Every Dog Has His Day, A Wrestling TL: Second Draft

Because the first one had various mistakes and the thread still had my first draft of it. Here's the new thread with it all together.


Every Dog Has His Day


In Your House: Beware of the Dog, May 28th, 1996:

As the match reached its crescendo, the two athletes worked back and forth to gain an advantage and were getting close to exhaustion point. One referee had already been knocked outside to the ground, his body lying prone while another had rushed to the ring to proceed over events. The speed and agility of Shawn Michaels was matched in kind by the power and technical prowess of the British Bulldog. The crowd was on its feet, soaking in the sight of the two men battling it out so much that they didn’t notice Earl Hebner, the first referee, try to rise to his feet only to crack his head on the edge of the ring, falling back down with a slight concussion.

The match ended with a crushing German Suplex on Shawn Michaels that handed Bulldog not only the victory but also the WWF Championship. As the crowd voiced its dissent, Bulldog triumphantly held the title belt high over his head, celebrating his victory over his opponent. Michaels was quick to protest the result as the song Rule Britannia throughout the stadium but for naught, the Championship had changed hands without a doubt. Drunk on victory, Bulldog shoved the referee out of his way to flaunt his newly won Championship in Michaels’ face. Furious at seemingly being cheated, Michaels launched an attack on the Bulldog, leaping at him and started to beat him down with furious strikes.

The bell rang out at this blatant attack and the referee managed to pull Michaels off, creating another argument as the ex-Champion bickered over the result. Taking this chance while Michaels was distracted, Bulldog managed to get up; belt in hand as he wrapped it round his arm and gave Michaels a devastating blow to the back of the head with the golden plate of the belt. The sheer shock of the strike knocked Michaels to the ground senseless while Bulldog retreated up the ramp, holding the belt in celebration. The pay-per-view ended with the referee calling for medics to aid a badly injured Shawn Michaels.

Monday Night Raw: May 29th, 1996:

The night’s proceedings opened in a low mood as the announcement was heard that due to head injuries sustained during his bout against the British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels had to take a leave of absence from the WWF for the foreseeable future. This was followed by none other than the Champion himself walking down the ramp to the ring with Jim Cornette, Vader and Owen Hart by his side and a microphone in hand. After waiting for some moments for the jeers and boos to subside, Cornette raised the microphone to his mouth and started talking.

“Last night, you all saw the well deserved victory of WWF’s greatest athlete!” The jeers that answered this statement put some doubt to its validity. Ignoring the outburst from the crowd, Cornette went on “Now you people have no choice but to acknowledge that the better man won and Davey Boy is the supreme wrestler in all of the WWF!” Bulldog smiled smugly at the praise and indicated for the microphone to pass to him which Cornette graciously did.

Overlooking the howls of derision from the crowd, Bulldog merely took on a look of obscene smugness, before he started speaking “I’d just like to thank the people who helped me win this title, mainly Jim Cornette and my good brother-in-law, Owen Hart. These two men have helped every step of the way, not only in becoming Champion but helping me retire that good for nothing philanderer, Shawn Michaels!” The crowd screamed down its dismay at those words, not wanting them to be true that the arrogant man before them had managed to put Michaels out of action. Bulldog ignored them and went on “And as my first part as Champion, I will gladly let anyone who wants to challenge me for the title do so to prove that I am...”

Davey Boy’s words were cut short however when Vader stepped right in front of him, his fierce eyes looking deep into the Champion’s. Vader quickly snatched the microphone away from Bulldog as he asked a simple question “You’ll let... anyone challenge you? Even me?” The question shot through the other men like a lightning bolt and Cornette quickly jumped in, screaming at Vader to get back in line, saying the last thing the faction needed was them splitting over the belt.

Before the shell shocked Bulldog could give a firm answer however, a familiar, thudding, pounding music struck around the arena and the crowd leapt up as the Ultimate Warrior ran to the ring, his usual motions of shaking the ropes forgone as he simply walked up to Bulldog and took the microphone from Vader’s hands “BULLDOG!!” The Warrior shouted “You dare call yourself a Champion?! You claim that you have beaten all there is to beat?! You have not! You may have beaten a heartbreaker and you may have beaten a hitman, but you have never beaten a Warrior!”

His eyes bulging, Bulldog shook his head, trying to head off where this conversation was going but Warrior ignored him and went on “You want to face all comers Bulldog? You want to prove that you are the true Champion of the WWF then go against one who has also held the title! The Warrior challenges you Bulldog to hold that title in a match!”

The crowd roared with delight at the idea before Vader once more snatched the microphone away “Who do you think you are, coming down here and demanding a title shot?! Your time has long passed Warrior! If anyone gets to challenge Bulldog, it should be me!”

Both Warrior and Vader faced off from each other, both looking to spill blood before another figure walked down the aisle, this time it was Gorilla Monsoon who held his own microphone “No one here has the authority to determine the number one contender except me.” He said getting into the ring “However, since you two are so determined and there are no other viable contenders, tonight’s main event will see Vader face off against you Ultimate Warrior for a shot at the Championship at King of the Ring!”

The crowd erupted into cheers at the suggestion of the match while the Cornette faction instantly leapt up to protest the decision, all except Vader who hadn’t stopped his death glare of the Warrior, eager to get to grips with his opponent. As was the Warrior who met Vader’s stare with his own.

The night continued with an enthusiasm for the main event that hadn’t been felt for some time, a former Champion from the WWF’s hey-day taking on its greatest monster. When match time came, the Warrior made his usual bombastic entrance while Vader came out flanked by the rest of Camp Cornette who looked ready for business. They quickly got into position around the ring as Vader and Warrior squared off, testing each other’s strength before finally locking up and the match beginning proper.

Vader got the upper hand soon enough as his own brand of madness and strength forced the Warrior back into a corner, leaving himself to blow after blow from Vader’s fists that was followed by an Irish whip and a body splash that sent the former Champion to the ground. Vader kept up his advantage, beating the Warrior all round the ring, only stopping when Cornette started to shout up, telling him to finish the Warrior off. Vader made a reluctant pin only for the Warrior to kick out at two. Cornette started shouting up at Vader, telling the big man to make another pin, only for Vader to shout down at his manager, refusing until he had weakened Warrior some more. This was all that was needed for Warrior to gain his second wind during the distraction and he jumped Vader while his back was turned.

As Warrior started to give Vader a taste of his own medicine, Camp Cornette started to panic. As Jim Cornette jumped up onto the apron, Bulldog and Owen slipped under the ropes into the ring, the belt in Bulldog’s hands. Owen quickly fell to a clothesline from the Warrior while Bulldog brought up his belt to clobber the challenger, only for the Warrior to duck and the belt instead smacked right into the face of a recovering Vader. Looking down in shock, Bulldog was vulnerable to Warrior throwing him over the ropes onto the ground below. Looking to secure his victory, Warrior then smacked Jim Cornette off the ring apron and gave Vader a Big Splash, pinning the monster and getting a three count.

The crowd roared with delight at the victory and Bulldog was the only one of Camp Cornette left standing as he looked up, terrified of both his new challenger and the threat of having to face the wrath of Vader.

Excerpt From ‘The Rise and Rise of the WWF’ (2003):

“... Idea which was to provide the WWF with its saving grace as the late 1990’s dawned came from an unexpected source. Smith, while not known for being the sharpest knife in the drawer, was the one who cooked up the idea of being an anti-American heel, and played it up quite well in his reign as Champion. The question would be brought up as to why James Hellwig was to be given a second chance after frequent clashes with the WWF over scheduling.”

“The kayfabe excuse of Michaels being concussed was to cover his real incident of being suspended after hurling abuse at Earl Hebner for his screw up, almost physically assaulting him if Mark Calloway hadn’t stepped in. Feeling he had been screwed over somewhat, Michaels let his frustrations out on a nearby glass window, almost severing major arteries. Rushed to the hospital, Michaels was told he’d be out of action for some months, leaving the WWF almost rudderless without a major face. Until Smith suggested the future storyline, July was coming up so why not a patriotic endeavour with him and the Hart Foundation being a new heel stable? There were suggestions that Smith came up with the idea as it was born from the desperation of a man who was about to lose his job. The tricky part was bringing Bret Hart back to the WWF but with both pleading from Smith and his brother Owen, along with a long term contract that guaranteed multiple main events throughout the year and a healthy amount of money, Bret was eventually persuaded in time to reappear for the run up to King of the Ring.”

“With Bret Hart back as a main challenger and heel, build up was needed for the angle, McMahon gave the push to Hellwig as he was one of the few faces left that were physically on par with Smith and prepared to build it up as a powerhouse vs. powerhouse match. In the meantime, the shift of Allen White and Steve Austin to faces began as the need for a way to oppose the faction as a credible force. Knowing Hellwig wasn’t the pull he once was, the push would end at some point soon, the decision being made to bring him into a feud with White, both to turn White face and build up anticipation for SummerSlam. Hellwig managed to settle some of his differences with the WWF as the promise of a major angle and some quality matches soothed over various problems, in the short term at least.”

Monday Night Raw, June 17th, 1996:

After several weeks, Bulldog had earned himself the spot of the most hated man in the WWF. Not only had he proudly boasted of him ‘ending’ the career of Shawn Michaels and stating his athleticism rose above that of the poor showing of the American wrestlers, but had also ambushed Ultimate Warrior at every opportunity he could, often with Owen Hart in tow as they battered the challenger with fists, tables and chairs to weaken him before the title bout. No retribution could be taken as wherever he went; Bulldog was escorted by Camp Cornette, Vader having toed the line after being promised the King of the Ring title that assuaged his rage for the time being.

As he entered the ring for the main event of Monday Night Raw in a non-title match against Marc Mero, the crowd screamed abuse at Bulldog and Camp Cornette for their actions. Something that was to only grow as the match with Mero went on, Bulldog taking every opportunity to stretch the rules to breaking point with a rake in the eyes, choking against the rope and even strike across the head from Owen Hart as the referee was distracted. Finishing it all off with a Running Powerslam, the victory went to Bulldog.

Rule Britannia rang out once more in victory throughout the arena, a triumphant Bulldog holding his title aloft, smug amongst the shouts of displeasure from the crowd. That vanished however as the chords of his own music were cut off and the opening notes of another competitor were heard, Bret Hart. The crowd were surprised as both Bret and the Ultimate Warrior walked down to the ring together but cheered as both men walked down just the same. When they reached the ring and the music and cheers died down, Bret was the first to speak “So this is your reign as Champion is it?” He asked “For the last few weeks, you’ve been the most arrogant, cheating low down punk I’ve ever seen!”

The crowd popped at this, voicing their approval of such an accusation while Bret quickly went on “I was at home, getting some relaxation, hoping to get some peace and quiet when I saw you win the title. Now at first I thought, good for Davey Boy, he always had the talent, the ability to go far in this business. But then I saw what you were doing. What a stain you were bringing to that belt. And what that short piece of crap has got you doing! And quite frankly Davey Boy, I got sick of it!”

Taken aback by Bret’s condemnation, Bulldog tried his best to defend himself “I’m the WWF Champion! Who do you-?”

His words were cut short however as Bret got right into his face, a snarl etched across his mouth “A Champion? You? The Davey Boy I once knew wouldn’t have called you a Champion. The Davey Boy I knew worked his way up, inch by inch, working the best tag team matches this industry ever saw! Where’s that Champion now Davey? Where’s the Champion who put on the tag best matches with Dynamite Kid? Where’s the Champion who once put away guys twice his size? Where’s the Champion who gave me the best damn match of my career at Summerslam and took my Intercontinental title? I don’t see him here Davey! All I see is an arrogant little limey who can’t even beat another man in a fair match anymore! If you’re half the Champion you think you are, you’ll agree to fight Warrior fairly. And I’ll be there to make sure it happens!” Bret reached out his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper and passed it over to Bulldog “This is a special order from Gorilla Monsoon for the match this Sunday; it allows me to take on the role of referee, and orders the rest of your little gang away from ringside. It’ll be a clean match Bulldog, I guarantee it.”

Smith read the paper in silence while Jim Cornette had a fit beside him, almost screaming out his protests for all to hear. Finally, Bulldog raised his hand to silence Cornette and signalled for a microphone to give his answer “You want to be there Bret? I know you think I’m no Champion but I beat the man you couldn’t, the man who sent you up north with your tail between your legs!” The crowd booed at this, not seeing his victory over Michaels in quite the same way. Smith then raised a finger at Bret, glaring at his brother-in-law “And after I beat the Warrior, even with you in his corner, I’m coming after you Bret and I will prove that I am a true Champion! I’ve done it before and I will do it again!”

The crowd roared its appreciation of the idea of Bret refereeing the match between the two bringing three legends of the WWF together for one night. Merely nodding his assent at the suggestion, Bret turned to leave, not seeing Bulldog bring his belt up to strike him across the head with it. Acting quickly, Warrior leapt forward and rammed Bulldog down to the ground while Bret quickly smacked his brother down to the ground as he ran towards the Warrior. Soon both Bulldog and Owen were sent sailing out of the ring, Cornette scrambling after them while shouting at Vader to attack both Warrior and Bret. The large man merely stood in the corner, smirking in his usual mad fashion before pointing at the Warrior, shouting that they would finish their business properly, whether he was Champion or not after King of the Ring.

King of the Ring, June 23rd, 1996:

The pay-per-view that promised to put a seal on the split between the Hart Family with Davey Boy not only having to contend with Ultimate Warrior but Bret as special guest referee and no Camp Cornette in his corner began in earnest. The title match was only one match in the event that people wanted to see however, the run up in the King of the Ring Tournament had brought Steve Austin to the fore with his brazen attitude and rough style of wrestling. Vader was another key favourite in the Tournament with his almost insane frenzies and sheer strength that pushed him to key victories.

The Tournament throughout was a highlight with the semi-finals being a brutal match between the big Van Vader and Justin Bradshaw starting things off. The following match was a good show of Vader’s strength and tenacity over Bradshaw’s knowledge of how to break the rules. Vader dominated the match throughout, working Bradshaw over with slams, Irish whips and clotheslines that struck the cowboy hard to the mat. With Jim Cornette on the ringside, cheering on arrangements as Vader pummelled his opponent. Uncle Zebekiah also remained on the outside, looking on nervously as bit by bit; Bradshaw was dissected in the ring. Feeling overly-confident, Cornette went over to the opposing manager and taunted him, causing Zebekiah to grab Cornette’s tennis racket and attempt to pull it away from him. The commotion brought the attention of the referee who didn’t notice the low blow by Bradshaw to give himself a breather. Seeing his manager in trouble, Bradshaw walked over to the ringside and stuck his head between the ropes to bring an end to the argument, only for Cornette to finally pull away with his tennis racket, slip and strike Bradshaw right in the face with it, causing the referee to signal the disqualification, giving Bradshaw the victory. As Vader rose to his feet, he saw he had lost and glared down at Cornette, stalking the smaller man as he fled from ringside, pleading with Vader to stop.

The second semi-final match was between Steve Austin, a man rising up and wanting to make a name for himself against a former WWF Champion, Yokozuna. Despite the overwhelming size and weight advantage the Sumo man enjoyed, he met his match in the form of Austin’s sheer belligerence in a fight. Every time the Texan was knocked down, he got back up again to carry on the fight, only to be stopped with a tremendous body splash into the turnbuckle by Yokozuna that sent Austin to the ground, his ribs seemingly crushed. Despite protests from the referee, Austin insisted on continuing the match, fighting on despite Yokozuna taking every advantage he could in wrecking Austin’s ribs with punches, strikes and even a full body splash that came within a hair’s breadth of getting a three count. Frustrated, Yokozuna picked up his erstwhile opponent to deal further damage only to receive a surprise kick to the gut and Stone Cold Stunner for his troubles. Still clutching his ribs in agony, Austin nevertheless managed to make the pin over his opponent, gaining the spot in the finals.

Other matches followed with the Smokin’ Gunns earning a hard won victory against the Godwinns and Mankind managing to knock out the Undertaker with his Mandible Claw, cementing the Deadman’s need for vengeance. The final match before the Tournament final was to crown a new Intercontinental Champion in the form of Ahmed Johnson who defeated Goldust in a convincing victory.

The Final of the King of the Ring Tournament saw a beaten and battered Austin, bandages still round his ribs after refusing to see them be taken care of. In his match against Bradshaw, the Texan was brutalised in every manner possible as his opponent took every opportunity to strike at the weakness before him, laying out a string of rib breakers, shots to the ribs and abdominal stretches that only worsened Austin’s condition. But he fought back though; with everything he could manage Austin clawed his way to bring Bradshaw’s attacks to a standstill and even brought his opponent down to his back with a quick kick and clothesline combo. Bradshaw once more attacked the ribs however to weaken Austin and brought him to his knees. Rather than pressing his advantage however, Bradshaw raised Austin to his feet to seal the deal on his victory. Pausing to play to the crowd, Bradshaw then lunged forwards with a clothesline... Only to miss as Austin ducked, twisted around and then planted a kick and Stone Cold Stunner on his opponent, giving him the three count.

With Bradshaw left in the ring, Austin went to the Throne, refusing to be helped despite every step betraying his agony from his ribs. After finally reaching the gilded chair, Austin motioned for a microphone so he could speak to the audience “Take that piece of crap from out my ring!” He started, pointing at Bradshaw who was being harangued by Uncle Zebekiah for his loss over an opponent with such a disadvantage “A Texan boy like him should know better than to mess around with a rattlesnake like me. Here’s a tip for ya boy, when you’ve got someone down, don’t be dumb enough to help them back up again!”

Taking a few moments to get his breath back, Austin continued “Now there’s only one more thing before I head to the back and grab some beers, and that’s that no good little piece of limey garbage we’ve got as Champion!” This was enough to swing the crowd more to Austin’s favour, his refusal to submit and victory over Bradshaw had warmed them up considerably and this was setting the cherry on the cake “Now I ain’t what you call traditional Champ material. Hell, the suits in the back are probably crapping themselves now that Stone Cold’s got this tournament under wraps. But I’m damn sure that I can do a better job of it that Bulldog. And if Warrior can’t put him away tonight, you can bet everything you’ve got that I’ll be right after him, gunning for that belt of his!”

Now with the Tournament out of the way, there was only the title bout left, the match between the British Bulldog and Ultimate Warrior with the special guest referee Bret Hart. Bret Hart was the first to make it to the ring, dressed in a striped black and white shirt. After him came the Champion, Bulldog giving Bret a glare as his fists and boots were checked for foreign objects. The Ultimate Warrior’s music soon followed and ran to the ring amid cheers, shaking the ropes before facing his opponent, briefly allowing Bret to check his feet and hands, much like Bulldog. Satisfying his need to make sure no cheating would take place; Bret gave the signal for the bell to ring and the match to start.

It started with a lock up between the two, Bulldog being forced back as his own famous strength proved little match for the Warrior’s. The Warrior soon held up his advantage, throwing Bulldog round the ring and dominating him, Bret showing no favour to his brother in law as he received his beating. A rake across the eyes brought Bulldog a brief moment of respite and a harsh warning from Bret before the Bulldog launched his own assault on the Warrior, beating him down, wearing the larger man down to the mat before stomping on him. No strategy or finesse, just sheer beat downs to the challenger. After a long standing suplex, Bulldog rose and gave a signal to the crowd; he was ready to finish this. He picked Warrior up, hoisted him onto his shoulder and ran from one corner to the other, slamming Warrior down to the ring with an impact that shook the structure.

Bret, keeping his reputation as a fair official got down onto his knees and made the count of two before the Warrior not only kicked out but threw Bulldog right off him and two feet across the ring. Quickly getting to his feet, Warrior got his customary second wind and began to shake the ropes, making the crowd go wild. Having been prepared beforehand for this though, Bulldog reached into his tights and pulled out a set of brass knuckles. Just before he could use them however, Bret twisted Bulldog round and grabbed the knuckles from him, getting in his face for attempting to break the rules. Before he could protest, Bulldog was twisted around once more, given a stunning punch to the head before being lifted up by the Warrior in preparation for a Gorilla Press Slam.

It never came. As he held Bulldog above his head, Warrior was powerless to defend himself as Bret slipped on the knuckles and gave a shuddering blow to Warrior, causing him to collapse with Bulldog falling on top, accidentally getting a pin and a very fast three count from Bret. The crowd was shocked at this turn of events, until Bret grabbed the Championship belt and held up Bulldog’s hand, signifying his victory and they viscously turned on their old favourite, sending down verbal scorn as the two celebrated their tainted victory in the ring.

As Warrior got up to his feet shakily, Bret unloaded another blow with the brass knuckles, sending Warrior to the floor. It was followed by Bulldog stamping on him, picking the former Champion up and then throwing him over the ropes, leaving him crumpled in a heap. As King of the Ring faded out, the final image was that of Bret and Bulldog, reconciled and standing triumphant in the ring.
 
Monday Night Raw, June 24th, 1996:

As Monday Night Raw began, the familiar music of Bret Hart rang out through the arena and down the aisle came Bret Hart with British Bulldog, Owen Hart and Jim Cornette in tow. Ignoring the abuse being hurled down at him, Bret stood in the ring, smiling smugly as Cornette grabbed a microphone and started to speak “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you all to the newest member of Camp Cornette, Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart!” Once again, the crowd hurled down abuse at Bret, only for it to be blissfully ignored as Cornette went on “Now you all saw last night that the so called Ultimate Warrior was defeated by the superior athleticism of the British Bulldog with Bret Hart himself calling it straight down the middle.”

Stepping forward, Bret took the microphone from Cornette and looked out over the crowd, soaking up their reaction before speaking “First of all, I want to congratulate Davey Boy here on his victory against the Ultimate Warrior and his reign as Champion, he’s doing a much better job than his good for nothing predecessor!” Soaking up the crowd’s booing with a grin, Bret went on “And that leads us to what everyone’s been asking me since King of the Ring, why did I do it? Why did I turn my back on the WWF and its fans to help my brother-in-law, someone who I’ve had disagreements in the past? And my own brother Owen, someone who’s shed my blood across this ring, who was happy fighting me every step of the way as Champion? Why did I turn my back on the WWF for these men? Well the truth of the matter is, I didn’t turn my back on the WWF, the WWF and the idiots that call themselves its fans, turned their back on me.”

“You see, my brother Owen may be a two faced, back stabbing, ruthless son of a bitch,” Bret turned to Owen who merely smiled and nodded in agreement “But the fact of the matter is he was right about one thing at least. He made me realise that for all I had done, you people were the ones who turned your backs on me! For three years, I carried this company; I was the best in the business! I’m the reason any of you are here today! And how did you people repay me for the blood I spilt, the bones I’d broken? You stabbed me right in the back by cheering for some damn male stripper! I lost my title on some technicality and you cheer for the man who stole my title! What the Hell is wrong with you people?!”

