WWF In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell (Version II)

 

Original Airdate: May 11, 1997

From Richmond, Virginia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

Opening Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Flash Funk: Pay per view debut of the red ropes/black turnbuckle look that would become a hallmark of the Attitude Era. Flash knocks him around in the early going, and starts working the arm. Hunter slugs out of an armbar, so Funk dropkicks him over the top, and dives after him with a 2^nd rope clothesline on the floor. Baseball slide, but Helmsley dodges, and Chyna attacks Flash from behind to turn the tide. Ross trying to make timely pop culture references is somehow even more cringy than when Vince does it. HHH with a suplex to set up a kneedrop for two, so he works a chinlock. Flash fights free, so HHH uses a knee to put him back down, then a high knee to knock him to the outside. These two have no chemistry here, with Flash's poor timing messing with Hunter's offense, and making the match look generally amateurish. Another high knee sends a recovering Flash off of the apron and onto the edge of the ramp, and Hunter heads to the top after rolling him back in, but Funk blocks the dive. Flash makes the comeback, and a spinning legdrop is worth two. Flying twisting bodypress gets two, and a cross corner whip sets up a spinkick. Strong selling from HHH here. Flash goes up for the dive, but Hunter crotches him, and uses a superplex to bring him down. Pedigree finishes clean at 10:03. Big time style clash here, but it least it had a clean finish. I thought for sure we were going to get something from Chyna or Goldust. ¾* (Original rating: *)

Rocky Maivia v Mankind: I'm kind of surprised they didn't keep the Intercontinental title on Rocky for a few weeks longer just so they could promote more than one title match for this show. Also, Todd Pettengill (who gets a pre-match interview with a salty Rocky) already feels majorly out of place in this era. Mankind stalls in the corner, but an attempt to sneak attack Maivia backfires, and Rocky whips him into the ropes for a backdrop. Dropkick and a clothesline send Mankind over the top, and Rocky uses a powerslam on the way back in, before going to the mat with a hammerlock. Mankind slugs free, but a kneelift misses, so he resorts to dumping Rocky to the outside. That works better, and Mankind capitalizes with a somersault senton off of the apron out there. Inside, Mankind hammers him into the corner for a running kneesmash, but a corner splash misses, and Rocky throws a clothesline to put both men down. Mankind tries keeping control with a gut-punch as they recover, but Rocky dumps him over the top, and wins a slugfest on the ramp with a uranage out there. Rocky rolls him back in to cover for two, and Mankind collapses while taking a cross corner whip. Not sure where that came from, since Rocky wasn't even working the leg, or being especially brutal. Maybe just a botch. Rocky with a belly-to-belly suplex and a small package for two, and a shoulderbreaker sets up a flying bodypress, only for Mankind to roll through into the Mandible Claw at 8:18. This was nothing notable, but seeing Rocky start to find an edge is already a welcome change for the character. * ¼ (Original rating: ½*)

Gauntlet Match: Ahmed Johnson v Faarooq, Crush, and Savio Vega: Crush starts, and tries to sneak attack, but that goes poorly. Ahmed with an axekick and a bodyslam, but an elbowdrop misses, and Crush throws a (very poorly executed) superkick. I guess that's why they allowed him to keep doing that one. I mean, ain't no one gonna confuse him with Shawn Michaels out there. Crush with a 2^nd rope clothesline for two, so he works a nervehold, but Ahmed starts to power out, so Crush uses a vertical suplex for two. Another suplex, but this time Ahmed counters with a sloppy gourdbuster for two, so Crush grabs a sleeper to try and keep control. Crush has on the same style gloves as Goldberg later popularized. Never noticed that. Ahmed fights free, so Crush throws a knee to cut him off again. Another knee, but this time Johnson counters with a schoolboy for two, so Crush drops him with a piledriver. Heart Punch looks to finish, but Ahmed counters with a short-spinheel kick at 5:31. Savio is next in, and Ahmed welcomes him via backdrop for two. Pair of clotheslines, but Savio reverses a corner whip, and follows in with a spinheel kick. Vega works the kidneys, and he turnbuckle smashes Johnson into an exposed buckle. Vega works a nervehold, but Ahmed fights free, and hits a hiptoss. He tries a 2^nd rope headbutt drop, but misses, and shit, thanks for the laugh, Ahmed. Too bad memes weren't a thing in 1997, because that was a GIF waiting to happen. Savio misses a corner splash (though they couldn't even be bothered to use the exposed buckle), and Ahmed side suplexes him for two. Powerslam gets two, so Savio bails. Johnson is hot on his tail, so Vega throws a superkick - nearly taking out some annoying blonde in the front row along with Ahmed, but at least the move looked passable. And then Vega just hits him with a chair to get disqualified at 12:10. Savio keeps beating on him with the chair until Faarooq mosies on down, and he slaps Johnson around. Ahmed tries a small package for two, and manages to hit a spinebuster to set up the Pearl River Plunge for two. Ahmed looks legitimately exhausted out there. Faarooq clips the leg as Ahmed staggers to his feet, and the Dominator finishes at 15:28. Ahmed having to plow through the Nation in order to get to the big boss isn't a bad idea in theory, he's just the wrong worker to make it work. He's just got no stamina, and his selling is for shit to boot. ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

