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Post by darbicus on Oct 29, 2022 14:21:42 GMT 1
WWF In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings December 17, 1995 Hersheypark Arena Hershey, PA
*Ahmed Johnson d. Dean Douglas w/Ted DiBiase by Disqualification After firing everyone involved in the Million Dollar Corporation after a disastrous Survivor Series, Ted DiBiase promised to start out fresh with a new protege, one that he would gift the Million Dollar Championship belt. The man he chose was the self-professed smartest man in wrestling Dean Douglas. However, the Dean was easily outpaced by the undefeated rookie Ahmed Johnson in this one on one match, so much so that it looked like Dean would be the latest business failure for the Million Dollar Man. However, DiBiase interfered on his behalf, introducing another new client in the form of The Master of Disaster (played by Balls Mahoney), who attacked Ahmed, resulting in a disqualification victory for the Pearl River Powerhouse.
*LA Smooth w/Samu d. "The Man Making a Difference" Fatu by Pinfall For several weeks in the fall, two men in suits had been following Fatu from arena to arena, watching his matches from afar. Just before Survivor Series, they finally acted, attacking the Man Making a Difference backstage and leaving him unable to compete at the event. Fatu later said that the two men were cousins of his, including his former Headshrinker tag partner Samu and a man named LA Smooth, who represented a gang that Fatu had once belonged too. This led Smooth to face Fatu at In Your House, trying to get him to either rejoin the gang or beat him down until he did. Fatu clearly didn't want to fight his own family, pleading with Samu not to do this, but LA Smooth wouldn't listen and relatively easily beat Fatu, leaving him lying in the middle of the ring.
*"Double J" Jeff Jarrett d. The Roadie by Pinfall After Survivor Series, when The Roadie turned on Jeff Jarrett after months of abuse and tension, he went on Raw and promised to reveal a darkly held secret of the country singer. However Jarrett attacked the Roadie from behind before he could reveal that secret. Double J was out to silence The Roadie altogether, leading to this grudge match. The Roadie attacked Jarrett with reckless abandon, utilizing a boxing style to keep Jarrett at bay. Double J however clipped The Roadie's knee and set him up for the Figure-4 Leglock, but was unable to hook it on. As The Roadie made a comeback, Jarrett delayed him with a thumb to the eye, and then grabbed his guitar to try and hit The Roadie with it. However the referee yanked the guitar from his hands. The temporary distraction though allowed Jarrett to kick The Roadie down low and then roll him up, holding the tights for extra leverage and pulling out the victory.
*The Smoking Gunns [Billy & Bart Gunn] d. PG-13 [JC Ice & Wolfie D] by Pinfall to Retain the WWF World Tag Team Titles The tag team of PG-13 were the USWA Tag Team Champions, and had come to the WWF in order to solidify their supposed dominance over tag team wrestling by taking out The Smoking Gunns and winning the WWF Tag Team Titles. The rappers JC Ice and Wolfie D actually managed to get a good amount of offense in against the champions, but in the end the Cowboys won the match with the Sidewinder, pinning Wolfie D to retain. After this match, we had a live shot from San Antonio Texas where Shawn Michaels announced that, contrary to Doctor's advice, he would return to the ring at the Royal Rumble, as he set his sights on living his boyhood dream of becoming WWF Champion.
*The 1-2-3 Kid d. Owen Hart w/Jim Cornette by Pinfall to Win the Intercontinental Title The 1-2-3 Kid had pinned Owen Hart in the Survivor Series match between The Kliq and Camp Cornette the previous month, thus being named the new #1 contender to the WWF Intercontinental Title. In this match, Owen was forced to abandon his ground based offense, focusing more on strikes and high flying offense than he had done in years past. The Kid nearly knocked himself out of the match when he attempted a moonsault to the outside, only for Owen to dive out of the way, with the Kid barely answering the ten count to get back in the ring. Owen began dominating the match, which made him careless, allowing the Kid to get back in it in short order. In the end, Owen got caught with a spinning heel kick from the top rope, which stunned him. The Kid then hit a top rope moonsault into a pinning combination to pin The King of Harts and win the Intercontinental Title.
*Sycho Sid & The British Bulldog w/Jim Cornette d. Razor Ramon & "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel by Pinfall The ongoing feud between the Kliq and Camp Cornette continued, with The British Bulldog enlisting the help of former WWF Champion Sycho Sid in this tag match against Razor Ramon and Diesel. At first the Kliq was on all page with their teamwork, but it didn't take long for the match to dissolve into an all out brawl. In the chaos. Cornette threw powder into the eyes of Diesel, blinding him. In his blindness, Diesel inadvertently bumped into Razor, decking him and then hitting him with the Jackknife. The Bulldog wasted no time in getting the pin, and afterwords Razor and Diesel began arguing with each other over what had happened, though eventually they seemed to patch things up.
*Bret "The Hitman" Hart d. "Hangman" Solomon Jacobs by Submission to Retain the WWF Championship Bret Hart's first major title defense was against the demon from his past that had been plaguing him all year in "Hangman" Solomon Jacobs. Unlike their first encounter, this was entirely even, with the Hitman now used to the powerful offense that the Hangman would use in his matches. At one point the Hangman seemingly had the match won after Chokeslamming Bret through an announce table at ringside, but the Hitman mriaculously managed to kick out at 2. Bret then fought out of a second chokeslam attempt, targeting the knees of the Hangman to cut him down to size and eventually lock him in the Sharpshooter. Hangman nearly broke the hold, trying to power out of it, but The Hitman held on, and eventually Jacobs had to tap out, giving the victory to the Hitman. Bret celebrated to end the show. |
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Post by darbicus on Oct 30, 2022 0:44:27 GMT 1
Note: Vader is not in the 1996 Royal Rumble match, instead making his debut the next night on Raw. As previously mentioned, Dean Douglas has a longer tenure in the WWF in this universe, lasting for a few months after Wrestlemania. Steve Austin is never the Ringmaster, and never aligned with Ted DiBiase.WWF Royal RumbleJanuary 21, 1996Selland ArenaFresno, CA*Free-For-All: Barry Horowitz d. Jerry "The King" Lawler by Pinfall to Qualify for the Royal Rumble Match
The Free-For-All Match featured an overconfident Jerry "The King" Lawler attempting to qualify for the Royal Rumble match by facing underdog Barry Horowitz. It was clear that the King completely disregarded his opponent and didn't take him seriously at all, which eventually led to Horowitz pinning the Burger King with a three quarter Nelson rollup, much to Lawler's shock and chagrin.
*The Bodydonnas [Skip & Zip] w/Sunny d. The Smoking Gunns [Billy & Bart Gunn] by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles
Skip and Sunny had added a second member to the Body Donnas in the form of Zip (the former Tom Prichard) in early December, and had defeated The Godwinn cousins on an episode of Raw to earn this title shot. From the get go Sunny was attempting to use her "feminine wiles" to distract The Gunns during the match, which seemingly worked to a degree on Billy. The Body Donnas isolated Bart and used quick tags to keep a fresh man in at all times. Eventually Bart made the hot tag to his brother Billy, who set aside any distraction Sunny temporarily could provide and cleaned house of the fitness gurus. Eventually the Gunns were setting Skip up for their Sidewinder finisher, when Sunny jumped on the apron and distracted both the referee and Billy. Bart came over and tried to get Billy's head back in the game. Meanwhile Zip pushed Skip out of the ring and took his place in a bit of misdirection, and when Billy came in to pick up the opponent he got suckered in with a small inside package that the ref counted three on, giving the victory and the tag titles to the Body Donnas.
*Aja Kong d. Lady Apache by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Women's Title
There was an international flavor to the Women's Title match, as Japanese star Aja Kong took on Mexican star Lady Apache. After a back and forth affair, Aja Kong eventually defeated the Luchadoress with her sitdown splash from the top rope to pick up the victory and retain the title.
*Hunter Hearst Helmsley d. The 1-2-3 Kid by Pinfall to Win the WWF Intercontinental Title
The Intercontinental Title was on the line as the unlikely champion the 1-2-3 Kid faced the American Blueblood in Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Since beginning his feud with Mr. Perfect in October, Helmsley had returned to his winning ways, that winning streak being a contributing factor to his getting a title shot. The match was a quick pace in the early going, as Helmsley was forced to bail out on a few occasions to try and slow down the champion. Eventually Helmsley capitalized on a missed dive from the Kid and then focused on his knee, trying to ground the high flyer. The Kid gutted through the pain of an applied Indian Deathlock from the challenger, adopting another quick pace to try and win the match. However the damage done to the Kid's knee comes into play, as the knee gives out when the Kid lands awkwardly following an attempted Moonsault. Helmsley capitalized and hit the champion with a Pedigree to pin him and win the title.
