Emanating from the Florence Civic Center in Florence, SC

Your commentators are Vince McMahon and Jerry “the King” Lawler.  Vince makes some comment about thanking those who paid the “ultimate sacrifice” so that they could be there tonight.  Anyone know what that was all about?
 

Opening Match: WILDman Marc Mero vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley

As HHH comes to the ring, we see a clip of HHH once again hitting Mero with the Pedigree.  That makes it 3 Pedigrees to Mero’s zero moves of offense since this feud began.  Mero attacks HHH upon entering the ring.  HHH gets Mero to chase him and then jumps him to take 

over on offense.  Mero knocks HHH to the floor with a right hand and then dives onto him. A couple of nearfalls for Mero.  After whipping HHH to the corner, Mero charges, but ends up ramming his shoulder into the post as HHH moved out of the way.  HHH does his job by trying to work on the injured arm and shoulder of Mero.  Mero tries for a backslide, but his arm is too hurt to complete the move.  It’s shocking to hear the heel Lawler make “Sable is so ugly…” jokes.  HHH begins to use all the parts of the ring as weapons to do further damage to Mero’s arm.  Mero escapes a back suplex and gets HHH in a pinning combination, but only for 2.  HHH is able to go right back on the attack, still focusing on the arm.  As HHH locks in an armbar, he grabs onto the top rope to add some extra pressure.  HHH earns his heel merit badge in rope leverage with that move.  Mero catches HHH going up top and crotches him.  He then climbs up and hits him with a top rope hurricanrana.  A high knee and a back bodydrop allow Mero to regain momentum.  Mero gets a nearfall with a top rope sunset flip.  After dropkicking HHH to the floor, Mero tries a plancha, but misses and now injures his leg.  HHH hooks Mero up for the Pedigree, but lets go when Sable refuses to watch what’s happening.  After going outside and yelling at Sable, HHH goes back in and tries for the Pedigree.  Mero reverses it and sends HHH into the post with a slingshot.  With HHH knocked out, Mero is able to cover and get the win.

Bottom Line: If Mero was the winner of the match, then I’d rather be the loser.  Mero didn’t come out looking that great as twice he went for big moves and missed causing injury.  Meanwhile, HHH looked like a great ring technician as he smartly worked over the injured areas.  HHH’s work on Mero’s arm could have been shortened, but that’s my only real complaint.  A good opener with a sort of out of left field ending.  *** ½

- And then it happened…Vince had warned us last match and sure enough the storms that had been hitting the area ended up knocking out the PPV feed and the lights in the arena.  The next three matches went on in the dark, but were unseen to the PPV audience.  Everything came back in time for the main event.  Those unaired matches were then redone two nights later for Beware of Dog 2.  So without further ado…

OOld Tyme Rasslin Revue for WWF In Your House Beware of Dog 2

Emanating from the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, SC

Your commentators are Jim Ross and Mr. Perfect

Caribbean Strap Match: Savio Vega vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

In the dark, Vega won this match.  As a result, the next night on RAW, Ted Dibiase upped the stakes by saying that if Vega lost, he would have to become Dibiase’s chauffeur.  But if Vega somehow won, Dibiase would leave the WWF.  Vega makes his way down, but Austin won’t let him in the ring.  Finally, both men get strapped in and they play a little tug-of-war.  Austin draws close and begins to fire away on Vega.  Vega hits a back bodydrop, so Austin retreats to the floor.  Austin can’t get a breather however, as Vega tugs and causes Austin to ram into the ring apron.  Vega then goes to the floor, attacks Austin further and then brings him back into the ring.  Inside, Vega begins to whip Austin with the excess strap.  After hitting Austin with a spinning heel kick, Vega begins to touch the courners.  1 corner…2 corners…Austin yanks Vega down before he can go any further.  Now it’s Austin who does some whipping with the strap.  The fight spills to the floor, where Vega lays in some chops.  Austin comes back by picking up Vega and dropping him across the guardrail.  After choking Vega with the strap, Austin brings him back into the ring with a suplex.  Austin ties up Vega by the leg and goes for the corners.  1 corner…2 corners…Vega is able to grab the strap and drag Austin away from the corner.  As Vega punches away on Austin, Austin is able to backdrop Vega out of the ring.  The velocity that Vega falls to the floor is enough to drag Austin out of the ring as well.  OUCH!  On the floor, Austin goes for a suplex, but it’s blocked and then Vega hits one of his own.  After doing some more whipping, Vega throws Austin back into the ring.  Vega ties up Austin and drags him as he goes to the corners.  1 corner…2 corners…3 corners…A legsweep by Austin stops Vega in his tracks.  Vega perches Austin up in the corner, but when he goes up for a move, Austin headbutts him back down to the mat.  Austin tries a follow-up move, but Vega is back up and crotches him.  Vega now goes up and hits the superplex.  Nice!  That move allows Vega to go for the corners again.  1 corner…2 corners…3 corners…As Vega goes for the fourth, Austin catches him with a spinebuster.  Austin now begins to choke out Vega with the strap and then goes for the corners.  1 corners…2 corners…Vega is able to thumb Austin in the eye to stop his momentum.  Austin tries for a tombstone piledriver, but Vega reverses it, only for Austin to reverse it right back and dump Vega to the floor.  Going up top, Austin tries for a high risk maneuver, but Vega pulls him down and right into the guardrail.  Big bump there!  Vega can’t capitalize however as Austin drives Vega’s back into the steps.  Vega returns the favor by using the strap to pull Austin into the steps.  Hoisting Austin onto his back, Vega goes for the corners.  1 corner…2 corners…3 corners…Austin somehow yanks Vega back before he can get the win.  A piledriver by Austin seems to make him poised to go to the corners, but Dibiase urges him to hit one more piledriver.  Austin goes for another piledriver, but this time Vega backdrops him.  The Million Dollar Dream is locked on Vega, but he still attempts to go for the corners.  1 corner…2 corners…Sensing he can’t go on while in the Dream, Vega uses his legs on the turnbuckle to propel himself backwards and break the hold.  Austin hits Vega with a stungun, dropping his head onto the turnbuckle.  Wrapping the strap around Vega’s neck, Austin begins to drag him to the corners.  1 corner…Vega walks behind him and also touches the turnbuckle.  Both men hit 2 corners…Both men hit 3 corners…Struggling to touch corner #4, Austin actually tugs Vega forward and he touches it giving him the win.