“So you see, when I came back to the WWF, I had one aim in mind, to drive out all those like Michaels, people who don’t even deserve to be in the same ring as us and make the WWF the place where only talent survives! Every one of you slackers and nobodies in the back will be out of here at the end of the month! We, the new Hart Foundation will see to that! If you don’t measure up, then we’ll send you out, on a stretcher if we have too!” Despite the crowd howling down abuse, Bret finished off by turning to Bulldog and shaking his hand “Davey Boy, I know you’ll be a great Champion and we’ll stand with you to the hilt. Also, thanks for putting that no talent pretty boy out of action. If he shows his face round here again, we’ll make it permanent.”

In response, Bulldog merely nodded and shook Bret’s hand, smirking all the while. Their piece said, the group started to leave the ring, leaving one vital unanswered question, where was Vader?

The question would be answered a little later on when the Ultimate Warrior was in a match, working off the frustration at being screwed out of the Championship when Vader started to walk down the aisle. Standing at the side of the ring, Vader made no movements until after the Warrior had defeated his opponent and stood victorious, and then the big man slipped through the ropes and into the ring, standing toe to toe with the Warrior as the two glared at each other. Before any move could be made, Bret, Owen, and Bulldog started to rush down the aisle before surrounding the ring ready to pounce once Vader made the first move.

To everyone’s surprise however, Vader merely gave the rest of the Hart Foundation a killing glare and stepped aside, letting the Warrior go free but letting him know that they weren’t done yet. Bret quickly slipped through the ropes, demanding why Vader let Warrior get away and was cut off by the big man by a shove. As Raw closed, the message was clear, Vader did not want the help of the Hart Foundation, despite their thoughts it had already cost him too much. That said however, this would only be the first of the attacks made by the Hart Foundation against the WWF and its wrestlers.


Monday Night Raw, July 8th, 1996:

To everyone’s surprise, Monday Night Raw opened with Gorilla Monsoon arriving in the ring to make an announcement. Taking hold of a microphone, he started to address a major problem “As you all know, the last few weeks we’ve seen a change in the attitudes of some of biggest talent. Bret Hart, Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith have all turned their backs of the WWF, claiming that those who struggle daily for our great company are no longer fit to be in their presence.” Monsoon as the crowd booed this take on the athletes of the WWF “I completely agree with you folks. Those making up the WWF are among the best athletes in the World and I am severely disappointed that Bret of all people would think like this. The actions of the Hart Foundation, their unwarranted attacks on the WWF wrestlers has brought a mark of shame on three otherwise gifted men.”

“However, as WWF Champion, Bulldog will need to face an opponent and put his money where his mouth is. To that end, I have decided that the opponent facing him at the next pay-per-view will be...”

Monsoon was cut off however by the sound of the Hart Foundation’s music opened up throughout the arena and with Cornette in tow, the group walked down to the ring, once again, Vader’s absence speaking louder than words. Monsoon looked nervous but stood his ground as he was surrounded by the Hart Foundation but held his ground, not giving in “Now what do you want?” He demanded.

Cornette was the one to answer, smiling as smugly as Humanly possible before speaking over the microphone in his hand “Well Mr. President, since you ask, we’ve come down to address the idea that you have anyone truly worthy enough to take on our current WWF Champion. The fact of the matter is, there isn’t. You want Bulldog to actually face someone who hasn’t proven themselves to be worthy enough to face him in a match? You don’t have that authority Monsoon! As Champion, Bulldog has the right to refuse any challenger who he deems as unfit and as far as he’s concerned, that includes most of the roster!”

Taking this rant with quiet dignity, Monsoon finally spoke after silence came once more “You say that there’s no single challenger ready for the Bulldog Jim but quite frankly, he still needs to be there at the next pay-per-view. Now unless you have a better idea, Bulldog will be there and he will put his title on the line.”

For a moment, the Hart Foundation gathered and conferred amongst themselves before Cornette walked back over to Monsoon and nodded his head “You want a main event for the next pay-per-view? Then how about this, the entire Hart Foundation will go against any other wrestlers you pick out in a Tag Team match! No matter who they are, the Foundation will take them all on and defeat them!”

Considering this momentarily, Monsoon asked “Anyone of my choosing?”

Getting ahead of himself, Cornette nodded enthusiastically “Anyone you want! The Foundation can take them all!”

After a moment’s pause, Monsoon finally nodded his head “Alright then Jim, you’ve got it. Four opponents of my personal choosing against Bulldog, Bret, Owen and V...”

Once more, Monsoon was interrupted by a wrestler’s music, only this time; it was Vader who made his way down the aisle. Getting into the ring and ignoring Cornette outright after he grabbed the small man’s microphone and started to speak “Forget me being in that match, I want Warrior next Sunday!” The surprise of everyone was evident as the shock of such a demand went right through the arena “He got away from me last time because of them!” Vader snapped, jerking a finger at the Hart Foundation “And if you don’t give me my shot old man, I’m going to give you a worse beating than last time!”

Not looking the least bit shaken by the threat, Monsoon matched the big man’s stare with his own, the Hart Foundation ignored, despite Cornette’s screams at Vader to stand down “Now you see Vader,” Monsoon started “I can’t guarantee that match, not without the threat of the rest of your gang jumping him and giving you a tainted victory.”

“Then put us in a cage!” Vader demanded, almost giving Cornette a heart attack “I’m not going to rest until I have him in a match! And if you refuse, I’ll go through the entire WWF until I get it!”

Smirking ever so slightly, Monsoon appeared to consider this idea before nodding “Alright Vader, if Warrior himself agrees to this then next Sunday, we’ll see you both in a Cage Match!” As the crowd roared its delight, Monsoon then turned to the stricken Cornette and said “Well it looks as if you’re a man out Jim. But tell you what, I’m a fair man. If you can think of a better idea than that one, or come up with someone to fill Vader’s shoes by the end of the night, let me know. If not, then Davey Boy will be putting his title on the line.”

Exiting the ring, it appeared that Gorilla Monsoon had outwitted the Hart Foundation, forcing Bulldog into having his title on the line. But as it turned out, the Foundation had an ace up its sleeve...

At the mid-point of Raw, a match between Savio Vega and Goldust, just as Vega suffered from a clothesline, the all too familiar chords of Bret Hart’s music started and the Hart Foundation came down the aisle, not interfering like they had done in previous matches the last three weeks but watching keenly as the distraction of their appearance gave Savio Vega enough time to recover and plant a Spin Kick right in Goldust’s jaw, earning him the victory. As he stared to celebrate, Vega was interrupted by the Hart Foundation entering the ring and Owen and Bulldog unloading a pounding on Goldust before sending him flying while Bret simply watched, microphone in hand. When Goldust was dispensed with, Bret gave Vega a smile before talking.

“You know Savio my man; I came out here several weeks ago in front of all these idiots and told them that the WWF was full of useless morons who were an insult to what a true athlete was. And you know what? I still stand by that statement; the WWF is a bloated mess of the weak, the stupid and the downright useless. But you... you’re not like the rest. You’ve got potential.” Silence greeted this statement as everyone started to dislike where this was heading “You’re not like the others in the back, you’ve got history outside this country, in places where they gave you wrestlers that actually presented a challenge. You fought; you clawed your way up to what was supposedly the best company in the business and for what? For the WWF to slap you back down! Look at yourself! You’re Savio Vega, the man who put down Austin! You beat the King of the Ring and what did the WWF offer you? Nothing! Because you’re not one of the pretty golden boys the WWF wants! To them you’re a nothing! Someone to wheel out to show that they’re keeping up with affirmative action quotas!”

Despite the crowd howling down its protest at the last low barb, Bret Hart went on “When was your last bid for the gold Savio? When did the WWF offer you anything except a foul mouthed bald guy to beat down? They never did and never will... But we will. You sign up with us, join the Hart Foundation, show everyone and me especially that you’ve got the potential to make it to the top and I swear to you that you’ll get the recognition that you’ve earned, that you deserve!” Hart held out a steady hand to shake “Well, what do you say? You happy being amongst the rest of the low lives? Or do you want to realise your potential, and aim for greatness? Accept, and we’ll dominate the WWF like no one else has done before.”

The crowd shouted down, demanding that Savio reject the offer, spit in Bret’s eye and slap away his hand. Rather than do that though, he motioned for the microphone “I take this offer, I get what I deserve?” He asked, earning a nod from Bret. At that, Savio clenched Bret’s hand and gave it a good shake, much to the disappointment of everyone else. Ignoring the booing and jeers, the four men lined up and held up their hands in victory at this new member of the Hart Foundation. With four men in the Hart Foundation, it seemed that they were that much closer to dominating the WWF.

At the end of Raw, with the matches out the way, Gorilla Monsoon made his way to the ring, looking noticeably flummoxed at the earlier turn of events “As you all saw earlier, the Hart Foundation managed to gain a new member of Savio Vega. A move I’m deeply disappointed in. Savio Vega is a talented man and I’m sure once he thinks such a rash decision through, he’ll...”

Monsoon’s words were brought to a halt by the music of the Hart Foundation sounding out throughout the arena. As all four men descended to the ring (Savio Vega having his own Hart Foundation jacket like the rest), Monsoon looked nervous, but defiant enough to stand his ground “Now what do you four think you’re doing? I know enough about you to see that you’re able to stand for the...”

“Shut it old man.” Was the rude interruption by Bret “We didn’t come down here for you to lecture us. We came down here to tell you we didn’t appreciate that stunt of yours, not one bit. So, as a way to show what we think of you, what we think of the WWF and what we think of the rest of those losers in the back, Savio here will put you in your place.” With that, Bulldog and Owen grabbed Monsoon and held the struggling President in place as Bret motioned Savio to strike the elder man. For a long moment, it seemed that Savio was having second thoughts and turned away... Only to snap back and plant a punch right between Monsoon’s eyes. The man crumpled at the attack, only to be picked up by Davey Boy and slammed to the mat with a Running Powerslam. Then, to add one final injury, Owen Hart locked on the Sharpshooter while Bret gave Savio a welcoming pat on the shoulder.

Before the beating could go on however, the crowd lit up as someone started running down the aisle, the Ultimate Warrior. Sliding under the bottom rope, the Warrior attacked the Hart foundation, giving blow after blow on each one that sent them to the mat before they quickly scurried out of the ring to safety. As Raw ended, the final image was Vader coming out from the Gorilla Position as the Hart Foundation filed past, looking towards the ring at his foe while Warrior stood at the ropes, shouting down at the Hart Foundation to come and face him.

Excerpt From ‘A Backstage History of the WWF’ (2006):

“The decision of Savio Vega’s addition into the Hart Foundation was not made lightly but included for a number of reasons. Bret’s own reluctance to go on full anti-American tirades meant that the anti-American bias was toned down and replaced with a more elitist outlook, that of a wrestler wanting more out of the company and willing to even take it over in order to accomplish this. Due to this, the anti-American stances were more hinted at, with Vega’s own foreign ethnicity adding another distinction to the stable. There was also the idea of making the Hart Foundation bigger to present a greater threat to the WWF itself, something that would only encourage the later accusations against the NWO of ‘ripping off’ the WWF.”

Monday Night Raw, July 15th, 1996:

As if the attack on Gorilla Monsoon had broken whatever restraint the Hart Foundation had, they struck Monday Night Raw with a vengeance, not only attacking the Ultimate Warrior during an interview and cutting him open badly, but also attacking Steve Austin during a match of his own, citing the previous rivalry as well as his scathing promo work against the Hart Foundation. Without Gorilla Monsoon keeping order and their rivals battered and beaten, it appeared that there was no one that could stand against the dominance of the Hart Foundation.

The end to Raw was to challenge this however as the Hart Foundation interrupted a match between Ahmed Johnson and Farooq, Before Bret Hart could go on another tirade against the WWF however, Stone Cold was seen running down the ramp, launching himself at the Foundation, managing to go toe to toe with them as Johnson and Farooq gained their second wind, finally putting the Hart Foundation on an equal footing with their opponents.

As the brawl went on with neither side gaining much of an advantage, two more figures ran down the aisle to the ring, the Smoking Gunns who had been the victims of previous attacks for them being ‘unworthy’ to hold the belts. The Tag Team set about to help the four fighting against the Hart Foundation with gusto, sending Savio Vega over the ropes before helping Ahmed Johnson to give Bulldog a double clothesline and send him sailing out to the ground. Noticing the turning odds, both Owen and Bret Hart quickly left the ring, making their escape as their five opponents glared down at them from the ring.

As if picking the worst moment possible to return, from his namesake at the entrance, Gorilla Monsoon stepped out into the arena, cheers coming from the audience for his return. Bringing a microphone to his mouth, Monsoon was all smiles as he started talking “Now that I’m back from my recuperation, it’s about time I announced the line up for the team facing against you this Sunday!” The battered Hart Foundation looked less than enthused at this and their faces fell further as Monsoon went on “After some deliberation, I decided you shall face Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ahmed Johnson, Jake the Snake Roberts and an old face some of you might recognise...”

From behind Monsoon, a familiar face did appear and the Hart Foundation turned pale. Towering above everyone else was the body of the behemoth, Sycho Sid. Grinning like a Cheshire Cat, Sid pointed down towards the Foundation and started to stalk down the aisle while from the ring, the previous opponents of the Hart Foundation began to walks towards them, forcing the Foundation to hop across the barricades to flee, leaving the upcoming battle until the odds were fairer on Sunday.

In Your House: International Incident, July 21st, 1996:

The event was stacked with a series of matches but it was the two Main Events that people had looked forward to the most. The first would be the culmination of Vader’s determination to finally end the question of who was the best between him and the Ultimate Warrior. The second was the eight man Tag Team between the Hart Foundation and the wrestlers selected by Gorilla Monsoon to defend the honour of the WWF.

The Cage Match was perhaps the most anticipated of the night and as the steel construct was set up; the tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Vader was the first to make his way down to the ring, receiving a mixed reaction as both his distancing from the Hart Foundation’s actions as well as his pursuit of a fair match with the Ultimate Warrior had put a positive slant on his attitude. The Warrior entered to an explosive greeting, jumping up to cling onto the sides of the cage as he pointed right towards Vader, promising the fight ahead would not be easy.

When both competitors were inside the cage, Vader started off with a test of strength that ended with Warrior being thrown across the ring. A second test of strength saw Warrior actually gaining the upper hand over Vader and pushing the big man back a few steps, following it up with a clothesline as Vader still refused to go down. Two more clotheslines followed along with a flying shoulder block that finally sent Vader down to the canvas and the match was fully underway. With no referee inside the ring (None had wanted to get in between the two powerhouses when there was no escape to be had), the only way to win was climbing over the top of the cage and pounding your opponent to oblivion in order to give you enough time to do so.

As the match continued, it quickly became a back and forth battle as each man’s strength drove them on to new heights. Warrior’s advantage saw itself beating Vader round the ring, with two clotheslines sending Vader to the ground and the third being dodged as Vader stepped to the side and grabbed Warrior by the hair, using his opponent’s momentum to slam him face first into the cage wall. The impact made the audience groan as Warrior crumpled to the ground, his forehead cut open. The wound was made worse as Vader dragged Warrior over to the cage and dragged his face against the links slowly, his face soon turned crimson with his own blood. What followed was brutal as Vader slammed Warrior into the cage repeatedly, mixing it with throwing Warrior to the ground over and over again.

The advantage once more slipped to Warrior however as Vader started to climb the cage wall after giving his opponent a powerslam to the mat. It had not been enough however as Warrior got to his feet and clambered up the cage just as Vader got to the top, ramming the big man’s head into the metal with a sickening thud. It took another three such devastating shots to finally loosen Vader’s grip and send him crashing down to the mat, his head split open even worse than Warrior’s. Slowly, Warrior clambered over to the turnbuckle, resting his feet on it as Vader recovered enough to stand, turn around and be greeted with a flying shoulder block from the top rope.

It took both men some time to get to their feet, both exhausted after such a brutal match so far and it had yet to end. Warrior was the first to his feet and seeing Vader was on his knees, gave him a jaw breaking punch that still was not enough to bring Vader down. Warrior was breathing heavily, his blood staining his face and hair before he grabbed Vader, keeping him steady before reaching down, straining desperately as he pulled Vader up for a Gorilla Press Slam, amazing the crowd by holding Vader above his head before dropping him back down. With his opponent now seemingly down for the count. Warrior stumbled over to the cage, slowly climbing, link by link as it seemed the end was in sight. Vader however had somehow managed to rise to his feet and followed Warrior to the top of the cage, grabbing onto his foot and clawing right up to the edge of the cage.

With both men now on an equal footing, they could only resort to punches and slamming each other into the cage. Vader finally gained the upper hand when he blocked one attempt to drive him into the metal and gave Warrior a blow to the gut, stunning him. Vader twisted his body round round and grabbed Warrior by the throat, giving one final smile as he ripped Warrior from the cage, lifted him into the empty air and threw him down to the ground with a chokeslam. From that point, Vader climbed up and hooked his leg over the top, stumbling down a few steps before slipping and falling down the final few feet onto his back, the bell ringing and crowd cheering as the match ended.

As Warrior got to his feet, blinking away the effects of the match, he realised he had lost and gaped in shock. With the cage door now easy to get through, Warrior walked out and round to the side of the ring where Vader had just managed to get to his feet. He turned round and saw Warrior facing him and the two men faced off, battered, bloodied and exhausted. After a long moment, Warrior slowly extended his hand towards Vader, acknowledging a well fought battle. With the crowd cheering, Vader paused and then slowly extended his own hand giving Warrior a short but firm shake at the match. The crowd roared in delight as the hands quickly broke contact and Warrior started to head back towards the locker room, Vader getting his wind back before making his own way back too.

After the Cage Match, only the eight man Tag Team was left, the WWF wrestlers made their way down individually while the Hart Foundation entered as a team. No sooner had the Foundation reached the ring when an all out brawl started as each man paired off with a rival. Sycho Sid went after Bret while Owen had to face Jake Roberts. Bulldog and Savio on the other hand had to contend with Ahmed Johnson and Steve Austin respectively. All eight men fought around the ring without the bell having even been rung and the referee in a quandary. Finally, Johnson threw Bulldog into the ring and the bell was called for, officially starting the match.

As the remaining six men slowly peeled off towards their corners, Johnson gained a quick advantage of Bulldog, his own power outmatching the famous Davey Boy’s. After being manhandled for a while, Bulldog managed to pull Johnson into a turnbuckle, stunning the man while Bulldog dove for a tag, getting in Bret who quickly went to work dissecting Johnson with his technical prowess before being brought to a sudden halt by Austin. This began a pattern with a match with tags going all round and neither side able to gain an advantage without an interruption taking place from either a member of the Hart Foundation or Austin who proved more willing to break the rules than the Foundation itself.

Fortune finally changed for both sides when Sid attempted a big boot on Owen only for the younger Hart brother to duck down and give a chop block right to the big man’s knee. Sid crumpled from the assault and rolled over to the side of the ring while Owen quickly ran to his corner and landed a blow on Austin, forcing the referee to concentrate on preventing an all out brawl while Sid’s attacked leg was grabbed by Savio, pulled out and held steady as Bulldog used his Championship belt to give a devastating blow to Sid’s knee. With the big man brought down, Owen went to work on his leg, twisting it further and doing whatever he could to further damage it. This went on for some time before Sid managed to reverse a throw into the corner but buckled as he went for the tag, only just managing to make it as his leg collapsed underneath him.

Austin was the one who was tagged and he rushed to the Foundation, striking all four members before going back to Owen while the Foundation came out from their corner and attacked the opposing team, Sid being clotheslined outside, falling on his bad leg as the brawl went on inside the ring, numbers counting in the Foundation’s favour as Jake was taken down by a piledriver and a throw over the top rope while Johnson was weakened before being set up for a Hart Attack from Davey Boy and Bret. Steve Austin was taken down by a Spinning Heel Kick from Savio before Owen locked on the Sharpshooter, the Texan Rattlesnake shouting out in pain as the referee counted the three pin on Johnson, gaining the victory for the Foundation.

The victory wasn’t enough for the Foundation however as they continued their assault against the opposing team. Owen kept the Sharpshooter locked on as Austin struggled to break free but refused to surrender and give the Foundation any satisfaction. Bulldog struck Sid’s knee over and over again, getting a chair to up the punishment. Savio pounded Jake into the steps, turnbuckle and the guard rail, knocking the man out completely. Ahmed Johnson tried to fight back but was knocked out with his own Intercontinental Belt, Bret draping it over his shoulder and loudly proclaiming it to be his once more. Then, with their opponents beaten and strewn throughout the ring and the ground, the Hart Foundation paused and posed in victory over the bodies of their opponents.

Owen Hart Promo At International Incident, 21st July, 1996:

“What you see here is a decorated veteran, and dedicated underlings who will do whatever’s necessary to reshape this company in its own image. We have previously overlooked talent now coming into their own and eyes to dominate the industry. And unlike WCW, we thought of it first!”

Excerpt From ‘The Rise and Rise of the WWF’ (2003):

“Later regarded as one of the matches of the year and the start of WWF’s Attitude Era with Vader’s rise, the Cage Match at International Incident was also regarded as Hellwig’s swansong in the WWF. Creatively and in regards to arguments over scheduling and money, Hellwig and the company had come to loggerheads far too many times for it to be patched up anymore. With some bitterness on both sides, Hellwig was eventually released from his contract on the 28th July 1996. Hellwig did have one positive legacy with his leaving though, Vader received a massive push for his victory and was finally being seen as a potential monster face that would bring the gold and actually be cheered.”
 
Monday Night Raw, 22nd July, 1996:

To absolutely no one’s surprise, the Raw after the pay-per-view started with the Hart Foundation sauntering down to the ring, cock of the walk with Jim Cornette walking among them, an expression so smug as to be obscene. The crowd was livid as the Foundation arrived in the ring and showed off to them, them, their poses showing their confidence and Bulldog’s Championship glittering in the light. Finally, after more than enough of hogging the spotlight, Cornette took a microphone and started speaking “Look at the men before you.” He started “All you losers out here and those in the back nursing their injuries, what you see before you is the Hart Foundation, the dominators of the WWF and soon to be holders of every title in the WWF! They are the elite! And this is only the beginning! Every one of those chumps in the back, those who don’t measure up to our standard, you will be damn well tossed out of this company and replaced with people who can actually wrestle worth a damn!”