*Shawn Michaels Won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match
Shawn Michaels was making his return in the Royal Rumble match, but his chances of winning were exacerbated when he unfortunately drew the #1 entry. Michaels however would outlast everyone else in the match. Early on, Mankind was confronted by a returning Undertaker, who eliminated himself along with Mankind as the two brawled to the back. Double J was confronted by the newly christened Jesse James Armstrong (the former Roadie), who had revealed the fact that Jarrett had lip synced his hit song and that Armstrong himself was the real Double J, seeing his night ended at the hands of his former crony. Razor and Diesel entered towards the end of the match, only for Razor to be chucked out by Big Daddy Cool and then for Diesel to turn around into a Sweet Chin Music from Shawn Michaels, causing more dissention amongst the Kliq members. In the end it came down to HBK and the man who had nearly ended his career, Owen Hart. The King of Harts seemingly had the match won when he tossed Michaels over the top rope, only for Michaels to survive with just one foot touching the floor. Michaels then eliminated a prematurely celebrating Owen Hart to win the match and go on to Wrestlemania.
*Bret "The Hitman" Hart d. The British Bulldog w/Jim Cornette by Submission to Retain the WWF Championship
To the surprise of many, The British Bulldog had been named the #1 contender to the WWF title following the last In Your House show, likely due to Bulldog scoring the pinfall over Razor and Diesel in their tag match. Against his own brother-in-law, The Hitman had a replay of their classic encounter from Summerslam 3 and a half years earlier. The addition of Jim Cornette at ringside tilted things to the side of the Bulldog, as Cornette took a free shot with his tennis racket to the back of Bret's head when the referee's back was turned. However that wasn't enough to defeat Bret, as The Hitman countered the Bulldog's running powerslam attempt and sent him crashing into the turnbuckle. The Hitman then tripped his leg and locked him in the Sharpshooter, causing the Bulldog to tap out, giving Bret another title victory. After the match, The Hitman was approached by Shawn Michaels, who merely stood in the ring nose to nose with him, a preview of the Wrestlemania main event to come.
Royal Rumble Entry/Exit Order (2:00 Intervals)
1. Shawn Michaels
2. Marty Jannetty
3. Mankind
- Marty Jannetty Eliminated #1 by Mankind
4. Tatanka
5. Goldust
6. "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel
7. The Undertaker
- Mankind Eliminated #2 by The Undertaker
- The Undertaker Eliminated #3 by Mankind
- "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel Eliminated #4 by Shawn Michaels
8. Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly
9. "The Supreme Fighting Machine" Kama
- Tatanka Eliminated #5 by Goldust
10. Big Mabel
- Big Mabel Eliminated #6 by Shawn Michaels
11. Phineas I. Godwinn
12. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett
- Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly Eliminated #7 by Kama
13. "Hangman" Solomon Jacobs
14. Stone Cold Steve Austin
- "The Supreme Fighting Machine" Kama Eliminated #8 by Stone Cold Steve Austin
15. Henry O. Godwinn
- "Hangman" Solomon Jacobs Eliminated #9 by Shawn Michaels
16. Fatu
17. LA Smooth
- Phineas I. Godwinn Eliminated #10 by Stone Cold Steve Austin
18. Jesse James Armstrong
- "Double J" Jeff Jarrett Eliminated #11 by Jesse James Armstrong
19. Leif Cassidy
20. Brian Christopher
21. Razor Ramon
- Goldust Eliminated #12 by Razor Ramon
22. Owen Hart
- LA Smooth Eliminated #13 by Shawn Michaels
- Brian Christopher Eliminated #14 by Razor Ramon
23. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
24. Dean Douglas
- Leif Cassidy Eliminated #15 by Jake "The Snake" Roberts
- Jesse James Armstrong Eliminated #16 by Stone Cold Steve Austin
25. Savio Vega
26. Diesel
- Dean Douglas Eliminated #17 by Diesel
27. Aldo Montoya
- Henry O. Godwinn Eliminated #18 by Owen Hart
28. Duke "The Dumpster" Droese
- Fatu Eliminated #19 by Shawn Michaels
29. Ahmed Johnson
- Aldo Montoya Eliminated #20 by Ahmed Johnson
- Savio Vega Eliminated #21 by Ahmed Johnson
30. Barry Horowitz
- Duke "The Dumpster" Droese Eliminated #22 by Diesel
- Barry Horowitz Eliminated #23 by Ahmed Johnson
- Ahmed Johnson Eliminated #24 by Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Stone Cold Steve Austin Eliminated #25 by Razor Ramon
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts Eliminated #26 by Owen Hart
- Razor Ramon Eliminated #27 by Diesel
- Diesel Eliminated #28 by Shawn Michaels
- Owen Hart Eliminated #29 by Shawn Michaels
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Post by darbicus on Oct 30, 2022 22:07:08 GMT 1
WWF In Your House 6: High StakesFebruary 18, 1996Louisville GardensLouisville, KY*Free-For-All: Stone Cold Steve Austin d. Aldo Montoya by Pinfall
In a fairly standard pre-show match, Stone Cold Steve Austin easily dispatched the Portuguese Man O War with his devastating Stone Cold Stunner finisher. *Vader w/Jim Cornette d. Yokozuna w/Mr. Fuji by Referee's Decision
The Man They Call Vader had debuted the night after the Royal Rumble, the man who had been promised by manager Jim Cornette to be his "problem solver." The first problem on the agenda was the former client of Cornette's in former WWF Champion Yokozuna. The sumo had ballooned in weight to over 600 pounds, but the heaviest man in WWF history was no match for the Mastodon. Vader roughhoused Yokozuna from start to finish, but was clearly more concerned with hurting the former champion versus actually beating him. The end came when Vader performed a Vader Bomb onto the leg of Yokozuna, practically snapping it in two. Vader performed the same move a second time before being called off by Cornette, as the referee stopped the match and awarded the decision to Vader. Afterwards, a forklift had to be called out to carry the injured Yokozuna out from ringside.
*The Godwinns [Henry O. & Phineas I. Godwinn] w/Hillbilly Jim d. The Smoking Gunns [Billy & Bart Gunn], The New Rockers [Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy] & The Signores [Tony & Salvatore Signore] in a Four Corners Elimination Match
The winners of this Four Corners match would receive a tag title shot at Wrestlemania XII. As such, Sunny and the Body Donnas were at ringside to observe the action. Sunny's presence proved distracting to many of the participants, as Billy Gunn, Leif Cassidy, and especially Phineas Godwinn, were apparently smitten by the blonde bombshell. This distraction directly led to the New Rockers being the first team to be eliminated after Jannetty was caught in Salvatore Signore's "Code of Silence" submission hold. The Signores themselves were eventually eliminated courtesy of a Slop Drop from Henry Godwinn. This left the Hog Farmers against the former tag team champions, and in something of an upset, The Godwinns were able to defeat the Gunns via a rollup and secure the #1 contendership heading into Wrestlemania.
*Jake "The Snake" Roberts d. Dean Douglas w/Ted DiBiase by Disqualification
Following his surprise return at the Survivor Series, Jake "The Snake" Roberts had been on something of a winning streak. The former WWF Champion had put his demons of addiction behind him and was now sporting a more inspirational gimmick. He ran headlong into the Million Dollar Champion, Dean Douglas, on an episode of Raw, eventually challenging the Dean to put his Million Dollar Belt on the line in a match between the two. Douglas agreed, despite DiBiase not recommending this course of action. Dean controlled the match despite an early offensive flurry from Jake, countering the DDT into a Northern Lights Suplex that nearly got a three count early on. Despite his technical mastery, Dean was unable to put Jake away, and The Snake mounted a comeback, setting up for the DDT again. DiBiase interjected himself into the match at that point, bringing in the Million Dollar Belt in an attempt to save it from Jake's clutches. The Snake then hit DiBiase with a DDT to the crowd's delight as the referee called for the bell. Jake celebrated as he left despite having lost the match. Afterwards, DiBiase came to and berated Douglas for his carelessness, which led Dean to smash the Million Dollar Title in DiBiase's face and spit on his fallen body, as Dean dumped the title on the ground and yelled out that he quit the Corporation.
