started it by accident, not him. He then confronted Paul and demanded the truth. Bearer said he was telling the truth. Kane told him everything. Kane is alive!

We no longer live in a world of black and white. Good is indistinguishable from evil. Renegades receive a hero’s embrace. Bret Hart was a beloved superstar for a decade. But then a stone cold killer declared his intention to end Bret’s legacy. Now, the fan-favorite is the villain and the villain is the fan-favorite. Bret traded arrogance for pride. He turned his back on a nation and reformed The Hart Foundation. Tonight, the paradox continues because the rogues are the beloved. The heroes are the hated. In Your House is a devastating tempest! (Up is down! Down is up! Cats and dogs living together! Mass hysteria!)

The sound of mooing breaks the serious nature of the opening video. Vince welcomes everyone to Calgary and Canadian Stampede. He’s with JR and Jerry Lawler. Everyone has cowboy hats, but Lawler’s is ridiculous! (Can he see?) Vince asks JR about the Japanese match. Ross says The Great Sasuke is one of the best in the world. (He also mispronounces Sasuke’s name. They do it all night. It irks me.) Then Vince asks Jerry for his opinion on Mankind vs. Triple H. Lawler believes Mankind overstepped his bounds. Hunter will take care of him.

Helmsley enters the arena before they show a recap video. It contrasts the two men. Helmsley was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Mankind had a dream that became a nightmare. They also show clips from King of the Ring. They make their match seem more exciting than it was. Next, we see footage from RAW. Mankind wanted a rematch. Chyna wanted Mankind to kiss her ass. Hunter wanted to break another crown over Mankind’s head. Two out of those three got their wish.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) vs. Mankind

Notes: Vince questioned Hunter’s actions at King of the Ring. Hunter said he took out his frustrations on Mankind. Helmsley spent a year dealing with Vince’s politics and he had enough. Now the ring was his house. So Mankind came knocking at Hunter’s door. He wanted a rematch. Chyna told Mankind to kiss her ass. Mankind told her she was in luck. He is a good kisser. But all Mankind got was another bashing with Hunter’s crown. Meanwhile, Mankind tried to make a new friend. Austin needs a new partner with Michaels gone. Mankind started wearing a sign that said, “Pick me, Steve!” He even saved Stone Cold from the Hart Foundation twice. Austin commended Mankind’s taste. But he thinks Mankind is a freak and wants no part of him. Mankind also made peace with JR. He gave Ross the Mandible claw during their interview. Mankind gave Jim a strange gift. It was a replica of Mankind’s claw hand.

The Match: Mankind controls the bout early with a bulldog, a Double-Arm DDT, and a Cactus Elbow. Hunter uses a face crusher, but it’s not enough. They fight on the floor and Mankind suplexes Helmsley on the ramp. Back in the ring, Mankind grabs a Mandible Claw. But then Chyna interferes. She pulls Mankind off Hunter and hip tosses him knee-first onto the steps. While Chyna distracts the ref, Hunter uses a chair on the leg. Triple H then focuses on the injury. He uses a Figure Four and grabs the ropes until the ref catches him.

Next, Mankind blocks a Pedigree and stumbles into Helmsley’s crotch. He also gives Hunter a running knee and attacks him in the tree of woe. Mankind follows with a pulling piledriver and a Cactus Clothesline. Then Chyna stops Mankind from using a chair. But Hunter uses it on Mankind’s leg instead. Chyna also clotheslines Mankind and pulls him ball-first into the post. This leads to another brawl on the floor. So the ref counts out both men.

Thoughts: This was far better than their King of the Ring bout. I liked the intensity and story. Mankind’s selling of the leg was great. He brings out a more aggressive side of Hunter. (It’s not the last time Foley will help Hunter’s career in that way.) I’m even okay with the finish because I know it isn’t over. If they ended it there, it would be lame. But there’s more to come.

Winner: Double Count-Out (13:14)

They continue fighting into the crowd. Mankind tosses Hunter into the penalty box and they tumble over the wall. The officials try to stop the melee. But Hunter shoves them aside. Then the fight spills backstage while they show replays.

