In this WWF In Your House 9: International Incident review, Shawn Michaels teams up with Ahmed Johnson and Sycho Sid to take on Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, and Vader, Steve Austin goes one-on-one with Marc Mero, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show: WWF In Your House 9: International Incident
- Date: July 21, 1996
- Location: General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Blake’s Match Rating Guide : I’m using a new match rating system, which focuses on three simple categories and ignores the need to rate every single match since different matches have different goals. This makes it easier to suggest the most noteworthy matches rather than compare every match on the card:
- Recommended: 3 1/2 to 4 stars
- Must-See: 4 to 4 1/2 stars
- Legendary: 4 3/4 to 5 stars
VIDEO: Footage of Jose Lothario going after Jim Cornette on the Free For All show earlier on, which leads to Vader coming in. But then Shawn Michaels makes the save for Lothario.
BACKSTAGE: In an inset promo, Skip and Zip proclaim that they didn’t need Cloudy (their manager) and that they’re just fine on their own.
The Smoking Gunns (w/Sunny) vs. The Bodydonnas
The crowd is way more into Sunny than anything else, which is obvious early in the match as a “buns of steel” chant breaks out. Vince McMahon informs us that Jake Roberts won’t be at the show due to injury, so Henry Godwinn is gonna take his place against Mankind. Skip and Zip are in control when Sunny fakes a fall to the outside. Skip checks on her, and she slaps the taste out of his mouth. The Gunns gain the advantage, and they botch a double team attempt where Billy tries to leapfrog Bart to drop the leg on the back of Skip’s neck. Instead, Billy goes up and comes right back down when Bart doesn’t duck.
Billy starts yelling at Bart, and I’m gonna assume that was a shoot, brother. Something else about the Gunns: How did these guys wrestle in tight jeans and cowboy boots? Had to be brutal. It’s all Gunns for a good stretch until Skip hits what is essentially a nutbreaker to Billy. Hot tag to Zip, and referee Harvey Whippleman gets occupied with Sunny on the outside. Double team action from the Bodydonnas leads to Zip scoring the pin on Bart.
Blake’s Take: Not a lot to this one with Sunny being the focus more than the actual in-ring action.
BACKSTAGE: Mr. Perfect with Camp Cornette. What a promo from Cornette, who claims Lothario pulled a switchblade on him. Cornette guarantees a win or he promises he’ll refund the money of everyone in attendance and watching on television. Owen Hart and British Bulldog also add some taunting while Vader menaces in the background.
Mankind vs. Henry O. Godwinn (w/Hillbilly Jim)
HOG getting the generic entrance music dub on Peacock. Godwinn calls the hogs, but Mankind attacks him from behind and bites his face. However, Godwinn runs wild and sends Mankind reeling to the outside. They go back and forth as Lawler runs down the state of Arkansas and Bill Clinton. Mankind with an elbow drop, and he pulls his own hair out of his head. Vicious running knee from Mankind to Godwinn in the corner. Now it’s Mankind on the outside pulling up the mat to expose the concrete floor. Mankind with the neckbreaker to Godwinn on the floor. Back inside, and Godwinn gains some momentum with a few punches. He ducks Mankind’s running splash and hits a huge clothesline. Mankind throws Godwinn to the outside, but Godwinn throws him from the apron onto the concrete. Of course Mick Foley is taking that bump. Mankind pops up like it’s nothing, and they head back in the ring where he counters the Slop Drop and locks on the Mandible Claw for the victory.
Blake’s Take: Nice little sprint. They really pushed Mankind’s deranged behavior, and his uniqueness was on full display.
BACKSTAGE: Brian Pillman is running the WWF Superstar Line with Skip and Zip. Meanwhile, Raymond Rougeau is managing the lines with the Gunns and Sunny. Pillman gets a joke in about the Bodydonnas wanting to double team Sunny. Well then.
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. “The Wildman” Marc Mero (w/Sable)
We’re fresh off of Austin winning the 1996 King of the Ring, where he defeated Mero in the quarterfinals. Austin also got busted wide open in that match. These two bring it to start with, and Mero works over Austin’s arm and wrist. Austin takes it to the match with a headlock. More counter moves from each man, with Mero hitting a series of punches to send Austin outside calling for a timeout. We see Marlena on the superstar hotline as Austin goes after Sable. Mero jumps off the apron with a double axe handle on Austin, then gets a near fall in the ring. Austin pops Mero to send him out of the ring, and the crowd is cheering. Austin catapults Mero into the ring post, and once again, the crowd is fine with it. JR notes that Austin is relentless, and you can really see the seeds of the Rattlesnake brewing.