*Hunter Hearst Helmsley d. The 1-2-3 Kid w/Mr. Perfect in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match to Retain the WWF Intercontinental Title
Following his title victory at the Royal Rumble, the Kid had won a rematch on an episode of Raw, albeit by disqualification. This victory came as Mr. Perfect reinserted himself into Helmsley's orbit, distracting him at ringside. WWF President Roddy Piper ordered a final match between the two men at In Your House, this time two out of three falls to ensure that the winner would be the better man. The Blueblood won the first fall with a roll up from behind, holding the tights in order to gain leverage. The second fall was a back and forth affair, as Mr. Perfect remained in the Kid's corner at ringside to provide moral support (and some degree of distraction against Helmsley.) The Kid won the second fall with a Perfect-Plex on the champion, catching him off guard. For some reason this set off Helmsley, who attacked the Kid with reckless abandon and was nearly disqualified (which, per the ruling of President Piper, would have seen him stripped of the title). Helmsley eventually cooled down and, looking straight at Mr. Perfect as he did so, finished off the Kid with the Pedigree for the third and decisive fall to retain the title.
*Jesse James Armstrong d. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett by Pinfall in a Loser Leaves the WWF Match
At Survivor Series, the man formerly known as The Roadie had abandoned his employment with Double J, Jeff Jarrett in the most direct way possible, smashing a guitar over his head. He then promised to reveal a secret about Double J, which Jarrett silenced him by threatening to sue (and beating him in a match at In Your House 5). On New Year's Eve however during a special WWF Live Event on the USA Network, a live performance of Jarrett's "Hit Single" With My Baby Tonight went awry when the background music began skipping, despite Jarrett singing on stage. It clearly showed that Jarrett had been lip syncing the entire time. The Roadie, now going by his real name of Jesse James Armstrong, revealed that he had been the one who had sang the song in the first place. This match was set up as a Loser Leaves the WWF match, and both men brawled throughout the early going. Jarrett eventually took control when he clipped the knee of his former associate, and set him up for the Figure-4 Leglock. However Jesse James was clearly ready for the hold, as he reversed it and forced Jarrett to break it. The former Roadie then performed several right jabs to Double J, nearly knocking him out. Jarrett attempted to counter a move into his #1 Smash Facebuster, but The Roadie reversed it into an inside cradle that netted him the victory, and banished Double J from the WWF.
*Razor Ramon & "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel Wrestled to a No Contest
For the last few months, friends Diesel and Razor Ramon had seen an uneasiness grow in their friendship, which exploded following the Royal Rumble after Razor was eliminated by Big Daddy Cool. This blow up led to a challenge from The Bad Guy to Diesel for a grudge match at In Your House. The match was an evenly contested affair, but ultimately was unsettled, as Vader made his appearance for the second time that night, attacking both men and leaving them lying, resulting in a No Contest.
*Shawn Michaels w/Ahmed Johnson d. Owen Hart w/Jim Cornette & The British Bulldog by Pinfall to Retain his Wrestlemania Title Shot
Owen Hart had made the case that Shawn Michaels had wrongfully won the Royal Rumble, despite the fact that only one of his feet had touched the floor when Owen thought he had eliminated HBK from the match. Despite President Piper ruling that the King of Harts had no case, HBK came out and said he was willing to put his Wrestlemania Title Shot on the line against Owen, in order to get a match with him in an attempt to seek revenge from nearly ending his career the previous fall. Owen came armed with his own backup in the form of his brother-in-law, The British Bulldog. However Michaels was ready with backup of his own in the form of the Pearl River Powerhouse, Ahmed Johnson, ensuring that the Bulldog wouldn't be a factor. The match was a back and forth affair, with Michaels nearly losing his temper once or twice and risking disqualification. Owen targeted Michaels head, trying to concuss him again to score the victory and put HBK out for good. In the end, Michaels won the match with Sweet Chin Music, securing some revenge and punching his ticket to the main event of Wrestlemania XII for good. |
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Post by darbicus on Nov 1, 2022 0:18:13 GMT 1
Note: The Signores are a JTTS tag team consisting of Tony Anthony (TL Hopper, Dirty White Boy) and Tom Brandi (Salvatore Sincere) with the gimmicks of a pair of Wise Guys.
Wrestlemania XII March 31, 1996 Arrowhead Pond Anaheim, CA
*Free-For-All: John "Hawk" Bradshaw w/Zeb Colter d. Tatanka by Pinfall The rough and tumble cowboy John "Hawk" Bradshaw had made his debut recently on WWF Superstars, and had run roughshod over everyone put in front of him. It was no different with this match, as Bradshaw defeated the Native American Tatanka with a massive lariat to continue his undefeated streak.
*Free-For-All: Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Savio Vega & The New Rockers [Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy] d. "Hangman" Solomon Jacobs, Dean Douglas & The Signores [Tony & Salvatore Signore] by Pinfall This match quickly devolved into a literal free-for-all, as the referee had trouble corraling all 8 men in at once. In the end, Savio scored the pinfall over Tony Signore after a spinning heel kick.
*The British Bulldog w/Jim Cornette d. Ahmed Johnson by Pinfall The opening match of Wrestlemania was between the undefeated Ahmed Johnson and former IC Champion The British Bulldog. Ahmed had been caught up in the feud between the Kliq and Camp Cornette since November, and it had led to a mini-feud between the two as to who the strongest man in the WWF was. The Pearl River Powerhouse dominated the early going of the match, forcing the veteran to bail out of the ring twice, before the Bulldog caught Johnson unaware following a distraction from Cornette. The Bulldog slowed down the pace of the match and nearly won after a stalling vertical suplex. Ahmed fought back and hit his massive spinebuster to set up for the Pearl River Plunge, when Cornette climbed on the apron to provide another distraction. Ahmed decked Cornette off the apron, but the distraction was long enough for the referee to keep his back turned that Bulldog pulled a pair of brass knuckles from his tights and then hit Ahmed with them, knocking him out cold. Davey Boy then pinned Ahmed for the victory, handing Johnson his first loss. After the match, Johnson came to and ran to the back, looking for revenge.
*The Godwinns [Henry O. & Phineas I.] w/Hillbilly Jim d. The Bodydonnas [Skip & Zip] w/Sunny by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles The Godwinns had won the right to challenge the Bodydonnas for the WWF World Tag Team Titles at the previous month's In Your House. However, Hillbilly Jim was concerned with Phineas' enfatuation with Sunny. To counter this, Jim used "Aunt Petunia's Saltpeter Recipe" to control his "carnal urges." Whatever it was, it seemed to work, as Phineas was able to concentrate on the match. The Bodydonnas isolated Henry throughout the match, working over an injured neck that the hog farmer had been dealing with in the weeks leading into Wrestlemania. Phineas eventually tagged in and cleared out The Bodydonnas. All four men battled in the ring for a bit, with the referee distracted by Hillbilly Jim. Sunny grabbed a tag title and attempted to hit Phineas with hit, but Phineas ducked as Sunny hit Skip instead. Phineas then pinned Skip and got the victory, as The Godwinns won the titles.
*The Ultimate Warrior d. Jerry "The King" Lawler by Pinfall In the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania, the WWF announced the return of former WWF Champion The Ultimate Warrior. However, Jerry Lawler doubted that the Warrior would return, and held a series of interviews with so called "experts" who would debunk the Warrior's return, or that the Warrior would be someone completely different. This was of course disproven in the match, as The King was systematically crushed in under a minute as The Warrior hit a few clotheslines followed by the Press Slam/Big Splash combo to score the win.
*Stone Cold Steve Austin d. Razor Ramon by Pinfall Razor Ramon and newcomer Stone Cold Steve Austin had entered into a feud with each other, after Ramon had become the first man to pin Austin in a six man tag match just before the previous In Your House show. The feud continued after Razor cost Austin a match against the 1-2-3 Kid on Raw, leading to this match at Wrestlemania XII. To the shock of everyone, Austin was able to fight out of the best offense from the former WWF Champion, even worming his way out of an attempted Razor's Edge. Austin then hit a Stone Cold Stunner out of nowhere to pick up the shocking win over the Bad Guy.
