UTC Arena, Chattanooga, Tennessee; February 16, 1997
Commentators: Jim Ross & Jerry “The King” Lawler
Shawn Michaels had “lost his smile” a few weeks prior to the PPV so he forfeited the WWF title (as opposed to jobbing it). The four corners elimination match was decided because at the 1997 Royal Rumble (full review, click here), Steve Austin reentered the ring illegally after being eliminated, unbeknownst to the referees, which were busy dealing with an outside the ring brawl. Austin then eliminated Vader, Bret Hart and the Undertaker and was declared the Rumble winner, despite already being eliminated; so the “Final Four” remaining participants in the Rumble will battle for the vacant WWF title.
“Wildman” Marc Mero (w/Sable) vs. Leif Cassidy: Leif is waiting, already in the ring; he runs into an arm drag and a fireman’s carry suplex so Mero applies an armbar. Mero has been acting more aggressive (heelish) as of late and pulls Cassidy down by the hair a few times and shoves the referee aside. Leif runs to the floor and pulls the Wildman to the floor and tries to wrap Mero’s leg around the ringpost but Sable (also acting more heelish) interferes. Mero drops a sledge off the apron and reenters the ring via slingshot legdrop for a nearfall. Mero punches away in the corner; Cassidy reverses a whip into the corner and dropkicks Mero’s knee off the recoil. Leif adds another basement dropkick and continues to focus on the knee. Cassidy applies a spinning leglace and grapevines it; Leif drops a leg onto the knee and continues to slam the knee off the mat. Mero begins to fire back but Cassidy reapplies the leglace. Leif continues the legwork, which is smart to ground the highflyer, Mero tries to fire back with punches. Mero grazes Leif with an enziguri and Majestral cradles him for two; Leif quickly applies a shinbreaker into a figure-four leglock. Sable pushes on the ropes allowing Mero to grab them facilitating a rope break. Cassidy goes out after her angrily and she slaps him; Leif grabs her but Mero topés out onto him. Mero slams Leif’s face into the mat and posts his shoulder; Mero Samoan drops Leif and climbs to the top and drops the Wild Thing, despite all of the legwork and it having no ill effects, and gets the three. 5/10 Good match; essentially a squash since on one thought Leif would win despite controlling 90% of the match. Mero could be flagged for fifteen yards, not really selling the prior legwork and just connecting with his finisher.
The Honky Tonk Man heads to the ring for some reason, we never find out because we get highlights from major lore in professional wrestling. On Thursday Raw Thursday Shawn Michaels gave his infamous “lost my smile” speech, hinting he may have to retire and forfeited the WWF title. Shawn claimed to have a major knee injury and needed to forfeit the title. Many people (notably, Bret Hart and the Undertaker) claim that he did it to prevent himself from jobbing it to Bret in the future. WWF President Gorilla Monsoon decrees the inner of the Final Four match to be the champion and will face Sycho Sid the next night on Monday Night Raw; Sid says his time is tomorrow on Raw.
Flash Funk, Goldust & Bart Gunn (w/Marlena) vs. Nation of Domination (w/Clarence Mason & PG-13): This is the original and complete incarnation of the NOD with Faarooq, Savio Vega and Crush; all of the babyfaces had matches lost due to the NOD members interfering. The Nation enters through the crowd; Faarooq asks for a microphone but Goldust attacks from behind trigging a pier-six right off the bat. The faces clear the ring and Flash Funk jumps off the top and wipes out the legal NOD members. Faarooq and Goldust start the match off proper and Faarooq dominates until Goldust rams Faarooq’s face off the mat. Funk gets a tag and tries a leapfrog but Faarooq catches him in a spinebuster. Savio tags in but Flash hits s super Frankensteiner but Crush interrupts the count. Bart Gunn and Flash Funk team up for a backdrop-your-own-partner onto opponents outside the ring move but the Nation catch Flash and destroy him on the floor. Back in the ring Savio backdrops Funk; Crush comes in and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Talk of his [Crush] jail sentence from the commentators follows as part of the more reality based show. Faarooq comes in and knocks Flash down and trash talks the other babyfaces. Faarooq calls Flash “a Southern black redneck” and slaps him around; he tries a sit-down splash but Flash raises his boot and crotches him. Savio tags back in and cuts off the tag; he draws Goldust in the ring so he and Crush can team up for a standing spiked piledriver, which gets only two. Wow. Faarooq comes back in and he and Vega try a double clothesline but Flash flips around their arms and delivers a double clothesline on the rebound. Flash tags in Bart Gunn who punches away on everyone; he powerslams Faarooq. Savio interrupts the count and the match breaks down again. In the mêlée, Bart counters the Dominator into a top-rope bulldog pinfall but Crush sneaks over and legdrops Bart allowing Faarooq to steal the pinfall. 3.5/10 the original NOD was pretty cool and all of their matches were all out brawls, which were always entertaining. Once it splintered into three factions in the “Gang Warz” it began to get a little too much.
