Breakdown: In Your House - Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Ontario, September 27th, 1998

This PPV has one of my all time favourite opening video packages which you can see here;

There is a really obvious edit as the original theme music for the event, whatever it was, has been loudly dubbed over. 

JR and King open the show by recapping the rules for tonight's main event (Mostly that Undertaker cannot pin Kane, and Kane cannot pin The Undertaker) and include the new one added on earlier tonight Heat - if anyone interferes on Stone Cold’s behalf, the match will be stopped and Austin will be stripped of the title. Vince is really piling it on. The rule was likely added because of all the Mankind/Rock/Shamrock stuff on Raw, plus DX’s Bad Ass Billy Gunn unexpectedly stepping up to be Austin’s tag team partner. 

There really weren’t a lot of matches announced for this show in advance but there was a big one announced during Sunday Night Heat as well - Mankind vs. Ken Shamrock vs. The Rock for the number 1 contendership, inside a steel cage. That’s huge. 

Owen Hart vs. Edge

I think this must be a bonus match as there was no build for this on TV. Edge is wearing guy-liner. I thought Owen got a loud babyface reaction from the Canadian crowd but then they started chanting “Nugget”. He was wearing a Toronto Argonauts jersey, which is a local sports team I assume. Really crisp action here. Edge goes for a running dive off the apron and Owen turns it right into a snap powerslam on the floor which looked and sounded very painful. This feels like our first proper look at Edge with it getting some time, and being a singles match with someone like Owen Hart. He really gets a chance to show what he can do both on offence and defence. The fans get into it as it's the opener, there’s lots of near falls and also it's really good! JR and King talk about Jim Carrey and King’s rivalry with him which sounds insane but JR and King had just missed this past Raw as they were filming their appearance in “Man on the Moon” the Andy Kauffman biopic starring Jim Carrey. The film didn’t do well and both Lawler and Ross would speak very negatively about their experiences on it in later years. Jim Carrey worked as a method actor for it and was apparently a nightmare.

The finish comes when a handsome young blonde man who looks like Edge hops the barrier in a shiny shirt and sunglasses and stares at Edge. The distraction allows Owen to win with a roll up but Edge immediately gets out of the ring and chases the mystery blonde off through the crowd.

It’s Christian. This is the debut of Christian.

Plug for the WWF Superstar line with Doc Hendrix and Sable. More heavily dubbed audio to hide the original event theme song during this - I can hardly hear what they’re saying. 

Al Snow and Scorpio vs. Too Much (Brian Christopher and Scott Taylor)

Ths one wasn’t announced beforehand either but there’s a bit of build here as Too Much stopped Al Snow from getting a job back in June at the King of the Ring. Al Snow officially got his job by beating Sgt. Slaughter in a (surprisingly good) Boot Camp match on Raw and then was rescued from a 3 on 1 stooges attack by Scorpio who continues to play musical tag team partners. He started with Terry Funk after Wrestlemania, then moved onto Faarooq and now fellow ECW alum Al Snow. 

I love Al Snow. This is good. Four really good workers. Al stacks the Too Much boys up in the corner and then uses a steel chair set up to run, boost and jump into them. Scott falls back and then Bryan falls head first into his crotch. Al follows up with a moonsault off the ring barrier on the outside. The crowd isn’t especially excited for this but it’s wild and there’s some good action including a suplex on the floor and then a springboard splash to the outside by Scott Taylor. 

After a hot tag to Snow, he comes in and clocks both members of Too Cool with Head and accidentally hits Scorpio as he swings at everyone who approaches. A couple of close near falls and finally Al Snow pins Brian with the Snow Plough! This was kind of brilliant! 

Michael Cole interviews both The Undertaker and Kane and sensibly asks them which one will pick up the pin fall to become the WWF champion. Austin may lose but only one of them can win. He wants to know if they’ll turn on each other but The Undertaker refuses to give an answer. JR says that if any one man can stop those two demons, it’s Stone Cold Steve Austin. He’s right. 

Marc Mero (w/ WWF Women’s Champion Jacqueline) vs. Droz

Another bonus match with no build. Marc Mero is accompanied by the new WWF Women’s Champion who won that by defeating Sable on Raw. She still doesn’t have a title belt though. 

To say that the crowd is quiet for Droz would be to say that the ocean is slightly wet. You could hear a pin drop during his entrance. 

Droz is very young and still finding his feet but his offence looks pretty terrible. I’m going to blame Mero because I like Droz more than Mero. 

Jackie keeps interfering with cheap shots when the referee is distracted and so on but really as short as this match is, it still felt five minutes too long. 