*Mr. Perfect d. Hunter Hearst Helmsley by Disqualification [Helmsley Retains the IC Title] The feud between Mr. Perfect and Hunter Hearst Helmsley had been going on since October, with Perfect having recently taken to distracting Helmsley through the course of his matches. Perfect finally got his one on one match with Helmsley following lobbying with President Piper, challenging for the Intercontinental Title he had once held for 450 days. Despite limited competition over the previous 2 and a half years, Perfect looked as good as ever, and was able to match the Blueblood evenly throughout the match. Helmsley took control and even seemingly had the match won with the Pedigree, but Perfect was able to get his foot on the bottom rope. Helmsley then punched out the referee in frustration. Perfect then made a comeback as a second referee came down, eventually hitting the Perfect-Plex and seemingly winning the match as the second referee counted the three count. However, it was eventually announced that the first referee had disqualified Helmsley instead, awarding the match but not the title to Mr. Perfect.
*Vader w/Jim Cornette d. "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel by Pinfall Vader's assault on Razor Ramon and Diesel at the previous month's In Your House had temporarily resolved the issues that the Kliq members had been having between each other, with the focus suddenly turned to stopping the Rocky Mountain Monster. This was especially true after, on a match on Raw, Vader had viciously assaulted Razor to the point of knocking him out. Big Daddy Cool stepped up to face the Mastodon, and was able to withstand the mauling that Vader turned out in the early going. However Vader's strength was too much to overcome, as Vader eventually hit the Vader Bomb and then followed it up with a massive Vadersault to pin Diesel and remain undefeated.
*Roddy Piper Had a Confrontation With Goldust
For several weeks WWF President Roddy Piper had been the recipient of unwanted advances from the androgynous Goldust and his "director" Marlena. Piper attempted to hold himself above the fray pursuant to his office, but when he came out to announce the attendance for the PPV, he was confronted by Goldust. The Bizarre One attempted to make "untoward advances" to Piper, even attempting to look under his kilt, which finally set off Piper, who beat down Goldust and stripped him out of his gold bodysuit to the delight of the crowd, as Goldust and Marlena ran to the back in embarrasment.
*The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer d. Mankind by Pinfall The feud between The Undertaker and Mankind had boiled over in the months following the Royal Rumble, to the point where President Roddy Piper had to ban the two men from being in the same arena together prior to Wrestlemania. This match was set as No Disqualification, with the understanding that there had to be a winner. Mankind fared much better than most of the Phenom's opponents, to the point where it nearly looked like he would do the unthinkable and actually win. This was especially true when Mankind became the first person to kick out of the Tombstone Piledriver, much to the Deadman's shock. Eventually Taker hit a second Tombstone to put out the deranged Mankind.
*Shawn Michaels d. Bret "The Hitman" Hart in Overtime 4 Falls to 3 in a 60 Minute Iron Man Match to Win the WWF Championship With Shawn Michaels having defeated Owen Hart the previous month to secure his Wrestlemania title shot, the stage was set for the title meeting between arguably the two best wrestlers in the WWF at the time. Both men returned to their home towns to train, with vignettes and interviews with Jim Ross filmed with both men, and the matter of respect between them discussed. In an historic move, President Piper made the match a 60-Minute Iron Man Match, in which the winner would be the man with the most falls. The match started evenly enough, with Shawn scoring the first fall after countering a Sunset Flip from The Hitman with a sit down pin. Less than two minutes later though, Bret scored his own fall with a counter of a Shawn Michael cross body, rolling through into a pinning combination of his own. The Hitman then took control, taking two more straight falls (including one via countout after Michaels missed a dive from the top rope to the outside), and was up 3 falls to 1 with 20 minutes to go. Michaels eventually scored a second fall after hitting an elbow drop from the top rope, but the Hitman took control again and played to running out the clock. This failed when Michaels tied things up with an inside Cradle with less than 4 minutes to go. In the last minute and a half though, The Hitman locked on the Sharpshooter, with Michaels refusing to tap out despite the pain of his lower back. The timer eventually expired, and the Hitman thought he had retained the title in a draw. However President Piper at ringside instead ruled that the match would continue in sudden death overtime. Annoyed, the Hitman went back to work on Michaels, only to be caught off guard by a Super Kick. A second Sweet Chin Music followed that up, with Michaels pinning The Hitman for the final fall and winning his first WWF Championship. Michaels celebrated in the ring to close the show.
Off-Camera Title Changes: April 1: Aja Kong is Stripped of the WWF Women's Title, which is declared vacant for the time being
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Post by darbicus on Nov 1, 2022 14:37:46 GMT 1
Note: After Wrestlemania XII, Vader attacked Bret Hart backstage and powerbombed him off a loading dock. This is the explanation for The Hitman being written off TV, and also led to a kayfabe suspension of Vader for a month.
WWF In Your House 7: Stairway to HellApril 28, 1996Omaha Civic AuditoriumOmaha, NE*Free-For-All: Alex Porteau w/Bob Backlund d. Fatu by Submission
Former WWF Champion Bob Backlund had officially announced his retirement from in-ring competition, but had also introduced his protege into the WWF in the form of amateur wrestler Alex Porteau. Against The Man Making a Difference, Fatu, Porteau showcased his amateur background and withstood the Samoan's strong strikes, before locking him in the Crossface Chickenwing to pick up the impressive victory.
*Owen Hart & The British Bulldog w/Jim Cornette d. Ahmed Johnson & Jake "The Snake" Roberts by Pinfall
The feud between Ahmed Johnson and The British Bulldog wasn't settled at Wrestlemania, leading to each man finding a partner, with the Bulldog teaming with Owen Hart and Ahmed teaming with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Owen and the Bulldog worked as a well oiled machine as opposed to the inexperienced team of Roberts and Johnson, although the veteran Roberts caught the King of Harts with a DDT and was able to get a hot tag to the Pearl River Powerhouse. Ahmed cleaned house, including knocking manager Jim Cornette to the ground in a repeat of his actions from Wrestlemania. However, it became a two on one against Ahmed as Jake's injured ribs kept him from getting involved, leading to Owen hitting an enziguri kick followed by Bulldog hitting the Running Powerslam to pick up the victory.
*"Wildman" Marc Mero w/Sable d. Stone Cold Steve Austin by Pinfall
The Wildman Marc Mero had made his official WWF debut the night after Wrestlemania XII, bringing with him the lovely Sable. After an easy victory over the Brooklyn Brawler, Mero gave an interview backstage, where he was approached by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Stone Cold had been annoyed by all the attention received in the weeks leading up to the Wild Man's debut and challenged him to a match. The following week on Raw, the match between the two was thrown out after Austin went after Sable and Mero came to her defense, resulting in a brawl to the outside. In this rematch, Austin tried to use his methodical, technical approach against the high flying brawler. Mero's boxing past was of value to him as he took down Stone Cold repeatedly with several punching combinations, only for Austin to turn the tide with a strong slingshot neckbreaker off the top rope. Austin had the match in control, but was unable to put away Mero as the Wildman made a comeback. Austin ducked a punch combo and nearly hit the Stunner, but Mero countered with a modified cutter of his own, knocking down Austin long enough for Mero to climb to the top rope and hit a move called the Wild Thing to pick up the victory.
*Hunter Hearst Helmsley d. Mr. Perfect by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Intercontinental Title
After the controversy surrounding the finish of their Intercontinental Title match at Wrestlemania, WWF President Roddy Piper ordered a rematch for In Your House, this time with the proviso that if Hunter Hearst Helmsley was counted out or disqualified he would lose the title. Like their match at Wrestlemania, it was a highly technical affair that went back and forth several times. Perfect gained the advantage towards the end, and even hit the Perfect-Plex, but surprisingly only got a two count out of it. Helmsley then reversed an attempt at a second Perfect-Plex, kicking Mr. Perfect in the gut and hitting him with the Pedigree to pin the veteran and retain his Intercontinental Title after a hard fought match.
*The Godwinns [Henry O. & Phineas I. Godwinn] w/Hillbilly Jim & Sunny d. The Body Donnas [Skip & Zip] by Pinfall to Retain the WWF World Tag Team Titles
Another rematch from Wrestlemania saw The Godwinns defend their newly won tag team titles against the former champions The Body Donnas. Skip & Zip had seemingly turned on Sunny after the bombshell blamed them for the title loss, but she was saved by the smitten Phineas Godwinn, causing Sunny to become the Godwinns new manager. The fitness gurus ignored this fact and isolated Phineas during the match, attempting to lure Sunny back into their corner. To the surprise of everyone though, Sunny appeared to actually be concerned for Phineas, to the point where she distracted Zip on the outside to prevent him from doing more damage to the pig farmer. Henry Godwinn eventually got the hot tag and cleared out the challengers, eventually hitting Skip with a Slop Drop to score the pinfall and retain the titles.
