In Your House 3 - Saginaw Civic Centre, Saginaw Michigan, September 24th 1995

The third In Your House PPV, and the first PPV of the Monday Night War. The main event is big with all three titles on the line. I’ll let my boy Todd Pettengill tell you all about it in the opening video.

Commentary tonight is the three-man team of Vince McMahon, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Jim Ross. This is a good trio, and they kick off with some predictions for the main event - Lawler thinks that Shawn Michaels will lose his title to Owen Hart while Jim Ross thinks he’ll lose it to Yokozuna! I guess that makes Shawn Michaels the underdog in a big way.

Waylon Mercy vs. Savio Vega

There wasn’t any build for this match - it’s just a showcase match to get two newish characters onto the card. I still don’t get Waylon Mercy’s gimmick at ALL but he’s certainly unique. While there’s no actual build to the match itself, they do show us the debut’s of both men respectively to give them a little bit of shine individually. Waylon is undefeated going into this match but Savio is not. 

Mercy shakes Vega’s hand before the bell but then tries to jump him from behind seconds later. Savio feels it coming and fights him off. They brawl back and forth, in and out of the ring and there’s no actual moves - just chops and punches. Waylon is bigger so works over Savio and grinds him down with a sleeper hold until Vega back-suplexes his way out of it to get some separation.

Savio builds some momentum with a headbutt, big boot and a spinning heel kick which I think was his finishing move but the commentators don’t really react to it when Mercy kicks out. They move into trading big moves back and forth and Mercy hits a brutal looking brainbuster which only gets two, as does a big back suplex. Vega hits a German suplex for another two. This started slow but got quite good towards the end. Savio hits a big jumping spinning heel kick and THAT is enough for the three count - Vince calls it an upset which, given the size difference and Waylon’s undefeated streak, it probably is. Not a bad opener. 

During the previous match, Dok Hendrix interjected with some late breaking news - Owen Hart is NOT here yet, and no one knows where he is. Is Owen actually missing? No, this is just some storyline drama and one of the signs that Vince Russo was now more involved in the writing process - single night, show-long storylines were always one of his trademarks. After the match, Dok goes for an update and finds Jim Cornette furiously arguing with Interim President Gorilla Monsoon. Cornette says that Owen is in the city but not at the arena - Gorilla promises that Owen Hart or NO Owen Hart, tonight’s main event will go ahead no matter what. The fans will NOT be ripped off. That feels like a shot at WCW who were famous for lots of things but screwy non-finishes was one of them.

Sycho Sid (w/Ted Dibiase) vs. Henry O. Godwin

I quite like the build for this match - Henry was a heel and Dibiase paid him to do some dirty work for his Million Dollar Corporation. He would not, however, let Henry officially join the group and insulted the pig farmer so he turned babyface and dumped the contents of his slop bucket not just on Dibiase’s face last month but on Sycho Sid’s face the previous weekend. He paid for that with a powerbomb on the outside of the ring so in addition to Sid’s temper, Henry having a bad back is the story of this match. They’ve quietly dropped the “Sid doesn’t like being called Sycho” aspect of his character and everyone just openly calls him Sycho Sid now so I’m going to start using it as his actual ringname from here on. 

Henry is a big dude and starts off in control with punches and a big clothesline sending Sid to the outside and then a suplex bringing him back in. He hurts his back doing so and Sid retaliates with strikes of his own and distracts the referee so that Dibiase can get some cheap shots of his own. Jim Ross mentions the fact that Sid has never won a match on WWF PPV which sounds like a dramatic stat but he hasn’t actually wrestled on many. 

Sid slowly works over H.O.G’s back for what felt like a really long time until Henry fights back and out of no-where hits his Slop Drop finishing move. Dibiase actually has to pull his ankles to break the pin and save his man and then after a well-timed trip and a leg drop across the back of Godwin’s head, a big powerbmb gives Sycho Sid the victory. He has some fun, hog rolling Henry out of the ring afterwards and celebrates his victory in a pretty dull match. I still love Sid and his powerbomb.

