WWE Badd Blood: In Your House Review (10/5/1997).

02 Oct, 2024

This period of WWE isn't exactly one that's remembered for its quality.

The fall of 1997 saw WWE getting pounced weekly by WCW in the Monday Night Wars. Their roster was depleted, as many of its stars had headed South to join the Turner Promotion. What you're left with is a roster that, while still enjoying good stuff near the top of the card, still suffers from a miserable undercard.

This show is a great example of what the roster was like in WWE at this time. Badd Blood: In Your House is essentially a one match show. The first six matches are not what you would want to see on a show you're paying for. At times, it feels like a bad episode of Raw is War. What makes this show so memorable then? The main event, which features the very first Hell in a Cell Match in WWE history, between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker.

Hands down, one of the most important matches in the company's history, it saves this show from being a complete dud. Most of you have seen that legendary match, but what about the rest of the show? Well, that's what this review is for.

The theme for this show is the future theme of Steve Blackman, a wrestler that I think is fucking awesome.

1. Handicap Match: The Nation of Domination vs. The Legion of Doom.

The Nation consists of Kama Mustafa, D’Lo Brown and some jabroni named The Rock. On commentary, Vince McMahon mentions the unfortunate passing of Brian Pillman that they learned about during the preshow for this event. He says that they’ll give out more information if it comes their way.

Ken Shamrock was supposed to compete in this match alongside LOD, but he suffered internal injuries at the hands of Faarooq. So now, it’s a handicap match. Hawk says that Shamrock is spitting up blood because of the “Nation of Abomination.” He says they won’t back down from the Nation regardless.

The bell sounds, and Hawk starts out with Brown. They lock up, and Hawk hip tosses Brown, and follows with a dropkick. They go to the floor for a moment, but Brown catches him in the ring with stomps. Hawk boots him right in the face, and clotheslines him to the mat. Here comes The Rock. Animal tags in, and the crowd chants “Rocky sucks.” Brown and Kama try to calm Rock down. Rock with right hands to Animal, who responds with a high shoulder tackle and a dropkick.

Rock rolls to the floor to catch his barrings. Animal works on the arm, and tags in Hawk. He comes off the rope with an axe handle. He takes the side headlock, but Rock is able to get to his corner and tags in Kama. He goes to work on Hawk, punching him in the corner. Hawk avoids a splash, and they take each other out with a double clothesline. They’re right back up, and Hawk hits an enziguri. Snap mare by Hawk, he applies a chin lock.

Animal tags in, and elbows Kama in the head. Power slam by Animal, and Rock comes in and hits a DDT to Animal. Nice kick to the head by Kama. Animal ends up on the floor, and Rock and Brown double team him. They bring Animal back into the ring, and Kama continues his assault to Animal. Brown tags in, and he attacks the midsection of Animal. A clothesline in the corner by Brown, and Animal explodes out with a clothesline of his own.

Snap mare by Brown, and a standing leg drop, followed by another. He covers, and Animal kicks out. Rock tags in, and he applies a chin lock. Rock sends Animal to the corner, and stomps away at him. He argues with the referee, and strikes Animal. He eggs Hawk on, and the assault continues on Animal. Kama is in, and Animal avoids a corner splash. Hawk makes the tag, but Rock distracted the ref, so he’s not legal. Brown hits a splash from the top, and Kama makes the cover. Animal kicks out.

On the outside, Rock and Brown throw Animal into the steel steps. Rock is in, and Animal hits a diving forearm to Rock. He finally tags in Hawk, who is a house of fire on the Nation. Big powerslam, and Brown accidentally hits Rock while breaking up the pin. LOD take out the entire Nation, and double team Rock. Double clotheslines in the corner. Animal lifts him up for the Doomsday Device, but here comes Faarooq.

Animal gets sent to the outside, and Rock hits the Rock Bottom for the win. The numbers were too great. That was a decent match helped greatly by the crowd, who were loud throughout. Despite the tragedy coming into the show, everyone seems to be extra hard working so far.

Vince McMahon talks about how the next match was scheduled to be Brian Pillman vs. Dude Love, however Brian was founded in his hotel room earlier in the day. He has passed away, and commentary promises to give an update when they have it, as they are still in the dark about what has happened.

2. Mosaic & Tarantula vs. Max Mini & Nova.

Filling in for the Pillman/Dude Love match is this match of minis.

