In Your House 15: A Cold Day In Hell

Legacy Review

In Your House 15: A Cold Day In Hell

May 11, 1997 from the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

The house set has returned in full, and it's at the top of the large metal ramp that's become a staple on the new look Raw over the course of the year. There's several important cosmetic changes for this show if you're into that sort of thing as I am: the ring ropes are all red on a PPV for the first time, there's new black turnbuckle pads with a white WWF logo, and the ring posts, ring mat and guardrail are all now black. The visual transition continues here in the early stages of the Attitude Era. This is also just the second PPV with JR & the King doing commentary with no Vince.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna) def Flash Funk in 10:05- Speaking of transitions, Trips' presentation is still the old aristocrat HHH, but his personality and character are quickly becoming more Game/DX HHH. Funk doesn't have the Funkettes anymore. The reason given is Chyna ran them off, the real reason is WWF's money was so tight they couldn't afford them anymore. Basic start. Funk gets a hiptoss/dropkick/armdrag combo. JR points out that the Hart Foundation bought 5 ringside seats (from scalpers of course) for tonight so they can keep an eye on Austin. They aren't here yet and their seats are empty. Funk does some flippydo and dropkicks HHH to the floor. HHH works the ref and Chyna nails Funk from behind. Facebuster and high knee back in. HHH stomps away in the corner and Chyna gets another shot in. HHH suplex and kneedrop for 2. Funk tries a comeback, which in practice looks more like stumbling around, and HHH gives him a knee to the gut. Two more Harley Race high knees from HHH, the last one sending Funk off the apron onto the ramp. Back in HHH tries coming off the top. Funk gets a boot up and HHH does a fantastic super slow mo flop. Funk does some uninspired comeback stuff. Springboard legdrop for 2. Crossbody off the top. On a corner whip HHH tries to do the Trips flip but doesn't get all the way over. I think he went in *too* fast that time. Funk hits a spinning heel kick. He goes up top again but HHH crotches him. Back superplex with Funk doing a full 360 rotation. The Pedigree hits and it's over. Eh. Even as a spot monkey, which was pretty much all he was ever good for, Funk was rapidly outliving his usefulness. *1/2

We get footage of Ken Shamrock's MMA days to prove that he is indeed the baddest man that ever walked a planet in the history of all universes. Or something. There's also footage of Mankind and Vader attacking Shamrock in his locker room on the preshow. JR and King try to talk to him live but he's IN THE ZONE.

 

Mankind def Rocky Maivia in 8:46- Paul Bearer is still off getting burn treatment after the last PPV. Lawler teases that he'll be back on Raw tomorrow night. Rocky dropped the IC title to Owen Hart on a Raw just after the last PPV and shows a bit of attitude for the first time during the course of this match rather than the plucky babyface he'd been so far. Little did anyone know the future these two had in store over the next couple of years. Mankind does his usual sitdown and rocking in the corner, then tries to ambush Rocky but Rocky cuts him off. Backdrop, dropkick and he 360 clotheslines Mankind to the floor. Mankind drags him out and beats him down a bit on the floor. Rocky hits a powerslam back in. Mankind dodges an elbow but Rocky quickly counters into a hammerlock. After a leg takedown Mankind gets tossed to the floor again. Rocky goes out and Mankind hits him with a cannonball off the apron! Bang bang! Corner beatdown and running knee from Mankind. Rocky dodges in the corner and they do a double clothesline. Mankind goes 360 to the floor again. They fight up the ramp. Rock Bottom on the ramp! It's not a thing and not even called the Rock Bottom yet but it still looked good. Rocky belly to belly suplex back in for 2. Mankind works into a counter clothesline. Rocky small package for 2. Hard clothesline to the back of Mankind's head. Shoulderbreaker. Rocky goes up and hits the crossbody off the top. Mankind hooks in the Mandible Claw while being covered! Rocky goes out! Nice finish, OKish match. This was the start of WWF's major course correction on Rocky after the crowd thoroughly rejected him. It would stall out a few months due to a knee injury Rocky suffered during this match, but when he returned in August it would be as a changed man. **

 

