A Brief History of the WWE: Random Thoughts on the "In Your House" PPV Series

[EmpireWF]

Did you forget BP? The Jarrett concert led to the angle later in the year between he and the roadie. Road Dogg was the singer with JJ lip syncing. The song wasn't bad by itself....when Road Dogg turned face later on he would sing his own theme music (always an epic win ). The feud died before it could get going though, I think Jarrett left for WCW and Road Dogg lamented on the undercard until eventually getting together with Billy Gunn in what must have been early 97 I guess.

At the time as a kid, I thought the singing angle was awesome. lol

Watched the show a month or two ago and seeing Jarrett struggle to keep up with the words was hilarious.

[FedEx227]

Roadie was recruited by Honky Tonk Man to become his protege since he was such a good singer. He said no, so instead Rockabilly took his place!

Rockabilly turned on Honky a few weeks later and New Age Outlaws were born!

[Warner2BruceTD]

Pretty sure Jarrett locked himself in his locker room and held up Vince for money on one of these IYH PPV's. I might be jumping ahead of myself, since I think it's one of the shows later in the year and bigpapa hasn't gotten to it yet.

Jarrett pulled the same shit years later during the Chyna feud, refusing to work a match one day after his contract expired, and held up Vince again.

I could be mixing up and/or combining the stories, but i'm pretty sure he stuck it to Vince twice, which is why he will likely never be welcomed back for any reason while Vince is still alive.

[Bigpapa42]

Did you forget BP? The Jarrett concert led to the angle later in the year between he and the roadie. Road Dogg was the singer with JJ lip syncing. The song wasn't bad by itself....when Road Dogg turned face later on he would sing his own theme music (always an epic win ). The feud died before it could get going though, I think Jarrett left for WCW and Road Dogg lamented on the undercard until eventually getting together with Billy Gunn in what must have been early 97 I guess.

At the time as a kid, I thought the singing angle was awesome. lol

Watched the show a month or two ago and seeing Jarrett struggle to keep up with the words was hilarious.

If they had been able to go through with the whole story arc, it might have worked out okay. But singer/band gimmicks in wrestling are cheesy as hell to me unless the worker is a helluva singer. Jeff Jarrett was not. The whole thing just comes across as incredibly hokey to me, and this was a period where you had Adam Bomb and hog farmers, so if it stands out in that regard, it ain't good. I'm not a fan of country music and I don't know much contemporary stuff but I know some older (90s and back) stuff from family who are fans... and that struck me as a pretty poor song. I think having Jarrett sing it was the wrong approach - pretend the song is a hit, play versions of it, but having him try to sing it live just stank.

I might have loved the angle if I watched it as a kid, but I'm pretty sure I would have felt similar if I saw when it happened (I was 16 at the time).

Roadie was recruited by Honky Tonk Man to become his protege since he was such a good singer. He said no, so instead Rockabilly took his place!

Rockabilly turned on Honky a few weeks later and New Age Outlaws were born!

You know, I didn't see the Outlaws form and never went back to actually look it up. According to Wiki, it happened on Shotgun Saturday Night. I thought nothing of note happened on Shotgun.

[FedEx227]

I know for a fact he did it for Fully Loaded 1999 and that match with Chyna. I thought it was just a general contract dispute the first time he left though.

[Warner2BruceTD]

You know, I didn't see the Outlaws form and never went back to actually look it up. According to Wiki, it happened on Shotgun Saturday Night. I thought nothing of note happened on Shotgun.

The show was pushed hard at first and they ran major angles on it, but that lasted about as along as it took for the first couple of ratings to come in.

After that, it got weird. Like, really weird. The Headbangers were doing an alter ego gimmick as wrestling nuns, and Vince started using 'edgy' language like 'damn' & 'hell'.

[Bigpapa42]

Inyourhouse3.jpg


In Your House 3
September 24, 1995
Saginaw, Michigan

-the show kicks off with the Sunday Night Slam. WTF? This is apparently some kind of pre-show. It recaps a couple of the feuds, spending a lot of time on Dean Douglas' feud with Razor Ramon. Holy hell, Douglas actually looks young. He somehow looks younger and less beat up than he did in ECW immediately before. Weird... The recap also teaches me (unfortunately) that Douglas' light blue doublet is a bit... revealing in the junk area. A treat for the ladies, I guess.

