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Review: WWF In Your House: Beware of Dog, from South Carolina; 5/26 and 5/28/1996.

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I wasn't sure what to put in the "from" part of the title, so I just said, "from South Carolina." I think that'll suffice.

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The video to open flashes back to RAW, when Diana Smith, um, said that Shawn Michaels wanted her. Yeah, really. Anyway, I suppose that set this whole thing up, and on commentary, we have Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler.

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Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/some woman vs. Marc Mero w/Sable is the first match.

 

Blow-by-Blow: Michael Hayes gives Mero an interview, thankfully it's short, because it's brutal. Anyway, Mero runs right into the ring and clobbers HHH, to start the match. Mero chases HHH as he runs around the ring, which allows HHH to get the better when both come back in the ring. Both men trade punches which knocks HHH out of the ring, so Mero gives HHH a tope suicida. Mero sends HHH back in, and follows with a slingshot legdrop, which gets a 2 count. Mero sends HHH into the buckle where HHH goes upside down, then hits him with a big left hand for 2. Mero misses a charge to the corner, and unfortunately, he also gets rammed into the ringpost. HHH gives Mero a single-arm DDT, and a high knee for a 2 count. HHH goes to the armbar, but Mero rolls him up for a 2 count. Mero tries for a backslide, but Mero's left arm is hurt, so HHH rams it into the ringpost, twice. HHH wrenches on Mero's arm, before applying a cross-armbreaker. Poor Mero. He won't quit though, so instead, he makes the ropes. HHH gives Mero a kneedrop, then goes to a wristlock. Mero reverses a HHH back suplex into a rolling clutch hold, which gives him a 2 count. A HHH clothesline only gets a 2 count, so HHH goes to the top. He comes down with a big chop, then applies an armbar on Mero. HHH kneedrops Mero's arm twice, then gives him a hammerlock slam. Up to the top HHH goes, but Mero crotches him and gives him a FRANKENSTEINER. Mero then gives HHH a flying headscissors, and a kneelift. Then a backdrop, and Mero comes off the top rope with a sunset flip for 2. I don't understand the advantages of doing a top rope sunset flip as opposed to a regular one. A dropkick knocks HHH over the top and out of the ring, so Mero tries to fly out with a tope con hilo. He missed, and hurt his knee. Well, it looked legit, but I doubt that it was. Anyway, HHH stalls by berating Sable, and when he goes for the PEDIGREE, Mero slingshots HHH into the ringpost which gets Mero the pinfall victory at 16:24.

Match Analysis: Well, this was the beginning of HHH's punishment for the whole Kliq incident, I suppose. It was certain he would lose anyway to a debuting wrestler, but still. By punishment, I mean that he lost almost every match for the next few months, few meaning until October. He only beat guys like Aldo Montoya, Bob Holly, and Freddie Joe Floyd. Then he won the Intercontinental Title from Marc Mero and all was forgiven. Oh yeah, the match rating. ***1/2. Very good selling from Mero, and the psychology was top notch. Can't stand when guys with hurt arms do backslides and the like.

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Mr. Perfect is with Jim Cornette, and the rest of the British Bulldog's posse. Owen Hart has obtained a managerial license, for one night only. Well I'll be damned. Also, Michael Hayes interviews Shawn Michaels. Power of the KLIQ and all that.

 

The power went off, so we skip all the way forward to the main event of show #1, that being The British Bulldog w/Diana Smith and Owen Hart vs. Shawn Michaels w/Jose Lothario for the World Wrestling Federation Championship.

