Diesel is the WWF Champion, and Shawn Michaels is the WWF Intercontinental champion, they face the WWF Tag Team champions, Owen Hart and Yokozuna. If Diesel and Michaels win they become the WWF Tag Team champions, but if Owen and Yoko win then the man that took the fall loses his championship to the guy getting the pin. Jerry “The King” Lawler, Vince McMahon and Jim Ross are on commentary for this match. At the top of the night Lawler said Owen would beat Michaels tonight, JR says Yokozuna's going home the Intercontinental champion. It's still a tag team match so that's why he's picking the tag team champs to win. All through the night Owen Hart has been missing, he hasn't shown at the building. Before the Jean-Pierre Laffitte vs. Bret Hart match Dok Hendrix (or Michael Hayes as you may know him) has an interview with the Two Dudes With Attitudes wearing Shawn Michaels shades and hat (only $25! With a free video tape!) They think something's up but by the end of tonight it won't matter, because they'll have four belts.
Before the match we go back to Dok Hendrix again, he's in Camp Cornette's locker room. British Bulldog is announced as Yokozuna's partner for tonight and President Gorilla Monsoon sanctions to go on as planned. Jim Cornette makes sure Bulldog wins the WWF or Intercontinental championship if he gets the pin, to which Monsoon reminds him Davey also loses the tag titles if he gets pinned. Cornette doesn't think that'll happen. Alundra Blayze models a “Triple-Header” T-Shirt, which is like the subtitle of this event before they really had them. There's also a free video tape again. Yokozuna and Bulldog enter first, with Bulldog a few seconds behind Yoko. Shawn Michaels is next and he's very popular with the crowd. The Home State champion enters last and gets a reaction that almost matches Michaels'
PICTURE
Ross mentions that Mr. Fuji, who is in Yokozuna and Bulldog's corner with Cornette is a former 4 time WWF tag team champion. The Two Dudes With Attitudes play rock paper scissors to see who starts. Shawn wins so he starts (scissors over paper, in case you're interested.)
TWO DUDES WITH ATTITUDES VS. OWEN HART 7 YOKOZUNA
WWF Champion & Intercontinental Champion vs, WWF Tag Team Champions
WWF In Your House 3 (24th September 1995)
Lawler's concerned about Owen Hart as Bulldog and Michaels lock up. Bulldog gets a side headlock, and he's able to transition into a hammerlock as he loses his grip. Michaels counters to a hammerlock of his own but it's quickly countered again, Michaels is able to flip over and grabs a waistlock, but Davey grabs the ropes and rebounds Michaels off. Michaels baseball slides under Davey, Davey grabs his ankles but is twisted off. Michaels gets to his feet but runs into a double leg takedown. Again Michaels kicks Bulldog off and gets to his feet. Michaels sends Bulldog over with a back body drop and over the top rope to the outside with a clothesline. The momentum sends Michaels over too but he skins the cat. Michaels is able to avoid a Yokoference, peppering him with right hands. Diesel comes in to help his partner and more right hands send Yoko through the ropes!
The Two Dudes With Attitudes celebrate in the ring as Camp Cornette regroups at ringside. British Bulldog gets in the ring at the count of three, immediately tagging out to Yokozuna. Diesel asks Michaels if he wants the tag but Michaels says he's got this. He challenges Yokozuna to a Sumo match. Yokozuna looks at him like “seriously? Like, we really have to do this?” before accepting the challenge. They charge and Michaels slides underneath at the last second. Yokozuna turns into right hands, Michaels wants a run-up, Yokozuna's ready with a clothesline but Michaels ducks it before running into Fort Knox. I mean, a back elbow. Jim Cornette antagonizes the crowd and mocks Michaels at ringside as Yokozuna tells Michaels to get up. I have a feeling easier said than done. Or after that they could both be just as difficult for Michaels. Yokozuna slams Michaels to the ground but misses a running elbow drop! Michaels rethinks that tag, bringing Diesel into the match.
Diesel starts hot with right hands, but Yokozuna reverses an irish whip and knocks Diesel down with a clothesline. That's not easy to do to a 300lbs man. Although it is when you're Yokozuna who's twice that. Diesel avoids a second clothesline, knocking Yoko over with a jumping variation. Diesel hits Yokozuna with a big boot sending him back out of the ring. Diesel grabs Yokozuna by the hair, trying to bring him back in the ring. Bulldog gets a cheap shot in as Yokozuna has hold of Diesel's ankle. Mr. Fuji and Shawn Michaels have the referee's attention because the one match you want to be distracted easily in is THE BIGGEST CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH IN WWF HISTORY! British Bulldog enters the ring without a tag to keep the pressure on Diesel hitting him with headbutts. Bulldog can't quite lift Diesel for the delayed vertical suplex as the fans are getting behind the WWF Champion. Lawler reminds us that if Bulldog gets the win here Diesel will be former WWF Champion. Davey Boy Smith is able to lift Diesel on the second attempt and suplexes him down to the mat for a nearfall.
