WWF In Your House 8: Beware of Dog Results (Part Two)
May 28, 1996
North Charleston, South Carolina (North Charleston Coliseum)
Commentary: Jim Ross and Mr. Perfect
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
Click here to see the results of Part One of In Your House 8.
We go live into the North Charleston Coliseum. Jim Ross and Mr. Perfect welcome us to the show, the second part of In Your House 8: Beware of Dog.
Video: Footage is shown of the Caribbean Strap Match, which was held in the dark this past Sunday on Part One of In Your House.
Replay: Last night on Raw, Ted DiBiase declared that if Steve Austin doesn’t beat Savio Vega, he will leave the World Wrestling Federation.
The rules of the Caribbean Strap Match:
— The left wrist of each opponent will be connected by a 10-foot leather strap.
— The first superstar to touch all four corners in succession wins.
— Pinfalls and submissions do not count.
Caribbean Strap Match
Million Dollar Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin w/ “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase vs. Savio Vega
Referee: Tim White
If “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wins, Savio Vega will become “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s chauffeur. If Vega wins, DiBiase will leave the WWF.
As Savio Vega makes his way to the ring, Steve Austin swings the leather strap in his direction. The chauffeur’s hat is shown. Vega eventually gets in the ring and joins his wrist to the strap. Both men are connected. They grab the strap and try to pull each other close. Vega swings the strap at Austin, but he quickly rolls away and out of the ring. Vega tries to pull Austin into the ring. Austin gets in the ring and cautiously approaches Vega. Austin kicks Vega in the midsection and punches him down to his knees. Austin clubs him on the back several times before punching him in the face. Vega reverses a whip and hits a back body drop. Vega tries to whip Austin, but Austin quickly rolls out of the ring to save himself. Vega quickly pulls Austin hard into the ring apron twice before getting him in the ring. Austin quickly rolls outside, but Vega follows him and uses the strap to pull Austin into a knife-edge chop.
Vega bounces Austin’s face off the ring apron and clubs his back. Vega gets him in the ring and clubs him before whipping him with the strap. Vega whips Austin all over his body. In desperation, Austin flies over the top rope, but he can’t get far as he’s still connected to Vega. Vega reaches over and pulls Austin onto the apron, whipping him on the head with the Caribbean Strap. Vega then suplexes him into the ring. Vega whips Austin on his midsection. Vega stands him up and hits a roundhouse kick. Vega touches one corner, then two, and then three. Vega has the strap between his legs, so Austin saves the match by using it to flip him over.
Austin starts to whip Vega with the strap, viciously beating him down. Vega quickly hits a double-leg takedown, and they’re brawling on the mat. They roll to the ringside area. Vega viciously chops Austin’s chest. Austin quickly drives Vega’s spine into the ring apron before whipping him on the back. Austin grabs Vega and drops him ribs-first onto the metal barricade. Austin gets in the ring by going over the top rope. Austin then chokes him with the Caribbean Strap. Austin smacks him on the back with the strap as he pulls him onto the apron and hits a vertical suplex back into the ring. Austin ties the strap around Vega’s ankle and starts dragging him around the ring. Austin touches one turnbuckle… two turnbuckles… Vega pulls him away and uses the strap to sling Austin around the ring and hard into the corner. Vega stomps away at Austin and sends him into the ropes for a clothesline with the strap. Vega whips him on the midsection several times. Ted DiBiase, whose career is on the line, is wincing with each blow. Vega punches away at Austin, but Austin hits a back body drop over the top rope. Austin is pulled over in the momentum from being connected to Vega. Austin landed awkwardly.
Austin hooks Vega’s head and goes for a vertical suplex on the floor, but Vega blocks it. Vega then hits Austin with a vertical suplex on the floor. DiBiase yells at Austin to get up. Vega smacks Austin on the back and the chest with the strap. Austin quickly rakes Vega’s eyes and goes to the apron. Austin jumps, but Vega punches him in the midsection out of mid-air. Vega smacks Austin on the back with the strap and gets him in the ring. Vega ties the strap around Austin’s leg and drags him around the ring. One turnbuckle… two turnbuckles… three turnbuckles… DiBiase is flipping out… Austin trips Vega to stop his momentum. Austin sizes Vega up and viciously beats him with the Caribbean Strap. Austin goes for a suplex, but Vega blocks it and puts him on the top rope. Vega chops Austin’s chest before smacking his chest with the strap. Vega sets up for a superplex, but Austin headbutts him down. Austin climbs to the top rope, but Vega crotches him up there. Vega whips his back with the strap and climbs to the top rope. Vega then connects with a superplex!
