D-Generation X '97: In Your House

Legacy Review

D-Generation X '97: In Your House

December 7, 1997 from the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, MA

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

It's a month after the Montreal Screwjob and the repercussions are still being felt. With the departure of Bret Hart and most of the Hart Foundation the DX duo of Shawn Michaels and Triple H, along with Chyna, are the clear focal point of the WWF product right now. We've got a pretty cool DX stage tonight for this show. For some reason the video quality is lower than most archival WWF shows. It's not horrible but it is noticeable.

Tournament Final for the Inaugural WWF Light Heavyweight Championship: Taka Michinoku def Brian Christopher in 12:02- This is inaugural only as WWF recognizes it. The original WWF Light Heavyweight title was created in 1981 for WWF's partner Mexican promotion UWA, and after UWA folded WWF didn't care about it so it bounced around Mexico and then Japan for years. It was even part of the J-Crown during its short run. In fact, the catalyst for the J-Crown being disbanded was WWF asking for the belt back. This is the same Taka Michinoku that works in New Japan today, formerly of Suzuki-Gun but now SG's been disbanded he's the frontman/mouthpiece for the new Just 4 Guys stable that are all former SG members. Young Taka has gotten over well with the US crowds thanks to his high flying style. Brian Christopher is Jerry Lawler's son, and they're doing a fun angle where he and Lawler both deny it but it's an open secret that it's true and JR needles Lawler about it all the time. Christoper tears up a "Taka" sign before the bell and wipes his ass with it. Classy. Lockup and Christoper gets a quick slam. Another lockup right into a Christoper armdrag. He's got a considerable size and strength advantage over Taka and showing it early. A "Jerry's kid" chant sets Christopher off. Taka tries an arm wringer but Christoper almost effortlessly hiptosses him. Corner dodges, Taka flips out of a German suplex attempt, ducks a clothesline, hits a spinning heel kick and dropkicks. A clothesline sends Christopher 360 to the floor. Taka running springboard crossbody! He almost flew *over* Christoper there. Taka tries to suplex Christopher back in but gets crotched instead. A Christopher running double ax handle sends Taka to the floor. He tries coming off the top but Taka dodges and Christopher crashes into the guardrail. Back in Christopher dodges a crossbody off the top and Taka does a great splat on the mat. Christopher's lip is busted open from hitting the rail and bleeding pretty good. Taka dodges in the corner. Swinging DDT off the second rope! Cover for 2. Hurricanrana! Christopher rolls to the floor. Taka asai moonsault! Lawler leaves commentary to check on the man that's absolutely positively not his son don't you dare get into that crap again. He wipes some of the blood away in a very dad like way. Taka dropkicks Christopher and he almost falls on Lawler! JR says Lawler is "like a little league father out there". Long speed run and Christopher blocks a monkey flip and plants Taka with a Skull Crushing Finale like slam. Sit out powerbomb. Slow arrogant cover. Taka counters for 2. Christopher dropkick off the second rope to the back of Taka's head. Christopher goes full on into cocky crowd playing strutting mode. He hits a fameasser and backbreaker for 2, then tries to get Taka fired back up with a bunch of arrogant slaps. Clothesline. Christopher is clearly playing with his food rather than seriously trying to get the win. Slow cover for 2. He drops some very Lawler like fistdrops. Taka flips out of a back suplex, standing switches, Christopher hits a German. More crowd playing and a legdrop for 2. Powerslam. Christopher finally decides it's time to finish it. Taka dodges the Tennessee Jam! It's just like the Alabama Jam except it's from Tennessee. Michinoku Driver! Taka gets the pin! Fairly good stuff to get the Light Heavyweight title off the ground but nowhere near the Taka/Great Sasuke match from earlier in the year. It was a bit slow in the second half but they told a good story and Taka got his shit in. **3/4

After the match WWF tries to recreeate a Japanese style title ceremony, with Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco presenting the belt and everyone posing for pictures. Nice little touch. Don't think that one's going to make the cover of the weeklies though.

