Emerson Witner's "28 Days of In Your House" - Day 16

28 Days of In Your House: Day 16
WWF In Your House: Canadian Stampede
July 6, 1997
LIVE! From Calgary *dramatic pause*, Alberta, Canada
 
by Emerson "Happy 4th of July" Witner
 
I want to give a shoutout to Adam Lunau of F4Wonline.com and WeTalkWrestling.com, who wrote a column yesterday about the Canadian Stampede ppv, that he attended live, 14 years ago this week. Coincedence or not, he beat my review by a day.
 
Since our last In Your House: Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin won the WWF Tag Team Titles...and then were stripped of the belts when Shawn quit the company after his backstage brawl with Bret Hart, HHH won the King Of The Ring, Faarooq threw everyone out of The Nation not named D-Lo Brown and then brought back Kama, Ahmed Johnson turned heel and joined The Nation, Ahmed got injured before his WWF Title Match tonight and was replaced by Vader and Paul Bearer accused Undertaker of murdering his parents and younger brother.
 
Vince, King and JR do commentary, all 3 wearing cowboy hats, King's with an especially goofy over-sized hat.
 
Mankind vs Hunter Hearst-Helmsley (w/Chyna)
 
Why this is happening: Hunter won King Of The Ring after Chyna smashed a scepter over Mankind's head.
 
Insane crowd heat on Hunter, just for his ring entrance. Someone has a Mankind 4 Prime Minister sign.
 
Mankind with a double arm-DDT at the start of the match and does a nice little curtsy. HHH fights back and charges, but gets backdropped over the top rope to the floor. With Hunter laying down in front of the Hart Family, Mankind hits an elbow to the floor.
 
HHH tries walking, but, of course, Mankind runs (yes runs) up the ramp and stops him. One suplex on the metal later, Hunter is wishing he stayed in the ring. Mankind waiting for Hunter to re-enter the ring, which made no sense since Hunter was just trying to leave.
 
Hunter goes for a sunset flip...and the director feels we should look at the crowd instead. When we get back to the ring Chyna punches Mankind. They fight some more outside the ring and Hunter Irish Whips Mankind into Chyna, who arm drags Mankind into the steps! Mankind smacked his knee and ankle right onto the steps.
 
HHH working on the knee of Mankind. The referee doesn't know how to count past 4 as Helmsley pounds away in the corner. Off the ropes, Hunter hits a low dropkick and locks on the Figure Four.
 
It gets broken, Hunter goes for the Pedigree, but Mankind fights out of it. Both men collide, Hunter falls and Mankind falls with a head-butt to the groin. Mankind, in control, hits the running inner thigh and the Stump-pull Piledriver for a 2 count.
 
A clothesline sends both men over the top rope to the floor. Behind the refeee's back Hunter hits Mankind with a chair. The ref turns and sees Hunter with a chair and as he reprimands Hunter, Chyna clotheslines Mankind.
 
Back in the ring, Mankind crotches Hunter and puts on the Mandible Claw, but Chyna trips him and crotches him in the ringpost. Somehow the referee did not see this. Hunter and Mankind roll outside and begin brawling over the guardrail...and both men get counted out.
 
Decision: Double Countout
Time: 13:07
 
The fans are still going crazy as both men fight all over the floor and into the penalty box. Tim White takes a bump onto concrete as both men are fighting through the crowd. These fans are crazy. The security is earning their pay holding the fans back.
 
A video of a parade in downtown Calgary aired, with the Hart Foundation on a float.
 
Pat Patterson and Tony Garea are holding back Steve Austin from attacking during a Hart Foundation interview.
 
The Great Sasuke vs Taka Michinoku
 
Why this is happening: To give referee Jack Doan a heart attack trying to keep up and this was the unofficial kick off of the Light Heavyweight Division.
 
Before the match got started, Mankind and HHH are still fighting and are back in the crowd. Mankind is no-selling some shots by Chyna. It's possible he didn't know it was her hitting him from behind.
 
JR with the line of the night, saying this is Taka's US pay per view debut. Hmmm. Someone who looked a lot like him was just in a 6-man at ECW Barely Legal 3 months earlier.
 
Sasuke with a spinning back kick to the gut to get going, slaps on a headscissors. Taka out of it and into an armbar. Taka ran off the ropes and walked into a spin kick to the mouth. Sasuke continues the streak of Half Crabs at In Your House by slapping one on for 5 seconds.
 
Taka spinning back fist and a pair of dropkicks to his downed opponent. Taka runs at Sasuke and gets backdropped over the top. Sasuke off the top rope with a flying kick to the mouth.
 
