WWF In Your House III (Version II)

Original Airdate: September 24, 1995

From Saginaw, Michigan; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler

Opening Match: Savio Vega v Waylon Mercy: Mercy gives him a handshake at the bell, then tries a sneak attack, but Vega gets out of the way, and starts throwing chops. There's some weird lighting going on here, where it's fine from the hard camera, but when they switch to the handhelds, it's way too dark. Savio works the arm, but runs into a knee, and Mercy clotheslines him. He dumps Vega to the outside for a bodyslam on the floor, then inside for a cravat, followed by a sloppy hotshot for two. Mercy continues to work him over with a sidewalk slam for two, as we cut to a split screen, with Dok Hendrix informing us that Owen Hart is not in the building ahead of his scheduled participation in the main event. Mercy gets a sleeper on, but Savio drops him into the corner to escape, and hits a side suplex. That leads to a slugfest, and Vega controls with a big boot - getting actively booed by a good portion of the crowd. Savio with a spinkick for two, and an odd looking bulldog is worth two. Cradle for two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Mercy counters with a clothesline. Waylon adds a brainbuster for two (I thought that was the finish), and a saito suplex is worth two. Vega fires back with a German suplex for two, and the spinheel kick puts Waylon away at 7:06. Not great most of the way through, but got a lot better once they started throwing bombs towards the end. * ¼ (Original rating: *)

Sycho Sid v Henry Godwinn: Man, Sid sure went downhill quickly after losing both the Diesel and Shawn Michaels feuds, didn't he? Godwinn dominates in the early going, and sends Sid to the outside with a clothesline. Vertical suplex brings him back in, but Henry hurts his back while attempting a bodyslam, and Sid boots him to the outside. Sid dives off the apron with a pair of flying axehandles out there, and he pounds Godwinn in the corner on the way back in. Camel clutch is applied, but a 2^nd rope flying axehandle is blocked with a gut-punch, and Henry adds a jumping shoulderblock. Slop Drop hits, but Ted DiBiase pulls him out at two, and Sid is able to recover. Legdrop hits, and Sid polishes him off with the Powerbomb at 7:23. Had a little spark in the early going, but it died once Sid took over with his terrible offense. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Bam Bam Bigelow v Davey Boy Smith: Feeling out process to start, controlled by Bigelow. Meanwhile, we split screen to watch Jim Cornette desperately negotiating with Sid to take Owen Hart's place in the main event, as WWF President Gorilla Monsoon refuses to call the match off regardless of whether or not Hart shows up. Bam Bam misses a headbutt drop, allowing Smith a vertical suplex, but Bigelow no-sells it, and throws a pair of clotheslines at him. Third one is sidestepped, however, and Bigelow takes a bump over the top. Smith tries to vertical suplex him back in from the apron, but Bigelow proves too heavy, and Davey ends up getting dropped crotch-first across the top rope! Bam Bam capitalizes with a flying headbutt for two, but wastes time arguing the count, and Bulldog clips the knee. He goes to work on the leg, so Bigelow throws a leg-feed enzuigiri to try and turn the tide, but enough damage as been done that he can't follow-up. Bulldog keeps pounding the leg, working Bigelow over in rather dull fashion. Bodyslam, but Bigelow ends up toppling him for two, and he uses a sit-down splash to counter a sunset flip. Bigelow starts mounting a comeback, but Bulldog dodges the flying moonsault, and he covers for two. Bulldog with his own flying headbutt for two, and a powerslam finishes at 12:00. Far too long for what it was. This felt like a six minute match stretched out to twelve, and the end result was really boring. All the leg stuff went absolutely nowhere too, and Bigelow couldn't even be bothered to sell it the whole way through. ½* (Original rating: ¼*)

