wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WWF In Your House: Final Four
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-We continue with 1997 as next up on the WWF side of things is another In Your House PPV. These shows are always a breeze to do at just under two hours. Next month will be WrestleMania 13, but I have reviewed that show, so I will have to find something else to do on the WWF/E side of things. Set your Delorean for 1997 and let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
-Date: Feb 16, 1997
-Location: UTC Arena, Chattanooga, TN
-Attendance:6399
-PPV Buys: 141,000 (which is highest for IYH show since Good Friends Better Enemies nearly a year earlier)
“Wildman” Marc Mero (w/ Sable) vs. Leif Cassidy
-Leif doesn’t even get an entrance as he is already in the ring. Leif slaps Mero in the face, so Mero grounds him with an armdrag and then works the arm. He gets a fireman’s carry takeover and retains wrist control. He slams Leif down by the hair and repeats a few times which causes Leif to bail to the floor. Leif pulls Mero outside and rams the knee off the apron. Sable takes a shot at Leif to stop that noise and that allows Mero to come off the apron with a double sledge. Back inside the ring Mero hits a slingshot legdrop which gets two. He tells Leif to stay away from Sable, but Leif responds by hitting a dropkick to the knee. He throws kicks at the left leg to ground Mero. Weird sequence as they trade blows and kicks and then separate and then lockup just so another kick can be thrown by Leif. That just looked off for some reason. Leif drops a leg on the damaged knee and then drives the knee into the mat. Leif works the knee on the mat as the crowd tries to rally Mero. Leg lace into a modified ankle lock, but Mero is able to force a break in the ropes. Mero fights back on one leg, but that doesn’t go well for him and Leif goes back to the leg work on the mat. Mero rakes the eyes to break and starts firing off right hands. Mero snaps off an enzuigiri and gets a roll-up for two. Leif snuffs that rally out with a knee breaker and then a figure four as we get a few “Wooos” from the crowd. JR makes sure to mention the hold was invented by Nature Boy Buddy Rogers and how it affects 7 points of the lower body. Sable pushes the bottom rope to Mero which lets him get a break. Leif goes out after Sable and she slaps him in the face. Mero hits a suicide dive and fires off right hands. Mero runs wild back inside and hits a Samoan Drop near the corner. Wild Thing (Shooting Star Press) finishes at 9:30.
“Wildman” Marc Mero via pin at 9:30
-Kind of dull but technically solid. It did show off a new aggressive side to both Mero and Sable. Winner was never in doubt which is fine. **
-The Honky Tonk Man is out, but we throw to Shawn losing his smile and relinquishing the WWF Title on Thursday RAW Thursday. The groan from the crowd when he hands the belt to Gorilla is noticeable. Credit to the director for finding some of the female fans in the crowd that were crying along with Shawn. Of course, they ignored the fans chanting for Sid and booing Shawn out of the building. Depending who you believe Shawn faked all of thsi to avoid jobbing to Sid or he really thought his career was over due to what a doctor told him. Even with the injury some feel if he was well enough to walk to the ring, he could eat a powerbomb and take the loss. Later in the night Gorilla Monsoon names the winner of The Final Four Match as the new WWF Champion. Originally the winner just earned a Title Match at WrestleMania to clear up the chaotic ending of The Royal Rumble.
-Kevin Kelly is backstage with Sid and he gets to face whoever the WWF Champion is tomorrow night. It was to be Sid vs Shawn III at Thursday RAW Thursday, but Shawn’s knee injury changed all that. I mean, all things considered they tied up all the loose ends.
Flash Funk (w/ The Funkettes), Bart Gunn, and Goldust (w/ Marlena) vs. The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, Crush, and Savio Vega)
-I love The Nation theme song with the opening rap. Must of been my rebellious side when I was 15 and now just nostalgia. Lawler mentions he knows JC and Wolfie D personally and they come from a bad neighborhood. Goldust attacks everyone on The Nation and that turns into all six men brawling. The Nation bails to the floor, so Flash leaps off the top onto the pile. Back in the ring Faarooq gets in some shots on Goldust, but then gets rammed face first into the canvas. Flash Funk in and he tries a rana, but Faarooq catches him in the air and drops him with a spinebuster. Tag to Savio, but he gets caught with a clothesline in the corner. Funk gets a top rope rana and that brings Crush into the ring. The Nation hits the floor again, so Bart tosses Flash onto the pile which backfires as all three members of the Nation beat on him. Flash gets rolled back in where Crush hits a belly to back suplex for two. Back to Faarooq as he lays out Flash and calls the crowd a bunch of “southern hicks.” He also points out that Flash is a “southern black redneck.” Faarooq talked a bit too much as Savio gets in a shot to the balls, but he can’t get a tag. Crush and Savio hit a spike piledrive for two as the ref was trying to keep Gunn out of the ring. Flash avoids a double clothesline and hits a diving clothesline on Savio and Faarooq. Hot tag made to Bart Gunn and he runs wild for a bit and hits a powerslam on Faarooq. Savio breaks and it’s back to everyone in the ring hitting everyone else. Bart avoids a Dominator and comes off top with a bulldog, but the ref is busy with Goldust. Crush drops a leg on Bart and Faarooq gets the pin at 6:42.