*The Ultimate Warrior & Goldust w/Marlena Wrestled to a No Contest
The match between The Ultimate Warrior and Goldust never really got off the ground, as Goldust attempted to play peacemaker with the former WWF champion by offering him a box of cigars and gold encrusted jewelry. Warrior rejected Goldust's gifts and attacked the bodyguard Goldust had with him, chasing he and Marlena out of the ring as the Warrior posed for the fans.
*Shawn Michaels d. Razor Ramon in a Ladder Match to Retain the WWF Championship
After Shawn Michaels won the WWF title at Wrestlemania, the first challenger to his title would wind up being friend/rival and former WWF champion Razor Ramon. Moreover, the match was made a rematch of their famous Wrestlemania X Ladder match, only this time with the WWF Title on the line as opposed to the Intercontinental Title. This match was slightly different than that one, as both HBK and The Bad Guy were not as quick to use the ladder as a weapon this time, instead working around it and off of it to try and damage their opponent and climb the belt. Michaels brought a second ladder into the mix, and in the end both men climbed their own ladder in an attempt to reach the belt. Just as Razor looked like he would grab it, Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music from the opposing Ladder, sending Razor crashing to the ground. HBK then reached up and grabbed the title to retain. After the match, Razor handed the belt to Michaels as they celebrated, with fellow Kliq mate Diesel coming out to join them. Then suddenly, Diesel turned on both men, punching them to the ground. He then Jackknifed both Razor and Michaels and left them lying, holding the WWF title above his head to close the show.
Off-Camera Title Change:
May 4: The New Rockers d. The Godwinns by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles |
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Post by darbicus on Nov 1, 2022 22:34:26 GMT 1
Note: The date on this show is moved back a week, as well as its location has been changed. The move is to coincide with a certain individuals last night in the company and to avoid the Storm Show that was Beware of Dog. The Curtain Call doesn't happen in this universe.
WWF In Your House 8: Good Friends, Better Enemies May 19, 1996 Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY
*Free-For-All: John "Hawk" Bradshaw w/Zeb Colter d. Bodydonna Skip w/Zip by Pinfall On the Free for All, the tough as nails cowboy John "Hawk" Bradshaw continued his winning ways by easily besting the former tag team champion, defeating him with a powerful lariat.
*Vader w/Jim Cornette d. Henry O. Godwinn w/Hillbilly Jim by Pinfall The night after Wrestlemania XII, Vader had maliciously attacked Bret "The Hitman" Hart while he was engaged in a backstage interview. This included Powerbombing The Hitman off of a loading dock to a concrete floor. As a result of this attack, WWF President Roddy Piper suspended Vader for up to 30 days, making this his first match back following Wrestlemania. Against one of the WWF's resident hog farmers, Vader picked up right where he left off, dominating once again. Godwinn was barely able to get any offense in as Vader finished him off with a Powerbomb followed by a Vader Bomb in the corner.
*The Smoking Gunns [Billy & Bart Gunn] d. The New Rockers [Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy] w/Sunny by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles One week after appearing to show genuine concern for Phineas Godwinn, Sunny revealed her true colors by aligning herself with a new tag team, helping The New Rockers defeating the pig farmers to become Tag Team Champions on an episode of WWF Superstars. The team of Leif Cassidy and Marty Jannetty didn't have long to rest on their laurels however, as they had to defend the titles against former champions The Smoking Gunns. Billy and Bart had worked through some difficulties since losing the titles in January, and were on the same page once again. Meanwhile Cassidy appeared to be in the same position Phineas had been in, ie smitten with Sunny. The new champions tried to keep a quick pace throughout the match, but the Gunns superior teamwork led them to control the match. In the end, Sunny decided to jump ship again just as the champions appeared in control, distracting Cassidy long enough for Billy to roll him up and secure the titles for a third time. After the match, Sunny left on the arms of Billy Gunn.
*Goldust w/Marlena d. The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer by Countout The bizarre Goldust had recently turned his attentions to The Undertaker, who after his Wrestlemania bout with Mankind had adopted something more of a meanstreak in his matches. On a special interview segment with the Deadman, Goldust espoused innuendo to the Phenom, which The Undertaker did not take kindly to, chokeslamming the Golden One in the center of the ring. The match was a similar affair, with all of Goldust's Mind Games falling on deaf ears with the Phenom as the Undertaker controlled much of the match. However, before the Phenom could put Goldust away, a returning Mankind came from under the ring and attacked The Undertaker, renewing their feud. The two brawled up the rampway behind the referee's back, as the ref had been knocked out prior to Mankind's appearance. This left the unsuspecting ref to count out the Undertaker, awarding the match to Goldust.
*Hunter Hearst Helmsley d. Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Intercontinental Title To the shock of many, Intercontinental Champion Hunter Hearst Helmsley was upset on an episode of Raw in a non-title match by Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly. The following week in a six man tag match, Holly again pulled the upset by pinning the champion, earning a good degree of momentum heading into this title match. The overconfident Helmsley though was on his game this time, and wouldn't let the upset minded race car driver get the better of him a third time. Despite Holly's best efforts, Helmsley defeated him in the center of the ring with a Pedigree.
*The Ultimate Warrior d. Owen Hart w/Jim Cornette by Pinfall in a King of the Ring Qualifying Match The King of Harts was trying to become a two-time King of the Ring winner, kicking off the tournament with this qualifier match. However he ran headlong into the former WWF Champion The Ultimate Warrior, who had been undefeated since his return at Wrestlemania. Despite Owen's best efforts (and some intervention from Jim Cornette), the Warrior defeated Owen and advanced to qualify for the King of the Ring tournament the following month.
*Shawn Michaels d. "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel by Pinfall in a No Disqualification Match to Retain the WWF Title At the conclusion of the last In Your House, Diesel had blindsided Shawn Michaels and left him lying with the Jackknife Powerbomb. Diesel explained that he was tired of being overlooked and needed to destroy HBK to finally step out on his own, saying that they made Good Friends, but Better Enemies. This led Michaels to challenge Diesel to a No Disqualification match at the next Pay Per View. Both men fought against each other with every weapon they could think of (Diesel even pulling the artificial leg off of Mad Dog Vachon, who was sitting at ringside). In the end however, Michaels came through by hitting Sweet Chin Music on the challenger, beating Diesel and continuing his run as champion. |
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Post by darbicus on Nov 2, 2022 18:40:34 GMT 1
WWF King of the Ring June 23, 1996 MECCA Arena Milwaukee, WI
*Free-For-All: Freddie Joe Floyd d. Tony Signore w/Salvatore Signore by Pinfall Newcomer Freddie Joe Floyd had gotten off to a good start with wins on WWF Superstars, and continued his winning ways with a victory over Tony Signore in the Free For All match.
*The Ultimate Warrior & Vader w/Jim Cornette Wrestled to a Double Countout The heavily hyped encounter between the Ultimate Warrior and Vader was certainly a confrontation. Warrior was able to survive Vader's smothering offense and attacked with his usual high octane style. At one point Warrior clotheslined Vader, sending both men careening over the top rope. They then continued to brawl up the entryway, resulting in a double countout finish to this match in the tournament.
*Stone Cold Steve Austin d. "Wildman" Marc Mero w/Sable by Submission With Vader and the Ultimate Warrior having removed themselves from the tournament, this match became all the more important as the winner would receive a bye straight into the finals. In a rematch from In Your House a few months earlier, Austin was much more methodical and less prone to making mistakes against the high flying Wildman, targeting his knees. This paid dividends after Mero attempted a springboard moonsault (termed a Merosault) and Austin ducked, with the Wildman landing awkwardly. Austin zeroed in on Mero's knees and locked in a modified Indian deathlock on the injured limb, eventually forcing Mero to tap out from the pain.
*Jake "The Snake" Roberts d. Alex Porteau w/Bob Backlund by Pinfall Veteran Jake "The Snake" Roberts was coming into this match less than 100%, as he had sustained rib injuries in a match against Vader on Raw just six days earlier. Against the protege of Bob Backlund it was clear that Jake couldn't underestimate the young Porteau. However Porteau's lack of experience is exactly what cost him, as he telegraphed a back body drop that Jake immediately turned into a DDT, scoring the pinfall. After the match, Backlund tried to attack Jake, but The Snake DDT'ed the former WWF champion for good measure.
