*** Scott & JT’s Vintage Vault Refresh reviews are a chronological look back at WWE PPV history that began with a review of WrestleMania I. The PICs have revisited these events and refreshed all of their fun facts that provide insight into the match, competitors and state of the company as well as their overviews of the match action and opinions and thoughts on the outcomes. In addition, Jeff Jarvis assists in compiling historical information and the Fun Facts in each of the reviews. Also, be sure to leave feedback on the reviews at our Facebook page. Enjoy! ***

In Your House #2: Main Event Misery in Music City

July 23, 1995
Municipal Auditorium
Nashville, Tennessee
Announcers: Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler
Attendance: 6,482

Dark Matches

Skip defeats Aldo Montoya

Coliseum Video Exclusives

Bret Hart defeats Jean Pierre Lafitte

Undertaker defeats Kama in a Casket Match

Pay Per View

1) The Roadie defeats the 1-2-3 Kid with a top-rope piledriver at 7:25

Fun Fact: This is Roadie’s last PPV match until Survivor Series 1996.

Fun Fact II: This match is a continuation of the feud between the 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon against Jeff Jarrett and the Roadie. At IYH #1, the 4\four were supposed to be involved in a tag team match. However, the 1-2-3 Kid suffered a legitimate neck injury at a house show against the Roadie, setting up the revenge matchup here.

Scott: Can the WWF follow up their worst PPV effort in its company’s history with something, anything better? Well we open this show with a KOTR semifinalist against another superstar left off that June debacle. The Kid has been nothing more than Razor Ramon’s lackey for most of the year but this is a good showcase for him to get back into the swing of things, against Jeff Jarrett’s lackey per se, who is continuing to get seasoning in the ring. Well early on as Roadie is outside the ring Kid attempts a kick over the top rope, and he pretty much misses Roadie by a mile. I don’t know who’s fault that is but it’s pretty glaring from every angle. The match was pretty standard, but what surprised me was the result. The Kid hits a frog splash from the top rope but Roadie kicks out of it. Then a few seconds later Roadie hits a piledriver from the top rope and gets the pin. I wouldn’t have thought the Roadie would actually get the victory here, and that he was allowed to perform such a dangerous move. A piledriver off the top rope is definitely something you don’t take lightly. So the Roadie wins and the Kid eats another tough luck loss. Grade: **

Justin: Welcome to July! For the first time in WWF PPV history, we have a PPV offering in the seventh month of the year, a bridge show between King of the Ring and SummerSlam. Once again, this is a short two hour affair at a discounted price and it certainly adds a little bit of urgency to the promotion and also moves us through feuds much more quickly. They are also really tailoring these shows with different themes and since we are in Nashville, this one has a very country vibe to it, right down to the intro theme. Sadly, since he isn’t involved in the ring this time around, the King is back in the booth with Vince McMahon, meaning we don’t get to enjoy the awesome Dok Hendrix this go around. Since getting involved in the ring back in May, the Roadie has now become a regular competitor. He had a solid run through the KOTR tournament and now is looking to put the recently returned 1-2-3 Kid back on the shelf. The Kid had banged his neck up after WrestleMania and had to miss some time, but is rehabbed and ready to rock here, still looking for revenge on behalf of his buddy Razor Ramon. This is also a big night for the Roadie for another reason as Jeff Jarrett will finally perform live here in Nashville and it is his job to make sure everything is prepared and ready to go. Kid would jump Roadie on the floor as he entered but Roadie fought him off and sed his rare weight advantage to overpower a bit. Kid was moving really here though, buzzing around the ring and landing kicks and a flying headscissors to send the Road Dog out to the floor. The Kid kept the pressure on but Roadie stopped him short by blocking a charge with a powerslam. As Roadie took control, we saw Jarrett backstage prepping for his performance and ignoring the match. Roadie took the fight outside, where he hoisted Kid up and ran him crotch first into the ring post. Ouch. Back inside, Roadie pancaked Kid and dropped a few legs and his offense is looking much better here than even a month ago at KOTR. The Dog went to work on the Kid’s neck as we again saw Jarrett paying no attention the match. Roadie went against his effective gameplan and took to the air, but Kid made him pay by dodging him. Kid followed with a spin kick for a near fall and the crowd was really getting behind him. Roadie would survive a splash from the Kid and then countered a huricanrana attempt with a powerbomb. Kid would avoid a charge and head up top, but Roadie slugged him and then followed him up. He hoisted Kid up and hit him with a piledriver off the top to win the match! Wow, what a great finish and really plays up the Kid’s rehabbed neck. That was a nasty bump for him to take. And it is a big win for Roadie and clearly indicating they had some decent sized stuff in mind for him going forward. As the Dog left, he stopped and checked out the concert area to ensure everything was good to go for Jarrett. A true professional. And a very good opener with some unique spots blended in to Roadie working the rehabbed neck. Grade: **1/2