Jacqueline’s interference builds to a crescendo as she jumps off the top rope hitting Droz with one of her shoes which allows Mero to do his shooting star press that he calls Marvelocity to win the match. 

Falls Count Anywhere match

Vader vs. Bradshaw

This one was mostly built up on Shotgun Saturday Night and Sunday Night Heat which I didn’t cover in my Preview article (because they’re not on the WWE Network) but basically after his heel turn in July, Bradshaw tried to get himself a tag team partner. He and Vader tried and failed to get along and hence, we have a big man war tonight.

Bradshaw has a new look - clean shaven and hair cut short. It’s weird, he looks like JBL seven years too soon. He calls Vader fat about six times during a short interview. 

They brawl around the ring and use the ring bell and steel stairs as weapons on each other. It’s quite slow.

Anyone who knows me and talks wrestling with me will have heard me share something that happens during this match, one of my favourite laugh out loud moments - as they fight outside, a fan at ringside really audibly and loudly on camera sarcastically shouts “hey Vader, hit him with your fat ass” and it equal parts makes me laugh and sad. Poor Vader. I still laughed though.

Vader gets a near fall on the entrance ramp after a straight kick down low on Bradshaw. He is tough. 

Bradshaw kicks out of a second rope splash and Vaderbomb back to back which gets a gasp of shock from the crowd and a big reaction from the commentators. 

Vader kicks out of the Clothesline from Hell which Bradshaw had been using as his finisher but then loses to a neckbreaker. Flat finish to a decent match.

A WWF.com interview with Jason Sensation who does really good impressions of The Rock, Roaddogg, The Undertaker and he also does one of Jeff Jarrett which isn’t as good. 

Gangrel vs. D’Lo Brown

The third and final bonus match tonight. D’Lo is announced as the former European champion who “once again resides in Chicago Illinois” He only lost the title on Raw six days ago and still has “European Champion” printed on his tights. JR says that Gangrel “leads a gothic lifestyle of some sort” and he and King discuss him drinking blood without actually saying blood. It’s a “viscous red liquid” This is decent with some nice moves back and forth - Gangrel with a double arm overhead suplex, D’Lo with his running powerbomb which gets a big reaction from the crowd. It was awesome. 

There’s a lot more chat about the Gangrel and Edge relationship during this. Gangrel has told Edge “soon you’ll come home” 

King starts laughing about how someone in the crowd has a “Hulk-a-Mania” sign. “It’s some grandfather holding it” They’ve taken a lot of shots at WCW and Hogan’s age recently. The WWE is getting cocky in the ratings war and rightfully so. The fans are actually booing at something that has nothing to do with the match and I think it might be the fan with that sign. 

Mark Henry comes out and while the referee is distracted, drives Gangrel into the ringpost setting up the Sky High. D’Lo Brown hands Gangrel his first loss in the WWF. 

While The Nation boys celebrate after the match, Gangrel gets a mouthful of his “not blood” and sprays it in Mark’s face, then drives D’Lo into the mat with his Impaler DDT. 

There’s no video package for this next match, but what we do get is an extended recap of the final segment from the previous Raw. Mankind, The Rock and Ken Shamrock were in a non-cage triple threat for the number 1 contendership. It was ruined as The Undertaker and Kane who’d had run-ins with all three in the previous few weeks attacked and dismantled all three. The Rock comes across like a big babyface during it as he refuses to back down even when it's two on one. He’s been gradually shifting since Summerslam. He’s not trash talking the fans anymore, just his opponents. It’s working too - he was always too charismatic to stay a bad guy for long. You can see all this build plus all three men's pre-match promos (Mankind's is very funny) by clicking here;

Steel Cage match for the Number 1 Contendership to the WWF Championship

The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Mankind

You can win this match by escaping over the top, through the door, by pinfall or by submission. There’s a referee in the ring and standing by the door on the outside.

Mankind gets a strong positive reaction from the live crowd but it pales to The Rock’s. They lose their minds! It honestly rivals Stone Cold’s on this night - Canadian’s love The People’s Elbow. 

This starts fast and furious and the first proper spot is a double abdominal stretch before resetting back. The steel cage helps and makes this one of the better triple threats as none of them can leave the ring which means all three have to stay involved in the action at all times. They pair up and take turns working over the odd man, with everyone getting their time to sell, and their time to be on offence. 

It hasn’t been said when the winner of this match will get their title shot - not to get too spoilery but we’ll never find out. 

The biggest story of this match is the crowd. Whenever The Rock is being double teamed, the fans boo but they explode with cheers whenever he mounts a comeback. 

