From the UK: WWF In Your House 16 – Canadian Stampede

Reviews, Wrestling DVDs

Unfortunately this week my tape with Smackdown on was unwatchable so instead I decided to do this review to make up for it. I’ve been meaning to do it in a long time so this was a perfect opportunity.

We’re in Calgary *dramatic pause* Alberta Canada

Hosts are Vince McMahon, J.R and King

Free for all match
The New Blackjacks Vs The Godwinns
The Blackjacks were a failed attempt at recreating a classic team from the past. They are Bradshaw and Windham. The Godwinns are evil hillbillies, welcome to the 90’s! Phineous and Bradshaw lock up and gives a clean break in the corner. Bradshaw gets a big boot and Phineous bails and tags Henry in. Henry clubs away but Windham counters a suplex and gets a big back drop sending Henry outside. Phineous comes back in and gets nowhere fast as the Blackjacks double team him. Bradshaw gets a power slam but Henry makes the save. Bradshaw gets the Lariat on Phineous and tags in Windham who is a redneck on fire! However, the ref gets distracted and Henry clubs Windham allowing a Phineous to get an inside cradle for the win

WINNERS – THE GODWINNS

* – Nothing special happening here

Mankind Vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/ Chyna
HHH cheated to beat Mankind in the finals of the King of the Ring setting up a summer long feud between the two that was some of HHH’s best stuff in the WWF during his early run there. The fight starts up straight away with Mankind slugging away and getting a face crusher. Mankind gets a leg drop and then a Double Arm DDT and then mocks HHH’s bow in a funny moment. HHH gets a knee crusher but gets back dropped over the top to the outside where Mankind drops an elbow off the apron. Back inside Mankind gets two and a hard Irish Whip sending HHH flipping out to the outside. HHH bails down the ramp but Mankind follows and gets a vertical suplex on the ramp. Mankind nails HHH off the apron when he tries to get in but on a second attempt HHH tries a Sunset Flip, which Mankind counters with the Mandible Claw but Chyna makes the save.

Mankind stalks Chyna outside and catches HHH coming off the apron with a right hand. HHH whips Mankind at Chyna and she hip tosses him knee first onto the ring steps in a sick spot. HHH adds a chair to the knee for good measure and back inside we go where he works the leg over. HHH pummels Mankind in the corner and tries to Irish Whip him but the knee buckles. HHH goes to the Figure Four and uses the ropes for extra leverage too when the ref isn’t looking. Finally the ref breaks the hold and Mankind fights back with some right hands. Pedigree is countered but Mankind gets kicked into the corner and they do the “inadvertent low blow” spot to a big crowd reaction. Mankind hammers in the corner and gets the running knee to the face, while selling the knee. HHH gets sent into the corner and flips into a tree of woe position where Mankind gets an Axe Handle to the face.

Mankind gets a really ugly pulling Piledriver for two and a Cactus Clothesline sends both guys outside. Mankind tries to use a chair but Chyna causes a distraction and HHH uses it instead. Chyna clotheslines Mankind for good measure too. She wouldn’t have had any credibility if Mick hadn’t taken so many selfless bumps to make her look so good. Speaking of which she crotches him on the post for good measure. HHH sends Mankind into the guardrail and they fight into the crowd for a double count out.

WINNER – DRAW

**** – That was a great fight that the crowd was hot for throughout. Both HHH and Mankind have an excellent brawl to the back. This would of course set up the Summer Slam cage match between the two and Cactus Jack’s return on Raw.

They show videos of The Hart Foundation meeting fans and special events over the weekend and that leads to a Hart Foundation interview that Steve Austin tries to crash with little success

Taka Michinoku Vs The Great Sasuke
Before the match starts the Mankind and HHH brawl continues as they fight in the crowd again with HHH bleeding although it’s not much of a blade job. Sasuke tries some kicks to start and they lock up leading to a clean break in the ropes. Lock up again and Sasuke goes to the arm wringer and tries an arm bar but Taka turns that into a pinning move for two. Sasuke gets a big kick to the gut and a chin lock which he turns into a head scissors. Taka fights out of that into a side headlock and into an arm bar. Taka runs into a huge kick and then Sasuke puts him in the elevated single leg Boston crab. Taka blocks another kick with a slap and dropkicks Sasuke in the back of the head and then in the face.