Los Boricuas def The Disciples of Apocalypse in 7:58- Oh yay, this again. One new wrinkle is DOA leader Crush is gone. On screen he was attacked by Kane to write him off, in reality he left to go back to WCW in protest of the Montreal Screwjob. To make the numbers an even 3 on 3 ref Tim White throws LB leader Savio Vega out for this match. These factions have had several PPV matches this year and they've all been horrible so I'm not getting deep into this one. As usual DOA controls to start before LB cheats to get the advantage. There's a funny moment when the crowd chants "Shave your back" to Miguel Perez, who needs to shave much more than his back. Giant Gonzales' fake hair bodysuit had less hair. Perez also feigns an injury during the match. Vega tries to replace him but White has none of it. After the usual donnybrook Perez is miraculously OK, hits Chainz from behind, and LB steal the win. Same old same old Russo faction stuff that was often little more than time filler. 1/2*

 

Toughman Match: Butterbean def "Marvelous" Marc Mero (w/Sable) by DQ in 10:20- Mero had recently returned from injury with major changes. He changed his wrestling style from high flying to his boxing roots due to the injuries he'd accumulated over the years, and he's also turned heel by treating Sable like 1986 Randy Savage treated Elizabeth. Butterbean was a professional boxer known for quick knockouts in short four round "Toughman" matches, hence the name of this match tonight. I'm honestly not sure how he got on WWF's radar but it was probably part of the continuing effort to bring more shoot style fighters in (Ken Shamrock, Steve Blackman). This match is a precursor to the disastrous Brawl for All competition WWF would hold in '98, but unlike those matches which were genuine shoots this one is completely worked. It's boxing rules and 2 minute rounds for this match. Mero worked some matches like this in WCW because of his boxing background so if you're going to try to make it work he's the right guy to do it with, but those were with fellow wrestlers. I'm not sure Butterbean knew what he was doing in this environment. Mero spends most of the first round hiding in the ropes. Finally Butterbean pops him and he falls down to the floor. After the bell Mero punches Butterbean in the back of his head and everyone in both guys' entourages has to be separated. When the bell rings to start round two Mero does it again, hitting Butterbean from behind with a high knee. Then he chokes Butterbean with wrist tape. Butterbean starts punching back so Mero glove thumbs him in the eye and starts pummeling him with body shots. After the bell Mero dropkicks Butterbean in the back. I think we've got the point by now. Round three starts with Butterbean all kinds of fired up and he dominates the round. A hard right floors Mero just as the round ends. Round four starts and Mero is quickly staring at the lights again. When he gets up he hits Butterbean with a blatant low blow and gets DQ'd. After that he hits Butterbean with his stool. 3/4*

Luna Vachon drags out The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust on a leash. Both are wearing a lot of pink. TAFKAG says he's going to read a book "he wrote as a kid" and proceeds to read from Green Eggs & Ham. After a bit Luna says that's enough and drags him away. OK then. On Raw that would have been awful and pointless. On PPV, I want a partial refund for the time of that segment. This is the era WWF was experimenting with how far they could push boundaries, and I'm no prude but Goldust and Luna's bondage play was a bit too far over the edge for my liking.

 

WWF Tag Team Championship: "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn and Road Dogg (c) def The Legion of Doom by DQ in 10:32- Billy Gunn and Road Dogg were two guys going nowhere that got thrown together as a tag team and upset LOD for the titles on Raw just before this with no indication of the legendary team they'd become. Sometimes those things work, sometimes they don't. Dogg, as usual, is talking on the way to the ring. LOD wants to go right now, but Dogg stalls by saying they haven't stretched properly yet. Finally officials come out to force the champs to the ring. Dogg says Gunn is sick and they need to see a doctor. LOD attacks from behind. In the ring Animal kicks Dogg and whips him with the title belt. Hawk dropkick. Dogg rolls out. Hawk counters a backdrop with a neckbreaker. The heels regroup on the floor. Hawk gives them a double clothesline off the apron! Animal gets a clothesline in on the floor too. Double noggin knocker. Dogg keeps trying to tag in the wrong corner. He gets beat down some more. After a long speed run Animal catches Dogg leapfrogging and hits a sit out powerbomb for 2. The champs go to the floor again and get ambushed again. Gunn gets dropped on the steps. The champs try to walk and there's a brawl in the aisle. Dogg hits Hawk with an ice chest from under the ring. Apparently at the same time Gunn low blowed Hawk but it wasn't caught on camera. Gunn hits Hawk in the head again with the chest and it breaks. Turns out it was only styrofoam. Oh well. Dogg drops a knee for 2. Dropkick and Dogg does the worm before covering for 2. Hawk stays Road Warrior in peril for a while with slow heel offense from the champs. Gunn/Hawk double clothesline. Gunn grabs Hawk's tights to prevent the tag. Hawk does a Bret bump in the corner and he and Gunn collide. Tags on both sides. Animal powerslam and tackles. Double team corner clothesline from LOD and they set up the Doomsday Device. Henry Godwinn runs in and hits Animal with his bucket. Hawk takes the bucket and wails way on everything that moves, drawing the DQ. That was a match that existed. 1/2*

