Flashback Goodness: WWE In Your House – Mind Games [1996]

Markout Memories: I had absolutely no idea that this show was ever worth watching until reading a rant of the now-departed Scott Keith, who said the main event between Mankind and Shawn Michaels was arguably both men’s best matches. Shocked that I had never heard about it, I ran to eBay and purchased a copy of this show ASAP. Let’s just say I still own it and for good reason. The main event of this show is so good, its scary.

Pregame Thoughts: This was an odd show and an odd period all around for the WWF. The burgeoning nWo angle in WCW had led to the WWF getting crushed in the ratings on a weekly basis. Bret Hart had yet to make his return to the ring and Stone Cold Steve Austin, on the verge of greatness, was still a couple months away from becoming a force.

On top of all of this, Shawn’s WWF title run was losing momentum big time as the WWF simply didn’t have any legit contenders for him to feud with besides Vader…and that had already run its course by this show. So without any real contenders, the main event of Michaels vs. Mankind was basically a thrown together one. There is absolutely nothing, going into the show, that would lend it to being historic. In retrospect, this is one of the most historic shows in WWF history featuring one of the 90’s best matches, a famous interview and the first title win of a legendary tag team. Oh, and it happens in Philadelphia. There was some promotion gaining some steam in these parts around this time. Eastern Championship Wrestling or something?

O’Dog’s Flashback Goodness: In Your House: Mind Games – 09.22.96

You are looking live at the Core States Center in Philadelphia. I believe this is the new Spectrum that has undergone about 15 name changes in the past decade.

Strap Match: Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw vs. Savio Vega
Savio wins (1/4*)
It is unbelievable to me that Bradshaw is champion from watching this. This would be like the 9th place hitter for the Expos inexplicably becoming baseball’s best player 8 years from now. That’s how far down on the WWF food chain Bradshaw is at this point. I liked Savio, in my markish years, but he never did anything of note or wrestled in a big match…well except for being the “mystery partner” at No Way Out in 1998. We get our first running theme of the night…nothing happening. Just terrible wrestling until Savio gets near the front row and the Sandman, of ECW fame, spits beer at him. Our first historic moment of the night. To this day, I don’t know why ECW and the WWF had their little cross-promotion, unless it’s true Vince was giving Paul Heyman funds no one knew about, because this made no sense to me. Of course, there’s quite the hubbub as Sandman and Tommy Dreamer are escorted from the building. Knowing what I know now about Vega’s hardcore history in Puerto Rico…I wonder if he ever got it on w/ Sandman or the other ECW guys? Help me out here folks because I have no idea. Anyway…Vega hits the fourth turnbuckle when Bradshaw’s not looking. OH THE CRUEL HAND OF IRONY! Yes, this is basically the same way Bradshaw won his current title…by accident. This match is a DUD but gets the mini-star for at least some ECW-related excitement.

-Backstage, Savio is beat up by “Razor Ramon” and “Diesel”, aka Kane. This angle was an embarrassment to the WWF on all sorts of levels. And whereas today somebody like Nathan Jones gets turfed in a month, these two “fakes” hung around for another six months! They even got tag team title shots! That’s more amazing than anything else. Both guys could work too…I have no idea what ended up happening to fake Razor.

Jose Lothario vs. James E. Cornette
Jose pins Jimbo (-*****)
Well this show is just on FIRE right now. I never understood Lothario’s presence in 1996. I felt he took heat away from HBK because how much of a heartbreaker can you be with an old man at your side 24/7? He had no name recognition to WWF fans and he didn’t exactly draw heat. This stems, I believe, from Vader/HBK at SummerSlam. Lothario wins with a punch after like 40 seconds. I really don’t know what the point of this was except for fans to see Cornette get his? But Cornette ALWAYS got his…so I’m still lost as to the point. Next, please.

