Sunday 15 August 2021

WWF In Your House 19: D-Generation X Review!

 


Hello and welcome to another wrestling review from Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that won’t suspend talent for tasteless comments on air! It’s WWF In Your House 19: D-Generation X! The main event is Shawn Michaels defending his championship against Ken Shamrock, what a match that will be ladies and gentlemen while Stone Cold Steve Austin defends his WWF Intercontinental Championship against Rocky Maivia! We have the return of Jeff Jarrett and the crowning of the first-ever WWF Light Heavyweight Champion! Solid In Your House card that you do not want to miss to be honest, looking forward to quite a few matches on this card. Let’s get it on!

 

(WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Match) Taka Michinoku vs Brian Christopher


The winner of this match will be the first-ever WWF Light Heavyweight Champion, we have fan favourite Taka Michinoku who displayed great skill and agility in his previous PPV appearance at Canadian Stampede and hated heel Brian Christopher. Scoop slam to start us out from Christopher, lock-up and arm-wrench from Christopher. Taka flips out of an arm-hold before Christopher hip-tosses Taka, Christopher tries a German suplex but Taka lands on his feet and nails a spinning heel kick. Two dropkicks and a clothesline to the floor, springboard crossbody from Taka. Taka wants a suplex into the ring, Christopher suplexes Taka onto the top rope. Clothesline and Taka lands hard on the floor, Christopher climbs high but misses the axe handle to the floor. Christopher dodges the diving crossbody from Taka, slap from Christopher.

 

Christopher rubs his blood in the face of Taka, whip to the opposite buckle. Corner splash misses, big slap from Taka and a tornado DDT for two. Hurricanrana from Taka, springboard moonsault from Taka to the floor. Jerry Lawler checks on his son, fans chant Jerry’s Kid as Lawler helps Christopher. Snap-mare and two dropkicks from Taka, Christopher ducks twice and lands his full-nelson face-buster. Choke from Christopher, sit-out powerbomb for two. Taka counters the pin-fall for a close two, elbow to the head from Christopher. Christopher is on the middle rope, missile dropkick to the back of the head. Rocker Dropper from Christopher, back-breaker for two. Slaps from Christopher, Christopher takes a karate style pose. Eye-rake from Christopher, pump kicks from Christopher.

 

Irish whip and a clothesline from Christopher, Christopher covers for a close two. Fist drop to the head, make it two. Taka flips out of the belly to back suplex but Christopher counters and delivers a sickening German suplex. Leg drop from Christopher for two, powerslam and Christopher climbs high for his Diving Leg Drop but Taka dodges and drills Christopher with a beautiful Michinoku Driver for the win.

 

So many people would be unfamiliar with Brian Christopher’s Too Sexy run in the USWA but as shown here when Christopher was allowed to showcase his personality and work, Christopher could go inside of that ring. Taka has bursts of offense and the crowd reacts big to everything that Taka does inside of that ring, the precision of his dives and the beautiful Michinoku Driver dare I say more? Perhaps it would have been wiser to put the championship on Brian Christopher and have Taka win the championship at Mania? Perhaps wishful thinking on my part, an enjoyable match for sure definitely worthy of being an opening match.

 

Winner: Taka Michinoku over Brian Christopher via Michinoku Driver!

 

Los Boricuas vs DOA


Starting to think someone hates me because why in the name of God do I have to watch these brawl again? I am contemplating skipping this “match” but I cannot unfortunately, the Boricuas do not even have matching outfits anymore. Chainz and Miguel to kick us off, lock-up with Chainz being pushed back to the corner. Miguel tees-off before eating a boot and a hip-toss, big clothesline too. 8-Ball and Jesus square off, elbow and boot by Jesus. 8-Ball drives Jesus’ face into the mat, tag to Jose. 8-Ball powerslams Jose and Skull lands a knee drop for two, tag to 8-Ball. Double clothesline on Jose, right hands by 8-Ball. Spinning sidewalk slam by 8-Ball, two for 8-Ball. Tag to Skull who has his eyes raked, Jose eats a neck-breaker but Miguel boots Skull from the apron. DOA are with the referees, 8-Ball is battered by The Boricuas. Miguel lands a massive scoop slam before landing a diving top rope axe handle and Miguel goes down clutching his ankle, rolling out of the ring and there could be an injury on this show which sucks. Jose and Jesus cut off 8-Ball, chops from Jesus do not work as 8-Ball comes back with right hands before missing a corner splash. Jesus tags in Jose who applies a rest-hold to buy time.

 

 Irish whip and flying elbow by Jose, tag to Jesus who helps his partner with a hard fist to the face. Jesus misses a corner spear, Miguel has to be legit injured. Jose comes in with Chainz wiping out everyone, Death Valley Driver from Chainz but Miguel pops up and lands a senton leg drop and we have our winners!

 

Well that might be the best fake of all-time because I bought it and could totally see Vince Mcmahon not sending anyone out to help Puerto Rican talent. All jokes aside, the match was not terrible where in the past, a combination of these men has caused me great pain and annoyance because this feud seems like it will never end and none of the workers involved are over but I guess we are going to continue seeing these groups feud.

 

Winners: Los Boricuas over DOA via Senton Leg Drop!

 

(Tough Man Match) Marvelous Marc Mero vs Butterbean


Going back and discovering 1997 allows me to learn things I never knew like Butterbean made a WWF PPV appearance before Wrestlemania XV and he’s going to compete against Mero in a worked contest. Butterbean is a thumb in the form of a human. Mero obviously has a new attitude since returning and has become devoid of all personality since shedding The Wild Man gimmick. Mero jabs Butterbean over and over, Butterbean closes the gaps before Mero is in the ropes. Was this the template for Brawl for All? What is with the obsession with boxing, Butterbean wallops Mero who was in the ropes. Mero complains, Mero survives round one and thumps Butterbean in the back of the head.

 

Pull away and we get going for round two, Mero chokes Butterbean with glove tapes to gain control, Butterbean is on the defensive. Butterbean fights back, Mero is cornered before Mero grabs a hold of Butterbean. Eye rake with gloves by Mero, rights and lefts from Mero. Fans are not happy, this is not a surprise. Am I really going to say that DOA vs Boricuas was not the worst thing on this PPV? I think I am because this is a joke. Mero dropkicks Butterbean at the end of round two, next will be a chair-shot to the head. Butterbean asks Mero to knock him out, Mero can’t knock him down. After a lot of slugging, Butterbean waffles Mero but Mero survives because the round ended. Round four, Butterbean drills Mero but Mero nails a low blow and attacks Butterbean with a stool. Butterbean wins by DQ! Awful, you couldn’t even give us Butterbean knocking out Mero? What a waste!

 

Winner: Butterbean over Marc Mero via DQ!

 

(WWF Tag Team Championship Match) The New Age Outlaws © vs The Legion of Doom


Sickening is all I have to say, I waited months for LOD to win those championships, nobody in that division is more over than these two individuals and you are telling me that they held those championships less than a month? Crazy but it is nice to see two individuals who were directionless and looked likely for release to find one another and make something very special and succeed. The Outlaws talk massive amounts of shit on the microphone before we get this match underway! Animal brings in Road Dogg, what are these early New Age Outlaws attires? Animal beats up Road Dogg with the tag team championship, clothesline from Animal. Tag to Hawk, right hands from Hawk. Dropkick from Hawk, Road Dogg powders before attacking Hawk who was re-entering the ring. Hawk shakes off the attacks of Road Dogg, neck-breaker from Hawk.

 

The Outlaws try leaving, Hawk dives off the apron onto both champions. Billy Gunn is clotheslined hard while Road Dogg eats a massive boot, noggin-knocker from Hawk. Road Dogg is bounced off the announce table as Animal is tagged in, massive boot and Irish whip from Animal. Leapfrogs and drop-downs before Animal powerbombs Road Dogg, Billy Gunn has to save Road Dogg. Hawk chops Road Dogg on the floor, the champions request a time-out. LOD give chase and we have a brawl in the aisleway, not sure who is legal at this stage but we got some serious brawling going on, Road Dogg smashes a cooler over the head of Hawk while Billy Gunn lands a killer low-blow. Billy tags in and lands a right to the ribs, Billy chokes Hawk. Boot from the apron by Road Dogg, measured right hand from Billy. Billy applies a reverse chin-lock, Animal starts LOD chants in the arena.

 

Hawk powers up, elbows from Hawk but Billy cuts off Hawk with a kick to the ribs. Knee drop from Billy for two, both men collide in the middle of the ring with thunderous clotheslines. Billy has the tights of Hawk, preventing the tag. Billy sends Hawk to the buckle and Hawk bounces off Billy with both men down. Tag to Animal, clotheslines all around, powerslam on Road Dogg. Flying shoulder block on Billy, same move for Road Dogg. Corner clotheslines on Road Dogg, Henry Godwinn cracks Animal with a bucket but Hawk takes out everyone with the bucket which leads to a DQ. The champions retain their championships by pure fluke!

 

As if I needed to see anymore of The Godwinns feuding with LOD, have we not crossed this bridge before? Still a lot of gas in the tanks of LOD, The Outlaws are finding their feet but they are heat magnets with the fans looking forward to watching them get battered. Certainly can live to fight another day but I did enjoy this match.

 

Winners: The New Age Outlaws over LOD via DQ!

 

(Boot Camp Match) Sgt. Slaughter vs Triple H


We start with a special video package putting over how badass Sgt. Slaughter was in his day, important because we are going to see Slaughter take on none other than Triple H. One of the members of D-Generation X who has continuously disrespected Sgt. Slaughter, the transformation of Triple H from Connecticut Blue-Blood to man constantly talking about his dick and telling people to suck it is quite the transformation. Can the old man still go? Can Slaughter hang with the athlete in his prime? Nine times out of ten this would not work in real-life but this is professional wrestling where anything is possible and Slaughter starts battering Helmsley immediately with massive rights and his stick.