 

Boot Camp Match: Triple H (w/Chyna) def Sgt. Slaughter in 17:39- DX had been a thorn in Commissioner Slaughter's side for months, both professionally and personally, so Slaughter decided to come out of retirement and do something about it. The Boot Camp match was his specialty match back in his wrestling days. It's pretty much your standard no DQ street fight. Trips comes out to the new DX theme and is in jeans. Slaughter uses the Patriot's music, which will eventually be Kurt Angle's music. The brawl is on as soon as Slaughter hits the ring. Someone throws a hat at Trips' back from the crowd. Not sure what that was supposed to accomplish. Slaughter puts his riding crop to good use like Patton on a shellshocked soldier in Sicily. Hey, Lawler's breaking out all the military references so I can too. Gutbuster and double stomp from Slaughter. He tosses Trips out, runs him into the stairs and drops him on the guardrail. He goes for a pin on the floor but the ref says no, it's not falls count anywhere. Back in Slaughter takes off his belt and goes into belt whipping mode, then chokes Trips with the belt. Clothesline for 2. He goes for the Cobra Clutch but Trips counters out of it. Corner whip reversal and Slaughter flies over the corner down to the floor. Trips tosses him into the crowd then punches him back over the rail the other way. He goes over and tries to get the ring bell but timekeeper Mark Yeaton won't let him take it. Yeaton goes down! Slaughter hits a clothesline and the bell goes flying. Trips is still the first one up and whacks Slaughter in the back with the bell. Back in Trips uses the belt for a bit, then gets a chain from Chyna, wraps it around his fist and works Slaughter over with it. Cover for 2. Yeaton is dead and carried out. I hope there's a backup timekeeper, someone has to ring the bell the rest of the night. It's a specialty job. Slaughter tries to punch with the chain but Trips backdrops him down to the floor. Back in Trips tries coming off the top rope but Slaughter gets a boot up. Slaughter lifts Trips for a slam or backbreaker but can't hold him up and collapses. I think that might have been the old man legitimately blown up. You can almost hear Trips saying "suplex me" and Slaughter does. Slaughter goes up top but Trips slams him off. Cover for 2. Trips sleeper. They do the arm drops. Slaughter fights back and counters into the Cobra Clutch! Chyna comes in to break it up. The ref reads her the riot act but can't do anything, it's no DQ. Chyna knocks the ref out! She gets a chair and loads up to hit Slaughter. Slaughter throws powder in her face! Trips hits Slaughter with one of his boots. Slaughter is back up and puts the Cobra Clutch on again! Again Chyna breaks it up, this time with a low blow. Trips hits Slaughter with a Pedigree onto the chair and gets the pin. I think they were going for an old style '80s NWA bloody brawl street fight here, but 1. there was no blood, and b. Slaughter had no business going this long. If they'd kept this under 5 minutes it might have been passable, but it was three times that long. At least the right guy won. DUD

 