-did Diesel and Michaels really go by “Two Dudes with Attitudes”? Did they do some “naming contest” and have the name picked by a 9-year old or something? I need an explanation here...

-Todd Pettengill blows. That is all.

-the main event is a tag match between Diesel and Shawn Michaels versus Owen Hart and Yokozuna. All three belts are on the line. Interesting. I smell a swerve of some type coming.

-we finally get to the pay per view proper. It kicks off with another In Your House theme, this one rather Motown. Fitting as it takes place in Saginaw, Michigan. Does Saginaw have any connection to Motown? These are the kind of things I need to know.

-three man commentary team. Consists of Vince McMahon (fuck you, Vinnnie Mac), Jerry Lawler, and Jim Ross. This could be tolerable if VKM keeps his trap shut. My expectations of that actually are minimal.

-the show kicks off with Savio Vega. He's taking on Waylon Mercy. You might be asking “who the fuck is Waylon Mercy?” Under the circumstances, its an understandable question. Its Dan Spivey at the end of his career. He has an “interesting look” - shoulder-length black hair despite a receding hairline, a wife-beater, and white pants that might be shiny. The highlight of this match is Vince McMahon contradicting himself on commentary “A cover... we have one... two... three... no we don't... yes we do... no we don't.” Make up your fucking mind, Vince. Mid-match, we cut to Dox Hendrix, who doesn't have a seizure this time as he reports something of note – no Owen Hart. I spent much of the match trying to determine if Mercy's pants actually are shiny, but the video I'm watching isn't quite clear enough. Savio Vega wins. A super-duper-megastar is born.

-a bit of “research” and I learn that Spivey's character was based off of Robert DeNiro in Cape Fear. Interesting. Okay, I fucking wiki'd it. While the WWF was doing something as “edgy” as this, Raven was rolling in ECW. Just sayin.

-next up is Sycho Sid taking on the monster known as Henry Godwinn. I guess it didn't take long for Sid to fall off after his feud with Diesel. I quite enjoy Ross playing the straight man to Lawler's antics through the match. So I can say I enjoyed something about it. The match isn't good. Its not that terrible. It just kinda... is. Other than the fact that it goes almost 8 minutes and has some afters (Bam Bam coming out and DiBiase getting slopped), it would have been a fine but forgettable TV match.

-we get another segment with Cornette and Gorilla Monsoon (the reigning WWE authority figure). Hart can be replaced with another wrestler of Cornette's choice. Oh my... who will Jim Cornette pick?

-Bam Bam Bigelow faces The British Bulldog. Bigelow is wearing his trademark pajamas, while Bulldog comes out in what I can only describe as a fringed shawl-like cape. It looks very much like my aunt's severely outdated window treatments from when I was a kid and I am not kidding. Even before they lock up, this match reeks of awesome. Its not awesome but its solid. This one feels moreso like a PPV match in comparison to the first two. The Bulldog takes the big W.

-Bob Backlund comes out next. He cuts a promo that basically consists of him using big words that are just strung together. Jesus, its Brick Tamland almost 15 years early. “LOUD NOISES” Backlund introduces Dean Douglas, who then introduces Razor Ramon. Surreal sequence. The match is pretty solid, best of the night so far. After the ref bumps, 1-2-3 Kid comes in and tries to count for Razor, but Ramon ends up tossing him out of the ring and then getting rolled up by Douglas. There is a showdown afterward between Razor and the Kid, their relationship irreparably damaged. The drama...

-we get some hype for the Bret Hart match. He's taking on the kleptomaniac pirate Jean-Pierre Lafitte. Awesome gimmick for a guy with a legit eye-patch. I feel like they are stereotyping here... though I'm not quite sure how. The match is trademark Bret Hart, having to battle for the win. He makes Lafitte look dangerous before getting the Sharp-Shooter. Solid Bret Hart match against the pirate.