Gauntlet Match: The Nation of Domination (w/more Nation) def Ahmed Johnson in 13:43- If the Nation loses this match they've agreed to disband, but in true Nation style they've stacked the odds because Johnson has to beat all three guys to win, where it would take only one Nation guy getting a decision on Johnson to get them the victory. WWF President Gorilla Monsoon comes out to lay the law down to the Nation- pick one guy to start, everyone else has to leave ringside and stay up on the entrance stage. Crush starts out for the Nation. Johnson pounds away on him and hits a scissors kick. Crush dodges an elbow drop and then hits a SUPERKICK? Didn't know Crush had it in him. Clothesline off the second rope for 2. Suplex and Johnson holds his leg which looks like something legit. He keeps going. Johnson blocks another suplex and hits a falcon arrow for 2. Crush hooks on a sleeper. They stay in that for a while and the ref does the arm drops. Johnson powers out but runs into a Crush knee to the gut. Crush wants the Nation goons to come down and help him but none of them do. Johnson roll up for 2. Crush hits a piledriver. He still wants help and still no one comes. Crush sets up the heart punch. Johnson counters, hits a heel kick, and pins Crush. Savio Vega is next up. He limps down to the ring with a supposed ankle injury. Johnson hits a backdrop for 2. Stiff clotheslines. Vega hits the corner heel kick that he falls to the floor doing. Guess the ankle's OK. A long, dull Vega beatdown follows. Johnson turns it around with a hiptoss of all things. Vega dodges a splash off the second rope and mocks Johnson. Johnson dodges in the corner and hits a back suplex for 2. Powerslam for 2. He calls for the Pearl River Plunge. Vega rolls out. Johnson follows and eats a superkick. Vega gets a chair and whacks Johnson with it, getting the cheap DQ. But it's all strategery, as he continues to pummel Johnson with the chair to soften him up for the last man in the gauntlet, Faarooq. Faarooq is still in a sling but takes it off when he gets to the ring. He's OK now too. Johnson gets a small package for 2. JR goes into some detail about Faarooq's history as Ron Simmons, showing how loose the reins on commentary have gotten. Faarooq goes into beatdown mode until Johnson plants him with a spinebuster. Pearl River Plunge! Johnson is slow to cover. Faarooq kicks out! The crowd bit hard on that. Faarooq gets a chop block and follows up with the Dominator for the pin. The Crush segment was horrible but the rest was moderately serviceable. The crowd was also really into it at least. 3/4*

 

No Holds Barred Match: Ken Shamrock def Vader in 13:21- The rules of this match are win by submission or KO only, no pins. Shamrock is being billed as a wrestling rookie, but he actually worked a stint in All Japan and some indies back around '90-'91. This is his first worked match since then though. Vader was a smart choice to get him going, and even smarter after seeing how this match goes. Yes, this is the famous "Vader teaches Ken Shamrock how to work the hard way" match. They start out arms out MMA style with Shamrock getting some hammy kicks in. Lawler references the famous Inoki vs Ali fight that's generally credited with creating MMA. Vader grabs a waistlock. Shamrock turns over into a wristlock and tries for a kimura type hold. Vader gets to the ropes. Vader tries to get some shots in the corner but Shamrock escapes. Shamrock grabs waistlocks and tries to take Vader down, succeeding on the second try. Vader rolls out for a think. He charges back in. Shamrock ducks punches and gets another waistlock takedown that was almost a full German suplex. He lays in some forearms that land pretty stiff on Vader. Vader pushes Shamrock away and rolls out to the floor again because he was getting hit for real. Back in Vader grabs Shamrock and lays in some punches and headbutts that definitely have some stiff receipts in them. He tries a hiptoss. Shamrock blocks it, takes Vader down and tries for his submission of instant death, the ankle lock. Vader escapes to the floor again. When he gets back in Shamrock lays in some more kicks and forearms. Vader powers out of a facelock. STIFF short clothesline. Vader's had about enough of being hit for real. He lays on Shamrock for a bit while holding an armbar. Shamrock reverses, tries for an armbreaker and then a triangle choke. Vader lifts him up and tosses him across the ring. Vader lifts Shamrock in a suplex, then drops him straight down to the floor! I think that was a message to ease up a little. Vader follows and gives Shamrock some stair shots. They fight up the ramp a bit with Vader flooring Shamrock with a stiff forearm. Back in Vader tries his own ankle lock but Shamrock escapes. Rear choke from Vader and another escape. Avalanche. Setup slam. Vader teases the Vader bomb....but then goes all the way up top. VADERSAULT! Shamrock dodges it! Flurry in the corner and Shamrock slams Vader! He tries a single leg crab. Vader gets to the ropes. In the corner Shamrock starts pummeling Vader with another series of forearms and knees, and once again a lot of them are extremely stiff and catching Vader right on the jaw. Vader visibly tries to push Shamrock back to get him to ease up but Shamrock doesn't take the hint and keeps pounding away. Finally Vader says enough is enough of this shit, stands straight, and absolutely WAFFLES Shamrock with a straight right hand right on Shamrock's ear! Shamrock drops like a rock and I don't think he was selling. Vader gives Shamrock a minute to recover, then walks over so Shamrock can get a leg takedown for the finish. The ankle lock is on and Vader taps. After the match Shamrock is still a little legit wobblelegged and Vader kayfabe needs help to get back to the locker room. Well. There's no doubt it's entertaining, and Shamrock did learn his lesson and eased up in the ring after this match for the most part. I call it a win all around. ***