No Holds Barred Submission Match: Vader v Ken Shamrock: They do some squaring off to start, and Shamrock shoots for the takedown, but Vader holds him off on the ropes. Ken responds with kicks to the leg, but Vader stays vertical, and grabs a waistlock. Ken tries countering to an armbar, but Vader is wisely quick to dive for the ropes before getting into trouble. Ken tries more strikes at the leg, but he just succeeds in pissing Vader off, and they slug it out. Ken with a waistlock of his own, but Vader is in the ropes before Shamrock can turn it into a takedown. More strikes and another waistlock allow Ken the first takedown of the match, and Vader wisely bails to the outside to kill the momentum. Vader barrels back in to throw shots in the corner, but Shamrock fights off the blitz, and German suplexes him. Ken with his own shots in the corner, so Vader bails, and they're clearly working very stiff, and Vader doesn't seem to be loving it. Well, what's good for the goose, and all that. Back in, Vader tries a hiptoss, but Ken counters with a takedown, and the big man bails again. It's smart strategy, but getting repetitive to watch. Ken manages a standing front-facelock, but Vader powers out, and uses a short-clothesline to put the shooter down. Vader goes to a fujiwara armbar to try for the submission, but Ken counters to a cross armbreaker. He shifts to a triangle choke when Vader starts to escape, but Vader still manages to muscle to a vertical base and slam his way out of the hold. Vader decides to drop him over the top to buy some time, and Ken eats steps out there. Back in, Vader uses a cross corner whip to put Ken down for an anklelock, but Shamrock escapes. Vader responds by immediately tackling him with a chinlock/bodyscissors combo, but Ken escapes. Vader corner splashes him to keep control, and a slam sets up the Vadersault, but Ken dodges. Wow, whole hell of a lot of 'Austin 3:16' shirts in the crowd tonight. Shamrock makes a comeback, and a bodyslam sets up a kneebar, but Vader's in the ropes. Ken keeps after the leg with strikes, and he tries putting it away with a half-crab, but Vader is in the ropes again. Shamrock unloads in the corner to keep control, but one big blow back from Vader floors him. Vader goes in for the kill, but Ken is ready with an Anklelock for the submission at 13:18. This was more interesting than it was good, but interesting is better than boring, so we're already a big step ahead of the rest of the show thus far. ** (Original rating: *** ¼)

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Undertaker v Steve Austin: The Hart Foundation show up before the bell, having purchased front row seats for themselves. Kind of telling that they'd spend the money on the seats, and not bother to show up until the last half hour of the show. If Austin is distracted by their arrival, he hides it well, attacking Undertaker before the bell. He hammers away, but Undertaker fights him off, so Austin takes out his frustrations on Owen Hart at ringside. Undertaker saves by throwing Austin into the steps, but then beats on Owen AND Davey Boy Smith anyway. Back in, Undertaker wins a criss cross with a jumping clothesline for two, and the ropewalk forearm gets two. Steve takes it to the mat with a side-headlock, and this crowd is dead. Too bad Vince isn't here to tell us that they're just 'in awe,' or whatever. Undertaker fights free to escape the lengthy headlock, so Austin starts going after the leg, but Undertaker turns the tables on him in the corner. Steve rolls to the outside and sweeps the champion down so he can bash the leg into the post a few times. Again, but Undertaker reverses this time, and the Foundation are all smiles, of course. Back in, Steve keeps after the leg. It's worth noting that, despite all the t-shirts in the crowd and the big pops, the crowds are totally dead when Stone Cold actually wrestles. Undertaker tries a Tombstone out of nowhere, but Steve is focused, and counters to an STF. Undertaker escapes and feeds Austin another helping of post and steps, then takes it back in to start working the leg himself. He works a leglock and a half-crab, but Steve is in the ropes to save himself, and the challenger bails. Undertaker drags him back in for a big boot, but Steve ducks, and clips the leg to take control again. He works a spinning toehold, but Undertaker starts to escape, so Steve bashes the leg into the apron. I've said it before, but the injury was a blessing in disguise for Steve. Of course I wish it never happened, but forcing him to change his style the way it did probably helped his career tremendously, because watching Austin work leglocks for twenty minutes each month would have gotten old, fast. Like, these two did a wild brawl to close the preceding RAW, and now it's leglocks and half-crabs. Steve tries a superplex, but Undertaker blocks. Undertaker tries an elbowdrop, but Steve rolls out of the way, and covers for two. Undertaker responds with a sleeper, but Steve drops down with a jawbreaker to escape. He can't follow up, however, allowing Undertaker to unload in the corner. Steve thinks fast by punting him down low, but Undertaker responds in kind, and now we've got some life out of the crowd. Referee Earl Hebner does a great job with his role in that sequence, too. Though it was weird to see the normally straight-laced official shoot the bird at a wrestler. Undertaker with a chokeslam, so Austin bails to the apron, and snaps the champ's throat across the top rope when Undertaker goes after him. Stunner, cover, and the bell is ringing before the referee can count. That distracts everyone, but it turns out Brian Pillman hopped the rail, and rang it himself. That allows Undertaker to recover with the Tombstone, but Steve reverses - only for Undertaker to reverse back for the pin at 20:06. The Foundation immediately run in to attack Undertaker, but that leaves a wheelchair bound Bret without defenses, and Steve tips his wheelchair over! He steals a crutch, and uses it to chase off the Foundation, allowing both he and Undertaker to stand tall at the end of the show. And then Steve drops him with the Stunner anyway, since this isn't 1990 anymore. The match was fine, though a little too slow to be totally impactful. ** ¼ (Original rating: ½*)

BUExperience: 'Cold' is an apt subtitle for this show. Undertaker/Austin may seem hot in retrospect, but it was completely a dead match in 1997, and the undercard was terrible - both from a quality and heat perspective. Meanwhile, the hottest guys in the promotion (who also held three out of the four active titles) aren't even competing at all. Skip this one.

DUD