 

Riding crop to be exact, Helmsley is whipped like a government mule with said crop. Low boot from Slaughter, gut-buster from Slaughter. Slaughter stomps on Triple H, Slaughter stomps on the fingers of Helmsley. Low elbow from Sarge, Helmsley is dumped to the floor. Slaughter drops Helmsley on the guard rail, Chyna looks on from ringside. Helmsley meets the steel steps hard, kick to the ribs from Slaughter. Sarge has his belt and Helmsley is beaten with the belt, belt to the throat takes down Helmsley. Sarge Chokes Helmsley with the belt, all Sarge so far with little happening on Helmsley’s part to change that. Whip to the buckle and a clothesline for two, Helmsley kicks away Sarge to stop the clutch.

 

Helmsley sends Sarge to the buckle and over the top rope, we are fighting in the crowd now with Helmsley landing a massive right hand to the face. Choke from Helmsley, the timekeeper is wiped out by Helmsley. Sarge low blows Helmsley to stop the ring-bell, Helmsley is undeterred and lands the bell to the back. Now, Helmsley whips Slaughter and chokes him too. The belt is around the neck of Slaughter and Helmsley tosses Sarge around the ring. Chyna’s necklace is now around Helmsley’s right hand, Sarge is tattooed in the head with the chain.

 

Middle rope knee drop from Helmsley for two, Helmsley measures for the biggest right hand of the match. Sarge blocks and starts throwing bombs, Helmsley is in trouble but Sarge may not have enough in the tank to finish this match. Helmsley elevates Sarge to the floor, big bump for Slaughter. Helmsley is on the top rope, Sarge blocks the dive with a boot. Suplex from Sarge, Chyna is looking concerned. Sarge is going to the top rope, Helmsley yanks Sarge off the top rope. Sleeper from Helmsley, Sarge survives and clamps on The Cobra Clutch. Chyna is in, she rakes the eyes of Sarge. There is no DQ, so what authority does the referee have over Chyna? None as Chyna drills the referee with a forearm, she takes a chair from ringside.

 

Chyna is in with the chair, Sarge is slow to his feet but Sarge blinds Chyna with powder. Chyna is down, Helmsley uses a boot to nail Sarge in the head. Sarge ducks the second attempt, Cobra Clutch from Sarge. Chyna is back in the ring,  Helmsley almost passes out but Chyna boots Sarge as hard as possible in the gonads. Helmsley recovers to Pedigree Sarge on a chair for the win.

 

Fair play to Sarge for taking those bumps at his age, that’s probably the one positive I can give this match. Heatless and dull at times, the fans don’t really seem to care about either performers which is disappointing considering looking at the trajectory of Helmsley, Helmsley’s momentum has been stalled in my eyes. That feud with Mankind was fantastic for Helmsley but things like this do no favours for Helmsley, the fans clearly were not into it and it was just a chore to get through to be honest.

 

Winner: Hunter Hearst Helmsley over Sgt. Slaughter via Pedigree!

 

The Undertaker vs Jeff Jarett


This kind of came from nowhere, Jeff Jarrett’s return to the WWF which resulted in a worked shoot where Jarrett destroyed his own chances of working soon to be top guy Stone Cold Steve Austin has somehow led to a match between Jarrett and The Undertaker because Jarrett believes himself to be a top guy. There’s no way Taker loses this so why would you debut a new star in this fashion on PPV? Also Jarrett did have some ridiculous looks before chopping off his golden locks but what in God’s name is that singlet that Jarrett is wearing?

 

Jarrett lands a right hand with Taker shaking it off, Jarrett lands a second right hand. Jarrett continues to tee off before Taker turns the tide and pummels Double J, headbutt from The Phenom. Clothesline and arm work from The Deadman, Jarrett is in deep trouble. Old School across the shoulder blades of Jarrett, corner choke from The Deadman. Whip to the buckle, Jarrett elbows away Taker but his axe handle does not work. Taker’s leg gets kicked twice before Jarrett dodges a boot and chop-blocks the leg of Taker. Jarrett goes after the leg with great precision, massive kicks to the thigh from Jarrett. Jarrett misses as Taker dodges, staggering rights from The Deadman. Back-breaker from Taker, leg drop for two.

 

Taker throws Jarrett to the buckle but the lights go out, here comes Kane. Kane is not going to leave his brother alone before they do battle, Paul Bearer is by the side of Kane. Taker watches on from the ring, will Taker do battle with his brother? Jarrett is in the corner, recovering before Jarrett directs Kane to attack Taker. However, Kane Chokeslams Jarrett to give Double J the victory over Taker, Kane and Taker meet eye to eye. Kane just slapped Taker, will Taker fight his own flesh and blood? Just like that, Kane leaves with his job accomplished. Jarrett attacks Taker after the bell, Figure Four is blocked as Taker grabs the throat of Jarrett and delivers a sickening Chokeslam.

 

More of an angle than a match which again makes me wonder why would they use Jarrett in this spot? Not the biggest fan of Jarrett by any means but I think if you are going to re-debut someone, don’t have them as a background character to the actual angle you are trying to sell, I would say Jarrett deserved better but Jarrett gets announced as the winner at the end of the day.

 

Winner: Jeff Jarrett over The Undertaker via DQ!

 

(WWF Intercontinental Championship Match) The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin ©


The Rock holds the Intercontinental Champion as Stone Cold drives a pickup truck to ringside, this would be quite the match in a year’s time but for now, Rock has to try and hang with the very popular Austin, Austin stomps The Rock before The Nation start laying waste to Austin. Faarooq, D’Lo Brown and Kama Mustafa continue to batter The Rattlesnake, the referee has not rang the bell. D’Lo Brown is back-dropped onto the truck, Stone Cold Stunner on top of the truck. Rock starts hammering Austin with big right hands, Austin tees off with a massive Lou Thesz press, they trade pin-fall attempts before Rocky sends Austin to the floor. Faarooq and Kama batter Austin on the floor, D’Lo is down on top of the truck.

 

Austin ducks a chair-shot, Kama waffles Faarooq and Austin whips Faarooq hard into the truck. Rock stomps all over Austin, Austin eats an elbow to the face. Rock lands a massive shots to the nuts of Austin, Austin begins fighting back with big right hands before Rock lands a scoop slam. People’s Elbow, two for Rock. Reverse chin-lock from the challenger, Austin escapes and hits a shoulder block before Rock lands a knee to the ribs. Rock goes for the elbow once more, Austin dodges. Right hand from The Rattlesnake, stomps in the corner from Austin. Rock reverses the Irish whip, Austin ducks the clothesline and smashes Kama. Austin Stunners the referee by accident but Rock has the brass knuckles but Austin blocks the brass knuckles and lands The Stunner!

 

Another quick match and it is a good thing for someone recovering from a broken neck in retrospect, I was critical in the last PPV (Survivor Series) about Austin not giving us that quality match with Owen Hart but the more you look into it, the more of a risk it was to even have Stone Cold Steve Austin competing so soon after his neck injury. However, despite the brief time that this match took place for, it was clear to see that the crowd love Austin and they want as much of The Rattlesnake as possible and Austin continues to build momentum towards that WWF Championship!

 

Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin over The Rock via Stone Cold Stunner!

 

 

(WWF Championship Match) Ken Shamrock vs Shawn Michaels © W/ Chyna


The World’s Most Dangerous Man vs The Heartbreak Kid for the richest prize in the game. Shamrock has had a phenomenal few months since returning from his injuries, injuries would be his downfall in the WWF but at this time, Shamrock was a great choice as a challenger for the WWF Championship. And if you ever want someone in the ring to guide someone who is inexperienced, it would be Shawn Michaels in the year 1997 as The Heartbreak Kid is damn near untouchable during this year.

 

The bell rings with Shamrock stalking HBK, Michaels is hesitant to do anything with Shamrock. Eye rake and right hands rom HBK, Michaels ducks and ducks to start out with Shamrock landing a massive kick to the chest. HBK flops to the floor, HBK talks with Chyna & Helmsley before slowly re-entering the ring. Shamrock is rearing to go, Michaels is stalling. Michaels is covering up in the corner, Michaels takes the arm and hammers down on the arm but Shamrock grabs the throat and starts throwing rights and lefts. Massive biel from Shamrock, back body drop. Michaels bumps to the floor off an Irish whip, Helmsley tries to calm down the champion. Chyna distracts Shamrock but Shamrock sees HBK coming, HBK spits on Shamrock. HBK tees-off with right hands, Shamrock shoves down HBK.

 

HBK comes back for more, elbow and right hand from Shamrock. Eye-rake from HBK, snap suplex is blocked by Shamrock. Shamrock delivers a brutal suplex and a clothesline to the floor. Shamrock is irate, Shamrock smashes HBK into HHH. Eye-rake from HBK, right hands from Michaels. Sunset flip is blocked from Shamrock, two-handed throat toss from Shamrock. Irish whip to the buckle, kicks to the ribs from Shamrock. Michaels uses the referee to block the belly to belly, Shamrock is clotheslined to the floor as Michaels skins the cat. Helmsley lands massive rights to Shamrock, Michaels lands a diving crossbody to the floor. Shamrock recovers to take down HBK and HHH but Chyna shoves Shamrock into the ring-post. Helmsley stomps on Shamrock, Chyna slams Shamrock on the floor.