Nova and Tarantula go at it. Nova with a hard shot to Mosaic. Mini hits Tarantula in the corner, and Tarantula dropkicks Mini to the floor. Mini trips Nova, and they double team him. Mosaic drops an elbow to Mini, but misses a splash in the corner. Nice arm drag by Mini, and a back body drop as well. Nova misses a top rope attack. Tarantula and Mosaic double team Mini. Big boot by Tarantula to Mini. Nova tags in, and gets tripped by Mosaic.

Tarantula with a Snow Plow, and he goes to the top rope. Big splash, and Mini tries to break it up. Mosaic clotheslines Nova down. Mini is in against Mosaic, and gets kicked in the leg by Tarantula. Tarantula brings him out of the ring and press slams him onto the announcer’s table. Mosaic with a leg drop to Nova, who avoids an offensive move into the ropes. Nova with a hurricanrana/arm drag combination. Springboard dropkick follows, and here comes Mini.

He gets taken down by Tarantula. Mini goes to the top and hits a crossbody to Tarantula, who catches him and gets rolled up anyway by Mini for the win. That was a lot of moves and no flow, honestly. It was fine for what it was. The entire time, I kept thinking “Tarantula doesn’t look like a mini wrestler. He’s too tall.”

21,151 fans are here in St. Louis for this show.

Here comes Sunny, who is the guest ring announcer for this next match.

3. WWE Tag Team Championships: The Headbangers vs. The Godwinns.

Big brawl to start things out. Thrasher dropkicks Phineas to the outside. The Headbangers taunt The Godwinns from the ring, and they slowly return. Henry spits up in the air, and catches it with his hand. Mosh does the same. They stand in the ring and taunt one another. Henry with a knee to the midsection. Mosh avoids a clothesline in the corner. Thrasher takes Phineas out on the outside. The Headbangers double team Phineas with a flapjack.

Henry tags in, and hits a shoulder tackle on Thrasher. He backs away, and then applies a side headlock. Thrasher with a roll up for 2. Another stand still. They lock up again, and Henry tries for a powerslam. Thrasher hits a dropkick. Here comes Phineas, and now both are trying for a test of strength. They exchange control of the arm, with Thrasher getting the upper hand. Mosh tags in, and hits a leg drop into the ropes onto Phineas.

The Headbangers suplex each other on Phineas for a 2 count. They alternate tags, until Henry comes in and clotheslines Thrasher. Henry tags in, and drops his weight on Thrasher. Henry crotches Thrasher on the top rope, sending him to the outside. The Godwinns continue their double team on Thrasher, sending him to the floor again. Uncle Cletus attacks him while the referee is distracted. Phineas drops his knee across Thrasher’s face multiple times. Thrasher with a sunset flip roll up, but it only gets a 2 count due to a distraction from Henry. Henry tags in, and flapjacks Thrasher, and Mosh comes in to break the pin up.

Double shoulder tackle, and we have a double down. Phineas tags in, and cuts Thrasher off from tagging out. Both men are down, and Thrasher looks to finally tag out. Here comes Mosh, who is a house of fire on Phineas. He squashes him in the corner, knocks Henry off the apron, and attacks Cletus. Power slam by Mosh, and Thrasher powerbombs Mosh onto Phineas. They take Henry to the floor, and Mosh flies off the top rope, landing into a powerbomb by Phineas, who pins him to win the match and take the championships. Post match, they continue their attack on the now former champions.

God, that sucked. The main event scene in WWE around this time was mint, but the midcard just seems devoid of anything that stands out. It’s four guys, with shit gimmicks, and they aren’t exactly great workers, either. All I can say is I’m glad when I became a fan of WWE in 1998, the Attitude Era was in full swing, with a much better roster.

We get a pre-tape segment about Stone Cold Steve Austin, as we see his recent actions defying the authority of those who are trying to get him to settle down during his neck injury that he suffered at the hands of Owen Hart at SummerSlam in August. This includes his legendary Stunner to Vince McMahon during the first Raw in Madison Square Garden. Steve Austin is the hottest wrestler in the business at this time. Despite WCW firmly kicking WWE’s ass during the Monday Night Wars around this time, Austin’s momentum is red hot, and almost too much to deny.

Owen Hart does an interview with a young Michael Cole, and he promises to win the Intercontinental Championship tonight.