Austin hits the flying elbow drop for a near fall, then locks on a modified Camel Clutch. This thing is all Austin until Mero racks him in the corner on an attempted bulldog. Austin goes for the piledriver, but Mero reverses and both men fly over the ropes. Marlena makes her way out as Mero dives onto Austin. Her butler hands something to Lawler, then Mero does a MOONSAULT off the apron onto Austin. That was wild…..man. Mero flips over for a splash and gets a near fall. The crowd bit on that one. Austin counters in the corner and racks Mero. He goes for the Stunner, but Mero blocks it for another near fall. Austin clips Mero’s knee and then hits the Stunner for the win.
IN THE RING: After the match, Marlena heads to the back as Sable checks on Mero.
Blake’s Take: The crowd was only in it for Austin and Mero’s wild moves, but it’s always interesting to see Austin’s ascent. This was another step towards that. I’d recommend it for that reason. (Recommended)
IN THE CROWD: It’s Bob Backlund! He’s campaigning in the crowd.
VIDEO: The Smoking Gunns are gonna defend the WWF Tag Team titles against Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson on Raw.
Goldust (w/Marlena) vs. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer)
Quite a battle of the entrances between these two. Goldust tries to use referee Jimmy Korderas as a shield in a funny start to the match. Then he rubs himself, so Taker pops him. Goldust stalls some more on the outside before pulling Taker’s leg. That was a mistake as Taker chokeslams him on the steel steps. Taker throws Goldust off the steps again for good measure and then goes to hit him, but Marlena shields her man. Taker thinks better of hitting her, and Lawler goes off on the fans wanting him to do it. Goldust is getting a beating, so he tries to rip off the top turnbuckle. He does it successfully, but Taker stays on offense and hits a leg drop for two. Goldust turns up the intensity and throws Taker into the corner, but Taker regains the momentum with some vicious right hands.
Taker goes OLD SCHOOL and Marlena is not impressed. Goldust regroups and clotheslines Taker over the top. Goldust goes to work on the outside, but Taker with a stunner of his own to Goldust to bounce him off the rope. However, Goldust goes to the exposed turnbuckle and the ring steps on the outside to send Taker down. Back inside, Goldust with the scoop slam, and he goes to work on Taker’s lower back. Taker fights back with a big boot to the jaw. He goes for a scoop slam but turns it into an inside cradle for two. JR is stunned by Taker’s using an inside cradle. Taker hits the Tombstone and before he can get the pin, Mankind breaks through the canvas from under the ring and drags Taker down with him.
IN THE RING: Mankind climbs back up and the lights start to flicker. Taker’s music plays as Bearer tries to summon him. Mankind is confused as he looks down with smoke coming from under the ring. Commentary plays it up by wondering if it’s the last they’ve seen of Taker. Of course not. That’s because Taker breaks through the canvas in the opposite corner, and these two fight up the aisle to the back.
Blake’s Take: Two legendary characters, and they played up their mannerisms. More about the angle than the match, but it’s fun for the personalities involved.
VIDEO: Summerslam is coming up next month.
RINGSIDE: Vince, JR, and Lawler hype the upcoming six-man tag team match.
BACKSTAGE: Mankind and Taker fight into a boiler room. Perhaps they should have a match in there!
VIDEO: We recap the shenanigans that led to the six-man tag, including Gorilla Monsoon announcing the indefinite suspension of The Ultimate Warrior to remove him from Michaels’ and Ahmed’s team. Yes, he was fired. Cornette’s reaction when Sid was revealed as the replacement was fantastic.
BACKSTAGE: Doc Hendrix with Shawn, Ahmed, and Sid. They’re gonna kick some ass.
Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, and Sycho Sid (w/Jose Lothario) vs. Owen Hart, British Bulldog, and Vader (w/Jim Cornette)
During Michaels’ entrance, the crowd wants him so bad one of the rails in the aisle breaks and fans flock him. Lawler brings up Sid already turning on Michaels once, so he’s betting on it again. Vader taunts Shawn before the match, and Ahmed tags him in to get things started. Vader uses his power in the early going, but Michaels speeds it up and hits a flying cross body to send Vader over the top. Michaels then flies over with a cross body to the outside. He goes for another move off the top, but Vader moves and Michaels goes throat-first into the rail. Vader takes control until Michaels makes the tag to Sid, who runs wild on Owen, Bulldog, and Vader to send them outside the ring.