 

HBK works the spine with clubbing blows before a middle rope diving elbow drop. Foot to the face, dropkick from Michaels for two. Helmsley lands more rights to the face of Shamrock, HBK is sent to the buckle by Shamrock though. There is life in Shamrock, rights and lefts. Shamrock rolls through a middle rope crossbody for two, eye-rake from Michaels and a straight right takes down Shamrock. Snap-mare into a reverse chin-lock, Shamrock escapes and rolls into a cradle for two before Michaels lands the clothesline to maintain control. Sleeper from Michaels, Shamrock fades before popping up and sending Michaels into the turnbuckle. Shamrock rams Michaels again and again to free himself, elbows from Shamrock.

 

Irish whip and corner clothesline from Shamrock, make it two. Irish whip and back body-drop, flying elbow from Shamrock. Powerslam for two, hurricanrana from Shamrock and mounted rights and lefts from the challenger. Crucifix from Michaels but Shamrock counters with a pin-fall for two. Michaels wants the hurricanrana but Shamrock nails the sit-out powerbomb for two. Michaels has the referee, Helmsley batters Shamrock on the floor. Scoop slam from the champion, diving elbow drop to the heart of Shamrock. Sweet Chin Music time says HBK, Shamrock staggers to his feet. Belly to belly suplex, Ankle Lock and Helmsley & Chyna make the save. Owen Hart comes down to attack Michaels, the last remaining member of The Hart Foundation in the WWF is here. Owen batters the shite out of Michaels, Owen Hart escapes through the crowd.

 

In terms of a main event, Shamrock did not do half-bad. Michaels protected Shamrock well and Shamrock got some nice shots in there for sure. His inexperience shows through his selling and body language at the time which looks as if he is always thinking about how not to mess up what is coming next. In good news for Shamrock, he will be working with a man who arguably he had his best matches with next which is The Rock and that shall be a lot of fun to see those two build one another as the year progresses. The finish is disappointing considering everyone and their mother knows Helmsley and Chyna will cheat to help HBK win, Slaughter could have sent people out to get involved and finally, a main event of a PPV ending in a DQ does nobody any favours. We do have a vengeful Owen Hart gunning for Shawn Michaels due to what happened to Bret Hart which could make things interesting but this main event feels like an afterthought when all was said and done.

 

Winner: Ken Shamrock over Shawn Michaels via DQ!

 

That was WWF’s In Your House: D-Generation X which might be the worse PPV name of all-time and another disappointing entry from the WWF in the year of 1997. A poorly executed boxing match which hints at a possible rematch is not what I wanted to see when it came to Mero vs Butterbean, I wanted to see Butterbean kill Mero! The action never kicks into third gear on this one, you could easily call this an episode of Raw that you had to pay for because there’s nothing redeeming about this card. Taker vs Jarrett is an angle disguised as a match, Jarrett is the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter while we continue Kane vs Taker which I am excited for, don’t get me wrong but for a PPV the way that match was put together was just disappointing. Austin vs Rock really didn’t hit the spot either, I get that they are being careful with Austin and Austin is very over but that’s a big money match people paid to see and it’s not even close to a PPV quality match while the main event feels right at home for Raw. Not even Michael’s magnificent 1997 could turn me on that match, the instant DQ the second Shamrock snaps on the ankle lock sums up the night. Nothing special from the WWF here to end the year, In Your House PPVs are not must see events once more after the magical Hell in A Cell match.

 

As I have finished up 1997, I thought I would summarize my thoughts on the year. Dare I say underrated? It very well could be, I do believe Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels had the best runs of their careers during this year, both had been staples of The New Generation Era and were the bright spots on cards filled with Mabel, Giant Gonzalez, Godwinns and Bodydonnas etc. However, they are fantastic characters on top of being fantastic wrestlers during 1997, Bret Hart’s slow snap from babyface to heel who feels wrong done by the company was tremendous to watch unfold. Bret’s descent into madness is just so much fun, the promos, the matches and of course, the double-turn at Mania were all so much fun to watch and Bret was a joy as always inside of that ring. As for Michaels, HBK achieved a level of heat that I didn’t think were possible for the boytoy by winning The European Championship in the UK against Bulldog, disrespecting Canada at every chance and running from every fight that came his way. Michaels put performances on that rivalled any of his babyface work from the prior year with the Hell in A Cell being the pick of the bunch but Cold Day in Hell, One Night Only and Survivor Series 97 all standout for HBK who sold and flew around that ring for the likes of Taker, Bulldog and Bret Hart. We also saw the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin, being made in The Wrestlemania match with Bret not the KOTR tournament like WWE would want you to believe, Austin came into his own as the rebellious figure who spat in the face of authority and tradition, something resonated with the fans and Austin never looked back, Austin also managed to overcome a career-ending injury and become more popular while being in the sidelines, how many wrestlers can you say that about?

 

We also saw Undertaker be allowed to work with wrestlers who could go inside of the ring, reviving his rivalry with Mankind to deliver a solid WWF Championship match and Taker’s pursuit of HBK along with the angle involving Paul Bearer gave Taker his best year in the WWF to this point in my eyes. Speaking of Mankind and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, these two men made one another during this feud which kicked off at King of The Ring. We were able to have a fantastic Cage match as well as the unforgettable anywhere falls match on Raw that saw Cactus Jack make his way to the WWF. Ken Shamrock would prove to be quite the addition to the WWF roster along with the likes of Owen Hart, British Bulldog and The Rock all showing their worth to the roster by stepping up and delivering the matches that the company needed those wrestlers to have. Was it all good? No of course not, no year is perfect. The gang warfare angle has robbed The Nation of their bite and led to terrible matches between Boricuas and DOA, LOD could have been booked much stronger throughout the year, the likes of Headbangers, Godwinns, Blackjacks, Flash Funk, Leif Cassidy, Billy Gunn, Road Dogg and many more were either lost in the shuffle, dead in the water or had no real place/gimmick going for them and the loss of Brian Pillman was quite the blow for the WWF.

 

However, I would still argue that this year had a lot of positives, Canadian Stampede being one of the best pay per views that the WWF had ever done to this point. The booking of The Hart Foundation as heels in America and babyfaces in Canada was an interesting dynamic for sure and so many wrestlers became larger than life personalities than you could not miss. Whether it was Austin, Michaels, Bret or Taker, I would say the WWF was building something special in 1997 and it is truly disappointing that we never had a trilogy for Bret vs Shawn and the fact that both men would be gone from the WWF in 3 months time! This has been my review of 1997 and D-Generation X, thanks for taking the time to read and remember: there’s always another night!

 

 

 

Thursday 12 August 2021

WWF Survivor Series 1997 Review!

 



Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that continues to push the midgets and wrestlers over 30! It’s WWF Survivor Series 1997, one of the most controversial nights in wrestling history. We are not going to discuss whether it’s a work or a shoot, we are keeping it about the action inside of that ring. The main event is Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart for the WWF Championship, Shawn Michaels is the number one contender thanks to a little help from Kane in the Hell in A Cell match at last month’s Bad Blood. That sets us on a collision course for tonight with a Wrestlemania 12 rematch between two wrestlers who simply cannot stand one another and we are in Montreal, Canada so things are not looking good for Shawn Michaels. Also, we have Kane’s debut in action on PPV with Kane taking on the deranged Mankind and we also have the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin to action as he challenges the man who broke his neck at Summerslam Owen Hart for the WWF Intercontinental Championship as well as some traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Matches.

 

Team Headbangers (Headbangers & The New Blackjacks) vs Team Godwinn (Road Dogg & Bad Ass Billy Gunn & The Godwinns)


The New Age Outlaws are tagging together for the first time on PPV, what a wonderful time it is in the WWF. Meanwhile, Godwinns and Headbangers have been going at it for months. Barry Windham to start with Phineas, they lock-up with a shoulder block from Windham. Make it two, Phineas decides to powder. Windham slaps down Phineas, massive scoop slam and tag to Bradshaw. Irish whip and a powerslam for two, Bradshaw chops, clubs and boots Phineas. Phineas boots Bradshaw in the face, Phineas clubs the crap out of Bradshaw. Phineas tags Henry, lock-up with Bradshaw pushing Henry to the corner. Shoulder block from Henry, big clubbing blows from Henry. Bradshaw sends Henry to the buckle, Russian leg-sweep from Bradshaw. Henry blocks a suplex and suplexes Bradshaw for two.

 

Whip to the buckle and clothesline from Henry, two for Henry. Bradshaw catches Henry with an abdominal stretch into a roll-up and we have our first elimination! Henry Godwinn is gone from this match! Windham comes in and big right hands rock Phineas, beautiful suplex for two. Gut-wrench suplex from Windham for two, flying clothesline from Windham for two. Phineas is rocked, whip to the buckle. Windham runs into a right hand and a big clothesline from Phineas knocks out Windham. Blackjack Windham has been eliminated!

 

Mosh outsmarts Phineas and lands a big elbow, elbows and biting from Phineas. Mosh slides through the legs of Phineas, big dropkick and a drop toehold. Arm-bar from Mosh, Phineas escapes the hold and batters Mosh, double elbow as Billy Gunn taunts and lands massive stomps to the head of Mosh. Billy Gunn stomps all over Mosh, big right hands from Billy. Loud interesting chants from fans, Mosh boots Billy in the face. Big clothesline from Mosh, Mosh tries a hip splash on Billy but Billy drives Mosh into the mat face-first for the elimination. Mosh has been eliminated which leaves us with just Thrasher and Bradshaw.