Jim Ross is in the ring, and now we get a special tribute to wrestling legends who have competed in St. Louis. All the wrestlers have video packages accompanying their entrances. Included in this tribute is Gene Kiniski, Jack Brisco, Dory Funk, Jr., Harley Race, Terry Funk, Lou Thesz & Sam Muchnick. This was a nice little segment with cool background videos on all of them. Almost out of place, considering the time period, but still a cool thing to see.

Backstage, Faarooq says Steve Austin ain’t shit. He promises to kick Owen Hart’s ass tonight as well.

Vince McMahon give an update on Brian Pillman’s passing. He says there doesn’t seem to be no foul play, but it could be a drug overdose. Vince says that drugs are a problem in all sports.

4. WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals: Faarooq vs. Owen Hart.

Before the match begins, here comes Stone Cold Steve Austin to a nuclear pop from the audience. He’s here to present the Intercontinental Title to the winner of this match. He takes it upon himself to ring the bell.

Austin takes Vince’s headset, and starts doing commentary for the match. Owen shows him the “Owen 3:16” shirt, which Austin isn’t impressed with. Faarooq and Owen lock up, and there’s a stalemate early. Now Austin has stolen Jerry Lawler’s headset. Big shoulder tackle by Faarooq. Owen applies a side headlock, and Faarooq throws him across the ring. Faarooq with hard shots to the back. He sends him into the ropes, and Owen responds with a dropkick to the head.

Owen begins to work on the leg, snapping it back, and dropping his body weight on it. Austin is patrolling ringside, and he’s stolen the Spanish headsets now. Former Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana is on commentary tonight! Owen continues to work at the leg, stomping on it in the corner. Austin makes his way to the French commentary table. Owen avoids a turnbuckle attack, and looks for the Figure Four, but Faarooq sends him into the turnbuckle.

Faarooq with multiple irish whips to the turnbuckle, followed by a back breaker. Owen counters a power slam into a pin for a 2 count. Faarooq tries for a middle rope leg drop, and Owen avoids it. Owen tries the Sharpshooter, but Faarooq kicks him away. He hits a scoop slam on Owen for a 2 count. Here comes Jim Neidhart, Owen’s buddy in The Hart Foundation. He distracts the referee, as Owen avoids an attack in the ropes. With the referee distracted, Austin grabs the championship and decks Faarooq with it. Owen makes the cover, and is the new Intercontinental Champion.

Looks like Austin wants to be sure that when he takes the Intercontinental Title back, he does so by kicking Owen Hart’s ass, which is exactly what happened at Survivor Series one month after this. This was an okay match, but this being a heel vs. heel match didn’t do it any favors. The fans didn’t cheer for either man, because why would they? They’re assholes! The highlight of the match was Steve Austin, who acted like a fool at ringside messing with commentary. It worked, because the reactions he got during the whole match were incredible. A serviceable match, but easily forgettable. A shame, considering the two great workers involved.

Commentary explains that the upcoming Flag Match in the semi-main event will now be contested under pinfall/submission rules, as well as capturing the flag.

5. Los Boricuas vs. Disciples of Apocalypse.

Fucking hell. Listen, a gang warfare style storyline featuring multiple factions sounds cool as hell. You know when it doesn’t sound cool as hell? When it features guys who are the drizzling shits.

Oh well, at least Savio Vega is in this. He’s pretty okay.

Also, I just made the realization that DOA are Kronik & The Harris Brothers. God fucking damnit.

The bell rings, and here we go. Jose and Skull go at it to start things out. Chainz tags in, and they double boot Jose down. Miguel tags in, and he must be the hairy inspiration to A-Train. Power slam by Chainz gets a 2 count. Here comes Crush, and he strikes in the midsection. Savio Vega tags in, and he forces Crush into the corner with hard strikes. Chainz boots Savio in the face, but Savio is able to tag in Jesus, who gets dropped with a military press slam.

Side note: It’s happened in this match, and a few others so far, but I don’t know how I feel about commentary talking so casually about Brian Pillman’s death throughout the show. It’s acceptable in between matches, but it’s been brought up during matches, too. Very odd.

