As I’ve made clear in previous introductions, I normally write this section after I’ve transcribed all of my handwritten notes. It takes me some time to come up with a connection or an idea from either the show itself, the world as a whole or my personal life. It’s not often that I refer to current wrestling news.
In today’s case, I have to be honest because my attention was largely diverted throughout the event as I watched it. The reason for that was because WWE unveiled their fourth(?) batch of roster cuts since the pandemic began. As many fans, I am beyond frustrated and disgusted with these tactics. As a fan that’s currently going back and watching every PPV that the company has ever put on, it places an awful fog over these proceedings because I hate supporting such an awful organization right now.
It's almost appropriate, though. I’m currently drudging my way through the year 1995 and it’s probably the worst creative period for Vince McMahon…beyond what’s currently going on. The roster is chocked full of cartoony, zany characters…akin to what’s being tried in NXT 2.0. Fans want an alternative…and there’s an edgy one bursting through to the masses.
Sometimes, things just align. That’s why I must move on. It makes me realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same. You will note throughout my diary when I found out what was happening. It won’t hurt tracking what has happened in the actual show because it’s a pretty straightforward follow up to the new monthly PPV concept…except there’s a mini-country music concert and a second straight show with a lumberjack match.
PAY PER VIEW NUMBER 90- IN YOUR HOUSE 2
Written on 11/18/21
THE FIRST THING YOU SEE: The WWF title sequence before a BAD country music video telling us that we are in Nashville. It also mentions Double J singing tonight and clips of the wrestlers working on the show are shown. This is cheesier than every bowl of Kraft I’ve ever had. Vince McMahon overtalks about the Grand Ole Opry like CRAZY. I don’t even understand half of the words he’s using. He’s also wearing a very awful leather vest. Looking even stupider is Jerry Lawler with his leather vest, bolo tie and crown over his cowboy hat. It’s still better than his Affliction shirts. There’s almost an equal focus on Jarrett’s performance than his IC Title defense as well as the Lumberjack main event.
-The 123 Kid enters to a good pop. The young 1990s-looking announcer makes me miss the Fink. His neck injury is replayed and it was courtesy of his opponent, The Roadie. The Kid stiffly jumps him in the aisle.
MATCH NUMBER ONE: The 123 Kid vs The Roadie
-A possible leapfrog botch is sold beautifully as a legit trip by Roadie and Kid is all over him to start.
-What a slingshot kick from the ring to the floor! Kid is so unique for his time as our first MVP.
-A powerslam cuts the face off and Jarrett is shown in the locker room not watching the match. This is a blatant seed for their break-up.
-Roadie holds up his end of the match with some tight leg drops, a post attack and a high elevation backdrop. Plus, he still showboats like an idiot.
-Jarrett is shown again talking to his back-up singers and King makes a Tom Arnold wedding joke. Meanwhile, Roadie misses a top rope splash.
-Kid’s comeback is highlighted with a frog splash (possibly the PPV debut of that move) for a two count. Dogg hits a sitout powerbomb counter for two. I just realized this is a future DX battle. It’s a testament to how different they are as characters right here.
-The Kid gets crotched on the top rope and OH NO!!!
WINNER: The Roadie in 7:26 with a top rope piledriver
-Vince’s replay call makes him the first LVP as Roadie does a mic check on the stage set up and struts like an MVP boss.
FINAL WORD: The finish didn’t look pretty in every way imaginable. The same can’t be said for this very good opener.
-Todd Pettengill is backstage with the Million Dollar Corporation. God, King Kong Bundy’s hairy legs are disgusting. IRS and Tatanka are still around? Tatanka, Dibiase and Kama all get random mic time. Sid wraps it up with his inward singing promo (I guess that means we are going for a Tenacious D reference challenge). We switch over to Barry Didinsky in the face locker room. The good guys scream in the background while Barry shills the PPV shirt for only $16!!! The Kliq make fun of him.
-The fiddlers on stage are interrupted by a new regal bop for Men on a Mission with robes and crowns. Mo is a Sir now and listed at 288 pounds. BULLSHIT. Razor Ramon, complete with taped ribs, and Savio Vega, complete with Puerto Rican flag, enter. This is another injury comeback. Maybe don’t work your wrestlers so hard???
MATCH NUMBER TWO: Men on a Mission vs Razor Ramon and Savio Vega
-Razor throws his rib wrap at Mabel’s face. It’s not the wrap or rib he’s used to having in his face. Mo takes the toothpick to the face and he answers back with stiff slaps before the action finally starts.
