WWF In Your House 19: D-Generation X - December 1997

WWF In Your House 19: D-Generation X - December 7th 1997 - Springfield, Massachusetts

Matches

Taka Michinoku defeated Brian Christopher {WWF Lightheavyweight Title} (6/10)

Los Boricuas defeated Decyples of Apocalypse (5/10)

Butterbean defeated Marc Mero {Tough Man Match} (6/10)

Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Sgt Slaughter {Boot Camp Match} (7/10)

Jeff Jarrett defeated The Undertaker (7/10)

Steve Austin defeated Rocky Maiavia {WWF Intercontinental Title} (8/10)

Ken Shamrock defeated Shawn Michaels via DQ {WWF World Heavyweight Title} (8/10)

Moments - Positives

The second half of the PPV was very good. The Jarrett/Taker match was very solid and the storyline unfloding between Undertaker and Kane just had to be watched! HHH's match against Sgt Slaughter was actually very entertaining and very DX. The Austin/Rock IC title match could have been a World title main event any day of the week - these two had an excellent chemistry and its no wonder they were the future legends of the WWF. Shamrock/Michaels also turned out to be very good.

Moments - Negatives

The first half of the PPV was poor. The matches did not do a good job at making the fans interested in the PPV and the matches were unhyped and did not surpass any form of expectations. The Light Heavyweight division was awful and should have been something so much more exciting and so much more interesting.

Overall Summary

It was a PPV event of two halves and the second half did enough for the PPV to be good. It was not amazing but it was actually pretty good for an In Your House event. I have to say that the absence of Bret Hart was probably most evident in the WWF during the show. There was clearly a superstar missing.

SCORE = 7.5

WWF Survivor Series 1997 - November 1997

WWF Survivor Series 1997 - November 9th 1997 - Montreal, Canada

Matches

New Age Outlaws and The Godwinns defeated The New Blackjacks and The Headbangers (6/10)

Truth Commission defeated Decyples of Apocalypse (5/10)

British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon defeated Vader, Marc Mero, Goldust and Steve Blackman (6/10)

Kane defeated Mankind (8/10)

Legion of Doom, Ahmed Johnson and Ken Shamrock defeated Nation of Domination (6/10)

Steve Austin defeated Owen Hart {WWF Intercontinental Title} (7/10)

Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart {WWF World Heavyweight Title} (8/10)

Moments - Positives

Kane's first ever match is very good as he faces Mankind. At this stage Kane's matches had red ring lights throughout and there was something truly eerie about it all. Austin finally recaptured the IC title in a solid match against Owen Hart - rematch from Summerslam. And of course this is the last Hart match in the WWF, the Montreal screwjob can be witnessed in full glory.

Moments - Negatives

The Survivor Series matches were very average (though the Team Canada vs Team USA match was ok). The screwjob is a positive and negative, as from another perspective it really ruined the main event through its abrupt ending.

Overall Summary

What can one say, everyone should watch this PPV so they can not only witness the end of an era and the end of Hart's 10+ year career with the WWF but also to witness the birth of Mr McMahon's character, the famous screwjob which is still talked about today and HBK recapturing the WWF title. The rest of the card to some extent is very irrelevant!

SCORE = 8.5

WWF In Your House 18: Badd Blood - October 1997

WWF In Your House 18: Badd Blood - October 5th 1997 - St Louis, Missouri

Matches

Nation of Domination defeated the Legion of Doom {Handicap Match} (6/10)

Max Mini and Nova defeated Tarantuala and Mosaiac (3/10)

The Godwinns defeated Headbangers {WWF Tag Team Titles} (6/10)

Owen Hart defeated Farrooq {WWF Intercontinental Title} (7/10)

Deciples of Apocalypse defeated Los Boricuas (6/10)

Bret Hart & British Bulldog defeated Vader & The Patriot {Flag Match} (7/10)

Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker {Hell In A Cell Match} (10/10)

Moments - Positives

The first ever Hell In A Cell match was truly magnificent! It was to the Attitude era what the Ladder match was to the New Generation. It was a straight 10/10 match and I firmly believe it was the best Hell In A Cell match of all time. The debut of Kane only added to the excitement and it was very well built up and very well done. HBK showed he was one of the best of all time. Austin's commentary during the IC title match and subsequent interference was also a classic and this was the first time Rocky Maiavia was a heel at a PPV as part of the Nation. He truly looked the part!