 

Phineas and Thrasher lock-up, side headlock by Thrasher. Thrasher punishes Phineas with biting and a thumb to the eye, Thrasher almost steals a pin-fall on Phineas but Phineas survives, more lock-ups that aren’t exactly what the crowd wanted there. Shoulder block from Thrasher, hip-toss from Thrasher but Phineas kicks off Thrasher. Thrasher returns the favour and delivers an arm-drag into an arm-bar. Thrasher dodges a scoop slam and sends Phineas into the mat, Stage Dive from Thrasher and Phineas has been eliminated! 2 on 2 now!

 

Road Dogg comes in and eats a hip-toss before Bradshaw comes in and chops the life out of Road Dogg. Short-arm clothesline from Bradshaw, gut-wrench powerbomb hard. Stiff kick to the spine, Billy cheap-shots Bradshaw which allows Road Dogg to roll-up Bradshaw for the elimination. Bradshaw is irate and takes out Road Dogg and Billy Gunn before leaving a very angry man. Thrasher continues the fight alone, smashing Road Dogg over and over with right hands in the corner. Billy kicks Thrasher from the apron, Thrasher ducks his head off an Irish whip and there is no pumphandle slam for Road Dogg. Road Dogg tries it again with a blind tag from Billy Gunn, Thrasher covers Road Dogg countering the pumphandle but Billy nails that top rope leg drop for the win.

 

Mostly flat for an opening match, not a lot of acts that you would want in there to open a pay per view. However, I have voiced that concern before about The Headbangers, I don’t know if people really know how to react to them while The Blackjacks and New Age Outlaws (Even though they ain’t called that yet) are nowhere near the level the WWF need them to be to open a PPV) The finish was also very off with that leg drop not even close to connecting on the head of Thrasher. Very disappointing opening match from the WWF during a time where they are supposed to be turning things around, it seems they are still way off pace.

 

Winners: Team Road Dogg via Diving Leg Drop!

 

The Truth Commission vs DOA (Traditional Survivor Series Style Elimination Match)


Well they are not giving me a good reason to watch this show, Interrogator and Chainz are going to start this match, Chainz hammers Interrogator but Interrogator keeps coming back. Interrogator misses a splash and gets clotheslined twice before landing a brutal looking Sidewalk Slam for the elimination. Skull & 8 Ball batter Interrogator but we have a clean break with the referees restoring control. Recon comes in with boots and a clothesline to one of the Harris twins. Falling mat slam from Recon, tag to The Jackyl who lands a top rope knee drop. Chops seem to have no effect, right hands from Skull. Spinning Sidewalk Slam for the elimination on The Jackyl!

 

Sniper and Skill, reverse elbow from Sniper for two. Side headlock before Sniper lands a flying crossbody. Two for Sniper, Recon is now the legal man. Recon misses a diving axe handle, DOA batter Recon. Elbow and scoop slam, leg drops from Crush. Belly to belly suplex from Crush for two, Recon superkicks 8-Ball. Both men bang heads with Skull swapping places with 8-Ball. Running clothesline from Skull for the elimination on Recon!

 

Sniper batters Skull, Skull lands a swinging neck-breaker. Two for Skull, tag to 8-Ball. Massive double spinebuster for two, Sniper only survives thanks to Interrogator. Interrogator cheap-shots 8-Ball and Sniper lands a running bulldog for the elimination. Skull is in with Sniper, running corner clothesline and an elbow drop. Tag to Crush, Crush uses a triangle choke to try and take down Sniper. Blind tag as Sniper manages to tag in The Interrogator who nails the sidewalk slam for the elimination on Skull!

 

Only Crush remains to take on Interrogator and Sniper, headbutt from Interrogator. Tag to Sniper, boots and right hands from Sniper. Crush reverses the Irish whip and lands a tilt-a-whirl sideslam before Interrogator comes in immediately and delivers The Sidewalk Slam for the win.

 

Awful big men who cannot work trying to work is not really my thing, a surprise I am sure but my god was that bad. Never been a fan of DOA, I will give Crush a pass for his program with Savage and Primetime Brian Lee for his run in Smokey Mountain Wrestling but everyone else in this match can go to hell. One of the most controversial nights in Wrestling history seems more like one of the most unforgettable nights in wrestling history at this point, these are two awful opening matches.

 

Winners: The Truth Commission over DOA via Sidewalk Slam!

 

Team USA (Vader/Goldust/Steve Blackman/Marc Mero) vs Team Canada (British Bulldog/Jim Neidhart/Doug Furnas/Phil Lafon)


A lot of staples of the WWF Attitude Era are making their PPV debuts on this show as well as a lot of returns too with Mero coming back after many months, Steve Blackman making his debut. Phil Lafon and Doug Furnas re-emerge after a PPV hiatus, crazy to wonder where things went wrong for those two in the WWF considering how good their matches were with Bulldog and Owen Hart a year prior.

 

Mero and Bulldog to start, Mero has cut his hair and looks more like a boxer than ever, Bulldog wipes his arse with the USA flag and throws it at Sable. Bulldog shoulder blocks, hip-tosses and dropkicks Mero. Bulldog mocks Steve Blackman, Blackman looks on like a statue. Vader is in, middle rope axe handle from Vader. Hammer blows and a short-arm clothesline from Vader, whip to the ropes and Vader Hammer. Vader tries a middle rope splash, powerslam counter from Bulldog. Delayed vertical suplex on Vader, Lafon goes to work on Vader. Irish whip, Vader splash in the corner. Tag to Mero, rights and lefts. Knee-lift from Mero, spinning heel kick from Lafon. Team Canada batter Mero and Lafon nails a clothesline, tag to Neidhart.

 

Rake across the top rope, tag to Lafon. Mero counters and drills Lafon to the back of the head, Pump Kick from Blackman. Dropkick from Blackman, hot-shot from Blackman. Elbow drop for two, knee to the gut from Lafon and a DDT for two. Crucifix for two, throat thrust from Blackman. Kicks to all of Team Canada, Lafon is elevated to the floor. Furnas and Team Canada go after Blackman, Steve Blackman gets counted out due to being a moron.

 

Neidhart and Mero restart the action, Irish whip to the buckle with Mero dodging. Schoolboy for two, Neidhart nails a clothesline but misses a middle rope splash. Vader eats a clothesline from Neidhart, shoulder block too. Vader bounces back with a clothesline, elbow drop to the lower regions and a big splash with Neidhart being eliminated. Lafon comes in and chops Vader, big superkicks from Lafon. Spinning heel kick knocks Vader to the floor, Vader meets the steel steps. Vader sends Lafon across the ring, corner clothesline and a belly to belly suplex. Middle Rope Splash and Lafon is eliminated, Furnas comes in with a great dropkick! Furnas stomps all over Vader, Vader holds onto the ropes to avoid the hurricanrana. Mero pummels Furnas with right hands, Merosault goes very wrong but we get out of it, clothesline from Furnas for two.

 

Bulldog comes in and batters Mero off the buckle, sunset flip from Mero but Bulldog blocks and almost nails the powerslam. Mero shoves off Bulldog, big right hand and an elbow to the face. Tag to Furnas, rights and lefts from Mero with Furnas showing his boxing process before Mero turns the tide once more. Corner sunset flip from Mero for two, Furnas reverses and pulls the tights for the elimination. We are down to 2 on 2! Furnas nails a flying clothesline, Bulldog comes into the match. Vader lands a massive suplex on Bulldog, Furnas comes in and attacks Vader but Vader lands a belly to back suplex on Furnas. Low blow from Furnas, Bulldog comes in and eats a boot and a clothesline from Vader. Goldust jumps down off the apron, Furnas unloads on Vader. Belly to belly suplex from Furnas on Vader for a close two.

 

Furnas scoops up Vader, Irish whip and a hurricanrana from Furnas for a close two. Vader clotheslines Furnas down and Vader slaps the shit out of Goldust pulling him into the ring. Goldust walks away and walks out on Team America as Vader looks on, Vader clubs back on Furnas. Corner splash, Vader Hammer on Bulldog. Scoop slam from Vader, Bulldog has the ring-bell. Vader-Bomb on Furnas, Bulldog cracks Vader in the back of the head for the win.

 

A match where 85% is Vader hurting people? Well that’s fun but not enough to sustain my interest for the length of time that match lasted. Steve Blackman’s debut was interesting to say the least, the classic lets protect the new guy with a count-out strategy well I wish Blackman got a bit more to do in the match and got to show off a little more, it was not meant to be though. Interesting angle with Goldust but have I been blown away by Goldust’s work in the WWF at any point? No so while the character continues to be interesting, I am not looking forward to the future matches of Goldust. I guess we are going to get Vader vs Goldust going forward, that could be fun but it’s another match that I am not going crazy for. Maybe the gimmick isn’t appealing to me anymore or rather the action is just not hitting that sweet spot.

 

Winners: Team Canada over Team USA via Ring-bell to The Face!

 

Kane W/ Paul Bearer vs Mankind


Kane made his debut at Bad Blood and destroyed The Undertaker, having destroyed jobbers, minis and I believe Ahmed Johnson too. Mankind looks to take on Kane who took care of Dude Love, Kane wrestles with red lighting which must be interesting for the fans, I always wondered if that was a great hinderance to the fans in attendance. Mankind rushes Kane which is a bad idea, Mankind bounces off the steel steps and is battered around the ring. Mankind begins kicking back at the monster, time and time again with headbutts. Cactus Jack clothesline but Kane lands on his feet and lands a clothesline. Steel steps are thrown at the head of Mankind, Kane continues to land big right hands and a big boot from The Big Red Machine.