-Savio and Mo have no chemistry. Oh goody, now Mabel is tagging in. He manages a sidewalks slam and back kick decently enough while yelling deeply.
-King calls Vega “greasy” in a gross moment. Call him “not over” as it’s more appropriate. Mabel has gone to the Yokozuna nerve hold school. Savio tries a stupid slam and Vince says “error” like Vince Russo.
-Sir Mo is an LVP by being the sloppier team member tonight. This stretch of the babyface taking the heat is way too long. Mo attempts the slowest moonsault of all time and misses. At least he tried it.
-Ramon gets the hot tag and he’s full of punches before hitting a sandbagging Mo with a second rope belly-to-back suplex. Mabel gets slammed off the top like Ric Flair if he were dressed like a blimp.
-Mabel hits a DDT, but misses a splash. Mo is just constantly off in every little thing he does.
-Razor’s Achilles heel is the rib injury. That and his Teflon status mean he’s about to take this clean ass loss.
WINNERS: Men on a Mission in 10:10 when King Mabel pins Razor Ramon with a belly-to-belly suplex.
FINAL WORD: That’ll get the crowd amped up: two clean wins by the heels to start the show! That was sluggish in most ways.
-There must have been a local deal on leather vests because Pettengill has one, too. He’s talking to the band and does a bad beatboxing bit with the drummer replicating him. Vince just starts talking over him at one point. Dok Hendrix interviews some of the face lumberjacks. Man Mountain Rock is there! Billy Gunn is a Bitchcake once again by having the most exaggerated country accent EVER out of nowhere. Rock, Billy, Bart, Bam Bam and Adam Bomb all deny being paid off by Ted. Dok is more over the top even for him during this segment. The former Maxx Payne also accidentally punches a light above him.
-Bad hair jokes between the commentators before the Roadie introduces Jeff Jarrett for his performance. The guitar player just looks like a guy who’s always wanted to do this, but has definitely never done it in front of this many people. Jarrett cuts a promo and I wish it was Jack Black talking to Parliament instead (and we have one more reference to go). He spells his fucking name twice before the song begins. The live version of the music just sounds off and too twangy. Fuck, I was such a mark for all of this. I had the “Ain’t I Great” shirt and cassette combo.
-Jarrett lip syncs well enough and Vince begrudgingly gives him props. As I write this, I found out that John Morrison, Hit Row and Drake Maverick were released among others. So, fuck Vince McMahon. Jarrett takes a bow and we go into a SummerSlam commercial with Diesel rolling up in a car and abducting a hot girl from a gas station to come to the show with him.
-Todd asks fans in the crowd about Jarrett’s performance. He gets mixed review across the board. Shout out to the kid in the dope Power Rangers shirt. Some shitty, Deliverance-like music brings Henry Godwinn out. His slop bucket is featured and he’s shown covering Adam Bomb in a recap and costing Bigelow a match. Bam Bam enters with his silly wrist fireworks and less silly Kane-like fire in the ring.
MATCH NUMBER THREE: Henry Godwinn vs Bam Bam Bigelow
-Bigelow no sells a belly-to-back and hits two of his own. This is just a random series of moves back and forth so far.
-Bam hits a DDT, Henry slams him on the floor. Henry does throw a mean clothesline.
-Good babyface fire by the Beast from the East, but he gets cut off. The slop bucket just looks like it has old lettuce inside of it.
-There’s going to be 30 lumberjacks?!?! That’s overkill considering they released almost 3 times that many people since COVID.
-A top rope headbutt misses, but so does a second rope knee drop. That’s enough for a win.
WINNER: Bam Bam Bigelow in 5:32 with a lateral press after a missed second rope knee drop
FINAL WORD: That was an abrupt ending for a randomly abrupt match.
-Bob Backlund is talking to kids in the crowd and one in a Kurt Cobain shirt agrees to vote for him. Todd interviews Shawn Michaels in his iconic white gear with gold plates. He’s my hero here even though he botches saying “World Wrestling Federation.”
-The crowd has to be getting sick of this Jeff Jarrett theme song. The Roadie enters alone and he cuts an obviously stalling promo because Jeff probably isn’t ready yet. He finally enters with all of these stupid lights on him. Sexy Boy brings the crowd alive and brings the coolest man in the building…besides all of his best friends.