Postmatch: Vega starts up the “na na hey hey goodbye” song for Dibiase’s departure.

BL: What an absolute great match!  There was some good back-and-forth action with some nasty bumps peppered throughout.  They also used the strap very effectively.  The ending might have been a strap match cliché, but it was the proper one.  Plus, it allowed Austin to be separated from Dibiase, who was only holding him down.  Their match at WM was good, but this one is must-see.  **** ½

Yokozuna vs. Vader

For note, Yokozuna defeated Vader with a Samoan drop in their “dark match”.  The two slug it out to begin with Yoko winning the exchange.  Now Vader does some major stalling as Yoko looks to already be sucking wind.  An impatient Yoko finally knocks Vader down and then clotheslines him to the floor.  Back inside, Vader wins a slugfest, but then is taken down by Yoko who follows that up with an elbow to Vader’s leg.  Vader comes in the ring again and does the exact same sequence that I just mentioned above.  Vader attempts to slam Yoko as Jim Ross mentions how the only person he can recall slamming Yoko is Ahmed Johnson.  Oh how quickly we forget those who are no longer with us.  After failing to slam Yoko, Vader gets hit with a Rock Bottom by Yoko.  Yoko splashes Vader in the corner and then nails him with a Samoan Drop.  Jim Cornette tries to stop Yoko from hitting the Banzai Drop, but Yoko catches him and throws him in the ring.  Yoko goes for the Banzai Drop on Cornette, but Vader pulls Cornette out of the way.  Vader then goes up, hits the Vader Bomb and is able to get the victory.

BL: Our string of great matches comes to a screeching halt here.  This match was virtually the opposite of the first two; short with little action.  Once again Vader fails to come off as the monster he’s supposed to be.  At least this marked the end to the feud.  Hooray for finality!  ¼ *

Casket Match for the WWF Intercontinental Title: Goldust (champ) vs. The Undertaker

Two nights ago they redid the Royal Rumble ’94 finish (10 heels help the champ out) to have Goldust retain his title.  With the lights out, Taker sneaks up behind Goldust and begins to attack.  Goldust whips Taker to the ropes, but then gets caught with his head down.  Taker whips Goldust to the casket, but Goldust puts on the brakes.  The fight spills outside, where Taker rams Goldust’s head into the steps.  Back inside, Taker slams Goldust to the mat and then he hits him with a legdrop.  Taker connects with the ropewalk.  Goldust elbows a charging Taker to finally halt his momentum.  Taker gets slammed, but then just does a zombie sit-up.  Goldust misses with an uppercut, but does manage to hit Taker with a Tombstone.  A very weak one mind you, but a Tombstone nonetheless.  Once again however, Taker sits right up.  Goldust knocks Taker back down and tries to roll him into the casket, but Taker begins to fire back.  Taker hits a big boot, but then gets backdropped to the floor.  Goldust uses the steps and mic cables as weapons on Taker as they brawl on the outside.  Inside, the two slug it out until Goldust locks a sleeper on Taker.  Goldust puts out Taker and rolls him into the casket, but Taker sticks his hand out before Goldust can close the lid.  Goldust climbs onto the casket lid to try and force it down, but Taker shoves it open causing Goldust to fly off.  Inside, Taker connects with a big clothesline.  After powerslamming Taker, Goldust goes up and connects with a top rope clothesline.  Goldust actually tries to do the ropewalk, only to have Taker heave him off and to the mat.  Taker picks Goldust up and plants him with the Tombstone.  Going over to the casket, Taker opens the lid and out pops Mankind, who locks the Mandible Claw on Taker.  Mankind places Taker in the casket and closes the lid giving Goldust the victory.