*John "Hawk" Bradshaw w/Zeb Colter d. Savio Vega by Pinfall The final match of the first round of the King of the Ring tournament pitted the unbeaten John Hawk Bradshaw against former IC Champion Savio Vega. The Puerto Rican Superman took control of the match early on, hitting a flurry of strikes against Bradshaw that put the cowboy back on his heels. However a powerful spinebuster from Bradshaw ended that offensive flurry, and the Hawk took control from that point on, finishing off Vega with a Lariat to advance in the tournament.
*The Smoking Gunns [Billy & Bart Gunn] w/Sunny d. The Godwinns [Henry O. & Phineas I. Godwinn] w/Hillbilly Jim by Pinfall to Retain the WWF World Tag Team Titles Sunny had once again changed horses midstream, managing her fourth consecutive Tag Team Champions in the Smoking Gunns after departing from The New Rockers. She would have to face down her old team in The Godwinns, who were seemingly and finally immune to her charms. However that didn't help them against the teamwork of the tag champs, as Billy and Bart isolated Phineas and used quick tags to keep a fresh man in at all times. At one point Phineas managed to get the tag to Henry, but the referee had missed it on account of a distraction from Sunny. Henry finally tagged in once Phineas hit a double clothesline on the Gunns following a double team attempt, leading to a rush of offense from the Hog Farmer. Henry set up Bart for the Slop Drop when Sunny appeared on the apron again. Hillbilly Jim on the outside brought Sunny down off the apron as Phineas appeared behind her, dumping a bucket of slop over the bombshell. The distraction however allowed Billy to grab one of the tag title belts and drill Henry in the back of the head with it, as Bart crawled over and made the cover to get the three count and retain the titles.
*Jake "The Snake" Roberts d. John "Hawk" Bradshaw w/Zeb Colter by Disqualification The injured Jake Roberts was certainly an underdog going into this match, given his injured ribs. But the veteran's in-ring saavy and fortitude was enough to frustrate the cowboy, as Bradshaw was unable to put The Snake away as easily as he expected too. Eventually Bradshaw lost his temper and shoved the referee down as he was trying to break the two men apart, resulting in a disqualification victory for Jake. Unfortunately after the match Bradshaw continued to beatdown Jake Roberts, hitting him with two Lariats and leaving him lying before finally walking away.
*Mankind d. The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer by Knockout in a Last Man Standing Match With the issue between The Undertaker and Mankind again rearing its ugly head, WWF President Roddy Piper made a second match between the two, this time with a Last Man Standing stipulation. The only way to win was to incapacitate your opponent to the point of them being unable to answer a ten count. Both men brutalized each other as they had in their Wrestlemania encounter, with Mankind able to withstand far more pain than your average wrestler. The end came when Paul Bearer actually attempted to get physically involved by hitting Mankind with the urn, only for the Deranged One to duck and for Bearer to hit the Undertaker instead. Mankind then applied the Mandible Claw for good measure, knocking the Phenom out and leaving him unable to answer a ten count, gaining the huge upset win.
*Stone Cold Steve Austin d. Jake "The Snake" Roberts by Pinfall to win King of the Ring In the finals of the King of the Ring tournament, a fresh Steve Austin looked to dominate the veteran Jake Roberts. President Piper came to ringside in an attempt to ensure that Jake was willing to compete, but even with injured ribs The Snake was not going to give up. However Stone Cold ran roughshod over the damaged veteran, withstanding a last gasp of offense and hitting the Stone Cold Stunner to secure the victory and the crown. After the match, Austin cut his famous "Austin 3:16" promo, which would help catapault him into superstardom.
*Ahmed Johnson d. Hunter Hearst Helmsley by Pinfall to Win the WWF Intercontinental Championship The main event of the evening saw Hunter Hearst Helmsley defend his Intercontinental Title against the Pearl River Powerhouse Ahmed Johnson. The long reigning champion took control after Ahmed missed a dive to the outside, seemingly injuring his knee in the process. The Blueblood then focused in on that knee with laser sight, attempting to damage it as best he could to take away the power game of Ahmed. Helmsley seemed to have the match in tow when he set up Johnson for the Pedigree, only for Ahmed to get a burst of energy and backdrop Helmsley out of the move. He then hit a series of clotheslines, only for Helmsley to catch Ahmed with a high knee that nearly put him away. Sensing an inability to defeat the challenger, Helmsley grabbed the IC Title belt and threatened to use it against him. Thankfully however Ahmed ducked and hit Helmsley with a Spinebuster, before hitting him with the Pearl River Plunge to pick up the victory and win the title. Several faces, including WWF Champion Shawn Michaels, came out from the back to celebrate with and congratulate the new Intercontinental Champion to close the show. |
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Post by darbicus on Nov 3, 2022 1:51:54 GMT 1
Note: The Nation of Domination debuts early in this world, as Faarooq never has to deal with that goofy looking helmet.
WWF In Your House 9: Curtain CallJuly 21, 1996General Motors PlaceVancouver, British Columbia, Canada*Free-For-All: "Wildman" Marc Mero w/Sable d. Billy Gunn w/Sunny by Pinfall
The Free-For-All match was largely tied to an unspoken feud between the two blonde bombshells of the WWF in Sable and Sunny. The latter had grown jealous of the growing popularity of Sable, and enlisting one half of her tag team champions to take down Sable's charge Marc Mero. Unfortunately for her, Billy Gunn was bested by the Wildman, who pinned the tag champion with a Merosault.
*The Body Donnas [Skip & Zip] d. The Godwinns [Henry O. & Phineas I. Godwinn] w/Hillbilly Jim & The New Rockers [Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy] in a Triple Threat Match
The opening match of the In Your House show saw the last three teams to hold the World Tag Team Titles before the Smoking Gunns face off for a chance to earn another shot at the belts. As with most Triple Threat matches, the contest was essentially barely controlled chaos. This was made worse by the fact that the tag team champions were at ringside watching the match take place. The New Rockers were eliminated for the most part early on, as Jannetty performed a dive to the outside that took out his partner and one of the Godwinns. This allowed the Body Donnas to double team Phineas for much of the match, but they were unable to put the Hog Farmer away. Leif Cassidy came back into the match like a House of Fire, clearing out both Body Donnas before succumbing to a Slop Drop from a tired Phineas. Before the farmer could capitalize though, Skip slipped back into the ring and stole the pinfall, as The Body Donnas secured a future title shot.
*Mankind d. Jake "The Snake" Roberts by Disqualification
Following his impressive if unlikely victory over The Undertaker, Mankind set his sights on a former ally of the Deadman in Jake "The Snake" Roberts. The veteran held his own against the Deranged One, but the near 300 pounder eventually took control of the match and looked like he would finish off Jake with his dreaded Mandible Claw. However at that moment, the Undertaker literally rose up from under the ring, grabbing Mankind by the ankles and dragging him back down under the ring as smoke rose from the gaping hole in the canvas. This resulted in Mankind technically winning by disqualification, but he certainly didn't resemble a winner with the match over with.
*Freddie Joe Floyd & Barry Horowitz d. John "Hawk" Bradshaw & Zeb Colter by Pinfall
The young man from Bowlegs Oklahoma had shocked everyone with a clean pinfall victory over the otherwise unblemished John "Hawk" Bradshaw on the Monday Night Raw following the King of the Ring. Floyd further embarrased Bradshaw by causing him to lose to perennial enhancement talent Barry Horowitz on an episode of Superstars. This led to Bradshaw and his manager Zeb Colter facing both Floyd and Horowitz. The two cowboys controlled much of the match, but the scrappy underdogs found a way to keep themselves in it throughout. The referee took a bad bump towards the end of the match, leaving Zeb able to grab a branding iron from ringside to hit Horowitz, only for Barry to duck and Zeb to hit Bradshaw instead. Floyd then hit a flying elbow from the top to Colter and pinned him, scoring the upset victory. After the match, Bradshaw turned on Colter and delivered a massive lariat to him, apparently firing him as his manager.
*Ahmed Johnson d. Stone Cold Steve Austin by Disqualification to Retain the WWF Intercontinental Title
After winning the Intercontinental Title, Ahmed Johnson was approached by representatives of a man named Faarooq Asad, who wanted him to join a group called the Nation of Domination. Ahmed declined joining the militant group, which resulted in him being beaten down by D'Lo Brown and a returning Kama leading into this In Your House match. In his title defense against the King of the Ring winner Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ahmed looked dominant as ever, despite a good amount of offense on Stone Cold's part. However the match would never reach a full conclusion, as Faarooq finally made his appearance known and attacked the champion with the other members of the Nation, leaving him lying but giving a DQ victory to the champion.
