WWF In Your House X: Mind Games Review

Caribbean Strap Match
Savio Vega def. Justin Bradshaw(7:09)
Thoughts: This match was set up on the Free-For-All when Bradshaw came out and performs the 1st shoot of the night, this one on Vince for not letting on the PPV, then attacked Vega after his match against Marty Jannetty, so here we are. Here's the 2nd shoot: They brawl to the floor where ECW’s Sandman spits beer on Savio’s back. It turns out Sandman and Tommy Dreamer are trying to jump the rail to get on camera. Security has to cart them off. To their credit, Savio and Bradshaw play it like a shoot. Taz would show up the following night on Raw, though, confirming a working relationship between the WWF and ECW. The match itself proves that Bradshaw was no Steve Austin at this point. The match was mostly overshadowed by the ECW angle too.
Rating: *1/2

Jose Lothario def. Jim Cornette(0:57)

Thoughts: Oy. This is an extension of the feud between Shawn Michaels and Camp Cornette. The fact that both guys come out to their superstars music (Lothario comes out to “Sexy Boy,” Cornette to Vader’s lumbering tune.) is the most entertaining part of the match. Lothario finishes Cornette with a hard right. Too short to be overly offensive.
Rating: DUD

WWF Tag Team Championship
Owen Hart & The British Bulldog def. The Smoking Gunns(c)(10:59)
Thoughts: Both teams are heels here, which you’d think would be fine in Philly, but this match has no heat. Sunny has heat, especially when she pouts over the moustache someone drew on her giant poster. Owen and Billy actually do some nice stuff. Here's another shoot: Vince is ranting about the heels, prompting Jim Ross to say he should give them the benefit of the doubt since Vince got the benefit of the doubt when he was indicted. Ha ha! SNAP! The match ends with Billy(who is basically DX Billy at this point) stopping  to chat up Sunny, allowing Bulldog to shove Bart into him. Billy shoves Bart back, allowing Bulldog to powerslam him for the win. Sunny, true to form, dumps the Gunns after the loss. This would trigger the breakup of the Gunns, and would have led to a big singles push for Billy, but he pissed off the office and wound up with the silly “Rockabilly” gimmick. In a funny-if-true story, the Honky Tonk Man originally pitched that gimmick for — who else — the Rock! Overall, not bad, but nothing special.
Rating: **1/4

Mark Henry def. Jerry Lawler(5:13) Thoughts: Henry is making his debut, and isn’t this just the perfect city for it?! Vince says Henry doesn’t have the technique down yet. Yeah, I mean, can you imagine how good this guy will be when he gets 10 years under his belt?! Lawler walks him through the match, doing the same basic match that he did against the Junkyard Dog. Henry starts no-selling and finishes with a Canadian Backbreaker. Henry also takes out Leif Cassidy, Marty Janetty and Hunter Hearst Helmsley before getting his own pyro display. So yeah, take that, Eric Bischoff! Rating: *

Final Curtain Match
The Undertaker def. Goldust(10:23)
Thoughts: “Final Curtain” just means that there *must* be a winner, and it *must* be the Undertaker. This is the end of the semi-feud between these two that served as the B-story (to take a term Goldust would appreciate) to the Mankind versus Taker feud. Taker destroys Goldust early and picks up Marlena because she’s been getting involved. That allows Goldust to toss gold dust in his eyes. That’s the end of the entertaining portion of the match as the rest is all punching and kicking by Goldust. He gets two off a powerslam, but the Undertaker sits up. Goldust goes up top, but Taker catches him and chokeslams him all the way to the mat. The Tombstone finishes Goldust. Overall, not bad, but for the most part, boring.
Rating: **1/2

 

Main Event: WWF Championship
Shawn Michaels(c) def. Mankind via DQ(26:25)
Thoughts: This match is one everyone has to see at least once; it's easily Mick Foley's best non-gimmick match. There's some damn good spots, from the Cactus Clothesline, to Shawn flying over the Spanish announce table and tackling Mankind to the floor, to the two going through the Spanish announce table. They both stagger to the ring, and Mankind climbs the ropes with a chair in hand. Shawn kicks it right back in his face and covers, but Vader runs down to interfere for the DQ. Sycho Sid runs down to chase Vader to the back. Mankind and Bearer try to seal Shawn in the casket, but the Undertaker is in there and winds up destroying Mankind to set up another match between them. Probably the most smartly booked match since Piper-Bret at WrestleMania VIII. I wish they had the ability to book things like this one a consistent basis throughout 1996. Easy MOTYC in a series of them for Shawn in 1996.
Rating: ****3/4

                                             Final Rating:
                                     2 out of 5