WWE In Your House #14: Revenge of the Taker

In Your House #14: Revenge of the Taker

Rochester, NY - April 1997

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: The Undertaker is at the start of his second (and first real) run with the WWE World Championship coming into this show, Rocky Miavia (not yet The Rock) is the Intercontinental Champion, and the Hart Foundation's Owen Hart and British Bulldog are the WWE Tag Team Champions.

COMMENTARY: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker starts with a video recap showing Mankind burning the face of the Undertaker, a really cool start of a "through line" that runs all the way up to the career-defining feud Undertaker would end up in later this year.

In the opening contest, Owen Hart and The British Bulldog defend their WWE Tag Team Championships against The Legion of Doom. I've yet to review much Owen Hart since getting the Network, so watching him here was a huge breath of fresh air. Owen is easily the most (and arguably only) watchable performer in this match, which is fairly standard and at least a step-up from what the Road Warriors were doing in WCW in 95'. It certainly helps that they just seemed like bigger stars in the WWE at this time compared to WCW, which had, by this point, a far more impressive roster in terms of established, major "names" than WWE had. Very standard and mostly dull match (though Owen's selling and energy keeps it from being an absolute dud) that features a pretty lame false ending and concludes with a pointless DQ "schmozz" that doesn't protect either team and makes the rest of the match meaningless in hindsight. (1/5)

Next up - Rocky Miavia defending the WWE Intercontinental Championship against the Nation of Domination's Savio Vega. If the action in our opener was decent, possibly elevated by the sheer excitement of the crowd, the action doesn't have that benefit and suffers because of it. Miavia is fundamentally sound, but uninteresting. Vega may have had some good bouts in other places, under other gimmicks, with other opponents, but I've never seen anything out of him that I'd recommend. The only positive in this match is Ron Simmons' commentary as his delivery is, while not flawless, is at least bold, passionate, and different. Though he flubs a few lines, Simmons' portrayal of a militant leader just works. The match, on the other hand, doesn't. Somewhat interesting post-match with an appearance and almost indecipherable promo out of Ahmed Johnson. (0.5/5)

The former "Roadie" and future "Road Dog" Jesse James makes his way to the ring for a showdown with The Honky Tonk Man's debuting protege - "Rockabilly" Billy Gunn. I remember when this storyline happened, there was actually some hope that Honky would be debuting a fresh, new talent (maybe someone from ECW or an ex-WCW star) with the WWE even attempting to throw in an extra swerve by having Gunn (who has rumored to be the protege) delivering a knockout to punch to Honky a few weeks prior on RAW. Gunn's re-christening gets basically no reaction, nor does any of his mostly awful dancing or James' copy-of-a-copy strutting. Yet another dud of a match with a finish that mercifully kills the future of the lame Rockabilly gimmick. (0/5)

Dok Hendrix is in the back to plug an Undertaker door poster - this is actually more entertaining than anything else that has happened on the show. (+1)

After some words on Steve Austin (who'd been attacked in the bathroom by Owen Hart and the Bulldog), Gorilla Monsoon announces that the scheduled Hart/Austin bout will now be our main event in order to "buy some time" for the Rattlesnake. 

The WWE World Championship is on the line next, with The Undertaker defending against longtime nemesis Mankind. If there was ever worry that Taker and Mankind could not deliver a "main event worthy" match, it is eviscerated within the first minutes of this vicious, shockingly hardcore battle. Mankind takes two ridiculous bumps into the guardrail early, setting the tone for what is essentially a one-sided affair and a clever prelude to Mankind's burgeoning character arc as a tweener in the summer and eventual fan favorite. Watching Mankind battle back from the suffering Taker inflicts may not reach the peak of their infamous King of the Ring match a year later, but the blueprint is obviously here, especially when Foley kicks out of what should be a "game ender" late in the match. This is the sort of bout that really shows just how awesome Foley was - that while he was famous for putting his body on the line and withstanding unbearable punishment, he truly resonated with audiences once he started putting humanity into his performances. The table spot is an all-time great one and the chair shots throughout are just nasty. For a match I'd consider a "throwaway" of their feud, it pretty much obliterates any of the No DQ matches I've seen in recent years. The WWE simply wouldn't have the balls to put out a match with this much concussion-baiting action. A forgotten gem of a match that saves the show. The less said about the botched post-match angle the better, though. (4/5)

Main event time - Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Of all their pay-per-view matches, this one gets the least "play," probably because of it appearing on a lesser known show and because their WrestleMania 13 match is considered by some to be the best WWE match of all time. The crowd is surprisingly quiet for the initial minutes of the match, Austin not yet the uber-popular mega-star he would be by year's end. Austin dominates and Bret Hart plays the clear heel, taking powders, trying to evade Austin at every step, eventually introducing a foreign object and causing a ref bump. Austin, meanwhile, has the job of garnering sympathy by selling a damaged knee, screaming in pain once the Hitman locks in his around-the-post figure-four. The blatant use of the steel chair outside the ring is a bit jarring, though, it would become less so as the WWE moved more and more into the Attitude Era style in 98'. Here, in a Bret Hart match, it just seems like it should lead to a DQ. Hart rips off Austin's brace and continues his targeted attack, but with the help of a low blow, Austin is able to wrest back control. Again, it's noticeable how subdued the crowd is, not popping for his comeback (and, at times, giving mild cheers to Hart's cut-offs). When it enters its second half, the remarkable storytelling pushes this match further than any of the actual wrestling holds or high spots, Austin and Hart do so much through their characters' choice of moves, facial expressions, and selling that this match transcends its somewhat repetitive and simple action. The finish is a genuine punch in the gut, though. Fortunately, unlike the prior bout, the post-match delivers what it needs to. (3.5/5)

Like my review of Bash at the Beach 97' earlier this week, the number earned by this show don't tell the whole story. While a 2.0-out-of-5 would suggest that there's some worthwhile action sprinkled throughout this show, the fact is, only the title match and the main event are worth checking out. The opener is nothing special and ultimately pointless. Maivia/Vega is the kind of tedious filler that helps explain why chants of "Die Rocky Die" sprang up. The Rockabilly/Jesse James match isn't clever, exciting, or campy enough to be entertaining. Hearing Sunny, Brian Pillman, and Dok Hendrix shill is somewhat fun (as is seeing Ken Shamrock chatting with fans via America Online), but even fans seeking a strong nostalgia factor in their viewing would be happier cashing an episode of RAW from this era (or, better yet, a Clash of the Champions though). So why not go full "DUDleyville" on the score? Because the final two matches are that good.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver