In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks

In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks
Information
Promotion World Wrestling Federation
Date July 23, 1995
Attendance 6,482[1]
Venue Nashville Municipal Auditorium[2]
City Nashville, Tennessee[2]
Pay-per-view chronology

King of the Ring (1995) In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks SummerSlam (1995)
In Your House chronology

In Your House 1 In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks In Your House 3

In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It was the second pay-per-view of the In Your House series. It took place on July 23, 1995, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.[2][1]

Seven professional wrestling matches were featured on the pay-per-view. Three other professional wrestling matches occurred, but were only shown to the live audience in the arena. The main event that was shown on pay-per-view was a Lumberjack match for the WWF Championship contested between on-screen rivals Diesel and Sycho Sid. Diesel, who held the championship heading into the event, won the match, thus keeping the championship. Two of the matches on the undercard were one-on-one matches: Shawn Michaels defeated Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Championship, and The Roadie won a match against the 1–2–3 Kid after performing a piledriver off the middle rope.[2][1] The day after the pay-per-view, both Jarrett and The Roadie legitimately quit WWF, with Jarrett leaving the company for "personal reasons".[1] The pay-per-view received a 0.7 buyrate, equivalent to approximately 280,000 buys.[3]

Background

The most prominent feud heading into the pay-per-view was between then-WWF Champion Diesel and his storyline rival Sycho Sid. Despite the feud surrounding the main championship in the WWF, it had less airtime than some of the undercard feuds, with more time being devoted to other angles on the show. During the feud, Ted DiBiase acted as Sid's manager, accompanying him to the ring for his matches. At the first In Your House pay-per-view on May 14, 1995, Diesel successfully retained the WWF Championship defeating Sid via disqualification after Tatanka (Chris Chavis) interfered, attacking Diesel in the process.[4] Tatanka's interference set up a tag team match for the King of the Ring pay-per-view in late June, with Tatanka and Sid booked as "heels" to face Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow, who were portrayed as "faces". Diesel and Bigelow won the contest after Diesel performed an elbow drop.[5] It was announced on the June 26, 1995 episode of Raw that a match between Diesel and Sid was booked for the second In Your House pay-per-view, with Diesel defending his WWF Championship in a Lumberjack match.[6] In the weeks leading up to their match, commentator Vince McMahon conducted interviews with both Diesel and Sid. On the July 10 episode of Raw, McMahon conducted an in-ring interview with Sid. DiBiase (Sid's manager) brought out the fourteen lumberjacks that were scheduled to be at ringside for the title match. The following week on Raw, Diesel brought his lumberjacks to the ring, leading to a staredown with Sid moments later.[7][8]

Shawn Michaels, who faced Jeff Jarrett for the WWF Intercontinental Championship at In Your House 2.

At around the same time, WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett and his personal enforcer The Roadie were embroiled in a feud against the 1–2–3 Kid and Shawn Michaels. During the feud, Jarrett and The Roadie were portrayed as "heels" with the 1–2–3 Kid and Michaels portrayed as "faces". At the first In Your House pay-per-view, the 1–2–3 Kid was scheduled to participate alongside Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) against Jarrett and The Roadie in tag team action, but the 1–2–3 Kid suffered a legit neck injury during a house show match with The Roadie, and thus was unable to participate in the match.[4][9] As a result, the match was changed to a two-on-one Handicap match, with Ramon facing Jarrett and The Roadie. Ramon won the bout after performing the Razor's Edge. After the match, an unknown man, portraying a "face" role, attacked both Jarrett and The Roadie before being escorted backstage.[4] The man, later revealed to be Savio Vega, faced Jarrett on the June 26, 1995 episode of Raw for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Halfway through the contest, The Roadie pushed Vega onto Michaels (who was commentating the match-up), who in turn shoved The Roadie back away. Vega looked set to win the bout with a roll-up, but The Roadie interfered, breaking up the pinfall attempt and causing a disqualification. After the bout, Vega and Michaels attacked both Jarrett and The Roadie as the show went off the air. Jarrett attempted to return to the ring shortly after the broadcast went off the air, but Michaels Superkicked Jarrett.[7][6] Away from his WWF Intercontinental Championship rivalry, Jarrett was focusing more on his music career. On the July 1, 1995 episode of Superstars of Wrestling, Jarrett's music video, "With My Baby Tonight", premiered for the first time.[10] The music video played over again at forthcoming WWF shows during July 1995.[7]

