In Your House Breakdown #5: Unforgiven (4/26/98)

Buy rates, locations, match lists, preludes, results, aftermaths and attendance numbers (and much, much more) are all things you can look forward to in this pay-per-view breakdown series. In a triumphant return attempt, we’re enter the highway to hell destined for WWF‘s Unforgiven: In Your House. So, strap in and prepare yourself for fire and brimstone as you relive this event like never before…

Location:

Greensboro Coliseum, North Carolina

Buy Rate:

0.56 or 224,000 buys

Live Attendance:

21,427

Tagline: N/A

Firsts: This event marks the first-ever inferno match as well as the first-ever WWF evening gown match. The promotional poster for this event was also the first to dawn the new WWF “Scratch” logo for promotional work, as officially, the promotional work used for Wrestlemania XV still used the “New Generation” WWF logo (although the “Scratch” logo did appear on the ‘Mania ring apron).

Main Event Prelude: Wrestlemania XV has come and gone and the brash Texas Rattlesnake is once again at the head of the WWF pack. But, a few weeks later, after having “Stone Cold” Steve Austin arrested on assault charges, Vince McMahon would welcome back a very different Steve Austin. Austin would return to screen as a “changed” man, decked out in full corporate regalia. This was only a ploy formulated by “Stone Cold” of course, to get close to unconcerned McMahon again. Austin would strip the suit off and down to his normal gear and stunner his gullible boss into a fury. On the April thirteenth edition of Raw, Steve Austin would offer McMahon a chance to get his hands on him, giving him two options: he could either meet him in the ring for a match or backstage for a fight. He even boasted that he could beat McMahon with one hand tied behind his back! So it was on as Vince McMahon accepted Austin’s challenge. The main event would be Steve Austin versus Vince McMahon with one hand tied behind Austin’s back. Before the match officially began however, a returning Mick Foley would revive his Dude Love persona and attack Austin utilizing his signature mandible claw. Finally, with emotions running high and aggression between Foley/McMahon and Austin elevated, Vince would mention on commentary the week before WWF Unforgiven: In Your House that he’d be ringside for the match between Love and Austin and that something “catastrophic” would happen (most likely eluding to another “screwjob” fiasco). The stage was set and Vince McMahon had a plan for the public relations nightmare that he believed his new champion, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was…

Dark Match:

N/A

Event Match Card:

The Nation w/ Kama Mustafa Vs. Faarooq, Ken Shamrock, and Steve Blackman (Six-man tag team match)

Owen Hart Vs. Triple H (Singles match for the WWF European Championship)

The New Midnight Express w/Jim Cornette Vs. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Tag team match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship)

Luna Vachon w/The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust Vs. Sable (Evening gown match)

The New Age OutlawsVs. LOD 2000 w/Sunny  (Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship)

Kane w/Paul Bearer Vs. The Undertaker (Inferno match)

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin Vs. Dude Love (Singles match for the WWF Championship)

Results:

• Shamrock, Blackman and Faarooq defeated The Rock, Mark Henry and D’Lo Brown (13:32)
• Triple H defeated Owen Hart to retain the WWF European Championship (12:26)
• The New Midnight Express defeated The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship (7:12)
• Luna Vachon defeated Sable (2:50)
• The New Age Outlaws defeated LOD 2000 to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship (12:13)
• The Undertaker defeated Kane (16:00)
• Dude Love defeated “Stone Cold” Steve Austin by disqualification (18:49)

The Main Event Aftermath: Steve Austin would end up leveling Mr. McMahon with a steel folding chair on the outside of the ring and rolling Dude Love in the ring following that up with a Stunner. He would also count his own three count before EMT’s and Gerald Brisco rushed down to ringside at the aid of the Chairman of the Board. It would be ruled (on Brisco’s authority) that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was to be declared the loser due to a disqualification. Of course, this would not rest with the Texas Rattlesnake! The following month, there would be a rematch at WWF Over the Edge: In Your House pitting Austin against Dude Love again. Similarly, McMahon would  retain his duties as the special guest referee and would then add his corporate stooges, Pat Patterson as guest ring announcer and Gerald Brisco as guest time keeper, to the match.