DiBiase is apoplectic. Both men are down for several moments, but Vega starts to stir. Vega touches one turnbuckle… two turnbuckles…. three turnbuckles… Austin is stirring… Vega charges for the fourth turnbuckle, but Austin blocks him with a spinebuster, saving the match and DiBiase’s career. DiBiase is pacing at ringside. Austin puts Vega on the middle rope and chokes him. Austin tries to hit the ropes, but the strap is too short. Austin then avalanches him against the middle rope. Austin then chokes Vega with the strap. Austin talks some trash and whips Vega. Austin touches one turnbuckle… two turnbuckles… Vega collapses, so Austin goes over to him. Vega rocks him with a right hand and whips him with the strap. Vega clubs his back, but Austin responds with a low blow. Austin sets up for a piledriver, but Vega bends out. Austin bends out of it, and Vega goes over the top rope. Austin leans over the top rope to choke Vega with the strap, but Vega kicks him back. Vega falls to the floor and is being choked. Austin goes to the top rope and dives to the floor, but he hits the barricade when Vega moves!
Vega whips Austin with the strap, but Austin drives him into the steel ring steps. Vega quickly gets in the ring and rolls out on the other side of the ring post. Vega pulls Austin into the steps before getting in the ring. Austin is pulled into the ring, and Vega lifts him onto his shoulders. Vega touches one turnbuckle… two turnbuckles… Austin slides off and tries to pull him down, but Vega is reaching for the third turnbuckle. Vega can’t reach and punches Austin away. Three turnbuckles… Vega points to the final one, but Austin pulls him away!
Austin sets up for a piledriver and connects. DiBiase shouts instructions and tells him to do it one more time for insurance. Austin pulls Vega up and goes for a second piledriver, but Vega counters with a back body drop. DiBiase is furious. Austin gets up and applies the Million Dollar Dream! Austin jumps on his back, but Vega starts to stumble toward the turnbuckles. One turnbuckle… two turnbuckles… Austin cinches in the Million Dollar Dream, and Vega is fading. In a last ditch effort, Vega climbs the turnbuckles and pushes back, landing on top of Austin. Austin gets up and grabs Vega, hitting a flapjack onto the ring post! Austin wraps the strap around Vega’s neck and starts to drag him around the ring. One turnbuckle… Austin starts to drag, and Vega touches one… two turnbuckles for Austin… and two for Vega… Austin drags him to the third turnbuckle… and Vega touches the third turnbuckle… Austin is dragging him toward the fourth one, but Vega pulls him. Austin pulls him back, and Vega flies into the fourth turnbuckle to get the win!
Winner: Savio Vega
Ted DiBiase’s WWF career is over. DiBiase is in disbelief and gets on the apron to talk to Austin. Austin is furious with DiBiase and waves him off. Austin walks off on his now former manager.
Vega grabs a microphone and tells the production team to cut his music. Vega says that wasn’t the right music for this night. This is the right stuff: “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Steam plays on the speakers. DiBiase is absolutely losing his mind as Vega and the crowd sings to him. Vega scares DiBiase away with the Caribbean Strap, and DiBiase goes up the aisleway swinging his arms wildly.
Mike’s Thoughts: This was a really tremendous, hard hitting, violent strap match… and this was their second one in two days! They were beating the bejesus out of each other with that strap, whipping their backs, fronts, and heads with it. It was NASTY at times. Both guys were tremendous throughout. It’s awesome to see Steve Austin so aggressive. He was always a phenomenal brawler, but he looked chaotic at times in this. Controlled chaos. He was a totally different performer before the neck injury. Austin was still a phenomenal, smart worker after he recovered from the neck injury, but he never got back to this level.