One of the angles heading into In Your House 2 surrounded "heel" wrestlers Mabel and Mo, known collectively as Men on a Mission. Mabel became King of the Ring at the King of the Ring pay-per-view, defeating "face" superstar Savio Vega in the final. After the match, Men on a Mission assaulted Razor Ramon, who was at ringside supporting Vega during the match. During the attack, the 1–2–3 Kid returned, running-in to try and help Ramon. Men on a Mission, however, continued to have the upper hand, as they assaulted the 1–2–3 Kid and Ramon.[5] The assault on Ramon further injured his ribs after suffering an injury on June 9, 1995.[9] As part of his King of the Ring victory, the Mabel character received a push from the WWF creative team, resulting in a WWF Championship match at the SummerSlam pay-per-view.[11] The attack by Men on a Mission at King of the Ring led to a tag team match being made for the second In Your House pay-per-view, with Ramon and Vega teaming up to take on Men on a Mission. As part of their gimmick, Mabel and Mo were renamed to King Mabel and Sir Mo, respectively, with Mabel being carried to the ring on a throne for his matches.[7] Mable was put over by other superstars, as he competed in squash matches in which he would beat his opponent in a short space of time. On the June 26, 1995 episode of Raw, Mabel began his reign as King, defeating Kenny Kendall with a belly to belly suplex.[6] Collectively, Mabel and Mo also competed as a tag team, and on the July 8, 1995 episode of Superstars of Wrestling, the two defeated The Smoking Gunns – composed of Billy and Bart Gunn – with Mabel pinning Billy to get the victory.[7]

Event

Before the event went live on pay-per-view, Skip, who was accompanied to the ring by on-screen valet Sunny, defeated Aldo Montoya (Peter Polaco) in a dark match.[12] The first match that aired on pay-per-view was a Singles match between The Roadie and the 1–2–3 Kid. Before the match "officially" began, 1–2–3 Kid attacked The Roadie on the arena floor. Kid had the early advantage, but The Roadie took control, performing a clothesline, grounding Kid.[9] At several points during the match, shots were shown of Jeff Jarrett in his dressing room ignoring The Roadie's performance, and instead preparing for his performance of "With My Baby Tonight".[1][9] The finish came when Kid missed a dropkick from the second-rope. The Roadie capitalized from the mistake by performing a powerbomb, followed by a piledriver off the top rope. The Roadie pinned Kid to win the contest.[9]

Razor Ramon, who teamed up with Savio Vega to take on Men on a Mission at In Your House 2

The second match that was shown on pay-per-view was a tag team match as King Mabel and Sir Mo (known collectively as Men on a Mission) faced Razor Ramon and Savio Vega. Mabel and Mo had the upper hand throughout most of the contest, with Mabel dominating Vega for most of the contest. Vega eventually managed to get the hot tag, tagging in Ramon. Ramon, the fresher man, got control, and powerslammed Mabel from the top rope.[9] The advantage for Ramon and Vega was short lived, as Mabel executed an avalanche on Ramon in the corner. Mabel followed it up by performing a belly to belly suplex to get the victory.[2][13] In between the second and third matches, WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett made his live singing debut, performing the song “With My Baby Tonight”. Notably, Jarrett's personal enforcer, The Roadie was not on stage during the performance.[2] Bam Bam Bigelow versus Henry Godwinn was the next match on the card. Bigelow was the "face" competitor in the contest, with Godwinn the "heel" competitor.[1] The match had several near-falls from both Bigelow and Godwinn. A few minutes into the match, Godwinn missed a knee drop from the second rope. Bigelow capitalized on the missed knee-drop with a roll-up pinfall. The ending was not planned, as Godwinn injured himself from the knee-drop, leading to a rushed finish.[2]

After the second match, Jeff Jarrett and Sawyer Brown performed the single "With My Baby Tonight". It would later be revealed that Jarrett was lip-syncing for The Roadie.

