WWF In Your House (Version II)

Original Airdate: May 14, 1995

From Syracuse, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Dok Hendrix

Opening Match: Bret Hart v Hakushi: Good number of empty seats visible on camera here. Feeling out process to start, with Hakushi controlling. He hits a jumping shoulderblock for two, but Bret escapes an armbar with a rollup for two, and a pair of armdrags send Hakushi bailing for the outside. Bret's gear tonight looks odd, like someone was playing with a video game CAW, and missed a filler color, or something. Hakushi attacks on the way back in, but a turnbuckle smash gets reversed. Bret tries to follow-up with a cross corner whip, but Hakushi reverses, and adds a 2^nd rope pump-splash for two. Reverse chinlock follows, as we get a split screen with Jerry Lawler eagerly observing from backstage, as he is scheduled to face the Hitman later on. Hakushi with a bronco buster, so Bret tries another rollup, but Hakushi hits the deck, and Hart takes a spill to the outside. Shinja puts the boots to him out there, but Bret manages to beat the count, so Hakushi stomps on him as well. Not the most welcoming of fellows, is he? Unintentionally funny bit, as Hakushi is choking Bret in the corner, and Vince notes that he's using 'high risk offense here.' Hakushi with a corner whip to set up a handspring backelbow, but Bret blocks another charge. He goes for a gutwrench suplex, but Hakushi reverses for two, and then soars through the air with a flying headbutt for two. Springboard flying headbutt follows, but Bret dodges that one, and delivers a Russian legsweep for one. Bulldog follows for two, and a backbreaker sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop. Sharpshooter, but Shinja distracts him to prevent the hold from being applied. That allows Hakushi a sneak attack, but Hart fights him off with an inverted atomic drop, and adds a clothesline. Shinja trips him up as he tries a follow-up, however, so Bret decides to take him out with a tope. Unfortunately, that allows Hakushi time to recover, and he hits Hart with a dropkick for two as Bret comes back inside. Vertical suplex, but Bret reverses by suplexing Hakushi out of the ring - both men taking a spill over the top rope! Shinja interferes again out there, allowing Hakushi a springboard moonsault press on the floor, but Hart beats the count. Hakushi responds with a suplex, but Bret counters with a go-behind. Hakushi reverses, but Bret counters that with a victory cradle, and it's enough to end Hakushi's undefeated streak at 14:41! Didn't really hit the same level that their RAW match later in the year did, but still solid action, with a lot of unique stuff for the WWF in that era. And then afterwards, as Hart hops out of the ring, he twists his ankle - putting his chances against Lawler later in doubt. ** ¾ (Original rating: ***)

Handicap Match: Jeff Jarrett and Roadie v Razor Ramon: This was originally scheduled as Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid teaming, but Kid suffered a legit injury. Razor is wearing the same gear he had on at Royal Rumble '95 here, which may be the first time he's reused gear on pay per view. Kind of a weird symbolic choice to reuse too, considering how Rumble '95 turned out for him. Roadie distracts Ramon to allow Jarrett a sneak attack, but Razor fights him off in short order, and Double J bails. He manages a turnbuckle smash on the Bad Guy on the way back in, but a dropkick misses, and Razor sends him over the top with a clothesline. Jeff sweeps him out as well, but Razor reverses a smash into the apron, so Roadie sneak attacks. Back in, Jarrett hits a pair of corner whips, and a leg-feed enzuigiri follows. Bodypress, but Ramon catches him in a fallaway slam - Roadie breaking up the cover at two. Roadie tags in with a clothesline, followed by a matslam and a series of three elbowdrops. Back to Jarrett for a sunset flip for two, but a vertical suplex is countered with a small package for two, so Jeff blasts him with a clothesline. Tag to Roadie for some punch-kick stuff, but Razor starts slugging back, so Jeff comes in with a cheap shot. I get that the story says that Roadie is a rookie, and he's trying to work like one, but for a guy that actually debuted nine years earlier, he's really stinking up the joint. Jarrett backdrops Razor to the outside, and Roadie dives off the middle rope with a flying clothesline out there, but the Bad Guy beats the count. Jarrett is ready with a flying bodypress, but Ramon rolls through for two, so Jeff throws a dropkick for two. Swinging neckbreaker follows, but a straddling ropechoke misses, and a criss cross results in a double knockout spot. Razor manages a side suplex as they recover, but he's got no one to tag out to, while Jarrett does. Roadie with a 2^nd rope flying kneedrop for two, and he grabs a chinlock. How lazy can you get?! Razor fights free, and manages a facebuster, but again has no one to tag out to, while Roadie does. Even still, Ramon mounts a comeback, but gets overwhelmed against both guys, and Jarrett goes for the Figure Four. Razor blocks by shoving him into Roadie, however, and the Razor's Edge finishes Double J at 12:40. Kinda figured Roadie would eat the pin there if Ramon was going over. The match was on par with every other Jarrett/Ramon match from 1995, with Roadie not really factoring in any more than he usually does from the outside. Afterwards, the heels attack Razor for a beat down, but he's saved by Savio Vega, in Savio's debut. ** ¼ (Original rating: * ½)