Winners: The Nation of Domination via pin at 6:42
-Short and inoffensive. Flash got to a shine a bit and Nation cheats to win. This was fine. **
-Steve Austin is backstage with Dok Hendrix. Austin rages against a conspiracy against him that has held him back for 7 years. He storms out after calling Dok a piece of trash.
-Back to Thursday RAW Thursday as Rocky Maivia gets an upset win over Hunter Hearst Helmsley to claim the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Rocky Maivia (c) vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
-The first of many, many, many PPV matches between these two. Side headlock from Hunter, but Rocky shoves off and misses a drop toe hold. Hunter gets one of his own and then slaps Rocky around a bit to frustrate the rookie. Lawler insinuates that Rocky’s grandfather is in hell. Yep! Rocky lands a dropkick, armdrag and then slaps Hunter around a bit as payback. Hunter slaps the taste out of Rocky’s mouth and Rocky fires back with a slap of his own. To the corner where Hunter throws some chops, but he gets fired into the corner and gets caught with a backdrop on the way out. Arm drag from Rocky and into an armbar. Lawler gets in a good line about Hunter being so rich he took taxi cabs to drive-in movies. Rocky gets sent to the floor and Hunter hits a baseball slide that bounces Rocky off the guardrail. Hunter gets a slam on the floor and there is a vocal section of the crowd that is behind him in this one. Hunter drops an elbow on the apron and then a slingshot into the bottom rope. Vertical suplex for Hunter followed by a kneed-drop which gets a two count. Hunter goes to a headlock to slow this one down as I guess the pace was getting too fast. Hunter makes sure to cheat with his feet on the rope and the crowd freaks out which shows that it will always work. Hebnar catches the cheating and forces a break. Rocky gets a small package which won him the title a few days ago, but Hunter is out at two. JR thinks Hunter needs a haircut. Just wait JR. Nature would eventually win out in that battle. Hunter back to the ground with a side headlock. Rocky fights out and gets a cross-body for two. Dropkick misses though as Hunter hooks the ropes. He misses the knee-drop and then gets caught by the boot in the corner. Hunter turns that into a discus clothesline. Hunter heads up top which is weird to see, but gets caught with a right hand on the way down. Inverted atomic drop next and then Hunter takes a Flair flip in the corner. Rocky connects with a powerslam and heads up top. He hits the flying cross-body, but Hunter is out at two. Rocky punches away in the corner, but Hunter drops him face first on the top buckle and gets a two count even with his feet on the ropes. Ugly DDT from Rocky as that looked brutal for HHH. That gets two. Hunter catches Rocky with a knee to the face and hits a neckbreaker. Goldust is out as he tells Hunter to kiss his ass. That distraction lets Rocky hit a belly to back suplex into a pin for the win at 12:34.
Winner and Still WWF Intercontinental Champion: Rocky Maivia via pin at 12:34
-They would obviously have much better and even epic matches down the line. This was okay if a bit dull. Interesting to see them 25 years ago fine tuning what worked for them and what different. **1/4
-History next as a female fan in the crowd grabs Marlena and chokes her out before security takes her away. This would be the debut of Chyna! JR and Lawler play it off as a fan attacking Marlena. Of course, if it really was a fan they wouldn’t be showing us replays and harping on it.
-Kevin Kelly is backstage with Vader and Paul Bearer. They hype tonight’s Main Event! It’s Vader Time!