The Boricuas gang up on Chainz on the floor. In the ring, Jesus with a running knee to Chainz’ chest. We get a 4 on 1 attack in the ring, crushing Chainz in the corner, New Japan style. Savio finishes it off with a spinning heel kick that sends himself over the top rope, but he lands gracefully. Chainz with a splash to Savio for 2. Savio fights back with a spinning heel kick. Miguel is in, and he tugs away at the chin. Miguel sends his knee into the midsection of Chainz, and taunts the rest of the DOA.

Savio comes in, and chops at Chainz in the corner, who is eating the strikes like dinner. Chainz avoids a splash, and Savio bounces off the top rope. Crush tags in, and now both factions are going at it in and out of the ring. Crush with a tilt a whirl backbreaker to one of the Boricuas for the pin and the win. That was ugly, that was messy, and that was boring as hell. I have never seen a Harris Brother match that I liked. Savio was the sole highlight of this match.

Backstage, Michael Cole interviews Bret Hart and British Bulldog. Bret says Americans are dreamers, but the Hart Foundation will prove that they are better than any two American wrestlers. Bulldog says right here, they will be victorious, and then he says “right here” as he leaves. That was funny.

The ring techs set up the poles with the flags for the semi-main event.

6. Flag Match: WWE Champion Bret Hart & British Bulldog vs. Vader & The Patriot.

Vader and Patriot are interviewed after The Hart Foundation’s entrance and Vader says “The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be? Ain’t that a bunch of bullshit.” That was the funniest thing I’ve heard all night.

Patriot’s theme music sounds very familiar. Where have I heard it before? Oh yeah, it’s the future theme music of some guy named Kurt Angle.

Both teams brawl right away on the floor. Patriot and Bulldog go at it at ringside, while Vader and Bret fight by the commentary tables. Bulldog breaks an American flag on Patriot’s back, while Bret chokes Vader with the Canadian flag. Patriot chokes Bulldog with the flag, while Vader fights Bret up the entrance way.

The bell finally rings, and the match officially begins. Bret and the Bulldog taunt the crowd, as Patriot makes the climb to grab the American flag. Bulldog stops him, and Patriot snap mares him. Patriot makes another attempt, but Bret cuts him off. Vader and Bulldog start to fight, before the referee separates them. Hip toss by Patriot, and a back body drop. Vader tags in, and strikes Bulldog in the midsection. He topples Bulldog with a tackle.

Vader with another, and he tags Bret into the match. They exchange punches, and Vader has the upper hand. A short arm clothesline follows, as Vader dominates the WWE Champion. Bret avoids a corner splash, as Patriot is fuming. Side Russian Leg Sweep by Bret. The Hitman makes the climb for his flag, and Vader cuts him off with a low blow. Bret tries for a sunset flip pin, and Vader just drops all his weight on Bret for a 2 count.

Patriot and Bulldog tag in, and Patriot hits a sloppy dropkick for a 2 count. Patriot slams Bulldog head first into the top turnbuckle. Patriot goes for the flag, but the Hart Foundation cut him off. Bulldog goes for the flag, and Vader cuts him off and drops him to the mat. Bulldog avoids a corner attack, and Patriot goes shoulder first into the ring post. Bret applies his ring post Figure Four to Patriot. Bret tags in, and he powerslams Patriot.

Bret taunts Vader, and Bulldog takes a cheap shot at Vader. Bret applies the Sharpshooter to Patriot, who reverses it into one of his own. The Hart Foundation double team Vader, and Patriot takes advantage by climbing for the flag. He’s immediately brought back down. Bulldog tags in, and he drops a knee to Patriot for a 2 count. Vader tags in, and crushes Bulldog with a tackle, and as he pins, Bulldog grabs the ropes. Vader with a back suplex to Bulldog, and a standing splash for a nearfall. Vader tries for the flag now, and Patriot fights Bulldog off. Bret comes in, and starts to attack Vader. Snap mare by Bulldog, right into a chin lock. Bret tags in, and connects with a back suplex to Vader. Bret locks in the Sharpshooter to Vader, who grabs the ropes. Patriot comes in and attacks Bret as well. Vader drops his elbow right onto Bret’s leg, then he teases applying the Sharpshooter. Bulldog stops all of that.

Patriot tags in, and shoulder tackles Bret. He knocks Bulldog off the apron, then applies the Figure Four Leglock to Bret. Bret is able to tag Bulldog in, who breaks up the submission and knocks Vader off the apron. Patriot is in, and he scoop slams Bulldog for a 2 count. He goes for the flag, but Bulldog is right there to cut him off. Bret tags in, and drops all his weight across Patriot’s back. Bret with a nice snap suplex, followed by an elbow to the jaw.