Moments - Negatives

Once again we have a midget wrestling match which was just awful and I dont quite understand why McMahon allowed the PPV to be brought down by it! The rest of the card was too focused on tag matches which made the PPV a bit repetitive and boring. The flag match was quite entertaining but once again The Patriot showed he should not play with the big boys!

Overall Summary

This PPV is worth the watch for the best Hell in a Cell match in WWF history. Thats all I have to say. If you havent seen this match then watch this event and witness history! Its a timeless classic that is as good now as it was back then!

SCORE = 8.5

WWF One Night Only (UK) - September 1997

WWF One Night Only (UK) - September 20th 1997 - Birmingham, England

Matches

Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Dude Love (6/10)

Tiger Ali Singh defeated Leif Cassidy (4/10)

The Headbangers defeated Los Baricuas {WWF Tag Team Titles} (6/10)

The Patriot defeated Flash Funk (5/10)

The Legion of Doom defeated The Godwinns (6/10)

Vader defeated Owen Hart (7/10)

Bret Hart defeated The Undertaker {WWF World Heavyweight Title} (8/10)

Shawn Michaels defeated The British Bulldog {WWF European Title} (9/10)

Moments - Positives

This was the PPV during which Shawn Michaels not only became a grand slam winner by winning every WWF title there was to win but it was also the night when DX was truly formed as Rick Rude, HHH and Chyna helped HBK beat British Bulldog in the UK with a truly hostile British crowd. The main event was fantastic and well worth the watch. The Hart/Undertaker rematch from Summerslam was also very good and the fact that the UK crowd loved Hart and Undertaker made it all the better.

Moments - Negatives

A few matches just seemed to be thrown together (e.g. Patriot / Funk) and were not very entertaining at all. It was interesting to see a PPV without the involvement of Steve Austin. WWF was clearly missing him when he was not around. Tiger Ali Singh was also pretty poor during the show and had to be one of the worser jobbers in WWF history.

Overall Summary

Not often does a title change hands during an international PPV which made this PPV all the more important in WWF history. The main event and the World title match made the show and they were both very good matches with entertaining ending and great crowd reception. Its always a breath of fresh air to watch an International event and this one was clearly one of the better ones! Also watch this show to witness the important foundation of D-Generation X!

SCORE = 7.5

WWF In Your House 17: Ground Zero - September 1997

WWF In Your House 17: Ground Zero - September 7th 1997 - Louisville, Kentucky

Matches

Brian Pillman defeated Goldust (6/10)

Brian Christopher defeated Scott Putski (4/10)

Savio Vega defeated Crush and Farrooq {Triple Threat Match} (6/10)

Max Mini defeated El Torito (3/10)

The Headbangers defeated Legion of Doom, Godwinns and Owen Hart / British Bulldog {WWF Tag Team Titles Fatal Four Way Match} (7/10)

Bret Hart defeated The Patriot {WWF World Heavyweight Title} (7/10)

Shawn Michaels fought The Undertaker to a no contest (8/10)

Moments - Positives

Despite not being on the card due to an injury this whole PPV centred around Steve Austin who got involved in a lot of the matches to the crowds delite. It was clear that Austin was WWFs biggest star already and it took no brains at all to centre the company around him. Its also hard to believe that since 1991, Undertaker had never wrestled Shawn Michaels in a singles match until this event. Both men truly delivered a great performance. At the end of the match HHH and Chyna interfered to help HBK as well as a few other individuals. It was almost the unofficial start of D-Generation X. HBK truly turned heel at this event.