That said, this probably could have lost five minutes. The crowd died down in the middle a bit, and even Mr. Perfect started wondering if there was a time limit in this match (despite his name, he wasn’t a great color commentator). The ending was great and was a fun way to end Ted DiBiase’s career. The DiBiase departure is the best thing that could have happened to Steve Austin. DiBiase was getting a big payment from Lloyds of London and heading to WCW. Austin in the Million Dollar Corporation had a limit that Austin quickly approached. Now, it’s time for him to swim on his own… and he’s going to thrive.
Speaking of Lloyd’s of London…
History Corner: Lloyd’s of London
This’ll be a quick one, but Lloyd’s of London has a fascinating history with professional wrestling. Lloyd’s of London, a well-known century’s old insurance company, offered huge career-ending disability insurance policies to major wrestlers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, paid in a nice lump sum. Mick Foley even talked about taking out a policy and intentionally getting injured to get a payout when he thought his career wasn’t working out as it should have.
Basically, because wrestlers were (and still are) classified as independent contractors rather than employees, they lacked standard corporate health and retirement benefits, many things people with regular jobs take for granted. Lloyd’s of London assumed the risk of insuring wrestlers was low, thinking because it’s a predetermined sport, the likelihood of a performer claiming permanent disability was minimal. They didn’t take into account the actual physical toll of the product and left in a massive loophole: policies allowed wrestlers to claim a payout if a neck or back injury prevented them from performing as a wrestler, even if they were still capable of doing regular everyday physical activities.
In the mid-1990s, a wave of major stars suffered some pretty bad injuries, Ted DiBiase included, and successfully triggered the lump-sum policies, which often reached into the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. Rick Rude, Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect), and Road Warrior Animal also collected. The only caveat was if you took the payout, you could never legally wrestle again. If a wrestler healed and wanted to return, they were required to pay the entire lump sum back to Lloyd’s. That’s why you saw Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, and Ted DiBiase return as managers and commentators.
Eventually, Lloyd’s of London realized they were being taken to the cleaners by a business with very high injury rates and hard to verify neck/back claims. It came back to bite Bret “Hitman” Hart when he suffered his career-ending concussion in WCW. Lloyd’s was skeptical due to wrestlers collecting checks and still returning to the ring and refused to pay him. Hart would sue for breach of contract and settled for $800,000 in 2005.
After extensive financial losses, Lloyd’s of London completely blacklisted and stopped insuring professional wrestlers.
Anyway, that’s enough about wrestling insurance insanity. Back to the show.
America Online Center
WWF Champion Shawn Michaels is shown chatting with fans on America Online.
Replay: Seven weeks ago on Raw, Vader viciously attacked Yokozuna’s leg, attempting to break it.
Vader w/ Jim Cornette vs. Yokozuna
Referee: Mike Chioda
Yokozuna gets in the ring and immediately begins punching Vader. They go back and forth with strikes before Yokozuna hits a throat thrust, knocking Vader into the corner. The referee backs Yokozuna up as Jim Cornette gets on the apron and yells.
Yokozuna gets in a sumo pose as Vader paces around. Vader growls at Yokozuna, and Yokozuna pounds his chest. Vader gets in a three-point stance as Yokozuna gets in a sumo stance. Vader then thinks better of it. Cornette gets on the apron and shouts some instructions to Vader. Vader flexes his muscles before getting in a three-point stance. Yokozuna gets in sumo position. Yokozuna goes to charge, but Vader quickly sidesteps and shakes the ropes in anger. They soon get back in position and finally charge. Yokozuna avalanches Vader down before hitting a clothesline over the top rope!
Jim Cornette checks on Vader at ringside. Yokozuna attacks Vader as he gets in the ring. Vader responds with some stiff bear paws to the head before clubbing his spine. Yokozuna picks his leg and drops an elbow on his left leg. Vader screams in pain after having 660 pounds come down on his knee. Yokozuna gets the crowd going as Vader limps around ringside. Vader slowly gets in the ring. Yokozuna goes to attack him, but Vader punches away at him. Yokozuna picks his leg and drops another elbow on the left leg. Vader pulls himself up, and Yokozuna attacks him in the corner. Yokozuna chops Vader’s chest and punches him in the head. Vader quickly pokes him in the eyes and punches away at him. Vader sets up for a slam, but he can’t lift him. Yokozuna then hits a Sambo Suplex.