Dok Hendrix uses his annoying announcer voice. He narrates a video about the Calgary Stampede festivities. They show footage of a parade. The Hart Foundation rides a float. This includes the current Miss Calgary, Diana Smith. Dok says, “Of course, she is the Bulldog’s wife.” (Is he contractually obligated to say that?) Bret also did an autograph signing. The line was a mile long and Bret greeted every one of them! Next, Goldust and The LOD received a key to the city. And WWF Superstars competed in a tug-o-war. Dok says it’s easy to see why The Hart Foundation is the crowd favorites in Calgary. They have the home field advantage tonight.

Then Dok interviews The Hart Foundation. He says their reputation is on the line. If they lose on their home turf, it could be devastating. Bret has enough of Dok’s stupid talk. But Steve Austin interrupts before Bret can complain. The officials hold Stone Cold back. Bret accuses Austin of looking for an excuse. He says The Hart Foundation won’t attack Steve. That would be five-on-one. They want it five-on-five in the ring. That’s where they’ll get the job done. Dok says it’s crazy back there, so he sends it to Vince.

The competitors for the next match enter the arena. But Mankind and Triple H continue brawling in the stands. Mankind knocks Hunter over a guardrail. So Chyna attacks him. We see that Hunter is bleeding from the face. Mankind then rams Helmsley into the side of the stage and takes him through a door.

The Great Sasuke vs. Taka Michinoku

Notes: The WWF started a Light Heavyweight Division. So far, it includes Jerry Lawler’s son, Brian Christopher. (Jerry denies it on TV. But Vince, JR, and Paul Heyman keep goading him.) We also saw the debut of Scott Putski (Ivan Putski’s son). This led to tasteless Polish jokes by Lawler. They even invited The Fantastics to face each other on an episode of RAW. (We won’t see them again.) Then the WWF announced stars from Michinoku Pro would join the division. The first two are Sasuke and Taka. But we will see more. During the entrances, Vince claims they have comments from Sasuke. But we never get them.

The Match: They trade kicks, mat holds, and pin attempts. Taka focuses on Sasuke’s arm. But Sasuke answers with more hard kicks. Taka returns the favor and adds in slaps. He also nails dropkicks to the front and back of Sasuke. But Sasuke takes Taka to the floor and lands a flying kick. When they return to the ring, they exchange strikes in the corner. Then Taka focuses on Sasuke’s leg until he regroups. Taka doesn’t let him breathe. Michinoku nails a springboard body press. After this, they reverse each other’s suplexes and Taka hits a hurricanrana. Sasuke answers with a handspring elbow and an Asai Moonsault. But Michinoku fights back and lands the Michinoku Driver! It only gets a two-count. So Taka goes to the top and Sasuke dropkicks him out of the air. Sasuke capitalizes with a Thunder Fire Powerbomb and a Tiger Suplex for the win.

Thoughts: It started slow. But this built into an exciting match. The crowd was silent at first. They won them over by the end. Even Vince sounded like he enjoyed it. (It makes you wonder what sours him on the venture later.) This bout had some impressive moves and stiff kicks. However, don’t get used to Sasuke. He blabs to the media about plans to make him the first Light Heavyweight Champion. Vince decides not to use him anymore because of it. (Never mind. There’s the answer to my earlier question.)

Winner: The Great Sasuke (10:00)

Meanwhile, Mankind and Triple H are still brawling outside the arena. Mankind rams Hunter into a school bus. (Did a school make a field trip to the PPV?) But Chyna grabs Mankind and Hunter takes control. He throws Mankind into some kegs and breaks a shovel over his back. (Hunter used a shovel? How prophetic!) Then Hunter drags Mankind on top of some pallets. He attempts a Pedigree, but Mankind backdrops Helmsley. He also shoves Hunter into the side of a truck. But the officials finally stop the fighting.

Next, Vince speaks about the WWF title match. The Undertaker will defend against Vader. But Vince talks about the man Taker almost faced. We see footage of the gang brawl from RAW. Ross says Ahmed suffered a knee injury and had surgery. They wish Ahmed a speedy recovery.

Then Dok interviews Paul Bearer and Vader. Hendrix says Bearer stooped to a new low. He accused The Undertaker of murdering his family. How can he even look in the mirror at himself? Paul says looking in the mirror is the best thing he does every morning. But Bearer wants to know how Taker looks in the mirror. He knows he murdered his family! Paul says it will be deja vu when Vader beats whips him like he did at the Rumble. Paul asks for a replay of the end of the Rumble encounter and gets his wish. Dok says Vader will win the title if it happens again. So Bearer says, “Deja vu, Hendrix! Deja vu!” He then makes an amusing face and leaves the scene.