Bret goes for his flag, and Vader lifts him off the ropes like a baby to stop him. Patriot tags in Vader, and Bret tags Bulldog in. Vader with a slam, and now he goes to the top rope. He misses a moonsault on Bulldog, but he lands on his feet! Vader goes for the flag, but Bret holds onto his foot. Vader clotheslines Bulldog to the floor. On the outside, Bret knocks Patriot down, then decks Vader in the head with the ring bell. He even lays it back on the timekeeper’s table, nice and neat.

Back in the ring, Bret powerslams Vader, then drops another elbow to the head. He goes to the middle rope, and connects with a splash. A DDT follows, and that gets him a 2 count. Bulldog tags in, but Vader clotheslines both he and Bret. Patriot tags in, and boots Bret to the mat. Full Nelson Slam by Patriot, and Bulldog breaks up the pin attempt. A fan jumps the barricade, and enters the ring, but Bulldog and security kick him out.

Vader hits the Vader Bomb on Bret. Bulldog and Vader fight on the outside. In the ring, Patriot rolls up Bret, who reverses it with one of his own, and that gets the Hart Foundation the win. Post match, Patriot attacks Bret, and Vader joins him in the ring. Bret and Bulldog celebrate by throwing the American flag out of the way. That was an okay match that seemed too disjointed at times. It didn’t really have any flow to it, and it was a lot of brawling and not a lot of wrestling. Also, the stipulation was almost a non-factor. The Canadian National Anthem didn’t even play following the match. Again, this was inoffensive, but it wasn’t as big of a deal as commentary made it seem.

Speaking of commentary, they hype up the main event, as the Cell lowers to the ring for the very first time ever. Dok Hendrix is backstage with Shawn Michaels. He says there’s good news and bad news. Good news? This isn’t for his European Championship. Bad news? He’ll be locked in the cage with Undertaker. He says he’s tough as nails, and he’s the man. He’s tenacious, and ain’t nobody crazy enough to do this gig except for the Heartbreak Kid. If you know wrestling lingo, “gig” is heavy foreshadowing.

We get a video package detailing the build up to this match. At SummerSlam in August, Shawn Michaels refereed the WWE Title Match between Undertaker and Bret Hart. At the conclusion, he accidentally hit Taker in the head with a chair. That move cost Taker the WWE Title to Bret. Though Michaels said he didn’t mean to do it, his actions would become more clear in the coming weeks, as he hit Taker in the head with the chair again, and left him bloody for the first time in his WWE career.

On the road to this match, Shawn also formed D-Generation X, alongside Triple H, Chyna, and Rick Rude. Yes, that Ravishing Rick Rude. The two had their first singles match at Ground Zero: In Your House, and that night, there was no winner. Taker was hellbent on destroying Michaels, who was hell bent on escaping his wrath. A huge brawl ensued, with most of the roster, and Michaels barely escaped that night. It was decided that for the rematch, there would be no running, and no hiding. It would be settled, with no escape, no interference, and no shenanigans, as Undertaker and Michaels would compete in the first ever “Hell in a Cell” Match. Not a traditional steel cage match, it is a 16 foot high enclosed steel structure that surrounds the ring and ringside area. There are no disqualifications, no countouts, and no one entering or leaving.

As an added stipulation, the winner of this match will challenge Bret Hart for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series in Montreal.

Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter and referee Earl Hebner check under the ring to make sure that there is no way out, and no one hiding to aid Michaels. The Cell begins its slow descent to the ring, as Michaels enters first. He’s his usual cocky self, but a little bit more reserved on this night. He knows exactly what he’s about to enter into. The lights dim, and here comes The Undertaker to a great pop. As Taker enters the ring, Michaels begins to fully realize what situation he is in: locked inside of a giant cage with The Phenom.

Taker slowly begins to follow Michaels around ringside. The bell sounds, and the inaugural Hell in a Cell Match is under way. Taker boots Michaels hard in the ring, nearly sending him to the outside. Taker smashes Michaels’ face off the turnbuckle. He does it again, and Michaels flies across the ring. Taker looks for the Chokeslam, but Michaels escapes and punches away at Taker. He stands on the middle rope and punches him repeatedly.