 

Blow-by-Blow: Before the match, Clarence Mason says that Shawn Michaels will be served with a lawsuit. Uh, why? The dumb angle with Diana Smith is just that, dumb. Anyway, Shawn tears the lawsuit papers, which incenses Bulldog to the point where he attacks Shawn. Shawn misses a charge to the corner, but he gives Bulldog an armdrag. Shawn then avoids Bulldog's attempts at an attack, but he tries a SWEET CHIN MUSIC. Well, Bulldog ducks out because he's the smart one, so Shawn gives him a pescado. Back in the ring, they lock up, and Shawn takes Bulldog to the canvas with a headlock. Shawn tries a rollup, but nothing happens, and Bulldog gives Shawn a bearhug. Shawn pins Bulldog for a 2 count after Bulldog ducks to avoid the on-rushing Michaels, then Shawn gives Bulldog an enziguri, which gets a 2 count as well. Shawn applies an armbar, then gives Bulldog a hiptoss and goes to a short-arm scissors. Bulldog does the 'whole power out and pick my opponent up so I can drop them to the canvas thing,' which I like. Bulldog then gives Shawn a backdrop, before picking Shawn up by his hair and dropping him to the canvas. Bulldog then gives Shawn a headbutt, before going to the chinlock. Boo. After a brief moment, Bulldog picks Shawn up in an ARGENTINE BACKBREAKER. Shawn tries a crucifix, but instead, Bulldog just gives him a modified samoan drop. He's tough, oh yeah. A legdrop from the Bulldog gets a 2 count, so Bulldog goes right back to the chinlock. This whole match is, I don't know, weird. Both men run the ropes now, and Shawn falls out of the ring after ducking a clothesline, which made me laugh even more. Bulldog tosses him into the guardrail, then into the apron, before heading back in. While taunting Shawn, Shawn knocks him down to the canvas and gives him a slingshot clothesline, which gets 2. Both collide in the center of the ring, but Shawn gets up first, and delivers a flying forearm to the head of the Bulldog. Of course, Shawn kips up, and he slams Bulldog, before going up top and giving him a double axhandle for 2. Bulldog runs into the official, so now Shawn can give him a flying elbow off the top, too. Shawn TUNES UP THE BAND...and kicks Owen, who tried to sneak attack Shawn. Obviously that didn't work. We now have a new ref, and after Bulldog is unable to give Shawn the RUNNING POWERSLAM, Shawn knocks Bulldog into the buckle. A german suplex follows, and we have a three count at 17:22. The winner is...THE BRITISH BULLDOG. OMG WTF NEW CHAMPION. The rest of Camp Cornette is celebrating, and Diana Smith is standing in the aisle with the championship. Wait a second, the other referee just so happens to raise Shawn Michaels hand. OMG WTF SAME CHAMPION. Gorilla Monsoon takes the belt away from her, and he says the winner of this match is....NOBODY. WE HAVE A DRAW. That means Shawn Michaels stays champion, and we'll need to have a rematch, which of course would later take place at King of the Ring '96.

Match Analysis: Uh, while I like the double pin finish for some reason, this match was wonky the whole way through. Not bad, just weird. The power outtage must've had something to do with it. I can't possibly see rating this match as anything but average, so we'll slap a **1/2 rating on this one. Could've been lots better, in my opinion. I read that they had another match laid out, but the power outtage kinda killed it. Wonder if that was the match they wound up doing at King of the Ring or not. Anyway, we'll never know.

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Beware of Dog 2 now begins...yeah, this took place on Tuesday of that week. Jim Ross and Mr. Perfect are on commentary, and to start things off, we're going to have Steve Austin w/Ted DiBiase vs. Savio Vega in a CARIBBEAN Strap Match. If Steve Austin loses, Ted DiBiase will be forced to leave the WWF. If Savio Vega loses, he'll have to be Ted DiBiase's chauffeur. If you've never seen a strap match (I'm sure you all have), to win, you must drag your opponent around the ring and touch all four corners. Simple..sure. Also, during show #1, this match (and others) went on, in the DARK. Yes, it was dark, and definitely dangerous.