Razor Ramon v Dean Douglas: Bob Backlund comes out to personally introduce Douglas, which is a great pairing. Then, in a weird twist, Douglas does Ramon's introductions himself. Razor is pissed, and charges in to blitz Dean right away, sending Douglas over the top with a clothesline. They trade off on the mat for a bit, until Razor decides to hiptoss his ass over the top, and we do another split screen to watch Cornette try and talk Mabel into being Yoko's partner. Funny bit there, as apparently they didn't get their cue, so we see Cornette, Yokozuna, and Mabel all standing around, completely unengaged, and then suddenly Cornette is running his mouth at a hundred miles an hour like he was in the middle of a sentence from the start. Gotta love live TV. They trade wristlocks, and Dean tries a bodypress, but gets caught in a fallaway slam for two, so he bails. Razor forces him back in for an armbar, so Dean tries a 2^nd rope flying sunset flip, but Razor reverses the cradle for two. Clothesline gets the Bad Guy two, and it's back to the armbar. Razor shoulderblocks him down, but a second one is dodged, and Ramon takes a spill over the top. Douglas follows after him for a ram into the apron, and he drops the Bad Guy with a bodyslam on the floor. Dean uses a high knee to send Razor into the steps, and he rams him back-first into the post. Douglas with a flying axehandle for two on the way back in, and he bow-and-arrows the Bad Guy. Razor reverses, but Douglas quickly escapes, and he drops Ramon with a pair of corner whips to set up a springboard splash for two. Reverse chinlock, so Ramon powers out with an electric chair, but Dean still recovers first, and gets a two count out of the deal. Razor starts making a comeback, hitting a northern lights suplex for two, but Dean blocks the side superplex, and dives with a flying bodypress - only to have Razor roll through it for two. Dean thinks fast, shoving Razor into the referee to buy time, but he misses another springboard splash, and it's Razor's Edge time! Cover, but the referee is still down, so 1-2-3 Kid runs in to make the count himself. Despite the presence of Shane Douglas, this is not ECW, so that doesn't count. Razor hears the mat slapped three times and thinks the referee made the count, and shoves Kid out of the ring once he realizes what actually happened, but that allows Douglas enough time to recover, and he rolls Razor up at 14:53. Another one that could have stood to lose a few minutes, and came off as really underwhelming. * (Original rating: ¾*)

Bret Hart v Jean-Pierre Lafitte: Hart dives out of the ring with a tope on Lafitte before the bell, and he kicks his ass around ringside, tearing the leather jacket Jean stole from him off the pirate's back! Inside, Hart turnbuckle smashes him, and a headbutt rattles Lafitte, but he manages to rake the eyes of the Hitman. He hammers him, but a charge in the corner misses, and Bret grounds him in an armbar. Lafitte escapes, so Hart hooks a crucifix for two, and a drop-toehold puts Jean-Pierre right back in the armbar. Lafitte escapes again, so Hart tries a hiptoss, but gets countered with a short-clothesline, and Lafitte ropechokes him. He abuses Hart with a series of nice looking stomps to the midsection, but Bret manages a rollup for two, so Lafitte throws a kneelift. He tries a cross corner whip, but Bret reverses - only to miss the follow-up charge, and nearly knock the damn ring post off with his impact. As always, no one takes a bump in the corner like Bret Hart! Lafitte sends him into it a second time, then cross corner whips him so Hart can take his chest-first bump for two. Lafitte charges, so Hart tries to backdrop him over the top, but Jean lands on his feet, and sweeps Bret out for a whip into the steps. Back in, Lafitte hits a rotating spinebuster for two, and he slaps on a chinlock. Hart escapes and hooks a sunset flip for two, but Lafitte cuts him off with a clothesline, and uses a sidewalk slam to set up a flying legdrop for two. Lafitte goes up again for the Cannonball, but Hart rolls out of the way of that one, and he hits an inverted atomic drop to set up a clothesline. Sharpshooter, but Lafitte shoves him to the outside to block, then dives with a somersault plancha, but Bret avoids that one as well - Lafitte wiping out on the floor! Damn fine bump there! Hart capitalizes by whipping him into the steps, then back inside for a corner whip. Russian legsweep gets two, and a small package is worth two. Backbreaker sets up the 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop, but Jean lifts his boot to block. Hart tries another crucifix, but this time gets dropped in a rolling fireman's carry slam for two. Reversal sequence in the corner ends in Hart toppling him for two, but he misses a charge, and Lafitte uses a leveraged pin for two. He argues the count, allowing Bret to recover enough to throw a dropkick, but Lafitte throws him into the corner to block a bulldog! That's only worth two, so Bret tries a bodypress, but Lafitte ducks - Hart landing in the ropes, in a nice spot. Jean capitalizes with a flying splash, but Bret dodges, and both guys are down - Hart able to apply the Sharpshooter from flat on his back at 16:37. Hell of a match here, with both guys not shy about bumping for each other, and working hard. Lots of nice psychology here too, with moves building off of earlier sequences in interesting ways, and Lafitte was going balls out with his bumps. People give Bret a hard time for being a mark for himself, but honestly, if I was as good at ANYTHING as Bret Hart was at wrestling during his prime, I'd probably be full of myself, too. Wouldn't you? Be honest. I mean, he was TOO good. I severely underrated this one the first time around. **** (Original rating: * ¼)

