We take it for granted nowadays, but shows like today’s PPV were even more exciting back in the day because it was predicated around one unique match. In the modern era, we get Money in the Bank and Hell in a Cell and Extreme Rules. Hell, even other companies have gotten into it with War Games and Lockdown.
When you were a kid, though, something like Buried Alive was so freaking cool. If it was important enough to be the theme of an entire show, it has to be special, The In Your House idea was the perfect breeding ground for this idea and I wish it was still around or the PPV schedule was flexible to allow this to happen.
Sadly, if it does happen now, it’s either an unnecessary addition to the show title (like the Horror Show at Extreme Rules) or it’s something that isn’t even related to the show or a match itself (like the infamous Great Balls of Fire).
For now, I’ll relive being a kid and thinking this show was the coolest thing. Even in 2022, it’s pretty neat.
PAY PER VIEW NUMBER 116: In Your House- Buried Alive
Written on 6/3/22
HOW WE START: After the title card, a cross and grave with Undertaker ominously talking is a pretty cool shot. Mankind retorts and it’s funny how cool and spooky this is while anything like it in WCW (namely the Dungeon of Doom) is lame as fuck. This feud has been awesome. Mankind is sentenced to eternal damnation in the first ever Buried Alive match. Sony PlayStation is our sponsor and we go live in Indianapolis with Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross. JR is already annoyed and acting heelish with his body language and complains about not having a mic, then getting cut off for the opener’s theme.
MATCH NUMBER ONE: Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/Valet vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
BEFORE THE BELL: Look at Triple H finally back on TV. The entranceway is cool as a cemetery gate instead of a house. The girl with him looks out of place and he may be annoyed by her? Heel JR is going to get an LVP from me every time. We’re told Faarooq has been pulled from the IC Title match later due to Ahmed Johnson injuring him and Goldust will be his replacement. Triple H himself is replacing Savio Vega in this bout, hence the heel vs heel dynamic. Kevin Kelly interviews Stone Cold and he has a list he’s going after. He gives Hunter props and says Bret Hart should announce his retirement tomorrow on Raw. Got a problem with his language? “Kiss my ass”. MVP and there’s our first GLASS SHATTER! Austin gets a very positive reaction, but he still heels it up by looking at people and jawing at them. He’s got the corner taunts. JR’s mic keeps going in and out and he complains. King is in an awkward situation between the two of them and Vince keeps laughing the problems off. So bad.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-The focus is solely on Ross’ mic getting replaced. Trips curtsies and Austin yells at a fan ringside. Hunter follows suit. This is the most obnoxious start ever. After one move, Austin flips HHH off.
-The headset thing is still happening and Ross wants thanks for bringing Bret Hart back. Chants for Mr. Perfect ring out because Triple H is wrestling him tomorrow. The two men trade slaps.
-Good intensity on holds and strikes by both men. Does the commentary drama necessitate a split screen? Vince and JR have chemistry worse than Jesse and Todd without Walter White (and there’s the start of a Breaking Bad reference challenge). Ross calls Connecticut an overpriced hellhole, so that’s funny.
-Austin is the de facto face in this. It doesn’t matter because it’s all about JR’s mic. King is funny dealing with both of them and siding with Jim. The wrestlers have a nice trading sleeper spot.
-Lawler mocks Vince’s nearfall call and eggs JR on. After a double down clothesline, Mr. Perfect walks down to take HHH’s valet. Austin attacks Hunter and tells Perfect to get the fuck out of his way. Perfect pulls on his tights and gets water thrown in his face. It’s interesting that Stone Cold antagonizes everyone.
-The Pedigree is set up, but Helmsley notices Perfect and his valet leaving and goes after them. Austin attacks him from behind, but takes a suplex on the floor. He responds with a slingshot into the post.
-Back in the ring, Hunter avoids the squisher against the ropes, but Austin catches himself, flips the crowd off, hits his finish and immediately hits his taunt from the second rope. What a legend.