Steve Austin says he threw three pieces of trash over the top rope at the Royal Rumble; Austin complains about bureaucratic BS holding him back for seven years and feels Gorilla Monsoon and Vince McMahon are partially behind it. Austin says he is winning the Final Four match.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Rocky Maivia vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley: Also on that infamous, Thursday Raw Thursday, Rocky pulled the upset of upsets and won the IC title from Helmsley. Rocky was beginning his John Cena phase whereas the fans began to turn on him because they were just sick of him. They do some rudimentary arm locks and armbars with Helmsley slapping the back of his head. Maivia applies a hammerlock and gets it reversed but hiptosses Helmsley and dropkicks him; Rocky applies the armbar and slaps Hunter around. Hunter cowers in the corner and sneaks in a knee to the midsection. Hunter chops in the corner but Maivia reverses a whip and backdrops Helmsley out of the corner and arm drags into an armbar. Helmsley chucks Rocky to the floor and bodyslams him there; Hunter generates crowd heat by bowing to the crowd. Hunter elbows Maivia on the apron and kicks his throat. Helmsley hits a vertical suplex and drops a knee and lateral presses into a nearfall. Hunter settles into a chinlock and uses the ropes for illegal leverage; referee Earl Hebner catches him and kicks him off. Maivia fights back but runs right into a Helmsley high knee for two; Rocky surprises Hunter with an inside cradle, the same way he won the title, it only gets two here. Helmsley stomps away on Rocky’s head and hits a backbreaker for two. Hunter returns to the chinlock and Rocky fights free on his own and hits a crossbody for two; Helmsley grabs the ropes causing Maivia to miss a dropkick. Hunter misses a knee drop but works Rocky over in the corner; Rocky catches a boot and spins Hunter around but he hits a clothesline. Helmsley goes to the top rope but gets a punch to the gut off his double axe handle; Maivia comes back with an inverted atomic drop and punches his momentum back. Powerslam by Maivia and he goes to the top rope and lands a crossbody for two; Hunter Stunguns Maivia off the turnbuckle and gets a two count with his feet on the ropes. Rocky sneaks into a float-over DDT for two. Hunter hits the facebuster into a neckbreaker as Goldust wanders down to ringside to distract Hunter allowing Maivia to bridging German suplex Helmsley for three. Post-match, Marlena joins Goldust at ringside and she gets attacked from the crowd by a debuting Chyna; security drags her to the back as Goldust attends to Marlena and carries her to the back. 4/10 The definition of a basic formula match; Hunter made it very simple for the still incredibly green Rocky. The fans were already bored with Maivia and his simple matches were not helping the matter, now his simple matches are title matches so they are higher up on the card, so the fans’ patience is wearing thinner and quicker.
Vader has disparaging words for the rest of the combatants in the Final Four match; Paul Bearer says he has already destroyed the opponents and tonight he will become the next WWF Champion.
