Badd Blood '97: In Your House

Legacy Review

Badd Blood '97: In Your House

October 5, 1997 from the Kiel Center in St. Louis, MO

Commentary: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

Small bit of history here as this is the final show to be commentated by Vince before he moved into being the Mr. McMahon character (or, alternative interpretation, playing himself) full time. No house set for this one, instead it's a more basic entrance stage of the metal/cage variety that will become common the next few years. Another visual tweak pushing more toward modern times: the old announce tables that were actually a regular folding legs table are gone, replaced by the same style modern announce desk that's still in use today.

Before getting into the show there's an important thing to mention: during the Free For All preshow WWF announced on air the death of Brian Pillman. After failing to arrive at the PPV arena, WWF conducted a search and found out Pillman was found dead earlier that day in his hotel room in the city WWF had a house show the previous night. There wasn't much information to be had at this early stage but it was tragic news that cast a pall over the whole night.

Handicap Match: The Nation of Domination def The Legion of Doom in 12:20- Ken Shamrock was scheduled to team with LOD but was still out from the injuries he suffered at the hands of Faarooq during the IC title tournament. It's Kama Mustafa, D'Lo Brown in his PPV wrestling debut and Rocky Maivia representing the ever changing Nation in this one. Vince mentions Pillman's passing on the main PPV for the first time during entrances. Hawk takes a mic and says, essentially, screw a partner, let's go. Hawk & Brown start. Shoulderblock standoffs and Hawk hits a hiptoss/dropkick combo. He counters a Brown backdrop and hits a clothesline. Rocky tags in to huge "Rocky sucks" chants. He steps out of the ring and refuses to wrestle. His teammates talk him back in. Rocky pounds on Animal. Animal hits a tackle and a dropkick. Rocky bails and the rest of the team pumps him up again. The faces work Rocky's arm a bit. Hawk escapes from the heel corner. Kama tags in. He and Hawk struggle to get on the same page. Double clothesline. Double no sell! Hawk enzuguri. Animal powerslam. Rocky comes in without a tag and DDTs Animal! Kama hits a hook kick. Animal gets tossed to the floor and worked over. After a little face in peril work Animal pops out of the corner with a clothesline on Brown. The tag is cut off. Brown hits legdrops for 2. Rocky comes in and hooks on a chinlock to more Rocky sucks chants. Animal and Rocky flub a knee to the gut a bit and Rocky stomps him down in the corner. Hawk gets baited in and Rocky gives Animal a Greco Roman Nut Punch. Animal dodges a Kama avalanche and tags. No, the ref didn't see! OK, I'll give them credit, they didn't telegraph that as bad as usual. Rocky had him distracted. The other two hold Animal down and Kama gives him a splash off the top for 2. Rocky and Animal double clothesline. Tag to Hawk! Powerslam. He dodges a Brown elbow and Brown hits Rocky. DONNYBROOK! LOD clear the ring and isolate Rocky. They set up the Doomsday Device but Faarooq comes out to distract. The Nation attack from behind. Rock Bottom! That gets the pin. Not much of a match, but one positive is heel Rocky is a completely different man than face Rocky. The kid might work out after all. *1/2

Vince does another announcement of Pillman's passing in close up from commentary. He says Pillman died earlier that day, we don't know any other details yet, sends condolences to Pillman's family and says this next match is a replacement match for the originally scheduled Pillman vs Dude Love match.

 

Max Mini and Nova def Tarantula and Mosaic in 6:43- Another PPV spot for the lucha midgets. I have this funny (to me at least) image of all these guys in a "in case of emergency break glass" box and Vince breaking it open just before the show. Because of these guys' background this is lucha rules, so tagging and selling are optional. Tarantula takes Mini out with a kick after the bell. Nova tries a big move and splats, but then works the heels into numerous failed double teams. Everyone brawls on the floor and we reset. Mini and Mosaic do some back and forth. Nova hits a splash off the top. Mini gets a hurricanrana but the pin is broken up. Double big boot from the heels. Mosaic chops Nova from behind. Tarantula splash off the top for 2. Now the heels attack Mini from behind. Tarantula presses Mini on the floor and drops him on the announce table! Much to Lawler's amusement after what Mini did with him the last PPV midget match. Nova and Mosaic have a real ugly, disjointed sequence of moves that almost never was on the same page. Mini crossbody off the top. Tarantula and Mini now have coordination issues, flubbing an armdrag. Finally Mini gets Tarantula in a crucifix and mercifully gets the pin. Very sloppy match, showing its thrown together nature. It got worse as it went on too. 3/4*