2) King Mabel & Sir Mo defeat Razor Ramon & Savio Vega when Mabel pins Razor with a belly-to-belly suplex at 10:09

Fun Fact: This match was made after MOM decimated Razor Ramon and Savio Vega at the end of the King of the Ring finals match. Savio and Mabel battled around the country at house shows leading up to this show.

Scott: This match certainly reminds us of the mess that went down in Philadelphia, and that it wasn’t a bad dream. Now the question is going into this match: Will Mabel go along the same path as Bret Hart in 1993 where he has added a line to his resume and we move on from it? Or will he go the route of Owen Hart in 1994 and the tournament win is a catapult to something more? We are hoping it’s the former, and the result of this match would tell that. Since being distanced from the IC Title picture over the past couple of months, Razor has been used primarily to lend some shine to Savio, who was in essence shoved down the fans’ throats at King of the Ring. A guy no one really knew was put in the Randy Savage/WrestleMania IV role and tried to gain sympathy in one night. Vega could have been a real good character if he had debuted earlier in the year and then by KOTR the crowd would have been invested. On another note, after two straight PPVs of great commentary by Dok Hendrix, we are back to Jerry Lawler. Now I liked Lawler on commentary during this stretch but he’s just not as cool as Dok was. Razor’s charisma and love by the crowd gives this match more energy than it probably had any business having. Incidentally Mabel can get away with not being a good wrestler since he’s almost 500 pounds, but Mo really has no excuse for being this terrible. Men on a Mission win due to Razor’s rib issues, and that right there proves that Mabel is indeed being set up for future things. That alone makes me want to gulp. Man 1995 was the year Razor was putting everybody over, faces and heels, at the expense of himself. Grade: **

Justin: After missing a few weeks with the rib injury that kept him from King of the Ring, Razor Ramon is back in action alongside his pal Savio Vega as the two look for some payback from June. Of course, the payback is owed from the beating Men on a Mission laid on both of them after Mabel defeated Vega to win the crown. And this is a perfectly good feud for heel Mabel. No super push needed! This worked fine. I like how Razor has a little mid card posse backing him up with Vega, Kid and Aldo Montoya. It is a nice touch for him to have backup. The story heading in here again focused on Razor’s ribs, which were all taped up, leading Vince to ponder if they were still banged up. But, whether it was mind games or the injury had healed, Ramon ripped off the bandages and acted like he was good to go. Ramon opened with Mo and controlled him until tagging in Savio, who also laid in some strikes. Mo would land a kick to stop him and then tag in the King. However, a double team backfired and Savio went to town with right hands until the King spiked him with a sidewalk slam. Mabel slowed the pace and picked Vega apart with impact offense, including a spin kick to the back of the head. Mo would tag in and pick up where Mabel left off, and I will say he has some nice arrogance going on. I like that he knows he has Mabel backing him up, so he can be a real piece of shit now. Mabel tagged back in and worked a nerve hold but Vega fought up and actually tried to slam the King for some reason. That did not end well at all. The crowd started to chant for Razor and the Bad Guy would make a save after a big Mabel legdrop to the back of Savio. Mo would make the first big mistake for MOM, missing a top rope moonsault and allowing Vega to crawl over and make the desperation tag. The crowd popped as Ramon went to town on Mo, rocking him with a back superplex. He would set up for the Edge, but Mabel broke that up and actually headed to the top rope. Predictably, he struggled on his way up, allowing Razor to slam him off for a near fall. Ramon laid in a few right hands but Mo kicked him from behind, opening up for a Mabel DDT. This match has really picked up. Things broke down as everyone got involved, allowing Mabel to splash Razor in the corner, hammering those ribs. He followed with a belly-to-belly and picked up the win. Ok, sue me, I liked this match. It was well worked and Savio sold his ass off during the heat segment. I liked some of Mabel’s high impact offense but this bout highlights the issue with this push: Mabel is better suited to be able to tag out and come in to land the heavy blows, not work the entire match. A strong tag push may have made more sense. Regardless, a win over Razor clean was good for his resume and keeps him rolling along. I liked that the ribs came into play here as well. Again, if they are deadset on pushing Mabel, I can’t complain with how they are going about it. They are going all in hard for the big guy. Grade: **