The WWF Intercontinental Championship match was next, as Jeff Jarrett (with The Roadie, who was outside the ring) defended the title against Shawn Michaels. Michaels gained the early advantage, clotheslining Jarrett. Jarrett bided his time, going to the outside of the ring to rest and getting back in just before the ten-count.[2] After a few back and forth opening minutes, where both Michaels and Jarrett took control for certain periods, the first highspot occurred when Jarrett backdropped Michaels over the top rope to the arena floor.[9] Throughout the bout, The Roadie used "heel" tactics to help Jarrett gain control, such as distracting the referee so Jarrett could perform illegal tactics to gain an advantage.[2] Michaels managed to escape a sleeper hold minutes later, gaining the upper hand in the process. After several "highspot" moves by Michaels, The Roadie shook the ring-ropes while Michaels was on the top rope, grounding Michaels in the process.[2][1] Jarrett attempted to regain the advantage by performing the Figure four leglock, but Michaels reversed the hold into a near-fall. Jarrett went for the submission hold again, but Michaels shoved him into the referee, sending the official to the ground. Michaels tried to seize the advantage with Sweet Chin Music, but The Roadie grabbed hold of Michaels to allow Jarrett to regain control of the contest.[2] Jarrett performed a Crossbody, getting a near-fall in the process. The finish to the match came when The Roadie accidentally tripped Jarrett, grounding him. Jarrett got back up momentarily, only to walk into a Superkick from Michaels. Michaels pinned him and was crowned WWF Intercontinental Champion, with Jarrett dropping the title as per the pre-match stipulation.[1][9] It was revealed later in the show that Jarrett and The Roadie were involved in a backstage confrontation with each other, signaling an end to their on-screen friendship.[2][9]

Other on-screen talent[2]
Role: Name:
Commentator Vince McMahon
Jerry Lawler
Interviewer Todd Pettengill
Dok Hendrix
Ring announcer Howard Finkel

Owen Hart and Yokozuna defended their WWF Tag Team Championship belts in the next bout against the tandem of Lex Luger and The British Bulldog, known collectively as The Allied Powers. Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji were at ringside to support Hart and Yokozuna. The challengers got the advantage early on, with Luger wearing down Yokozuna by smashing Yokozuna's head onto the top turnbuckle ten times. Yokozuna accidentally fell onto Hart's foot, sparking a confrontation between the tag team tandem.[2][9] After a few minutes, the two settled their differences, but their opponents, The Allied Powers, refused to take advantage of the situation.[2] The challengers held the advantage for the majority of the matchup, using "heel" tactics to keep the advantage. The finish came after The Allied Powers performed a back suplex to Yokozuna. Moments later, the referee got Bulldog, who was the illegal man, out of the ring. Luger was put off as a result, allowing Hart to perform a double axe handle from the top rope. Yokozuna pinned Luger with a leg drop to win the bout.[2][9]

Diesel, who defended the WWF Championship against Sycho Sid in a Lumberjack match at In Your House 2

The final match shown on pay-per-view was for the WWF Championship, as Diesel defended the championship against Sycho Sid in a Lumberjack match. After back and forth action during the first few minutes, which included Sid being attacked by Diesel's lumberjacks and vice versa, Diesel performed a suicide dive over the top rope onto all of Sid's lumberjacks.[2] The champion continued to attack Sid's lumberjacks, but King Mabel (who was scheduled to face the champion at SummerSlam) intervened, tossing Diesel into the steel steps on the outside.[1][9] Sid attempted to capitalize by performing his finishing move, the Powerbomb. Instead of pinning his opponent, Sid high fived his lumberjacks on the outside, allowing Diesel to recover and kick out at the two-count.[2][9] After a second attempted Powerbomb by Sid was countered, Sid attempted to attack Diesel's lumberjacks on the outside of the ring, but Diesel's lumberjacks attacked Sid all at the same time. Shawn Michaels finished off the assault on the outside, with a double axe handle off the top rope onto Sid.[9] Some of Sid's chosen lumberjacks, including Tatanka and Irwin R. Schyster attempted to interfere to stop Diesel winning, but Diesel fought them off. Diesel performed a big boot, pinning Sid to retain the WWF Championship. Diesel celebrated with his lumberjacks after the match ended.[2][1][9]