Waving his hand, Cornette indicated the four men behind him “Soon, the Championships will change hands! Savio and Owen will be the new Tag Team Champions! Bret shall reclaim the Intercontinental Championship, the Championship he made, the Championship that was nothing before he arrived! And with Davey Boy leading the way, the WWF will finally enter a new golden age where the dead weight is long gone and we shall shape the WWF in our image!” Soaking up the condemnation of the crowd for a moment, Cornette pressed onto other matters “But that’ll come later, for now, there’s another order of business that we must see to before anything else. Vader, I want you to come out here right now, we’ve got something to discuss!”

After a pause with more cajoling by Cornette, Vader’s music rang out through the arena and the big man started coming down the aisle, a bandage covering the stitches he had gained from his bout with Warrior. Reaching the ring, Vader gave the Hart Foundation a wary glance as his music died down and Cornette started speaking “Now Vader, I know these last few weeks you’d had your... differences with the Hart Foundation. You went off and followed your feud with the Warrior, congratulations on putting that muscle bound oaf out for the count by the way, instead of following my instructions. Now, since the five greatest wrestlers in the WWF are all here I think we should let bygones be bygones. If you apologise for your selfishness and agree to come back into the fold, I guarantee you greatness Vader. Now then, you have something to say?”

The rhetorical question had no impact on Vader as he took the offered microphone off Cornette and looked at the Foundation, showing no pleasure at having been called out. Finally, he made a move and started pointing at the Foundation members, one after another “Tag Team Champions.” He said at Owen and Savio “Intercontinental Champion.” Were the words while pointing at Bret “And the WWF Champion.” The finger this time pointing more to the belt rather than Bulldog “I gotta ask you Cornette, how much greatness can I get when you’re going to hold me down all the time?”

Cornette jumped forward, protesting these words before being grabbed at the shirt by Vader “Quiet midget, I’m through with letting you talk for me.” Vader growled before shoving Cornette away, the smaller man almost falling over as Vader went on “When I first came into the WWF six months ago, you promised me everything Cornette! You promised me main events! You promised me the best the WWF could offer! And you promised me a title shot! And what happened? You gave me nothing! You and the Hart Foundation sat back and claimed all the glory for yourselves! You cost me a shot at the Championship! You cost me King of the Ring! No more Cornette! No more! I will take my rightful place as Champion! It’s my time! It’s Vader time!”

The colour drained completely from Cornette’s as Vader’s tirade went on, realising he had lost control of the situation completely. Surprisingly enough, Bulldog stepped forward, looking calm and collected as he took the microphone from a defiant yet curious Vader who wanted to hear the response “Well Vader, you say we haven’t supported you but we all know that it was you who went off and did his own thing against the Warrior! I said I’m perfectly willing to stand against any challenger however and that still stands. If you’re still happy with stabbing us all in the back then I have no choice. Vader, I accept your challenge for a title bout.”

Nodding in grim satisfaction, Vader stepped forward to stare down the Bulldog, Davey Boy meeting the glare in return, making sure Vader wouldn’t see Owen sneaking round the big man before it was too late. Vader could only fall down as the onslaught began as Owen clobbered him on the back of the head before the rest of the Hart Foundation joined in; giving one of the most brutal beatings Vader had ever received. All four of the Hart Foundation started pummelling Vader without mercy, reigning down on him with boots and fists while Bulldog slipped out of the ring and returned with a steel chair. Getting the others to hold Vader up, Bulldog struck him with a blow that split his head open once more, unleashing six shots that left Vader lying broken on the floor.

To add further injury, Owen grabbed onto Vader’s legs, lifted them up and locked in the Sharpshooter. Already dazed, Vader barely felt the lock on him as Owen kept up the pressure while the rest of the Hart Foundation continued pounding on Vader, showing no mercy. By the time they finally stopped, the ring was full of officials as they attempted to help Vader as the big man was unconscious, lying in a pool of his own blood. Finally, the Hart Foundation stepped away from Vader and raised their arms in victory at their savage act, seemingly having done away with a key rival.

Monday Night Raw, 29th July, 1996:

After the brutal beat down received by Vader, he was nowhere to be found at Raw that week. The Hart Foundation was there in force however, gloating over how they had put Vader down for good. Opening up Raw, the Foundation sauntered down to the ring, Bulldog leading the pack with a smug smile. Ignoring the condemnations coming from the crowd, Bulldog lifted up a microphone to his lips and spoke “Last week, you all saw what happened when someone stands against the Hart Foundation! It doesn’t matter who you are, if you don’t sign up to us, if you don’t match up to our standards, you’ll meet the same fate as Vader and Michaels, out on your arses! And if anyone at the back doesn’t like it, come down and see how long you last!”

Much to everyone’s surprise, the challenge was met by the shattering of glass and the appearance of Stone Cold Steve Austin marching down to the edge of the ring, microphone in hand. After reaching the edge of the ring itself, Austin gave the Foundation a glare before speaking “Now first of all, Stone Cold ain’t no great technician or high flyer like that munchkin you call a brother in law Davey but I’m always willing and waiting to stomp a mudhole in all your asses at every opportunity! If you and your three girlfriends hadn’t taken a cheap shot at Sid to bring him down, you’d all have had your asses whipped all round the arena last Sunday.”

The Hart Foundation ran towards the ropes, calling down Austin to come into the ring. But despite his rough appearance, the Rattlesnake wasn’t a fool “Now I ain’t here to bitch and moan about being beat like a mule last Sunday, even if it took all four of you pink wearing freaks to do it. No, what Austin’s here to do is to make it clear to every last one of you that he’s still around and you’re going to have to a Hell of a lot more than what you’ve already done to kick me out of the WWF.”

Already infuriated at the interruption by Austin, Bulldog leant over the ropes, glaring down at his opponent as he mouthed off to him “You want the Hart Foundation Austin? Alright, you’ve got us! Tonight, all four of us against you! We’ll give you everything you want! The Hart Foundation’s undivided attention!”

Smirking as if he had been handed a big present as opposed to a death sentence, Austin nodded and gave one answer “You can talk all about tonight and the Hart Foundation Bulldog. But here’s Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Foundation, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

The night progressed with various matches that led up to the apparent suicide request of Austin by taking on all four of the Hart Foundation in a handicap tag match. As he came out to meet the Foundation though, Austin was all smiles, evidently looking forward to his bout against his rivals. As the Hart Foundation entered though, they looked to be all business, eager to nip this threat in the bud. To everyone’s surprise, the Foundation also appeared happy to play by the rules at first, Savio Vega being the first man up against Austin, his assault being countered by Austin who proceeded to pound away at the man before throwing him back into the Foundation’s corner, practically ordering him to tag in Bulldog.

Hesitating for a moment, Savio tagged in Bulldog who made a rush for the Texan, the brawler and powerhouse quickly going at it hammer and tongs. Austin got a quick advantage as he gave the boot to Bulldog, sending him into the turnbuckle and letting loose with a series of blows before giving him an Irish Whip into the opposite corner and following up with a clothesline. Unleashing a further assault of suplexes and a piledriver, Austin went to finish it all off with a Stone Cold Stunner, only for his leg to be caught by Bulldog and whipped around to receive a clothesline that almost took off his head.

With Austin down, Bulldog crawled over to the corner and made the tag with Owen who took the advantage over the fallen Austin by going for his knee, obviously weakening him up for what was to follow. To secure the deal, Owen whipped Austin into the Foundation’s corner and distracted the referee, allowing the Foundation to hold Austin down while Bret finally stepped in and unleashed a series of blows to the Texan’s body, striking his torso for all he could. When Owen stopped his distraction, Bret stepped back onto the apron, leaving a weakened Austin.

Now taking Austin further apart, it seemed that the Foundation was to gain another victory when Sycho Sid and Jake Roberts stepped onto the ramp and descended towards the ring, gaining the attention of the referee and causing Bret to send out Bulldog and Savio to block the big man’s entrance. Sid merely glared at the two as they stood, prepared to fight if he made another move. As the referee was also shouting out to Sid, ordering him to leave the ring, Ahmed Johnson popped through the crowd, pulling Bret off the apron and unloading with a blow that sent the Hitman right to the ground. Owen noticed this and turned around to help his brother, only to be pulled back round straight into a Stone Cold Stunner. Calling for the referee, Austin pinned Owen and managed to get a three count, gaining a victory over the Hart Foundation.

The announcement of the victory made both Bulldog and Savio turn, only to be clobbered from behind by Sid and Jake. The brawl escalated as the Hart Foundation soon took a beating from their foes, Raw ending with the bodies of the Hart Foundation strewn across the ring and outside, their enemies standing over them in a momentary victory.

Monday Night Raw, 12th August, 1996:

Since the handicap match on Raw had ended in the crushing of the Hart Foundation, the retaliation had been brutal with every show having a slew of attacks by the Hart Foundation against practically everyone on the WWF roster. Asserting their dominance, the Foundation struck against anyone who crossed their paths, whether previously stood against them or not.

The string of attacks had brought a large number of challenges against the Foundation’s dominance with many itching to get revenge against the group. In a special announcement, Gorilla Monsoon confirmed the title bouts for SummerSlam, with the Smoking Gunns getting their wish and putting their titles on the line against Owen Hart and Savio Vega. Ahmed Johnson made his claim for vengeance by putting his title on the line against Bret Hart. Bulldog didn’t escape as he had hoped, a match being booked against an opponent to be revealed that night on Raw.

The match to determine the number one contender was the main event with Sycho Sid taking on a mystery opponent. Bulldog made his way down to the ring to aid with commentary (Or at least that was his excuse) and quickly shut up once Sid came down to the ring, grinning down at Bulldog as he looked forward to getting a chance at the Championship. Bulldog’s reaction was nothing however compared to when Vader’s music rang out through the arena and the big man walked down the aisle, fully recovered and ready for action. Bulldog stopped any commentary short as Vader stepped into the ring, giving the Champion a deathly glare as he geared up to fight.

The bell rang and both Vader and Sid locked up, testing each other’s power with Sid shoving Vader away, gaining the first victory in that contest. Another lock up occurred and Sid once again shoved Vader away, this time following it up with a clothesline that sent Vader down to the floor. Sid proceeded to overpower Vader for some time, evidently proving that he was not completely over the beating the Hart Foundation had given him. Bulldog’s confidence grew as he saw Vader being slowly wound down by Sid, the pounding weakening the big man as his resistance got weaker and weaker.

Signalling for his Powerbomb, it appeared that Sid had the match in hand, picking Vader up from the canvas and getting him into position for the manoeuvre. At the last moment however, Vader found the strength to lift up Sid and slam him down into the canvas with a spinebuster. Taking the time to get his breath back, Vader crawled over to the ropes as Sid rose back up, quickly going over to Vader to bring him down once again only to suffer a punch to the guts. Slowly, Vader rose to his feet as he landed blow upon blow on Sid, weakening the giant until he managed to get up and hit him with a clothesline that left both on the floor, Sid from the attack and Vader from exhaustion.

Slowly getting to his feet, Vader piled on his advantage, sending Sid across the ring with his attacks. As this went on, Bulldog got more and more nervous until Vader sent Sid into a corner and got ready for the Vader Bomb. Getting up, Bulldog rushed up to the side of the ring and started shouting at Vader, distracting him. As Vader got into a verbal match with the Champion, Sid managed to his feet and launched his attack... giving Bulldog a boot right down to the face and sending him down to the concrete floor. Sid turned back to the corner, only to be tackled by Vader as he gave his opponent a flying shoulder block, making Sid tumble down to the floor and land on Bulldog.

As the referee started the count out, both Sid and Bulldog got to their feet, Sid taking the opportunity to give Bulldog another big boot to the jaw only for him to look up and see the ref signal the count out, handing Vader the victory. Sid took a moment to digest that before exploding in fury, taking his anger out on Bulldog by grabbing him and throwing him into the ring, yelling at Vader not to wait until SummerSlam. Vader, still groggy nevertheless grabbed Bulldog as he got up, getting ready to deliver a pounding on him when the Hart Foundation began to run down to the ring only to be ploughed into by Sid with Austin soon running down the aisle to join the brawl.

In the ring, Vader grabbed a hold of Bulldog, eager for the revenge of refusing his challenge and trying to put him out of commission. For a moment, it seemed revenge was at hand when suddenly Bulldog planted a kick right between Vader’s legs, bringing the big man down long enough for Bulldog to get out of the ring and hop the guard rail. Vader got up in time for Raw to end, promising that there would be nowhere to run come Sunday as the Hart Foundation beat a similar retreat to the back.

SummerSlam, August 18th, 1996:

The sold out crowd exploded as SummerSlam ’96 started, the card of the evening stacked with great matches which went from the Championship matches throughout the night to the first ever Boiler Room Brawl between the Undertaker and Mankind which ended with Paul Bearer betraying the wrestler he had managed for half a decade and securing Mankind a victory. Austin himself managed to secure a victory during the night against Hunter Hearst Helmsley and was interviewed by Doc Hendrix, who was surprised at seeing the Rattlesnake increasingly irate.

“Damn right I’m mad!” Austin snapped at one of Doc’s questions “Ever since Savio Vega joined that little Hart slumber party, they’ve been gunning for Stone Cold constantly. They’ve tried to put me away more times than I can count and still I’ve come fighting back for more. Hell, I beat all four of those sons of bitches at once and what did it get me? Damn squat! Now Vader, I know you’re a tough son of a bitch and you’ve been through Hell, but if you don’t beat Bulldog later tonight, you can damn well bet I will instead! In fact, just to make sure the Harts don’t go hiding from Stone Cold, tonight, I’m gunning for them!” And with that, Austin left with his threat intact and a very confused Doc Hendrix.

From then on, the night belonged to the battles of the Hart Foundation as Owen and Savio started things off by going for the Tag Team Championships against the combined force of the Smoking Gunns. The two quicker men dominated the Champions at first, Owen and Savio working over Bart Gunn with lightning fast tags and athletic double teaming, making the bigger man slam to the mat painfully each time. The domination of the match ended however when Bart reversed an attempted hurricanrana by Owen into a powerbomb, knocking both men out on the canvas. They stared to crawl towards their respective corners, Owen slapping the tag on Savio who in turn ran into Billy who was also tagged and gave Savio a clothesline for his worries.

Billy dominated both Owen and Savio for a while as Bart joined in and planted Owen with a double back drop. A swift pin only got a two and Savio gained a second wind as he leapt at Bart, knocking him out of the ring and a brawl started between the two. As the referee tried to get them to stop, Owen gained a quick advantage with a low blow on Bart, sending him to the mat and quickly snapping on a Sharpshooter. As Savio drove Billy into the steps, taking him out of the picture, Bart received no respite from the manoeuvre and was forced to tap out. With the Gunns finished, Owen and Savio held their new Championships high, gaining one victory for the Hart Foundation.

The battle for the Intercontinental Championship was between the powerhouse Ahmed Johnson and the excellence of execution, Bret Hart with both men determined to bring home the gold. The match began and went on as a conflict between the strength of Johnson and technical prowess of Bret, neither man getting too much of an advantage until Bret was thrown to the ground but managed to recover and yank Johnson straight into the turnbuckle by his tights, stunning the bigger man temporarily. Bret quickly took advantage of the situation, bringing Ahmed down with a blow to his knee as he started to surgically take apart the limb piece by piece.

As Johnson was slowly taken apart by Bret, the crowd started to erupt as Austin stalked down the aisle, heading right at Bret while shooting his mouth off. Bret saw Austin get close to the ring and momentarily broke off his attack, keeping a keen eye on the Rattlesnake while resting on the ropes, entering a battle of insults with him. So caught up with Austin, Bret didn’t notice that Johnson had gotten back to his feet until he felt his opponent strike his back and sent him over the top rope out over onto the concrete. As the referee cautioned Johnson for his attack against Bret while he was on the ropes, Austin waited until Bret got to his feet before delivering a direct Stone Cold Stunner to the excellence of execution, giving Bret a two fingered salute before walking down the aisle, smirking all the way as the referee turned around and counted out Bret, handing Johnson a victory and making the count for the Hart Foundation one all.

With the matches now out of the way, the main event was about to begin where Bulldog would defend his title against Vader. Vader entered the arena to a mighty applause as he went straight to the ring, eager for revenge against the Bulldog and to make himself Champion. Bulldog entered on his own, only stepping into the ring reluctantly while less than happy about what was to take place. After the referee checked both for foreign objects and rang the bell, Bulldog and Vader stared each other down in the middle of the ring, Bulldog looking like his nightmare had come true and Vader showing his psychotic smirk that only added to Bulldog’s fear. Unable to take the tension anymore, Bulldog let loose with a punch that was blocked by Vader and gave the Champion one of his own, starting the match proper.

The match that followed was one that would be remembered as a classic in SummerSlam’s history as the expected total domination by Vader never came. Instead, Bulldog matched his Vader’s strength with his own and surprised quite a few by showing his technical prowess, reversing Vader’s moves several times to lock on sleepers, stretches and managed to even lift Vader into the air with a suplex that made thousands of bulbs flash across the arena. Vader countered Bulldog’s technical skills with his strength and being lighter and quicker on his feet that most people had seen him in a long time, running from the ropes and hitting Bulldog with a cross body slam at one point, Bulldog only getting his shoulders up nano-seconds before the referee made a three count.

The crucial point of the match came when Bulldog tried to whip Vader into a corner only for the whip to be reversed a total 180 degrees and straight into the referee, crushing the smaller man into the turnbuckle. With the referee now out of commission and Vader getting ready to finish off the Champion, the Hart Foundation made its move as Bret, Owen and Savio ran down to the ring and attacked Vader, beating the larger man down as they attempted to take him out. It wasn’t too long however before the crowd cheered as Sid, Johnson and Austin also came down to the ring and started an all out brawl with the Hart Foundation, soon emptying the ring as the fighting went out onto the concrete.

The ring was now empty except for Bulldog, Vader and a slowly recovering referee who rose to his feet as Bulldog picked up a weakened Vader and scooped him up to his shoulder, attempting his signature Running Powerslam only for Vader to escape and throw Bulldog into the corner; following him as Bulldog fell onto his back. Vader scrambled to the second rope and without ceremony, jumped off and planted Bulldog with a Vader Bomb, getting the three count and the roars of the crowd as the bell was rung at the victory.

Rising to his feet, Vader pumped his fists into the air, soaking in his victory as he held the belt high. The Hart Foundation would soon be after him once more, he knew that and even then there would be others wanting his Championship. But for them, Vader would be ready, it was his time. It was Vader time.

Excerpt From ‘The Rise and Rise of the WWF’ (2003):

“White’s title win was perhaps the best move the best move the WWF could have made during 1996, especially in the aftermath of his brief feud with Jim Hellwig. An established monster and highly popular, both among the fans of the WWF and WCW, who, despite being there at the start of the very popular NWO angle, actively soaked up an old WCW star holding WWF’s highest title. The match with Davey Boy Smith was an excellent way to end his title reign, it being temporary at most but the SummerSlam main event was an excellent way to get both men over as the ultimate in dual strength and technical style of match.”

“With the Hart Foundation angle still ongoing, the opportunity to build up new stars was taken with the built up Steve Williams becoming one of the company’s newest, most popular stars as his promos got him over as a ‘bad ass’ and would later become the key component of the Attitude Era which built up in 1997. Mick Foley also got a boost in notoriety for his part in the Boiler Room Brawl, advancing to a major heel in the WWF, a factor that would pay dividends for him in 1997.”
 
Monday Night Raw, August 19th, 1996:

To no one’s surprise yet everyone’s delight, the Hart Foundation started off Raw looking more than slightly dejected from their losses. Only Savio and Owen displayed any sort of bravado as the Tag Team Championships were draped over their shoulders. Jim Cornette stood amongst the Foundation as they arrived in the ring, his face full of thunder “An outrage!” He screamed into his microphone “That’s what last night was! An underhanded attempt by the WWF to end the careers of the most talented men in this here company! Stone Cold Steve Austin, no doubt at the behest of Gorilla Monsoon stole Bret Hart’s chance at being the new Intercontinental Champion! And when he was right on the cusp of victory, Bulldog was mugged by clear interference by low class company stool pigeons!”

Working himself into a fury, Cornette started to pace back and forth across the ring as he spoke “This is the worst kind of conspiracy ever seen in the WWF! We have four men here, a collection of the greatest athletes in the history of our great sport and the WWF is content to hold them down while ill bred, drunken hicks like Austin, and fat worthless piles of crap like Vader are held above the rest! Well no more! As manager of the Hart Foundation, I hereby give an order to Monsoon to give the Hart Foundation its rightful shot at retaking the gold so that we can prove to everyone that the Hart Foundation is the only group in this company worth a damn!”

Amongst the howling of the crowd, Gorilla Monsoon did make his way down the aisle towards the ring, warily keeping to the edge to avoid another beating “Well Jim, I hate to argue but as far as Vader is concerned, he beat Bulldog in a straight one on one match, despite the best attempts by the rest of the Foundation. And before I accept any challenges towards the title, we must first consider who has the greater claim against Vader. As we all know, a former World Champion has the right to claim another shot at the title. The only problem is Cornette, that you have two former Champions, and Vader can’t face them both at once.”

It took only a moment for both Bulldog and Bret to catch onto what Monsoon was talking about. Bret had lost his Championship against Shawn Michaels, but had never gone for a rematch. The smile on Monsoon’s face grew wider as the realisation sank in “You see gentlemen; you both have the right to go for the Championship. But the question is which of you will go first? Now I’m known as a fair man so I’ll ultimately leave it to you to decide but I want to know soon. I do have a company’s future to plan for after all.”

With those words, Monsoon left the ring, leaving Jim Cornette screaming after him and Bulldog and Bret looking at each other, both realising what they’d have to do to get another shot at the title. The tension was fairly thick even as the Foundation left the ring, dissension well and truly spread in the ranks.

Monday Night Raw, September 2nd, 1996:

Pressure upon the Hart Foundation had been building through the weeks as not only was Cornette left to make a tough decision regarding the number one contender but Stone Cold Steve Austin was still making his presence known with an attack on Bulldog during one of his matches, promising the Hart Foundation worse. Also much to Cornette’s dismay was Vader outright ignoring the Foundation, focusing on other challengers as he called out anyone who wanted a shot at the Championship. Also happening at Raw was Undertaker looking out for revenge against Paul Bearer and Mankind for their actions with a rematch coming up at the next pay-per-view.

Gorilla Monsoon, already not on the best of terms with the Foundation, gave Cornette a time limit for the night. Either he would name which one of the wrestlers he managed as number one contender or Monsoon would make his own match at the pay-per-view with the Foundation. Throughout the evening, both Bulldog and Bret put pressure on Cornette to name them as the number one contender, Cornette putting the decision off until the end of the night when he was to meet Monsoon in the ring and name his choice out of the two.