HOW DOES IT END:
Stone Cold Steve Austin wins in 14:56 with the Stone Cold Stunner
FINAL WORD: Despite all of the distractions, this was a great prelude of things to come between these two in the future. That said, Triple H was NOT the guy (especially with that spittle down his chin that surprised me on the way out).
MATCH NUMBER TWO: TAG TITLE MATCH- The Smokin Gunns vs Owen Hart and British Bulldog w/Clarence Mason (Champs)
BEFORE THE BELL: The Smokin Gunns (namely Billy) being enamored with Sunny is recapped before the rematch. They get interviewed before the match by Dok Hendrix and Billy focuses on himself and getting with his former manager. There’s no cohesion in this promo. They enter and JR tries to call Sunny the most overrated manager in history while his mic continues to cut out. Ouch. This is another heel vs heel match to start, but the champs get a face reaction. King thinks Ross should hire Clarence.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-More commentary banter/frustration while Billy and Owen (with a new haircut) start. JR sounds like a helicopter pilot or old timey baseball announcer with his poor audio quality.
-Sunny is shown watching in the back and Bart blindsides Bulldog. The lesser Gunn is a good hand. He’s nothing like Owen, though. Ross’ problem is he toes the face line by talking about stuff like Bret coming back and giving the fans what they deserve, but complaining about other random stuff.
-A miscommunication leads to Bart knocking Billy off the apron viciously. Boy, Billy’s haircut keeps getting worse and worse. Some might say it’s a BITCHCAKE regression. He rebounds quickly and takes over on Owen. He hits what looks like will be a legdrop, but ends up as an elbow.
-The Gunns love that Poetry in Motion move, but it stinks. Bulldog makes the Sidewinder miss and rids the ring of Bart to let Owen bring this one home and end the Gunns as a team.
HOW DOES IT END:
Owen Hart and British Bulldog retain the titles in 9:18 when Owen pins Billy Gunn with a spinning heel kick.
FINAL WORD: That wasn’t as good as their match last month, but it wasn’t anything offensive.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Sunny claps as the Gunns dejectedly leave. Triple H talks to Ray Rougeau on the Superstar line and it seems like he can’t get a word in over Mr. Perfect on the other end. JR’s mic is fixed, but he leaves anyway to cut a promo in the ring. Oy vey. He talks about being fired twice and promises that Bret will be on Raw tomorrow. This is such a whiney, obnoxious idea. Bret is “coming back with a shovel to bury people.” UGH, what a Russo line. He leaves in a huff. His delivery isn’t that bad, but the material and gist blow. Vince is just happy he caught the mic that was thrown at him.
-On the Free for All, Kevin Kelly interviewed Faarooq and Ahmed Johnson responded with marbles in his mouth. He gets his payback by taking out Faarooq with a 2 X 4. Mr. Perfect comes back out to take JR’s spot at commentary. He’s all disheveled-he takes his untied tie off, his hair is messy and he’s not wearing a jacket. Lawler has an MVP tone and demeanor tonight.
MATCH NUMBER THREE: IC TITLE MATCH- Goldust w/Marlena vs Marc Mero w/Sable (Champ)
BEFORE THE BELL: Goldust’s entrance gets groans. Mero and Sable are asked questions by Lawler and he points out he’s never beaten his opponent tonight. Perfect supports Mero and the champ enters to a reaction mostly directed at Sable. All of those spinning sparklers are just as lame as Wildman’s character. King insinuates that Sable sleeps with refs. Look at the size of Marlena’s ash!
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Perfect is fired up on commentary and I like it. Lawler is funny asking “so, we can say the ‘a’ word ANY MORE?” Perfect ruins his momentum by sticking up for the new Razor Ramon and Diesel.
-Jerry makes a Long Kiss Goodnight reference and Vince loves talking about how classy Sable is. You can always tell when the match is blah because I talk about nothing but the announcers. Lawler is full of movie references again.
-Mero might have just blown his knee out on this dive. Hennig says he needs to take these risks and do what it takes to be champ. He already is the champ! Dustin hits a nice powerbomb counter. Perfect is talking a lot of shit about a return he never makes.