Jeff Jarrett def The Undertaker by DQ in 6:54- Frequent Monday Night Wars era promotion hopper Jeff Jarrett is back with WWF and making his in-ring return here. I'm pretty sure Jarrett jumped the most back and forth during these years. It's either him or Sid. Undertaker, meanwhile, is still reeling from his long lost brother Kane coming to WWF and absolutely positively refuses to fight his own brother under any circumstances no matter how much Kane wants it. Taker stalks at the start of the match while Jarrett tries to stick and move. Not the worst plan...until Taker grabs him by the throat, tosses him in the corner and lays in the rapid fire body shots. Big clothesline for 2. Old school hits, followed by an old school corner choke. Jarrett gets a back elbow in the corner and tries to come off the second rope but gets goozled. Jarrett fights out, ducks a big boot, and clips Taker's knee. Knee work follows. Taker fights back and hits a backbreaker and legdrop for 2. Big boot. The lights go out. Everyone but commentary knows what's coming. Yup, here's Kane's music and the red light of imminent death. Kane gets in the ring and Jarrett gestures for Kane to take Taker out. Bad move. Kane choke slams Jarrett! That's the official DQ. Kane and Taker go nose to nose for the first time ever with Taker looking extremely conflicted. Kane punches Taker! Taker refuses to respond. Kane sets off the ring post pyro and leaves. Jarrett clips Taker from behind again and tries to put the figure four on. Goozle counter and Jarrett is choke slammed again. Thanks for leaving WCW, Jeff. The match was what it was, but the Taker/Kane stuff continues to be fantastic. *1/2

Michael Cole is up in the nosebleed section with Mark Henry. This is the much hyped signees' first PPV appearance in over a year due to injury. He promises to be back soon. He would be back....and turn heel by joining the Nation of Domination.

 

WWF Intercontinental Championship: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (c) def "The Rock" Rocky Maivia (w/the Nation of Domination) in 5:28- Austin vs the Rock for the first time on PPV. It won't be the last. It was during this feud that Maivia really started putting together the Rock character, insisting that people call him the Rock, talking in the third person and calling himself the people's champion. Rock also stole the IC title belt from Austin and is carrying around like it's his. A little aside rant if you'll indulge me, this is one reason why WWE's longtime insistence on refusing to call a belt a belt is really stupid. Modern WWE, at least while Vince was still in charge, would say "Rock stole the title". No, he didn't steal the title. Austin is still champion, there was no match and no title change. He only stole the physical belt that isn't his. It's like saying "he hit him with the title". He hit someone with an abstract concept of superiority? No, he hit him with a BELT. A PHYSICAL OBJECT. Sorry, rant over. Back to the match. The "Rocky sucks" chants start the instant the Nation's music hits. Austin drives inside the arena in his pickup truck! He hits the ring and the fight is on. The whole Nation gangs up on Austin. D'Lo Brown gets backdropped onto the truck's hood and breaks the windshield! Stunner to Brown on the truck's roof! Austin gets back in the ring and the bell rings to officially start the match. Slugfest. Thesz Press! Rock turns it into a cradle for 2. Austin reverses it for 2. Rock throws Austin over the top to the floor. Faarooq and Kama attack. Kama accidentally nails Faarooq with a chair. Austin whips Kama into the truck. That truck is seriously starting to look like the car in the first bonus level of Street Fighter II. Back in Rock hits a back elbow and the Greco Roman Nut Punch, followed by stomps in the corner. Austin turns it around and hits his own corner punches. Rock slam and he hits the still unnamed People's Elbow for 2. Austin fights out of a chinlock but runs into a knee to the gut. Another Rock slam. The elbow pad is off. He goes for the People's Elbow again but Austin dodges this time. Mudhole stomp. Austin ducks a clothesline and goes for the Stunner. Kama gets on the apron. Austin knocks him off, then grabs who he thinks is Rock and hits the Stunner, but it was the ref! Rock gets brass knucks. Austin blocks the knucks punch. Stunner! The backup ref runs in and counts the pin! Decent match, but it's clear where the future of WWF lies, all you had to do was listen to the crowd reactions all through this match. The "Rocky sucks" chants even stopped after it started. Also, Austin worked the whole match with his vest still on. **1/4

The next week on Raw Vince ordered Austin to defend the title against Rock again due to all the shenanigans in this match. Austin refused, so Vince awarded Rock the title by forfeit. In response, Austin tossed the belt in the river. Austin would never be in the IC title picture again, but that's a good thing because much bigger things were already being planned for him.