WWF Tag Team Championship: The British Bulldog (c) and Owen Hart (c) (w/ Clarence Mason) vs. Doug Furnas and Phillip LaFon
-Owen being front and center with his Slammy Award always makes me smile! They show footage of Owen “accidentally” eliminating Bulldog at the Rumble last month. This was all leading to a split between the two before Bret’s heel turn kept the family together. Owen and Furnas start things out as JR lets us know that Furnas played football at Tennessee. JR loves his college football and as he should, because it’s awesome! They have a go before Lafon gets a tag. Owen gets a monkey flip but celebrates too much and gets caught into a pinning attempt for two. They have a reversal sequence with each man kicking out at two. Lafon gets a leg lace and Owen gets to the ropes to force a break. Bulldog in and Lafon gets a sunset flip for two. Next a spin kick from Lafon for another two count. Owen gets in a cheap shot from the apron and stomps away when he gets the tag. Owen hits a cross-body off the middle ropes, but Lafon rolls through into a pin for two. Suplex from Owen followed by a backbreaker for two. Bulldog back in and he stomps away. Lafon gets another sunset flip, but no count as Owen has the ref distracted. Bulldog lands a clothesline and makes the tag to Owen. He looks for the sharpshooter, but Lafon kicks away. JR lets us know that the fan who attacked Marlena has been ejected. Bulldog takes a shot at Furnas which gets the ref focused on him. Bulldog gets a delayed vertical suplex which lets Owen come off with a cross-body to finish the move. Nice! Lafon gets a small package so Bulldog comes in and turns it so Owen has the pin. The ref catches him and while he forces him out, Furnas is in and turns it back. Everything then breaks down as Owen accidentally hits Bulldog with a spinwheel kick. Bulldog clotheslines Owen, but then breaks up the fall attempt to save his title. Furnas runs wild with suplexes and then snaps off a rana. Tandem offense from Furnas and Lafon as they go crazy with moves until it ends with a DDT on Owen for two. Owen is back though with an enziguiri. Lafon gets the tag as well, but Bulldog runs through him. Lafon gets another roll-up but Owen makes the save. Bulldog and Owen get run into each other but again only gets two. Bulldog preps for the powerslam, but Owen is in and decks Lafon with The Slammy for the DQ at 10:30.
Winners: Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon via DQ at 10:30
-Fun match here as things built well. The ending was a bit of a downer, but they obviously didn’t want to crown new champions and it will have looked bad for Furnas and Lafon if they lost clean to a team that spent part of the match fighting with each other. ***
-Bulldog is pissed as Owen and Clarence try to call him down. Bulldog breaks Owen’s Slammy which seems uncalled for. The crowd wants them to fight, but cooler heads prevail this time.
-Dok is with The Undertaker and he gives his thoughts on our Main Event.
Final Four Match: WWF Championship: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart vs. Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. The Undertaker
-This is basically a mini battle royal as you can win by tossing someone over the top to the floor, but also by pin or submission. There is also no DQ or count-out obviously. With the top rope elimination option being an easy out, you had to figure nobody was getting pinned in this one. Again, hearing the glass shatter and then Austin being introduced without a deafening pop is weird. Vader and Austin flip each other off which has JR apologizing.
-Kevin Kelly is backstage with Bret Hart. He doesn’t want any excuses and may the best man win (him).
-The crowd is ready for this and it’s about to be utter chaos! Immediately we pair off with Vader vs Taker and Hart vs Austin because DUH! Taker gets the leaping clothesline on Vader and then Taker takes a shot at Bret. They brawl in the corner which brings Austin over and Taker grabs him for Old School. That seems rather dangerous in a spot where you lose being knocked over the top to the floor. Vader catches Taker with a belly to belly and then head to the floor through the ropes. Vader grabs a chair and swings wildly, but hits ring post. Vader works Taker over and runs at him with the chair, but Taker kicks it back in his face. Taker fires Vader into the ring steps and blood is pouring from Vader’s eye. Meanwhile Austin and Bret continue to beat on each other inside the ring. All four men in the ring again, but they stay with their dance partner. Austin gets caught in a sleeper from Bret,but breaks with a jawbreaker which gets two. Taker sticks Vader with a chokeslam as this small crowd is losing it and we are only 4 minutes into this one. Taker eats a modified Stunner which gets Austin a two count. Now Taker and Austin brawl while Vader hits Bret in the dick to send him to the floor. Austin with a neckbreaker on Taker for two while Vader wears Bret out with a chair on the floor. The blood is just gushing out of Vader’s eye now. Taker and Austin brawl up the aisle where Austin looks for a pildedriver on the contract