In Your House

[SuperBacon]

On 11/14/2025 at 9:32 PM, SuperBacon said:

Next up the Final Four match, waheeeeeeeey

Just an absolutely brilliant match and a great example of how to book a multi man match well. 

As we move into 97, some of the undercard is brutal. I shouldn't have to watch 10 minutes of Flash Funk. Rockabilly? Jesse James? Come on now.

I also didn't massively love the Hart/Austin match at Revenge of The Taker. It was good, but its definitely the weakest of their matches*

However there is some comedy gold on display as always when Bulldog and Owen come out of the bog after beating up Austin. As they clock the camera they do a couple of fantastic Stooges faces before ducking off (I've tried to find the clip in isolation and can't)

I think Shamrock vs Vader tells a really good story. In the early goings Shamrock is finding it hard to deal with the rope breaks and that's a good touch for someone in their first match and not used to the rules. He looks fantastic as well. I was a big fan of "snapped" era Shamrock. Could've done more with him in my opinion.

He is green and stiff as hell though. EASE UP! Good looking guy Ken (not as fit as his "sister" though. Ooof)

One thing that made me pop and I don't think it was intentional. JR asking Lawler "Do you like Gladiator movies?" using a line from Airplane by the pilot, which is ironic seeing as Lawler is a bit noncey.

*Austin vs Hart singles matches: SS96, the one in South Africa, Mania 13, In Your House and the night after on Raw. Is that it? 5 televised singles matches?

[Chili]

Vader losing his patience and absolutely taking Shamrock's head off is amazing. Besides being arrested for being daft, Vader from Jan-May '97 is great.

[wandshogun09]

40 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

I also didn't massively love the Hart/Austin match at Revenge of The Taker. It was good, but its definitely the weakest of their matches*

It’s not one I’ve really revisited but I don’t remember being in love with it either. Although in fairness, Bret’s knee was bollocksed which is why he was written off the shows in the far superior ‘Street Fight’ the next night on Raw so he could get it taken care of. It is the weak link of their rivalry by far though. It was originally supposed to be Bret vs Sid as well so it was kind of just thrown together as a makeshift save for the show.

45 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

*Austin vs Hart singles matches: SS96, the one in South Africa, Mania 13, In Your House and the night after on Raw. Is that it? 5 televised singles matches?

Yeah that’s it for singles. Although I don’t think the South Africa one was even televised at the time, was it? That fell during Bret’s sabbatical between WrestleMania 12 and Survivor Series. So it’s really just 4 televised singles matches. Although a Bret vs Austin match was on the original lineup (and poster) for One Night Only before Owen fucked things up at SummerSlam. 

The big crime of the Montreal Screwjob that isn’t talked about enough is that we were robbed of more Bret Hart vs Steve Austin matches. The feud never got a proper ending and no doubt it was all supposed to lead to Austin finally getting that elusive win over Bret.

52 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

However there is some comedy gold on display as always when Bulldog and Owen come out of the bog after beating up Austin. As they clock the camera they do a couple of fantastic Stooges faces before ducking off (I've tried to find the clip in isolation and can't)

Classic.

[Chili]

Owen & Bulldog as top tier panto dames in 1997 is one of my favourite double acts. Nobody got more charisma out of our David than Owen Hart, purely on the basis that Davey obviously finds Owen so bloody funny that it brings a relaxed charm to Bulldogs delivery and he's less wooden.

Look at them, a loveable pair of dickheads.

 

[SuperBacon]

31 minutes ago, wandshogun09 said:

Classic

I absolutely knew you'd find it thanks. I live to serve you my liege.

[wandshogun09]

4 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

I absolutely knew you'd find it thanks. I live to serve you my liege.

[wandshogun09]

Since we’re on about ‘Revenge Of The Taker’, we can’t let the conversation move on without mentioning Mankind’s mental head first plunge through the announce table, can we?

Nutcase.