 

WWF Championship: The Undertaker (c) def "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in 20:06- This is the first of many PPV main events for this matchup. Lots of Austin 3:16 shirts in the crowd as Austin continues to slowly become the face of the company. Good pop for Austin too though Taker's is a bit bigger as this is a face vs face matchup. After entrances the Hart Foundation finally make their way out to take the ringside seats that have sat empty all show, including new member Brian Pillman and the recently WWF returned Jim Neidhart. Bret is in a wheelchair to sell his broken leg at the hands of Austin (storyline, in reality it was a minor knee injury). As they take their seats Austin jumps Taker! Back and forth brawl with Taker still having his jacket and the belt on. Off a whip Austin grabs the top rope, slides out, goes right for the Harts and pulls Owen over the guardrail! Taker comes from behind and pushes Austin into the stairs. Then he hits Owen, sending him back over the rail into his seat! Taker also hits Bulldog for good measure. As he gets back in Austin hits him with some elbows. Taker flying clothesline for 2. Old school hits. Austin grabs a headlock and works that for a bit to give the match a breather. Stiff shoulderblock standoff. Austin kicks and gets a headlock takedown, and more headlock that might start to overstay its welcome just a bit. The Harts jaw with the crowd while that's on. Taker escapes the headlock but Austin uses it to give him a chop block and starts to go to work on Taker's knee. Taker grabs a choke, throws Austin into the corner and starts pounding away. Austin pulls Taker down and posts his knee, then flips off the Harts. Taker pulls with his legs and posts Austin. Austin recovers quickly and gets back on Taker's knee. He flips over a slam attempt and tries for an STF. Taker gets to the ropes. Austin continues the knee work. Taker pushes him over the top to the floor. Now Taker starts working on Austin's bum knee. He puts on a single leg crab and Austin gets to the ropes. Austin rolls out and wants a time out. Taker disagrees. Austin ducks a big boot and clips Taker again. Spinning toe hold. He looks like he wants a figure four but doesn't fully put it on. Taker fights out. Austin pounds Taker with elbows to the head and covers for 2. Suplex for 2. Taker gets a hook kick. He goes for old school again but Austin drops him. Taker blocks an Austin superplex attempt. Austin dodges an elbow drop. Taker hooks on a sleeper. Austin quickly jawbreakers out. Austin low blow! Hebner's furious. Austin says sorry....until Hebner turns his back, then Austin flips him off! HUGE pop for that. Taker low blow! All's fair I guess. HEBNER FLIPS AUSTIN OFF! Taker chokeslam! Austin rolls to the apron and when Taker gets close snaps him over the top rope. Stunner! The bell rings as Austin covers! It's Brian Pillman that crazy loose canon! Austin goes over to yell at him. Taker sits up. He hooks up for the Tombstone. Austin reverses to a massive pop! Taker reverses the reversal and hits it! There's quite a few boos for that, the crowd was really pulling for Austin down the stretch. Hebner does the epic slow count even though he never took a bump and it's over. Really good match, and even better in that I think they left a lot on the table for the future, which is good because as I mentioned this is a match WWF will be going back to a lot the next couple of years. ***1/2

Here comes the Hart Foundation. They gang up and attack Taker. Austin sees Bret by himself. He dumps Bret's wheelchair over! Austin takes a crutch and runs the rest of the Harts off. Owen takes a Taker chokeslam before leaving. This beef is far from over. Austin gives Taker a Stunner for the road before chasing the Harts to the back. Taker quickly follows.

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- The undercard is moderately serviceable and the last two matches mostly deliver, so all in all not a shabby show. This is at a point where WWF is getting a lot of big picture and intangible stuff right again so we're going to start to see more of these shows where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts again. Having JR and Lawler on their own on commentary also instantly elevates everything.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C+