| Company | WWF/WWE |
| Event | In Your House 9 |
| Series | In Your House |
| Edition | 9 |
| Format | Pay-Per-View |
| Date | Sunday July 21 1996 |
| Venue | General Motors Place |
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Attendance | 14,804 |
WWF In Your House 9
WWF In Your House 9: International Incident is one of the more forgettable In Your House PPVs, partly because its main event was a set-up device for the SummerSlam headline attraction. But while it may lack appeal on first glance, a closer inspection makes this a fascinating glimpse into the WWF in the immediate aftermath of WCW taking charge in The Monday Night War, even if the show itself is lacklustre.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS TV SHOWS? READ OUR PRE-PPV REVIEWS OF RAW & SUPERSTARS!
Free For All
Justin Hawk Bradshaw vs. Savio Vega
The Free For All pre-game show was in its seventh month by this point, and so it had now become a tradition for those fans who wanted a little extra in-ring action. Here, their monthly bonus consisted of Bradshaw’s first appearance on a PPV event, as he squared off against Savio Vega. The Puerto Rican sensation was still in the mix, but it felt like he had passed his peak as a potential future headline babyface, and had now settled into a mid-card role. Therefore, he was a useful opponent for Bradshaw (accompanied by Uncle Zebekiah, who had previously managed The Blu Brothers and who would later return to WWE in 2013 to manage Jack Swagger and Cesaro) for face and defeat, with Justin Hawk scoring the victory inside five minutes. These two would have a rematch at Mind Games two months later, which is more notable for some ECW involvement, though I’ll cover that when I review that card.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS EDITION? READ OUR WWF IN YOUR HOUSE 8 REVIEW!
Main Show
The Smoking Gunns vs. The Body Donnas
Oddly enough, the opening contest was a non-title affair involving the WWF World Tag Team Champions, Billy and Bart Gunn, against former heels and now unlikeable babyfaces Skip and Zip. This also meant that the managers Sunny and Cloudy could have a verbal sparring match, presumably to those who enjoy anything relating to the weather. The match itself was totally forgettable; if the belts had been on the line, this might have felt slightly significant, but instead it felt like something below filler. As it turned out, The Donnas won when Zip pinned Bart, which would normally set up a two-on-two bout for the titles. Instead, The Donnas were part of a four-way at SummerSlam, and that would be it for the fitness fanatics as a combo. Just bizarre booking, and an example of why the WWF might have had a more talented roster in July 1996 than they had in July 1995, but the enthusiasm surrounding the product was a big step down (and ’95 was hardly a vintage year for the company anyway).
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS PPV? READ OUR WWF KING OF THE RING 1996 REVIEW!
Mankind vs. Henry Godwinn
Here’s a strange one: Mankind was meant to face Jake Roberts, in what would have been something of a dream match. However, it was announced that Jake had no-showed, so Henry Godwinn would take his place. But the odd aspect is that I’m not sure if Jake not being here was a genuine issue, or whether it was part of the storyline to promote his alcohol problems, something that Jerry Lawler took great deal in mocking on commentary during this bout. All of which is more notable than what was actually a fairly good match, and arguably Henry’s best bout in the WWF. Mankind won with the Mandible Claw to continue strengthening his push as one of the company’s most dangerous performers; Mankind was one of the bright spots in the WWF at this point, as was the heel in the third match of the main show.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FIRST EDITION? READ OUR WWF IN YOUR HOUSE 1 REVIEW!
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Marc Mero
Yes, Stone Cold Steve Austin was here, and he was only a month removed from his iconic Austin 3:16 promo at King Of The Ring. At this stage, Austin was not exactly the overnight sensation that historians would have you believe, but he was definitely someone to keep an eye on, helped by his pre-match promo. Austin (who had a “Stone Cold” logo on the back of his trunks for the only time during his rebellious WWF/WWE tenure) and Mero put on a very good match; it wasn’t quite as good as their KOTR scorcher, but it was still well worth watching and the in-ring highlight of the card. Austin won by drilling Mero with a Stone Cold Stunner. However, Austin would not even be on the main card of SummerSlam, instead having to settle for a Free For All win over the fast-fading behemoth Yokozuna. I’m not suggesting that the WWF should have pushed Austin straight into the main event of the August 18 supershow, but surely they could have found a way to squeeze him onto the PPV, especially given how much the product was lacking at this time. Thankfully, by September, he had entered into what would be a career-making feud with the soon-to-return Bret Hart.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAST EDITION? READ OUR WWF ST. VALENTINE’S DAY MASSACRE: IN YOUR HOUSE REVIEW!