MATCH NUMBER FOUR: IC TITLE MATCH- Shawn Michaels vs Jeff Jarrett w/The Roadie (Champ)
-Shawn checks his reflection in the belt before Jarrett outsells the master on a punch and hits one arm drag, celebrating like he won the match. He may actually be an MVP threat.
-HBK gets hit to the floor and Jarrett poses in the corner like his opponent. Shawn says something in the camera that I can’t make out, but I’m sure it wasn’t tactful.
-A great, fast-paced stretch is complete with a clothesline over the top, skin the cat and strut mocking.
-I just noticed all of the floor space by the entryway as Jarrett threatens to leave. He breaks the count at nine twice before Michaels retrieves him. Roadie tries to get involved, but gets poked in the eyes and Jarret thrown into him. Shawn dives onto both of them and the crowd is in a tizzy over the new MVP leader, HBK.
-After another tight sequence, Shawn is backdropped over the RING POST. He then takes two largely UNPROTECTED headers into the steel steps.
-The Heartbreak Kid gets out of a long abdominal stretch only to get stuck with a leaping DDT. Vince’s mic has some trouble, so Lawler has to funnily do heel play-by-play.
-More good hope spots are followed up by good cut-offs like HBK taking his buckle bump over the top rope and Roadie clotheslining him from the apron to the floor.
-There have been so many roll-ups and sunset flip counters for two counts. Jarrett hits an awesome dropkick before applying a sleeper.
-Seamless clothesline into a kip up by Shawn on a comeback. God, he’s on another level than every other person. Vince says it as I write it. Double J is great at kicking out of near falls.
-The Figure Four is blocked twice and the second attempt leads to a ref bump. Roadie chop blocks the challenger and wakes the ref up, but HBK still kicks out after a flying body press.
-Roadie blind trips Jarrett and it sets up the FLUSH finishing shot.
WINNER: Shawn Michaels in 20:02 to win the title with Sweet Chin Music
-The finish gets a HUGE pop and there’s no doubt that he’s getting a shot at the big belt soon. Fireworks blast off like the show is ending. Shawn gets a kiss from a random blonde on the way out.
FINAL WORD: That was the perfect combination of the Memphis style and 90s athletic style. Go watch this match.
-HBK is already back in the face locker room to celebrate. Didinsky pimps the HBK shirt and glasses combo that my mom bought for me during this show if I’m not mistaken. It’s weird that Jarrett and Roadie walk out after this event. We get a wrap up on them though through THE WORST reaction of all time from Dok Hendrix. Holy shit is it an immediate LVP performance. It’s more over the top than Stallone arm wrestling. Roadie and Jarrett had some kind of altercation and I may finally get his ass this time…
-Yokozuna’s music leads the tag champs and their managers to the ring. Yoko just gets bigger and bigger. The bad Allied Powers theme plays and they have flag-waving kids now. It looks like they just gave the Young Stallions pyro. King dates this show even more by mentioned John Daly winning the British Open earlier in the day. Even the Spanish commentators have leather vests!
MATCH NUMBER FIVE: TAG TITLE MATCH- The Allied Powers vs Owen Hart and Yokozuna w/Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji (Champs)
-Lex and Yoko starts as a punishment for something I’ve done in my past. Lawler gets a good joke off about Helen Hart and the Opry’s age as Lex is beaten up even more than usual. They are like the anti-Hulk and Andre.
-Yoko falls in his own corner and his butt smashes Owen’s foot. They just keep sending him little messages. The champs shove each other, but Cornette patches it up.
-Lex actually looks okay, but not as good as the chain wrestling between Hart and Bulldog…until a botched back drop causes the Rocket to land right on his shoulder.
-Davey takes the heat as Vince says cable operators have been alerted to keep it running up to 9:58. They have 30 minutes according to my watch. Oh, the days!
-Around 6:30 in, it’s Yoko nerve hold time.
-I have to give Tim White and, in this case, Mike Chioda, props for their impactful counts. In other words, fuck Nick Patrick.
--Owen is crotched on the middle rope and allows a double tag. Lex hits everything that moves and press slams the smaller man onto his partner.
-WOW! The Allied Powers hit a double belly-to-back on Yoko for an amazing pop. It still doesn’t matter because the ref is distracted and Owen smashes Lex from behind. All that juice and he still loses.