 

Blow-by-Blow: So yeah, what a way to start #2. At the start, Austin won't let Vega into the ring, so he uses the strap to keep Vega out. Smart move. Bell rings and both are hooked up to the strap, which Vega uses to scare Austin back out of the ring. Now Vega gives Austin a backdrop on the inside, causing Austin to bail out. Well, Vega pulls him right back in, and whips him with the strap. Hell yes. I love strap matches. Austin tries to bail out again, but Vega whips him, and suplexes him back into the ring. A spinning heel kick from Vega follows, as Vega tries to touch the corners. He touches two, but gets stopped dead in his tracks as Austin pulls him down to the canvas. Austin whips Vega with the strap, then punches away, as both men brawl on the outside. Austin straps Vega, then sends him into the guardrail. Austin now suplexes Vega in, and drags him to three of the corners...but Vega pulls Austin back into the third turnbuckle, hard. Vega clotheslines Austin before beating him with the strap, but Austin backdrops Vega over the top, only to be pulled over the top by the strap. Austin tries a suplex out there, but Vega counters and gives him one of his own. Oh no. Austin tries to give Vega a double axhandle off the ring apron, but he misses. Back in, and Vega ties Austin up, going for some turnbuckles. He touches three of them, but Austin trips him, preventing him from getting to the fourth. Vega places Austin on the top rope, but Austin pushes Vega down to the canvas. Austin stands up, and...Vega crotches him, then gives him a superplex. This match is great. Vega now touches three of the turnbuckle, almost to fo...but Austin gives him a spinebuster just as I'm writing that down. I'm not trying to be Moses Malone with the fo' thing, don't worry about that. Austin tries a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, but Vega reverses, Austin reverses, while heading to the corner. Austin tries to hang Vega from the top rope, but instead, he goes for an axhandle off the top to the outside, and he misses. Ouch, that hurt. Austin rams Vega into the steps anyway, and in we go. Vega places Austin on his shoulders and touches three buckles, before Austin can pull him down to the canvas. Austin gives Vega a piledriver (ooh), but Millionaire Ted doesn't want just one, he wants another. Vega backdrops Austin though, but Austin comes right back with a MILLION DOLLAR DREAM. This guy just won't quit. Vega carries Austin on his back as the hold is applied, so he can touch two turnbuckles, but Vega can't take it, so he kicks off the turnbuckles, launching his body onto Austin's. Austin now ties Vega up and drags him by the neck, but Vega's touching the turnbuckles right after Austin. 1, 2...3 (little hesitation, as Austin almost pulled him too fast. Neat touch that got the crowd a little worked up), and now, they're pulling at each other, trying to keep the other one from touching the last turnbuckle. Vega stops pulling while Austin's pulling too hard, so that launches Vega past Austin and into the fourth turnbuckle, giving him the win at 21:23. Of course, that wasn't how Austin justified it, but hey, I try to call it how it looks. Oh yeah, DiBiase's gone. See ya.

 

Match Analysis: Hell of a match. Hell of a match. I deliberately typed that twice, for emphasis. That's gotta be the best thing I've seen from Vega, and, well, Austin's great. You knew that, though. I could probably watch that a few more times, and I'm sure I'll watch it once more. I wonder how Vega's strap match with Bradshaw at Mind Games was, but hey, I'm reviewing that next! ****. I checked the Dave Meltzer list, and he has it the same. There's my justification, but he's a journalist and can't be trusted! And yes, I am one of those dudes that likes to look and see how other people's rankings compare to mine. But I only check after I watch the show and rate the matches.

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Vader w/Jim Cornette vs. Yokozuna is up next.

 

Blow-by-Blow: Man, the WWF fucked Vader's run up. It rings ever true when you hear the reaction he got here. Guy was over. Yoko is just too large...Jesus. Both men slug it out to start, and Yoko gets the better of it. So now, Vader wants a sumo challenge type thing. They stall for a bad 3 or 4 minutes, and Yoko wins their sumo challenge, by knocking Vader over. Yoko clotheslines Vader over the top, but Vader comes back in, and punches away at Yoko. Yoko drops the elbow on Vader's leg twice, because Vader broke his leg on RAW a few months back, you see. Vader tries a bodyslam, but Yokozuna gives him a uranage instead. A samoan drop from Yokozuna follows, then Yoko goes upstairs for the BANZAI DROP. Jim Cornette steps to Yoko, so Yoko tosses him in. After a headbutt, he goes to give Corny a BANZAI DROP, but Vader pulls Cornette out from under Yoko, causing Yoko to rock the ring with his giant ass. VADER BOMB, and thankfully, it's over, at 8:55.

