WWE In Your House #16: Canadian Stampede

In Your House #16: Canadian Stampede

July 1997 - Calgary, Alberta, Canada 

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: The Undertaker is the reigning WWE World Champion, Owen Hart holds the Intercontinental Championship, the British Bulldog is the European Champion, and Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels are the recognized WWE World Tag Team Champions, though, after the previous month's King of the Ring show, Michaels not compete again until August and the titles were essentially vacated.

COMMENTARY: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler

Canadian Stampede begins with a video package highlighting the international conflict between the Hart Foundation and the WWE's top babyfaces - Steve Austin, the Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock, and Goldust. As one might expect, the Canadian crowd is fully in support of the extended Hart Family.

Mankind takes on rival Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the opening contest. I heaped serious praise on their match at June's King of the Ring and this one lives up to it. At KOTR, Foley was coming off of a surprisingly strong match with Jerry Lawler earlier in the evening, setting a backstory for the tournament finals that made every major spot and bump that Foley suffered more dramatic. Both guys come in fresh for this, but they immediately bring the intensity. Fun, wild brawling that pleases the crowd and gets over how personal this feud has become by extending beyond the closing bell. (2.5/5)

Next, a rare, pre-InVasion, true "cruiserweight" match, The Great Sasuke vs. Taka Michinoku. The crowd is not sure what to make of this match as Sasuke and Michinoku are completely unknown by most. Unlike in WCW, where the cruiserweights had, by the summer of 97', firmly planted themselves into the PPV shuffle, seeing this sort of match on WWE TV (let alone PPV) was almost unheard of. Taka and Sasuke deliver a match far better than how the crowd treats it, only waking up for the huge spots. Michinoku shines with his awesome dropkicks and charismatic facial expressions. Like Meltzer, I'm going to  award this one some serious stars, partially for its uniqueness - how often has the WWE presented two almost anonymous international performers wrestling a foreign style in their ring? (4/5)

Pretty cool, poorly-produced video package highlighting various Canadian Stampede festivities featuring WWE stars. It is striking how "Not 97'" this is. Honestly, this package could've played during an episode of Superstars in 1991 and I don't think it would've been out of place. (+1)

The World Championship is on the line next - The Undertaker defending against Vader. While this match screams "placeholder feud," one has to give some credit to Taker for working hard to make Vader come off as at least an almost-threat. This match shows that there could've been money in him playing a dominant heel at some point as his in-ring work is still solid - but, by this point, he'd been buried so many times that he's not really credible as a challenger for the Undertaker despite beating him at the Royal Rumble the previous January. One can point to the loss to Ken Shamrock a few months prior, but everyone knows Vader's career never recovered from SummerSlam 96'. (2.5/5)

Main event time already - The Hart Foundation vs. Austin, Goldust, Shamrock, and the Legion of Doom. Much has been written about this match over the years with some calling it one of the best matches of the 90s. If you look at only the in-ring action, this would be a ludicrous compliment...but this match is all about the elements outside of the ring. The crowd is hotter here than 99% of crowds ever assembled, cheering passionately for the Harts despite the Foundation members not working as babyfaces at all (which would've been completely out of character considering how they worked) and booing the rule-abiding "foreigners." Before the match even begins we get some awesome moments as each member of the Foundation gets their own entrance and Bret puts his signature sunglasses onto his ma at ringside. When the match starts, Austin and Bret get right to work and the crowd explodes and stays engaged for the whole contest - even after Austin and Owen go to the back. While the all-stars are Bret, Owen, and Austin, Pillman, Goldust, and Shamrock step up for their respective teams too, the Loose Cannon being particularly fun to watch as an annoying pest who hits his opponents with cheap shot after cheap shot and still gets cheered. As a set-up to the Owen/Austin feud, the match is remarkable, segwaying Austin into a new, hot feud when the move could've been viewed as a "step down." The post-match is tremendous, doubly rewarding for how it gives the hometown crowd exactly what they ant while still giving the American viewer at home an ultra-cool visual of seeing the Rattlesnake hauled off in handcuffs. (4/5)

With a strong Kwang score of 3.5-out-of-5, Canadian Stampede is a concise show with solid action from beginning to end. The opener and the title match aren't classics, but they're certainly no worse than good, the crowd appreciative and the storylines presented as being of consequence. Taka/Sasuke is a rare WWF-era light-heavyweight match worth seeking out, an "odd duck" in the company's catalog that can probably be appreciated now more than it was at the time. The main event may be on the low end of my Best of the 90s list, but it'd still make the list for the stellar character work out of Austin and Owen, Pillman's remarkable heeling, and the unbelievable atmosphere surrounding the match.

FINAL RATING - Watch It All