*** After teasing a live performance for well over a year, Jeff Jarrett successfully sings his hit single “With My Baby Tonight” live, continuing his huge push on this, his last show for five months. ***

3) Bam Bam Bigelow defeats Henry Godwinn with a roll-up at 5:41

Fun Fact: Since debuting in January as a lower-mid card heel, Henry Godwinn was trying to gain acceptance into the Million Dollar Corporation at this point, so DiBiase told him if he could beat Bigelow, he would consider it. After the loss, Godwinn was told he had no chance, and eventually ended up slopping DiBiase on the 9/15 Superstars, officially solidifying his face turn.

Scott: We revisit a new character here, an evil pig farmer with a slop bucket. Man Vince isn’t learning is he? Another example of a character that is so goofy that fans will not relate to. Bigelow needs to clean up his image, as after the WrestleMania loss he’s been nothing more than Diesel’s second and hasn’t really gotten back at the Corporation that kicked him to the curb. This match is a simple power affair that shows both men throw haymakers and power moves at each other. Bigelow wins the match but really there’s nothing more to say here. The crowd has checked out on the Beast from the East and one of our newer heels is already jobbing out. This match did nothing for either guy, so let’s just move on. Grade: *

Justin: Henry Godwinn has been around the company since late 1994 but this is the first time we see him in a PPV singles match. Over the past few weeks he had been rumored to be on the take from Ted DiBiase and the fact that he is targeting former Corporation member Bam Bam Bigelow seems to hint that it is true. Godwinn is a solid hand and drew decent heat as a mid card heel. Bigelow continues to be over and visually presented as a star, but this slot on the card seems to say otherwise. Still, his feud with DiBiase is rolling along as he is making it his mission to eradicate the Corporation. Bigelow brought the power early, taking Godwinn over with a pair of back suplexes and a shoulder tackle to knock him to the floor. Bigelow brought him back in but that gave Henry a chance to land a few right hands. He slipped up and ducked his head, though, giving Bammer an opening to hit a DDT. Bigelow then slipped up with a wild charge, which backfired when Godwinn yanked the top rope down and sent him flying to the floor. Bigelow moved so smoothly and well for a big guy, this push really could have been so much more. Henry slammed him on the floor and then slapped on a chinlock back in the ring. Bigelow broke free and got a body press for a near fall but Godwinn planted him with a clothesline. Bigelow shook off some strikes and headbutted his way back into it, but missed the big headbutt off the top. Godwinn then headed to the buckles but he missed a big knee drop. Bigelow rolled him up and picked up the win as Godwinn held his knee in pain. Bah. That was a decent little power match, especially with Bigelow’s bumping around, but the end was pretty stupid. Sure, Godwinn hurt his knee, but there was no knee work at all to at least set up why it would debilitate him so much. Bigelow should have at least hit a splash or something after the miss. Bigelow gets the win and continues to work his way through DiBiase’s cronies. Godwinn fails to deliver for the Million Dollar Man. Grade: *1/2

4) Shawn Michaels defeats Jeff Jarrett to win WWF Intercontinental Title with a Superkick at 19:59

Fun Fact: On the June 26 episode of RAW, Savio Vega was battling Jeff Jarrett for the IC title. During the match, the Roadie pushed Vega into Shawn Michaels, who was sitting at the commentary table. After the match, which ended in a DQ, Vega and Michaels attacked Jarrett and Roadie as RAW went off the air. Jarrett attempted to return to the ring, but Michaels superkicked him.

Fun Fact II: After the match, Jarrett and Roadie are heard arguing behind closed doors and eventually storm out of the arena, as Double J was pissed that the Road Dogg ruined his big night. Unfortunately the story was dropped immediately, as both Jarrett and Roadie quit the WWF the very next day. Jarrett would reappear for a brief run in December and Roadie would be missing until the fall of 1996.