Back in the ring, Sasuke with a series of punches and kicks in the corner. Taka didn't like it, walked angrily out of the corner...and got kicked in the face again.
 
Taka battles back with a leg lace, Sasuke outside to catch a breath so Taka runs up the ropes and dives onto Sasuke! Taka lands on his feet on a German Suplex attempt and hits a Hurricarana.
 
They are going back and forth, as Sasuke hits an Asai Moonsault on the outside of the ring. In the ring, Taka hits a belly to belly overhead throw for a 2 count and then hits a springboard dropkick.
 
Taka hits the Michinoku Driver...but only gets a 2 count. Taka dives off the ropes...and gets caught with a dropkick! The fans are going crazy. Sasuke finally finishes his opponent off with the Thunder Fire Bomb aka a Double Chicken Wing German Suplex.
 
Winner: The Great Sasuke
Time: 9:59
 
Now Sasuke wouldn't sign a contract with the WWF so Taka became the face of the Light Heavyweight Division.
 
Backstage Hunter and Mankind are still fighting. They are outside the arena and still going at it. Hunter gets backdropped onto some wooden pallets. These referees and officials should be fired. Wait...how was Jack Doan back there already breaking up the fight? Hmmmm.
 
WWF Championship
Undertaker vs Vader (w/Paul Bearer)
 
Why this is happening: Undertaker was supposed to wrestle Ahmed Johnson, but Ahmed injured his knee in a brawl with the debuting Diciples of Apocolypse.
 
Vader did defeat Undertaker at the Royal Rumble so there is history here.
 
I don't think the fans have shut up all night, which is a good thing. Undertaker with an Irish Whip for a 2 count and hits Old School 90 seconds into the match for another 2. Vader explodes out of the corner with a big body block.
 
Vader with a headlock, Undertaker pushes off, but gets a shoulder block to send him back down. Outside the ring, Undertaker gets sent into the ring steps. Paul Bearer yells at Taker, while he is on the ground. Undertaker off the top rope with a Flying Clothesline for 2.
 
Apparently Mankind and HHH, after 50 minutes, have stopped brawling.
 
Paul keeps calling Undertaker a murderer as Vader starts using Undertaker's head as a punching bag.
 
Vader hits a splash from the middle rope for a 2 count. Paul yells at the fans as Vader slaps on the Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Undertaker fights out and makes Vader jiggle with some punches to the stomach. Vader took offense and clotheslined Taker.
 
Undertaker takes offense and goes for the chokeslam. Vader with a Field Goal between Undertaker's legs. Undertaker pretty much no-sells and goes for a Tombstone, Vader tries reversing it and both men tumble to the mat.
 
Vader goes for the Vader Bomb and Undertaker with a low-blow and a chokeslam from the middle rope for a 2 count. Undertaker hits a second chokeslam and gets a second 2 count. So, Undertaker hits a Tombstone for the win.
 
Winner: Undertaker
Time: 12:38
 
More video of the earlier Bret Hart autograph signing.
 
They showed video of the Nation-DOA-Los Boricuas gang feud, which somehow seguewayed into a video on the Main Event.
 
Famers Daughter (the band...apparently) sang O'Canada before the main event. Howard Finkel introduced Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta, who shook Bruce Hart's hand. He also introduced Stu and Helen Hart, who got one hell of a babyface reaction from the crowd.
 
10-Man Tag
Hart Foundation vs Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & Legion of Doom
 
Why this is happening: Continuing the Austin vs Hart Foundation rivalry, Goldust, Shamrock and LOD volunteered for duty.
 
This is one of the three matches documented in Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows. As I mentioned earlier the entire Hart Family was in the front row ringside.
 
I read a while back that Sid and Shawn Michaels were supposed to be in the match instead of Goldust and Shamrock. Sid was in a car accident and, like I mentioned, Michaels quit the company.
 
Goldust got an indifferent reaction, Shamrock got cheered. LOD got cheered less then Shamrock, of course Austin got booed and the entire Hart Foundation got cheered. I couldn't hear anyone's entrance theme as the crowd was cheering so damn loud.
 
Austin and Bret start and they pick up right where they left off the last time they wrestled. Bret is stomping a mudhole as the crowd is going apeshit. Austin fights back and the crowd boo's him out of the building. Bret fires back to send the audience back into a flurry of cheers.
 