 

WWF Championship: Ken Shamrock def "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels (c) (w/Triple H and Chyna) by DQ in 18:27- This is clearly a test match on a B PPV to see how Shamrock does in the main event. It shouldn't come a surprise that Shawn and his DX crew didn't really want to work with him here. Shawn still goes hard at times here, but it's in more fits and starts. And he wasn't wrong that Shamrock wasn't ready for this level yet. After some opening jockeying Shawn gets a quick eye poke and punches. They go speed, Shawn fights out of a press slam, Shamrock blocks a roll up, more speed, Shamrock hits a kick and Shawn flops all the way to the floor. He takes his time getting back in. Lockup and Shawn tries arm wringers. Shamrock tosses him into the corner. Press slam and backdrop. Shawn flip to the floor! He rolls halfway up the aisle. Chyna gets on the apron to distract. Shawn tries an ambush but Shamrock is ready. Shawn got a mouthful of water on the floor that he spits out on impact. Shamrock hits a suplex and clotheslines Shawn 360 to the floor again for another big stall. Shamrock has enough and gives Shawn and Trips a double noggin knocker. Shawn slides under coming back in and tries a sunset flip that's blocked. Another corner toss and pummeling from Shamrock. Corner kick and Shawn is crotched. Shamrock hooks up for the belly to belly suplex. Shawn grabs the ref and gets a low blow. Cactus Clothesline, but Shawn hangs onto the rope and skins the cat back in. Trips gives Shamrock some punches. Shawn crossbody off the top to the floor! Baseball slide. Shamrock dodges a second one and punches both Shawn and Trips down. Chyna pushes Shamrock into the post. Trips stomps him and Chyna slams him on the floor. Shawn big splash off the apron. He hits an elbow off the second rope back in. Dropkick for 2. Trips gets more shots in, including Shamrock completely whiffing the sell of what's supposed to be a very hard right hand. Shamrock gives Shawn a couple of buckle shots and more body blows. Shawn springboard crossbody off the second rope, Shamrock rolls through it for 2. After a fight out of a chinlock Shamrock blocks a hiptoss and rolls Shawn up for 2. Shawn hooks on a sleeper. Shamrock goes down and Shawn gets near falls with his shoulders down. Shamrock gets up and backs Shawn into the corner a few times but Shawn still hangs on. Finally Shamrock back elbows get him out. Hard Shamrock corner clotheslines. Diving elbow. Powerslam. Hurricanrana! Ground and pound from Shamrock. Shawn tries a crucifix into a roll up but Shamrock counters for 2. Shamrock hits the ropes and there's a weird bit where his head goes under the top rope and knocks him down. Don't think that was planned, and that could have been much worse. Shawn leaps up but Shamrock catches and powerbombs him for a long 2. Shawn grabs the ref and DX pull Shamrock out for more pummeling. Back in Shawn hits the elbow off the top. The band tunes up. Shamrock ducks the superkick! Belly to belly! He goes for the ankle lock but Trips and Chyna run in for the cheap DQ. Long way to go to get to that finish. **1/2

After the match DX continue to beat Shamrock down. Shawn gets on the apron to gloat. Someone runs in and pushes Shawn off the apron into the Spanish announce table! Man, that table collapsed easily, Shawn barely touched it. Almost as if it was designed to. IT'S OWEN HART! OWEN HART IS BACK AND HE WANTS REVENGE! Trips comes over to save and Owen leaves through the crowd. That was a true, legitimate shock. No one expected Owen back after what happened in Montreal, especially so soon. Sadly a surefire money match for the Rumble was not to be, probably due to backstage politics.

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- December WWF/E PPVs are usually placeholders as it's just before the Rumble and WM season and this just isn't any exception, it might be the worst of the bunch. The whole thing is pretty much skippable with not much happening to recommend it other than the first and inferior Rock/Austin match, Taker/Kane standoff and Owen's return. Also, four DQ finishes on an eight match PPV card. Blech. It's a dreary end to what was otherwise a spectacular year for WWF in '97. Officially they were still behind WCW and tight on money, but even with the loss of Bret Hart and the soon to happen loss of Shawn Michaels, everything was in place for them to take the top spot back over in '98.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D(X)