Vader slowly gets up and stumbles to the corner. Yokozuna avalanches him before hitting a Samoan Drop. Yokozuna drags Vader to the corner and climbs to the second rope, setting up for a Banzai Drop. Cornette gets on the apron and tries to hit Yokozuna with his tennis racket, but Yokozuna easily blocks it. Yokozuna brings Cornette into the ring the hard way. Cornette begs Yokozuna off and offers a handshake. Yokozuna shakes and squeezes his hand hard before hitting a headbutt. Yokozuna sets Cornette up for a Banzai Drop, but Vader pulls Cornette out of the way. Yokozuna crashes and burns. Vader attacks Yokozuna’s leg and hits a Vader Bomb for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Vader
Vader goes to ringside and collapses in pain. Vader pulls himself up and limps away.
Mike’s Thoughts: My goodness was that sad to watch. Yokozuna was taken off television at the tapings the night after WrestleMania XII and sent to a dieting facility, but he came back to perform larger and more immobile than ever. They couldn’t have used any more smoke and mirrors to cover up Yokozuna’s limitations. That said, they definitely accentuated all the positive things he could still do, but there just wasn’t much. From where he was when we started this series this past September to now is wild. In September and October, he was definitely slowing, but he could leave his feet and get up much quicker (take a look at the clip from October 1995 of him and Mabel double-teaming the Undertaker). Now, when he takes a bump, he’s really struggling to get up. He’s huffing and puffing after minimal effort. This is a 29-year-old man with two children essentially self-destructing right before our very eyes on television. The WWF only gave him a month to lose some weight before putting him back on the road. He’d be on the road inconsistently from here on out until something else happens that makes the WWF finally shut him down for good (and it doesn’t seem to be out of concern for his health).
Video: A commercial for WWF King of the Ring, starring Jerry “The King” Lawler, airs. King of the Ring is coming on June 23.
Jim Ross and Mr. Perfect talk about King of the Ring. Shawn Michaels will defend the WWF Championship against The British Bulldog in a rematch from In Your House. The Smoking Gunns will defend the WWF Tag Team Championship against The Godwinns. The Ultimate Warrior will also battle Jerry “The King” Lawler. We’ll also see the Semifinals and Finals of the King of the Ring Tournament.
King of the Ring Tournament
First Round
The Ultimate Warrior vs. Goldust ended in a Double Countout
Vader def. Ahmed Johnson
Henry O. Godwinn vs. Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Bob Holly vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Savio Vega vs. Marty Jannetty
Yokozuna vs. Owen Hart
Skip vs. “Wildman” Marc Mero
Quarterfinals
Vader receives a bye to the Semifinals
The golden casket, custom made for Goldust, is brought to the ringside area.
Replay: Last night on Raw, Ahmed Johnson stopped Goldust from walking out on a match with The Ultimate Warrior. Later in the night, Owen Hart knocked Johnson out with his cast, costing him a King of the Ring match against Vader. After the match, Goldust gave an unconscious Johnson “mouth-to-mouth.” A concussed Johnson flipped out and chased after Goldust.
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Casket Match
Goldust (c) w/ Marlena vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
Referees: Time White and Jack Doan
During the Undertaker’s entrance, only Paul Bearer came out. The Undertaker appears behind Goldust and uppercuts him down. Goldust leaves the ring and stumbles around before getting in the ring. Goldust attacks Undertaker as he gets in the ring. Goldust sends him into the ropes, but Undertaker grabs him and throws him down. Undertaker whips him hard into the corner. Undertaker bounces him off the top turnbuckle before sending him into the ropes for a back elbow. Undertaker whips him near the open casket, but Goldust puts the brakes on and screams in fear. Undertaker punches him down and sends him over the top rope onto the closed casket. Undertaker goes outside and bounces Goldust on the steel steps. Undertaker punches Goldust down and slams his face off the casket.