 

Kane boots Mankind to the floor, Mankind flapjacks Kane onto the steel steps. Kane is right back up, a chair-shot from Mankind which is brutal but Kane is still up. Pulling piledriver from Mankind, Mankind calls for The Mandible Claw. Mandible Claw delivered to Paul bearer at ringside, Paul Bearer almost passes out at ringside but Kane sits-up, Mankind has no idea. Kane chokeslams Mankind who is on the apron and through the announce table at ringside. Kane tosses the announce table on the head of Mankind. Kane continues smacking Mankind with pieces of the table. Kane stalks the fallen Mankind, Chokeslam on the ramp? Mankind goes low and DDTs Kane on the concrete, Cactus Jack elbow to the floor from Mankind. Kane sits up and jumps up and slams Mankind from the top rope onto the floor, Kane may have broken Mankind. Mankind crawls back into the ring, using Kane to pull himself up with Kane picking up Mankind and drilling Mankind with The Tombstone Piledriver for the win.

 

Very good showing for Kane on PPV, Mankind does what he does best and that is destroy his own body to make his opponent look like a beast, Kane destroys Mankind here while keeping it competitive for the first enjoyable match of the night, strong showing for The Big Red Machine while Mankind looks tough in defeat! Mission accomplished as far as I am concerned!

 

Winner: Kane over Mankind via Tombstone Piledriver!

 

The Nation of Domination (Faarooq/The Rock/D’Lo Brown/Kama Mustafa) vs Team Shamrock (Ken Shamrock/LOD/Ahmed Johnson)


Finally, Shamrock returns to my screen on PPV, how I have missed Ken who has been explosive in his previous showings and speaking of explosive, my boy Ahmed Johnson returns to our PPV screens after months of absence, it might have been KOTR 97, the last time I saw Ahmed who has slid down the card while LOD are your tag team champions, the one title change that I was waiting for on PPV and they did it on Raw or a house show, I am guessing RAW but damn it really?

 

D’Lo Brown and Hawk kick off, shoulder blocks from D’Lo have no effect with a clothesline knocking D’Lo down. Piledriver has no effect on Hawk, hangman’s neck-breaker on D’Lo. Rocky comes in and Hawk chops the life out of Rocky. Kama nails Hawk with a massive kick to the back of the head, Rock Bottom for the elimination. Hawk is gone right away, can you believe it? In comes Ahmed and lands a big reverse elbow, Rocky tags in Kama. Kama punches Ahmed over and over, clothesline from Kama. Tag to Faarooq, kicks to the ribs. Back-breaker, Ahmed is whipped with a belt behind the referee’s back. Big right hand from Faarooq, Ahmed slips out of The Dominator. Pearl River Plunge from Ahmed and Ahmed gets revenge on Faarooq with the elimination.

 

D’Lo nails a spinning heel kick on Ahmed, Lo Down from D’Lo. D’Lo nails massive right hands but Ahmed shakes it off, sit-out suplex from Ahmed. Rocky tags in and runs into a spinebuster, Faarooq trips and holds down the legs of Ahmed so Rocky gets the pin on Ahmed. Faarooq gets his revenge and Ahmed chases off Faarooq. They brawl to the back, it’s 3 on 2. Animal clotheslines Rocky hard in the corner, tag to Shamrock. Clothesline from Shamrock, dropkick from Shamrock. Eye poke and tag to Kama, Shamrock begins fighting back before Kama eye-rakes Shamrock. Foot choke in the corner, whip to the opposite buckle. Kama misses a splash and Shamrock tags in Animal, LOD chants ring-out in the arena. Big gut punch and clubbing blows from Kama who applies a front chancery before Animal tosses off Kama. Clothesline by both men who collide in the middle of the ring. Belly to back suplex by Animal for two, whip to the buckle and Kama boots Animal in the face.

 

Headbutt by Kama, right hands to the face. Animal ducks the clothesline and lands a flying shoulder block, scoop slam by Animal. No count for Animal, D’Lo gets smacked before Kama lands his martial arts kick. Animal dropkicks Kama into Rocky for a schoolboy and the elimination. The Supreme Fighting Machine has been eliminated as Animal clotheslines D’Lo down. Standing dropkick and gut punches by Shamrock, whip to the buckle and clothesline by Shamrock. Eye poke by D’Lo and D’Lo smacks Animal for good measure, Rocky comes in behind the referee’s back and smashes Shamrock in the nuts for two. Snap-mare and leg drop from D’Lo for two. Reverse chin-lock from D’Lo with Shamrock breaking out before D’Lo cut off Shamrock with a nice knee to the ribs.

 

 Back-breaker by D’Lo, middle rope moonsault and D’Lo misses by a country mile. Animal and Rocky receives tags, dropkicks from Animal. Powerslam from Animal, Road Dogg & Billy Gunn are here which leads to Animal attacking both and being blinded, the referee continues counting and guess what, Animal has been counted out which means Shamrock is all alone against both Nation members. Can Shamrock beat the odds? Crowd starts chanting Shamrock as Rocky and D’Lo begin stalking The World’s Most Dangerous Man. Boots and right hands by D’Lo, clothesline by D’Lo. Rocky refuses the tag from D’Lo, Rocky decides to come in and both men miss their clothesline. Shamrock throws out Rocky, belly to belly suplex on D’Lo and an Ankle Lock makes D’Lo tap-out. Rocky has a chair though, chair-shot to the back of Shamrock.

 

Rocky covers Shamrock and Shamrock kicks out, Rocky cannot believe it. Rocky begins stomping away at Shamrock, big right hands from Rocky who continues choking and stomping Shamrock. Rocky threatens the referee, Shamrock begins firing back with massive rights before Rocky drills Shamrock with a thumb to the eye and a float-over DDT. Close two for Rocky, scoop slam and people’s elbow from Rocky. Two for Rocky, Shamrock fires up with rights and lefts. The DDT is countered this time, Shamrock lands the northern lights suplex. Hurricanrana from Shamrock, arm-bar into The Ankle Lock and Shamrock wins the match!

 

Ken Shamrock had the greatest month of his life during this time, defeating Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels before winning this match, it was always a great what-if about putting that championship on Shamrock. Anyways, this was easily the most enjoyable Survivor Series match of the night, I could have easily skipped on the first two which were awful while this one was quite interesting. A lot of interesting elements with Rocky garnering the biggest reaction for his team and Shamrock doing the same for the babyfaces. Will always be curious about the treatment of LOD since returning, seemed they were always treated as second-rate despite their appeal but make no mistake about it, things could be getting very interesting for Rocky and Shamrock in the coming months.

 

Winner: Team Shamrock over The Nation of Domination via Ankle Lock!

 

(WWF Intercontinental Championship Match) Owen Hart © vs Stone Cold Steve Austin


A broken neck: Owen Hart broke the neck of The Rattlesnake at Summerslam, causing Austin to miss three months of action. Austin arguably became more popular while being unable to compete but those three months, Austin could not wait to get his hands on Owen Hart. Austin helped Owen Hart win the Intercontinental Championship to setup this rematch, The Rattlesnake is ready to strike but can Owen Hart manage to stop Austin once more? This feels big, Austin comes to a great reaction for someone who is going up against a true Canadian in Owen Hart. Owen comes down to the ring with The Hart Foundation and Furnas & Lafon, such a simple act but great heel work. Also crazy to think that Owen could play such a callous character considering he was one of the nicest guys in the history of the business, you almost expect him to burst out laughing.

 

The match starts with Austin stunning Neidhart which allows Owen to jump Austin, Owen rakes the face of Austin across the top rope. Austin reverses Owen with right hands in the corner, gut kick from Owen. Austin blocks the piledriver but drags Austin down by the ring-post. Austin’s knee is sent into the ring-post before Austin yanks Owen into the ring-post. Austin chases after Owen who was thinking of leaving early to beat traffic, Owen meets the guard-rail. Owen continues to run from Austin, low blow from The King of Harts. Owen shoves Austin into the announce table, Owen continues to dish out punishment with a camera cable around the neck of Austin. Owen is trying to get disqualified, Owen chokes Austin in the ring. Owen takes at the face of Austin, shots to the ribs. Austin turns the tide and stomps the bejesus out of Owen, Irish whip and eye poke into an awkward exchange and a Stunner, Austin wins the championship and stuns Team Canada while we are at it!

 

Hold on a second, where was my breath-taking back and forth contest between the two? I wanted to see Owen go after the neck, the drama, the struggle, definitely comes out of nowhere but the match is over before it begins? Why? Austin’s neck? A refusal to work a long match with the man who broke his neck? Seriously, I feel I was robbed of the match that I truly wanted to see, how can this be? Disappointed is an understatement!

 

Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin over Owen Hart via Stone Cold Stunner!

 

(WWF Championship Match) Bret Hart© vs Shawn Michaels


The match 18 months in the making, Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 12, Bret Hart took a number of months off returning at Survivor Series 96, the plan at the time was for Bret Hart to recapture the WWF Championship from Michaels at Wrestlemania 13 but Michaels walked away citing an injury and losing his smile. The legitimacy of this injury has been in question for years at this point but all you need to know was Shawn Michaels was quoted as saying he would never ever put over Bret Hart. Now it’s Survivor Series 1997 and Bret Hart is leaving for WCW but the WWF Championship is still around the waist of The Hitman and the WWF needed to get the championship off of The Hitman but Bret refused to put over HBK because of how much of a prick Shawn Michaels was, this leads us to this match between two individuals who’s real life hatred fuelled their on-screen rivalry.

 

Both men arguably have done the best work of their career during this year, it will always be a great what-if to see how both men would have continued their rivalry the following year in the WWF but it was not meant to be. The match has a massive big fight feel, the camera follows both men to the ring with their entourages following them. Michaels is on the floor, giving the spotlight to The Hitman. This is intense for sure, Bret kisses the championship before handing it over as he often does, a little touch but it means quite a lot.