-Good speed on a double crossbody, then the challenger hits a good clothesline to ground the champ. He gets the mic and tells the crowd to shut up or else he will stick his tongue down all of their throats. That’s totally unnecessary cheap heat just like the military “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” jokes from all three commentators.
-Mero hits a great Kevin Owens-like twisting moonsault for a two count. He blocks the Curtain Call with a victory roll for another good close fall. Perfect helps Marc on the floor and Triple H comes back to confront his rival. Goldust tries to sneak attack Perfect, but gets slugged by Perfect. After a Samoan Drop, Mero is able to end this one after not doing the trick at SummerSlam.
HOW DOES IT END:
Marc Mero retains in 11:37 with the Wild Thing (Shooting Star Press)
FINAL WORD: That was Mero’s best in-ring performance in WWF so far and Goldust seemed reinvigorated. The outside story was compelling, too.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: After the replays and celebration, JR is on AOL with Razor and Diesel. God, they look so bootleg. What an all-time bad idea.
MATCH NUMBER FOUR: #1 CONTENDER FOR THE WWF TITLE MATCH- Sycho Sid vs Vader w/Jim Cornette
BEFORE THE BELL: We are finally getting the original Starrcade 1993 main event with the Battle of the Powerbombs! It’s good to see Vader doing it again. Sid has the height advantage and destroys Hunter with one in the pre-match video. Vader has the power advantage and destroys Savio with one. Shawn Michaels analyzes and adds nothing by saying both are equal. Sid enters to the pop of the night. It’s absurdly loud and he fist bumps everyone and yells “WHO THE MAN?!?!” Vader comes down next and just doesn’t have that fire in his face anymore. There’s no swagger and it’s an LVP disposition. HBK’s music hits and he joins us in casual clothes. He shakes Sid’s hand, taunts Vader and pokes Cornette before blowing in his hankey. Gotta love that suit Jimmy is wearing that would make Saul Goodman jealous (one more reference to go).
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Michaels is on commentary and acts obnoxious while the monsters clubber each other. If this show had mute, it would be incredible.
-Cornette sneaks a racket shot on Sid and the match grinds to a halt so Sid can sell on the floor. He sunset flips back in, but gets sat on by Vader.
-Spots are loudly being called and Sid is hitting the same shitty big boot. He comes off the top and Vader loses that LVP case by catching him in mid-air. I’ll trade it to Shawn who can’t talk right tonight. Vader hits a second rope splash, but picks Sid up at two.
-He pins him again, but gets up and Cornette is livid. Sid gets the knees up on a Vader Bomb attempt. After a big slam, Sid goes for the powerbomb and Cornette intervenes and gets crotched. After a low blow, one powerbomb is blocked and one is never hit. What the fuck?!?!
HOW DOES IT END:
Sycho Sid wins in 8:00 with a chokeslam
FINAL WORD: That was miraculously okay. It was still the worst match thus far.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Sid celebrates and Shawn says he’ll bring him down before getting in the ring to talk trash and shake his hand again. A Survivor Series in MSG commercial features Bret Hart, so I wonder if he is coming back tomorrow or not. The Hall of Fame is the night before. Dok blabbers until Vince interrupts him to give out the ticket info for the show that Dok was about to say. Sid joins Dok and JR interrupts it to interview him. God damn it. He asks the “hard hitting questions” and Sid is way too jacked because he stumbles over his words. Maybe it’s just the influence of Jim Ross?
MATCH NUMBER FIVE: BURIED ALIVE MATCH- Mankind w/Paul Bearer vs The Undertaker
BEFORE THE BELL: After a nice overhead shot of the grave, the story is recapped all the way back from the night after WrestleMania. There’s been casket shenanigans, the manager betrayal, psychological warfare and all of the fighting. This would bet the feud of the year without that pesky nWo vs WCW thing. Mankind is scared of being buried alive. The headstone is iconic. Mankind enters wary and cradles the urn in the ring. Undertaker enters ready to fight and King claims it’s raining.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Less than a minute in, Mankind gets kicked off and takes a back bump into the rail on the back of his head. Gross. Taker hits a sick top rope dive.