Stone Cold Steve Austin, Brian Pillman & Owen Hart in-ring promo
Austin gives Bret the business (****)
There are a lot of big moments in 1996 and 1997 that show a shift of the WWF from the cartoon era to the Attitude era and this, to me, is an historic interview where the changing of the guard becomes painfully clear for all to see. Pillman kicks it off in the ring running down Philly using the extreme cheap heat method…ripping into the crowd as drug addicts, bums, etc. Pillman was so good at the cheap heat thing because he didn’t do the standard “your football team sucks” but went above and beyond to insult everybody in the building personally and the way he did it…you thought he meant every word. We get a little footage of Bret calling Pillman a “liar” as if that was an insult. Just wait Bret. Owen comes out and we enter Bizarro World as he calls out Bret for being afraid of AUSTIN~! It’s funny because within months Austin would break Pillman’s ankle and be in a blood feud with Owen & the Hart Foundation within six. Austin coming out here is just an awesome sight…it’s always special to see a star in any form of entertainment right before they hit it big. Austin’s on fire on the mic. “I don’t think your chicken,” Austin tells Bret. “I think you’re the slimy substance that runs down the backside of a chicken.” Unreal. And then the money line, “Put the letter S in front of Hitman and you have my opinion of Bret Hart”. That soundbite would be played over and over for the next year. The crowd is pissed as the trio leaves and Vince “apologizes” for Austin’s words. That cracks me up because if the camera panned to Vince, he’d be on the phone making a down payment on a gold plated house…it’s obvious that Austin was about to change things. He took a simple promo about Bret and turned into a legendary five-minute bit that defined his character and pushed the feud one step further. The Shitman line is one of the best lines EVER delivered in a WWF ring by a wrestler.

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Smoking Gunns w/Sunny vs. The British Bulldog & Owen Hart
Davey Boy pins Bart, new champs (**3/4)
The GOODNESS~! continues, as does the Bizarro nature of this show, since both teams are heels. Oh, pre-match junk with Cornette signing something for Clarence Mason. Geez, remember that guy? Sunny is so hot as she prances to the ring. There is a picture of a very large Sunny from a recent indy show floating on the Internet that is truly depressing. Owen & Bulldog get a big face pop for their entrance. “Don’t miss LiveWire!” Yeah, Vince, I’ll remember that. We start of with Billy doing his best move…yelling…while Owen bounces off the Gunns like a pinball to make them look good. Davey Boy gets a mega-face pop for his initial entrance into the match. Remember, Davey almost got a big face push in 1997 until Bret got Vince to nix it to set up the whole Hart Foundation thing. The Bizarro crowd continues by CHEERING a lethal chop block by Owen and starts to chant Owen’s name. Maybe the only time that happened post-1994 in the U.S. Bart’s the face in peril as the Bulldog, taunting Bart and struting around the ring, is drawing face pops by the boatload. Owen is constantly cheating behind the ref’s back to…you guessed it face pops. What is going on here? Bulldog & Owen are just mauling Bart until he tags in Billy, who proceeds to suck until Bulldog hits the powerslam for the THREE. Owen & Davey would go on to hold the tag titles for about a year or so and put on some of the best matches in Raw’s history against Austin & HBK/DudeLove. History definitely makes this match a little more important and the crowd’s respect for Owen & Davey make for an interesting atmosphere, adding to the match’s GOODNESS~! Not a great match by any means, but 10 minutes of entertainment works for me.

-Post-match, Sunny dumps the Gunns and disses them as “cowboy wannabes”. This was simultaneously the end of the Gunns and Sunny’s usefulness in the WWF after her tag team title whore gimmick had run its course. Billy, of course, still remains…but let’s not talk about that.

Jerry Lawler vs. Mark Henry
Henry wins by submission (DUD)
I’ll freely admit that when Henry entered the WWF in ’96, the mark in me was pretty pumped. The WWF did a great job in pumping him up and playing up his affection for Andre the Giant. I was thinking he would be the lovable giant type that would beat up the bad guys who got out of line. Instead, we got like nothing. Seriously, he’s just an Olympian and there’s nothing else to his character. I think he’s STILL getting paid from the contract he got at this point…I’m pretty sure it was like 10 years and many millions. That always cracked me up…sign a guy for a decade before he’s wrestled a match. Brilliant! And whose idea was it to have him come into a feud with Lawler, who is a comedy wrestler at this point? A “comedy” match ensues, although nothing funny happens although Vince is pissing himself with laughter. Henry ends it with a bear hug. This is our third BRUTAL match of the night.

The Undertaker vs. Goldust
‘Taker wins by pinfall (DUD)
Here comes our fourth as the parade of brutality continues. I feel like these guys fought 100 times in 1996 and it was always boring. I’m not even sure if they had a feud here or if they just always wrestled. It could have been interesting…you know if Goldust tried to kiss ‘Taker or something…but they just kind of wrestled to kill time since each was in other feuds…Goldust w/Mero and Taker w/ Mankind. Goldust punches the Undertaker for 58 minutes. Actually, only about 8. There is so much punching, kicking and stalling going on that even Triple H himself would think “come on guys, pick up the pace”. Mercifully, ‘Taker ends it with the tombstone. The ‘Taker’s about two months from a character makeover thanks to the Buried Alive match, got rejeuvenated, and spent most of 1997 as champ. Here? Boredom, through and through.