Fun Fact III: There has been a lot of speculation as to why Jarrett and Roadie left the promotion so abruptly. According to the book “Titan Sinking” by James Dixon, Jarrett was frustrated with the upcoming storylines for his character along with low payoffs and rarely winning on TV and PPV, despite being the IC champion. He was scheduled to not only lose the IC title in his hometown, but to also be exposed as a singing fraud all in the same night. He felt like this would irreparably damage his character. Roadie left the promotion as well, partially out of loyalty to Jarrett and partially out of fear of an upcoming drug test, which he would have failed due to marijuana use.

Scott: After that horrendous lip-synching earlier on, Jarrett defends his Intercontinental Title against the Heartbreak Kid. After the booker’s poor use of Michaels at King of the Ring, they put him in the more familiar role of challenger in a championship match. He fell short against his former now once against best friend Diesel at WrestleMania and now will reclaim the belt he really never lost back in 1993. After battling Razor Ramon for a major portion of the year, he takes on somebody that is very different from that. Michaels is (with Bret) the best worker in the company and someone that could challenge Jarrett to bring his best to the ring. Immediately you can tell how special this match is going to be. Shawn is bouncing all over the place, and Jarrett isn’t fawning and stalling with the fans like he normally does. He is intently focused on actually defeating Michaels and retaining his IC Title. The crowd is all over this match, more than any match in the past few months on PPV. The battle goes back and forth and (except for a long headlock segment) the pacing is non-stop. Jarrett has Shawn in a figure four but Michaels kicks out and we have a ref bump. Michaels goes for SCM but Roadie comes in and clips him. A few seconds later, on an Irish whip, Roadie trips Jarrett up, but he isn’t looking in the ring, meaning there was miscommunication. Three seconds after SCM, and Michaels is a three-time IC Champion. Whether this is  influence or not, having Michaels as champion is a smart move because the crowd needs to get invested in someone other than Diesel again. Jarrett’s future in the WWF is apparent the next night (as is Roadie). Many consider this the match of the year, but as awesome as it is, it’s not better than Michaels/Diesel. It is top three but not #1. Shawn Michaels gets back the belt he never lost during his second reign and moves along. Grade: ****

Justin: With Shawn Michaels back in action full time, he decided to target some gold. And with the WWF Title around the waist of his rekindled friend Diesel, he instead heads after his old beloved IC strap. Jeff Jarrett is having a massive night. The Roadie won in the opener and Double J delivered big time with the world premier of his single. Now, he just had to knock off the Heartbreak Kid and leave Nashville on cloud nine. Since the Razor Ramon feud kicked off in late 1994, Jarrett’s stock and performance has really skyrocketed. He feels much more legit now and a match like this almost feels very even. In fact, I thought Jarrett may retain, even if it was via DQ. I just didn’t view Michaels as on this level any more and that he wasn’t someone who would be interested in the IC title at this point. It really felt like a time filler to keep both guys busy before moving ahead elsewhere. In a nice touch, Double J is played down to the ring by his backup band. He certainly is being positioned as a star. Alas there was no hometown advantage for Double J, as the crowd went bonkers for Michaels as he strutted down to the ring. Early on we got some histrionics from both, with some pandering and stalling and trading of basic holds. Jarrett had some success early but Michaels turned on the jets and capped a flurry with a hard clothesline to the floor. It was pretty fun seeing Shawn play to the crowd after such a long run as a heel, even if it did veer a bit too far into goofy comedy here and there. Jarrett took a while to regroup on the floor, teasing leaving but slipping into the ring and dodging a . Jarrett made it back in but Michaels beat him around and sent him flying to the floor yet again. This time, Shawn took to the air and followed after with a high cross body off the top on to both men. The crowd was eating this all up. Back inside, the tide turned severely when Jarrett ducked a charge and sent Michaels up and over the ring post and down hard to the floor below. That was a hell of a bump. Jarrett would hook in an abdominal stretch, going after Michaels’ back, which had kept him out of action after the Sid attack in April.