It’s not an amazing show but I had a soft spot for it for years, I think that was just because it was the first In Your House we got live on Sky Sports. No more waiting months to pay £12.99 for the VHS release. Game changer at the time. Although why it took thirteen In Your Houses before Sky finally picked them up, I don’t know. I get that 95-97 wasn’t exactly a booming period for wrestling’s popularity over here but if you’re showing all the PPVs, plus Raw weekly, plus Superstars etc, why not the IYH shows? Was there ever a reason given for that? 

[SuperBacon]

6 minutes ago, wandshogun09 said:

It’s not an amazing show but I had a soft spot for it for years

Absolutely, I rinsed those recorded tapes as much as I could. Even small bits like Sunny and Pillman backstage evoke massive flashback memories, and probably why I love 97 so much as I had no choice but.to watch them over and over.

 

[The Reverend]

2 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

Although why it took thirteen In Your Houses before Sky finally picked them up, I don’t know. I get that 95-97 wasn’t exactly a booming period for wrestling’s popularity over here but if you’re showing all the PPVs, plus Raw weekly, plus Superstars etc, why not the IYH shows? Was there ever a reason given for that? 

Good question - I don't think I've ever seen any explanation. I can only guess it was Sky either not wanting to give over more airtime (and probably with less ad revenue) or the WWF expecting more money - or maybe a way to make more money from VHS sales (and help promote the others they had for sale) as if I remember they certainly made them a priority as they were banging them out in about 4-5 weeks. 

[Snitsky's back acne]

7 hours ago, wandshogun09 said:

 

Classic.

Fucking hilarious. Great stuff. 

[Supremo]

Fucking hell, I’ve never ever considered the idea of a Bret vs. Stone Cold match after Stone Cold won the WWF Title and became red hot. Imagine that! Would’ve been incredible!

But yeah. That shot of Bulldog clocking the camera, still holding the weapon, is hilarious. Funniest wrestler of all time. And bizarrest!

Edited November 17, 2025 by Supremo

[WyattSheepMask]

It’s such a shame that the Undertaker/Mankind post-match angle with the flash paper is such a comedy of errors.

I always remember Revenge of the Taker as it was the first IYH that we got live. The Austin/Bret match, while still a decent effort from them, is probably the weakest of their PPV matches. There was a part on the live broadcast were they lost the feed and when it came back it was in French for a bit which I always found quite funny 

[SuperBacon]

That Canadian Stampede crowd is absolutely insane isn't it? I must've watched that main event a 100 times and still enjoy it like the first time. Bruce Hart falling over the railing and then slipping as he desperately tries to get his shit in, the highlight obviously. 

Ground Zero is the first 3 hour show and what a slog some of it is. Pillman vs Goldust is fine, and the match is well over, but Farooq vs Savio vs Crush (who again is well over, or at least his intro is) The minis and the 4 way tag are rubbish. I hate seeing Legion of Doom coming out in anything, absolute crap.

Bret vs The Patriot is really good, and again the crowd are fantastic and although Bret as champ is slumming it a bit, you understand why they did this feud and match.

Shawn prematch is at his 97 drugged up worse cackling like a cunt, but the match is great, Shawn bumping like a boss. Him knocking at the In Your House erm, house is great. The show is worth watching for the last 2 bouts for sure.

[BarryOVega]

Watched Canadian Stampede this afternoon, the escalation when the Foundation are being introduced is incredible 

Looking forward to watching Ground Zero again, as mentioned above HBK knocking on the door to escape Taker is hilarious, though an alternative theory is that he was knocking on to see if anyone had any pills

[wandshogun09]

Taker chucking Shawn into the flowerbed at the front of the house always gets a chuckle out of me.

I remember buzzing that we were finally getting to see a Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker match. We’d seen Bret vs Taker a few times by that point so Shawn vs Taker was really the last big match between two of the top names that never really crossed paths. It was becoming a bit of a dream match for me at the time and I remember really wanting to see them clash as babyfaces in 96 when Shawn was champ. It was better with Shawn as the heel though. Ground Zero was their first televised match against each other ever and it was really fucking good. I do remember being really disappointed with the screwy non finish the first time I watched it but that’s because I didn’t know it was gonna lead to an even better Hell In A Cell match the following month at Badd Blood.