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

Notes: While Vader enters the arena, I noticed he has a new titantron. It contains footage of him intimidating the Good Morning Kuwait host. The word bully flashes on the screen. I guess Vince wasn’t that upset about it. Then The Undertaker enters. He raises the lights, and an explosion goes off. It startles Vader. You see him say, “What the f*ck is going on?” (Did they not warn him about it?) Vince and JR speculate about Taker’s mindset. Then we see Paul Bearer lurking behind the ring apron. JR says it’s hard to hide when you’re four hundred pounds. Lawler says, “You outta know!”

The Match: Taker takes control early with corner punches, shoulder blocks, a leg drop, and a corner splash. He also lands Old School. But Vader answers with an avalanche attack. Taker hits a jumping clothesline, but Vader grabs a headlock. Taker rallies again with two big boots that send Vader outside. However, Vader whips Taker knee-first into the steps. Then they fight at the apron. Taker lands a flying clothesline and sends Vader to the floor again. But Paul Bearer distracts Taker. Vader clotheslines Taker and Bearer swats him with his shoe!

Vader has control. He uses a short-arm clothesline, a diving clothesline, a suplex, and a splash. Taker then fights out of a nerve hold, but Vader answers with eye-pokes and a low-blow. Next, they stumble on a Tombstone reversal. But they recover and Vader attempts a Vader Bomb. Taker answers with his own low-blow. He then chokeslams Vader off the ropes! Vader kicks out! Taker hits a second chokeslam. It still doesn’t work. So Taker uses the Tombstone to get the victory.

Thoughts: It was a solid big-man match. It wasn’t thrilling. But the hot crowd bumped it up a notch. Plus, Paul Bearer was amusing. They kept it the right length. The stuff Vader kicked out of made him look strong in defeat. Only the Tombstone reversal spot looked bad. I wouldn’t call it great, but I enjoyed it.

Winner: The Undertaker (12:39)

Paul Bearer throws a fit on the ramp while Taker celebrates. Vince says the fans still love Taker, despite Bearer’s accusations. Then Vince wonders if Kane is still alive. He says we’ll find out at SummerSlam, or sooner. (No, it will be longer than that.)

Vince then shows the Stampede footage from earlier. They stop once they realize we already saw the video. He then transitions to a recap of the main event build. It includes the gang war stuff, for some reason. This transitions to clips of the competitors brawling with each other. They focus on the Bret/Austin feud. Bret says the American fans cheer their scum heroes. But when they cross the border, it’s a different story. They’ll pound Austin’s team into the dirt. Todd Pettengill says the countdown to chaos is complete. The moment of mayhem has arrived!

Then Dok interviews the American team. He says they could be the underdogs tonight. Goldust calls himself the peacemaker. He put everything together. If The Hart Foundation wants to play Clint Eastwood, they can do that too. Then Shamrock blandly states he’s faced unfriendly, unfamiliar, and untamable fighters before. When he enters his zone, it’s time to get it on. Animal is the exact opposite. He shouts about the survival of the fittest and says, “Tell ’em, Hawk!” Hawk only has one thing to say. Oh, what a rush! Next, Dok wants to ask Stone Cold a question, but he’s done. Austin walks away without saying a word.

Then a Canadian country group named Farmer’s Daughter sing “Oh, Canada.” They do an A Capella rendition. I wanted to like it. But they seemed a bit off. It didn’t quite harmonize how they wanted. However, the fans loved it.

Then The Fink introduces the premiere of Alberta, the honorable Ralph Klein. I heard some boos. Did the Canadians not like him? I know nothing about Canadian politics. Also, Fink introduces Stu & Helen Hart. Bruce Hart stands next to them in shades and a leather jacket. He probably wondered why Fink didn’t mention him too.

(The Hart Foundation) Bret Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, & Brian Pillman vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, & The Legion of Doom

Notes: Austin’s team enters separately. Marlena isn’t with Goldust. JR says she’s at home taking care of a sick Dakota. Vince calls her a super mom, super person, and a super corner person. (What an odd way to say it.) When Austin arrives, the crowd boos him. He loves every second and flips them off. Then The Hart Foundation enters one-at-a-time. The crowd is loud enough to drown out their music. (On a side note, they gave Anvil Alundra Blayze’s old music. Why not use the original Hart Foundation theme?) When Bret appears, the reaction is deafening. Bret gives his sunglasses to Helen. Lawler says, “I didn’t know they came in bifocals.” JR doesn’t find it funny. Then the teams go face-to-face. Austin argues with Bret. JR points out the cameras filming a documentary about Bret.