Postmatch: Paul Bearer opens up the lid to the casket, but nobody’s in there.  Sounds like it’s time to call Leslie Nielsen again.

BL: Place this one somewhere in between the last match and the first two.  It didn’t outright suck, but nothing really fantastic happened either.  Well, I take that back.  I really like the finish.  It’s better than the one they did in the dark and it extended a feud that actually for the first time showed Taker as fallible. * ½

- Welcome back to Beware of Dog 1, once again from Florence, SC with your commentators Vince and Jerry.

WWF Championship Match: Shawn Michaels (champ) vs. the British Bulldog

The Bulldog is flanked by Owen Hart, who thanks to Clarence Mason, has a one night only manager’s license and Diana Hart, who has a marriage license, which evidently is good enough to allow you at ringside as well.  Actually, Diana was an important part of this feud as it began with Diana claiming that Shawn had made a number of passes at her.  Our champion, the pervert!  Before the match, Clarence Mason comes out and issues Shawn with a summons, which Shawn promptly tears up.  While he does that, the Bulldog attacks him from behind.  The Bulldog tries to backdrop Shawn out of the ring, but he stays on the apron and slides back in.  Shawn whips the Bulldog to the ropes and goes for Sweet Chin Music, but the Bulldog puts on the brakes and bails to the floor.  The Bulldog can’t rest thought as Shawn launches himself onto the Bulldog.  A rather lengthy headlock by Shawn slows things down.  Shawn hits the Bulldog with an enziguri and covers him for 2.  Shawn works on the Bulldog’s arm with a couple of armbars.  The Bulldog is able to lift Shawn up on the arm that Shawn has the armbar locked on, and slams him to the mat.  After working on Shawn’s back, the Bulldog locks Shawn into a submission maneuver where he holds Shawn on his shoulder.  Shawn breaks free and goes for a crucifix, but the Bulldog just falls backward slamming Shawn to the mat.  A legdrop by the Bulldog gets a nearfall.  The Bulldog locks on a rear chinlock as this match has become one big resthold.  In an odd spot, Shawn comes off the ropes and looks to go for a rollup, but misses and stumbles to the floor.  That didn’t look planned.  The Bulldog inflicts more pain on Shawn, as he throws him into the guardrail.  In order to get back in, Shawn drops the Bulldog throat-first onto the top rope.  Both men collide mid-ring and fall to the mat.  Shawn connects with the forearm and then kips up.  A double ax handle gives Shawn a nearfall.  The Bulldog catches Shawn with a kick as Shawn puts his head down.  Shawn whips the Bulldog and he collides with the referee, who falls to the outside.  After hitting the big elbow, Shawn signals for sweet Chin Music.  As Shawn tunes up, Owen comes in, but he receives the kick.  The distraction, however, allows the Bulldog to nail Shawn from behind.  Another referee comes down to the ring as the Bulldog sets Shawn up for the running powerslam.  Shawn escapes and hits the Bulldog with a German suplex.  The referee counts 1, 2, 3.  Bulldog wins!  Whaaaa?  Now the original referee says that Shawn won.  My head hurts!  As the two referees argue over whose shoulders were down, Gorilla comes down and declares that both men’s shoulder were down and the match is a draw.  Also, there will be a rematch…at a later date.

BL: Despite the inconclusiveness of the finish, I always liked that ending.  It threw a nice swerve that you weren’t necessarily expecting.  But now there’s a rematch and based on how this match went, I’m not exactly thrilled.  There were just way too many restholds to make this very exciting.  Plus, there was no rhyme or reason to the restholds, which made it even more frustrating.  We can only hope for a more spirited affair next time.  ** ½

Final Thought: It’s tough to rate this show as a whole because of it taking place over two nights.  However, looking at each match individually, only one out and out sucked and the first two were really good.  The last two matches weren’t great, but served the purpose of extending feuds.  This is definitely one of the better In Your House events so far and probably worth a look.

Next time, the Undertaker tackles issues dealing with Mankind while Austin has problems with more heavenly matters.

Until then, thanks for stopping by the OOld Tyme Rasslin Revue.