*The British Bulldog w/Jim Cornette d. Sycho Sid by Pinfall
The British Bulldog was initially set to face The Ultimate Warrior in a #1 contenders match for the WWF Championship. However in the weeks leading up to Curtain Call, The Warrior had left the WWF due to a contractual dispute. Newly installed WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter (who replaced Roddy Piper due to the former President leaving for WCW) however introduced a new opponent in returning former WWF Champion Sycho Sid. Sid controlled much of the match over the Bulldog, but Davey Boy was able to pull out the victory due to the interference from the Rocky Mountain Monster Vader, who attacked Sid with an Avalanche Splash in the corner while the referee was knocked out, damaging him enough for the Bulldog to hit the Running Powerslam to get the victory.
*Shawn Michaels d. Goldust w/Marlena by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Championship The WWF Champion defended his title against the Bizarre Goldust, who was looking to add WWF gold in addition to the "Oscar" that he carried around with him. Michaels was nonplussed by Goldust's usual antics, but was affected when Marlena blew smoke in his face and then hit him with a loaded purse, which nearly got the champion pinned by the challenger. Goldust worked over the seemingly concussed champion, wearing him down before hooking on a Sleeper Hold that nearly put him out for good. Michaels however valiantly fought back and made his comeback, eventually hitting Sweet Chin Music on Goldust before pinning him to retain his title. As Michaels celebrated though, the British Bulldog appeared at the entryway flanked by Owen Hart and Jim Cornette, making a motion that he was coming for Shawn's title. |
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Post by darbicus on Nov 3, 2022 10:36:01 GMT 1
WWF SummerslamAugust 18, 1996Gund ArenaCleveland, OH*Free-For-All: Goldust w/Marlena d. Yokozuna by Pinfall
Yokozuna made his return to the WWF after months off due to a broken leg suffered at the hands of Vader. However the massive girth of the Sumo hadn't subsided, as Yokozuna allegedly tipped the scales at over 700 pounds going into this match with Goldust. The behemoth easily was able to deflect any offense from the Bizarre One, however when Yokozuna went for the Banzai Drop, the top turnbuckle gave way and caused Yokozuna to fall over backwards. Goldust quickly covered the surprised sumo for the win.
*Owen Hart w/Jim Cornette d. Mr. Perfect by Submission
Owent Hart, who had been out of action with a broken wrist for sometime, returned against former Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect in the opening match of Summerslam. As you would expect from two of the best technical wrestlers in the company, the match was a fantastic showcase of chain wrestling and counter moves, with both men putting on a well-received clinic. Perfect seemingly had the match won when he caught Owen with the Perfect-Plex, but a distraction from Jim Cornette caused Perfect to break the hold and go after the manager. This gave Owen the chance to dropkick Perfect's knee from behind, causing him to collapse to the ground in pain. Owen continued to work over the knee before locking in the Sharpshooter, eventually forcing Perfect to tap out from the pain.
*The Smoking Gunns [Billy & Bart Gunn] w/Sunny d. The New Rockers [Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy], The Body Donnas [Skip & Zip] & The Godwinns [Henry O. & Phineas I. Godwinn] w/Hillbilly Jim in a Four Team Elimination Match to Retain the WWF World Tag Team Titles
After the Body Donnas tag title shot on Raw was interrupted by both The New Rockers and The Godwinns, WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter made a 4 Team Elimination match for Summerslam. The Body Donnas were the first team eliminated, with Zip hit by a Sidewinder from the tag team champions. Jannetty and Leif Cassidy were the next to go as they argued between themselves, allowing Jannetty to be rolled up from behind by Phineas, leaving the Godwinns and the Gunns as the last two teams standing. Like their encounter at King of the Ring, the Gunns isolated Phineas and did everything they could to keep Henry from coming into the match. When the Hog Farmer did make the tag, he cleaned house of the Gunns and set up Billy for the Slop Drop despite the referee being knocked out. Sunny climbed in the ring and attempted to intervene, but Henry, tired of Sunny's constant interference, grabbed her and looked like he would strike her instead. Bart then came from behind with a loaded cowboy boot and KO'ed Henry, allowing Billy to crawl over and cover him and pick up the unlikely victory.
*Jake "The Snake" Roberts d. Jerry "The King" Lawler by Pinfall
For weeks Jerry "The King" Lawler on commentary had made light of the fact that Jake "The Snake" Roberts was a recovering alcoholic and claimed that he had "fallen off the wagon." Jake was initially unwilling to engage with Lawler, however when the King brought up allegations of abuse by his father Grizzly Smith, Jake snapped and attacked The King with a viciousness that he hadn't shown since his return the previous year. Lawler continued to egg on Roberts during the match, consistently commentating during the match and offering Jake a bottle of bourbon, even going so far as to splash some in Jake's face as Roberts lay down on the canvas following a Lawler Piledriver. This seemed to awaken Jake though as he returned to that vicious streak and began delivering thunderous punches to the King. Lawler threw the referee into the path of Roberts temporarily to try and gain an advantage, but that only helped the Snake, as Roberts countered Lawler's cheating ways and then smashed the bottle of bourbon over the King's head before delivering the DDT to him, picking up the victory.
*Stone Cold Steve Austin w/Brian Pillman d. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart by Pinfall
Brian Pillman, a former tag team partner of Steve Austin, had begun appearing in the corner of the King of the Ring winner. Simultaneously Austin had begun decrying the speculation by many announcers as to the status of Bret "The Hitman" Hart, particularly going so far as to say that he would end the Hitman's career if he attempted a comeback following injuries sustained from an assault by Vader earlier in the year. This attracted the attention of the returning Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, the former tag team partner of The Hitman, who stepped up to defend his honor against Austin. For his part Pillman remained silent on the Hitman, due to the fact that Pillman was close to the Hart Family. Pillman didn't get involved in the match, instead performing guest color commentary as Austin took on the Anvil and defeated him with relative ease with a Stone Cold Stunner.
*Vader w/Jim Cornette & Sycho Sid Wrestled to a Double Disqualification
At the previous month's In Your House, Sycho Sid had made his return in a #1 contenders match against The British Bulldog. However his attempts to advance to a WWF Title match at Summerslam was interrupted by The Man They Call Vader, who attacked Sid and cost him the match. This bruising affair between two masters of the Powerbomb devolved into a brawl rather quickly, as WWF officials were unable to separate the two as they continued to fight, with the referee eventually disqualifying both men and throwing the match out.
*Ahmed Johnson d. Faarooq Asad by Disqualification to Retain the WWF Intercontinental Title
Since he won the Intercontinental Title at King of the Ring, Ahmed Johnson had been confronted by members of an organization calling itself the Nation of Domination. The Nation had alleged racism in the WWF and, on behalf of its leader Faarooq Asad, wanted Ahmed to join their cause. Ahmed refused, leading to attacks from Nation members D'Lo Brown and the former Supreme Fighting Machine Kama. Faarooq finally made his own appearance at In Your House, leading the assault. This caused Ahmed to declare a "one man war" on the Nation, taking out both Kama and D'Lo in backstage attacks, despite being accosted by a large man named Mustafa (also known as Mustafa Saed from ECW) at the same time. The match between Faarooq and Ahmed was thus a very personal affair, as the Pearl River Powerhouse took on the leader of the Nation in the latter's first official WWF match. Faarooq proved to be the equal of power to Ahmed, and the two men traded power moves repeatedly. After several minutes of fighting to a stalemate, the rest of the Nation made their way to ringside to observe the proceedings. Ahmed started to gain the advantage and appeared like he would set Faarooq up for the Pearl River Plunge, when the Nation hit the ring, resulting in a disqualification. Ahmed fought back but was beaten down with a 4 on 1 disadvantage. Eventually Ahmed was saved by Savio Vega and, appearing from ringside, newly signed rookie Mark Henry, both of whom chased off the Nation.