Taker irish whips Michaels into the turnbuckle, then drops him with a clothesline. Taker shoulder tackles Michaels’ shoulder repeatedly. He climbs the turnbuckle, and connects with Old School. Taker headbutts Michaels to the mat, then drives his boot into the throat. Taker with a powerslam, and a leg drop to Michaels for a quick nearfall. Taker connects with a back body drop so high that Michaels boots touched the roof.

Taker with more right hands to Michaels, then he tosses him high over the top rope to the floor. Taker lifts Michaels by the throat and holds him against the Cell Wall. Michaels thumbs his eye, and tries to climb the wall, but Taker pulls him down. Taker with an irish whip into the cage, followed by a hard clothesline. Taker repeats that spot again. He goes for a powerbomb, but Michaels reverses it and punches away at him. Taker holds on, and powerbombs Michaels into the wall.

Taker sends Michaels into the steel steps, then unloads with hard strikes to the midsection and the head. He lifts Michaels up, and sends him back first into the ring post and the Cell, and repeatedly. He looks to catapult Michaels into the cage, but he slips out. He still gets clotheslined regardless. Taker drives his elbow right into Michaels’ face. Taker tries to clothesline Michaels again, but Michaels is able to avoid it and he begins punching away at Taker’s head.

Michaels returns to the ring to catch his breathe. He punches away at Taker on the apron, but he gets caught with a slingshot off the top rope. Michaels tackles Taker off the apron, and right into the Cell. Michaels dives through the ropes with a Tope to knock Taker down. He climbs the Cell, and delivers a short elbow drop to Taker on the floor. He stands on the apron, and dives off with a clothesline. He grabs the steel steps next, and uses them on Taker’s side and back.

Now, Michaels lifts Taker up for a piledriver onto the bottom portion of the steps. He jumps off the apron and stomps Taker again. Michaels comes off the top rope with a double axe handle to Taker. Back in the ring, Michaels grabs a chair and swings it on Taker’s back. He does it again, and throws it against the Cell Wall. He makes the cover, and Taker kicks out. He strikes Taker in the corner, but the Deadman fights back with strikes of his own. Michaels with a boot and an uppercut. He locks Taker up in the ropes now. He punches away at him, then rushes Taker, who boots him back. Michaels rushes him again, and Taker sends him over the top rope, onto a camera man. Michaels isn’t happy about that, and he attacks the camera man more.

Michaels throws Taker to the floor and continues his attack. Help is being sent out for the camera man. In the ring, Michaels connects with a forearm to Taker. He goes to the top rope, and connects with the diving elbow drop. Slaughter is out here to open the Cell door to help the camera man to the back. Michaels stands in the corner, and gears up for Sweet Chin Music. He hits it perfectly, but Taker immediately sits up from it! Michaels is scared to death, and he tries to escape out the door! Taker is right there, and he pushes him outside! Both men are outside the Cell.

Taker counters a dropkick, and catapults Michaels face first into the steel. He’s busted open now. Taker lifts him up and javelins him into the cage again! Taker lifts him up a third time, and sends him into the cage wall. Michaels is a bloody mess. He’s able to low blow Taker to get some desperation. Michaels begins to climb the Cell Wall, and Taker follows him up there. Both men are on the roof of Hell in a Cell! Michaels meets him there and tries for a piledriver, but Taker hits a back body drop!

Great visual from far away of both men on the roof. Michaels’ blood is falling through and hitting the camera. Taker rakes his face off the steel. Michaels is trying to find a safe route from Taker, who lifts him up for a military press slam! Fucking scary sight for 1997. Taker punches Michaels hard, and sends him on the edge of the roof. Michaels tries to climb down, but Taker is right there. He stomps his hands, and Michaels goes falling off the side, and crashing through the Spanish announcer’s table!

Michaels is a mess in the chaos, as Taker comes down from the roof. He grabs Michaels and throws him across the French commentary table. Taker grabs him and press slams him to the floor. This is like watching a movie monster chasing his victim. Michaels is slowly walking around the side of the cage, but Taker is right there behind him. Both men make their way back into the Cell, and Michaels is a broken heap of humanity.

Taker explodes off the ropes with a clothesline. He places Michaels on the top rope. He joins him, and connects with a top rope Chokeslam to the mat below! Taker grabs a chair from under the ring. Poetic justice, as it ends where it began – Taker crushes Michaels in the head with a very stiff chair shot. He’s down and out, and Taker signals for the Tombstone.