-They brawl over to the grave and Taker takes the butt of the shovel to the chin. They roll down the dirt hill in a small package.
-Cord choking and fighting in the crowd until a whip over the rail and another diving clothesline by Taker. He’s putting in an MVP effort thus far. Bearer shakes the rope on an Old School and the tide turns.
-Some sort of sharp object is introduced. Taker backs Paul down across the ring and Foley’s chair attack is thrwarted once, but not twice as a sickening UNPROTECTED shot lands on Taker’s head.
-They fight up the hill and Taker falls in the grave. He goozles his opponent before any dirt is dropped and ends up taking the dirt to the face. Taker is thrown off the hill to the floor. Both men are dirty like Walt trying to roll his last barrel of money through the desert (and the challenge is done).
-Back in the ring, the Dead Man is DDT’ed on a chair. The ref is yelling at Bearer, but it’s fucking no DQ. Taker sits up and hits the loudest chair shot to the back I’ve ever heard and a UNPROTECTED leg drop onto the chair on Mankind’s face.
-What the fuck alert: a piledriver is countered by Taker essentially hitting a Dead Eye into the steel steps. Then, the steps are thrown (protected thankfully) into the front and back. The Tombstone lands (and it looks like death) and he points to the grave.
-After carrying his rival, he drops him and eats the Claw. The urn is teased, but Mankind is sloppily chokeslammed into the grave. Taker gets digging and it’s more like actual shoveling. Man, Foley is face down in the dirt and legit getting covered.
HOW DOES IT END:
The Undertaker wins in 18:25
FINAL WORD: That might have been their best match up to this point and that’s an accomplishment.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE: The ref tries to stop Taker and gets pushed off. Another has the same fate and the place is going crazy. Out of nowhere, a shovel cracks over the head of Taker UNPROTECTED. It’s from the Executioner (not named yet) and he digs out a coughing Mankind. Taker gets pushed in the grave amidst thunder and lightning. It’s purposefully hard to see and the heels push dirt down with their hands. They do a great job of quickly filling it halfway. Goldust, Triple H, Bradshaw and convict Crush appear with shovels to massive boos. This is multiple counts of murder happening right now. Poor Terry Gordy is still using his hands. There’s a “Rest in Peace” chant and Bearer is screaming “YES the Undertaker is gone forever!” Some fans throw garbage at the grave like idiots. The heels are being paid well according to Paul. Where is he getting his money? The announcers are speechless and this goes on for quite some time. King starts laughing awkwardly. After a big clap of thunder, the heels scatter (particularly Hunter). The shovel is jammed into the dirt. Lightning strikes the grave and the purple glove comes out from the grass in a hokey ass moment. Vince yells “HE WILL NOT REST IN PEACE” and signs off.
THE LAST IMAGE: The Undertaker’s hand
THE WRAP UP
FINAL MVP of PPV: I thought Stone Cold had another one in the bag, but The Undertaker was the focus of the show and most popular in the company. He responded in kind by performing his ass off.
FINAL LVP of PPV: Most of the delivery from Jim Ross was actually okay, but you can tell his heart wasn’t in it and most of what he did was distracting and bad.
MY FAVORITE MATCH: The Undertaker vs Mankind
MY LEAST FAVORITE MATCH: Sycho Sid vs Vader
FINAL THOUGHTS: I think this was the best In Your House yet. The mood felt right except for the Jim Ross situation that dominated the first half. Without that, I would rank it even higher. All five matches were decent to great. There were plenty of exciting characters and stories and you can see the eye towards the future. Even the supernatural ending felt mostly cool enough. I’m a happy camper. MULLET RECOMMENDS
NEXT TIME: Plenty of gimmicks have taken place at Halloween Havoc, but the biggest one of all may be the amount of Slim Jim sponsorship at the 1996 edition.