Undertaker puts Goldust back into the ring and hits a scoop slam. Undertaker drops a leg before pulling Goldust up. Undertaker tries to sling him over the top rope, but Goldust fights him. Undertaker wrenches the arm and climbs to the top rope. Undertaker walks on the top rope and comes down with a massive club to the spine. Undertaker puts Goldust in the corner and chokes him for a few moments. Undertaker sends him to the opposite corner and elbows Goldust back. Goldust hits a scoop slam, but Undertaker quickly sits up. Undertaker uppercuts Goldust in the corner and sends him into the ropes. Goldust drops down and uppercuts him. Goldust sets up for a Tombstone Piledriver… and he connects! Goldust gets up, but Undertaker quickly sits up. Goldust punches away at Undertaker and hits a diving basement clothesline. Goldust signals to the referees to open the casket. Goldust tries to roll Undertaker into the casket as the crowd chants, “Rest in Peace!” Goldust gets Undertaker into the casket, but Undertaker punches him before he closes the lid.
Undertaker punches away at Goldust and big boots him down. Goldust quickly hits a back body drop over the top rope. Goldust smashes Undertaker’s face off the steel steps and chokes him with a camera cable. Goldust rolls Undertaker back into the ring and clubs away at him. Undertaker stumbles around, but he starts to fight back with some punches and kicks. Undertaker floors him with an uppercut. Goldust reverses a whip and applies a sleeper hold. Goldust quickly drops the Dead Man to the mat and cinches it in. Undertaker looks to be unconscious. Goldust drags Undertaker to the casket and rolls him inside. Goldust tries to close the lid, but Undertaker sticks his arm out to keep it from being fully shut. Goldust punches him and tries to close the lid again, but Undertaker blocks it. Goldust jumps onto the lid, but Undertaker powers the lid open, knocking Goldust to the floor and snapping the lid off the casket.
Goldust attacks Undertaker as he gets in the ring. Goldust sends him into the ropes, but Undertaker ducks a clothesline. Undertaker connects with a diving lariat. Undertaker uppercuts Goldust before hitting a clothesline over the top rope. Undertaker goes over as well. Undertaker grabs a chair, but Goldust boots him in the face and clotheslines him down. Goldust gets undertaker in the ring and sends him into the ropes for a scoop powerslam. Goldust heads to the top rope as Undertaker sits up. Goldust connects with a diving clothesline and covers, but there are no pins in this match. Goldust counts the three himself. Goldust tries to drag him toward the casket, but Undertaker punches him back. Goldust wrenches the arm and starts to climb. Goldust is going to walk the top rope, but Undertaker slams him down to the canvas.
Undertaker signals for the end and hits Goldust with a vicious Tombstone Piledriver. Undertaker opens the casket… and Mankind is lying in the casket! Mankind applies the Mandible Claw to the Undertaker and drags him into the casket before closing the lid!
Winner and still WWF Intercontinental Champion: Goldust
Mankind sits on the casket and uses a tool to lock the lid in place. White smoke billows from inside the casket as Mankind pulls his hair out. Mankind stumbles away with Goldust and Marlena.
Paul Bearer looks horrified as he tries to open the casket. The casket lid comes off, and Undertaker is gone! Bearer screams in horror and shouts, “He’s gone!” The bell then tolls and the lights go out. Undertaker’s music plays as the show comes to an end.
Mike’s Thoughts: There was absolutely nothing surprising about that ending whatsoever. They weren’t coy about Mankind interfering in this match since he got involved in every segment that Undertaker and Goldust had leading up to this. Lo and behold, there he was, costing Undertaker the match. The action leading up the stupid finish was pretty good. Goldust looked competitive and like he belonged in the ring with the Undertaker. Goldust was awesome selling for him, and Undertaker was willing to give him a lot of offense, including letting Goldust deliver a Tombstone Piledriver.
Still, clearly from watching Raw the night before, it was clear that Goldust was already moving on to a new feud with Ahmed Johnson, so keeping this as a title match made the finish of Goldust retaining also inevitable. That said, WWF did the right thing by airing these three matches fresh for the world to see. It was a fun, easy watch.
Quick Match Results
— Savio Vega def. Million Dollar Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in a Caribbean Strap Match (non-title)
— Vader def. Yokozuna
— Goldust (c) def. The Undertaker in a Casket Match to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship
In Your House 8 (Part One) | Last night’s Raw
Email – mike@wrestleview.com
X – @MikeTedescoWV
Thanks for reading!
Part of Wrestleview’s Monday Night War: 30 Years Later series, with weekly Raw and Nitro recaps every Thursday.