In the crowd (and my) favourite spot, The Rock body slams Shamrock and Mankind alongside each other in the centre of the ring and delivers a double People’s Elbow. It is pandemonium. The Rock has been the next big guy for a while but this match is a turning point. 

The Rock has the cover off a Rock Bottom on Mankind but Shamrock breaks it up which draws loud “Shamrock sucks” chants. After breaking up an ankle lock, Mankind tries to climb out and gets over to the outside but The Rock stops him and drags him back in by his hair. Mankind knocks The Rock off too and has the chance to climb out but instead gets to his feet on top of the cage! The fans come alive as he poses and tries to elbow drop The Rock from the top of the cage, missing and splatting violently on the mat. That looked REALLY painful. All that weight on his hip. 

As Shamrock tries to escape and gets stopped, he drags a steel chair back into the ring with him. It comes back to bite him as Mankind blasts him with a hard chairshot to the head.

Mankind climbs the cage to escape and as he does, The Rock pins Shamrock.

In a sad moment, Mankind celebrates getting out of the cage thinking he’s won but The Rock had the pin in the ring first.

The Rock wins a VERY good triple threat match in which all three men shine. Mankind has the finish explained to him by JR and King and I just feel so sorry for him. Mick Foley hits the magical trilogy tonight of a really funny pre-match promo, a really good in-ring performance, and then some wonderful character work post-match. But the star of the show? The Rock. The crowd went MENTAL for him winning. 

Little advert for the next PPV, Judgment Day. It's in only three weeks, which is good news for me and my preview article. Nice easy month for me. Back in the arena, Shamrock is flipping out in the ring, slamming the chair around and screaming. He is not a good loser. 

Val Venis w/Terri Runnels vs. Dustin Runnels

This one gets a video package! Main event feel (not really) which you can see by clicking here; 

Dustin doesn’t get an entrance and is already in the ring. Maybe Jesus doesn’t like theme songs? In this scenario, Val Venis is the babyface because he’s charismatic and gets cheered by the crowds and Dustin is the heel because he preaches and talks about religion. That makes sense until you look at their actual actions - Val Venis is a horrific person and deserves a beating here. 

Val brings Terri to ringside as a big reveal and speaking of reveal, her dress does not leave anything to the imagination. It's basically a thong and open dressing gown.

As Dustin turns away to pray, unable to look, Val tries to jump him from behind. Val is incredibly fired up and vicious here for a man that’s entirely in the wrong. 

Dustin hits a nice powerbomb and some mounted punches to the head before the brawl goes to the outside so that Venis can taunt Dustin with his own wife. JR does remind us how much better Dustin was as Goldust. He won the IC title twice. 

Terri mimics Val’s bumping and grinding taunt at ringside and the fans give her the old Sable reaction. 

To be fair, JR reminds us that the reason Terri and Dustin originally split up was because Dustin “walked out on his family” back in November 1997 when he became “the artist formerly known as Goldust” which actually...yeah ok, maybe he does deserve some of this. 

There’s a botch as Dustin covers Val after a bulldog headlock and the referee stops counting at two even though Val didn’t get his shoulder up. The fans notice and boo the spot. To be fair, the referee stopped counting at the exact moment an air horn went off which I think might have distracted them. Someone is sounding an air horn every time someone jumps off the top rope, I think trying to make the wrestlers fall? Asshole.

Val wins with the Money Shot and makes out with Terri in the ring as Dustin leaves, all sad and heart broken.

Fun for the whole family! 

Recap of earlier tonight on Heat where I guess to demonstrate what's going to happen in the main event, Vince McMahon put Billy Gunn in a triple threat match against both members of DOA where he took a two on one beating. That was punishment for Billy stepping up to be Stone Cold’s tag partner against Undertaker and Kane last week. It led to all of DX getting a beat down from DOA, Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice.

D-Generation X (WWF Tag Team Champions The New Age Outlaws and WWF European Champion X-Pac) w/Chyna vs. Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice (Dennis Knight and Mark Canterbury)

X-Pac makes his entrance first for the good guys and as Jeff and Southern Justice are watching him, The Outlaws jump them from behind in the ring.

Southern Justice are dressed like snooker players in their smart black shoes and trousers and decorative waistcoats. They are former two time WWF Tag champions as the Godwins though. 

The action is fast between X-Pac and Jeff but it breaks down to a slow beatdown of Roaddogg until the hot tag, as all these matches do.

Triple H is the Intercontinental Champion but we’ve hardly seen him since Summerslam. He actually hurt his knee (again) and needed surgery and we’ll see that play out over the next few weeks. They had announced that he'd defend the title on this show against Mark Henry, but then on Heat Henry attacked him to "injure" him (and cost in kayfabe himself an Intercontinental title match. Dumb) and was in turn then attacked by Chyna to continue their storyline. 