Cornette made his way down slowly towards the ring, obviously still in two minds about the whole affair. Or, as is revealed when he started talking, three minds “I just want to say Monsoon that what you’ve done here is cowardly, underhanded and a clear sign you’re terrified of the Hart Foundation! You should be ashamed for the attempt to...!”

The rant was quickly cut off however when Monsoon got right into Cornette’s face “I’ve gotten pretty tired of your hot air Cornette. So choose, is the number one contender Bulldog, or Bret?”

There was a pause before Cornette slowly raised the microphone to his mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Bret Hart’s music sounding around the arena. The Hitman made his way down to the ring, looking more than a little disgruntled as he grabbed a microphone and started speaking “You know something, I’ve had it up to here with your crap Monsoon. You try and split apart the Hart Foundation with your bullcrap, send your little pet Austin after us and now pull this trick to split is up? Well it ain’t gonna work Monsoon! Because I can tell you right now that Davey Boy’s stepped aside and Cornette’s already decided that I’ll be the one facing Vader! Isn’t that right?”

Before Cornette could answer, Rule Britannia stared throughout the arena and Bulldog stalked down the aisles, his face full of thunder. The moment he got into the ring, he was up in Bret’s face “What do you think you’re doing, saying I’ve stepped aside?!” He demanded.

Bret held his hand up, somewhat defensively but also looking as if he was dismissing his brother-in-law “Davey, all I meant was that you know as well as I do that you respect me enough to know that I’ve earned my shot at the title. I was screwed out of the belt in the first place, I was denied my rightful rematch and I was the one who helped you retain the title in the first place! Now I don’t want to get into a fight with you Davey, just stand aside and I’ll give you the first title show once I win it from Vader.”

For a moment, it seemed as if Bulldog wouldn’t back down, his fury matching Bret’s cool gaze. After that moment though, he slowly raised the microphone to his mouth to speak “Bret, I have always respected you as an athlete and as a family member. But...” Bulldog gave a look round the audience as some started to call out for Bulldog to slug his brother-in-law before he resumed talking “But don’t expect me to give you an easy ride when you give me that title shot.” He held out his hand for a shake which Bret returned, both men smiling at the deal.

“Well boys, I have to admit, that was very touching.” Monsoon said as he looked up to check his watch “But I’m afraid the time limit is up. You had your chance to decide Cornette but now the matter is in my hands. I’ll be the one to decide what matches will take place for the pay-per-view.”

Fury quickly spread across the faces of Bulldog, Bret and Cornette with the manager protesting while Bret quickly grabbed Monsoon by the throat, pushing him into the corner. Just as it seemed Monsoon was in for another beating, the crowd erupted as they saw Vader rush down the aisle to sort out his would be contenders. Unfortunately, Bulldog saw the Champion and rushed to meet him, both men trading fists until Vader was blindsided by Bret who had let Monsoon go. Just as it seemed Vader was in for a double team beat down, the crowd burst into cheers once more as Stone Cold Steve Austin ran down the aisle, attacking Bulldog while Vader got the upper hand on Bret with both Hart Foundation members being sent over the top ropes to the floor. As Raw ended, Bulldog and Bret retreated, both swearing revenge against this insult.

Monday Night Raw, September 9th, 1996:

Gorilla Monsoon’s decision regarding the match between Vader and the number one contender was not just controversial with the Hart Foundation, but also with the Champion himself, Vader. As Doc Hendrix discovered when he attempted an interview with the big man “Who does Monsoon think he is, trying to say who I can fight?!” Vader demanded “I won this Championship by being the best in the business! I said it before, I take on all comers, anyone who thinks they can win this title, I’ll fight them! Even if every member of the Hart Foundation wants a piece of me at the same time, let them! It’s my time Monsoon! And I will not back down for anyone!”

Such sentiments were echoed by Steve Austin when he was interviewed, showing every sign of anger “Now Stone Cold might just be a heavy drinking, plain speaking tough SOB but I know that Monsoon don’t have to be pulling no tricks to screw the Hart Foundation. Hell, I kicked all four of their asses before SummerSlam and will do it again if they step out of line. But I also know Vader’s a tough SOB just like me and he can take care of them without Monsoon playing his little games. And if he wants that pink wearing slumber party out the way, he don’t need to look further than Stone Cold to stomp a mudhole in their asses.”

The tension between Austin, Vader and the Hart Foundation only increased when Austin was given a match with Own Hart, a task he took to heart as he beat the younger Hart brother around the ring. Only interference from Savio Vega prevented Austin from winning an outright victory straight away. Despite the best efforts of Savio however, Austin managed to hit Owen with a Stone Cold Stunner to get the victory, prompting the Tag Team Champions to jump Austin the moment he started to celebrate. The beat down was cut short however as Vader rand down the aisle, returning the favour Austin gave him the previous week by helping him throw the Tag Team Champions out of the ring.

With open warfare taking place between the six men, Gorilla Monsoon went out to the ring towards the end of the night to announce his plans “In light of recent events involving the Hart Foundation, I have decided on a main event for this month’s upcoming pay-per-view. As both the Hart Foundation and their rivals have attempted to mess around with each other long enough, I feel that they should get their chance. To that effect, Vader and Stone Cold Steve Austin will be facing Bret Hart and the British Bulldog in a tag team match!” The crowd warmed to this idea, the Foundation’s two biggest rivals facing the former Champions “But that’s not all,” Monsoon went on “Should the Hart Foundation win, whoever makes the pin or submission for the victory on either of their opponents shall be named the number one contender for the World Championship!” The announcement was greeted with enthusiasm by the crowd and backstage, fury by the Hart Foundation.

Monday Night Raw, September 16th, 1996:

With the main event set in motion for the upcoming In Your House, other events were also named as Undertaker’s revenge against Mankind was delayed in order to finally bring his long running feud with Goldust to an end, Mankind himself was paired against Sycho Sid to see if he could take on another of WWF’s big men, Ahmed Johnson was to defend his title against Farooq and the Tag Team Championships were up for grabs with Owen and Savio facing a rematch from the Smoking Gunns.

A stacked card was something to look forward to and the last Raw before the pay-per-view saw action all the way through as each competitor clashed in some form or another. The main event saw Bret Hart taking on Sycho Sid as his technical skills were matched by Sid’s own size and strength advantage. As the match raged on and Sid started to gain an advantage however, the rest of the Hart Foundation came out, ready for interference as they attacked Sid, giving him the DQ victory. The attack was stopped however when the Smoking Gunns, Stone Cold and Vader rushed down to the ring to even the odds. As the eight men brawled outside the ring, a recovering Sid was attacked by Mankind led by Paul Bearer. The chaos only increased when the Undertaker started to come down the aisle, chasing Mankind and the last image from Raw was an unprecedented and chaotic brawl.

In Your House: Strike At The Foundation, September 22nd, 1996:

Strike At The Foundation would prove to be a highly successful PPV for the WWF and the card lived up to the hype as each match went off flawlessly. The match between Undertaker and Goldust put an end to their rivalry as the Dead Man hit the movie obsessed rival with a Tombstone Piledriver and gained the pin, glaring into the camera afterwards and swearing revenge against Mankind, starting that night.

The Tag Title defences were met with Savio and Owen once more using their speed and skill as a counter to the greater strength of the Gunn brothers. Bart was soon isolated and taken slowly apart with Owen using his technical skills to take apart Bart’s legs, weakening the bigger man for the upcoming assault. Minutes of domination were stopped short however as Bart reversed an attempted DDT by Savio into a spinebuster and gained the tag with his brother. Billy rushed into the ring, landing punches on both Savio and Owen as he gained some measure of revenge for his brother’s beating. Dragging Owen over to the corner, Billy tagged in his brother to finish off a weakened opponent, not noticing that Owen rushed up from behind him and clobbered the bigger man out of the ring before he nailed Bart’s knee with a viscous kick. Owen dove out of the ring to keep Billy occupied while Savio managed to lock on a single leg Boston Crab, forcing Bart to once more submit under the pressure.

The two lead up matches to the main event saw Johnson successfully defend his title against Farooq despite some attempts at breaking the rules as Johnson powered through it all. The Mankind and Sycho Sid match saw Sid seeing his power advantage erode in the face of the madness of Mankind. Coupled with the interference of Paul Bearer as he struck the larger man with the urn while the referee’s back was turned, Mankind soon latched on the Mandible Claw, scoring a knock out win. Before any celebration could be had however, the arena plunged into darkness and a knell was tolled. From the darkness came the Undertaker as he pursued both Mankind and Paul Bearer into the crowd, eager for vengeance.

With the under card finished, the main event began with Bret Hart and the British Bulldog making their way down to the ring, seemingly not fazed by the number one contender spot up for grabs. Austin and Vader made it down as a pair, not even waiting for the bell to ring before starting to brawl with their opponents. After a minute of back and forth beat downs, the match finally started with Bulldog and Austin in the ring, exchanging blows with each other with Austin soon gaining the upper hand.

After tagging with Vader, the big man went to work on his former opponent, dominating him with a series of slams that left Bulldog aching and softened up for Vader to tag in Austin once more. This momentum was brought to a screeching halt however as Bulldog managed to turn the tables by avoiding a clothesline and hitting Austin with one of his own, scrambling over to the corner to make the tag. Bret soon took advantage of Austin’s weakness by going to work on him, dissecting the Rattlesnake with his technical prowess while Bulldog made sure Vader was kept back with cheap shots that forced the referee to keep an eye on Vader while the Hart Foundation double teamed Austin during the distractions.

The pendulum swung once more however as Bulldog was once more tagged in and attempted a piledriver on Austin only to receive a back body drop for his troubles. Taking the opportunity, Austin tagged in Vader, Bulldog going to do the same only for Bret to lean back as he saw the big man charge down towards their corner. Vader’s wrath was unleashed solely on Bulldog as Bret dropped to the floor, not wanting to tag in until the Foundation had the advantage. Bulldog himself was thrown around like a ragdoll, Bret only making the save when Vader went for the Vader Bomb.

Having gained a second wind, Austin tagged Vader as he stepped back from Bret’s attack and went outside to charge after him. Vader was too caught up to see he’d been led into a trap until Bret caught him with a drop toe hold right into the steel stairs. In the ring, Austin pulled Bulldog up to prepare for a Stone Cold Stunner only for his leg to be caught and be pulled in for a small package. The referee made it as far as a two count before Bret, seeing his chances of a title shot crumble, grabbed the referee’s leg and yanked him out of the ring before the three count could be made. Letting go of his hold, Bulldog looked through the ropes in shock at this move, shouting at Bret to demand what he was thinking only for Bret to point out that he was to be number one contender, not Bulldog.

Before a retort could be made, Bulldog was yanked around by Austin and hit with a Stone Cold Stunner. Vader had also recovered enough to blindside Bret with a clothesline, making him unable to interrupt the count this time as Austin gained the three count, securing the victory over the Hart Foundation. As Vader and Austin celebrated over a prone Bulldog, Bret was left outside, realising that his actions had been for nothing and that would now have to deal with no title shot and a furious Bulldog...
 
Monday Night Raw, September 23rd, 1996:

The night after In Your House saw the Hart Foundation more divided than ever as Bulldog was supremely sore regarding Bret costing him the match and Cornette trying to limit the damage made the previous night. To patch things up between the two, the match before the main event saw Bret taking another shot at the Intercontinental Championship and Bulldog was to be in his corner. The tension between the two however was not to be solved simply by teaming up as Bulldog’s resentment from Bret costing him his victory simmered over.

Things came to a head when Bret planted a spinebuster on Johnson that rattled the ring. As Bret went for the cover, Bulldog grabbed onto the referee’s leg and yanked him from out of the ring. An outraged Bret screamed down at Davey Boy, demanding what he was thinking as Bulldog answered that he was returning the favour. As he leant through the rope to get into Bulldog’s face, he left himself vulnerable to a brutal shot to the face from his erstwhile ally. The bell rang out as the referee signalled for a disqualification, awarding Bret the match but not the title as the two men began to brawl at the side of thing, neither getting the advantage as Owen and Savio soon rushed to ring side to pull the two men apart.

With Bulldog and Bret in the back trying to sort out their differences, the stage was set for the main event of the night as Vader was continuing his ‘anytime, anyone’ match style as he took on Goldust in a non title bout. The golden wrestler soon found himself outmatched by the big Van Vader but before the finishing touch could come, a distant figure was seen hurtling down the aisle, his body hunched as he dived underneath the ropes and started attacking Vader from behind. With his brown rags as clothes and insane squeals, Mankind landed blow after blow upon Vader before sticking his Mandible Claw down the larger man’s throat. Despite being surprised however, Vader managed to retain enough strength to wrench Mankind off him and hurl him through the ropes to the outside.

Before Vader could follow through to finish off Mankind however, he was distracted by Paul Bearer climbing onto the apron and screaming doom and woe at Vader. The Champion raised his hand to give the fat little traitor a blow to the face only to be stopped as Mankind rushed back into the ring and belted Vader over the back of the head with a chair. Vader stumbled to the mat as Mankind dealt him another blow to the head. When the Champion was down, Mankind quickly locked on the Mandible Claw once more, burying it deep into the gullet of the Champion for minutes, not stopping until he was physically torn off by several officials. Raw ended with Mankind and Paul Bearer walking down the aisle in triumph and Vader slowly getting to his feet in the ring.

Monday Night Raw, September 30th, 1996:

The ramifications of the previous Raw were felt from the outset as Bret made his way down to the ring at the start of Raw, a face like thunder and he grabbed a microphone and started to rant “You know, normally I’d be down here making my claim to the WWF Championship. A Championship I was screwed out of and that Gorilla Monsoon would rather put on a fat, hideous tub of lard rather than the excellence of execution. But tonight, I’m here about another matter entirely. When I came back to the WWF, I did so at the behest of my brother Owen and my no good brother-in-law Davey. I was begged, on bended knee to come help Davey, to save him from the conspiracy of the WWF, that they were trying to hold him down and take the title away from him.”

A sneer went across the Hitman’s face at those words before he continued “I saved you from losing your Championship at King of the Ring Davey! And this is the thanks I get? For you to screw me right out of the Intercontinental Championship and try and claim a title shot that is rightfully mine for yourself? You rose to become Champion on the Hart name Davey and you have the audacity to spit in my face?! Well no more! You want your shot at the title Davey? Then you’ll have to go through me!”

Before Bret could go on, he was interrupted by the chords of Rule Britannia echoing throughout the arena as Davey Boy marched down to the ring, Jim Cornette right behind him pleading with him to stop. Bulldog ignored Cornette however and grabbed a microphone before getting in Bret’s face. The two men stared each other down; ignoring Cornette’s continued protests as Bulldog brought the microphone up to his mouth to speak “You’re damn right I want my title shot Bret. I earned it by beating the man who took your title, by putting him out of action while you were too busy sitting at home sulking. I asked you to come here to the WWF to help because I knew Monsoon was going to be gunning for me for taking out this company’s golden boy. All you had to do was help the Hart Foundation become the major power in the WWF. I wanted you to become a part of it Bret. I was even willing to stand aside and let you have the shot at Vader. But you, in your arrogance decided to take that from me. Like you said Bret, I want my rightful title shot. And if I have to go through you, then so be it. Tonight, I’ll be making my case as number one contender to Gorilla Monsoon. And if you try to get in my way, I’ll break you in half.”

A break was had and by the time Raw returned, both men had left the arena to make their case to Gorilla Monsoon. Events overtook them however as in the back, as Vader prepared for a bout, he was attacked once more by Mankind under the guidance of Paul Bearer who called out to the insane man, telling him to continue the attack. Vader tried to defend himself but the surprise as well as Mankind using chairs, tables and whatever else came to hand to beat the bigger man down to the ground. Vader was eventually left on the ground, bloodied, battered and with the question of number one contender unanswered.

Monday Night Raw, October 7th, 1996:

Due to various injuries sustained by the savage beating from Mankind, Vader was not at Raw but his attacker was. And with Paul Bearer at his side, Mankind delivered a promo explaining his actions “You wanna know why I went for Vader? Why I chased after his fat form twice? Hit him, bloodied him and humiliated him twice? Because he has something I want. That shiny, SHINY GOLD Belt! That Uncle Paul says I deserve for destroying that lanky, stinking pile of crud called the Undertaker! I want it so bad; it’ll be so smooth, so wonderful to look at! Isn’t that right Uncle Paul?”

The pale man nodded in satisfaction at Mankind’s answer before chiming in “You see here before you the quality that the Undertaker lacked, the quality that even though I tried my best to give him, he just couldn’t hack. The quality of a true Champion. I gave my all to bring Undertaker up to the highest levels a man could make in this World. And despite working my fingers to the bone, despite doing everything I could, he just couldn’t cut it. But Mankind can, as he showed you all when he took down that hideous freak Vader last week. He deserves a shot at the title for doing something no one else has ever done. He took down the two supposed biggest monsters in the WWF. My challenge to Vader is to give my Mankind the shot at the title he deserves to see who truly the greatest monster in the WWF is.”

Such a challenge was met later on in the night as Stone Cold Steve Austin came hot off a match to give his opinion on matters “Now Stone Cold ain’t one to hold much of a grudge against someone who he ain’t yet fought but that fat piece of crap Mankind must be dumber than I thought if he thinks he’s got himself a title shot before me. I went against the Hart Foundation and beat them. And not three weeks ago Stone Cold pinned a former Champion right in the middle of the ring. Now if Mankind thinks he’s earned a title shot from a few cheap shots, then he’s just earned himself a grade A ass kicking from Stone Cold instead. And maybe I’ll manage to beat some sense into him and a couple hundred pounds of that tub of lard Paul Bearer while I’m at it.”

Monday Night Raw, October 14th, 1996:

With the attack upon Vader and four men making a claim to the number one contender slot, everyone waited in anticipation to see who he’d choose to be his opponent. At the end of the night, Gorilla Monsoon invited Austin, Bulldog, Bret (Who were accompanied by the rest of the Hart Foundation and Jim Cornette) and Mankind (Accompanied by Paul Bearer) with him to the ring to await the Champion’s decision as to who he would face at the upcoming In Your House. The crowd erupted into cheers as Vader made his entrance, Championship belt slung over his shoulder as he went down the aisle and into the ring.

Bret stepped forward in front of Vader, starting to lay his claim onto the title shot only to be roughly shoved aside as the big man zeroed in on Mankind, striking him across the face and throwing him over the top ropes in some measure of revenge, Paul Bearer having fled to ringside the moment Vader started to rush at him and his protégé. Grabbing the microphone from Monsoon, Vader glared down at the two retreating assailants “You want me Mankind?! You got me you pile of crap! This Sunday I’ll smash you and that fat ass of a manager into the ground! And when I’m through with you, the Undertaker’s gonna have to scrape what remains off the ground if he still wants a piece of your stinking carcass!”

As Paul Bearer and Mankind retreated to the back, Vader focused on the Hart Foundation “As for you two, I don’t care which one of you faces me afterwards. Just stop your whining and get too it!”

Before either Bulldog or Bret could protest, Monsoon stepped forward to reassure them “To avoid further confusion regarding the number one contender slot, this Sunday you two will face each other in a match to determine who will face Vader at Survivor Series. Despite your relations with one another, I do hope you can have a competitive match.” The ironic smile on Monsoon’s was stopped short as Austin immediately got into the smaller man’s face, a snarl etched across it as he snatched the microphone from him.

“And what about my title shot you decrepit old moron?! Stone Cold’s beaten one of your former Champions and if I don’t get my rightful shot, I’m gonna unleash a can of whoop ass right here and now!”

Monsoon held up a hand to calm Austin although the Rattlesnake was far from settled “Despite your accomplishments Austin, both Bret and Bulldog do have the greater claim to a number one contender and as Mankind was selected by Vader to be his opponent, you’ll have to bide your time. But, since you have ratcheted up an impressive string of victories since you gained the King of the Ring title, this Sunday, you shall face Ahmed Johnson for the Intercontinental Championship! Should you succeed Austin, then it could be the stepping stone to get your own shot at the Championship.”

Despite such a claim, Austin looked less than happy at being denied his chance at the big time. As Raw ended, the six wrestlers in the ring regarded each other with cool distaste, the tension thick as Sunday was set to explode.

In Your House, Mind Games, October 20th, 1996:

The stacked pay-per-view was eagerly anticipated and the crowd was electric as the card gained their excitement. Stone Cold Steve Austin had his chance at the Intercontinental Championship against Ahmed Johnson while the Tag Team Titles were also on the line as the Godwinns were set to challenge Savio Vega and Owen Hart for the titles. To finish were the two highly anticipated matches that made the main events, British Bulldog against Bret Hart for the number one slot at Survivor Series and Vader against Mankind for the WWF Championship. Amongst the other matches though, one figure was noticeable in their absence, the Undertaker.

It was the Tag Team Championship match that kicked off events, the Godwinns own size and strength being bested by the speed and agility of the Hart Foundation although it seemed that the division between the Foundation had an impact as the Champions seemed distracted at times and let more than one opportunity pass them by. An attempt by Owen to hit Phineas with a Spinning Heel Kick went awry however as the Godwinn ducked and Savio was instead clocked by the Kick, sending him down to the mat. As Owen looked down in shock, the Godwinns took advantage of the distraction and struck Owen down with a double clothesline and threw him out of the ring before Phineas hit a leg drop on Savio and gained the three count, earning the hog farmers the Championships. As the Godwinns left the ring to celebrate, they left Savio and Owen in the ring, arguing over whose fault it was that they had lost their titles, an argument that was only settled when Savio belted Owen across the face, sending him down to the ground before leaving in disgust.

Stone Cold Steve Austin’s shot at the Intercontinental Championship was seen as divisive as both he and the Champion were clear fan favourites. The match started with the crowd divided and continued on that way as the two men brawled, Johnson’s strength meeting Austin’s tenacity in the middle of the ring. In a back and forth brawl that had more to do with each man’s toughness as opposed to technical skills, the victory finally came as Johnson went for the Pearl River Plunge only for Austin to reverse it with a backdrop and as Johnson got to his feet, he was hit with a Stone Cold Stunner, gaining him the three count and becoming the new Intercontinental Champion. As Austin celebrated, Johnson stalked up behind him, glaring down at the title. Austin turned and for a few moments, both men glared at each other before Johnson offered a hand to shake. Austin paused before taking it and giving a firm, if short shake. Johnson grinned and the cameras managed to catch a challenge for a rematch, something which Austin nodded too.