Taka gets another slap but is sent over the top by Sasuke and Sasuke follows with a big martial arts kick from the top rope to the outside. Sasuke gets a series of kicks in the corner and another big one that nearly knocks Taka out. Taka catches Sasuke’s leg and gets a Dragon Screw sending him outside where he gets the no hands plancha. That was awesome. Back inside they do an awesome segment which ends with a Taka rana for two. Sasuke gets handspring elbow sending Taka outside and follows with a big Asai Moonsault. Back inside Taka gets an overhead belly to belly for two. Taka gets the Missile Dropkick to the back of the head and gets The Michinoku Driver for two. Taka goes for a cross body but Sasuke dropkicks him on the way down and finishes Taka with a Tiger Suplex

WINNER – THE GREAT SASUKE

***34 – Another amazing match, as usual with these two.

Meanwhile, the HHH and Mankind brawl is continuing outside

Paul Bearer is backstage with Vader. Bearer at this time had only just mentioned the week before that Undertaker killed his family. Anyway Vader will win the title tonight apparently.

WWF Championship
(C) The Undertaker Vs Vader w/ Paul Bearer
This was supposed to be Ahmed Johnson’s shot but he injured his knee meaning he had to be replaced by Vader. Undertaker still had the much cooler explosion when raising the lights here which I wish they’d bring back. It got such a bigger pop and guys could look scared when it happened. It played perfectly with Undertaker’s mind games. Taker slugs away on Vader to start with kicks and right hands. Taker gets a big clothesline and a leg drop for two. Vader gets sent into the corner and eats a Stinger Splash for two. Taker heads up for the ropewalk and that gets two as well. Vader gets a running body check but Taker sits up and fights back with his jumping clothesline for two. Vader gets some right hands and goes to a side headlock but Taker pushes out and boots Vader to the outside. Taker pounds away on the outside but gets whipped knee first into the ring steps. Bearer gets some cheap shots on the outside.

Taker drops Vader’s throat on the top rope and gets a clothesline from the top for two. Taker sends Vader out again with a right hand and stalks Bearer but Vader jumps him from behind allowing Bearer to get some more cheap shots in. Back inside Vader hammers away at Taker in the corner and gets a short arm clothesline. Vader gets a clothesline of his own from the second rope but that only gets two pissing off Bearer. Vader gets a vertical suplex and a big splash but again that only gets two. Vader goes to the Nerve Pinch which is the lazy mans rest hold. Amazingly though it does the job as Taker fights out to a big pop but gets poked in the eyes and clotheslined down. Vader hammers away in the corner again but Taker slugs back and pummels Vader in the corner. Taker tries a Choke Slam but Vader gets a kick to the groin area to stop that. They botch a Tombstone reversal spot but continue on like pro’s, which I admire. Vader prepares for a Vader Bomb but Undertaker counters that with his own low blow and a Choke Slam off the second rope for a two count. Taker gets another Choke Slam and again Vader kicks out. Undertaker amazingly manages a Tombstone though and that finally ends it

WINNER – THE UNDERTAKER

***1/2 – Another great match with Undertaker wearing Vader down with multiple Choke Slams before finishing him with the biggest move in his arsenal. It would have been cool if Taker had actually made the comeback after kicking out of a Vader Bomb though.

More video clips of The Hart Foundation meeting fans and how there was a mile long queue for Bret Hart autographs.

Team Austin is ready for war

The Hart Foundation – Bret Hart, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Jim Niedhart and Brian Pillman
Vs
Stone Cold Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock and LOD
To say that The Hart Foundation are babyfaces here would be like saying the battle of the Somme was a minor scuffle. Austin is smiling from ear to ear with the heel reaction he gets here. Bret’s pop literally shakes the building. J.R. mentions that someone is at ringside filming a documentary about Bret’s life. Hmmmmm I wonder what that is? Bret and Austin start and Bret pounds Austin into the corner and stomps a mud hole to a huge reaction. The heat in this match is insane. Bret gets an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline before raking Austin’s face on the top rope. Austin gets a low blow to fight back and stomps a mud hole of his own. Austin locks in the Million Dollar Dream which Bret counters into a pinning predicament for two. Anvil comes in for some pounding but Austin fights back with a Thez Press and tags in Shamrock, who nails Anvil with some kicks, but Pillman saves Anvil from the ankle lock.

