WWF In Your House: Canadian Stampede (Version II)

Original Airdate: July 6, 1997

From Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler

Opening Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Mankind: Mankind charges in to brawl, and hits a bulldog right away. Bodyslam sets up a legdrop, and a double-arm DDT follows. Backdrop, but HHH counters with a kneeling facebuster - only to get backdropped over the top when trying a charge. Mankind dives after him with an elbowdrop from the apron, and he covers for two on the way back inside. Corner whip sends Helmsley bumping over the top again, but he bails up the aisle before Mankind can dive after him. Mankind chases him with a clothesline on the ramp, and he adds a vertical suplex out there. The crowd is hot for it all, which is such a nice change of pace after all the dead RAW crowds that only popped for the big angles, and slept through the actual matches. HHH beats the counter with a slingshot sunset flip, but Mankind blocks with the Mandible Claw, so Chyna decks him to break it up. Mankind responds by going after her on the outside, but ends up taking a powerslam right into the steps, and Hunter whacks him with a chair. Mankind beats the count, so Hunter welcomes him by clipping the leg, and he goes to work on the part. Figure four looks to put Mankind away, though, really, who in their right mind tries to coax a submission out of Mankind? Hunter gets busted using the ropes to allow Mankind to escape, so HHH goes for the Pedigree, but Mankind blocks. He starts making a comeback, and a piledriver gets him two. Clothesline sends both men tumbling over the top, and Mankind grabs a chair to try and get revenge for earlier, but Chyna pulls it away from him. That allows Hunter to use the weapon, and Chyna punctuates it with a clothesline on the floor. HHH heads to the top rope on the way back inside, but Mankind crotches him up there, and slaps on the Claw. Chyna makes the save again, and they spill into the crowd for a brawl, giving us a double countout at 13:12. This was much better than the fairly dull King of the Ring match, though HHH's heat segments (while psychologically sound) remain fairly unengaging. ** ¼ (Original rating: *** ½)

 

Great Sasuke v Taka Michinoku: This is the WWF debut of both men. HHH and Mankind continue brawling through the crowd during the entrances for this, in a nice touch. They measure each other a bit to start, and Sasuke gets control with a quick strike to allow him a chinlock. Unfortunately, the crowd is dead for this, since both guys have never been on WWF TV before this. Taka escapes and works a wristlock, as the announcers try every possible pronunciation of 'Sasuke' possible. Sasuke with a nice spinkick to set up an elevated half-crab, but Taka makes the ropes, and he uses a pair of seated dropkicks on Sasuke. Big charge ends badly when Sasuke backdrops him over the top, however, and Sasuke dives with a flying sidekick. Back in, Sasuke unloads with kicks in the corner, as Vince tries putting this over as revolutionary. That's not even true when talking of the WWF exclusively, let alone the shit the cruiserweights were doing on Nitro on a weekly basis. Taka knocks him back to the outside with a dropkick, and follows up with the first truly crazy spot of the match with a springboard flying bodypress that takes them a quarter way up the ramp. Taka tries a suplex back in, but Sasuke reverses - only for Taka to land on his feet, and use a rana for two. Magistral cradle is worth two, but a charge is blocked with a handspring backelbow to put Taka back on the outside. Sasuke dives with a springboard moonsault press on the floor, but he walks into an overhead suplex as they had back in again. Taka with a springboard flying missile dropkick, as the announcers again go out of their way to put this over as the craziest match in history, which is just... isn't. Michinoku Driver only gets two, and Sasuke dives with a springboard moonsault press for two. Powerbomb and a bridging tiger suplex finish at 9:59. So, an Asian masked man who does moonsault presses, and finishes with a tiger suplex. Gee, where have I seen THAT before? I thought this was fine, but that they kept putting it over like it was some crazy game changer got annoying after the first twelve times. Interestingly, though Sasuke was the one getting all the hype, he would only wrestle one more match for the WWF before disappearing, while Taka stuck around for years. ** ½ (Original rating: **)

 