The match before the main event was something everyone was looking forward to even without anything much of a protagonist. The two matches Bulldog and Bret had previously had been remembered as classics and most were hoping this would turn out the same. When both men were in the ring, the bell rang and the faced each other down, Bret breaking the stalemate by landing a strike on Bulldog and the match was on. Bret got the clear advantage at first as he kept Bulldog down with a series of submission holds and strikes to his legs, weakening the stronger man continuously. After going for the Sharpshooter, Bret found the tables turned as Bulldog kicked up, sending his brother-in-law flying onto his back, sending him back down with a clothesline.

With the match in Bulldog’s favour, he showed his own technical expertise at every opportunity, attacking Bret with a series of locks, holds and submission moves to weaken Bret but at every opportunity Bulldog found his weak legs being struck by Bret to gain either time or an advantage and all attempts at an offensive were halted. With a particularly bad kick to his knee, Bulldog was sent down and Bret made his move, locking on the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. The move was on tight with Bulldog unable to move towards the ropes and it seemed Bret’s victory was imminent. Bulldog however, refused to give in and through sheer power and determination, rose up to his hands and kicked out of the move, sending Bret face first into the mat.

The two men slowly got to their feet as the referee managed to count up to eight before both men rose up. Turning around, Bulldog gave Bret a shocking punch to the jaw that Bret returned with one of his own. The punch-counter punch went on for some time before Bulldog dodged with a duck, slipped around and picked Bret up for a devastating powerslam that managed to get a two count. At his wit’s end, Bulldog slowly got to his feet, dragging Bret to the corner in order to perform a Running Powerslam. He managed to hoist Bret onto his shoulder and take two steps before collapsing on his weakened legs, Bret landing on his hands and knees, quickly getting back up and leaping over Bulldog, catching his body and pinning his shoulders to the mat with a cradle pin for the three count and victory.

Foregoing his celebration at his victory, Bret watched as Bulldog exited the ring, slamming his fists in frustration at losing the match before starting to hobble away. Bret however, grabbed a microphone and called out “Davey! Don’t go yet! Don’t let that decrepit old fool win! Why do you think we were put in this match? It’s because Monsoon and the WWF are scared of us. Hell, they’re terrified! Because they can’t stand the thought of us succeeding. You beat Shawn Michaels, you put their golden boy out of commission and so the suits upstairs want us to fail in wiping this stinking company clean of the scum like Vader and Austin! Don’t walk away Davey or they win, and we’ll have to spend the rest of careers watching chumps with no talent get the shots that we’ve earned! That we deserve! We can make this work Davey, are you still with me?”

Bret stepped out of the ring, walked out to Bulldog and held out his hand, almost begging for his brother-in-law to accept it. The crowd howled down, wanting Bulldog to slap it away, to spit in Bret’s face. Much to their dismay however, Bulldog accepted the handshake before embracing him, reconciled. Smiling despite the scorn heaped upon them, Bret and Bulldog held their hands up in victory at this new chapter before heading towards the back after an exhausting and classic match.

The undercard done, the only remaining match was Vader against Mankind. The challenger entered first, accompanied by Paul Bearer. When Vader’s music rang out, the big man ran down the aisle, paying little attention to the cheers of the crowd as he zeroed in on Mankind, starting to pummel him the moment he reached the ring. Mankind offered little in the way of resistance at first, Vader’s assault giving the sick minded man all the pain he could take. Only with a jab to the eyes and a brutal tackle to the knee was Mankind finally able to gain some footing. Seemingly taking his cue from Bret Hart’s earlier match, Mankind attempted to go after Vader’s legs to weaken the big man. His attack however was stalled by the ferociousness of Vader who continued to power on through.

As Mankind was manhandled, Paul Bearer grew more and more nervous until he managed to trip Vader as he ran into the ropes, causing the big man to turn around and attempt to grab the manager, wanting to unleash his wrath upon him as well. Mankind took the opportunity to clobber Vader from behind, sending him crashing down onto the ground. Mankind followed and proceeded to pummel Vader into everything handy, the stairs, the tables and the ring all met Vader’s head at devastating speed. Mankind sent him back into the ring before the ten count was reached and followed suit, using whatever assault he could to weaken Vader further.

Although he was down however, Vader was not out. Every pin was kicked out of and he would not stay down for long. Seeing his chances slip away, Mankind went in to lock the Mandible Claw only for Vader to grab onto his hand, stopping the attack mid-way and slowly pushing the hand backwards until a violent shove sent Mankind off his feet and rolling into the corner. With his second wind now upon him, Vader charged into Mankind, crushing him between his bulk and the corner, the smaller man falling down to the mat as Vader set up, and hit the Vader Bomb to earn the victory. With the title in hand, Vader held it up in victory, not noticing Paul Bearer sneaking up until the urn struck him in the back of the head. Vader stumbled, but righted himself and turned on Bearer, grabbing him to land a punch.

By this time, Mankind had recovered enough to charge at Vader, knocking his knee away from him and sending him to the ground before grabbing the urn and clubbing Vader across the head with it. Amazingly, neither the bell ringing repeatedly, nor the protests of a short man in a striped shirt made the maniac reconsider his actions. As he rose the urn for a third strike however, Mankind stopped as the lights were turned off and a bell tolled throughout the arena. Both Mankind and Paul Bearer looked down the aisle to see the Undertaker slowly walk towards the ring, vengeance clearly in mind. Cutting their losses, Mankind and Paul Bearer exited through the crowd with Undertaker in tepid pursuit. The night ended with Vader rising to his feet, holding the Championship belt in celebration, battered, but victorious.

Conversation Between Vince McMahon And Pat Patterson, October 11th, 1996:

“You really think Dwayne’s ready for the big time?”

“Trust me on this. He’s green but with enough experience, he’ll go far.”

“Thought you’d say that. We’ll start him off strong, give him something to do with the current Hart storyline. Third generation wrestler, we can make something of that.”

“Sounds good. We debuting him as Flex Kavana? He’s really against using his family name for the job.”

“Keep Kavana. Sounds good as a heel. Hopefully he’ll make something of himself here.”
 
Monday Night Raw, October 21st, 1996:

Kicking off the night’s matches was a bout between Owen Hart and Savio Vega as the two men went to settle their grudge from last night. The crowd showed no favour to either man but did look forward to see the Hart Foundation tear itself apart in some fashion. They were to be disappointed however as before the bell even rang, Bret and Bulldog started to make their way down the aisle, microphone in Bret’s hand as he caught the attention of the two in the ring “Enough of this! Enough damnit! Don’t fall into the trap Monsoon set us!”

The words were enough to bring the two men in the ring to a halt as Bulldog and Bret made their way in, stepping between Owen and Savio “Can’t you see what this is all about? We banded together to bring down the WWF and the dead weight it carries around and look what they’ve done to us! Monsoon had me and Davey fight over a number one contender’s spot that should have been ours in the first place! He kept us distracted while you guys had to lower yourself to wrestle with a bunch of pig farmers! A bunch of inbred morons who got lucky one time when you were distracted! Are you going to let one setback tear you apart? We’re the Hart Foundation damnit! No one will stop us from doing what we set out to do and we will drag the WWF up to the pinnacle of the wrestling industry! Now are you going to let yourselves tear each other apart or are you going to work with me and Davey to bring Monsoon and the rest of this stinking pile of garbage they call a federation?”

Bret gave both Owen and Savio a glare, as if daring them not to agree with him. After an awkward pause, Savio extended a hand out to Owen, a gesture that was slowly returned, the two men giving a firm but short shake. With that, Bret turned to the crowd, grinning in an obscene fashion “You failed! All you fat, ugly pieces of crap failed! All of you useless slobs would have loved to have seen us split apart; the Hart Foundation is here to stay! And as of tonight, we’re staking our claim on every belt in the WWF! We shall own this company and when we do, Austin, Vader and all you others out there who don’t measure up, you’re out on your asses! From now on, the Hart Foundation shall reign supreme!”

Together once again, the Hart Foundation walked to the back amidst jeers from the crowd to make plans for their ascension to glory. As Raw progressed, the threat of the Foundation striking again was enough to make many wrestlers keep a wary eye open in case of an attack. The only one not apparently affected by previous events was a newcomer by the name of Flex Kavana. Introduced as being from Hawaii and the first third generation in the WWF, Kavana impressed the crowd in his opening match with Marty Jannetty, his skills green but showing as he managed to make his mark against the more experienced man. In the midst of the match, all eyes turned down to the entrance of the arena as Bulldog walked out into the aisle, peering down to the ring as the match went on.

Bulldog’s appearance instantly sent Jannetty into jitters as he kept an eye on the Foundation member, worrying about an ambush from the rest of the stable. This distraction was enough for Kavana to capitalise on as he hit Jannetty with a devastating DDT that got him the pin. Celebrating in the ring at his first victory, Kavana didn’t see Bulldog smile and nod at the young star’s victory, gears working in his head.

Monday Night Raw, October 28th, 1996:

After the reformation of the Hart Foundation, the one major target in sight was none other than Vader. Despite In Your House not even being two weeks previous, the build up to Survivor Series was beginning in earnest as Bret Hart finally had his chance to reclaim the WWF Championship, the Hart Foundation at his side. The night resumed apace with Mankind and Paul Bearer once more being chased out of the arena by Undertaker who challenged his rival to a match which would truly determine who would rest in peace.

Along with this, Flex Kavana made his second appearance on WWF television by taking on Leif Cassidy who was out for revenge for his partner’s loss the previous week. The match started with a see-saw struggle before once more, Bulldog entered the arena and watched the proceedings, this time bringing Bret with him. Both members of the Hart Foundation watched as Leif Cassidy proved unable to best Kavana as the third generation wrestler planted a shoulder breaker on Cassidy and secured the win. This time however, Kavana saw the Foundation members and stared at the two as Bulldog motioned towards the victorious young man while Bret nodded.

In the main event, those watching witnessed a title defence that saw Vader demolish Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Before Vader could celebrate however, the Hart Foundation made their way down to the ring, Cornette in tow and microphones in hand.

Stepping up to Vader, Bret’s look of contempt for the big man was plainly visible and the tone in his voice reflected this completely “It’s been a long five months, hasn’t it Vader? Five months since I first came back to this company. Five months since I decided to end the filth and waste in wrestling. And I admit, in those five months, we’ve had our share of setbacks and they’re all because of you. You’re the one who turned his back on the Hart Foundation! You’re the one who put his own ambition in front of everything else! And now, you stand here, the symbol of everything wrong with this industry! You’re a fat, ugly, hideous brawler! You can’t wrestle! Hell, all you need to do is sit on someone and you’ve got them pinned! You’re a disgrace! And a Survivor Series, in front of the entire World, I will prove to everyone that we are the pinnacle of everyone who has come before us and that I am the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be!” Bret got close into Vader’s face, maintaining his hard look “And you won’t stop me fat man. Anything to say?”

Ever silent, Vader let his body do the talking as he gave Bret a punch so hard it sent him to the mat and scurrying for the outside. The rest of the Foundation followed once Vader laid out Owen with a blow. The big man’s blood was up and he was willing to go through the entire Hart Foundation if he had too. Rather than face the big man however, the Foundation retreated for the night, letting that one victory go in preparation for what was to come.

Monday Night Raw, November 4th, 1996:

In a bid to stop the newly assertive Hart Foundation, the Survivor Series card was mapped out with not only Bret going for the WWF Championship but a traditional Survivor Series match with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ahmed Johnson, Jake Roberts and Sycho Sid being their opponents. A problem arose in their being only three remaining members of the Foundation but rather than be assigned a partner, the Foundation had already marked out one of their own choosing.

Making his way down to the ring for his third match on WWF TV, Flex Kavana was ambushed by the New Rockers before he made it to ringside. Both men had wanted to avenge their losses against the rookie and had challenged him to a handicap match, a challenge that was eagerly accepted only for Kavana to learn that not all wrestlers played nice. The New Rockers flung Kavana into the barricades numerous times and battered him before sending him into the ring, the match officially starting.

Starting on such a bad setting, Kavana was treated to a further pounding in the ring as the New Rockers took their time to dissect Kavana piece by piece. They were met by resistance however as the young wrestler fought back as much as he could although each time his momentum was cut off by an attack from the illegal tag partner. After sometime of dominating the match, the New Rockers gave a cut-throat signal to show the match would end. Cassidy climbed to the top ropes while Jannetty secured Kavana’s head between his legs in preparation for a spike piledriver.

The plan went awry however when Jannetty was blocked in his attempts to pull Kavana up, instead being lifted up, his legs grabbed by Kavana and left dangling upside down while Kavana drove him into the corner, sending Cassidy down to the hard ground below before Kavana bent over fast, using the momentum to slam Jannetty down to the mat and hooking his leg to gain the three count and the win. The moment the announcement of victory was finished, Cassidy slid into the ring and struck Kavana from behind while he was celebrating, driving him into the corner and stomping on him, Jannetty following suit when he finally got to his feet.

What neither man saw however, was the Hart Foundation making its way down to the ring, Bret carrying a package under his arm. Taken by surprise, the New Rockers were taken down by Bulldog, Owen and Savio, receiving an almost unwarranted level of punishment as the three beat them up, Bret helping an astonished Kavana to his feet. After all but destroying the New Rockers, they were flung aside like trash as the Foundation stood aside and waited Bret to make his pitch to Kavana, smiling benevolently while he did so.

“First things first here, I gotta say that you may be as green as grass but you’ve done well so far Flex. Alright, the New Rockers aren’t anything much at all, last time Jannetty held a Championship; you were still a freshman in a backwater college somewhere. But you went up against both and despite them cheap shotting you; you landed a nice victory here. Of course, that’s exactly what I expected from you since Davey Boy pointed you out. Third generation wrestler, one Hell of a legacy to your family’s name and you’ve got plenty of potential Flex, trust me, I know this sort of thing.”

“But what I came out here to say is that you’ve got the potential to rise above the slobs in the back, you can rise to the same level as the Hart Foundation, be among the true elite of this industry. Join with us Flex, and your name will stand with Sammartino, Steamboat and the Harts. We can help you to greatness Flex, you can become the legend your father and grandfather never were.” Bret placed the package so it was leaning against his leg before holding out his free hand “Just say the word Flex, and you’ll become the legend you deserve to be.”

For a long moment, Kavana considered the offer, the crowd chanting down for him to refuse, not wanting yet another wrestler to be corrupted by the Foundation’s influence. A cry rose up from their throats as Kavana raised his hand, and grasped onto Bret’s, giving it a firm shake. The rest of the Foundation applauded while Bret let go of the handshake and handed the package over to Kavana “Since I knew you’d make the right choice, here’s a token of good taste.” Bret said as Flex opened the box, revealing a black and pink stylised Hart Foundation leather jacket. For a moment, the look of incredulity on Kavana’s face was clearly visible before he forced himself to smile, a smile that became noticeably strained when he slowly put it on due to the encouragement of the rest of the Foundation. Raising his arms with the rest of the group, Kavana gave one real smile as he was accepted into the elite Hart Foundation, making himself a target along the way.

Monday Night Raw, November 11th, 1996:

In the final Raw before Survivor Series, The Hart Foundation geared up towards its Survivor Series by having two tag matches against their opponents, Bulldog and Kavana faced Sycho Sid and Jake Roberts while Owen and Savio took on Austin and Ahmed Johnson. Before either match went on however, Doc Hendrix managed to catch up with Flex Kavana and asked why he had betrayed the WWF.

“Betrayed?!” Kavana spat out at Doc “What in Hell do you think you’re talking about, betrayed? You must have forgotten who you’re talking too. I am Flex Kavana, third generation wrestler. I came to the WWF because I was told it was the greatest company in this industry. That I would find opponents like no other. And what did the WWF give me? A washed up old has been and a moron dressed as an 80’s reject! I deserve better damn it! I am Flex Kavana, my father and grandfather helped build this industry and I did not come here to be insulted! So when Bret Hart came to me, offered a place by his side as a part of the Hart Foundation, a family and group with almost as much history as my own, why should I have turned it down? The fact of the matter is, I see my future as the greatest Champion this company has ever seen and I will accomplish that. With the full support of the Foundation behind me, there’s no way I can fail.”

The promos out the way, the first tag match started with Bulldog and Kavana up against Sid and Roberts. Despite only being in the Foundation for a week, Kavana seemed to fit well within the tag team system, he and Bulldog keeping Roberts weakened with some good teamwork and quick tags, keeping him isolated from Sid. Kavana’s inexperience showed however when an attempt to throw Roberts into the corner was blocked several times before Kavana threw him back with all his might, only for the move to be reversed as he was sent careening into the opposite corner, giving Roberts the time to slip over to Sid and get the tag.

With Sid in the ring, the tide definitely turned for the worst against the Foundation as he threw Kavana and Bulldog from post to post. A kick at the big man’s knees managed to stop his onslaught as Kavana and Bulldog used this to their advantage, going for his knees with various strikes. Bulldog was pulled away by an avenging Roberts however, getting struck to the ground and pushed out of the ring as Kavana’s attempt to give Sid’s knee a chop block were reversed as Sid stamped down on the rookie’s back before picking him up and hitting him with a Powerbomb to get the victory.

The second tag team match saw the Hart Foundation really taking it to their opponents, bending the rules to breaking point to keep Ahmed Johnson isolated from making the tag to Austin. They hadn’t reckoned on the Intercontinental Champion being there to also dish out his own lack of respect for the rules of the WWF. More than once Austin charged round the ring and attacked whoever was on the Foundation’s side, dishing out enough punishment to weaken them. It was during the third such attack that Johnson managed to gain a second wind, pummelling Owen Hart with punches and driving him into the corner with such force that he stumbled back towards Johnson and straight into a Pearl River Plunge that scored the victory, leaving the Hart Foundation at a loss running up to Survivor Series.

Before the main event of a one on one with Bret Hart taking on Mankind, the Undertaker delivered his own promo regarding the upcoming match and Survivor Series “Mankind, Paul Bearer. Both have you have struck me hard, dragging me down to the Abyss from your betrayal and ruthless attacks upon me. Paul Bearer, you have said that I wasn’t the monster you hoped I would be but you were wrong. I have called upon the darkness like no other time before to defeat you and the rambling imbecile Mankind. This Sunday, at Survivor Series, we shall see who shall be the only survivor in our Buried Alive match. And I guarantee that when it’s all said and done, both of you shall rest... in... peace...”

The match between Mankind and Bret Hart was pre-empted by an announcement that was greeted by cheers from many. Finally recovering from his injuries, Shawn Michaels was set to return at Survivor Series as a commentator before coming back to the ring full time the following Monday night, something that Bret took in bad grace as he entered the ring “Hey Shawn, it’s a real shame you’re coming back. The WWF sure as Hell’s been a much better place without you. But you can be rest assured that the Hart Foundation,” Bret gave a sardonic smirk before going on “My own little clique, will come after you. And when we’re done Shawn, you’re going to wish you never came back.”

Bret’s match with Mankind barely got around to starting before Paul Bearer attempted to interfere by grabbing at Bret’s leg. Such tomfoolery was not appreciated by the Hart Foundation however as the four remaining Foundation members quickly made their way down to ringside to prevent a third loss that evening. They were followed by none other than Vader, Championship belt over his shoulder as he watched as the Foundation chased off Paul Bearer into the crowd, leaving Mankind high and dry for a beat down on the outside that even the referee noticed, earning the disqualification. Ignoring that, the Foundation continued to pound on Mankind before throwing him out of the ring, celebrating as if they’d actually won a match.

“Is that what I have to face?!” Vader shouted down a microphone, finally earning the attention of the Foundation “You couldn’t even beat Mankind in a one on one match? You’re pathetic! I’m going to save myself the trouble of Sunday and beat you down here and now!” With that, Vader dropped his microphone and rushed to the ring, evil intent in his eyes. Despite a brave attempt however, the number game was against him and after taking a few knocks, the Foundation turned the tables, charging him into a corner and keeping him there with a volley of blows.

Just when it seemed everything was lost for Vader, a figure jumped out of the audience and slipped into the ring, the crowd cheering as Savio Vega turned around and ate some Sweet Chin Music. Kavana turned around only to be struck down by another kick from the Heart Break Kid. Realising reinforcements had come, the Hart Foundation bailed from the ring, Bret looking up and his face contorting with rage at seeing the man who he had declared his nemesis, Shawn Michaels. It appeared that the Hart Foundation’s past actions were coming back to haunt them.

Survivor Series, November 17th, 1996:

With such a build up leading into Survivor Series, the crowd was electric with three events in particular highlighting the night. First was the Survivor Series match between the Hart Foundation and the WWF wrestlers. Second was the Buried Alive match which many hoped would finally bring an end to Mankind’s insanity. The final match was for the WWF Championship as Bret Hart challenged Vader for the title, a match that had been long awaited since SummerSlam.

Starting off the main events was the Survivor Series as the Hart Foundation made their way down to the ring as a group with Cornette ever by their side while the WWF wrestlers came down individually. Starting off strong, the WWF wrestlers sent out Sid, who grinned like a maniac as the Foundation descended a quick argument to decide who went out to face him. Much to his consternation, Kavana was quickly shoved out to the front as the others held back at the corner. Sid soon went to work at Kavana, dominating the rookie with a series of slams and throws that left him broken on the mat. Left with little other option, the only chance Kavana gained was when he leant against the ropes, pulling them down as Sid charged at him, managing to send the big man down to the ground.

While Kavana hammed up his injuries to distract the referee, Bulldog managed to grab a chair and ram it into the kneecap of Sid, sending him down to the ground while Kavana got to his feet, letting the referee turn around to make the count out on Sid. Once the ten count was reached, Kavana held his arms up in celebration, distracted so much in his victory that he didn’t see Jake Roberts until the elder man had walked up behind him, spun him around and planted Kavana into the mat with a DDT, gaining the pin. As he regained his senses, Kavana exploded into a rage at having been put away by Jake Roberts of all people. He immediately got into Jake’s face raging on about how he got lucky, an accusation that was answered with a slap that sent Kavana spinning to one knee. Before it could go on however, Jake was charged down with a clothesline by Owen Hart and Kavana was forced from the ring partly by the referee but mostly because Sid chased him out of the arena, having recovered from the chair shot and was eager to get some revenge against any member of the Hart Foundation.

With the teams down to three each, Jake proved to be a weak link for the WWF wrestlers. Outdone by the younger opponents, Jake still managed to put up a fierce resistance, reversing several holds and moves so that he had some leverage but was always brought down by a run in or cheap shot from his opponents that stopped his momentum. After being worn down for some time, Jake was finally pinned after a Spinning Heel Kick from Savio put him down for the count. Before the Foundation could celebrate however, Austin charged into the ring, striking Savio, Owen and Bulldog before they could even react. Focusing his rage on Savio, the Foundation member found himself the victim of a brutal pounding around the ring while attempts to interfere from Owen or Bulldog were met in kind by Ahmed charging at them.

