In Your House Breakdown #4: Ground Zero (9/7/97)

Buy rates, locations, match lists, preludes, results, aftermaths and attendance numbers are all things you can look forward to in this pay-per-view breakdown series. Up now, we get ready for battle at Ground Zero: In Your House. So, strap in and have your war face on as you relive this event like never before…

Location:

Louisville Gardens, Kentucky

Buy Rate:

0.45 or 180,000 buys

Live Attendance:

4,963

Tagline: “That’s the Bottom Line…“

Main Event Prelude: Summerslam 1997 brought about great change in the Wold Wrestling Federation. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wouls suffer a broken neck during his match with Owen Hart and  in the main event of the evening, Bret “Hitman” Hart would capture the WWF Championship for the fifth time in his career (from The Undertaker). During the Summerslam main event, Shawn Michaels (who had been selected as the special guest referee) would inadvertently strike The Undertaker with a chair, practically giving Bret Hart the title (much to Michaels’ dismay, of course). An enraged Undertaker would strike his revenge on Michaels a little over a month later,at WWF Ground Zero: In Your House.

Dark Match(s):

N/A

Event Match Card:

Goldust w/ Marlena Vs. Brian Pillman (Singles match)

Scott Putski Vs. Brian Christopher (Singles match)

Crush Vs. Farrooq Vs. Savio Vega (Triple threat match)

El Torito Vs. Max Mini (Singles match)

The Headbangers Vs. The Legion of Doom Vs. The Godwinns Vs. Owen Hart and The British Bulldog  (Four-way elimination match for the vacant WWF Tag Team Championships)

The Patriot Vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart (Singles match for the WWF Championship)

“The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker (Singles match)

Results:

• Brian Pillman defeated Goldust w/Marlena (11:06)
• Brian Christopher defeated Scott Putski via count-out (4:46)
• Savio Vega defeated Crush and Faarooq (11:37)
• Max Mini defeated El Torito (9:21)
• The Headbangers defeated The Godwinns, The Legion of Doom and Owen Hart & The British Bulldog (17:15)
• Bret Hart defeated The Patriot (19:20)
• Shawn Michaels fought The Undertaker to a no contest (16:20)

The Main Event Aftermath: With Ground Zero behind them, Michaels and Undertaker would continue their feud to the next WWF pay-per-view, Badd Blood. They would meet each other in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match and make history. During the final stages of their match, Undertaker’s long-awaited brother Kane would make his first appearance as well. Kane would end up causing Undertaker the match, and Undertaker in-turn would shift his focus on getting revenge on his brother. This would leave Shawn Michaels and his newly coined stable “D-Generation X” to feud with The Hart Foundation.