WWF Title Match: Undertaker v Vader: Vader tries attacking at the bell, but Undertaker fights him off, and a clothesline sets up a legdrop for two. Undertaker with a corner splash for two, and the ropewalk forearm is worth two. Corner whip backfires when Vader rebounds out with a bodyblock, and the challenger unloads, but loses a criss cross when Undertaker uses a jumping clothesline for two. Vader grabs a side-headlock, so Undertaker forces another criss cross, which he wins with a pair of big boots to send his challenger over the top. Undertaker follows for a whip into the steps, but Vader reverses. Vader tries dragging him back in, but Undertaker snaps his throat across the top rope to block, and then dives with a flying clothesline for two. Undertaker stops to go after Paul Bearer on the outside, however, allowing Vader to attack. Man, they just had no idea how to book Vader after SummerSlam '96, did they? And one could argue even well before that. Inside, Vader with a short-clothesline to set up a 2^nd rope bodyblock for two. I think that's the first time I've ever seen him actually hit that. It's almost always a setup for his opponent to catch him in a powerslam. Vader with a vertical suplex to set up a splash for two, and he grounds the champion in a weak looking nervehold. That makes even the laziest Yokozuna version look positively deadly. Undertaker fights him off, so Vader throws a clothesline to keep control, but loses a slugfest in the corner. Undertaker goes for the chokeslam, so Vader kicks him down low to block, causing Bruce Hart to jump up and down with glee at ringside, I imagine. Undertaker tries the Tombstone, but Vader reverses, only for Undertaker to topple him for two. That was a botch, though they made it work. Vader with another bodyblock to set up the Vaderbomb, but Undertaker blows him low to block. Bruce! Bruce! Bruce! Chokeslam gets two, so Undertaker gives him another one, again for two. Ross is again in oversell mode, acting like kicking out of two chokeslams is some superhuman feat. He almost exclusively used it as a setup move at this stage in his career. Tombstone finishes for real at 12:38. This was much better than the Royal Rumble match, albeit nothing special. ** ¼ (Original rating: ¾*)

 