 

WWF Tag Team Championship: The Godwinns (w/Uncle Cletus) def The Headbangers (c) in 12:17- Sunny does the ring announcing for this one again as they can't find anything else for her to do but want to get her on TV. She mentions her history with the tag titles. Back in her managing days she spent several months jumping teams following the belts around. The Godwinns' new manager Cletus was a veteran who spent the '80s hopping around the AWA and various NWA territories as Dirty White Boy. He spent most of the '90s in Jerry Lawler's USWA and Jim Cornette's Smokey Mountain, where he was their top champion several times. The Godwinns try to jump but the Headbangers are ready for them and they regroup on the floor. Reset with Phineas and Mosh, who try to have some kind of spitting contest. Mosh spits up and catches it back in his mouth so I guess he wins. Mosh headscissors Phineas through the corner to the floor. Thrasher hits something off the apron off camera that Vince is very excited about. Mosh clothesline off the top to the apron. On replay we see that Thrasher gave Phineas a horrible hurricanrana off the apron. That one was better off being off camera. The Headbangers hit a double flapjack and for some reason Phineas starts to roll over in midair like it's something else and lands right on his head. What the hell was he thinking? Probably not very much after that landing. He tags out and Thrasher and Henry do some back and forth stuff. A dropkick sends Henry to the floor. Phineas comes back in and gets double teamed some more. Finally Henry has enough, comes in illegally and kills Thrasher with a clothesline. Thrasher gets crotched on the top rope and Phineas clotheslines him to the floor. Cletus gets some shots in. More dull Headbanger in peril work follows. Thrasher gets a sunset flip but the ref is distracted. Henry hits a wheelbarrow slam and covers. Mosh makes the save. Midring collision but Phineas keeps Thrasher from tagging. Thrasher dodges a Phineas avalanche and hits a back suplex. Tag to Mosh. He cleans house with Cletus also taking a shot. Headbanger double team powerbomb on Phineas. Everyone in the pool! Mosh goes for the butt splash off the top rope but Phineas plucks him out of midair, powerbombs him, and gets a clean pin for the titles! The experimental reign of the Headbangers ends in just under a month. Their gimmick was perfect for the time and that got them a following, but in the ring they were spot monkeys at best. The Godwinns would also be transitional champions, dropping to none other than the Legion of Doom on Raw just after this show, giving LOD their first title reign in over 6 years. *

Video package for the still injured Steve Austin, highlighting how he's gotten even more popular since his injury by talking trash and giving stunners to anyone in sight, particularly anyone in authority. In fact, the first ever stunner to Vince (and Vince's terrible sell of it) get the bulk of the attention here. Will Austin be fired for attacking the boss? Find out tomorrow night on Raw. And pretty much every night in 1998. In the meantime, Commissioner Slaughter has ordered Austin to be in the building tonight to award the IC title belt to the tournament winner. I'm sure that will go without incident.

After that JR is in the ring to host a tribute to St. Louis wrestling and the legends of the old territory, which was arguably the NWA's #1 territory before the rise of Jim Crockett's Mid-Atlantic in the early '80s. It was certainly #1 during the '70s because it was Harley Race's home territory. Sunny is there too but she just stands around looking hot. Among the honorees: promoter and longtime NWA president Sam Muchnick, Gene Kiniski, Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr, Harley Race, Terry Funk and Lou Thesz. It's well done and pretty cool to see WWF acknowledge NWA history like this. It seems random, but it's actually very early groundwork for the Jim Cornette led NWA invasion angle that will kick off right around the calendar change to '98. After that Vince has a little more on the Pillman situation. He says that the police report says there was no foul play, but the possibility of a drug overdose can't be ruled out.