British Bulldog keeps control of Diesel in the corner before bringing him out with a snapmare. Bulldog applies a chinlock as Lawler says Michaels is fine on the apron, his championship's safe. Diesel fights out of the chinlock but Davey sends him head first into the turnbuckle. Bulldog has Diesel on one shoulder for a Powerslam but Diesel slips off his back, sending him into the corner. Diesel shoves Bulldog keeping him in the corner for a pair of back elbows. Bulldog is sent across the ring and Diesel sandwiches him in the corner with a clothesline. Diesel repeats it on the other side before tagging in Michaels. Diesel slams Bulldog before Michaels climbs on his shoulders and hits a splash. 1, 2, no. Bulldog reverses an irish whip and lifts Michaels overhead, Michaels is crotched on the top rope. Bulldog tags out to Yokozuna who hits Michaels with a back elbow, sending him to ringside. We see a replay of the splash as Bulldog sends Michaels into the steps and then back into the ring. Yokozuna chokes Michaels with his foot on the mat before Michaels uses the corner to get to his feet. Yokozuna sends Michaels across the ring and he hits them upside down and sends himself over the top to the apron. Yokozuna kicks him to the floor.
Bulldog gets another cheap shot in on the outside and slams Michaels on the mats. Bulldog gets the tag just as Lawler and McMahon are talking about dissension in the team. Bulldog sends Michaels down with a headbutt and sends him across the ring, Michaels gets sent into the lights with a back body drop! Bulldog covers, and he was half a count away from being Intercontinental champion again. Davey grabs a chinlock on the mat as we get a replay of the back body drop in slow motion. Michaels rolls to his feet and elbows out. Michaels runs across the ring, Bulldog ducks and Michaels goes over for a sunset flip, Davey stands his ground but Michaels gets him over, 1, 2 no! Michaels hits a running crossbody for another nearfall, but Bulldog's quick to his feet and he clotheslines Michaels down before telling Diesel he's next. This draws Diesel into the ring and the referee's attention to Diesel. Bulldog brings Michaels over to Corner Cornette and Yokozuna comes back in without a tag. He brings Michaels out of the corner with a snapmare before locking in a trapezius hold.
British Bulldog waves the Japanese flag in the corner, so the fans chant “USA!” helping give Michaels his second wind. He escapes the trapeze hold but a strike and headbutt put a stop to any momentum. Michaels avoids the Bonzai drop! They both slowly crawl to their corners and get the tag. Diesel strikes first with forearms before sending Bulldog across the ring, catching him with a high back body drop. Diesel sends Bulldog into the top turnbuckle with Snake Eyes and cannon balls across his back on the ropes. Bulldog stumbles into a sidewalk slam. Yokozuna tries to sneak up on Diesel but is caught with right hands. All four men are in the ring and the Two Dudes with Attitudes send Bulldog and Yokozuna into each other, before sending Bulldog across the ring into Yokozuna! Yokozuna lands on Bulldog leading to seizure-selling. Jim Ross reminds us that Bulldog and Diesel are the legal men as Diesel drags Bulldog from the wreckage. Diesel sends Bulldog across the ring and knocks him down with the big boot.
Cornette can feel the tag titles slipping away as Diesel sets Bulldog up for the Jackknife Powerbomb, so he gets on the apron. Shawn Michaels knocks him off distracting the referee long enough for Yokozuna to hit Diesel with a Samoan drop. Michaels knocks Yokozuna out of the ring with a superkick! Bulldog hits Diesel with a standing Powerslam and covers 1, 2, elbow drop from the top by Michaels breaks it up! The referee tells Michaels to get out as Bulldog cleverly rolls out of the ring. HERE'S OWEN HART! Owen dives off the top rope but Diesel meets him with a punch to the gut. Jackknife Powerbomb keeps Owen Hart down for 3.
WINNERS: TWO DUDES WITH ATTITUDES (NEW WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS)
Very good main event. All four of these guys can work well together (barring limitations) Bulldog and Michaels did a bulk of the real work and had a really nice opening few minutes. They'd have an interesting year together in 1995 actually looking at it. Bulldog was also able to go toe to toe with Diesel and be agiler than Yokozuna so that was a bonus. Yokozuna did the bare minimum as he should have at this point in his career, making me wish it was Owen and Bulldog instead, and the finish sucked although the crowd seemed to love it. (Although it was a seemingly rare occasion of a Home Town Hero winning in WWF Main Events) Owen coming into the match only to get hit once and powerbombed!? This guy stole Wrestlemania from the opening match last year! In fact, this guy stole last year! (special column idea!) – WORKRATE: 3.25/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 2.75/5 OVERALL 6/10
With 1995 now over tomorrow I can look at 1996. The Monday Night Wars had heated up with people switching sides and switching stations furiously to catch "Stone Cold" Steve Austin doing his thing, without missing the havoc the nWo have caused.
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