While Dibiase and Sid argue over who gets to slop Henry in revenge, Bam Bam Bigelow runs down to stop it. Kama follows and as the Million Dollar Corporation beat him up, Henry recovers and dumps the bucket of slop over Ted’s head! Henry and Bam Bam made a quick getaway as the Million Dollar Man screams, covered in unpleasant looking gunk. This was well done because Vince and JR spent most of the match talking about how expensive Dibiase’s suit is - a suit that’s now covered in slop.

Backstage, Cornette and Gorilla continue to argue about tonight’s main event - if Owen Hart isn’t here then Gorilla gives Cornette two options; Yokozuna can defend the Tag Team titles solo, OR they can find a suitable replacement for Owen Hart and Gorilla will sanction them for one night only as one half of the Tag Team Champions. Cornette confirms that the replacement will ALSO be able to win one of Diesel or HBK’s titles tonight, which is indeed the rules of the match. During the rest of the show during matches, Cornette was shown running around trying to recruit someone including Sycho Sid and King Mabel. 

The British Bulldog vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

We’ve already seen Bam Bam tonight of course, moments ago. Jim Cornette would normally be out here with Bulldog but he’s busy. There’s no big story for this match beyond Bulldog’s recent heel turn and image change (the haircut) and the fact that Bam Bam is friends with Diesel. 

These are two big power wrestlers so they go at it with punches and clotheslines and shoulder tackles trying to knock each other down. Bulldog wins that exchange because he’s the power wrestler and then grinds down Bam Bam with a sleeper and a string of impressive suplexes. Bam Bam fights back and reverses a throw to the outside and after a slam, hits the diving headbutt he’s used as a finishing move for the past year or so. Bulldog kicks out and after a chopblock to the knee, works on Bigelow’s leg. The commentary trio spend much of this match discussing Bulldog’s big match tomorrow night on Raw against The Undertaker.

Bulldog locks Bam Bam in a long, long single leg Boston crab which gives him a chance to shout “come on!” over and over and taunt the crowd a little.

Bam Bam makes it to the ropes and fights back briefly but a knee to the gut puts him back down and Bulldog goes back to a long, long sleeper hold.

Bam Bam fights up with elbows to the gut and fires up with clubbing blows and punches in the corner. He slams Bulldog and takes aim with a moonsault off the top rope - impressive but he misses. They trade headbutts and after a whip to the corner, Bulldog catches Bigelow coming in with a big over the shoulder powerslam to pick up the victory in a very dull match where the focus was never on Bam Bam - it was on The Undertaker tomorrow night.

Before our next match. Mr. Bob Backlund comes down to the ring. He is still contemplating running for President of the United States. He hasn’t been on TV in weeks and I still don’t know why they didn’t combine this storyline with the vacant (on screen) presidency of the WWF. He has some words for the crowd, brandishing a dictionary and warning them not to exacerbate him! He lectures everyone on being unable to read or write and says that people refuse to try and better themselves which brings him to his point - a man who does try to improve himself and someone he respects. Dean Douglas! 

Razor Ramon vs. Dean Douglas (w/Mr. Bob Backlund)

Now this Backlund and Douglas pairing I DO like - I suggested putting them together back when Douglas first debuted. The story here is Razor taking issue with Douglas’ negative review of him and them coming to blows at Summerslam and then the 1-2-3 Kid getting involved - Razor accidentally cost him a match with Douglas and then they wrestled each other. The Dean has driven a big wedge between those two friends. Weirdly, Dean Douglas actually introduces Razor complete with hometown and weight (after running him down a bit of course).

Ramon rushes the ring and bounces Douglas around with big swinging punches, which Douglas bumps and sells for like his life depends on it. Razor gets a couple of near falls (from punches) and catches him charging with a fall away slam. Razor is making Douglas look like a jobber here, throwing him around and working over his arm without The Dean getting in any offense whatsoever.