Shawn would gain some daylight when Jarrett and Roadie collided and Michaels grabbed a near fall off a roll up. Jarrett quelled the flare up by chucking Shawn over the top and to the floor again. Roadie got involved out there, hitting Shawn with a running clothesline off the apron. Jarrett would try for a high cross body off the top but Shawn rolled through and picked up a near fall. Double J again cut off the comeback, this time with a nice standing dropkick that rocked Michaels. Jarrett would lock in a sleeper but Michaels fought out with a back suplex and the crowd continued to rally behind him. All the momentum was behind Shawn now as he landed his flying forearm and an axehandle off the middle rope. Roadie gave his boy a quick reprieve by tripping Shawn up on the top rope and allowing Jarrett to hit a tight superplex. Jarrett would signal for the figure four, but Shawn cradled him for a close near fall. After a ref bump, Roadie struck again, clipping Shawn’s knee and then awakening the ref as Jarrett came off the top with flying body press into a near fall. And one last time, the Roadie would strike…but this time it all fell apart. Michaels reversed an Irish whip and the Dog wasn’t paying attention and accidentally tripped up Jarrett, who had called for the assist. When Jarrett popped up dazed, Michaels plastered him with the superkick for the win and the title. That really shocked me at the time but it was a great finish to an awesome match. It also pays off the entire Roadie/Jarrett relationship and story. Jarrett’s success since January has all hinged on Roadie’s interference and assistance. And on his biggest and most successful night, that interference ends up costing him his prized IC title. Great booking. And Shawn taking the title continues to elevate it as well. This match was fantastic and the crowd loved every minute of it. It was a great blend of old school matwork and high flying, by both men. Jarrett certainly held up his end of the bargain and it was easily his best WWF match to date. Sadly, it is also his last for a bit. Just as he had finally built up legitimacy and broken through, Jarrett disappears until the end of the year, killing all of his momentum. Grade: ****

*** Dok Hendrix is freaking out backstage as he reports that Jeff Jarrett and Roadie had a major argument and came to blows. ***

5) Owen Hart & Yokozuna defeat Allied Powers to retain WWF Tag Team Titles when Yoko pins Lex Luger after a legdrop at 10:54

Fun Fact: This is Lex Luger’s final WWF PPV match. His final record is 5-5-1. He was 1-1 in Rumble matches, 2-1 at WrestleManias, 0-0-1 at KOTR, 1-1 at SummerSlam, 0-1 at In Your Houses and 1-1 in Survivor Series matches. Luger will be at SummerSlam, and we will cover his departure there.

Fun Fact II: On the July 1 episode of WWF Superstars it was announced that the Allied Powers would face the tag team champions at IYH #2. The two teams battled on the house show circuit leading up to the PPV.

Scott: After being booked horribly at KOTR, the tag team champions are back in the ring to defend the titles against on paper, the #1 contenders. Lex Luger and British Bulldog (also absent from KOTR) wrestled a stinker at WrestleMania against the Blu Brothers. However, if the bookers had any sense to rehabilitate Luger’s character and give Bulldog a reward for returning to the company, it may come here. The crowd is energized from the previous match and it follows here as well. I’d like to think that Luger and Bulldog would have been a good choice to have another title change, to reward the fanbase for the KOTR mess and to put a fresh babyface team on top. The match is about as good as it can be, with an expert worker like Owen going along with three slow power guys. Luger actually body slams Yoko at one point and looks like the titles are changing hands, but with the referee distracted Owen double axe handles Luger, leading to a Yoko leg drop and a retaining of the titles. At this point Luger is dead in the water. Owen and Yoko keep the straps and it feels like the Lex Express has driven far, far away. Grade: **

Justin: Since WrestleMania, Lex Luger and British Bulldog have remained a team under the Allied Powers moniker and a tag title feud with the foreigners Yokozuna and Owen Hart seemed like a natural fit. Plus, with four big names battling for the gold, it elevated the straps nicely and also gets Luger back in the spotlight a bit. Owen & Yoko’s reign has been good so far and was glad to see them hanging on to the gold for a lengthy reign. At the time, though, I was certain the Powers were taking the gold. They seemed due for a big win. Yoko and Luger would reignite their longtime rivalry to open things up with Yoko controlling as usual. Lex was looking even more ripped than previously here. Luger punched his way back in and then dodged an elbow drop and took over on offense. He would knock the big man to his ass, but when he fell he landed on Owen’s foot, sending him hopping into the aisle. That led to a little dissension, including Yoko shoving Owen to the mat. Jim Cornette would calm things down and the champs embraced and reset the match. Luger stayed in control, now on Owen, and eventually tagged in Bulldog. The brothers-in-law traded counters with fluidity, ending when Bulldog threw Owen high in the air with Hart falling awkwardly on his shoulder when he landed. The Powers kept using their power, pelting Owen with clotheslines until Bulldog grabbed a chinlock. Owen broke free and caught Bulldog in his corner to turn the tide. Yoko made his way in and started to lean on the Bulldog, wearing him down with his ever present nerve hold. Bulldog fought out but ate a clothesline that kept him grounded. Owen tagged in and kept the pressure on, landing a spin wheel kick for a near fall. He picked up another one with an enziguri but would miss a charge in the corner, allowing Bulldog to make the tag. Luger came in hot, catching Owen on the top rope and slamming him off and then pressing the Rocket and chucking him into Yoko. A couple of clotheslines followed but Lex couldn’t finish off Yoko. The Powers then collaborated and hit a cool double back suplex to a huge pop, but when Lex went for the cover, the referee was tie up. That gave Owen the chance to fly in and clock Luger from behind off the top. Yoko followed with the legdrop and picked up the win. Man, that was just getting into gear. And also, the crowd was ready to burst for the Powers. I think they should have pulled the trigger here and finally gave Lex some gold. Instead, he chokes again and is dragging Bulldog down with him. The match was pretty bland overall outside of a few spots and the final minute. Grade: **