 

Tournament Final for the Vacant WWF Intercontinental Championship: The Slammy Award Winning Owen Hart def Faarooq in 7:12- The IC title was vacated after Steve Austin's injury at Summerslam, where he defeated Owen for it. Fun, or maybe not so fun, fact: 4 of the 6 matches in the tournament, including both semifinals, were won by DQ. Seems like DQ overkill. Faarooq actually lost his first round match to Ken Shamrock, but Shamrock was injured in that match so Faarooq advanced. Faarooq comes out without any other Nation members. Owen has new music, and he's also wearing his "Owen 3:16 I just broke your neck" shirt. He does not look at all happy to be out there. Owen was well known as an emotional guy and all the Harts were close with Pillman well before the Hart Foundation stable, I'm sure his head was understandably not in the game on this night. This is also heel vs heel so the crowd doesn't have anyone to go for. Glass shatter! Austin is out before the match starts! He flips Owen off and Slaughter ushers him over to a seat in the timekeeper's area. Austin grabs a wrench and rings the bell himself! Both wrestlers are still distracted by Austin. Austin goes over and steals Vince's headset! Owen flashes his shirt at Austin and Austin calls it "cheap heat at its best". He puts Vince's headset back on him and goes back to his seat as the match finally gets underway. Basic start with Faarooq getting a shoulderblock and tossing Owen out of a headlock. On split screen we now see Austin on a security walkie talkie. Can't get arrested again if you can tell security to be where you're not. Faarooq continues to pound away. Owen slides under him and hits a spinning heel kick. He starts working Faarooq's knee. Austin is still messing around. Now he's on Spanish commentary! Now he's on French commentary! After more knee work Faarooq pushes Owen with his legs and Owen posts his shoulder. More Faarooq power stuff follows. Owen dodges a legdrop off the second rope. Faarooq fights off the Sharpshooter. Powerslam for 2. Now Jim Neidhardt comes out to ringside. Faarooq spinebuster for 2. Neidhardt distracts the ref. Austin comes up and whacks Faarooq in the head with the belt! Owen covers and gets the pin to get the title back! Austin tosses the belt in the ring and leaves. Why would Austin help his arch enemy get the title? Because Austin wanted to beat Owen again for it of course. This would also kick off a beef between Austin and the Nation, which eventually led to a small little feud that went on for a bit you might have heard about: Austin vs the Rock. The match itself was what it was. Between the (admittedly very fun) Austin sideshow, the interference and the effect of Pillman's death there was pretty much no way for it to succeed. *1/4

The Disciples of Apocalypse def Los Boricuas in 9:11- Yay, more Russo gang warfare. This is another replacement match thrown together on the fly. The DOA don't even come out on their motorcycles so I guess it definitely was impromptu. These matches are never any good in the best of circumstances, so as they're pretty much just out here to kill some time I'm not getting deep into it. I will say Savio Vega has, er, widened to the point I'm not even sure if it's him or some LB member I'd forgotten about. DOA gets the initial upper hand, Chainz of DOA plays face in peril for a while before the mandatory big brawl starts. After some ref distraction shenanigans and near falls Crush wins the match with a backbreaker. 1/2*