which would be murder in Tennessee, but Taker backdrops out. Back inside the ring Bret drops Vader with a clothesline, so Taker comes it and decks him from behind. Taker gets a suplex for two and now Vader gets the ring steps. Austin kicks to avoid and rams Vader into the steps. He then just casually tosses them on Vader. This is just carnage and awesome and has me smiling ear to ear. Vader drops Austin face first on teh security railing while Taker and Bret battle in the ring. Vader avoids a trip into the stairs but ends up in the time keeper area. Austin beats him with the WWF Title and then the ring bell which only pisses Vader off. He blasts Austin with the bell and we get our first real good like at Vader’s eye and it is horrifying. Vader grabs Bret and pulls him to the floor while Austin gets crotched on the top rope by Taker. Vader gets sent over the railing by Bret and they fight in the crowd with Vader bleeding all over the place. They would be wise to use the split screen that WCW was using around this time. They head back and Bret goes head first into the stairs while Austin gets put over the top to the apron, but he thumbs Taker in the eye and comes off the top with a flying clothesline. Vader hooks Bret in a sharpshooter in the floor which lets Austin lay some boots in because they hate each other. Taker and Bret double team Austin for a bit, but Vader is back and Taker just unloads with a right hand right into the damaged eye. Nasty! Austin with a Thesz Press and now he peppers Vader in the bad eye with right hands. Vader shakes it off and drops Austin with a standing splash, but Taker drops him with a clothesline. Vader gets tossed in the corner, but comes out with a clothesline to Taker. Bret sticks Austin with a piledriver, but I guess since this isn’t Memphis it only gets two. Vader heads up and misses the moonsault, but is able to get to the floor to create space. Taker follows and uses the cables to choke him out. Vader lands a right and uses the cables in return while Bret is nearly tossed out inside the ring. All four men back in the ring as Vader gets a two count on Taker. Bret pounds away with hammer fists on Austin’s head and then drops the middle rope elbow for two. Vader gets another thumb to the eye on Taker. Austin flips out of a suplex which is crazy to see and gets a roll-up for two. Taker takes a shot at Austin while Vader goes back to Bret. Vader and Bret slug it out and I assume that won’t well for Bret and it doesn’t until Bret kicks him in the balls. Effective! He caught him square too! Austin is nearly dumped by Taker, but lands on the apron. We get another close up of Vader and you can’t even see his eye through all the blood on that side of his face. Austin gets tossed, but hangs on in a close call. Had me buying that one. We are back to Austin/Bret and Vader/Taker as this has slowed some, but I mean they have destroyed each other. Bret tosses Austin for real at 18:15 to a massive pop from the crowd. Three refs and a few officials make sure to escort Austin to the back so we don’t have a repeat of last month. Bret slugs away on Taker and hits a standing headbutt. Taker fights back with rights and headbutts of his own. Vader hits a chop block as we see Sid watching in the back as again, he gets the winner tomorrow on RAW. Taker sent to the floor, but under the ropes. Vader mauls Bret and takes off the head gear to clear some of the blood away. Taker gets blasted with the urn by Paul Bearer on the floor. Vader hits Bret with a slam and heads all the way up, but Bret catches him and brings him down with a massive top rope superplex. SWEET! Taker is back on his feet as Bret gets The Sharpshooter on Vader. For some reason Taker decks Bret from behind. Austin is back out and all over Bret as he sends him into the ring post. Vader heads up for a Vader Bomb, but Taker sits up and uppercuts Vader in the balls to send him over the top to the floor at 22:45. Poor Vader! Taker drops Bret with a chokeslam as the crowd has lost it now. Austin is still fighting off officials as Taker calls for The Tombstone. Austin grabs Bret and saves him from The Tombstone. Taker is pissed and decks Austin, but Bret sneaks up from behind for a roll-up that gets two. Taker misses a clothesline on Bret, but hits Austin and that allows Bret to clothesline Taker over the top to the floor for the win and his fourth WWF Title at 24:06.
Winner and New WWF Champion: Bret “Hitman” Hart at 24:06
-This was a war that ended up being a template for the Main Event style in the Attitude Era. The star here was Vader ss he looked like an absolute beast and it’s a shame they never capitalized on it. The downside was there was no drama involved with a pin or submission attempt as I was only buying teases of being tossed to the floor. This was an amazing deal here and a forgotten classic. The show was made by this match! ****1/2
-We get a WrestleMania 13 commercial and come back to Bret celebrating with the title and a ton of pyro. Sid’s music hits and he is out to hype up their Title Match on RAW the following night. Spoilers: Sid becomes your new WWF Champion!
-Thanks for reading!