Moments - Negatives

The midget wrestling match was awful and I have no time for this on a PPV card. The Lightheavyweight match was also poor and was in no comparison to the Cruiserweight division in wCw. I also found The Patriot both weak as a character and a wrestler and there were other talented wrestlers who should have got a push to face Hart.

Overall Summary

This was a very frustrating PPV card. It had a cracking main event, a good opener, a solid WWF tag team title match and some classic Austin moment however it had some truly awful moments and very average bouts too. Its an up and down card and if you are not that bothered about the Austin pieces of the card, I say skip straight to the main event and watch a classic match between HBK and Undertaker.

SCORE = 6.5

WWF Summerslam 1997 - August 1997

WWF Summerslam 1997 - August 3rd 1997 - East Rutherford, New Jersey

Matches

Mankind defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley {Cage Match} (8/10)

Goldust defeated Brian Pillman (7/10)

The Legion of Doom defeated the Godwinns (6/10)

British Bulldog defeated Ken Shamrock {WWF European Title} (6/10)

Los Boricuas defeated the Decyples of Acopalypse (6/10)

Steve Austin defeated Owen Hart {WWF Intercontinental Title} (7/10)

Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker {WWF World Heavyweight Title - Special Guest Ref: Shawn Michaels} (8/10)

Moments - Positives

The opening match was top notch and continued the great rivarly between HHH and Mankind. It was a very well fought match and truly great to watch. The main event was also a classic with a brilliant feud ending where HBK helps Bret Hart win the WWF title (supposedly inadvertingly). At this point HBK became a tweener and was on his way to setting up D-Generation X. The Austin / Hart match was also very solid and was the first major milestone for Austin as he won the WWF IC title.

Moments - Negatives

The big 8 man tag match between Los Boricuas and DOA was pretty poor and should have been much shorter. Austin's neck injury was also very difficult to watch as Owen Hart's piledriver goes wrong. Austin can barely hold up his head at the end of the match and its suprising that he still managed to pin him. A landmark match but one which ultimately cost Austin his career.

Overall Summary

A very solid Summerslam. Bret Hart won the WWF title as a heel and was very good at it. He certainly could have carried the WWF title as a heel for a very long time. The new direction for HBK and WWFs desire to have more than just heels and faces (blur the line between these two) clearly was working very well and some of the fruits of this labour can be seen at this PPV. A very good event and well worth the watch!

SCORE = 8.5

WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede - July 1997

WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede - July 6th 1997 - Calgari, Alberta, Canada

Matches

Mankind defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (8/10)

The Great Sasuke defeated Taka Michinoku (6/10)
The Undertaker defeated Vader {WWF World Heavyweight Title} (7/10)

The Hart Foundation defeated Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and Legion of Doom (7/10)

Moments - Positives

The Mankind /HHH match at this PPV was brilliant! The match was very fast paced and the brawl went all around the arena throughout the show. This was a top quality PPV match from two excellent WWF Superstars. Undertaker's match against Vader was a rematch of the Royal Rumble 1997 match which was much better than the original. Finally, the Hart Foundations tag match worked really well thanks to the hostile Canadian crowd. You have to see it to understand why the big tag match worked as a main event but it truly did, the heels became the faces and vice versa.

Moments - Negatives

A poor build up to the Taka/Sasuke match meant it did not get the credit it deserved as it was a very good match. Also the whole card felt like it was a bit short to be honest and the Hart Foundation match seemed to be drawn out to make up the lack of card. Very strange from the WWF.

Overall Summary

Overall a surprisingly good PPV and I have to say when I read the card before the show (which I always do) I had very low expectations. However the main event worked due to an excellent crowd and brilliant build up. There was also a solid WWF title match and a classic Mankind/HHH match that is up there with one of their best so early in their WWF careers.