Main Event: Ten-Man Tag Team Match: Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, and Brian Pillman v Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and The Legion of Doom: Bret and Austin start, less choosing to do so, than just everyone else getting out of their way as they slug it out at the bell. Hart pounds him into the corner, and the sustained heat is pretty crazy here. Even the hard camera is shaking from the sheer force of the cheers. Austin turns the tables, and the crowd immediately switches to LOUDLY booing him, but Hart fights him off, and uses an inverted atomic drop. Steve responds with a mulekick to put Bret down, and Stone Cold puts the boots to him in the corner. He decides to slap on the cobra clutch to be a dick, so Bret tries to kick off the ropes like he did at Survivor Series, but Steve kicks out at two this time. Steve tries a straddling ropechoke, but Bret dodges, and passes to Neidhart. Even the Anvil is getting a big pop from this crowd. Criss cross ends in Steve throwing a Thesz-press to set up mounted punches, and he passes to Shamrock. They square off for a bit, and Ken quickly takes him down for the Anklelock, so Pillman saves. Ken fights off the sneak attack from Jim, however, and grabs an armbar. Anvil slugs free, but Ken counters a hiptoss into a cradle for two, so Jim tags out to Brian. Ken armdrags him over as well, but Pillman slugs free, and this crazy crowd is even cheering on his CHEATING. That's great. Brian with a cross corner whip and a backbreaker for two, and it's honestly depressing seeing Pillman try to turn it up, but not being able to get past, like, a 'five.' Ken with a belly-to-belly suplex, so Brian tags out to Owen, and Ken tags to Goldust. Goldust reverses a cross corner whip and uses a backdrop, but Owen quickly comes back with a leg-feed enzuigiri for two. Goldust gets him into the corner for a ten-punch, and the crowd sounds like they want to kill him. Tag to Hawk to hit Owen with a gutwrench slam to set up a legdrop for two, and a bodyslam sets up a fistdrop. Hawk goes upstairs with a flying splash for two, but a dropkick misses, and Owen slaps on the Sharpshooter - Animal quickly breaking it up. Hawk is still legal, however, so Bulldog tags in to give him a hanging vertical suplex for two. Running Powerslam gets two when Goldust saves, and we get tags to Bret and Animal. Animal hammers him in the corner, but misses a charge, though he backs into his home corner to keep the Hitman at bay. He passes to Goldust to try a test-of-strength with the Hitman, and Bret takes a cheap shot, though the crowd doesn't mind. Hart takes him into the Foundation corner for a beating, so the Americans rush over to make the save, but quickly get backed away. Owen tags in to deliver a backbreaker, but a corner charge misses, and Animal tags back in. Criss cross allows Owen a spinheel kick, and he dives with a nice flying dropkick. Rana, but Animal counters with a powerbomb, and adds a powerslam. He calls for the Doomsday Device, and it's weird as hell hearing that get loud boos. It only gets two when Jim saves, and triggers another brawl between the teams. Austin nails Owen with a chair during it (while fighting off other members of the Hart family at ringside, in a nice touch), and Bret makes the save, but the damage is done. Dust settles on Neidhart and Austin, and Jim railroads him into the Foundation corner for another gang attack, as Owen gets carried out. Steve manages to fight them all off on his own, and he hits Pillman with the Stunner, but Bret saves him. Bret drags Steve into the corner to bash Austin's leg into the post a few times, and he nails him with a fire extinguisher for good measure. Ring post figure four follows, but Hawk saves. That allows Steve to tag, and the dust settles on Bulldog and Hawk. Hawk bodyslams him to set up a dive, but Davey crotches him on the top rope before he can leap. Neidhart and Animal have a test-of-strength, as Austin gets taken out of the match as well. Jim and Bret hit Animal with a backbreaker/2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop combo for two, but Bret telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a boot to the kisser. Tag to Shamrock, so Brian rushes in with a clothesline to save Bret from getting trapped in a submission. Pillman takes him to the outside for a violent throw into an announce table (taken with gusto by Shamrock), and Bret delivers a Russian legsweep for two on the way back inside. Smith tags in to give Ken a Stone Cold-like stomping in the corner, so Ken goes downstairs, allowing the tag to Goldust. Goldust hits a clothesline, and a bulldog follows. Curtain Call, but Pillman runs in to prevent him from executing it. Goldust tries getting tot he top to keep things going, but Smith cuts him off with a vertical superplex, as Austin hobbles back down. Steve tags in just as Bulldog tags to Bret, and they slug it out again. Austin gets the better of it, and a cross corner whip leads to a vertical suplex for two. Backdrop, but Bret is ready with a swinging neckbreaker, and Hart adds a backbreaker to set up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Sleeper, but Austin manages a jawbreaker to escape, and he covers for two. Backdrop, but Bret counters with a spinebuster into the Sharpshooter, so Animal runs in to make the save. That allows Steve to put on a sharpshooter of his own, but Owen hobbles back down to make the save. Bret tags out to his brother, and Owen quickly spills to the outside for a brawl with Austin. They end up right in front of the Hart family, however, and Steve stupidly goes after Stu, which ends badly. That allows Owen to schoolboy him on the way back in, scoring the pin at 24:31. That finish was a nice callback to Survivor Series '93. It's also amazing that, of everyone on that team, Austin actually took the fall. You'd think someone else would be the designated job guy, but nope. Yeah, so, this was a great match, and it totally holds up today. It's also a testament to how good the booking was that half the workers were either washed up (LOD, Neidhart), broken down (Pillman), or newbies (Shamrock), and none of that dragged the action down at all. This was also pretty much nonstop, with only minor dead zones, crazy heat, and enough gas that it probably could have gone for another ten or fifteen minutes without breaking a sweat. Sadly, it was all down hill for the Hart's from here, both as a stable, and a family. But what a high point. **** ¼ (Original rating: **** ½)

BUExperience: The main event is amazing, the rest, not so much. Certainly not the best pay per view ever, especially in modern times, when most TakeOver specials (though not the recent ones) easily eclipse it. I think a large part of the mystique honestly comes from the love it gets from prominent Canadian writers, and that's fair, we all have our favorites.

It is nice to finally have a hot crowd, after months of dead ones, though.

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