WWF Tag Team Championship Owen Hart & British Bulldog (w/Clarence Mason) vs. Furnas & LaFon: There was tension between the champs because Owen was acting jealous of the Bulldog; he even eliminated the Bulldog from the Rumble as well. Owen and Doug Furnas start off and they do some nice amateur wrestling stuff. Furnas drop a hiplock and arm drag into an armbar; Owen nips-up but Philip LaFon tags in. They go through a unique series of nearfalls including a head scissors takeover; Hart begins to punch away but LaFon takes him down in a rolling single-leg and applies an ankle lock. Owen makes the ropes. The Bulldog tags in and LaFon dazzles him with a self-sunset flip (for two) they fight over a suplex and the Bulldog winds up running into a spinning wheel kick. Owen gets the advantage for his team with a knee from the apron and the brothers-in-law stomp away. The champs draw Furnas into the ring and then double team LaFon whilst Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler argue over who their team “captain” is. LaFon rolls through an Owen second-rope crossbody but only gets two; Hart rakes his eyes and hits a gutwrench suplex and a backbreaker. The champs hit a double clothesline and the Bulldog stomps away. LaFon sneaks in a sunset flip but Owen is arguing with the referee so it only gets two; Bulldog runs over LaFon with a lariat and then nips-up. Owen tags back in and goes for the Sharpshooter but LaFon shoves him off. Hart works the leg and tags the Bulldog who knocks Furnas from off the apron; that distraction allows Owen and the Bulldog to hit a vertical suplex/crossbody combo but it only gets two. LaFon gets an inside cradle and the Bulldog and Doug Furnas each take turns rolling it over but Owen eventually kicks out. Owen and Davey Boy get into an argument so LaFon clunks their heads together. They try again and this time LaFon avoids the double team and Owen spinning wheel kicks Davey Boy. Owen and the Bulldog get into another argument and Owen shoves the Bulldog; Davey Boy then clobbers Owen with a lariat but makes the save on the impending pin attempt. Furnas get the tag and hits a dropsault for two; Furnas fires off a belly-to-belly overhead suplex but the Bulldog interrupts the count. The challengers hit a double backdrop and it gets two; a LaFon Northern Lights suplex gets two more. Furnas returns and hits a bridging hurracanrana pin but Davey Boy breaks up the count again. LaFon comes in and the match totally breaks down a little. Furnas and LaFon hit a crazy tandem series on Owen, Savate kick, reverse lariat, DDT into a legdrop but Owen Hart kicks out. Owen slips over the back on a vertical suplex and knocks Furnas silly with the enziguri. Double tags are made and the Bulldog hits a running dropkick and a press-flapjack; Davey takes out Furnas on the apron but LaFon sneaks in a crucifix sunset flip but Owen makes the save. Furnas comes in and they whip the champs together. LaFon tries to monkey flip Davey Boy out of the corner but Davey drops him into a Stungun; the Bulldog sets up for the powerslam but Owen runs in and nails LaFon with his Slammy whilst he is up on the Bulldog’s shoulders drawing the DQ. Post-match the Bulldog argues with Owen for interrupting his sure pinfall. Bulldog tosses the tag title belt down in frustration; in the fracas Owen’s Slammy gets broken. Owen and Clarence Mason finally calm the Bulldog down. 8/10 Great match, great characteristics as the Bulldog face turn was planted; the fans were practically begging for it. Unfortunately, Bret Hart’s Hart Foundation reunion would put the kibosh on it. This was an excellent tag team match with three or four different quarreling sides involved.
Undertaker tells Dok Hendrix that he is in the process of regaining his edge which spells doom for the WWF. Taker plans on winning the WWF title and he is gunning for Vader. Bret Hart says in a separate interview “may the best man win… me”.
Vacant WWF Heavyweight Championship: Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Vader (w/Paul Bearer) vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Undertaker Final Four match: This is a unique elimination battle royal where pinfalls and submissions count also count made by WWF President Gorilla Monsoon to correct the Royal Rumble controversy; Shawn Michaels’ vacating the WWF title made it a title match. The winner defends against Sycho Sid the next night on Raw. Taker and Vader battle as do Bret and Austin. Taker hits the flying clothesline and then goes to Bret and Austin and kicks the crap out of them. Undertaker with the Ropewalk Forearm to Austin but turns into a belly-to-belly suplex from Vader; Taker and Vader take their battle to the floor where Vader grabs a chair and nails Taker in the gut with it. In the ring Bret takes his corner bump and Austin drops elbows. Vader tries a running chairshot on the floor but the Undertaker boots it back into his face. Austin nails an elbow in the ring while the Undertaker tosses Vader into the steel steps. Vader’s eye begins to bleed around the socket. Bret hits a backbreaker but Taker returns and they all battle in the ring. Bret slaps a sleeper on Austin but he counters with a jawjacker for a nearfall. Undertaker chokeslams Vader but Austin hits a half-Stunner on Undertaker (because he didn’t sell it properly, I think). Vader body splashes Bret off the ropes