After the event concluded on pay-per-view, two dark matches took place. The two matches were later part of the In Your House 2 video released by Coliseum Video[1][9] The first dark match was Bret Hart versus Jean-Pierre Lafitte. Lafitte held control for most of the bout, but Hart gained the advantage near to the conclusion of the bout as Lafitte missed a diving crossbody. Hart capitalized, pinning Lafitte via a roll-up.[9] The Undertaker versus Kama was the second and last dark match on the card, with the match being contested as a Casket match, where the objective is to put the opponent into the casket. The Undertaker was accompanied to the ring by manager Paul Bearer (Percy Pringle), while Kama was accompanied by Ted DiBiase. The finish came when Kama attempted to perform The Undertaker's finishing move, the Tombstone Piledriver, but The Undertaker reversed it, chokeslamming Kama. The Undertaker then performed a big boot to Kama, which sent him into the casket, meaning The Undertaker won the bout.[9]

Aftermath

After In Your House 2, both Diesel and Sycho Sid moved on to new feuds. Diesel entered a program with the King of the Ring winner, Mabel, who was receiving a push at the time. The two faced for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam; Diesel retained the title, pinning Mabel after a clothesline off the second rope.[14] The feud that was set to take shape after In Your House 2 between Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie never began, as both legitely quit the WWF, with Jarrett leaving for "personal reasons".[1] Jarrett took time off until December 1995, while The Roadie returned in late-1996. The storyline was then written so that it would later be revealed that Jarrett was lip-syncing to The Roadie, which would start a feud between the two.[1][9]

The pay-per-view garnered 280,000 buys, which is equivalent to a 0.7 buyrate.[3] The buyrate was down from the inaugural In Your House event, which attracted 332,000 buys.[3][15] The buyrate was slightly better though than the King of the Ring pay-per-view, which aired the previous month and attracted 260,000 buys, equivalent to a 0.65 buyrate.[3]

Results

No. Results[13] Stipulations Times[12]
1D Skip (with Sunny) defeated Aldo Montoya[12] Singles match 04:00
2 The Roadie defeated The 1–2–3 Kid Singles match 07:26
3 Men on a Mission (King Mabel and Sir Mo) defeated Razor Ramon and Savio Vega Tag team match 10:09
4 Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Henry O. Godwinn Singles match 05:33
5 Shawn Michaels defeated Jeff Jarrett (c) (with The Roadie) Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship 20:01
6 Owen Hart and Yokozuna (c) (with Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji) defeated The Allied Powers (Lex Luger and The British Bulldog) Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship 10:54
7 Diesel (c) defeated Sycho Sid (with Ted DiBiase) Lumberjack match for the WWF Championship[Note 1] 10:06
8D Bret Hart defeated Jean-Pierre Lafitte Singles match 13:26[13]
9D The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated Kama (with Ted DiBiase) Casket match 14:50[13]
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match
  1. ↑ The lumberjacks were: 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.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 Criscuolo, Scott; Rozzero, Justin (2007-06-20). "In Your House 2 Review". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 Gutschmidt, Adam (2004-09-15). "In Your House #2 Re-Revued". OOWrestling.com. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "WWE Pay-Per-View Buyrates". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved 2007-10-26. The buyrate reflects the number of homes which purchased a pay-per-view broadcast; 1.0 roughly equates to 400,000 separate homes ordering the event.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Gutschmidt, Adam (2004-09-01). "In Your House #1 Re-Revued". OOWrestling.com. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cawthon, Graham (1995-06-25). "WWF 1995 Results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Podsiadlik, Kevin. "Monday Night Raw: June 26, 1995". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on 2003-05-30. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Cawthon, Graham (1995-06-26). "WWF 1995 Results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  8. ↑ Podsiadlik, Kevin. "Monday Night Raw: July 17, 1995". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on 2003-06-10. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 Cawthon, Graham (2001-11-23). "In Your House #2". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  10. ↑ Cawthon, Graham (1995-06-27). "WWF 1995 Results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  11. ↑ Criscuolo, Scott; Rozzero, Justin (2007-06-13). "King of the Ring 1995 Review". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "WWF In Your House 2 Results". CompleteWWE.com. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Cawthon, Graham (1995-07-23). "WWF 1995 Results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  14. ↑ Gutschmidt, Adam (2004-09-22). "SummerSlam 1995 Re-Revued". OOWrestling.com. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  15. ↑ Thomas, Umstead R. (May 1995). "WWF's 'House' surprises, Holyfield fight disappoints". Multichannel News. Retrieved 2007-11-24.

External links