SCORE = 7.5

WWF King of the Ring 1997 - June 1997

WWF King Of The Ring 1997 - June 8th 1997 - Providence, Rhode Island

Matches

Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Ahmed Johnson (6/10)

Mankind defeated Jerry Lawler (6/10)
Goldust defeated Crush (7/10)

The Hart Foundation defeated Legion of Doom and Sycho Sid (7/10)

Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Mankind {King of the Ring Final} (7/10)

Shawn Michaels fought Steve Austin to a draw (8/10)

The Undertaker defeated Farrooq {WWF World Heavyweight Title} (8/10)

Moments - Positives

The dominating feud of this PPV continued to be Austin and the Hart Foundation but as HBK returned and won the tag team titles with Austin this had an HBK / Austin match with a bit of an edge. Its always good to see a one on one match between the tag team champions especially when they are unlikely to be a tag team. This match was great and must have inspired Wrestlemania 14's main event! The World Title match on paper was very poor but Farrooq and Nation of Domination were so built up in the WWF at the time that it worked and the match itself was very good. HHH finally got his big break and won the King of the Ring tournament which is a positive moment in my mind. Also the Mankind promos are excellent during the show.

Moments - Negatives

Not a huge negative but the first round of KOTR could have been better. I was always puzzled when the WWF used Jerry Lawler in the ring when they had so much talent ready to breakthrough. Surely using Rocky Maiavia would have been better

Overall Summary

This was a great show and a great PPV event. Though on paper not the best main event, the HBK/Austin match steals the show and is worth a watch as it really is the Wrestlemania 14 match should have been. The main event actually turns out to be very good and between that and HHH winning King of the Ring, this was one of the stronger KOTR PPV events ever.

SCORE = 8.5

WWF In Your House 15: A Cold Day In Hell - May 1997

WWF In Your House 15: A Cold Day In Hell - May 11th 1997 - Richmond, Virginia

Matches

Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Flash Funk (6/10)

Mankind defeated Rocky Maiavia (7/10)
Nation of Domination defeated Ahmed Johnson {Gauntlet Match} (8/10)

Ken Shamrock defeated Vader {No Holds Barred Match} (7/10)

The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin {WWF World Heavyweight Title} (8/10)

Moments - Positives

The main event match was a classic contest between Austin and Undertaker. The two would feud many a time in the Attitude era. Both Undertaker and Austin went in as faces to this match and the Hart Foundation had ringside seats and obviously got involved. This worked well to put Austin and Taker over. Very good. The rest of the card was surprisingly good, especially the Nation of Domination/Johnson match which included some classic cheap tactics by Farrooq and co. Clearly this was a top heel stable and it showed during this event.

Moments - Negatives

Probably the opening match, mainly because I did not really rate Flash Funk as a wrestler or a character and I think the match was a bit boring and could have been kept shorter. I also didnt like the fact that Rocky Maiavia was still face when quite clearly people didnt like him (Mankind was getting cheered).

Overall Summary

A good In Your House PPV event which seems to overall satisfy in all aspects. The main event maybe should have been better built up but clearly the Hart Foundation/Austin feud was the key reason for this match. The feud continued to develop and this made entertaining viewing.

SCORE = 7.5

WWF In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker - April 1997

WWF In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker - April 20th 1997 - Rochester, New York

Matches

Legion of Doom defeated Owen Hart & British Bulldog by DQ {WWF Tag Team Titles} (6/10)

Savio Vega defeated Rocky Maiavia by Countout {WWF Intercontinental Title} (6/10)
Jesse James defeated Rockabilly (5/10)

The Undertaker defeated Mankind {WWF World Heavyweight Title Match} (9/10)

Steve Austin defeated Bret Hart (8/10)

Moments - Positives

The rematch from Wrestlemania 13 of Austin v Hart was due to take place at this event. It was very well built up and the match itself was very good and very solid. It overshadowed an excellent match for the WWF Title between Undertaker and Mankind (probably the 5th PPV match between those two in the past 12 months). Both matches stood out and are worthwhile watching. The Hart Foundation was also in full swing by this time and Bret Hart was fully heel - and I loved it. Hart as Heel was terrific and this PPV showcases his heel ability at its best.

