In Your House 9

Legacy Review

In Your House 9: International Incident

July 21, 1996 from the General Motors Place in Vancouver, BC

Commentary: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

 

This is WWF's first PPV after WCW's legendary Bash at the Beach '96, which featured Hulk Hogan pulling off the biggest heel turn in wrestling history and officially forming the NWO. It was the night that turned the entire wrestling world upside down and escalated the Monday Night Wars to a whole new level. The question was, how would WWF respond, if at all?

The show opens with a clip from the Free For All of Jose Lothario and Jim Cornette getting into it, then Shawn Michaels saving Lothario from a Vader beatdown.

The Bodydonnas def WWF Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns (w/Sunny) in 13:05- The Gunns have gone full heel with Sunny, while the Bodydonnas are now faces after realizing they don't need a manager anymore after getting dumped by Sunny and getting rid of Cloudy. Wait, who's Cloudy? Don't ask. Just....don't. This is a non-title match because Sunny refused to put the belts up. It has nothing to do with the fact that they've already advertised the Gunns defending against a Shawn/Ahmed Johnson superteam on Raw the next night, no not at all. Harvey Wippleman has done the reverse Teddy Long career path, going from manager to ref and is reffing this match in a complete straight up he's an actual ref way. The Donnas do a mini-Suzuki-Gun ambush at the start and clear the ring. Reset back and forth with Zip and Bart, then a similar run with Skip and Billy. Billy counters a backdrop with a fameasser. After a bit of face arm work Billy slides out on one side and Sunny dramatically fakes a faint on the other side. Skip checks on her and gets slapped, then eats a Gunn double team to go Donna in peril. Bart catches Skip coming off the top and powerslams him. The Gunns horribly frak up a double team where Billy is supposed to leapfrog over Bart, but Bart stands at full attention and expects Billy to pole vault over him or something. The Canadian fans let them know they messed up. Heel corner double teams. Now Bart and Skip fumble around a spot, reset, and Skip gets a roll up for 2. Billy comes off the top and Skip counters it into an inverted atomic drop. Tags. Billy trips Zip. Bart sets up for the sidewinder finisher, but Sunny and Billy are having a row on the floor. Skip hits Bart with a dropkick off the top and Zip covers for 3. Started in first gear, stayed in first gear. 3/4*

 

Mankind def Henry O Godwinn (w/Hillbilly Jim) in 6:54- Godwinn is replacing Jake Roberts, who is "out with an injury" (didn't make the town). Godwinn turns to the crowd to give them the hog call. Mankind responds to it by attacking him from behind. Godwinn hits a powerslam and clotheslines Mankind to the floor. After some more Mankind beatdown Godwinn gets a leg takedown in the corner. Mankind faceplant and elbow drop. He goes outside and pulls some of the floor mats up. Swinging neckbreaker on the concrete. A Godwinn comeback is cut off with a corner clothesline. Godwinn dodges in the corner and Mankind flies into the post. They go outside again and Godwinn flips Mankind off the apron onto the exposed concrete! I'll call that about a .3 Foley bump. Mankind blocks the slop drop, hooks in the Mandible claw, and it's all over. On a side note, got to take advantage here to say that Mankind's soft piano victory music, in contrast to his deep string horror entrance music, is a piece of absolute genius. 1/2*

A still injured Brian Pillman is manning the Superstar Line and is still half shooting promos.

 