Sid tags in Ahmed, and he goes to work on Owen with multiple suplexes. Ahmed misses a jumping elbow and that allows Owen to tag in Bulldog. Ahmed hits the Pearl River Plunge on Bulldog but Vader breaks up the count. Ahmed pummels Vader in the corner with some haymakers, but Vader turns the tide with a splash in the opposite corner. Vader goes for another splash, but Ahmed catches him for a slam and near fall. Owen into the mix and he hits an enziguri on Ahmed. However, Ahmed regains momentum and press slams Owen before tagging in Sid. He hits the big boot to Owen and works on him in the corner.
Owen manages to tag Bulldog, and he somehow picks up Sid for a delayed vertical suplex. Vader drops the elbow on Sid, but Bulldog only gets a two. Sid eventually tags in Michaels, who gets a two count on Bulldog. After an Irish whip, Bulldog moves and Michaels’ shoulder hits the ring post. Michaels reverses an Irish whip and throws Bulldog into Vader. Owen back in, and he and Michaels exchange pinfall counters in a great sequence. They turn it up a notch with more near falls until Owen tags in Bulldog. He also gets multiple near falls on Michaels until the latter moves out of the way of an elbow. But it’s Owen with a cheap shot using the cast on his arm that reverses the momentum.
The referee gets distracted with Vader and Sid, which allows Owen to use more underhanded tactics on Michaels on the outside. Vader with a standing bearhug on Michaels as an idiot fan jumps onto the apron and tries to stand on the ropes. Both Ahmed and Bulldog nearly wallop him but he escapes to cheers from the crowd. Bulldog wanted to destroy that dude. Vader adds in a choke for good measure, but Michaels fights out before Vader splashes him. Ahmed comes in and hits a huge clothesline on Vader. Michaels tries for the tag but Bulldog cuts him off and adds more damage. Bulldog misses a splash in the corner and Michaels goes for the tag again, but there’s Owen to thwart it.
Both men down but Owen makes the tag to Bulldog, who hits the power slam. Sid breaks up the count with a leg drop. Bulldog tags Vader, but Michaels makes the tag to Ahmed…..and of course the referee doesn’t see it. The heels work over Michaels while Lothario and the babyfaces plead their case. Owen and Bulldog go for a double team move, but Michaels ducks and finally gets the hot tag to Sid. He chokeslams Vader, then does the same to Owen and Bulldog. Double clothesline to Vader, and Sid and Ahmed launch Michaels off the top onto Vader. The action breaks down and Cornette throws the racket in, but Michaels grabs it and hammers Vader with it for the near fall. Michaels goes for the Sweet Chin Music, but Cornette grabs his foot in the corner and Vader splashes Michaels before hitting the Vader Bomb for the win.
IN THE RING: Ahmed and Sid attack, with Sid power bombing Bulldog and Owen. He tries to do the same to Vader but Bulldog pulls him out. Then Michaels soars off the top onto Vader and the exchange blows. The babyfaces stand tall and hug it out.
Blake’s Take: Not gonna lie, this main event totally exceeded expectations. It’s the first time I’ve watched it in many years, and the heel team was tremendous in their teamwork and approach. It was obvious Michaels would work the majority of the match for the babyfaces, and he sold like a champ. Vader getting the pin was the perfect finish to set up the Summerslam main event. One of the better six-man tags I’ve can recall in WWE. (Must-See)
BACKSTAGE: Hendrix welcomes Gorilla Monsoon, who announces Mankind vs. Taker in a Boiler Room Brawl at Summerslam. Cornette says he guaranteed a Camp Cornette win and brings up Vader pinning Michaels. Cornette thinks Vader deserves a title shot.
BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF IN YOUR HOUSE 9: INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT
Overall Rating: 6.0/10
Thoughts: This is pretty much a one-match show, but there’s enough storyline advancement to make it interesting elsewhere. You had the setup for the first-ever Boiler Room Brawl, Austin’s ascent, and lots of story tidbits in the main event. It’s fun to go back and see all these characters at various points in their career and how they’d evolve entering the Attitude Era. The six-man tag should make your watchlist. It’s really good.
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