-after teasing Sycho Sid as Yokozuna's partner, it turns out to be the British Bulldog in his second match of the night. The match is fun. Not fantastic but solid and entertaining. It feels more like a relatively-modern, exciting TV main event to me than a pay per view main event, and if you took away the “all titles on the line” stipulation, would be that much closer. Michaels does some nice working selling in the match but they don't really go for the “babyface in peril” dynamic with him like they could have. Not a ton of teamwork. Owen Hart appears and gets pinned by Diesel, somehow making the Two Dudes with Attitudes the new tag team champions. Apparently the ref was slightly retarded as he clearly saw enough of Owen to recognize him as not being one of the wrestlers in the match, and its not like Bulldog was in the same gear or something. I do believe this later got reversed.

-In Your House 3 ends up feeling like a solid overall event based on the standard of the first couple. Not quite the PPV standard we're used to, but it feels to me like the “worst” here is a bit above the first two. Yet the “best” doesn't quite stand out to me as much. Hart vs Lafitte is good, but while its might be the match of Lafitte's career, its really just average for Hart when you consider his whole body of work. The dark match between them on the previous pay per view at least had the really cool standing crucifix into a rolling pin by Hart as a standout unique moment. This one lacks anything memorable. Same with the main event – good, fun match but nothing stand-out or near to must-see.

-I cannot be the only one who finds it interesting slash odd that they kept the original tag team main event line-up on the VHS cover for the Colosseum Video release.

Results
Savio Vega d. Waylon Mercy
Sycho Sid d. Henry Godwinn
The British Bulldog d. Bam Bam Bigelow
Dean Douglas d. Razor Ramon
Bret Hart d. Jean-Pierre Lafitte
Diesel & HBK d. Yokozuna & The British Bulldog


Recommended
Nada

[Warner2BruceTD]

I remember the Hart match being very good, but i've only seen it once, and it could just be selective memory and/or assuming it was good because it was Hart.

[Bigpapa42]

I remember the Hart match being very good, but i've only seen it once, and it could just be selective memory and/or assuming it was good because it was Hart.

No, its a quality match. But it just seems typical to me for Hart in that period. It doesn't really stand out that much above what you saw him do on nearly any show through that time. I wouldn't say its not worth checking out, just that its probably not worth seeking out.

[Warner2BruceTD]

So like ***3/4

Did you like this one better, or Hakushi? I know Hakushi had the Lawler nonsense.

[Bigpapa42]

So like ***3/4

Did you like this one better, or Hakushi? I know Hakushi had the Lawler nonsense.

Eh, I'd say 3 to 3 1/2 star range. Which is pretty typical of what Hart did through much of his WWE career. Not everything but he was so fucking capable and consistent in the ring.

I prefer the Hakushi match. Then the dark match between Hart and Lafitte on IYH2, then this one. The Hakushi match just seems to have a nicer pace of movement, and the springboard moonsault to the outside gives it a memorable moment. I really only like the IYH2 Hart-Lafitte match because of the crucifix rolled in a pin.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Yeah, I like how Bret was very creative in his WWE finishes, relative to other WWE guys. The current "5 moves of doom" model that everybody employs (especially the babyfaces) these days in the WWE hurts my suspension of disbelief, because you spend the entire match waiting for the sequence of moves that ends every match.

[Bigpapa42]

Yeah, I like how Bret was very creative in his WWE finishes, relative to other WWE guys. The current "5 moves of doom" model that everybody employs (especially the babyfaces) these days in the WWE hurts my suspension of disbelief, because you spend the entire match waiting for the sequence of moves that ends every match.

The sheer variety that Hart presents is pretty amazing. He manages to work a different style with almost any opponent, doesn't tend to do the same match over again when its the same opponent (the two matches Lafitte were both different enough), and manages to make every opponent look credible. He's Flair-like in that regard but Flair seemed a bit more overtly reliant on his certain spots in each match, at least by the late 80s and on.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Flair packed it in at some point and started doing the same match over and over. It was a great match though fwiw.

Hart's finishes in particular during this era were very creative.

[EmpireWF]

I remember in that Flair Highspots Shoot years back, he said he would always do the same spots (the flops, the top rope begging off bump, etc.) because people paid to see him do those things.