Thrown into the WWF corner, Savio stumbled back out before walking straight into a Stone Cold Stunner that allowed Austin to gain the pin and even the score. Now down to a regular four man set up, the Foundation started to get jittery and Owen found his technical skill little match against an opponent that seethed with rage and another who was one of the WWF’s foremost powerhouses. It seemed for a moment that Owen was also set to be eliminated when Ahmed set him up for a Pearl River Plunge only for the smaller man to find the energy to wrap him up in a small package, gaining a sneak three count.

With only Austin left and a fresh Bulldog stepping into the ring, it seemed that the WWF camp was in deep trouble. Austin came out fighting though, barrelling into Bulldog as if he had nothing to lose. Despite the numeric advantage and Bulldog’s own freshness, Austin ploughed right into him, forcing him back under an almost overwhelming assault. A rake of the eyes eventually put a stop to that and after sending him into the Foundation corner allowed Owen to cement the advantage with a firm chokehold. Tagging in Owen, Bulldog gave a final whip to Austin as he and Owen performed a double back body drop onto the Intercontinental Champion.

Owen pressed the advantage on a beaten Austin, using various holds and grips to wear down the legs of the Rattlesnake. Just as it seemed the end was nearing as Owen went to lock on a Sharpshooter, Austin bent his knees and kicked Owen into the corner, getting up in time for the Hart brother to stumble back into a Stone Cold Stunner and a pin to be eliminated. The score was now even and Austin grinned at Bulldog, looking like his namesake completely as he waited for his final opponent to get into the ring. Bulldog held back though, forcing the referee to take action at this refusal to step in, demanding the Bulldog get in or be disqualified. This however was just a distraction as the referee didn’t see Owen slide back into the Ring and wallop Austin around the back of his head with Cornette’s tennis racket, causing him to stumble onto his hands and knees.

Taking advantage of this, Bulldog quickly got into the ring, picked up the prone Austin and hit him with a Running Powerslam, gaining the pin and a hard fought, but highly tainted victory. The crowd hurled down abuse at the lone victor although he ignored it and walked back down the aisle, leaving Austin to slowly recover in the ring, glaring daggers at his opponent for cheating him out of his victory.

The second of the main events lacked anything largely to do with a wrestling match as the Undertaker and Mankind looked to settle their differences in a wholly new fashion of cruelty for the sport. Starting in the ring, the two men unlashed their insanity upon each other, beating each other senseless first in the ring before going down the aisle and out into the back, the camera following the brutality as the two foes made their way through the arena. Their destination was a mound of earth outside of the arena, piled up with a grave dug in it, the title of the match giving away its objective. The sheer brutal attacks Mankind and Undertaker dealt out on each other matched and even surpassed that of their Boiler Room Brawl battle at SummerSlam.

By the time both men had reached the outside to where the mound lay, they were both bloodied and bruised, hatred for each other driving them on for victory. A chokehold and a chokeslam by the Undertaker onto the soil quickly put Mankind in a weakened position as he was dragged up to the top of the mound, Undertaker preparing to put him into the grave when a histrionic voice was heard, by the camera as well as the Undertaker “Don’t do it!” The camera and Undertaker turned to see Paul Bearer at the foot of the mound, glaring up at his former protégé “You can’t win Undertaker! Mankind is only one of mine! The Fires of Hell contain the other!”

At those words, Undertaker dropped his grip on a recovering Mankind and looked shocked, as if he was unable to believe what he was hearing. The distraction was all that was needed for Mankind to grab the shovel sitting beside the grave and strike Undertaker across his head with it, sending him down into the open ground. Broken shovel in hand, Mankind proceeded to bury the Undertaker utterly, pushing the dirt into the grave, filling the grave up utterly as he was declared the victor. Stumbling down the mound after his dark deed was done, Mankind held his arms up in victory. As he walked away from the mound with Paul Bearer, neither man noticed the ground slowly being pushed up and a glove clad hand rising above the soil.

With the undercard now done with, the focus switched back to the ring as the main event was set to begin. Vader was the first to make his way down to the ring, looking eager for battle against Bret. Bret himself made his way down to the ring without the rest of the Foundation, also looking eager to lay his claim on the Championship. There was no pause as Bret got into the ring; both men went at each other with punches right in the centre of the ring. It was Vader’s own raw strength that carried this moment however and Bret was forced back into a corner, Vader striking him across the face one last time before sending him crashing into the opposite corner with an Irish whip.

Vader proceeded to bombard Bret with power moves, not letting the smaller man rest and use his technical skill. Bret finally managed to escape from Vader’s wrath momentarily by slipping out of the ring and retreating some way. He was soon chased by the Champion however and Bret found himself being thrown into the barricades and the announce table. Seeing his old foe being manhandled, Michaels was unable to resist the temptation to get into his face and taunt him about the beating he was receiving, an action which prompted a slap to Michaels’ face. The former Champion proceeded to lunge at Bret, forcing the referee and Vader to stop him to prevent a disqualification. A distraction that Bret took advantage of by striking the back of Vader’s head with the bell hammer he had grabbed and shoving the big man into the ring.

Although the pin he had attempted didn’t get the three count, the advantage was definitely in Bret’s favour as he kept the big man on the ground, working his mat skills to prevent him from recovering. Despite the constant pressure from Bret though, Vader refused to stay down, every hold and move eventually being broken out of as Vader dipped into his deep wells of strength. Frustrated, Bret decided to end it all by locking on the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring, keeping the hold and locking on tight, showing no signs of letting go as Vader writhed underneath him. For several minutes, the hold was kept and Bret screamed down at the Champion to submit. Vader refused though, pushing himself up on his hands and going deep into his reserves of will, pushed his legs back, sending Bret sprawling to the mat.

Bret pounded the mat in frustration before getting an idea. As the referee checked up on Vader, Bret went over to the corner, untying the padding around the turnbuckle. He was stopped just before he could finish by the referee who had seen his actions and stepped in. An argument erupted between the two as Vader got to his feet, saw his chance and charged right into the corner. Bret however managed to side step while the referee was knocked to the ground, not seeing Bret rip off the rest of the padding, grab a stunned Vader and slam his face straight into the metal, splitting the big man open as he fell to the ground and Bret made the pin. Over the screams and protests of the crowd, the referee crawled into place and slapped the mat three times, signalling the pin and giving Bret his fourth Championship.

With a bleeding Vader slowly getting to his feet, he was set upon by the Hart Foundation who had come out to celebrate, sending the big man out onto the ground before lifting Bret onto the shoulders of the Foundation, proclaiming their dominance as the pay-per-view ended.

Excerpt From ‘A Backstage History of the WWF’ (2006):

“Survivor Series 1996 was a mixed bag as far as the WWF concerned. A successful PPV, it nevertheless marked the return of Shawn Michaels and the division the backstage suffered because of it. The five months Michaels had been out with his injuries had allowed a great deal more freedom with main event storylines due to not having to deal with Michaels’ ego and he had actually fallen out of the golden boy status he had enjoyed before the injury itself. At his return however, Michaels didn’t seem to realise that and expected to be pushed right back to the main event to his former status. Added to this was his own paranoia regarding Bret Hart, the ‘own little clique’ comment hitting a nerve with Michaels as memories of the antics of the Kliq causing him worry for his own career. Bret was not innocent in the regard as various comments in interviews and backstage certainly gave enough hints to the idea he’d be happy to use his position to send Michaels right back to the mid-card.”

“If one positive thing came out from the PPV was the new direction taken for Aurelian Smith Jr. (Jake Roberts) as he was set to have a minor feud with Dwayne Johnson (Flex Kavana). Although WWF’s management were looking for a way to bring Smith more into the backstage side of the business, his work with Johnson during this period would do a lot to stem this thought as they both put on stellar work.”
 
Monday Night Raw, November 18th, 1996:

In the aftermath of Survivor Series, several challenges still awaited both the Hart Foundation and their opponents. First and foremost of this was the arrival of Shawn Michaels making a return to the WWF, coming down the aisle at the start of a show microphone in hand “Well they huffed and they puffed but they couldn’t blow the Heart Break Kid down!” He announced triumphantly to the World “It’s been a long while but I’m back in the WWF and first order of business for Shawn Michaels is to bring down the Hart Foundation. Now while the WWF has done its best against Bret Hart and that bunch of groupies of his, they need someone who has actually beaten Bret on their side. And who better than HBK?”

Smirking in a superior manner, Michaels went on “You see, while Vader’s a monster and Austin’s a tough son of a gun, neither of them has beaten Bret. Who else can really say that they’ve gone toe to toe with Bret for over an hour and come out on top? Oh, and Bret? The crowd didn’t stab you in the back; they just didn’t want to cheer for a whiny loser who runs after being beat once. They want a true Champion. And once I reclaim my gold, they’ll have him. So, Bret, why don’t you come down here and we can settle this man to man?”

Shawn glared down the aisle, giving every indication that he wanted Bret to come and confront him now. A challenge that was answered in full when the entire Hart Foundation made their way down to the ring, Bret leading them with the title draped over his shoulder. As he reached the ring, Kavana went over to fetch a microphone for Bret, handing it over with some reverence before Bret started talking “Well look at what the cat dragged in. At least you’ve managed to recover from your little boo-boos there Shawn.”

A look of rage went across Shawn’s face, unchanged as Bret went on “You know, I’m glad you’re back in a way. It means I can beat you down once again and there’ll be no bias to help you this time Shawn! I’ll take pleasure in breaking you in half.”

As the two men got into each other’s faces, tension rose throughout the arena as many expected a brawl to kick off then and there, something that was only stopped as Gorilla Monsoon appeared at the end of the aisle, microphone in hand “Now wait just a minute! Shawn, while I’m glad you’re back, I cannot, in good conscience, send you straight into the lion’s den with a match against Bret Hart. Nor can I overlook any claim Vader might have to the title.”

“Don’t give me that Monsoon!” Michaels exclaimed “Five months I’ve been sitting at home! Five months since Bulldog forced me to lay back and watch him and his little group run this place into the ground! I need this shot! After five months of being out because Davey Boy gave me a cheap shot, I’m owed that much damnit!”

Monsoon waited until Michaels was done, and, after a moment’s pause answered “I can see your point Shawn. You are owed a shot, the WWF owes you that much at least. However, I cannot send you straight into the fight. So, to make sure you are ready for the main event once more, you shall take on every last member of the Hart Foundation except Bret over the next few weeks. If you win all of your matches, you shall have a shot at the number one contender spot at In Your House against Bret Hart!”

Waiting for the crowd to calm down, Monsoon carried on “And you start tonight with a bout against Bulldog!” The announcement was cheered and as Raw went to commercial, the last sight was Shawn and Bret glaring at each other, both eager for the other’s blood. When Raw came back onto the air, only Kavana was left in the ring, a microphone in his hand and looking fierce.

“Now before this show goes on and you people cheer for the fat slobs you seem to love instead of the true athletes in this business, I’ve got something to say.” Kavana paced around the ring, looking obviously agitated as he went on “Now as you all know, last night at Survivor Series, I was ambushed from behind by an old drunk and he managed to get a cheap win!” A small cheer started throughout the crowd that Kavana quickly shot down “You people can shut up right now! It was a cheap win! Just after I took care of a 6’11 giant ape who couldn’t tell a bodyslam from his ass, I was stunned by the smell of cheap liquor and the funk of someone who hasn’t changed his tights since I was born! And while I was reeling from the septic smell of that geriatric old fool, he puts me into a DDT, further weakening me from the stench of whatever in the Hell oozes out from his armpit before slamming me to the ground! Now when I protested this turn of events, this ambush on all five of my senses, he then had the audacity, the audacity! To slap me in my face! Me! Flex Kavana, third generation superstar and soon to rise to the top! I’m not just here to challenge, I’m here to demand to Jake right now, come down to this ring right now so I can give you the beating I should have given you last night!”

Looking down the aisle, Kavana licked his lips before going on “Now I didn’t want the Hart Foundation out here with me for two reasons. First of all, those two nobodies I spent my first three weeks beating post to post would still be able to beat you; even if they would wear a gas mask to fight off the fumes you give out! Second of all, I’ve heard what the people are saying, what the nobodies in the back are saying. That I can’t beat you. That I’m too young, too inexperienced to go toe to toe with the Jake Roberts. Well I’m saying right here and now that that’s a bunch of crap! I will not leave this ring until I have proven everyone wrong! That I am the better man! So, Jake, get your drunken self out into the ring so we can settle this!”

Kavana once more started to pace the ring, waiting for Jake to come. After a moment, the veteran’s music started and Jake came down the aisle, something different about him. This didn’t seem to be the old, tired Jake that crowds had seen recently, an old glint was in his eye that hadn’t been seen for some time. As he entered the ring, Kavana went on another tirade “Oh! You’re here! About damn time! You want me to go get you a Zimmer frame so you make it to the ring faster? Come on old man! I’ve got other things to do tonight.” By now Jake had gotten face to face with Kavana and was giving him an evil eye as the younger man went on “And don’t you try any of your lame little tricks! You think you can get the better of me? Well I’ll tell you-!”

The words were cut short however as Jake snapped his hand up and slapped the microphone right out of Kavana’s hand, sending it skidding across the mat. His eyes bugging out, Kavana took a step back as Jake raised his own microphone to his mouth and started to speak “You talk far too much for a man who has so little to say. You come out here, you run your mouth, you say how you’re a third generation wrestler, that you deserve the best.” A sneer crossed Jake’s face at that “How about instead of whining about what you think you deserve, you go out and earn it.”

Before Kavana could make any sort of answer, Jake went on “You say how your father and grandfather helped build this industry, how they were greats. I fought your father; I met him in this ring. He was a decent man; he didn’t rely on contacts to get him anywhere. So why do you? You come in here, with your sense of entitlement, trying to take the easy way to the top. Your ambition blinded you, led you astray into the arms of a pack of wolves where they use the talent you honed for their own gains. You really think Bret wanted you on because he was impressed? He wanted you because he was terrified of the threat you might become! Turn away from those who would hold you back, you can become great without them.”

For a moment, Kavana paused, actually thinking about what Jake was saying before taking a hold of Jake’s hand and pulling it and he microphone to his mouth “You want to get away from a beating old man? You’re going to have to a lot better than that!” With those words he unleashed a strike to Jake’s face and the brawl was on. Taken by surprise, Jake was forced back into the corner under a flurry of blows, only to reverse the momentum when Kavana attempted an elbow that was dodged as the rookie drove his arm into the turnbuckle. Jake wasted no time as he landed blow upon blow on Kavana, not stopping at all as his attack continued with punches to Kavana’s body and head.

When it seemed that Kavana was in deep trouble, his saving grace came in the form of the Hart Foundation, Bulldog leading the charge back down to the ring. Jake was soon overpowered as Owen, Savio and Bulldog struck him from behind, taking the Snake down as quickly as possible. Assaulted on all sides, Jake went down fast, assailed by fists and boots. As his foe was assaulted, Kavana got to his feet, looked at the three Foundation members as they invited him to join in. Surprising everyone, Kavana merely shook his head and stepped between the ropes to get out of the ring, the beating stopping as the Foundation looked on, more than a little mystified at this attitude.

The action on Raw was just beginning however as Vader finally arrived in the arena later on, the camera focusing on him as he made his way backstage, his face full of thunder at his loss. Before he could make it to Monsoon to make his case for a rematch against Bret Hart however, a brown blur barrelled into him from behind, Vader stumbling as Mankind once more assaulted him from behind, this time with a chair as he hammered down on the big man. Beating him senseless, Mankind screamed out “I’M THE MONSTER!! I AM!! WHY DIDN’T YOU LOSE TO ME!!? I SHOULD BE CHAMPION!!! I SHOULD BE CHAMPION!!!!!!”

By the time Mankind had been pulled away, still screaming protests about he should have been Champion, Vader was a battered mess. It appeared that not only would his challenge against Bret Hart would have to wait, but also that a new threat had arisen...

At the end of the night, the main event of Raw began as a returning Shawn Michaels went against his first challenge against the man who had sent him home for five months. Bulldog himself came down to the ring with the Foundation in tow, a calmed down Flex Kavana by their side as Bulldog got into the ring with Michaels. The match started with both men locking up while the Foundation prowled around the ring like vultures, waiting to strike. The presence of the Foundation unnerved the referee so much that he got out of the ring and ordered them to leave as Bulldog pressed his advantage.

While the argument continued outside, inside the ring Bulldog hit Michaels with a low blow and threw him into the corner, using whatever advantage he could against his opponent. Just as it seemed that Bulldog’s dominance was secure however, Austin came out from the crowd and slipped into the ring, twisting Bulldog around and nailing him with a Stone Cold Stunner before exiting the ring and out through the crowd, the Hart Foundation breaking rank and chasing after him while Michaels quickly made the pin as the referee slipped back into the ring, making the three count.

Celebrating his first victory back in the ring, Michaels still had a long slog ahead of him in the run up to In Your House and any shot at the Championship.

Monday Night Raw, November 25th, 1996:

In the aftermath of last week’s Raw, several questions still remained unanswered. From Kavana’s actions with Jake to the attack by Mankind on Vader, everyone wanted to know what the impact would be. They didn’t have to wait long as the first question answered was Vader arriving in the arena and tearing it apart looking for Mankind. After working up the courage, Doc Hendrix managed to get to Vader to ask him what he was doing.

“What does it look like I’m doing?!” Vader yelled, making Doc jump back “Two times that little freak has jumped me! He puts away the Undertaker and he thinks that gives him the right to get in my face?! Well he’s got my attention! Mankind, you know where I am! And if I have to tear through everything to get at you, you can bet I’ll do it!” With that, Vader resumed his destructive search throughout the arena for Mankind.

As Raw and its matches continued, a bout between Jake Roberts and Goldust was interrupted as Flex Kavana made his way down the aisle and into the ring, making both men pause as they considered what Kavana was going to do. This was answered when Kavana suddenly kicked Goldust in the gut, grabbing his head in a DDT position before leaping and doing a full 180 degree turn before slamming his head down into the mat. Rising up soon after, Kavana glared at Jake, as if daring him to criticise the move. Jake remained silent however, although looking mildly impressed despite being disqualified.

Getting a microphone from outside Kavana spoke, his eyes continuously on Jake throughout “First things first, I didn’t come out here to save you from some golden freak. No, I came out here tonight to make one thing clear. The reason why I didn’t give you the beating you deserved last week is because I don’t need the Foundation to do that. When I get round to kicking your ass, it’ll be on my own. I don’t help against you!”

With that, Kavana threw the microphone down to the mat and got out the ring, shouting back promises to get Jake when he was good and ready only to be met with an evil grin from Jake, his old spirit flaring up once again. It seemed that the challenge was going to be eagerly accepted.

The main event of the night, Shawn Michaels vs. Savio Vega got off to an interesting start as Michaels brought down an ‘old friend’ to the ring, Sycho Sid. Following them was a very nervous Hart Foundation that remained determined to end the threat of Shawn Michaels before it could truly begin. The Hart Foundation found it difficult to press their advantage however as Sid kept moving around the ring to even the odds as Savio was forced onto the defensive in the ring. Events came to a head when from out the crowd burst Steve Austin, chair in hand which soon bounced off the head of British Bulldog. Going to town on the Foundation, Austin was soon joined by Sid as they beat the group down, not noticing that in the ring; Savio ate a Sweet Chin Music and was pinned for the three count. As Raw ended, the Hart Foundation was beaten and bruised inside and outside the ring and Michaels was on a role.

Monday Night Raw, December 2nd, 1996:

Those expecting the revenge of the Hart Foundation against their attackers didn’t have long to wait as a match between Steve Austin and Bodydonna Skip was interrupted by Bulldog coming down the aisle and laying into Austin with a steel chair. A protest from Skip about being disqualified earned him a chair shot for his troubles. After half a dozen hits from the chair, Bulldog grabbed a microphone and stood over the prone body of Austin “You think you’re so tough you bald sod? You’re going against the strongest man in the WWF! I want you and your title sunshine, if you honestly think you can take me!” With that challenge, Bulldog flung down the microphone, it bouncing off Austin as Bulldog left the ring.

Further on through the night, Vader finally found Mankind in the back of the arena, chasing after the mad man and starting a brawl that had to be interrupted by over a dozen officials pulling the two men apart, Vader screaming for his shot at revenge against Mankind whenever he got his hands on the little freak while Mankind himself screamed defiance, claiming that he had killed the Undertaker and would kill Vader in turn.

The excitement of the night wasn’t over however as Shawn Michaels made his way down to the ring with Sid in tow for his match against Flex Kavana. A camera backstage revealed that the Hart Foundation was preparing to go when Austin barrelled into Bulldog from behind, landing a few punches before running off. As the Foundation began to chase after him, Bret shouted behind them for Kavana to head towards the ring and they’d be there later, much to the rookie’s consternation.

Going out to the ring alone, an increasingly nervous Kavana was unable to bring his top game to the match as Sid prowled the ring, grinning like a madman towards the younger wrestler. Michaels soon had the advantage and pummelled away on Kavana, finishing it with a striking Sweet Chin Music, securing him the victory. As Michaels and Sid left the ring, Kavana unsteadily got to his feet to see Jake Roberts facing him from down the aisle, an expression all but saying ‘I told you so’.

Monday Night Raw, December 9th, 1996:

With In Your House only days away, the pay per view’s matches seemed largely secure as Flex Kavana’s challenge to Jake Roberts had been answered, Steve Austin had proven all too eager to get his hands on Bulldog, Sid prepared himself for a Handicap match against Owen Hart and Savio Vega, Vader prepared himself for a rematch with Mankind, while the main event bout all depended on the outcome of the night’s bout between Owen and Shawn Michaels.

Tensions were high throughout the night as clashes between the Hart Foundation and their opponents were felt in the back of the arena, even those not involved found themselves on the receiving end of a Hart Foundation beating with attacks on the Godwinns and Marc Mero being discovered as the night went on. Vader’s own vendetta against Mankind gained a whole new level as the big man managed to land an attack on Paul Bearer during Mankind’s bout with Goldust, setting the fat man to the ground. It looked as the situation was set to explode even before the pay-per-view began.

By some small miracle the competing athletes and factions managed to keep things from exploding and the main event of the evening went on as planned. Owen was accompanied by the Foundation while Shawn brought Sid with him. As Owen squared off against his opponent, true worry was seen on the face of Bret as his brother went toe to toe with his hated rival. Owen kept up with Michaels for the most part, steadily gaining an advantage with a liberal use of straining the rules to their limits. An attempt at the Sharpshooter was denied however as Michaels kicked out of the move before it was locked on, shifting the momentum directly to him.