as his eye is bleeding a bit profusely. Austin and Undertaker fight on one side of the ring as Vader nails a low blow on Bret. Austin hits a neckbreaker on the Undertaker as Vader lays out Bret on the floor with a chair. Austin and Taker fight up the aisle where Taker backdrops him off a piledriver attempt; Hart clotheslines Vader in the ring but Taker comes in and suplexes Bret from the apron to the ring. Vader and Austin battle on the floor where Vader tries to use the steps but Austin reverses and tosses the steps onto Vader who essentially no-sells it and continues to pummel Austin. In the ring, Bret works on Undertaker’s leg whilst Vader gets whipped on the floor into the timekeeper. Austin lays Vader out with shots with the belt; Vader’s eye is completely swollen shut. Vader drags Bret and pulls him to the floor while Austin goes to the top… and gets crotched by the Undertaker. Vader brings Hart up the aisle where he tosses him into it; Bret reverses and sends Vader over the guardrail and they battle into the crowd; back in the ring Austin gets a nearfall. They head back to the ring where Vader tosses Bret into the steps; Undertaker nearly gets Austin over the top but he clotheslines his was back from the top rope. Sycho Sid watches from a monitor in the back as Vader applies a Sharpshooter on Bret Hart on the floor; Austin breaks it up and tosses Bret into the steps. Vader rolls back into the ring while the other three pummels each other on the floor; Vader tries to drag Bret back into the ring but Taker head-butts him. Austin hits Vader with a Thesz press in the ring; Vader comes back with a running body splash and then Taker drops him with a punch. Bret works on Austin’s lower back; Vader rebounds out of a corner charge with a clothesline as Bret spikes Austin with a piledriver for a nearfall. Vader goes to the top but MISSES the Vader-sault on the Undertaker. Vader takes a powder on the floor but Taker joins him there and chokes him with electrical cables; Austin has the advantage on Bret in the ring. Vader chokes Taker with the cables as Austin has Bret over the top but not out; Bret gets back in and props Austin on the top and punches away. Vader chokes the Undertaker; Bret drops the second-rope driving elbow for two. Austin sneaks in an O’Connor roll on Bret for two. They trade off again and Bret and Vader slug it out until Bret kicks him in the jimmy. Austin wraps Taker’s leg around the ringpost as Bret hits a Russian leg sweep on Vader for two. Undertaker gets Austin over the top but not to the floor; Vader applies armbar on Bret. Taker almost goes over the top via Stone Cold and visa versa. Taker hits Vader with a short clothesline and Bret goes after Austin. Taker and Vader trade punches in the corner as Bret tosses Austin over the top to the floor and Steve Austin is eliminated. Vader comes over and pummels Bret in the corner but Taker back jumps him; the Undertaker sends him into the corner and hits a Stinger splash. Bret and Taker go at it in the corner and Vader runs over and chop blocks the Undertaker; Bret and Vader kick Taker to the floor, under the bottom rope where Paul Bearer nails him with the urn. In the ring, Vader body splashes Bret and removes his bloody leather mask. Vader hits a vertical suplex and heads to the top but Bret catches him and drops him with a top-rope superplex. Taker revives on the floor as Bret twists Vader in the Sharpshooter. For some inane reason, the Undertaker clotheslines Bret from behind, breaking the hold, and sending Bret to the floor; Austin runs back out, with a ton of WWF officials, and attacks Bret on the floor and sending him face first into the steel post. Meanwhile in the ring, Vader goes for the Vader Bomb on the Undertaker but he sits-up and punches Vader in the balls, stunning him and causing him to fall over the top rope and Vader is eliminated. It comes down to Bret Hart and the Undertaker; Austin gets in the ring and continues his assault on Bret. Undertaker clotheslines Austin to the floor and chokeslams Bret; Austin tenaciously gets back onto the apron to get at Bret trying to pull him out of the ring and inadvertently breaks up the Tombstone. Undertaker nails Austin allowing Bret an O’Connor roll for a nearfall. The kickout sends Bret into Austin so Hart punches away at him. Austin is causing all sorts of complications out there as the referees are trying to pull him away from the ring; Taker charges at them and knocks Austin off the apron but turns right into a Bret Hart clothesline sending Undertaker to the floor and the Undertaker is eliminated. Bret Hart wins the WWF Championship. Post-match Austin is finally dragged to the back as the Undertaker stalks him but turns and watches Bret in the ring celebrating. Sycho Sid’s music comes on and he interrupts the celebration and he gets in the ring; he and Bret argue about the title match on Raw the next night. 9/10 Great match; the stipulations made it unique and it was nonstop action from bell to bell. Vader was intense in there despite his eyeball nearly falling out. Undertaker brought the power; Austin bought the tenacity and Bret was Bret. It all leads to one terrific match.
OVERALL 8.5/10 One of the best In Your Houses the WWF produced, in 1997 everything seemed to click for them, all of the matches were either good or highly entertaining. A forgotten classic PPV.