 

Michaels jumps Bret, Bret wins the fist-fight though. Multiple right hands and a headbutt from Bret, clothesline to the floor. Michaels meets the ring-post, Bret lands two massive rights to the face of HBK. Bret throws Michaels into the crowd, the referees are trying to maintain control but this is madness. Patterson, Slaughter and Mcmahon is here too. Michaels regains control bouncing Bret Hart off the announce table, HBK chokes Hart with an American flag. Michaels brings Bret into the crowd, more chaotic crowd-brawling. Michaels wants a piledriver but Bret reverses and Michaels lands hard on the floor. Low blow from Bret, Michaels is back-dropped on the rampway by The Hitman.

 

Bret Hart suplexes Michaels on the floor, Michaels pulls Bret into a referee. Bodies everywhere, this is a brawl! Bret tosses Michaels over the stage, fire extinguisher to the ribs. Michaels is knocked down once more by an irate Hitman, Michaels meets the guardrail hard. Bret chokes Michaels with the Quebec flag, leg-drop to the back of the neck. Inverted atomic drop from the champion, Michaels ducks the clothesline and nails his flying forearm. Kip-up and boot to the head from HBK, stomp to the face and Michaels chokes Bret with the Quebec flag.

 

Fist drop from HBK, Michaels taunts the fans. Bret is dumped to the floor, right hands from Michaels. Michaels front suplexes Bret onto the steel steps and stomps The Hitman on the back of the head. Michaels is on the top rope, double axe handle to the neck. Front chancery from the challenger, Bret tosses off Michaels, Bret goes after that leg. Elbow to the knee, Michaels grabs and rakes the face of Bret. Bret blocks the back-drop attempt with a boot but Michaels rakes the eyes again, Bret meets the buckle hard. Scoop slam, diving crossbody from Michaels but Bret rolls through for a close two. Bret kicks Michaels’ leg over and over, Michaels’ leg meets the ring-post and we have an apron figure-four. Impressive leg work from The Hitman, figure-four in the middle of the ring.

 

Michaels reverses the hold which switches the pressure onto The Hitman, Hitman has to break the hold. Mean right hands from Bret, Michaels is sent to the buckle and eats a Russian leg-sweep for two. Headbutt to the lower regions and a snap suplex from Bret, back-breaker from The Hitman. Bret’s Rope Elbow drop coming up but Michaels pulls the referee in front of The Hitman, Earl Hebnar is down as Bret and Hebnar clash heads. Eye rake from Michaels, HBK slaps on The Sharpshooter and the referee rings the bell and chaos ensues, The Montreal Screwjob takes places as Bret Hart gobs on Vince Mcmahon. HBK leaves the ring irate as The Hitman spells out WCW!

 

Incredible how The Network version goes off the air, leaving anyone who knows nothing about this match in the dark about the true nature of what might/did take place. I am not here to give my opinion on the screwjob though, God knows it has been done to death and I could add nothing new to that conversation so let’s talk about the match. It does feel incomplete, you don’t get much of your typical Bret Hart match, not a lot of leg-work and HBK does not control the action for very long which is disappointing because knowing what these two were capable of and with an insanely hot crowd like they had, this could have been magical for all the right reasons instead of the wrong reasons. I do enjoy the big fight feel though, from the entrances to having all the referees following the action, you are sucked into the drama and you cannot help but believe these two want to kill one another. Brawling can go two ways you can see as art that adds to the drama in the ring or you can see it as lazy/a cheap way to pop the fans by taking the action to them, this was definitely a case of the former here. It’s just so good watching these two brawl around the arena and I do wish this match had a couple more minutes and a definitive ending because for the year that both these men had, they deserved to have had that classic.

 

Winner: Shawn Michaels over Bret Hart via The Montreal Screwjob!

 

That was WWF’s Survivor Series 1997, a night of infamy for sure but a rather boring WWF PPV when all was said and done. The traditional Survivor Series matches on this card were largely uninteresting especially the two opening matches, they provided little reason for the fans to care or react and overstayed their welcome. Things improve with the two matches featuring bigger stars like Vader, Bulldog and Shamrock but the action is still not great, perhaps I am tired of the formulaic layouts of these matches but I am glad I won’t have to see anymore of these for a while. Kane vs Mankind is solid, Kane looks unstoppable while Mankind gives a good accounting of himself showcasing his willingness to torture himself for the sake of his art. Disappointed would be my reaction to the two championship matches on the card, I would like to know more about Austin vs Owen because if Austin was 100% healthy and cleared to go, I felt they could done so much more with this match. Owen could have gotten so much heat, could have gone after the neck but it seemed more like a joke to have Owen in there with Austin like it was a foregone conclusion that Austin was going to wipe the floor with Owen, very disappointing from a viewing standpoint. Meanwhile, I loved where the main event was heading but same thing like the Intercontinental Championship match, it seemed to end before it got going and I can’t help but think how fun a longer match between those two would have been but it was simply not meant to be. Only one more PPV to go for 1997, what a ride it has been! Survivor Series 1997 may have been a controversial night in wrestling history but this was not a fun card by any stretch of the imagination, thanks for taking the time to check this review out! And remember: there’s always another night!


Friday 6 August 2021

WWF In Your House 18: Bad Blood Review!

 



Hello and welcome to another Seanomaniac Wrestling review, the only wrestling review series on the internet that knows how many times Big Show has turned heel! It’s time for WWF Bad Blood 1997, so close to the end of 1997 and yet so far, the main event of the night is the first ever Hell in A Cell match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. HBK cost The Undertaker the WWF Championship at Summerslam, the two brawled at Ground Zero which leads us to this historic match with the shadow of Paul Bearer looming over The Deadman. We also have Owen Hart defending his Intercontinental Championship against Faarooq and Bret Hart & The British Bulldog taking on Vader & The Patriot along with a mini match and more Gang Warfare (God Help me!) So let’s crack on with WWF In Your House: Bad Blood 1997!

 

The Nation of Domination vs The Legion of Doom


LOD are not challenging for the tag team championships which is understandable due to the newly crowned babyface champions in The Headbangers but for how much longer can we ignore that LOD are the most popular tag team in the division? LOD are huge over and they will be taking on it looks like The Rock and Kama Mustafa but D’Lo is also here so it’s more than a bit confusing but we shall see where we go from here. Oh it’s a handicap match because Shamrock was injured at the hands of Faarooq.

 

I am good with that I suppose, D’Lo to start with Hawk. Side headlock from D’Lo, shoulder block does not move Hawk who lands a hip-toss and a dropkick which sends D’Lo to the floor. D’Lo runs before Hawk boots and clotheslines D’Lo, tag to The Rock. Big Rocky sucks chants, Hawk tags in Animal. Rock tee’s off on Animal once we restart, Irish whip with Animal ducking and landing a shoulder block and a dropkick. Rocky powders and talks strategy with the other Nation members, Rocky regroups and slowly re-enters the ring. Animal ducks the clothesline and wrenches the arm before tagging Hawk. Middle rope first to the face, chop from Hawk. Side headlock from Hawk, Rocky pushes Hawk to The Nation’s corner but nothing comes of it. Kama comes in, big hoss time.

 

Kama goes to work with big rights to Hawk, Hawk dodges the corner splash. Clothesline from Hawk, both men knock one another down before Hawk pops up with an enzuigiri. Snap-mare into a reverse chinlock, Animal plants Kama with a powerslam but Rocky drills Animal with a DDT. Shuffle side-kick from Kama, Kama tosses Animal to the floor and Rocky and D’Lo batter Animal. Kama tags in D’Lo, Animal almost escapes before being cut off as D’Lo lands multiple leg drops. To the buckle, tag to Rocky. Rocky stomps away at Animal, Rocky threatens the referee before choking Animal over and over. Measured right hand and Hawk is with the referee as Rocky punches Animal right in the lower area. Two for Rocky, Kama comes in to punish Animal. Kama misses a corner splash as Animal dodges, Animal crawls and crawls.

 

Rocky distracts the referee so the referee misses the tag, D’Lo drops Animal with the Lo Down for a close two. Animal is dumped to the floor again as The Nation send Animal into the steel steps. Tag to Rocky, Rocky whips Animal but Animal ducks and both men nail one another with a clothesline. Hawk is legal now, right hands to Rocky. Powerslam, D’Lo elbows Rocky by mistake. Neck-breaker on D’Lo, clothesline to Kama. Corner clotheslines to Rocky, they call for Doomsday. Faarooq distracts Animal, Kama kicks Hawk in the back of the head, Rocky nails The Rock Bottom for the win.

 

Solid opening match, would have loved to have seen Shamrock in there who is just so explosive and so much fun during this time, Shamrock will have his moment though as there are some really good matches coming with Rocky and Shamrock. Crowd is hot for those last 2 minutes, I still believe like Mcmahon says, they are the premier tag team in the WWF and the championships are soon going to be around the waist of LOD. Good stuff to kick us off!

 

Winners: Nation of Domination over LOD via Rock Bottom!

 

Mosaic & Tarantula vs Max-Mini & Mini-Nova


Mini-matches are here to stay, Tarantula boots down Max with Nova kicking Mosaic in the face. Tarantula swats down Nova, we have a lot of fast action going on here as Tarantula misses a splash. Tarantula and Mosaic are accidently hitting one another as Nova is too fast for them before Mosaic drags Nova to the floor. Double beatdown before we reset, Max misses a dropkick as Mosaic elbows Max. Mosaic misses a corner splash, arm-drag from Max. Back body drop from Max, Nova nails a splash. Max nails a hurricanrana before Mosaic makes the save, double boot from the heels. Big boot from Tarantula, Nova comes in against the big man before Mosaic chop-blocks Nova. Suplex by Tarantula, top rope splash for two.