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin def "Wildman" Marc Mero (w/Sable) in 10:48- This is a rematch of the King of the Ring semifinals, a damn good match. Austin busted his lip open doing a jawbreaker in that match, but WWE retconned it to Mero accidentally kicking him while doing a Gedo clutch to get another moment out of it in this match. Austin has a logo on his trunks! Holy crap I'd forgotten about that. It was thankfully short lived. Usual quick Austin start, but he at least waited for a lockup this time. Mero crossbody for 2, followed by an armdrag and some arm work. Austin turns it into a headlock and Mero counters with a headscissors. They do the bridge up spot and have a backslide stalemate Austin ends with a knee to the gut. Mero whips out the Gold Glove punches. Austin rolls out and stalks Sable. Mero hits him in the back. Gedo clutch again! Austin feigns getting kicked in the mouth again to sucker Mero in. Pretty big pop for Austin after that. They go outside again and Austin slingshots Mero into the post! Another pop. Austin elbow off the second rope for 2. He slaps around the back of Mero's head to humiliate him. Mero lifts Austin up and he gets crotched on the top rope. Austin lifts Mero up to hit a Stun Gun, they lose their balance, teeter, recover, and Mero turns it into a rana that sends both guys over the top to the floor! It was sloppy but they got there in the end. Marlena and the usher randomly comes out but it doesn't go anywhere. Mero hits a moonsault off the apron to the floor! Slingshot splash for 2. Austin counters mounted punches and now it's Mero that's crotched. Mero blocks a stunner. Springboard legdrop for 2. Austin clips Mero's knee. Stunner! That's it. Not as good as their KOTR match, but like all of Mero's early WWF matches it was definitely ambitious in terms of high spots. Austin is slowly developing the mannerisms that would become famous with Stone Cold. **3/4

 

The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) def Goldust (w/Marlena) by DQ in 12:07- After the casket match at the last IYH Goldust and Mankind have struck up a weird sort of partnership to torment Taker. Goldust stalls forever on the floor and then tries to hide behind the ref. Taker doesn't flinch a muscle as Goldust slowly inches up to him.....then takes him down with one thrust to the throat. Goldust goes right back to the floor. After some more stalling he drags Taker out but gets dropped again. Choke slam on the stairs! Taker goes to throw the stairs on top of Goldust but Marlena shields him and the ref stops it. Back in Goldust works a top turnbuckle pad off. Taker clothesline and legdrop for 2. Goldust hits a flurry of knees in the corner. Taker blocks a punch, does some more pummeling and hits the rope walk drop. Goldust dodges an elbow drop and clotheslines Taker to the floor. Naturally he lands on his feet. Taker snaps Goldust's throat over the top rope and he does a nice flop. You may have noticed I'm a sucker for a good delayed flop. Goldust reverses a whip and Taker's back goes into the exposed buckle. They go outside again and Goldust drops the stairs on Taker's back to damage it some more. Double chinlock in the ring. Taker comes back and hits a big boot. He goes for the tombstone. Goldust fights it, so Taker wraps up a small package for 2. That was a new one. Flying clothesline. Tombstone! Mankind comes up from underneath the ring! Mandible claw! He pulls Taker down through the hole! Mankind comes back up and smoke comes up out of the hole. The lights flicker and Undertaker's Dong hits. Everyone stalls for a while to let Taker get where he needs to go. Taker comes back up through the ring on the other side! He and Mankind brawl up the aisle to the back. Very meh match, but the Taker/Mankind angle was good stuff. *

Ad for Summerslam, and with the Summer Olympics in Atlanta that year it's Olympic themed and actually pretty funny. Ahmed Johnson running through the hurdles is the best part. Commentary vamps as the ring mat is put back together, and a crazy Canadian fan at ringside reaches over and places a Burger King crown on Jerry Lawler's head. Meanwhile the Taker/Mankind brawl has gone all the way down to the boiler room. After that is the video package for the main event. It was set up by the big brawl at the end of KOTR. In the interim the Ultimate Warrior was fired (again), or "indefinitely suspended" on TV for the real reason he was fired, no showing house shows, so he needed a replacement. Enter the freshly returning from injury Sid, who did a quickie face turn to realign with Shawn after murdering him with powerbombs barely a year prior. There is some intrigue on who's side Sid is on, and not just because he's nuts. There's a funny moment on the last Raw before this show where everyone's brawling in the parking garage and Sid barrels in driving a car, almost hitting everyone on both sides. On the other side, Jim Cornette has guaranteed a Camp Cornette victory or everyone in the arena will get a refund.