6) Diesel defeats Sid in a Lumberjack Match to retain WWF World Title with a boot to the face at 10:03

Fun Fact: This is a rematch of their initial battle at IYH #1. In that event, Diesel prevailed via DQ when Tatanka interfered. This set up a tag team contest at the King of the Ring PPV with Bam Bam Bigelow joining Diesel. On the June 26 episode of RAW it was announced that the singles rematch would take place at IYH #2 in a lumberjack match.

Fun Fact II: The lumberjacks at ringside are as follows: Eli Blu, King Mabel, Sir Mo, Irwin R. Schyster, Kama, King Kong Bundy, Tatanka, Henry O. Godwinn, Rad Radford, Skip, Tom Prichard, Jimmy Del Ray, Jacob Blu, Jean-Pierre Lafitte, Mantaur, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Bam Bam Bigelow, Razor Ramon, Savio Vega, The 1–2–3 Kid, Man Mountain Rock, Adam Bomb, Bob Holly, Duke Droese, Fatu, Billy Gunn, Bart Gunn, Chad Fortune, Erik Watts, and Shawn Michaels.

Fun Fact III: IRS, King Kong Bundy, Mantaur, Adam Bomb and Jimmy Del Ray make their final WWF PPV appearances as lumberjacks in this match. Rad Radford, Skip, Jean-Pierre Lafitte and Hunter Hearst Helmsley make their debuts. Tekno Team 2000 and Man Mountain Rock make their one and only PPV appearances. 

Scott: Ok, how can I put this politely? There was NO way they should have put a rematch together between these two. Their chemistry at IYH #1 was dreadful, and any other gimmicks or stipulations wasn’t going to help it at all. The number of lumberjacks is pretty insane: Thirty guys, fifteen faces and fifteen heels. Some heels you may not recognize if you weren’t watching the free shows: We will document them in our next review. The problem I had with this entire feud was that even as a heel in NWA/WCW, Sid was a bad ass who may have accepted defeat but at least didn’t back down from a fight. But in the WWF world of heels, bad guys are inherent cowards. Sid doesn’t work well that way, and a guy equally as big as the WWF Champion shouldn’t be cowering that much. It’s just not natural. As the match progresses, the lumberjacks brawl outside when one or both men are thrown out. Remember earlier in the card when I was talking about whether Mabel is being groomed for bigger things? Well he got a solo opportunity to take out Diesel outside by slamming him into the steel post and bodyslamming. That right there pretty much gives away that a feud is brewing. SummerSlam? I shudder to think of it. After Diesel kicked out of Sid’s powerbomb, Sid foolishly goes into the crowd and starts attacking the babyface lumberjacks, literally for no reason whatsoever. Then to cap off this colossal mess, Diesel wins the match with a boot to the face that’s clearly about a foot off the mark, and Sid sells it anyway. The entertainment of the lumberjacks maybe ups the grade a bit from their IYH #1 encounter, but hopefully this disaster of a feud is over. Perhaps Diesel can move on to an opponent that can work better with him and sell his limited power offense better. Diesel is still the WWF Champion, but the shine after WrestleMania has clearly dulled. Can he be saved? We’re about to find out. Grade: **

