Back in 1995, monthly pay-per-view events were not a regular thing in wrestling. WCW had already begun the push and WWE decided to respond by creating “In Your House.” These shows would take place in between the “big” PPVs (Wrestlemania, Summerslam, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble), only two hours long and cheaper than other shows. The concept would grow over the years with some of the show eventually becoming regular PPVS (Backlash, Judgement Day). As 1995 was not a good year for WWE, it’s little shock the early IYH shows were rough too.
Some shows could be salvaged by a good main event while other IYH shows were just flat out bad. Some of them could actually be terrific shows with several good matches and even a few classics now and then. Sadly, far too many of them are remembered for atrocious shows that cost too much at a cheap price. With a total of 28 IYH specials, it’s hard to narrow down but here are the 5 best and 5 worst IYH shows as a reminder how it changed the company.
10 WORST: No Way Out of Texas
This show had the problem of being in a period where WWE was wary of messing with Wrestlemania. Shawn Michaels could not show up as advertised due to his back injury which threw off the card. There were several bad tag matches, including more of the infamous “Gang Wars” feud. Ken Shamrock and Jeff Jarrett had a poor battle for the NWA title while Kane vs Vader was a letdown.
The main event was a mess with Austin, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie facing HHH, Savio Vega (filling in for Michaels) and the New Age Outlaws. It’s amazing how WWE would turn the corner after this ugly show.
9 WORST: In Your House I
The very first IYH wasn’t meant to be a major show but that’s little excuse for how poor it ended up being. The only decent battle was Bret Hart vs Hakushi and that was marred by Bret then losing to Jerry Lawler. Mabel began his ill-fated push crushing Adam Bomb in a minute, Razor Ramon faced Jeff Jarrett and Roadie in a handicap match and the tag title match was only five minutes long.
The main event had Diesel facing Sid in an ugly 12 minute battle that felt much longer. That's not mentioning the attempt to give away a real house to some viewer. It was hardly an auspicious debut for the PPV.
8 WORST: Rock Bottom
With a title like that, it was inevitable this would be a mess of a show. There were a few terrible tag team matches as well as Steve Blackman and Owen Hart having a poor battle. The Goldust-Jeff Jarrett “strip tease” match was as bad as it sounds while the Mankind-Rock WWE title match wasn't bad but marred by a “Dusty finish”. The main event was Austin vs Undertaker in a “Buried Alive” match which wasn’t too bad but nowhere near what either man was capable of. Even the finish was marred by Austin messing up the burial which was a fitting conclusion to this bad card.
7 WORST: D-Generation X
WWE was still reeling from the Montreal Screwjob and it showed with this rough card. Butterbean and Marc Mero had a horrible “Toughman” match while the New Age Outlaws defeated the Legion of Doom by DQ. HHH had to drag Sgt. Slaughter to a 17 minute “Boot Camp” match that ran about 15 minutes too long.
Austin and the Rock had only five minutes for a match and Jeff Jarrett-Undertaker was poor. The main event had Shawn Michaels retaining over Ken Shamrock to top off a poor card in a rough period.
6 WORST: IV “Great White North”
According to legend, when this show ended, Vince McMahon threw down his headphones and railed on how terrible it was. It's hard to blame him. The tag title match was just an excuse for 1-2-3 Kid to turn heel on Razor Ramon. Shawn Michaels had to vacate the IC title to Dean Douglas who then lost the belt in 15 minutes to Ramon.
Mabel vs Yokozuna was one of the worst bouts of the year and Bulldog beating Diesel by DQ was a wretched main event. Worse was that a show in Canada had Bret Hart in a dark match to show how bad 1995 was for WWE.
5 BEST: Final Four
This card was shifted up when Shawn Michaels vacated the WWE title just days earlier. The undercard had Rocky Maivia retaining his IC title against HHH which would lead to the debut of Chyna. The tag team title match was also good. The main event was the highlight as Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Vader and Undertaker fought in a terrific 25-minute elimination match for the vacant title.
It culminated in Bret winning the belt but would set up his famous Mania match with Austin. A true case of a show much better than most thought it would be.
4 BEST: Good Friends, Better Enemies
This show was notable as being one of the final events before Scott Hall and Kevin Nash jumped to WCW. That sparked this show where Hall put over Vader in a hard-fought battle. The Ultimate Warrior had a surprisingly good match with Goldust while Owen Hart and the British Bulldog fought Jake Roberts and Ahmed Johnson. The main event was a fantastic war between Shawn Michaels and Diesel for the WWE title, notable for Diesel yanking off Mad Dog Vachon’s artificial leg to attack Michaels. A terrific blow-off for Nash’s WWE career.
3 BEST: Badd Blood
This show had a shadow over it coming just hours after the death of Brian Pillman. Yet it still was a notable event with Owen Hart regaining the IC title over Farooq and Steve Austin attacking him afterward. The Bret Hart/Bulldog vs Vader/Patriot match was better than expected.
It was the main event that makes it a classic as the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels battled in the very first Hell in the Cell match. It was a bloody and brutal war culminating in the debut of Kane who helped Michaels win. Introducing those two alone makes this show a classic.
2 BEST: Mind Games
The Philadelphia setting aided this card a lot. A major moment was when the Sandman and Tommy Dreamer spat on Savio Vega and Justin Bradshaw which helped elevate ECW in the mainstream. Owen Hart and British Bulldog winning the tag titles was also a highlight. But the true standout was the main event as Shawn Michaels and Mankind had a knock-down-drag-out brilliantly booked match for the WWE title. It instantly made Mankind a main eventer and arguably the best bout of Shawn’s initial WWE title reign to cap off a good show.
1 BEST: Canadian Stampede
This was the highlight of a fantastic summer program in WWE. HHH and Mankind had a terrific brawl that helped elevate both men even more for fans. Undertaker and Vader had a stiff but fun battle for the WWE title. It was the main event that stood out as the Hart Foundation faced Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock and the Legion of Doom in an epic tag team match.
The Foundation were clearly the hometown favorites with the crowd cheering them on while the Americans were booed like crazy. It was a fantastic match with the Harts winning and standing tall in a moment that later events made very bittersweet.