Flag Match: WWF Champion Bret "Hitman" Hart and "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith def Vader and The Patriot in 23:13- It's pin, submission or capture your own flag to win rules. Vader drops a bleeped "bullshit" during his prematch promo. The Hart Foundation jump out during the faces' entrance and we have a brawl on the floor without the match even starting yet. Bret and Vader go all over the commentary area. It's a damn shame we never got a Bret/Vader singles match on PPV during this period, it would have kicked all kinds of ass. Both sides use the flags they brought as weapons. Patriot chokes Bulldog with the US flag while Vader potatoes Bret in the entrance aisle. Finally the faces get in the ring while the Harts recover on the floor and the bell rings to officially start the match. The Harts continue to stall. Finally Patriot gets a clue and goes for his flag. Bulldog gets in to stop him. Commentary gets all over Patriot for taking forever to realize he had that huge opening. More brawling and Bret gets a low blow on Patriot. Patriot sells it for about two seconds then hits a hip toss and backdrop on Bulldog. Vader tackle. Bret and Vader get in a slugfest. Not hard to guess who wins that. Short clothesline. Bret dodges an avalanche but walks into a Vader clothesline. Vader stops Bret climbing for the flag with a low blow. Bret gets a sunset flip but Vader squashes him. Patriot beats Bulldog down. The Harts double team to stop Patriot climbing. Vader stops a Bulldog climb with another low blow. Lots of ice packs are going to be needed after this match. Patriot posts his shoulder. Bret hooks on the post wraparound figure four! Vader makes him let go and chases him off. Measured shots from Bret back in the ring and he spits at Vader. Sharpshooter on Patriot. Patriot reverses it! Then he doesn't seem to be sure how to put it on. It's still better than the Rock's. Bulldog clotheslines Patriot out of the hold. All four guys stack up in the corner and Patriot climbs over them all to try to get to the flag. Hart Decapitation Device on Patriot for 2. Patriot fights over to tag Vader. Tackle on Bulldog for 2. Back suplex. Big splash for 2. Vader tries for the flag but Bulldog pulls him down. Bret gets a back suplex on Vader. He gets Vader in the Sharpshooter. Vader grabs a rope but Patriot still comes in to break it up. He's got a rope Del, he's good. Chill. Vader drops the gut elbow on Bret then tries to put Bret in the Sharpshooter! JR: "It's Sharpshooter night in St. Louis!". Bulldog stops him before he can get it fully on. Patriot comes in without a tag and for some reason the ref allows it. This one isn't lucha rules, they're actually selling stuff. Patriot tackle on Bret. He puts a figure four on Bret. Bret reaches out and gets a tag while still in the hold. Bulldog suplex on Patriot for 2. Powerslam for 2. Bret comes in and works Patriot over. Vader stops a Bret flag climb. Vader setup slam on Bulldog. Vader Bo.....no, he goes up top! VADERSAULT! Vader saw Bulldog dodging and LANDS ON HIS FEET! He didn't stick the landing but that was still awesome. He jumps right back on Bulldog and lays in some corner potatoes. Bulldog gets clotheslined 360 to the floor. The Harts double team Vader on the floor. Bret takes the ring bell and whacks Vader with it! Then, being the polite Canadian, puts the bell back where he found it. Back in Bret slams Vader! DDT for 2. Vader double clotheslines both Harts and tags. Patriot runs wild. Uncle Slam on Bret. Bulldog breaks the pin up. An idiot fan gets in the ring. Ref Mike Chioda and Bulldog get him out by force. Bret and Patriot, distracted, completely flub something and both drop. Vader Bomb on Bret followed by more confusion. Bret reverses a Patriot roll up with a handful of tights to get the pin. The match was OK but considering the talent in the ring and the time they got, very disappointing. The distraction at the end didn't help, and I'm sure the wrestlers' minds were on Pillman more than the match, completely understandably. On another night this might have been awesome. **

Ad for Survivor Series and this year's tagline, Gang Rulz because Russo loves faction warfare. The brand new Hell in a Cell structure lowers from the ceiling for the first time. We get a video package of the Shawn/Taker feud. It all started when Shawn, as the guest ref, hit Taker in the head with a chair at Summerslam to cost him the WWF Title and it's only escalated from there. There's a funny bit where Commissioner Slaughter looks under the ring with a flashlight to make sure there's no one hidden away under there.

 