The Match: Bret and Austin brawl. They do the Million Dollar Dream spot from Survivor Series. But Austin kicks out this time. Then Pillman fights with Shamrock. He grabs Ken’s hand and taps it on the mat. But the ref doesn’t fall for it. Next, Owen finds himself in trouble. However, Davey & Owen both attempt their finishers. It’s broken up. The match becomes a brawl after the Hart Foundation ties Goldust in a tree of woe. They clubber him until everyone fights.

Then Owen rallies with a wheel kick and a missile dropkick. But the LOD stops him and hits a Doomsday Device. Anvil breaks up the pin. This leads to another brawl. So Austin seizes the opportunity. He drags Owen to the post and rams his knee into it. Austin also uses a chair, so Bruce Hart attacks him. It’s too late. Owen is hurt and the officials help him to the back. This earns Stone Cold a beating in the corner. So he drags Pillman to his corner for the same. Austin then lands a Stunner, but Pillman rolls to the floor. Bret has enough. He wraps Austin’s knee around the post and smashes it with a fire extinguisher. Now, the officials help Austin backstage for medical attention.

Shamrock enters the match. There’s an awkward moment where he doesn’t know what to do with Bret’s leg. They stall until Pillman attacks. The fight spills to the floor and Brian sends Ken over the announce table. But Shamrock fights back with a low-blow and tags Goldust. He gives Bulldog—a bulldog. And Goldust nails a Curtain Call on Pillman. But Bulldog crotches Goldust and hits a superplex. Then Austin limps back to the ring. He tags and fights with Bret again. Bret goes into his routine until Animal stops it. Austin puts Bret in a Sharpshooter, but Owen stops that! This leads to another brawl on the floor. Bruce Hart throws a drink at Austin. Stone Cold turns and attacks Stu Hart! (Austin was supposed to think Stu threw it. But Bruce lacks the subtlety to pull that off. He stood by the railing and made it obvious.) The Hart Foundation jumps Austin and rolls him into the ring. Owen then rolls up Stone Cold for the win!

Thoughts: This was great. Everyone shined. They had some fun spots. Plus, I liked the storytelling of Austin and Owen leaving and returning. The only issues were the finish and some awkwardness with Shamrock. (He’s still green.) The Harts were reportedly angry with Bruce for messing up the ending. But it wasn’t bad enough to ruin this. The match had one of the hottest crowds I’ve ever heard. The camera shook.

Winners: The Hart Foundation (24:31)

Everyone continues brawling. So the Hart family enters the ring. The officials and security break up the fight. It appears they restored order, so The Fink announces the winners. However, Austin returns with a chair. The Harts jump him. (Bruce apparently threw some stiff shots that hurt Austin. It was another reason for the Harts to be angry with him.) The security guards cuff Austin and drag him away. But Austin continues flipping off the crowd, even though his hands are behind his back. He bends over and lets them have it. It’s great.

Then The Hart Foundation invites the entire family into the ring. Everyone celebrates with Canadian flags. Owen holds his children in his arms. Davey Boy Smith Jr., Natalya, and Tyson Kidd are among the group. I think Teddy Hart may even be there. But the best part is a fan sneaked into the ring. In his book, Bret said he spotted the kid. Bret asked who he was. The fan fessed up, so Bret said, “Wave to the crowd and enjoy it.”

The Good:

• The main event was great.

• The continuing Mankind/Triple H brawl was fun.

• Taka/Sasuke was good.

• The insanely hot crowd.

The Bad:

• I can’t think of anything. That’s a first.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Owen Hart. You don’t get to see him work as a babyface often. He ate it up. You could tell he loved the crowd reaction. Plus, he got the win. This is the first time Owen main evented a PPV and won.

Final Thoughts:

This was easily the best WWF PPV of 1997, so far. Nothing was bad. It wasn’t long, so it’s an easy watch. And it had one of the hottest crowds I’ve ever seen. The WWF took a risk in running the America vs. Canada storyline. It’s hard to pull off a group that are heels in one country and faces in another. But it worked. This crowd is proof of that. Watch this show if you haven’t seen it.

Thank you for reading. My next review is WCW’s Bash at the Beach ’97. Look for it next Sunday!