Main Event: WWF Title, WWF Intercontinental Title v WWF Tag Team Title Match: Diesel and Shawn Michaels v Yokozuna and Davey Boy Smith: Smith is subbing for champion Owen Hart here, since he's nowhere to be found. They'd later say that it's because Hart's wife is giving birth. In reality, she gave birth the day before, but that's a nice bit of realism wedged into the angle. And how fitting is it that a Hart kid is born working an angle from the first breath? Too bad they couldn't give Yoko the night off instead, because Diesel/Shawn versus Owen/Bulldog is pretty much a guaranteed four-star match in 1995. Bulldog pulls a Randy Savage, and switches into different tights for his second outing of the night. Sad that the entire heel side (including the guy subbed out) would all be gone within seven years of this. Shawn and Bulldog start, and after a quick reversal sequence, Michaels hits a backdrop, and clotheslines Davey over the top. That brings Yoko running in (well...), but Diesel cuts him off, and the big man takes a spill to the outside as well. The dust settles on HBK and Yokozuna, and Shawn wants a sumo battle. Yoko's 'what the fuck?' reaction is fantastic. He agrees, but Michaels slides through his legs on the charge, so Yoko drops him with a backelbow. He adds a bodyslam, but is moving at roughly the speed of your average DMV worker, and misses an elbowdrop. Over to Diesel, he big boots Yoko out of the ring, but gets whacked by Bulldog while trying to bring the big man back in. Davey tries a hanging vertical suplex, but ends up losing his grip, and Diesel falls in a heap. He manages the move on the second try for two, and then grounds Big Daddy Cool in a chinlock. Can't blame the guy for needing a breather after that suplex. Running Powerslam looks to finish, but Diesel shoves him into the corner to block, and hits a pair of corner clotheslines. Tag to Michaels, and Diesel bodyslams Bulldog ahead of Shawn diving off of his shoulders with a flying splash for two. Smith responds by press-dropping Michaels crotch-first across the top rope, and he sends him into the steps on the outside, before rolling him back in for Yoko to abuse. They cut the ring in half on HBK, but Yoko misses the Banzai Drop, and Diesel gets the tag! He blitzes Davey with a backdrop and the snake-eyes to set up a straddling ropechoke, followed by a sidewalk slam. That brings Yoko in, but Diesel whips him into Bulldog, and then works with Shawn to whip Davey into Yoko! Diesel with a big boot on Bulldog, but Yoko prevents the Jackknife by hitting Diesel with a Samoan drop. That's responded to by Michaels with a Superkick, but Bulldog is able to Running Powerslam Diesel in the meantime - Shawn diving off the top with a flying elbowdrop to save. That cues Owen Hart to finally show up, and he tries diving off the top at Diesel, but gets nailed on the way down, and the Jackknife finishes Owen at 15:42. But at least that KINDA makes sense, unlike the whole Hogan/Vader/Flair thing from Uncensored. The decision was overturned the following night on RAW though, since Hart wasn't legal in the match. The match was only 'okay,' but watching Michaels during this period was a joy. It was so obvious that he was going right to the very top, and it was only a matter of time before he got there. ** (Original rating: * ¾)

BUExperience: Though there’s only one match worth seeing, the show isn’t as bad as the star ratings make it seem. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the majority of the matches are junk. But the overall presentation is entertaining in other ways, and if it were, say, an episode of RAW, you’d say it was a pretty good one, with the nightlong Owen Hart storyline, and lots of angles on the undercard to keep the viewer engaged.


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