Pillman comes in next and Shamrock goes to an arm bar but Pillman punches and chokes his way out of it to a huge pop. Pillman gets a back breaker and some slaps but Shamrock fights back and gets a Belly to Belly suplex. Owen and Goldust come in next and Goldust back body drops Owen but takes a kick to the face. Goldust goes for a 10 punch as the fans tell Austin he sucks. Hawk comes in with a gut wrench on Owen and a big fist drop. Hawk gets a cool looking top rope splash for two. Owen goes for the Sharpshooter but Animal saves. Bulldog comes in next and gets an awe inspiring hanging vertical suplex on Hawk and then a Running Power Slam but Goldust saves. Animal and Bret go next with Bret getting the better of that exchange so Goldust comes back in. Goldust tries some mind games but takes a boot to the gut. Bret puts Goldust in the tree of woe in the Harts corner and Team Austin promptly charges in to stop those shenanigans.

Things finally settle down with Owen and Animal and Owen gets a spinning wheel kick and top rope missile dropkick but Animal counters a rana with a power bomb. LOD get the Devastation Device on Owen and everything breaks lose again. During the chaos Austin annihilates Owen’s knee with a chair and gets into a fight with Bruce Hart for good measure. Austin and Anvil go at it as Owen is helped to the back. Austin is taken into the Hart corner where they all attack him but Shamrock saves and Austin fights back. The Hollywood Blondes go at it with Austin getting a stunner but Bret uses the opportunity to destroy his knee as the blood thirsty crowd approve. Hawk comes in to go at it with Bulldog. Bulldog and Anvil double team Hawk as Austin is taken to the back leaving it 4 on 4. Animal and Anvil do a test of strength inside with Animal getting the better of it but Anvil powers up to a huge pop and takes in Bret for some old school Hart Foundation double teaming.

Animal tags out to Shamrock who preps for something but Pillman comes in with a clothesline to stop whatever he was thinking off. Shamrock finally fights back and hesitates again; probably looking for a face pop that will never come, and is promptly pounded by Bret. Pillman takes Shamrock outside and sends him over the commentary desk and the match descends into a brawl on the outside. Back in Bret gets a Russian Leg Sweep but Goldust saves at two. Bulldog comes in and pummels Shamrock to a big pop but Shamrock goes low, I guess he finally realised he was the HEEL, and tags in Goldust who gets a Bulldog but Pillman stops the Curtain Call. Goldust is crotched on the top and Bulldog gets a big Superplex but Hawk saves.

Austin then comes back down to ringside and gets the tag in and it’s Austin Vs Bret again. Austin is full of venom as he smacks Bret around and gets a snap suplex for two. Bret gets a big DDT and a side back breaker setting up the second rope Axe Handle for two. My god this match is all action. Austin counters a sleeper with a Stunner but Bret kicks out at two. Bret goes for the Sharpshooter but Animal saves allowing Austin to go for one of his own but Owen returns to save. Owen comes in and hammers away at Austin but gets clotheslined outside. Austin hammers away on Owen in front of the Harts and goes for Stu setting up a massive brawl with the whole Hart family. Back inside Owen uses the chance to get a roll up for the win

WINNERS – THE HART FOUNDATION

***** – That has to be one of the best 10 man tags I’ve ever seen. It was just all action from start to finish and the crowd reaction was just amazing. After the match the fight goes on until the Harts are triumphant in the ring and the show ends.

The Inside Pulse
Well this is without doubt one of the best WWF Pay Per Views ever, with every match being nothing short of fantastic. Plus, you can get this with Final Four for only 20 quid in the “Tagged Classics” range. So what are you doing still reading this? Go out and buy it NOW. SCHNELL!!!!!!!