Moments - Negatives

The opening contests were average and the Jesse James/Rockabilly match was pretty poor. The whole Rockabilly character of Billy Gunn with the Honky Tonk Man was probably the lowest point of Billy Gunns career and the gimmick was a cheap version of Double J Jeff Jarretts except that Billy Gunn really couldnt pull it off.

Overall Summary

Not a bad In You House at all, really made by two excellent main event standard matches. Thanks to those two matches, the PPV gets an overall good rating and I would recommend this event to anyone wanting to see how good Bret Hart was, how good the Hart / Austin feud was and how good Mankind/Undertaker matches really were.

SCORE = 8.0

WWF Wrestlemania 13 - March 1997

WWF Wrestlemania 13 - March 23rd 1997 - Rosemont, Illinois

Matches

The Headbangers defeated The Godwinns, The New Blackjacks and Doug Furnas & Phil Lafon (6/10)

Rocky Maiavia defeated The Sultan {WWF Intercontinental Title} (6/10)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Goldust (7/10)

Owen Hart & British Bulldog defeated Mankind & Vader {WWF Tag Team Titles} (6/10)

Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin {Submission Match} (9/10)

Legion of Doom and Ahmed Johnson defeated The Nation of Domination {Chicago Street Fight} (7/10)

The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid {WWF World Heavyweight Title} (8/10)

Moments - Positives

There is one big standout for this whole PPV event which makes the show worth a watch no matter what and that is the submission match between Hart and Austin. This match was verging on 10/10 but I think if anything the build up was not quite good enough to merit a ten. It was Austin's hour and this was the match which effectively showed the world he is a main event player. Undertaker finally winning the WWF World Title which he has not held in years was also a big highlight.

Moments - Negatives

The opening contest, the tag team title match and the IC title match were all pretty average and given that this was the biggest PPV of the year, the card should have been stronger. There was also a distinctive lack of lower midcarders which was shown by the opening few matches of this event.

Overall Summary

This is certainly not one of the best Wrestlemanias. If anything I would probably consider it one of the weaker Wrestlemanias of all time. The event really had a couple of stand out matches and even the main event didnt quite live up to the main events of the past. However, the event is a must see if not just because IT IS a Wrestlemania then just to see the incredible bout between Austin and Bret Hart!

SCORE = 7.5

WWF In Your House 13: Final Four - February 1997

WWF In Your House 13 - February 16th 1997 - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Matches

Marc Mero defeated Leif Cassidy (5/10)

Nation of Domination defeated Bart Gunn, Flash Funk and Goldust (5/10)
Rocky Maiavia defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley {WWF Intercontinental Title} (6/10)

Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon defeated Owen Hart & British Bulldog by DQ {WWF Tag Team Titles} (6/10)

Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin, Undertaker and Vader {WWF World Heavyweight Title Four Way Elimination Match} (8/10)

Moments - Positives

The main event was truly the stand out of this event. The four way match for the vacant World title was built up to the point of breaking point showing HBK's interview when he vacated the belt as well as interviews with the four participants involved. It was truly great. The ending of the match was also a classic with Austin trying to cost HArt the victory but it backfired. Another memorable moment was seeing Rocky Maivia taken on Hunter Hearst Helmsley - a sign of things to come from these young legends.

Moments - Negatives

Apart from the main event, the other matches seem to have been thrown together at the last minute. Some worked and some did not. The opening two contests could potentially put you off the event which would be a bad thing as the main event is very good.

Overall Summary

This was certainly one of those PPV events purely driven by the main event, by the fact that the world title would change hands no matter what! The main event was almost over built but in my opinion they delivered a very good match, especially as four way matches arent always the best. Worth a watch if you can forgoe a few of the opening bouts.

SCORE = 7.0