As Michaels gained the upper hand, Bret gave a signal to the Foundation and Bulldog and Savio rushed round to the side, attacking Sid from behind as he cheered on Michaels. The ensuing brawl captured the attention of the referee who leant over the ropes to try and command the wrestlers to break it up, allowing Bret and Kavana to get into the ring to interfere. Bret got a Sweet Chin Music as he clambered through the ropes while Kavana managed to exchange some blows with Michaels before being tossed out to the mat. On the outside, Sid managed to overpower Savio and Bulldog in time for Owen to eat the end of a SCM and get Michaels the victory.

As Raw ended with Michaels celebrating in the ring, the Hart Foundation retreated down the aisle, Bret glaring daggers at his rival at the fact that their match was only days away...

Excerpt From ‘A Backstage History of the WWF’ (2006):

“The return of Shawn Michaels had fulfilled everyone’s worst fears regarding his prima-donna attitude and demands to be in the spotlight. The roster had been without his attitude for a full five months and enjoyed it. With Michaels back and his paranoia increasing over losing his top spot in the company, even Vince McMahon began to find it unbearable. A threat from Michaels that he would ‘go south’ if he didn’t get his place back in the Sun during the PPV seemed to bring McMahon down to agreeing to the demands while other arrangements were made...”

In Your House, Foes Once More, December 15th, 1996:

The Hart Foundation had been through its triumphs and losses over the last few months and now seemed to be on the cusp of collapse or greatness as a concentrated assault on and by their foes had come to head. The return of Michaels, Bulldog’s grasp for the Intercontinental Championship and the repeated attempts of Jake Roberts to pull Kavana away from the Foundation threatened to come to a head in a spectacular way.

Opening up events was Kavana’s match against Roberts, something the younger man had eagerly looked forward too. When Jake got into the ring, the two faced off with each other, staring down for several moments as they measured the other up. Finally, Kavana unleashed a strike onto Jake and the match started properly as the two traded blows that eventually saw Kavana gain the upper hand, using blows to push Jake into the corner. Taking punch after punch, Jake was weakened enough for an Irish whip into the opposite corner although he dodged the oncoming clothesline and gained the advantage with a series of blows onto Kavana.

Dragging out his opponent to the middle of the ring, Jake unleashed a series of slams and blows that kept Kavana from making any kind of assault. Keeping the younger man on the defensive, Jake managed to use his experience to outwit any attack that Kavana made and reversed it into one of his own. When he went to the finish the match with his DDT however, Kavana managed to slip and turn it into a spinebuster, giving him several moments to recover.

With the momentum switched, Kavana took his boot to Jake, stomping on him before dragging him up and unleashing his own series of moves that contrasted with Jake’s. Kavana’s moves were quick and a little flashy, moving fast to hurt Jake and put him down. Jake signalled for the end after several minutes of this and planted his newly patented 180 DDT. Covering Jake, Kavana gained the three count and the win. Leaving the ring in celebration, Kavana paid no mind to Jake as he got to his feet slowly, receiving applause from the crowd as they acknowledged his effort.

The next match on the card was the handicap bout between Owen, Savio and Sid that saw the Foundation members bicker over who would go first before Savio was sent out as Sid grabbed him and pulled him over the ropes. What followed was Sid powering through both men as they tried to match him but physically ran into a brick wall. So badly were they performing that Flex Kavana made his way down the aisle to help, still looking a bit worse for wear from his previous match.

Grabbing a chair from ringside, Kavana waited until Sid ran against the ropes before striking him in the back with the metal chair. Distracted by Savio from the apron, the referee didn’t notice until he turned around and saw Owen pull the big man into a small package, getting the victory with the three count. As he left the ring to celebrate and Savio dropped down from the apron to join the other two Foundation members, Sid recovered slowly in the ring, eventually stepping down to ringside without the three noticing until he planted a big boot into Kavana as he turned around. Rather than help their friend, both Owen and Savio turned tail and ran in the face of Sid’s wrath, ignoring the plight of their comrade.

Sid continued to beat Kavana around the ring, throwing him into the barricades and slamming him into the steps before grabbing the same chair Kavana had hit him with and lifted it over his head. Before he could continue with his attack however, Jake Roberts had come down the aisle and stepped in front of Sid, pleading with him to break off the attack. Sid looked at Jake in confusion, wondering what he was doing. A sentiment that allowed Kavana enough time to crawl down the aisle before getting up and running to safety, Jake ignoring Sid bellowing in his ear as he watched the younger man go.

The next match on the card saw Bulldog make an attempt on Austin’s Intercontinental Title and continue the grudge that had started when Austin had been eliminated at Survivor Series. Cornette in tow, Bulldog made his way down to the ring, eager for a chance to reclaim some gold. Austin himself entered to a huge applause and was eager for an ass kicking on his opponent. Barely waiting for the bell to ring, Austin got stuck into attacking Bulldog, forcing him back into the corner with a series of punches before laying the boot into him with a host of stomps.

Determined to make Bulldog hurt, Austin let loose with his brawling style, beating Bulldog from one end of the ring to another as he tried to put him down fast. Bulldog fought back however and showing off his technical skills, reversed an attempt at a back body drop into a snapmare and quick dropkick. With momentum now in his favour, Bulldog dominated Austin with a series of powerful slams and suplexes that kept the rattlesnake down. An attempt to put Austin down with a suplex from the top rope was reversed into a series of punches that sent Bulldog down to the canvas and was followed by an elbow off the top rope, earning a beaten Austin a two count. Both men slowly got to their feet and traded blows back and forth, Austin’s attempts for a Stunner were reversed into a back drop while an attempt at a Running Powerslam by Bulldog only ended with Austin escaping and slamming his head into the turnbuckle.

Panicking from the outside, Cornette slid his tennis racket into the corner, before jumping up onto the apron to gain the attention of the referee. With the official’s attention elsewhere, Bulldog grabbed the racket, turned, and walked right into a Stone Cold Stunner. Austin made the cover but with Cornette’s histrionics on the apron, there was no one to make a count. Getting up, Austin made his way over to the apron, grabbed Cornette by the tie and unleashed a devastating blow that sent the small man down to the ground. As the referee looked over the ropes to check on Cornette’s condition, Austin turned to finish off Bulldog, not realising he had managed to crawl over and grab the racket, hiding it under his body and as the Champion leant over to pick Bulldog up, the racket was raised, and Austin received a blow right between the eyes.

Quickly covering Austin, Bulldog shouted for the referee who ran over, got down and counted out three on the mat. The crowd hurled down jeers as Bulldog and a shaken Cornette celebrated outside of the ring where Davey Boy held the gold above his head in triumph while walking down the aisle. Back in the ring, a furious Austin rose to his feet, realising he’d been cheated out of his title and victory and as a means of venting, planted a Stunner onto the referee before leaving, swearing vengeance.

With most of the undercard out of the way, only two matches remained with the penultimate one promising to be particularly brutal as Vader took on Mankind in a grudge match. Neither man waited until the bell rang as Mankind attacked the big man as he made his way down the aisle, hammering away in his usual mad fashion. Vader stumbled back to the ring but delivered his own attacks to Mankind before finally driving him into the steel steps. With the match having even started, the two men continued to brawl around the outside of the ring, hammering each into the ring and barricades as they made their way to the announcing tables. Showing speed that was unexpected but strength that wasn’t, Vader picked Mankind up and slammed him through the Spanish announcer’s table. With Vader still pounding away on Mankind, a surge of referee’s and officials enter the arena, pulling the big man away, ending the match before it had even truly begun. Even as he’s carried away though, Vader continued to shout back at Mankind, promising that he hadn’t finished yet.

The main event, a match that many had been looking forward too had now arrived and as Bret made his way down to the ring, he looked less than happy at his current predicament. Likewise, Michaels forewent his usual capers to make his way to the ring in a business like fashion before facing Bret in a stare down right in the middle of the ring. Then tension was rife between the two and only answered when Bret lashed out with the first blow which was reversed in turn by Michaels and the Champion was peppered with a series of shots to the head and torso.

What followed was a see-saw battle between the two as neither man would lay down for the other. Bret’s technical prowess and Michaels’ own high flying skills clashed throughout the match and would see both men battered because of it. Hopes were raised when Michaels landed an elbow drop and set Bret up for some Sweet Chin Music only for the leg to be caught and Shawn tripped up, sending him onto his back and vulnerable to a Sharpshooter that Bret quickly locked on. The referee quickly got to Michaels asking if he wanted to submit only for Michaels to shake his head and crawl forward towards the rope, reach for the bottom one and...

The referee leapt up and signalled for the bell, Bret Hart gaining the victory by submission. Slipping out of the ring and celebrating, Bret didn’t stick around to watch as Michaels rose from the mat and confronted the referee, insisting he hadn’t submitted only for the protest to be ignored. His face clouding with fury, Michaels got out of the ring and started to stalk down the aisle, ending the pay-per-view with a camera inadvertently catching an audible “Vince you bastard!” Before it switched off.

Excerpt From ‘A Backstage History of the WWF’ (2006):

“In words that would come back to haunt him, Michaels’ first announcement when coming back to the WWF from his injuries were regarding Bret Hart ‘It’s either him or me Vince’. After a month of repeated complaints, tantrums and threats to go south if he didn’t have his way from Michaels, Vince McMahon chose Bret. In a backstage clash after the ‘Western Screw job’, Vince calmly told Michaels that his threat of resigning had been accepted and that he had been mistaken in ever thinking that he’d regain the title. Finding that he was without support from anyone except Paul Levesque and denied a chance to even get some physical revenge against McMahon as he was flanked by people getting in the way, Michaels left the arena in humiliation, allegedly added too by the applause he received as he left. With a ninety day no-compete clause in his contract, the run up to WrestleMania was now able to focus on a product without Michaels as the WWF once more focused on putting Austin and White (Vader) back into the limelight.”
 
Monday Night Raw, December 16th, 1996:

As news leaked out over Shawn Michaels leaving the WWF, the crowd and audience at home tuned in to find out what was happening. Rather than a calm answer from Gorilla Monsoon however, the crowd got none other than the Hart Foundation making their way down to the ring, looking like conquering heroes as the only one not smiling was Kavana whose face was stony. Cornette by their side, the Foundation entered the ring, and posed in the ring, Bulldog and Bret grinning so wide it threatened to cut their heads in half. Grabbing a pair of microphones for himself and Bret, Cornette opened up the night with a smug proclamation “Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you, your reigning WWF Champion and the new WWF Intercontinental Champion! Last night not only saw a new piece of gold fall into our hands but it is the last time you’ll ever see that preening, no good piece of trash Shawn Michaels ever again!”

Ignoring the howls of derision from the crowd, Bret stepped forward, showing a level of arrogance he had never shown before as he spoke “I’d like to thank Jim for that introduction and yes, he is right. Michaels couldn’t stand the thought of me being the better man; he couldn’t stand the fact that I actually beat him in the ring and ran. He ran with his tail between his legs down south to theme parks and geriatric old men that he might actually beat. If you’re watching this Shawn, I hope you rot down there! Don’t come back again Shawn, no matter how much these morons in the crowd beg. Because if you do, it won’t just be a beating you get, you’ll be carried out of the arena in a stretcher!”

A lone crumpled can of Pepsi sailed through the air and bounced off the canvas by Bret’s feet. He ignored it and several others as he went on “And this is just the beginning. When all this began I said we’d drive out the unworthy from this company and last night saw what I’ve been aiming for all this time. You want to go against me and the Foundation? Then you’ll wind up where you belong, down in the bush leagues with Michaels!”

Sauntering over to his brother-in-law, Bret went on “And finally, I’d just like to say that this is well overdue. Congratulations on beating that inbred drunk and bringing some dignity back to that title. You’ve done the Foundation proud Davey and you’ve earned your spot as one of the most decorated stars in our industry.”

Walking on, Bret went onto Owen and Savio in the same manner as he had Bulldog “Now I know there was a setback with you two, were unlucky and some hog farmers got the titles. But I know you’ll get them back in time. You two will become Champions in your own rights and together, the Hart Foundation will have every piece of gold in the WWF.”

Turning back to the crowd, Bret went on with his self congratulating monologue “You see, what you idiots out there have yet failed to see is that we are the future, we are going to drive away all the dead weights and we are...”

“Forgetting something Bret?” Came the interruption, making everyone look to the side to see Kavana having grabbed the microphone from Jim Cornette and was glaring at Bret with a fierce intensity “Now far be it from me to interrupt the legendary Bret Hart while he’s stroking his... ego in front of so many people. But I seem to recall last night that I was the one who beat Jake Roberts. That I was the one that saved your brother from an ass kicking that jolly blonde giant would have given him. And I seem to recall being left high and dry by these two to get a beating. Now you said right when I met you, I was the future, you wanted me to sign up to help the Hart Foundation, and what has it got me so far? Nothing! You believe in me so much Bret? Prove it! Give me a shot at the Tag Team Championships!”

“Who the Hell do you think you are demanding anything?!” Was the reply, this one from Owen who had grabbed his brother’s microphone and cut in “You think you can just waltz in here and claim a title shot? You beat Jake Roberts, so what? He’s an old drunk, that’s not exactly a hard thing to do. We’ve earned our shots at the titles; you just stay in your place until we tell you otherwise.”

His eyes setting on Owen with a death glare, Kavana stepped forward as if he was prepared to strike at Owen before Bulldog got between the two, trying to calm them down. Just as it seemed things were going to explode, a screeching music was heard as Sycho Sid stepped out from the Gorilla Position into the arena, smiling in his mad way down at the Foundation. A microphone in his hand, he held it up and started speaking “Now while me and everyone else in the back is enjoying this spat you girls have going on but you all seem to be forgetting one thing. I’ve been backing up Michaels before you little bastards ran him out. But now, it’s my turn, you won’t be rid of me so easily!”

Stunned by the announcement, the Foundation temporarily forgot their squabble as the threat of Sid loomed large and their chances had taken a turn for the worse. It wasn’t the end of the night for the Foundation’s bad fortunes however as an irate Austin stalked the arena, furiously searching for Bulldog and demanding a rematch. Jake Roberts also made clear he wasn’t done as after a victory over Bodydonna Skip, he called out Kavana, saying that the desertion of the Foundation was proof of his words and that he would have to change his ways and see the light. One major worry was averted as Mankind kept up his psychotic rage against Vader, demanding a rematch to determine who the real monster was. His own match against Bodydonna Zip was interrupted by the lights dimming for a moment before going back up and a chill of excitement sweeping throughout the arena.

The main event, a tag team match with Bulldog and Kavana against Sid and Austin. Backed up by the rest of the Foundation, it seemed that they had the match in hand before an attempt by Owen to rush into the ring while Savio distracted the referee went awry when an attempt to hit Austin with a Spinning Heel Kick was dodged and an unlucky Kavana got the full scale of the blow. Throwing Owen back out of the ring, Austin got the referee’s attention and the three count for the victory. The post match events soon took a turn for the worse as Kavana recovered and began to confront Owen, the tension building up with Bret standing back while Savio took Owen’s side and Bulldog tried to break the fighting apart. As Raw ended, it appeared that the Hart Foundation was splitting at the seams.

Monday Night Raw, December 23rd, 1996:

The split between the Hart Foundation worsened as a tag team match pitting Owen and Kavana against the Sisters Of Love saw the antagonism between the two grow. Constantly bickering over who was supposed to be doing what, the Foundation team soon saw the Sisters Of Love gain the advantage, their unorthodox style setting them apart from most other opponents. Owen’s old jealously flaring up as Kavana wrestled his opponents to his best abilities, managing to hold his own. An attempt to double team Kavana with a back drop went awry as he instead planted both of the Sisters with a DDT before starting to crawl over to the ropes.

Much to Kavana’s chagrin however, there was no one to make the tag to in the corner. Instead, Owen had dropped off the apron when the DDT’s had connected and walked down the aisle, ignoring the shouts from his partner. The Sisters Of Love soon took advantage of this and after a spike powerbomb, Kavana was pinned for the victory.

Later on, a camera backstage caught a Sid focusing on his upcoming match against Bulldog to determine a shot at the title at the Royal Rumble. He was interrupted however by none other than Vader who met the unwelcoming look from Sid with a glare of his own. After a few tense moments, Vader growled up at the taller man “Tell me, why do you get the shot when I was the one who got screwed out of Championship by the Foundation?”

A smirk crossed Sid’s face at the question as he looked down at Vader “Maybe the suits upstairs just liked me a bit more. Maybe they thought I actually had a chance at winning.” He turned and started to walk away from Vader towards the arena before calling over his shoulder “Don’t worry big guy. Just win the Royal Rumble and you’ll get your shot at WrestleMania, so long as that squealing freak doesn’t finish you off first.” With that, Sid left for his match, leaving a silently fuming Vader behind him.

Sid’s match against Bulldog was the main event of the night and the winner would go on to challenge Bret Hart at Royal Rumble for the WWF Championship. Bulldog’s advantage of having the Foundation was nullified as the outset of the match saw Kavana come down the aisle and confront Owen over his earlier abandonment. The argument went on as the match started, Bulldog distracted as Kavana got right into Owen’s face with Savio backing up his partner against the younger man. Bret stood back, not taking either side but not paying attention to the trouble Bulldog was getting himself in the ring.

Using the dissent among the Foundation as an advantage, Sid pressed his attack against Bulldog, beating the smaller man around the ring and forcing him back into the corner. On top of all his troubles, Bulldog found them added too when the crowd started cheering as Bulldog ducked an elbow by Sid was ducked and Bulldog threw him into the corner and started striking into the torso of the bigger man. Before he could press his advantage however, Bulldog was distracted by none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin coming through the crowd and out by the ring. With the Foundation still arguing amongst themselves, there was little aid for Bulldog as Sid took advantage of his shock and gave him a big boot followed by a Powerbomb and a winning pin.

The Hart Foundation finally stopped their arguing as they realised what had happened. Taking advantage of the match ending, Austin slipped into the ring and started to pound upon Bulldog mercilessly with his fists. Kavana quickly slid into the ring to break it up but was stopped by Sid who gave the young man a devastating Powerbomb. Sid challenged the rest of the Foundation but none entered and Raw ended with Sid and Austin dominating their foes as the other Foundation members looked on, not helping in any way.

Monday Night Raw, December 30th, 1996:

With Sycho Sid confirmed as the number one contender for the WWF Championship, Vader had to content himself with the Royal Rumble, taking out his frustrations on a very unlucky Hunter Hearst Helmsley who lost the match in twelve seconds flat. Not even bothering to celebrate his victory, Vader went straight back to the locker rooms, leaving a humiliated and battered Triple H to get to the back by himself.

The camera’s focused on backstage as they saw Flex Kavana work himself up for a match against Sycho Sid when he paused at the sight of Bulldog who had stepped up in front of him “My patience is kinda thin right now with you and the rest of the Foundation so make it quick provided you got something important to say.”

Bulldog nodded at that “Don’t worry about that. I’m going to have a lot of words with Owen and the rest before long, but right now, I just came here to thank you for being the only one to have my back last week and in return, I’ll be there for you tonight.” Kavana paused before slowly nodding, appreciating the gesture before Bulldog went on “Also, I’ve made my decision on who’ll be facing me at the Royal Rumble. You’re getting your first title shot lad.”

Kavana paused before grinning widely at those words “You mean that?”

“Of course. I knew you had potential Kavana and in a little while, you’re going to prove it.”

With such good news, Kavana was actually smiling as he made his way to the ring, Bulldog but none of the other Foundation members joined them. Sid came out on his own, looking at Kavana like a predator before its prey and eagerly started the match, using his size and strength to his great advantage. Kavana found himself at a disadvantage at first as he was beaten from post to post but a timely pull at Sid’s legs from Bulldog gave Kavana the opportunity to bring the big man down by giving a dropkick to his knees.

Working his advantage, Kavana kept up the pressure on Sid’s legs, taking a page out from the books of Owen and Bret. With a series of kicks, elbows and holds weakening Sid, Kavana locked on a single leg Boston Crab in an attempt to make the big man submit but Sid wasn’t down yet. Powering through the pain, Sid threw Kavana off his leg and gripped onto the ropes to rise to his feet. Capitalising on this, Kavana hit Sid with a clothesline out onto the ground before pulling back, yelling at the referee to distract him while Bulldog ran round the ring and struck Sid across the head with his Intercontinental belt.

Turning around, the referee started the count out and after ten seconds, Kavana gained the victory. He was soon joined in the ring by Bulldog who celebrated the win as the rest of the Foundation entered the area from the Gorilla Position. The two groups faced each other off as Raw ended, showing the division on both sides as they regarded the other.

Excerpt From ‘A Backstage History of the WWF’ (2006):

“His worst fears apparently confirmed, Paul Levesque requested and gained his release from the WWF after the squash match against Vader in 1996’s last Raw. Not liking the idea of being a jobber for the rest of his run in the company, Levesque aimed for greener pastures in the WCW where with his contract being snatched up by Bischoff, the Kliq was reunited once more.”

Monday Night Raw, January 6th, 1997:

Entering the arena to a cavalcade of boos, Bret, Owen and Savio made their way to the centre of the ring. Looking more subdued than normal, Bret led the way by speaking first “Before we kick things off here, I just want Bulldog and Flex to come out here so we can straighten things out between us.”

It took a few moments but eventually, both Kavana and Bulldog entered the arena and made their way down to the ring, Kavana wary and Bulldog looking hopeful. When they got into the ring, Bret went on with his speech “Now I know we’ve had a few... tensions over the last few weeks. And I know we let you down with Austin and Sid, we screwed up with that I admit. But we’ve come so far now, don’t screw this up, we can beat the WWF, we have the gold, we have the ability and we will have the power. Don’t turn away now, not when we’re on the cusp of true greatness.”

Bulldog and Kavana shared a look with the younger wrestler looking sceptical before Bulldog led him away and spoke to him quietly for a moment. When they were done, they went back to the Foundation with Bulldog doing the talking “It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong. And you’re a big man to do what you’ve done right here tonight. We never intended to create a split in the Foundation, we want to see this through to the end and we will, with you.” Holding out his hand, Bulldog smiled as Bret shook it and Kavana kept his look of mistrust regarding the whole thing. It changed though when Bret held out his hand and Kavana slowly returned the gesture, shaking it amiably.

Before things could be further settled, Owen grabbed his own microphone and got into Bulldog’s face “Now while I’m ecstatic we’re all good chums again.” He said with more than a hint of sarcasm “But last week you gave Kavana a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. A shot he hasn’t earned yet and I will be damned if I see him jump up before those who’ve actually worked for their spot!”