-Prematch interview with Mankind, who gives just an awesome promo describing the misery HBK will feel. These whacked-out Mankind interviews are a sight to be seen…I remember as a 14 year-old because scared out of my mind regarding Mankind. I wasn’t really a fan or a mark of his…but I certainly paid attention to him.

-HBK counters with a jittery and awkward interview. He has nothing to say and just meanders for a few minutes until wrapping it up. HBK looked like a drug addict in need of a hit…not sure if that was the case or if he was playing up being scared…not the typical HBK promo though.

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind
HBK wins by DQ when all heck breaks loose (*****)
I have to admit I never liked champion HBK, even though he put on great matches. It was tough for me as a young teenager to really get behind a guy who wore girly earrings and gyrated that much. Mankind enters in a casket. So creepy. We start off insanely very quickly with a stiff elbow from Foley and HBK goes into the barrier. The pad on the floor is removed and HBK slams Foley’s head against the concrete. That is sick. Back body drop on the floor and it’s already the most brutal match the WWF has seen in 1996 and it’s about 5 minutes old. Back in the ring, Foley fucks up…he was supposed to follow HBK into the corner but stayed in the wrong corner. HBK yells at Foley “Come on!” and starts, it appears, to legit punch him while Vince & company try to cover for it as the two men are now rolling around punching each other. Then Foley just sticks his hand in HBK’s mouth for the mandible claw and we get back to the match, but it’s clear the intensity has gone waaaaaaaay up. Spanish Announce Table is moved at a weird angle but doesn’t come into play yet as HBK leaps over it to attack Foley. On the outside, another sick move…a suplex by HBK that forces Foley’s left leg to come crashing down on the steps. “Sickening thud” is very appropriate here to describe it. HBK goes right to the leg and hits the figure-four…crowd is behind HBK, but is more just making constant noise…like everyone’s saying to the person next to them “Is this really going on?” The figure four leads into a slower period of actual wrestling moves until we go right back to the chaos. Sick bump into the stairs for Foley? Check. Foley elbow to the floor? Check. Headfirst in the post for Shawn? Check. Foley’s neck vice bit with the ropes? Check. Ok, all systems go. After the chaos…and HBK refusing to give up…Foley absolutely snaps by going to wrestling moves. Swinging neckbreaker TWO. Rolling cradle TWO. Mankind is now ripping his hair out as the crowd moves the collective edge of their seats. Kip-up from Michaels to further buzz the crowd. And here’s come my favorite spot EVER. Foley tries to suplex HBK off the top rope through the Spanish Announce Table, HBK reverses into a cross body of sorts and they both go crashing through. Sickest spot in WWF history to this point. It’s been like 30 minutes and both guys are spent…Vince is clearly seen on camera yelling “that’s enough!” and telling them to go home…HBK motions to Vince to calm down but Vince is having none of it. The replay reinforces how sick the move was. I’m sorry my vocab is limited for this match but all I can keep thinking is “sick”. Finish comes as Vader runs in for the DQ. Then Sid destroys Vader to a HUGE pop. Mankind beats up HBK some more until the Undertaker appears from the casket and the crowd has officially lost his mind cheering. I need a cigarette after this match. This match is a straight half an hour of chaos between two guys willing to do absolutely anything to win. If this had happened at a pay-per-view that more than five people bought, it’d be regarded as one of the top 3 or so matches in WWF history. I’m serious. It’s as good as everyone says it is and if you haven’t seen it, you OWE it to yourself to watch. You don’t have to be a fan of either guy…I’m not myself…you’ll still enjoy.

The 411: What can you say? We get four history making moments: the ECW cross promotion, Bulldog & Owen’s first title win, Austin’s legendary line, and one of the best matches in WWE history. Some of the stuff becomes more important in retrospect, but the main alone makes this a thumbs up. The tag team title match is pleasant waste of 10 minutes and you can’t go wrong with 1996 Austin holding a live mic.

That being said, there is some complete crap here. For a two-hour show there are a remarkable FOUR matches that are total DUDs. And yet I still liked it. That goes to show you how great the main is. One more thing to mention, if you were a fan of Davey Boy’s or Owen’s, you also owe it to yourself to get this match. It’s great to see those two, doing their heel schtick, getting face pops from a knowledgeable Philly crowd that respects the duo.

Those Who Brought the Goodness:
3rd Star – Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith
2nd Star – Shawn Michaels
1st Star – Mick Foley