Then, the lights dim. Eerie funeral music plays over the speakers, and a red hue takes over the arena. A giant man in red and black attire, accompanied by Paul Bearer makes his way to the ring. It’s Kane, the Undertaker’s long lost brother. Undertaker, normally emotionless, is frozen shocked. Kane rips the Cell door off the hinges, and attacks Earl Hebner. Kane enters the ring, and stares into the eyes of his brother. Taker is completely stunned. The emotion on his face is incredible.

Kane lifts his arms, and sets off fire on the turnbuckles. He kicks Taker low, and crushes him with the Tombstone. As he goes to leave, Jim Ross on commentary says it best – this is shocking. Kane leaves with Paul Bearer, as the referee slowly enters the ring. Michaels makes a very slow crawl to Taker, and places his arm over his chest. Hebner makes an even slower count to 3, and Michaels takes the win, but just barely.

Kane did in one move what Shawn Michaels couldn’t do in 30 minutes – he destroyed The Undertaker. Triple H and Chyna enter the Cell, and they help him out of the ring, alongside Rick Rude. Michaels will now go to Survivor Series to face Bret Hart in Montreal, and I’m sure nothing wrong happens there (spoiler: it’s pretty screwy).

A rather mediocre PPV ends with one of the greatest examples of storytelling in pro wrestling history. A masterpiece in psychology, the first Hell in a Cell Match is the best one in the minds of many wrestling fans, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s easy to forget, in the present day when Hell in a Cell is a place for escalating violence, that the gimmick was simply a way to keep Shawn Michaels and Undertaker confined in the ring, and everyone else kept out.

That tool helped make the story, which is simplistic in its execution: Michaels is a shit bag heel who is trying to avoid Undertaker at all costs, while Taker is a monster come to life, who will not stay down and will not stop until he destroys Michaels by any means. No matter what Michaels did here, he didn’t do anything to keep Taker down. That was the case in the Cell, but once things escaped outside the Cell, it became apparent that there was simply no hope for the Heartbreak Kid.

Taker pummeled him on the roof in a fantastic visual for 1997, and the table spot was incredible for its time. The chair shot at the end was amazing storytelling – this all started because Michaels cracked Taker with a chair at SummerSlam, and Taker brought the story full circle by destroying Michaels with his own chair. Victory was more than a guarantee here, and no man was going to prevent Undertaker from getting his revenge.

So, instead of a man, it was a monster who stopped Undertaker, in the form of his brother Kane. It’s considered one of wrestling’s greatest debuts for a reason: This match was made for Kane to arrive for. The Cell was created to keep everyone out, but Kane defied all of that in order to get to his brother. Undertaker showing emotion for the first time ever was splendid, as he didn’t know how to react to the sight of his sibling, thought to have perished in a fire. Kane’s appearance here began one of the best storylines in WWE history, leading all the way to WrestleMania XIV in March of 1998.

Oh, and Shawn Michaels? He would play a key part in the Montreal Screwjob one month later, at Survivor Series. I’m sure you’ve heard about that night verbatim, so I won’t retell it here.

So, yeah, that was Badd Blood? Why was it spelled with two Ds? We shall never know. What I do know is that this show absolutely sucked. If not for the main event, this would go down as an all time stinker. I would imagine Brian Pillman’s untimely passing had something to do with it, as that surely had to affect everyone who competed that night. So, I can’t fault the wrestlers entirely for the quality. They did the best they could, but unfortunately, I feel the quality would’ve been the same, tragedy or not. WWE around this time was cold as ice, the main event scene being the exception.

Other than Hell in a Cell, no other match on the show was memorable. The opening Handicap match and the Intercontinental Title matches were decent. The Flag Match was fine, but way too long. The Minis match was chaotic in the worst way. The Tag Title match was just flat out bad, and the DOA/Boricuas didn’t fare much better. What do you expect when you book the Harris Brothers? This show is skippable as a whole, but I can say with no hesitation that Hell in a Cell is essential viewing if you are a wrestling fan. It is a damn near perfect gimmick match between two all time greats. I’d also say check out the Owen/Faarooq match just to see how over Steve Austin was around this time. He garnered some of the loudest reactions on the show, and he barely did anything. This is definitely a snapshot of WWE in late 1997, for better and certainly for worse.