The Undertaker vs. Goldust
This was the second time that Taker and Goldust had met on PPV in as many months, with their previous supershow bout being at the previous In Your House, under Casket rules at Beware Of Dog. Here, there was no special stipulation, and since Goldust was no longer the Intercontinental Champion, the match felt inferior to their battle in the spring. On the Free For All and during the PPV, a very dramatic and fairly lengthy video aired of Taker, which almost seemed like a tribute to his suddenly-ended career (little did we know that, in terms of his longevity, we were barely scratching the surface at this point).
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING PPV? READ OUR WWF SUMMERSLAM 1996 REVIEW!
Six-Man Tag Team Match
Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson & Psycho Sid vs. Vader, Owen Hart & The British Bulldog
The main event had all sorts of random stories attached to it. Officially, the plotline was that Jim Cornette and Camp Cornette were making Shawn Michaels’ life a living hell, with Michaels having previously had issues with Owen, and having just beaten Bulldog at King Of The Ring. But Vader had now also set his sights on the then-WWF Champion. At the end of KOTR, a huge brawl occurred as Shawn received back-up from new Intercontinental Champion Ahmed Johnson (who was about to go on the sidelines indefinitely due to injury and forfeit his prize) and The Ultimate Warrior, with on-screen WWF President Gorilla Monsoon announcing a six-man match for this event. So far, so good. However, Warrior was legitimately suspended or fired (or he walked out, depending who you believe) not too terribly long afterwards, and Vince McMahon decided to replace him with the returning Psycho Sid, who had been AWOL since late 1995 and was now a babyface in the WWF for the first time since early 1992. Sid had a previous storyline connection with Shawn, though their hostilities would resume in time for Survivor Series.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING EDITION? READ OUR WWF IN YOUR HOUSE 10 REVIEW!
On the night, further mishaps occurred: when Shawn and his manager Jose Lothario came to the ring, the fans on the side barrier were so excited that the entire steel railing fell down, meaning that the fans did too; Shawn tried to help them before officials tended to the scene, and Jerry Lawler cackled his head off on commentary. Then, during the bout itself, a fan ran into the ring, with Ahmed and Bulldog abandoning kayfabe briefly to make sure that he was escorted away, as Jim Ross scolded him over the commentary booth. All of these things overshadowed a fairly entertaining yet rather pointless (now that Warrior was gone) B-rate main event, which ended with Vader pinning Shawn after a Vader Bomb. This positioned The Mastadon ideally for a WWF Title shot at SummerSlam, but Michaels (who was a lot lighter and shorter in height than Vader, remember) attacked Vader afterwards and sent him backstage with a crossbody over the top rope. This seemed like an avoidable booking decision, though Shawn probably wasn’t responsible for this one. He was definitely responsible for what came next, though, which you can read more about in the review of SummerSlam. Nevertheless, a secondary main event with numerous external factors being more memorable than the action itself sums up where the WWF was at by July 1996, because it only made the product feel weaker, and this was more glaring given that WCW had just staged the legendary Bash At The Beach 1996 only a fortnight earlier, featuring the unforgettable Hulk Hogan heel turn and the official formation of the game-changing nWo.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING TV SHOWS? READ OUR POST-PPV REVIEWS OF RAW & SUPERSTARS!
So, while WWF In Your House 9: International Incident is a pretty forgettable card from an otherwise unforgettable summer, it is a great demonstration of why the WWF was lagging behind WCW. The talent is definitely there, but there is a real lack of energy to the product which dampens some strong in-ring efforts. Things would get worse for the WWF before they got better, but it’s intriguing to see the WWF here at a relatively low point before their fortunes would soon begin to transform forever.
WANT TO RELIVE WWF IN YOUR HOUSE 9? WATCH IT RIGHT NOW ON WWE NETWORK!