After a long period of Douglas being outclassed and beat down at every turn he finally side-steps Ramon and sends him up and over the top rope and follows up with an axe handle off the apron, a powerslam and driving his spine into the ring apron. 

Douglas works over Razor’s lower back with knees and a camel clutch which Razor eventually fights out of by getting Dean onto his shoulders and dropping him straight back from a height. Ramon shrugs off selling his back and goes right back to beating up Douglas with no issues. He blocks a back suplex off the top rope and as they run the ropes, the referee gets knocked down and Douglas goes for a move off the top rope. He misses and Ramon follows up with the Razor’s Edge.

There’s no referee to count but the 1-2-3 Kid gets in the ring and counts. Razor doesn’t realise it wasn’t the referee and breaks the pin assuming he’s won which allows Douglas to roll him up from behind. The referee DOES count that and Dean Douglas wins the match, thanks to the 1-2-3 Kid. 

Razor and The Kid come to blows after the match, Razor upset at being cost the match even accidentally. Jim Ross says it was an accident, but Vince isn’t so sure - did Dean Douglas ruin this friendship, or were there already cracks forming? Is the 1-2-3 Kid up to no-good?

Spoilers here but Dean Douglas is not long for this world, and that's mostly thanks to Scott Hall, Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash. The infamous Klique who I talked about in detail at Summerslam 1994 were in full effect and used their position in the company to protect themselves - losing championships without actually losing, for example - but anyone who rubbed them the wrong way was often a more blatant victim of their politics. Dean Douglas aka Shane Douglas has spoken in very unflattering terms about how much he hated this time in his career and how impossible it was for anyone not in “the inner circle” to have any impact in the company. He’s not wrong, in fairness to him. You can really see it here as Douglas is portrayed as a geek and no match for Ramon while the story instead focuses on fellow Klique member 1-2-3 Kid Sean Waltman. Newcomer Hunter Hearst Helmsley had also made an effort to become friendly with the Klique and so I’m sure it won’t be long until we see his climb up the card too. 

Speaking of The Klique, Dok Hendrix interviews the WWF Champion and WWF Intercontinental Champion - Two Dudes with Attitudes - Shawn Michaels and Diesel. Big Daddy Cool smells a rat and thinks Cornette and Co are up to something, and Michaels is just worried the match won’t happen. Diesel reuses his line from Raw - they’ll be two chaps with all the straps.

Before the next match, Vince interviews Bret Hart from backstage. The build to this match? Jean Pierre Lafitte stole Bret’s jacket. But it’s not just ANY jacket - his mom made that jacket for him! Pretty lame. The pirate did also steal the sunglasses from some of the kids Bret presented them to at live events. What a meanie. Bret calls himself captain crunch. Come on, man.

Bret Hart vs. Jean Pierre Lafitte

Bret attacks Jean early, diving out of the ring through the ropes and pummeling him at ringside, pulling his jacket off. In the ring, Bret hammers on him with strikes to the head but the bigger Pierre weathers that and comes back with strikes of his own. They’re back and forth until Bret misses a corner charge and drives his shoulder hard into the ring post. Ouch. 

Bret being a great wrestler isn’t news, but I’ve commented before on Pierre’s skills - he’s also very good, and still wrestling regularly in 2026! 

Pierre slowly works Bret over with blows and a sleeper hold. Bret’s attempts to come back are stopped in their tracks with a big spine buster and a big swinging clothesline and leg drop combo. The Hitman keeps kicking out, of course.

A big slam sets up Bret for the flipping senton which Lefitte calls the Canonball but Bret rolls out of the way and that gets him back into the match at long last.

Bret hammers him and side-steps a dive to the outside and sends the pirate into the ring steps. Back in the ring he moves into his classic five moves of doom finishing sequence and connects with the Russian leg sweep and back breaker but the diving elbow off the middle rope is blocked with a boot to the face and Pierre puts Bret down with a jumping flip into a slam which looked awesome and is hard to describe - it’s a move Sheamus uses a lot, for modern WWE fans.