WINNERS: Yokozuna and Owen Hart in 10:55 to retain the titles when Yokozuna pins Lex Luger with a leg drop.
FINAL WORD: It won’t make any lists, but it had some nice moments.
-HBK is shown on the hotline. They should bring that back to give people more time to work on their mic skills. The lumberjacks start coming down as the main event feud is recapped back to the night after WrestleMania. Pettengill miscalls the powerbomb a “powerslam” in a pre-recorded video. Their face-off from last Monday is shown and Sid backs down again. Back live and look at these characters! HHH! Skip! Mantaur!!! Wait…did I say Triple H?!?! He’s wearing his full entrance attire while everyone else is wearing their ring gear. That’s someone I’ve never seen before, so I’m adding it to his list. That said, he’s definitely NOT the guy here.
-The face lumberjacks walk out next and there’s even more zany people! Make a Difference Fatu! Tekno Team 2000 (complete with Erik Watts)! Wonder Boy even! My reference challenge is done and Todd interviews Diesel for a very paint-by-numbers promo.
-The Creatures of the Night sit in the front row and Sid walks out. He spits a lot while talking to the lumberjacks. The champ enters with HBK at his side. They are called the “Two Dudes with Attitudes” for the first time.
MATCH NUMBER SIX: WWF TITLE LUMBERJACK MATCH- Sid w/Ted DiBiase vs Diesel w/Shawn Michaels (Champ)
-Sid jumps at the bell, but is sent to the floor and thrown back into the ring twice early. The heels coddle him. Hey, there’s PCO!
-Diesel gets thrown out and takes heel boots immediately. Shawn dives on the pile and it’s all unorganized bedlam.
-Mantaur keeps mooing. I love it and hate it at the same time.
-Very pedestrian offense by the challenger and his selling isn’t much better as Kevin Nash starts his comeback. Out of nowhere, he fucking DIVES onto the heels at ringside! He somehow didn’t tear everything in his legs.
-Either Duke Droese or Man Mountain Rock called Sid a “dickface” or a “shit face.” King Mabel pulls Diesel out and squashes him against the ring post, then slams and leg drops him on the floor. The lumberjack battle ensues again. Diesel takes a slap right in front of the ref, so I guess it’s no DQ.
-More LVP worthy offense by Sid before he hits the powerbomb and DOESN’T GO FOR THE COVER AGAIN. Rinse and repeat stupidity. It naturally leads to a kick out. Sid and Lex Luger are booked dumber than Bulk and Skull combined. Diesel back drop counters out of a second finisher attempt.
-The faces are randomly attacked by Sycho, so HBK axe handles him from the top to save everyone. The Jackknife is called for, but IRS runs in and is dumped right away. The same goes for Godwinn and Tatanka.
-Instead of the finisher, that’s it? One guy can kick out of the other’s finisher, but the loser can be downed by a random move.
WINNER: Diesel in 10:05 to retain the title with a big boot
FINAL WORD: That was as bad as I expected their first match to be.
-The finish gets a big pop and Nashville has been hot the whole night. Diesel goes right after Mabel, but the faces peel him back to celebrate in the ring. The Kliq focuses on themselves naturally. After the corner pyro and a close up on Diesel, the same opening song and video are played except shots from the show itself are now included. I can’t find the video, but you best believe I’m going to make you suffer through the song.
THE LAST IMAGE: A wide shot of the arena with the faces celebrating
THE WRAP UP
FINAL MVP of PPV: Shawn Michaels continues to be the shining star of this shit year. He’s so over, so talented and so charismatic. I almost considered Jeff Jarrett as the MVP, for crying our loud!
FINAL LVP of PPV: Michael Hayes’ destiny has been fulfilled in the WWF as Dok Hendrix.
MY FAVORITE MATCH: Shawn Michaels vs Jeff Jarrett
MY LEAST FAVORITE MATCH: Diesel vs Sid
FINAL THOUGHTS: That was an overall better in-ring PPV than the first In Your House, but it wound up being around an equal level of enjoyment for me because of the 1995 of it all. A lot of the show felt old, tired and MAGOO at times. Other times, the action was great and the crowd was very happy. Stories were moved and good while the length of the show makes it easy to knock out. It’s still a weak case, but MULLET RECOMMENDS
NEXT TIME: The WWF machine keeps plugging away like it always will with SummerSlam main evented by one guy who got fired from WWE a lot (and almost will after that show).