Match Analysis: This one made Vader look sorta weak, although you have to take into account that he's facing a giant human being. Still, weak. The match sucked balls, and I advise that all of you fast-forward past it. 1/4*.

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The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer vs. Goldust w/Marlena in a CASKET MATCH for the Intercontinental Title is our "main event."

 

Blow-by-Blow: It's a good thing that Vince isn't on commentary for this. It would be unbearable. So, we see a video of Goldust's exploits on RAW the night previous...yes, that was the night where he gave Ahmed Johnson "CPR." As far as that segment goes, I think that's pushing the envelope a little too far. Just a little. I looked for a video so the rest of you could see, but I couldn't find one. Anyway, the bell tolls, lights go out, and hey, Paul Bearer's coming down the aisle, but the Undertaker's in the ring! He rams Goldust into the canvas, then the turnbuckle, before giving Goldust a back elbow. Goldust gets a little too close to the casket, which scares him, so he backs away. Only to be thrown on top of the casket, that is. Taker rams Goldust into the steps, then the casket, before bringing him back in. Bodyslam and a legdrop, then OLD SCHOOL. Well, it isn't really old school, cause it's current school. Anyway, Taker misses a charge to the corner, which allows Goldust to gain control. A Goldust slam doesn't do a whole lot, and neither does a Goldust TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER. Goldust clotheslines Taker so he can put him in the casket, but the casket will not shut. Taker storms out and gives Goldust a big boot, but Goldust responds by backdropping Taker over the top rope. Goldust rams Taker into the steel steps, and chokes him with a TV cord for good measure. Back inside, Goldust gives Taker a sleeper, presumably to put him out for good. It works, but once inside the casket, Taker won't let the thing close. Goldust tries to lie on the casket in order to get it shut, but Taker throws him off and to the floor. Back in we go, and Taker clotheslines Goldust right back over the top. Taker grabs a chair, but Goldust kicks him, and gives him a clothesline before going back into the ring. Goldust gives Taker a powerslam, and a clothesline from up top, before covering Taker. Uh...easily explainable within the context of the match, so who cares how dumb it looks. Anyway, Goldust tries OLD SCHOOL, but Taker pulls him down to the canvas. What a mistake. TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER from Taker, now Taker brings Goldust over to the canvas. When the casket is opened...there's MANKIND! How the fuck do they do that (meaning make a guy appear inside of the casket), anyway? Mankind applies the MANDIBLE CLAW, then stuffs Taker into the casket, and shuts it, giving Goldust the win at 12:38. MWHAHAHAHA. Mankind now locks the casket, which causes smoke to come out of the thing. Whoa dudes. Goldust and Mankind leave, then the casket opens and...there's NOBODY THERE. Now, how the fuck do they do that? Anyway, lights out much like on Sunday Night, and the show's over.

 

Match Analysis: Far better than I thought. Still average though, but a different average than the average displayed in Shawn/Davey. This is a good average, as in, you sure as hell wouldn't expect this. Shawn/Davey was bad average, the average I sure as hell don't want to see. **1/2. Like I said, average. There was one thing I liked though, even though Goldust couldn't beat Taker by himself, he was put over quite well. Being able to "hang" with a main-eventer puts someone over well, I feel. Or it used to.

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Rating: Let's see, we've got five matches. Four of them are **1/2 or above. Now, what do you think I have to give this? Well, I'll say it's great. How about that? Yeah, I favor cards that are able to give me as much good or average as possible. Little to no bad is a definite plus.

 

Best Segment: Caribbean Strap Match. Yeah.

 

Worst Segment: Yokozuna vs. Vader. Boo.

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Mind Games review will be up next. Maybe even Saturday. Who knows, with these two hour shows. If you can't tell, I really enjoy reviewing WWF shows. I don't know why, but my match analyses are longer when doing them. Maybe because they haven't posted many WCW shows from what I'd call my DOMAIN. When they did, my hand was hurt. Don't forget that.

 

Seeing as comments have tapered off a bit, I'd like to remind everyone that comments are encouraged. I realize that comments kinda going away may have a bit to do with the 24/7 folder, too. Tomorrow I might go through the trouble of cataloguing everything so that it's easier to find.

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