 

Clothesline from Mosaic, Nova is down on the floor for another headsets. Tarantula and Mosaic boot down Max, Tarantula presses Max onto the announce table. Nova and Mosaic are back in the ring, shoulder block by Mosaic. Tarantula nails a clothesline on Max, Max is elevated to the apron before nailing a crossbody into a crucifix pin for the win.

 

Awkward, clunky and the crowd didn’t care but there is a possibility that this match was thrown together after the unfortunate passing of Brian Pillman, it’s certainly possible and I will have to check that for sure but this was just bad.

 

Winners: Nova & Max-Mini over Tarantula & Mosaic via Crucifix Pin!

 

(WWF Tag Team Championship Match) The Godwinns vs The Headbangers ©


Sunny should be managing a top heel or the voice of a heel faction, she was fantastic in SMW and such a shame that she was her own worse enemy. However, we are here to talk about the tag team division in WWF, The Headbangers are your WWF tag team champions thanks to Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Godwinns have been part of some of the worst matches I have had to stomach during The New Generation. The champions clear the rings of the challengers, Uncle Cletus is here at ringside for The Godwinns, his first pay per view appearance. Mosh and Phineas are disgusting one another before locking up, Phineas clubs Mosh. Whip to the buckle, headscissors from Mosh which leaves Phineas on the floor. Apron hurricanrana from Thrasher, springboard clothesline from Mosh. Mosh clubs Phineas over and over, two in the ring. Tag to Thrasher, double flapjack onto Phineas. Phineas survives and tags Henry, Henry shoulder blocks Thrasher. Big kick from Henry, Thrasher has a schoolboy for two.

 

Thrasher lands a dropkick, Henry powders who is irate. Phineas and Thrasher lock-up, Thrasher wrenches the arm. Tag to Mosh, leap-frog splash from the champions. Scoop slam, assisted suplex from the middle rope as Mosh comes down on Phineas for a close two. Arm-bar from Mosh, Thrasher comes back in and lands a manoeuvre before Henry says FUCK IT and clotheslines the life out of Thrasher. Time for a little heat segment, Henry crotches Thrasher on the top rope before Phineas lands a massive clothesline. Phineas throws Thrasher to the floor where Cletus and Henry lands a kick to the ribs and a clothesline. In the ring we have repeated knee-drops from Phineas, sunset-flip from Thrasher but the referee was with Henry, the referee missed the close two. Wheelbarrow slam from Henry for a close two, Mosh makes the save.

 

 Both men bang heads, Thrasher almost makes the tag before Phineas cuts off Thrasher. Phineas misses a corner clothesline though, belly to back suplex from Thrasher. Thrasher tags Mosh, Mosh throws big rights and a hip splash in the corner, Cletus is knocked down with Henry. Scoop slam, powerbomb onto Phineas. Henry makes the save, Thrasher and Henry brawl briefly. Mosh Pit is countered for a powerbomb, Cletus holds onto Thrasher and we have new tag team champions!

 

Shocking result to be honest, poor Headbangers just won the championships and now they have lost them, they get laid out by the new champions too. Looks like plan get the championships on LOD is finally coming to fruition but at the expense of The Headbangers. Match was nothing special, never been impressed with either Godwinns and Headbangers seem just a little too strange and a little too new for the WWF fans to fully embrace just yet. I thought it would have been nice to establish The Headbangers but I guess they were just transitional champions.

 

Winners: The Godwinns over The Headbangers via Powerbomb!

 

(WWF Intercontinental Championship Match) Owen Hart vs Faarooq


Stone Cold Steve Austin has to vacate his WWF Intercontinental Championship that was won at Summerslam 1997. Austin had broken his neck and was unable to compete, forfeiting the WWF Tag Team Championship and now, the WWF Intercontinental Championship. So who will be the new champion? Will it be The King of Harts Owen Hart or The Leader of The Nation Faarooq?

 

Two heels facing off is never a good thing in my book unless someone is in the process of turning and they have the match laid out to tell that story, considering both men’s current booking, I don’t think there will be anyone coming out of this as a babyface despite Owen’s popularity in Europe.

 

Austin is here, scheduled to present the winner of the match his championship. The crowd is only going to be interested in Austin of course, this is not going to be good for the two wrestlers in the ring. Sgt. Slaughter sits neck to Austin to police The Rattlesnake, Owen tells Austin that he broke his neck which provokes a reaction from Austin. Faarooq shoves back Hart twice, Hart shoulder blocks Owen down. Faarooq looks uninterested as Owen pops himself back-up, side headlock from The Rocket. Faarooq shoves off Owen, Faarooq is like “Come on now, what is this?”.  Owen goes after the leg of Faarooq, kicks and Owen drops his weight on the leg using stretches as well, double knees on the leg. Austin continues to distract everyone including the fans and the wrestlers in the ring, Owen continues to kick and stretch Faarooq’s leg.

 

Faarooq fights back, whipping Owen back and forth around the ring before a massive backbreaker. Owen survives before being hit with a clothesline, slam from Faarooq. Faarooq is on the middle rope, Owen dodges the middle rope leg drop. Owen goes after the leg, Faarooq kicks off the sharpshooter. Powerslam from Faarooq for two, Jim Neidhart is here as Faarooq nails a spinebuster. Neidhart is on the apron, Austin nails Faarooq with the Intercontinental Championship which allows Owen Hart to become champion. Austin wants revenge on the man who broke his neck, it’s as simple as that!

 

Could have been a good match but all the focus was on Austin and his antics, everything in that ring was secondary to what was going on with Austin. However, the end goal is great for sure because you can understand Austin’s motivations for allowing Owen Hart to capture the championship.

 

Winner: Owen Hart over Faarooq via Championship to The Head!

 

Los Boricuas vs DOA


So this card was already boring me, things are not going to get better in the slightest with this match. Eight-man tag team action featuring two parts of the worst triple threat I ever saw, I really don’t want to watch this match.

 

Skull and Jose brawl, Skull elbows and clotheslines Jose. Chainz boots Jose before Miguel comes in, corner clothesline from Chainz. Powerslam from Chainz for two, tag to Crush. Headbutt before Miguel rakes the eyes, tag to Savio. Choke from Savio, boot from Crush. Belly to belly suplex from Crush, 8-Ball boots Savio. Eye rake from Savio, Jesus eats a military press slam. Jose and Miguel kick Chainz in the spine, we have a brawl on the floor. Chainz receives corner clotheslines and a corner spinning kick from Savio for a close two. Referee is distracted as we have more boots, reverse chinlock from Savio on Chainz. Scoop slam and Jesus comes in, missile dropkick from Jesus for two. More double-team attacks, reverse chin-lock from Miguel. Chainz fights out and eats a knee from Miguel, Savio comes in and tries rocking Chainz but misses the corner splash. Crush comes in and the match breaks down, boot on Jesus. DDT by Jesus, close two for Jesus. Irish whip with a clothesline from Chainz, tilt-a-whirl back-breaker for the win.

 

Dreadful, a lukewarm hot-tag and a heatless affair, all these guys need to be let go because there is nothing going on here at all, I am sick of this faction warfare garbage.

 

Winners: DOA over Los Boricuas via Tilt-A-Whirl Back-breaker!

 

The Patriot & Vader vs The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & The British Bulldog)


This one starts hot on the floor, we have brawling ladies and gents. Bulldog meets the steel steps, the flags hang high from two opposite buckles in the ring. Vader batters Bret with the Canadian flag, Bret answers back with the flag as we have more brawling on the floor. Patriot chokes Bulldog with the American flag as Vader pummels The Hitman up and down the ramp. We restart with Bret and Bulldog complaining at great length, stalling like magnificent heels. Patriot and Bulldog are in, shoulder block by Patriot. Snap-mare into a knee into the spine, snap suplex from Patriot. Patriot goes for the flag but Bret distracts Patriot with a massive low blow, Bulldog whips Patriot but Patriot lands a hip-toss and a back body drop.

 

Vader comes in, massive right to the chest. Irish whip, Vader Hammer from the big man. Vader spits on Bret, another clothesline from Vader. Bret tees off with Vader, bad idea as Vader pummels Bret. The Hitman is getting rocked, short-arm clothesline. Vader misses a corner splash, Bulldog lands a clothesline from the apron.  Russian leg-sweep from Bret, Bret climbs for the flag before Vader ends that attempt. Sunset flip from Bret ends in Vader splashing Bret, Bulldog makes the save. Vader tags in Patriot, Bret tags in Bulldog. Dropkick from Patriot for two, corner punches from Patriot. Bulldog meets the buckle hard, scoop slam from Patriot who eyes up The American Flag. Bret stops Patriot again, Bret chokes Patriot behind the referee’s back.

 

Vader crotches Bulldog who was attempting to grab The Canadian Flag, headbutt from Patriot. Patriot misses a corner spear, Bret has the apron figure-four on Patriot. Vader hammers Bulldog from behind but the damage is done, can the big man Vader climb the top rope if Patriot cannot? Elbow from Bret, Patriot nearly lands the sharpshooter on Bret before Bulldog makes the save. Every man is in the corner piled up, Patriot is close to grabbing The American flag before Bulldog tosses Patriot down. Bret lands a headbutt to Vader’s groin, Bret flips off Vader. Back-breaker and knee-drop combination from The Hart Foundation for two. Patriot crawls towards Vader, Vader is in the match. Vader Hammer on Bulldog with Bulldog grabbing the ropes to survive, belly to back suplex from Vader.