They continue to go back and forth and Bret’s running bulldog is countered with a hard, hard impact in the corner chest first in that classic way Bret always did. 

Pierre goes for the Canon ball again and misses…again. A double clothesline puts them both down on the mat and it’s very even. Bret maneuvers Pierre’s legs in between his own, locking the Sharpshooter on the mat and then turning over and standing up with the hold already locked in. That’s a cool finish and Bret Hart picks up the submission win in a decent match. I enjoyed that - it was very hard hitting! 

Before the main event, there’s a big reveal - Jim Cornette has found a replacement for Owen Hart and it's the British Bulldog. Does that mean that Sid and Mabel turned down a shot at the WWF and Intercontinental Championships? What a pair of idiots.

There’s an odd bit of editing as Yokozuna’s music starts playing while the Cornette Crew are still backstage but then it cuts to ringside and Cornette and Yokozuna have teleported and are already on the entrance ramp. Was this pre-taped? No, probably more likely they’ve edited a commercial or something out of the show.

Triple Header - All Championships On The Line

WWF Champion Diesel and WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels vs. WWF Tag Team Champion Yokozuna and The British Bulldog (w/ Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette)

I won’t explain the rules to you guys again - you get it, if you get pinned you lose your belt to the person who pinned you. Easy. 

Shawn Michaels by this point in 1995 was easily the most popular man in the company. Diesel gets a respectable cheer too but the Big Daddy Cool experiment had more or less failed by this point. This show is in his home state so they’re probably more positive than normal for the WWF Champion.

HBK and Bulldog start out and Michaels gives him the run around, sending him out of the ring and having some fun posing and taunting. Yokozuna tags in but Michaels refuses to back down and instead of tagging out to the big man, starts striking sumo wrestler poses and taunting the 668lbs Yokozuna which gets a lot of girly screams from the women in the crowd. They don’t call him the Heartbreak Kid for no reason. He runs into a brick wall in Yokozuna who starts to slowly pick him apart - he thankfully avoids a big elbow drop and tags out but Diesel doesn’t fair much better and runs into a big Yokozuna clothesline too. It breaks down a little but when the dust settles, Bulldog and Diesel are the legal men in the ring. He struggles to lift the WWF Champion for a vertical suplex and drops him but just tries it again and manages it the second time. Diesel is worked over until fighting out with a big back elbow and tags out to HBK who doesn’t do much better and for the next few minutes, Michaels is worked over by both Bulldog and Yokozuna who tag in and out, grinding him down with long sleeper holds and launching him around the ring with big back drops and elbow strikes. Michaels’ Intercontinental title looks like it’s in major trouble but he avoids Yoko’s attempted Banzai drop to finally get back in the match, crawling slowly to a tag to Diesel. 

The big man beats up Bulldog with a big sidewalk slam and then the match breaks down into a four man brawl. Diesel sends the make-shift Tag Team Champions to the same corner and they collapse with the 600lbs+ Yokozuna landing on top of Bulldog. A panicked Cornette jumps up onto the apron to distract from a pin attempt and in the chaos, Yoko puts down Diesel with a Samon drop. Michaels superkicks Yoko out of the ring and breaks up Bulldog’s pin attempt with a top rope elbow drop.

Owen Hart is here - he rushes to the ring but takes a shot to the gut and a Jackknife powerbomb! Diesel pins Owen Hart and wins the WWF Tag Team Championships! A chaotic finish and it leaves the big question - Owen wasn’t legally in this match, but he was the actual Tag Team Champion. Will this be allowed to stand or not? Gorilla Monsoon has a big decision to make. 

This was a fun show and certainly an easy watch - I liked the addition of the show-long storyline with the missing Owen Hart, it added some intrigue. The opener was good and Bret vs. Pierre was probably the best match of the night. Nothing was amazing but nothing was offensively bad and I had fun watching it. That’s all I can really ask of a New Generation PPV.