*The British Bulldog w/Jim Cornette & Diana Smith d. Shawn Michaels by Pinfall to Win the WWF Championship
The WWF Title match between Davey Boy Smith and Shawn Michaels became a deeply personal affair when the wife of the Bulldog, Diana Smith, accused HBK of making passes at her at a backstage event in Canada. Michaels denied the accusations, despite the constant haranguing by Bulldog's manager Jim Cornette. Eventually it was revealed that Michaels wasn't even at the event in question, as the whole thing was a set up to psych out the champion. This actually paid some dividends, as Michaels appeared off his game in the early going against the Bulldog, owing to making mistakes due to his temper. Eventually Michaels was able to counter the power advantage that the Bulldog possessed, targeting his back and trying to wear down the Bulldog with mat wrestling. This failed however, and Bulldog came back to match Michaels blow for blow, the match devolving into a fist fight that inadvertantly saw Michaels hit referee Earl Hebner with his elbow, sending him careening out of the ring and to the ground. A second referee then came from the back to finish the match. In the end, Michaels delivered a German Suplex to Bulldog that seemingly gave him the pinfall victory. However the original referee, Earl Hebner, counted Michaels shoulders down as opposed to the Bulldog, and announced that Davey Boy had won the match. Before any other argument could be made, Owen Hart came out to congratulate his brother in law and tag partner and scurried off with the title along with Cornette, with Michaels giving chase.
*Mankind d. The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer in a Buried Alive Match
The issue between The Undertaker and Mankind had finally reached the point where WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter felt that only one could survive in the WWF, ordering that a new type of match be created to finish the feud once and for all. The object of a Buried Alive match was to literally bury your opponent in a mound of dirt located at the entryway. The match between the two rivals was much like their previous encounter, though this time it traveled all across the Gund Arena, winding up in a boiler room and near a concession stand as the two men battered each other constantly. Meanwhile Paul Bearer remained at the gravesite, seemingly concerned with The Undertaker. Eventually the fight wound up at the gravesite, when Undertaker chokeslammed Mankind into the grave. He asked for Paul to hand him the shovel to bury Mankind, but Bearer wouldn't respond, instead backing away. As The Phenom confusedly approached his manager, Mankind crawled out of the grave and attacked him from behind, locking in the Mandible Claw while Paul Bearer chuckled to himself. A half-conscious deadman was then sat up by Mankind, as Paul Bearer smashed the urn across his head before helping to kick him into the grave. A cadre of heels (including Bradshaw, The Signores, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, The Goon, etc.) made their way from the back to help bury the Phenom, giving Mankind the win. As Paul Bearer celebrated the treacherous turn with his new charge, a lightning bolt struck the grave, causing everyone to scatter, as a single purple gloved hand clawed its way from the ground, the PPV closing on that shot.
Off-Camera Title Changes
August 19: Goldust d. Ahmed Johnson to Win the WWF Intercontinental Title
September 2: Shawn Michaels d. The British Bulldog by Pinfall to Win the WWF Championship
September 15: Freddie Joe Floyd & Barry Horowitz d. The Smoking Gunns to Win the World Tag Team Titles
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Post by darbicus on Nov 4, 2022 1:13:04 GMT 1
In Your House 10: Beware of Dog September 22, 1996 CoreStates Center Philadelphia, PA
*Free-For-All: Barry Windham d. Alex Porteau w/Bob Backlund by Pinfall The veteran Barry Windham made his return to the WWF in this Free-For-All match, taking on the protege of former WWF Champion Bob Backlund in the form of Alex Porteau. While the technically sound amateur was able to wrestle circles around the veteran, Windham's guile and strength won the day, as he finished off Porteau with a Top Rope Superplex.
*Hunter Hearst Helmsley d. Marty Jannetty w/Leif Cassidy by Pinfall The American Blueblood Hunter Hearst Helmsley returned to Pay Per View, following a slight losing streak after losing the Intercontinental Title at King of the Ring. Against the former tag champion Marty Jannetty, it looked as if Helmsley might continue this losing streak, but some mistimed communication between Jannetty and his partner Leif Cassidy that allowed Helmsley to hit Jannetty with the Pedigree and pick up the victory. After the match, The New Rockers started shoving one another, a fight breaking out between the two signifying the end of their partnership.
*Mark Henry d. Jerry "The King" Lawler by Disqualification Olympic powerlifter Mark Henry had made his unofficial debut at Summerslam the previous month, helping Ahmed Johnson fend off a beatdown from members of the Nation of Domination. Henry's appearance there and subsequent announcement of his wrestling career drew the attention of Jerry "The King" Lawler, who promised to show the youngster a wrestling lesson. To everyone's surprise, the World's Strongest Man easily outclassed the veteran Lawler, using his power to great effect. However his debut was spoiled by the Nation, namely Faarooq, all of whom attacked Mark Henry and left him laying, resulting in a disqualification. It was also after this match that an interview with Bret "The Hitman" Hart aired, in which he officially announced that he was returning to the ring and would face Vader, much to the costernation of Stone Cold Steve Austin backstage.
*Freddie Joy Floyd & Barry Horowitz d. The Smoking Gunns [Billy & Bart Gunn] w/Sunny by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Tag Team Titles A huge upset had taken place the week before on WWF Superstars, as the underdog team of Freddie Joe Floyd and Barry Horowitz had knocked off the Smoking Gunns to win the Tag Team Titles. The Gunns were looking to erase that loss from the record books and regain the belts, but the new champions continued their surprisingly good teamwork, with Floyd controlling the match and Horowitz providing some veteran saavy. In the end the match broke down as all four men got in the ring, while there was a distraction from Sunny on the outside. Inadvertantly, Floyd bounced off the ropes and knocked Sunny to the floor below. Billy was instantly distracted by the apparent injury and abandoned Bart, leaving him to be rolled up from behind by Horowitz as the champions retained the titles.
*Vader & Owen Hart w/Jim Cornette d. Sycho Sid by Pinfall in a Handicap Match Following the double disqualification no contest the previous month, Psycho Sid was determined to get his hands on Vader and more specifically on Jim Cornette. He even agreed to a handicap match with Vader and Owen Hart, with the added stipulation that if he won he would get 5 minutes in the ring with the leader of Camp Cornette. Despite their combined efforts, Vader and Owen had difficulty putting Sid away, as the self-professed Master and Ruler of the World came back from beatdowns that they could put on. Sid looked like he might have the match won after hitting Owen with a chokeslam from the top rope, especially with Vader temporarily tied up in the ropes. However Cornette jumped on the apron to distract Sid long enough for Vader to get himself untied, leading to the Mastodon hitting an Avalanche splash in the corner on Sid. Vader then polished him off with the Vader Bomb for the victory.
*"Wildman" Marc Mero w/Sable d. John "Hawk" Bradshaw by Pinfall Intercontinental Champion Goldust and his "director" Marlena were at ringside to watch this #1 contenders match, with the Wildman taking on Bradshaw, the latter of whom had fired Zeb Colter as his manager in recent weeks. Bradshaw's power was on full display as he was able to ground the high flying Wildman. However Mero was able to use his boxing background to surprisingly hold his own against the brawler until his high flying moves could connect. Eventually Mero ducked a Lariat from Bradshaw and then hit him with a piledriver. Mero then set up Bradshaw in the corner of the ring and delivered the Wild Thing to pick up the victory and earn a shot at the Intercontinental Champion, who spent much of the match eyeballing Sable from afar.
*Shawn Michaels d. The British Bulldog w/Jim Cornette in a Steel Cage Match to Retain the WWF Championship The WWF Title match at Summerslam had ended in controversy, with one referee declaring Shawn Michaels the winner and the original referee having counted The British Bulldog with the pin. In the midst of the controversy, Bulldog and Camp Cornette escaped with the title belt. Commissioner Slaughter ruled the next night on Raw that the original referee's decision would stand, but that Bulldog would have to defend the title on Labor Day against Michaels in a rematch, which HBK won thanks to an inadvertant chair shot from Owen Hart. The rubber match between the two was set to be a Steel Cage match to ensure that there would be no outside interference, and that the only way to win was to escape the cage. Michaels and Bulldog put on a clinic, leaving everything on the line in a lengthy cage match. In the end Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music and began slowly climbing up the cage. He got close to the top when Bulldog stirred and started crawling for the door. Michaels dropped down off the cage and hit the floor just mere seconds before Jim Cornette could pull the Bulldog out through the cage door, thus retaining the title and beating back the Bulldog once and for all.
Off-Camera Title Change: September 30: Owen Hart & The British Bulldog d. Freddie Joe Floyd & Barry Horowitz to win the World Tag Team Titles October 7: GiGi Bennett Won a 10 Woman Battle Royal for the Vacant WWF Women's Title |
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