Hell in a Cell Match: WWF European Champion "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels (w/D-Generation X) def The Undertaker in 29:59- Here we are, the first ever Hell in a Cell match. This was a new look in more ways than one as WWF was still using the old blue bar cage for regular cage matches at the time. The new, huge Cell structure looks extremely impressive right away. Hebner locks the door while Slaughter looks on after the wrestlers get in. Shawn's DX teammates are also sent back to the locker room. Shawn watches the door being locked with clear second thoughts about what he's gotten himself into. He tries to run as Taker stalks him. Back in the ring Shawn runs into a big boot. Taker lays in the beatdown. Goozle! Shawn quickly fights out. Corner whip reversal and we get an early Shawn flip. Taker hits a clothesline. Old school hits. Slam and legdrop. Huge backdrop and Shawn's feet graze the roof of the cage. Taker tosses Shawn to the floor and almost all the way into the cage. Shawn tries to climb but Taker pulls him down. He whips Shawn into the cage and hits another clothesline. Taker tries a powerbomb. Shawn flips over and grabs the cage! Taker turns around and backs Shawn into the cage! Rapid fire Taker body shots. He lifts Shawn up and runs his back into the post, then the cage, and back and forth a few more times. Shawn pushes a cameraman away while he's down. Taker tries to throw Shawn face first into the cage. Shawn blocks and tries to push Taker. He blocks that, turns around and hits another clothesline. Shawn goes into the steps. Another whip into the cage. Finally Shawn manages to dodge a charge and Taker goes into the cage. Shawn immediately drops and starts to pummel Taker, then gets into the ring to try to get some breathing space. Taker snaps Shawn's throat over the top rope. Shawn knocks Taker off the apron into the cage. Shawn TOPE SUICIDA! That really is nuts given how little room there is for it. He climbs a bit up the cage and drops an elbow on Taker. Clothesline off the apron. Shawn takes the steps and drops them on Taker. Piledriver on the steps! Shawn pushes the cameraman away again and there's some swears bleeped out. Double ax handle off the top to the floor. Shawn gets a chair. Back in the ring he whacks Taker in the back with it. Cover for 2. Slugfest. Shawn ties Taker up in the ropes and starts punching him. Hebner makes him back off. Shawn charges but Taker gets a boot up. Taker backdrops Shawn to the floor, and Shawn lands on a cameraman! Shawn starts beating up the cameraman for getting in the way! He tosses the cameraman onto the chair! Anger vented, Shawn gets back in the ring and back on Taker. A photographer in the ring calls for help for the cameraman. Shawn flying forearm/kip up. Slaughter is out. Shawn hits the elbow off the top. Slaughter tells Hebner to open the door to get the cameraman's carcass out. Shawn tunes up the band. Superkick! TAKER SITS RIGHT BACK UP! Shawn runs. The door is still open! The wrestlers have escaped the cage! Brawl in the aisle. Shawn dropkicks Taker into the cage! He tries again but Taker grabs Shawn's legs and slingshots him into the cage! Shawn is busted open. Taker lawn darts Shawn into the cage! Shawn gets a desperation low blow. He climbs up the cage and Taker follows. They're on the roof! Shawn grabs Taker for a piledriver. Taker backdrops him onto the roof! Great camera shot there from inside the ring looking up. Some drops of Shawn's blood even get on the lens. Taker gives Shawn some cheese grater on the roof. Hebner is hilariously standing on the turnbuckles shouting "Get back in the ring!". Taker press slams Shawn on the roof! Shawn starts to climb down again. Taker stops his hand. Shawn dangles halfway up the cage. Taker stomps the other hand! SHAWN FALLS DOWN AND GOES RIGHT THROUGH THE SPANISH ANNOUNCE TABLE! I know that's kind of old hat now, but nothing like that had ever been done in WWF at the time. Even a fall from halfway up the cage was mind blowing. Taker climbs down. Shawn is back up. Taker throws him onto the French announce table! Then back onto the remains of the Spanish table! Shawn scurries away, gets back in the cell and back in the ring. He's got the full crimson mask of blood. The door is locked again. Taker sets Shawn up top. Super choke slam! Taker gets a chair. He nails Shawn right in the head with it. Taker's ready to finish it off and calls for the Tombstone. But the lights go out! Music starts up. Red light. Paul Bearer is here, and he's not alone! That guy is huge. Vince, in his last show on commentary, gives one of his most famous lines ever: "That....that's gotta be.....THAT'S GOTTA BE KANE!". Yes, after months of teasing Paul Bearer has made good on his promise to bring Taker's long thought dead brother into the WWF. Kane rips the door off the cage! Hebner is tossed aside. Kane gets in the ring and he and Taker stand off. Taker looks shocked. Kane drops his arms and fire shoots out the ring posts! Kick and scoop. Kane Tombstones Taker! He and Bearer leave, damage done and message sent. Shawn slowly crawls over and barely drapes an arm over Taker. Hebner gives the slowest of the epic slow counts, and Shawn gets the pin and wins! DX come back in and literally carry Shawn out of the cage and back to the locker room. Taker is barely coming to as the show closes. Absolute perfection on so many levels. Shawn and Taker having a physical, intense match. Introducing the Cell. Both brutality and crazy spots to make the Cell the signature it's been ever since. Kane's debut couldn't have gone better. It doesn't get much better than this. *****

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Another quintessential one match show with that match being an absolute must see. For historical reasons the show is worth watching due to Pillman's death. I'm sure it would have turned out much better if that hadn't happened, a lot of guys out there were understandably mentally elsewhere. Austin's antics in the IC title match are also fun and worth a watch. I think he was being extra goofy to try to help everyone feel a little better on a very bad night for the wrestling brotherhood.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C+