King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Mabel v Adam Bomb: Bomb gets distracted by Mo at the bell, and Mabel pounds him down. Avalanche connects, but a second one misses, and Adam sends him to the outside with a jumping shoulderblock. Bomb dives after him with a plancha, then back in with a slingshot clothesline for two. Bomb goes up with a flying clothesline for one, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Mabel throws a spinheel kick. Bomb makes a last ditch effort with a bodypress, but Mabel catches him in a slam, and we're done at a brisk 1:54. Too short to really go anywhere, but Bomb was motivated as fuck here. ½* (Original rating: ½*)

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Owen Hart and Yokozuna v The Smoking Gunns: Yokozuna starts with Billy Gunn, and easily powers out of a headlock, but eats a pair of dropkicks. Is there anything he won't eat? Over to Bart Gunn for a flying axehandle, but Yoko shrugs him off, and passes to Owen for a corner whip. Bart reverses another one, however, and a press-slam follows. Well executed dropkick connects, and he tags out to Billy for a vertical suplex/dropkick combo for two. The Gunns had some neat tandem stuff. Billy gets distracted by Mr. Fuji, allowing Owen a leg-feed enzuigiri, and Yokozuna comes in with a clothesline. He pounds Billy with chops, but that tuckers the big guy out, and it's nervehold time. Brief one, luckily, and Owen tags back in with a neckbreaker for two. Backdrop, but Billy counters with a sunset flip for two, so Hart whacks him with a spinheel kick to send Billy to the outside. Yoko tries to capitalize with an avalanche against the post, but he misses, and Owen misses a charge as well as Billy comes back in. Tag to Bart for a backelbow and a bodyslam for two, and a side suplex follows. The Gunns with a side suplex/neckbreaker combo for two, but Bart misses a bodypress, and takes a nice bump out of the ring - where Yokozuna drills him with a legdrop. Back in, Owen hooks the leg, and we're out at 5:46. This was like the WrestleMania match, but with all the fat trimmed off. No pun intended. ** ½ (Original rating: ¼*)

Bret Hart v Jerry Lawler: Lawler has been spending the night unsuccessfully trying to get the match moved earlier so that he can capitalize on Bret's twisted ankle from the opener, which is notable because at one point he was petitioning WWF President Jack Tunney, in one of his rare appearances during this period. I don't remember him at all past the co-winners controversy following Rumble '94. Oh, and speaking of that ankle injury, turns out Bret was faking all along. Ha! The look on Lawler's face is tremendous, too. Bret destroys him at the bell, and they quickly spill to the outside, so Jerry can be properly introduced to the guardrail and the steps. Bret's look of pure ecstasy as he kicks the shit out of the King is a thing of beauty. Back in, Hart with a legdrop and a backdrop, and poor Jerry is begging for his mother. Who is at ringside. And is a twenty-something model. Bret shows no mercy, but telegraphs a second backdrop, and eats the Piledriver. Unfortunately for Lawler, Hart shrugs it off, and drops him with a bulldog to set up his own piledriver! Bret with a pointed elbowdrop, so Lawler goes to the eyes, and manages a bodyslam. He goes up for a flying axehandle, but the Hitman gutpunches him out of the air, and delivers a backelbow, followed by a headbutt drop to the groin. Mounted punches follow, so Shinja comes back out, and the result is a distracted referee getting bumped. Bret stays on track with a Russian legsweep and a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop, but here comes Hakushi! He delivers a pair of flying headbutts, and Lawler capitalizes with a somersault cradle for the pin at 5:03. Another quickie, as apparently they ran into some timing issues with this show, and everything after the first two matches has been pretty rushed here. This was no classic, but it was lots of fun, with both guys looking like they were having a blast working together. And I'd bet you Lawler was a real motherfucker later that night, too. * ½ (Original rating: DUD)

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Diesel v Sycho Sid: Diesel blitzes him at the bell, and hammers his challenger until Sid bails. Diesel goes after him with a flying axehandle off of the apron, and back in, a pair of short-clotheslines set up a jumping clothesline for two. They spill to the outside again, with Diesel continuing to dominate, but this time a distraction from Ted DiBiase allows Sid to sneak up with a high knee. Sid drops the champ across the apron, and a ram into the post puts him firmly in control as they head back in. Sid hammers him with axehandles, and a clothesline connects. Camel clutch is applied, but Diesel starts to escape, so Sid cuts him off with a legdrop for two. Back to the camel clutch, but Diesel escapes, so Sid drops his ass with a chokeslam. Powerbomb looks to finish, and the challenger actually manages to nicely execute it on the fellow big man, but wastes time showboating ahead of the cover, and it only gets two. Sid keeps coming with turnbuckle smashes, but Diesel dodges a charge, and delivers a snake-eyes. Big boot sets up the Jackknife, but Tatanka runs in to break up the cover, and we have a cheap DQ at 11:29. As a kid during this period, I remember being terrified of Sid. They really did a great job building him up for this, even if the matches didn't quite deliver. This level of action may have worked as the main event in a different era, but with the product becoming increasingly athletic in the mid-90s, it didn't feel up to par. ¾* (Original rating: -*)

BUExperience: This is both the first, and the most commercially successful of the shows in the In Your House series. Not a great show by any stretch, but at only 100 minutes long, it’s a breeze to watch, and never drags. I wouldn’t make an effort to see it, but it’s not the worst way to spend an hour and a half if you do.

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