Justin: Our main event is a rematch from In Your House #1 and another chapter in the wilting Diesel/Sid feud. Diesel got the DQ win in May and then he and Bigelow knocked off Sid and Tatanka at King of the Ring, but Sid had walked out and didn’t take the pin. To limit the interference and finally get a decisive victory here, we have a bunch of lumberjacks around the ring. I don’t mind that idea. We have never had a lumberjack match on WWF PPV and it seemed like the right feud to do it. The mix of lumberjacks is pretty interesting, with a mish mash forgotten gimmicks and newcomers that we will get to know and (kind of) love. The big story here centered around Sid’s cowardice. He has attacked people from behind and constantly ran from Diesel bit now he had nowhere to go. I hate that approach because Sid should never be a pussy, but here we are. Diesel wasted no time going right at Sid and knocking him to the floor, getting the gimmick established right away. Sid would head outside a third time, but this go around he landed with his friends, where he got consoled and prepped for battle. A moment later, Diesel got trapped on the heel side and beat up until his lumberjacks made the save. Sid pelted Diesel with some strikes, occasionally pitching him near his buddies, who take as many shots at the champ as they can. Diesel fired back and dropped a few elbows, showing that he once injured elbow was healed. He also showed he could fly, as he dove over the top rope and into the gaggle of lumberjacks on the floor. As up and down as this reign has been, you can’t accuse Diesel of not trying. He always works hard in these matches. The champ nailed Sid with snake eyes, but as he inched near the ropes, King Mabel reached in and dragged him outside. He then squashed him against the ringpost and slammed him hard to the floor before dropping a leg on him. And folks, it looks like he have our next big feud. Even at age 14, I was aware of the blaring alarms going off. The crowd worked to rally the champ as Sid dropped some boots and used his knee to choke him. Sid landed his biggest blow by dropping Diesel with the powerbomb but instead of covering, he decided to high five all his lumberjacks. And when he did cover, it was really lazy, allowing Diesel to easily kick out. Sid tried for a second one, but Diesel back dropped him out of it. All of the lumberjacks banging on the mat and the crowd actually being into this has added some much needed energy to the affair. Sid finally snapped and leapt outside, where he started brawling with all of Diesel’s lumberjacks. Michaels then sprinted to the top rope and drilled Sid with an axehandle. Before Diesel could load the powerbomb, a few lumberjacks jumped in the ring and broke it up. However, a moment later Diesel hit a real weak kick to Sid for the win. I mean, he barely touched him. Diesel would yell at Mabel a bit, angry about the attack. With that clean win, it looks like Sid’s main event time is about up and Diesel would be moving on. For all the promise that was there the night after WrestleMania, Sid’s championship chase ended up being really tepid and forgettable. The match was weird, as I think their May match was a bit better but this had more energy thanks to the gimmick and crowd. Sadly it wasn’t enough to draw things even. Which really isn’t a good thing. Grade *1/2

Final Analysis

Scott: Obviously you can’t drop much further than a complete failing grade, so something positive had to come from this show. Well unlike the previous month all titles were on the line, and from that we had a fantastic match that reminded us how great Shawn Michaels is and, when pushed, Jeff Jarrett can have a great match. The tag title match was solid but it also showed how low Lex Luger had fallen that he couldn’t even wrest the belts away from Yokozuna, after failing twice to win the WWF Title from him. The World Title match was a big mess as predicted, but the lumberjacks did provide some future insight into our next PPV outing and who would be the major players. The singing performance is forgettable as is a decent amount of this show, but the IC Title match is a hidden gem to some and should be watched if never viewed. We are coming to the second biggest show of the year and things are still down overall, and we aren’t sure if an upswing is in the future. Final Grade: C-

Justin: Well, it was better than King of the Ring, by a decent margin actually. The opener was a lot of fun and I thought the tag match was well worked. Bigelow/Godwinn was quick and to the point as well. The ongoing Jarrett saga was interesting and the title switch with Michaels was great, a real shining star in the sea of mediocrity we have been wallowing in since WrestleMania. The last two title matches were bland, but not awful, per se. It sucks that Diesel’s reign is crumbling so quickly because it started so well. These matches with Sid have really killed his momentum dead and he is starting to be outshone by Michaels yet again. The card is quick enough and has some nice energy behind it, so it isn’t a total throwaway. Plus, the Jarrett stuff is worthwhile. The company as a whole is really stagnant though and when you look at the talent they are importing and how guys are being used, things don’t seem to be getting better just yet. Final Grade: C-