 

Vader goes for the flag, Patriot knocks away Bulldog. Bret hammers Vader down, Bulldog goes to work with big stomps on Vader. Snap-mare into a reverse chin-lock, VINTAGE BULLDOG SON! Bulldog tags out to Bret, belly to back suplex from The Hitman. Bret wants the Sharpshooter, Vader grabs the ropes quickly. Patriot pummels Bret but no release of the hold until Vader struggles out, elbow to the groin from Vader. Bulldog saves Bret from the sharpshooter, Patriot attacks Bret with a massive shoulder block. Bulldog is bumped to the floor, figure four from The Patriot. Bulldog is tagged in, Bulldog takes out Vader on the apron before focusing on Patriot. Stalling vertical suplex delivered beautifully, cover for two. Patriot delivers a powerslam and looks to grab the flag, Bulldog stops Patriot who is stomped into the apron.

 

Tag to Bret, Bret lands a massive stomp to the spine. Suplex from Bret with an elbow to the jaw. Leg drop from The Hitman, Bret climbs for the flag. Vader bearhugs Bret down, Bulldog clotheslines Patriot down. Patriot tags in Vader, Vader smacks around Bulldog before calling for The Vader Bomb. No it’s the moonsault, Vader lands on his feet are you kidding me? Vader decides to club the shit out of Bulldog and Vader climbs for the flag. Bret grabs the leg of Vader but Vader starts headbutting The Hitman. Vader clotheslines Bulldog to the floor, Bret low blows Patriot on the floor before cracking Vader with the ring-bell. Bulldog rams Vader into the ring-post, tag to The Hitman. Scoop slam by Bret, elbow to the face. Bret continues to dish out the punishment with a DDT on Vader. Vader double clotheslines down The Hart Foundation and a hot-tag to Patriot. Big kicks all around, elbows too!

 

Uncle Slam and Bret is down, Bulldog saves with a big leg drop. Vader Bomb on The Hitman, Bulldog is in though to attack Patriot. Bulldog goes after Vader on the floor, Patriot tries an O’Connor roll but The Hitman rolls through and grabs the tights to win the match. Patriot attacks Bret after the match and Vader does the same with Bulldog.

 

This seemed to go on quite a while and while I may be a fan of many of the wrestlers in that ring, the structure of this match was awful. Continued thwarted attempts at capturing the flag only for the flag to have nothing to do with the finish, there could have been some interesting ideas here. Definitely with Bret going after Patriot’s leg so Vader would have to attempt to grab the flag but it never came into play so it was more like wasted motion inside of the ring which is always a strange thing to say when it comes to The Hitman. Finish came out of nothing, I wish it came a good few minutes earlier as this PPV has been quite the disappointment.

 

Winners: The Hart Foundation over Patriot & Vader via Roll-Up!

 

(Hell In A Cell Match) Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker


Shawn Michaels pissed off the wrong man, the seeds were planted for this match at Summerslam 97 as Shawn Michaels cost The Undertaker his WWF Championship. Shawn Michaels continued to cause chaos as HBK bloodied The Undertaker with a brutal steel chairshot, they brawled at Ground Zero but the referees could not contain these two so the only way to resolve this issue was to place these two men inside Hell in A Cell. A demonic structure that is 15 feet high, no escape for The Heartbreak Kid. Michaels had no idea what was coming his way when it came to Ground Zero but this is truly the end of Shawn Michaels. It’s time to pay for your sins HBK, it’s time for Hell in A Cell. I have loved the build-up to this with HBK continuing to poke the bear and get braver and braver, almost oblivious to what awaits him. Also happy to see Taker with someone who can work considering what I have to sit through for the majority of his run to this point.

 

Undertaker scares Michaels before the bell even rings, referee Earl Hebnar padlocks the cage with Michaels growing more concerned with each passing second. Michaels is running from The Deadman, Taker stalks HBK. Michaels eats a boot to the face, Michaels’ face bounces off the turnbuckle. Taker does it once more, HBK avoids the chokeslam with kicks to the stomp. Right hands from Michaels, ten punches in the corner. Jabs from HBK, Taker sends HBK to the buckle and nails a big clothesline. Old School from The Deadman, Taker chokes the life out of HBK. Scoop slam and leg drop from Taker for two, back body drop from Taker. Taker sends Michaels to the floor, Taker chokes Michaels before Michaels eye rakes Taker. Taker yanks Michaels off the cage, Taker whips HBK into the cell wall and lands a clothesline.

 

Taker wants a powerbomb but HBK uses the cage for leverage to punch Taker before Taker powerbombs Michaels into the cell wall. Taker punishes Michaels with shots to the ribs, Michaels is sent into the ring-post and the cell wall over and over. Michaels is being battered, Michaels sends Taker into the cell wall but it doesn’t even phase The Deadman. Clothesline from Taker, Michaels meets the cell wall but dodges Taker’s attacks. Right hands from HBK, Taker hot-shots HBK. Michaels pops up and shoulder blocks Taker into the cell wall, suicide dive from Michaels. Michaels delivers an elbow drop using the cell wall, apron clothesline from Michaels. Steel steps from Michaels, they are dropped repeatedly on The Deadman. Piledriver on the steel steps from HBK who curses the cameraman to get out of his face.

 

Michaels grabs a chair, HBK wants to take things up a notch. Chair-shot to the spine of The Deadman, another shot to the spine from The Heartbreak Kid. Michaels crawls into a cover for two, Michaels is irate. Taker begins fighting back with big rights, Michaels nails a big boot though and lands rights of his own. Taker is locked up in the ropes, nowhere to go for The Deadman. Taker boots away an incoming Michaels, Taker back-drops Michaels into the cameraman. Michaels nails the cameraman, HBK sends Taker to the floor. Michaels lands his flying forearm on Taker, diving elbow drop from HBK. Slaughter is here to help the downed cameraman, Michaels is watching the scenes unfold, the cage door is open. Sweet Chin Music from HBK but Taker sits up, Michaels decides it’s time to run.

 

Michaels tries a dropkick on the floor but Taker catapults Michaels into the cage. Taker lawn-darts Michaels into the cage, Taker does it again. HBK low-blows Taker, Michaels decides to climb to the top of the cell. Michaels tries a piledriver but Taker back drops for a counter, Michaels’ face is raked across the cage. Scoop slam on the cage, Taker hits a massive right hand. Michaels is dangling from the side of the hell, Taker stomps on the fingers of Michaels who lands through the announce table at ringside! They brawl back to the ring, Michaels is busted open badly now, bleeding everywhere. Taker lands a massive clothesline, top rope Chokeslam from The Deadman. Taker has a chair, payback is a bitch! Taker waffles HBK with a sickening chair-shot! Taker calls for the end, the lights in the arena go out and a strange theme begins to play in the arena.

 

Who is that? It’s Paul Bearer with a monster, it has to be Kane! The Undertaker’s brother lives, Kane is alive and Kane rips off the steel cage door. Kane stands eye to eye with The Deadman, shock covers the face of The Deadman. Undertaker cannot believe what stands before him, Kane commands the pyro and the fire just like Undertaker. Tombstone from Kane, Undertaker has been Tombstoned by his own flesh and blood, Kane leaves with his job done with Paul Bearer having a massive smile on his face. A bloodied Michaels crawls over toward the fallen Taker, an arm drapes across The Phenom. 1….2….3! Michaels will be challenging The Hitman for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series!

 

Wrestling perfection, I love this match! Michaels is beaten like he should be throughout the match, Michaels pays for everything he has done to Taker. It’s brutal at times, Undertaker takes his time gleefully destroying Michaels. The symbolic chair-shot is perfect revenge for what HBK did, HBK sells magnificently as per usual and the gusher, the blade-job for the match is perfect. Michaels looked as if it was a war and what an awesome debut for Kane, perfect setup for the feud between Taker and Kane. The finish protects Taker, establishes that Kane is the real deal and we know these two will do battle! The first match of its kind and it still stands the test of time all these years later, the brutality, the psychology and the angle all still hold up all these years later, perfect professional wrestling in my eyes.

 

Winner: Shawn Michaels over The Undertaker via Kane’s Tombstone!

 

That was WWF’s In Your House 18: Bad Blood, the very epitome of a one match show! This was a tough one to sit through, it had a lot of components of what I hate about the WWF at the time. Firstly, the mini matches seem so awkward without much flow and go far too long, they should be used as a piss-break match but the second match of the card really? They get a few laughs here and there and this match was a trainwreck compared to what I saw the first time, I don’t want to see it nor do I need to see anymore of this thanks very much. Second thing: God awful gang warfare garbage, not one of The Boricuas or members of DOA warrant a match on this card, they have no chemistry and the matches drag because nobody cares, I really want this to end but I know I have at least one more PPV to go with this kind of garbage, it simply wasn’t working at all. Heel vs Heel with Owen Hart vs Faarooq is no fun especially when the crowd and cameras are all on Austin, I can’t tell you one thing that happened in that ring because everything was about Austin, why have the match?

 

The flag match that ended without the flags being involved = why bother then? Honestly, why book the stipulation and not involve it? The match had a terrible flow, was repetitive with repeated low-blows to stop flag-grabbing attempts and ultimately, was a whole load of nothing. Best part was Vader’s a bunch of bullshit promo line. The main event kicks all sorts of ass it delivers ten-fold in terms of story-telling and violence, Michaels gets destroyed and survives by the skin of the teeth, the hatred for HBK is real from the fans, they love Taker picking him apart. The blood adds so much to it with Michaels already being the king of selling as far as I am concerned. Kane’s debut is fantastic, protects The Deadman and sets up that feud. It is a horrific show to watch knowing Pillman had just passed and maybe the action inside of that ring reflects the awful mood/atmosphere in the locker room but this show is only worth watching for The Hell in A Cell, nothing else to look forward to on this card. Thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!