Jeff is so much better as this short haired, vicious heel than the goofy country singing Double J. 

The finish is a bit chaotic as Jeff Jarrett blasts X-Pac on the outside with his guitar which the referee somehow misses.

Billy Gunn hits the Rocker Dropper (Famouser which doesn’t have its name yet) on one of Southern Justice for the pin and a DX victory but the real story at the end here is X-Pac.

He’s laid out flat after the guitar shot and everyone seems concerned about a splinter in his eye. A sombre, serious moment. At least the good guys won?

WWF Championship

Stone Cold Steve Austin © vs. Kane vs. The Undertaker

(Kane and The Undertaker are not able to pin each other and can only win by pinning Stone Cold Steve Austin)

Another world class video package for this one which you can see here;

Earlier tonight on Heat (it was all kicking off on Heat) Vince tried to book Stone Cold against Mark Henry in a steel cage to soften him up even more for Taker and Kane. What a dick. It didn’t happen though as Vince was in the ring, the door was locked and a WWF cameraman pulled off his wig to reveal Stone Cold himself who managed to lay a beating on Vince in the cage before Undertaker and Kane were able to climb over and save their new boss and Austin escaped scott free. 

Kane enters first, and then The Undertaker who doesn’t get to finish his entrance as Stone Cold jumps him from behind. He strikes hard and early and does his best to keep the two men apart. 

Austin has a chair and wears out Undertaker and gets some big shots on Kane, going back to the ring with him. Austin moves fast and tries to beat Kane while Taker is at the top of the ramp but he’s not fast enough. 

He continues to evade being pinned down by both, taking out one and working on the other but it can’t last forever and they do eventually get him two on one. 

The only real flaw with this match is that Taker and Kane both have to sell Stone Cold’s moves for ages so he has a chance to wrestle the other.

The stooges - Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter - come out to watch from the top of the ramp and King questions where Vince is which angers JR. “Who the hell cares?” 

As the match leads back up the ramp with Austin trying to get some distance, he takes the opportunity to attack the stooges too! Why not?

There’s an awesome dramatic looking moment as the brothers grab a wrist each and drag Stone Cold back towards the ring, lifeless. 

Austin continues to try and come back with an explosive offence and JR is amazing during this match. He’s so emotional and invested every time. He desperately wants Stone Cold to find a way to win.

Austin hits a brutal chairshot to Kane’s head and Undertaker breaks up the pin with a chairshot of his own. Kane then breaks up that cover and we get our first big issue of the match. Undertaker and Kane are pissed at each other and both want the cover. The crowd reacts strongly to it. Cracks are showing! Austin has a chance if they turn on each other.

Next, Kane pins and then Undertaker breaks it up.

The two have words and then Taker jumps Kane from behind! They start throwing blows. Kane and Austin end up working together on Taker!

Every time Austin gets a chance to go for a cover, it’s a weak arm over the chest cover. He’s exhausted and fighting for his life here. He's struggling to keep going but he is still going. The Texas Rattlesnake. 

“Where is McMahon?” “It's not my day to watch him and I personally don't care.” JR and King make me laugh a couple of times as JR is so amped up and King is getting on his nerves.

There’s more bickering between Undertaker and Kane over who gets the pin and the title and it turns physical again.

King keeps talking about how Austin had to do things the hard way, and he could have done things the easy way and just worked with Mr. McMahon. The “easy way, hard way” stuff is a throwback to the Raw after Wrestlemania where the Austin/McMahon feud really began. 

The brothers try a spike tombstone but Austin muscles out and shoves Kane into the ropes, making Undertaker fall. He can't stun Kane and goes down again after what would turn out to be his last chance.

Undertaker and Kane plant Austin with a double chokeslam and then lay across him, back to back and the referee counts to three. A double pin.

There is mass confusion. There's a new champion but who?

Vince McMahon finally comes out looking annoyed and confused himself. He sends Patterson down to grab the smoking skull WWF Championship belt and runs away. Undertaker and Kane wait in the ring, obviously expecting McMahon to sort this all out. Austin has lost the title but to who? 

Austin leaves the ring, beating up the stooges as he goes and chases after Vince who has darted backstage with Austin’s smoking skull belt. The PPV closes on an awesome dramatic shot of Vince at the top of the ramp way out of the building’s parking lot, taunting Austin with his own belt “You don’t have it anymore! It’s mine!” He gives Austin the finger with a scowl and drives off. McMahon has finally won a battle in his war with the Texas Rattlesnake!