 

Vader, "The King of Harts" Owen Hart and "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith (w/Jim Cornette) def WWF Champion "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, WWF Intercontinental Champion Ahmed Johnson and Sycho Sid (w/Jose Lothario) in 24:34- During Shawn's entrance a bunch of kids pile up so much on a barricade section it collapses right into the entrance aisle! Shawn does a good job covering as security swoops in. Johnson is still carrying Goldust's gold strap IC belt. Vader and Johnson start. No, Vader wants Shawn. Shawn obliges. He holds his own with Vader in the first lockup but gets lifted by the neck from the second. Slugfest. Vader wins that too. Shawn gets on Vader's shoulders and hits a rana! Shawn crossbody and both go over the top to the floor! Baseball slide. Shawn plancha! This is already by far the best match tonight and it's barely started. Shawn dives off the apron again but misses and hits the guardrail. Vader corner potatoes. Shawn flips over and tags Sid. All the heels eat clotheslines and get tossed over the top to the floor, including Vader. The crowd goes ballistic. No don't cheer Sid, you'll only encourage him. Johnson ROLLING GERMANS on Owen! Well, mostly Germans, They were hit on the side instead of the back but close enough. He misses an elbow drop by a mile but hits Bulldog with a spinebuster. Pearl River Plunge! Vader breaks the pin up, then slowly backs Johnson into the corner clearly laying out the next spots in detail. Johnson pummels Vader down in the corner. Vader reverses and hits an avalanche. More Vader corner punches that he's pretty obviously pulling to go easier on Johnson. He goes for another avalanche. Johnson catches and powerslams him! Owen spinning heel kick on Johnson. Johnson press slams Owen. Big boot from Sid. Then genius Sid whips Owen right into the heel corner. Bulldog hits a huge delayed suplex on Sid. Vader tackle. Sid no sells Bulldog headbutts and punches and tags. Shawn double ax handle off the top for 2. He reverses a whip and Bulldog runs into Vader on the apron. Shawn covers for 2. Shawn/Owen Oklahoma roll. Owen gets a 2 count. Shawn victory roll for 2. Owen rolls it over for 2. Bridge and backsl...no, Owen breaks it and hits a clothesline. That was an amazing, breathless sequence from Shawn and Owen there. Just tremendous. Bulldog backdrop and legdrop for 2. Owen hits Shawn in the back of the head with his cast. Vader comes in to finish him off. Shawn flip in the corner to the floor. Vader short clothesline, then locks on a Million Dollar Dream/cobra clutch like sleeper on Shawn. While he's holding it some idiot fan jumps the rail and tries to climb into the ring. Bulldog cuts him off and security takes care of him offscreen to the delight of the crowd. Bulldog probably saved his life, if that guy had hit Vader he probably wouldn't have lived to tell the story. More modified sleeper that Vader turns into a choke when Hebner's back is turned. Shawn finally punches out but runs into a tackle. Vader big splash. Before he can cover Johnson runs in and clotheslines him. Bulldog cuts off a tag. Shawn fights out of a Canadian backbreaker. He tries a crucifix but Bulldog drops him. Shawn/Owen midring collision. The tag is cut off again. Bulldog powerslam! Sid breaks the pin up with a legdrop. Hot tag to Johnson! No, Hebner didn't see it! They did a good job of not making it obvious that was coming. Shawn gets triple teamed but kicks out of the cover. Owen and Bulldog try to double team but Owen missile dropkicks Bulldog. Real hot tag to Sid! Sid chokeslams Vader! And Owen. And Bulldog. Sid rocket launches Shawn onto Vader! Bulldog breaks the pin up. DONNYBROOK! Cornette gets on the apron. Shawn grabs him, gets a hold of the tennis racket, and pops Vader with it. Vader kicks out! Shawn tunes up the band but Cornette grabs his boot. Vader avalanche! Vader bomb! 3 count! Vader just pinned the WWF Champion! After the bell Sid powerbombs Owen and Bulldog, but they save Vader before he can take one too. Shawn over the top tope onto Vader! Hebner eventually breaks it up. Fantastic, show saving main event. ***3/4

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Very much a one match show as there was nothing worthwhile going on in the undercard. Most of the show was wheel spinning, while the last part of it mostly existed to set up the top two matches for Summerslam: Mankind vs Undertaker in the Boiler Room Brawl, and Vader vs Shawn for the WWF Title. If anyone was looking for an instant response to WCW's nuclear escalation at Bash at the Beach they were in for a disappointment.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C-