Austin slaps on the Million Dollar Dream, Bret kicks off the ropes ala Survivor Series 96, but Bret only gets a 2 count. Neidhart is in, but Austin hits the Lou Thesz Press and tags in Shamrock. Shamrock misses a kick, Neidhart laughs at him...and gets kicked in the head and put in an Ankle Lock. Pillman breaks it up, much to the crowd's delight.
 
Pillman is in and not even pretending to be a babyface as he bites Shamrock to the fans delight. The crowd is so hot Pillman gives the knife edge chops and you couldn't hear a single Whoooo. Shamrock with a Belly to Belly and both men tag out.
 
Owen and Goldust in. The current Intercontinental Champion and a former IC Champ. Owen hits an Inzigiri for 2. Goldust takes advantage and tags in Hawk, who hits a tilt-a-whirl slam and a fistdrop for 2. Hawk misses a dropkick and Owen puts on the Sharpshooter! But Animal with a double ax handle from behind.
 
Bulldog tags in and hits a Running Powerslam, but Goldust breaks it up. Animal and Bret tag in. Everybody has now been in the match, 8 minutes in. Goldust tags in and gets hung up in the corner. All 5 Hart Foundation members stomp on Goldust. Shamrock, Austin and LOD make the save and the ref is having so much fun keeping order.
 
A few minutes later Owen hits a Missile Dropkick on Animal, despite his shoulder going into the post. Animal gets the advantage and LOD hits a Doomsday Device on Owen! Neidhart breaks it up and everyone is brawling! Austin grabs Owen and slams his knee into the ring post. Austin grabs a chair and smacks Owen's knee with it! Bruce Hart tries to get involved, but Austin punches him.
 
Owen is now being carried off and we have a 5-on-4 Handicap Match, but the 4 remaining members are quadruple-teaming Austin in the corner. Austin fights back and hits Pillman with a Stunner, but Pillman rolls out of the ring. Bret grabs Austin, drags him to the cornwe and slams his knee into the post! Bret also uses a fire extinguisher and the Figure Four around the ring post!
 
The referee has no control whatsoever and the fans couldn't love it anymore! Now, Austin is being carried to the back! So we are down to an 8-man tag! They are eliminating each man one at a time. Animal and Anvil are having a test of strength. The heat did not leave with Austin and Owen.
 
Pillman clotheslines Shamrock to give Bret the advantage. Vince is calling this "Patriotism Gone Awry" with this insane crowd. Dear God, I miss 1997 just for the crowd reactions.
 
Outside the ring Pillman sends Shamrock over the French Announce Table and all hell has broken loose again. Hawk gets sent into the steps. Bret with a Side Russian Legsweep to Shamrock for 2 as Goldust breaks it up. Hawk is back up and nails Pillman. Bulldog is stomping a mudhole on Shamrock. Goldust now hits Bulldog with a bulldog.
 
Bulldog hits a superplex on Goldust...and Austin is back! Austin has limped back into the arena and gets the tag from Goldust...and Bret is in! And we are back to the way we started.
 
Bret drops Austin on his head and goes for the 5 Setup Moves of Doom! Austin gets out of a Sleeper with a jawbreaker for 2. Bret with a Sharpshooter to Austin and Animal breaks it up! Austin puts Bret in the Sharpshooter...AND HERE COMES OWEN! Owen saves Bret and gets the tag!
 
Austin and Owen fight outside and Bruce throws a drink at Austin. AND AUSTIN GOES AFTER STU! The Hart brothers jump the guardrail to go after Austin. Bret rolls Steve in. Steve still wants more...but Owen with a school boy for the win!!!
 
Winners: The Hart Foundation
Time: 24:42
 
The match is still going on as several brothers, including Bruce have jumped in and we are having quite the donny brook. Police and referees finally break it up and get the losers to leave ringside...Austin is back with a chair by himself! And is being beaten on by a dozen people! Police finally handcuff him and take the Rattlesnake away.
 
The rest of the Hart Family...and one kid who managed to hop the guardrail and not noticed...all celebrated in the ring as the show went off the air!
 
Yes, this pay per view only had 4 matches. And yes they were all high quality with insane crowd heat. If you want a bad match, hunt down The Godwins vs The Blackjacks, which was the Free For All match.
 
This is the easiest thumbs up I can give to a show, I give it my highest recommendation, for whatever that is worth and if you have not seen the show, hunt down a copy.
 
This was the last 2 hour In Your House, so until I reach Ground Zero tomorrow, take care, be safe and have a fun 4th! And if you have any questions, comments, concerns or emotional outbursts, send 'em my way at ewitner@yahoo.com!