The Year in PPV- 1997, Part II

As the year 1997 continues to develop, so does the attitude...


5. In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell

This edition of In Your House offers a bit more quality than expected. Continuing the feud between Ahmed Johnson and The Nation of Domination, Ahmed got a crack at Crush, Savio Vega, and Faarooq in a gauntlet match that showed the dominance of the group, but also Ahmed's resilience. It's easy to see how the crowd could be behind a guy like Ahmed Johnson during this time period thanks to matches like this. There's also a match between Mankind and Rocky Maivia that is pretty much just filler, but the crowd reactions in cheering the heel Mankind over Rocky Maivia was an example of a change in attitude amongst the fans in what they wanted (which would eventually lead to Maivia evolving into The Rock). Ken Shamrock also makes his in-ring PPV debut, to much fanfare, against Vader in a No Holds Barred Match. The match is a fitting debut for his character, and also shows that the company was ready to invest time in Shamrock, as they were looking for another main event babyface.

The main event for the WWF Championship saw Stone Cold Steve Austin challenge the Undertaker, in a pretty good outing from these two, while also carrying the continuity of Austin's feud with The Hart Foundation. That's one of the things I liked best about this time period, as opposed to how feuds go nowadays, and that's through its continuity. Thanks to beating Bret Hart, Austin became number one contender but was still feuding with Hart. Little touches like that really help the matches and feuds seem larger than life. Modern feuds only last as long as the PPVs, and then superstars move on elsewhere, it's a bit too structured for my taste, but I digress.

Recommended


6. King of the Ring

The biggest story of the PPV is the King of the Ring Tournament, and it is used to build up two superstars: Mankind and Hunter Hearst Helmsley. The two offer a very large culture clash (Helmsley being the Connecticut blueblood, and Mankind being a disfigured outcast) and their match is solid, but needs some trimming in time (helps the match flow at a better pace). At this point, Helmsley had scratched and clawed for a year, paying his dues as punishment for an earlier stint he pulled in Madison Square Garden (the Curtain Call) with the Kliq (Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall to be exact). Equally as important, Mankind had come into his own through championship matches against Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, so he showed he could be a mainstay in the main event. In this instance, the match helped elevate both men (Helmsley remained a textbook heel, and Mankind was now being put over as a sympathetic face).

There's also a WWF Championship match with the Undertaker defending his title against Faarooq. The match should've been the culmination of The Nation of Domination, but it ended up being more focused on Undertaker's feud with Paul Bearer. Their match is solid, but it doesn't really go anywhere, so it's lost in history. Also, it has an ending that might make NO SENSE AT ALL to first time viewers, so it's explained briefly in my review of the next show. The big highlight of the show is the match between Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin (who were co-holders of the WWF Tag Team Championships). This is the kind of match I wanted to see from these two: a flamboyant showman against a no-nonsense brawler. These two have an insane amount of chemistry together in this showdown, it's just a shame how it ended.

Mild Recommendation 


7. In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede

This really feels like a two match show, so let's just talk about those matches. The WWF Championship was put on the line by Undertaker against Vader, as Taker's feud with Paul Bearer continued. From what I could gather, the original match was supposed to be Taker against Ahmed Johnson, who joined The Nation of Domination (SWERVE!), which makes sense considering how the King of the Ring PPV ended. Things were going pretty well in connecting the dots, but an unfortunate injury left Johnson unable to compete at the show. This could've been a really cool showdown had things gone as they were planned, but instead Taker's match with Vader is pretty forgettable.

In probably the most Canadian moment in wrestling history (apologies if Canadians disagree), The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Brian Pillman, and The British Bulldog) squared off in a ten-man tag match against Stone Cold Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and The Legion of Doom. This match is really about perspective in where you stood on this feud. If you were a fan of The Hart Foundation, then this is a spectacular moment that celebrates the legacy of the Hart family, and if you disliked The Hart Foundation, get over it and appreciate this moment. Other than this match, the rest of the show is fairly forgettable.

Mild Recommendation


8. SummerSlam

Here's a SummerSlam that is full of star power and important matches. Mankind and Hunter Hearst Helmsley open the show with an entertaining Steel Cage match (I kinda miss the big blue bars), The Legion of Doom offered some stiff punishment to The Godwinns, and Los Boricuas (Savio Vega's new group) battled The Disciples of Apocalypse (Crush's new group) in a battle of gang warfare, only to have The Nation of Domination make their presence (and dominance) felt. The feuds involving The Hart Foundation continued in singles competition, with each match having a very unique stipulation. Brian Pillman fought Goldust in a match where if he lost, he would have to wear one of Marlena's dresses. The British Bulldog defended his European Championship against Ken Shamrock in a match where if he lost, he would have to eat an entire can of dog food.

Stone Cold Steve Austin challenged Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship in a match where if he lost, he would have to kiss Owen's backside. This was a very well done match, until the ending. Thanks to a botched tombstone piledriver, Austin legitimately broke his neck but proceeded to finish the match (a true act of one tough son of a "you know what"). The main event is what fans really wanted to see, though, as Bret Hart challenged the Undertaker for the WWF Championship in a match where if Hart lost, he would never be allowed to wrestle in the United States again. To add to the stakes, Shawn Michaels (whom Bret had real life heat with at the time) was the guest referee and needed to make sure Bret wasn't screwed out of winning the title (HOLY IRONY), because if he showed any bias towards Undertaker winning, he would be unable to wrestle in the United States as well. When the stakes are THIS HIGH for a match, it's bound to deliver, and it absolutely does as a main event.

Highly Recommended


Thoughts: With this batch of PPVs, there is a well-defined aspect of continuity and character development in specific characters and feuds, most notably the feud between Austin and The Hart Foundation, Mick Foley and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Undertaker and Paul Bearer. The only thing that hasn't aged well is the stuff with The Nation of Domination (primarily when Los Boricuas and The Disciples of Apocalypse were formed), which isn't that bad of a casualty so it's no major loss.

Concluded in Part III...


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