Grabbing a hold of the microphone from Owen, Kavana stepped up to the challenge “You think I’m not good enough Owen? That I don’t measure up to you? Well why don’t you put your money where your mouth is? Tonight, is this very ring, you and me, one on one for a shot at the Intercontinental title. Save your whining, save your running to Bret because you don’t get your way, meet me like a man instead of the bitching little man-child you’ve always acted like!”

It took Bulldog moving between the two men to stop a fight erupting then and there while Bret once more got on the microphone “Enough of this! You two want to settle this? We do it tonight! Flex, you can earn your right to the Intercontinental Championship by facing Owen. Beat him and you have Davey at Royal Rumble.”

Not bothering to protest that, Kavana and Owen merely stared each other down, wanting to settle this once and for all. As the night went on with the Hart Foundation gearing up for the battle, a camera backstage caught up with Kavana as he was preparing backstage only to be interrupted when he turned around and saw Jake Roberts standing before him “You know,” Jake said “I may be many things but a Prophet wasn’t one of them until tonight.”

Kavana gave Roberts a strained look before replying “Look old man. I need to be focused for tonight. I do not want you coming in here, stinking of booze and asking for a quarter. Now say your piece and get out.”

Rather than confront Kavana over his attitude, Roberts did go on “You still ignoring me? Even when you’ve seen what I’ve said come true? Owen and Bret aren’t going to be happy that you’re trying to step up. They will take you down by any means they can.”

A look of derision crossed Kavana’s face at those words “The liquor addling your brain more than usual? I have my shot. All I have to do is beat Owen and I’m set for Royal Rumble.”

“Oh, Davey Boy might be keeping true to his word I’ll grant you; he’s the best of a bad bunch. But look at Owen, a man who’s spent his entire life dragging down his brother so he wouldn’t actually to compare himself to his level. You go with him Flex, and you’ll just be walking into a betrayal.”

Smirking arrogantly, Kavana turned from Roberts “Look, I’ve got a match, get some root beer, have a seat and try to remember the last time you could keep up with someone like me.” With those words, Kavana left for his match, leaving an irate Jake Roberts behind him.

Accompanied by Bulldog, Kavana eagerly got to grips with Owen the moment he hit the ring, Savio acting in Owen’s own corner. Owen’s technical expertise and experience soon started to show as the match went on, Kavana being outwrestled at every point as his moves were reversed and turned into submission holds. Although he was able to either get to the ropes or power out, the frustration started to show on Kavana as he made several mistakes until Owen managed to trip him up and slap on the Sharpshooter. After a frantic scramble, Kavana just made it to the ropes, forcing Owen to let go of the hold.

As Owen stepped back, Bulldog got close to Kavana, placing his hands on the ropes and whispering some words of encouragement into his ear before going back to the corner. Enraged at this, Owen followed Bulldog to the corner, demanding the reason as to what he’d said. Bulldog shrugged off the accusations and demands until Owen was clobbered around the back of the head by a recovered Kavana. Stunned, Owen was easy prey to the upcoming onslaught as the more powerful Kavana hit him with a series of slams and whips, topping it with a standing suplex, much like Bulldog’s.

While running to the ropes to hit Owen with a propelled elbow drop, Kavana tripped over as Savio grabbed onto his ankle. Turning around in fury, Kavana yelled down at Savio while Bulldog went over to Savio, telling Kavana to focus on the match at hand. As this went on, Owen managed to get to his feet and set himself up to give a Spinning Heel Kick to Kavana. As Kavana returned to the match though, the move was dodged and as Owen scrambled to his feet, he fell victim to a 180 DDT and a pin that gave Kavana the victory.

At the sound of the bell, Kavana slipped out of the ring and his hand was raised by Bulldog, both celebrating as the match at Royal Rumble was confirmed. Remaining in the ring was Owen and Savio, both giving glares as Bulldog and Kavana went to the back, oblivious.

Such celebration for the Foundation passed however in the face of the night’s main event when a less than happy Vader had challenged Sycho Sid to vent his displeasure at the WWF’s decision to make him the number one contender. As both men faced each other down as the match started, the ensuing brawl was interrupted than none other than the Hart Foundation, running down the ring with weapons in hand to take out their two biggest threats. While Sid and Vader put up a fight that saw the Foundation momentarily being beaten back, the numbers soon started to show as Bulldog and Kavana hit them with chairs, bringing the bigger men down to their knees.

Hope was momentarily restored when Austin ran down to the ring, gunning for Bulldog with a series of punches and kicks before a chair shot from Kavana brought him down. As the night ended, the three major opponents of the Foundation were down, the five members standing triumphant.

Monday Night Raw, January 13th, 1997:

With the Hart Foundation remaining dominant in the final weeks before Royal Rumble, the main event of Raw was a six man tag match with Vader, Austin and Sid teaming up to take on Bret, Bulldog and Owen as the Foundation sought to put themselves at an advantage before the Royal Rumble. With Kavana and Savio banned from ringside, it was a more equal contest than previous matches and the Foundation’s opponent’s used this to full effect. Despite their differences, Sid and Vader dominated the Foundation with their strength and size, forcing the Foundation to regroup outside the ring.

Austin was the first to follow the Foundation out, making a beeline for Bulldog as ever. This proved to be his undoing however as Bulldog managed to throw Austin into the barricade in the midst of his charge, stunning him outright. Vader was the second as he moved around the ring to get at the Foundation only to be ambushed by Mankind who had burst out from the crowd. With Sid left alone in the ring, he was prey to the triple teaming efforts of the Foundation as they struck at his knees before forcing him down, brutally beating him without pause. Unable to contain the chaos, the referee rang for the bell, signalling a no contest.

The beating went on however and Sid was powerless to help Austin as he got back into the ring to fight back only to be brought down under a flurry of blows. Hope sparked as Vader ran down to the ring, evidently having fought off Mankind. He managed to slam Owen and Bulldog to the ground with clotheslines before heading towards Bret, revenge in his eye as he grabbed the Champion by the throat, threatening him with violent intent. Before he could do that however, Mankind had returned and with Paul Bearer’s urn in hand, struck Vader across the head with it, forcing the big man down to the ground before Mankind started beating on him relentlessly, ending Raw with the Foundation on top once more and Mankind continuing his brutalisation of Vader.

Royal Rumble, January 19th, 1997:

The prize was there for all to grab, a shot at a WrestleMania main event at the WWF Championship. Thirty wrestlers would enter the ring for that one chance and only one emerge victorious. And with the Hart Foundation having been standing strong for so long, it seemed that the Royal Rumble was a definite cementing of their interests.

It was the Tag Team Championships which were the first to be aimed for by the Foundation. The Godwinns were offered little time to walk down the aisle before Owen and Savio struck, running down from the ring and starting a brawl. Taken by surprise, the Godwinns were beaten back with Phineas being thrown into the ring as the first victim, Henry being left in the aisle to recover. Working over Henry, the Foundation beat him in their corner, using speed and striking to wear him down.

When Henry finally reached his corner, looking ready to tag, Savio and Owen were looking to finish the match. Setting Phineas up, Owen and Savio went for a double super kick, only for Phineas to duck the move and hit both of his opponents with a double clothesline before tumbling over. Inch by inch, Phineas crawled over to the Godwinns’ corner, reaching out and making the tag to Henry just before he could be stopped by the Foundation. Unleashing his rage, Henry struck out at the Foundation with a vengeance, sending both Owen and Savio careening with a series of blows. But with Phineas still out, the sneak attacks and numbers showed as an attempt to hit Owen with a DDT was interrupted by Savio hitting the bigger man with a chop block.

With both their opponents down for a moment, the Foundation took a moment to regroup before Phineas attacked, sending Savio back into their corner before the referee got in his face, telling Phineas to get out. While his back was turned, the referee failed to notice Savio grabbing the Godwinns’ slop bucket and striking Henry across the head with it. The protests of Phineas were cut short when he was struck by a Spinning Heel Kick that put him down while Owen covered Henry, getting three counts and the Championships. As they celebrated in the ring, the realisation sank in that the Hart Foundation now owned every title on the roster. Whether they would have them all at the night’s end was another question entirely.

The next bout featuring the Foundation was the Intercontinental title match between British Bulldog and Flex Kavana. The mutual respect between the men meant that this was going to be a cleaner match than usual. As they both squared off in the ring, a test of strength was the first action to take place with Bulldog unsurprisingly coming out on top. Realising a change of tactics was needed; Kavana went for speed, using the ropes and momentum to routinely strike at Bulldog and weaken him. Managing to get the upper hand for a moment, Kavana’s fortune was turned by a brutal spinebuster as he ran at Bulldog.

With the tide now in his favour, Bulldog set to work dominating Kavana, slamming him down to the mat repeatedly as he tried to break the younger wrestler. During this, Bulldog failed to notice Owen Hart approaching the ring from down the aisle, looking on with interest at the match. Unaware of his brother-in-law’s presence, Bulldog threw Kavana down to the mat with a gorilla press slam before picking him up and hoisting him onto his shoulder for a Running Powerslam. Kavana managed to scramble out of the move and hit Bulldog with a 180 DDT, leaving both men down on the mat to recuperate.

As they both slowly got up after the referee had counted to eight, Bulldog unleashed a punch on Kavana that was responded in kind. After several blows, Kavana came out on top with a punch that stunned Bulldog to his knee before the younger wrestler ran against the ropes to hit another 180 DDT. He was stopped in the attempt however when Owen reached up and pulled down on the ropes, causing Kavana to tip out onto the mat. With the referee distracted by checking on Bulldog, Owen was free to hit Kavana with a Spinning Heel Kick as he rose before fleeing to the back. Not realising this, the referee turned back to see Kavana and started the count out, making the full ten and giving Bulldog the victory.

Getting outside the ring, Bulldog went to help Kavana to his feet only to be shaken off, Kavana stalking towards the back, shouting abuse at Owen and leaving Bulldog very confused.

When the undercard was out of the way, the time had come for the Royal Rumble where thirty wrestlers would fight for their chance at the gold. The first two competitors were the Sultan and Marc Mero. From that point on, the ninety second mark saw a new wrestler come in for the bout with British Bulldog entering at number eleven, making his mark by dispatching the Sultan. Joining him at number fourteen was Savio Vega as the Hart Foundation members soon bound together to fight off their opponents. This was undermined however when number seventeen entered to the sound of shattering glass and Stone Cold Steve Austin ran down to the ring, knocking Savio out of the way with a Stone Cold Stunner before unleashing his wrath on Bulldog with a tackle and a brutal unleashing of his fists pounding away at his rival.

Two more wrestlers entered the ring with things calming down, Austin enjoying beating Bulldog far too much to eliminate him and Savio recuperating in the corner. At number twenty, Kavana entered and quickly went to aid his friend, trading blows with Austin to help Bulldog, managing to get an advantage as he hit Austin with a spinebuster and locked on Sharpshooter to weaken the Rattlesnake as Bulldog recovered and enjoyed stamping on Austin. His was interrupted as number twenty-two entered and Owen made his way down to the ring.

Letting go of the submission hold, Kavana shot up and glared at Owen as he clambered into the ring. Bulldog quickly got between the two to calm things down, something he failed at as a slap from Kavana forced Owen back a step. Before they could brawl in the ring however, Austin had gotten to his feet and managed to attack Bulldog from behind, charging into him and striking his head with numerous punches. Once more going to his friend’s aid, Kavana forced Austin off Bulldog and shoved him into the ropes, trying to push him over as Austin furiously resisted. The situation was taken advantage of by Owen as he grabbed onto Kavana’s legs and flipped him and Austin over the top rope to eliminate both.

Furious at this second betrayal, Kavana screamed up at Owen, demanding an answer for his actions only to be ignored. Before further action could be taken however, Austin had risen and in his fury, attacked Kavana, chasing him backstage in order to vent his anger. Back in the ring, Owen and Savio got to work on fighting off the Godwinns as Phineas had come in at twenty-three while Bulldog looked down the aisle from his position in the corner, slowly putting two and two together. As Owen threw Phineas into the turnbuckle, he was grabbed and pulled around by Bulldog who demanded to know what had just happened. But before the answer could come, the buzzer rang out for the twenty-sixth competitor to enter and the crowd erupted as Vader appeared.

When Vader got into the ring, there were eight wrestlers standing. Less than a minute later, there were only four and that was largely due to Goldust having been laid low by a DDT. Each member of the Foundation hiding at a different corner, Vader paused and grinned in his mad fashion, daring them to make their move. Savio was the first to do so, a charge met with a belly to back suplex from the big man. A double team attempt by both Owen and Bulldog was met with similar failure as he hit both with a double clothesline. His attempted destruction of the Foundation was interrupted as Goldust struck Vader from behind, only for the big man to shrug it off and grab Goldust by the throat, throwing him over the top rope as the buzzer rang out and number twenty-seven came out, Farooq showing some signs of nerves as he entered the ring, not wanting to get between Vader and his targets.

Slowly making his way down the aisle, Farooq went unnoticed as Vader punished the Foundation for every insult and humiliation they had acted upon him the last few months. By the time Farooq had stepped through the ropes, the buzzer rang out for number twenty-eight and Ahmed Johnson ran down to the ring, causing Farooq to really panic and only offer a token resistance as he and his hated rival fought in the ring, Johnson getting the upper hand with their brawling, forcing Farooq back into bumping with Vader. Even with the Foundation out on the mat, the big man did not take kindly to being interrupted as he turned around, gave Farooq and Ahmed a death glare before hitting both with a clothesline that sent them out onto the mat.

Turning his attention back to the Foundation, Vader put the boot to Bulldog a few times before Savio hit him with a low blow, stopping his offence short while the Foundation members piled on top of him. As Vader was forced down to his knees in the ring, the buzzer for number twenty-nine rang out, revealing Mankind running wildly down to the ring, slipping under the ropes and joining in with the beating on Vader, screaming in pleasure with each blow he unleashed onto his head. Realising the ally they had, the Foundation continued with the destruction of Vader, hoisting him up with difficulty and pushing him into the ropes, striking him several more times before attempting to push him over the top ropes.

Vader managed to fight back though, hitting each member of the Foundation and Mankind, placing his feet on the floor as he pushed them back. A quick elbow to the face from Bulldog stopped the fight short however and the four men went back to trying to push him over the top ropes when the buzzer for number thirty rang out, only to be followed by silence. The crowd mumbled in confusion before the arena suddenly descended into pitch blackness, a long missed voice echoing throughout the arena as cheers sprang up.

“Mannnnn... Kinnndddd...”

The lights went back up and there, standing in the middle of the ring in all his glory was the Undertaker. Mankind turned and saw his hated foe, screaming in panic and hatred before rushing at him, Undertaker reaching out with a hand and grabbing him by the throat before lifting him high above his head and flinging him down with a bone smashing chokeslam. Grabbing Mankind by the hair, Undertaker lifted him up and flung him over the ropes, stepping over them in pursuit of Mankind, eager for vengeance two months in the making.

As Mankind fled with Undertaker in tepid pursuit, the Foundation found themselves under attack once more, Vader having got enough time from the interruption to recover and strike back. Grabbing Owen by the throat, Vader pulled him back and over the ropes out onto the mat, eliminating him outright. With one man down, the remaining Foundation members started to panic and Savio went for a clothesline only for Vader to bend over and hurl Savio out onto the ground on top of Owen, leaving the number of competitors down to two. Bulldog took a few steps back, looking panicked as Vader grinned at the only obstacle between him and WrestleMania.

Left with little option, Bulldog dashed forward and unleashed a series of punches onto Vader. But the big man was too fired up and barely even reacted, quickly moving and hitting Bulldog with a headbutt that sent the smaller man backwards into the ropes, bouncing off them and into a kick that finished with a devastating powerbomb. As the crowd roared in delight, Vader allowed himself to show boat by sticking his thumb into the air and bringing it back down as he signalled the end, grabbing Bulldog by the head and flinging the barely conscious man out of the ring. The bell rang out and the result was spoken, Vader was going to WrestleMania.

The night was not yet done though as Bret Hart and Sycho Sid still had the Championship match to go. Sid made his way down to the ring, looking eager for the fight while Bret looked calm and collected as he walked down the aisle. Sid was the first to start things off, running at Bret in his corner and attempting a big boot only for the attempt to go awry as Bret dodged and Sid got his leg tangled in the ropes. Using this to his advantage, Bret attacked the vulnerable limb, hammering it with blow after blow before Sid could pull it away, stepping back but the damage was done and he was on the rough end of viscous leg attacks throughout the match.

Bret worked the advantage the damaged limb gave to him, constantly keeping up the pressure with kicks and when he got Sid on the floor, leg locks. Sid slowly managed to fight back though, using his still overwhelming strength to push Bret back, forcing Bret to practically dance back and forth out of reach of Sid’s arms. Getting cocky, Bret lunged in for another kick at his opponent only for Sid to grab the offending leg and pull Bret into a clothesline that made the smaller man’s head jolt to the canvas. Working on this new advantage, Sid pounded away at Bret, pausing every now and then to clench his leg in pain.

After sometime of this slow beat down, Sid pulled Bret over and attempted a Powerbomb only for the attempt to fail as he collapsed under the pain of his injured leg. Taking his opportunity, Bret slipped out of the ring, grabbing onto Sid’s leg and ramming it into the ring post repeatedly. He referee got out of the ring to try and pull Bret off as Sid kicked out with his final bid of strength, sending Bret back and crushing the referee between him and the barricades. Recovering quickly, Bret saw the downed referee and took his chance, grabbing his belt, sneaking back into the ring and blasting Sid across the head with it as he rose to his knees. Placing the belt to one side, Bret grabbed Sid by the legs and locked on the Sharpshooter. He referee slowly made his way back into the ring and seeing Sid out cold with the move locked on, rang for the bell, giving the victory to Bret Hart.

As the crowd made its displeasure known, the Champion merely smiled at his victory and held his title belt aloft, not caring for the dissent amongst the audience as he celebrated, while the threat of Vader started to loom larger...
 
Monday Night Raw, January 20th, 1997:

While it seemed that the running situation of the Hart Foundation would come to bear, the opening of Raw saw the returning Undertaker make his way down to the ring to a tremendous reaction after his two months disappearance. After making his way down to the ring, he grabbed a microphone and paused while listening to the chants and cheers of the crowd before finally speaking “Before, when I came in front of the WWF, I always allowed Paul Bearer to speak for me. At SummerSlam, when he turned his back on me and turned to Mankind, he claimed I wasn’t the monster he wanted, that I was too weak to be what you wanted. And for a time you were right.”

Pausing for a moment as the crowd voiced its doubt on that matter, Undertaker then went on “But when I was buried, consumed by the darkness around me, I realised that I could be the monster that Paul Bearer wanted me to be. With my return from the darkness, I shall put Mankind to rest and gain my revenge. And for Paul Bearer, you said there was another that dwelt in the flames of Hell. Let him come Bearer, and I shall destroy him like I shall destroy Mankind. And when all your stooges and fools have fallen to the Undertaker, I shall come for you Paul Bearer. And you shall rest... in... peace...”

Before Undertaker could exit the ring, a shout and music was heard and Vader made his way into the arena with a huge pop. Making his way down to the ring, the big man and the dead man faced eye to eye before he spoke “While I’m sure everyone’s more than happy to see you back.” Vader started with more than a little sarcasm “Why do you think you’ve got the first shot at Mankind? While you were cowering in the darkness, he was making my life a misery! I had to deal with him, I had to deal with the Foundation and all while you were hiding! You don’t get to Mankind before I do Undertaker, he’s mine!”

Reacting to this, Undertaker met Vader’s gaze with his own “Do not stand in my way against Mankind. All he has done to you is a minor annoyance. He has betrayed and insulted me and I will see my revenge acted out. If you make one move towards him, his fate will be yours.”

The two large men faced each other down and for a moment, it seemed as if they were about to come to blows when more music was heard and Bret Hart walked out to the entrance to a chorus of boos. Looking down at the ring, Bret smirked and shifted the Championship belt on his shoulder to really rub it in “While seeing you two tear each other apart would really be a gratifying sight, I really have to ask how some... thing like Mankind could be such a problem when you have someone like me to worry about. Vader, forget Mankind, you’ve got me and the rest of the Foundation to worry about. Let Undertaker have Mankind, you’ll need everything you have just to make it to WrestleMania in one piece.”

Vader glared down the aisle at Bret, eyeing the belt and his foe “Don’t worry about me Bret. You save everything for yourself. Your groupies won’t be enough to save you from me then. You’ve done everything you can to try and scare me off Bret, and guess what, it hasn’t worked! I’m still here! I’m still the one gunning for you! And WrestleMania, I will beat you! It’ll be my time! It will be Vader time!”

“Don’t bet on it. You couldn’t beat me before and you won’t even make it to WrestleMania, I guarantee it. So enjoy the next few days in the WWF Vader, they’ll be your last.” And with those words, Bret turned and went into the back, leaving a frustrated Vader and a deceivingly cool Undertaker before Raw went into the break.

When Raw came back on, it focused on the backstage with an irate Flax Kavana prowling the corridors, looking eager for blood when he came across Jake Roberts who offered a knowing nod to him. Taking this less than well, Kavana got in Roberts’ face “Look old man, whatever you’ve got to say, say it. You want to tell me you were right about Owen? Fine, you were right about him. But once I get with Davey and Bret, we’ll sort him out good.”

For a moment, Jake looked Kavana up and down before replying “You think Bret’ll listen to you?”

“Of co...”

“It doesn’t matter what you think!” Jake interjected, reaching up and slapping Kavana on the head, surprising the younger wrestler into making him stumble back “After all that happened last night, you honestly believe that by going to Bret and Davey, they’ll back you up? What have I been telling you all along? Bret doesn’t care about you, he sees you as a tool. And Davey Boy isn’t even here tonight; he’s still recovering from Vader almost breaking him in half last night! You go out there and Owen and the rest will tear you apart. Can you not finally see what they’ve been using you for?”

Rather than acknowledge Jake’s words, Kavana merely turned his back on the older man “I don’t have time for this, I need to go.” He said before heading off, Jake glaring at his retreating back.

Jake’s words would come back to haunt Kavana as the night wore on the main event of a tag team match with Owen and Bret against Austin and Sid who was eager to avenge his defeat. The match soon got off to a rocky start as the Foundation members took a pounding from their opponents, Sid eagerly ignoring the rules to get some measure of revenge against Bret. As chaos reigned in the ring, Kavana started to make his way down to the ring, panicking Owen as he saw him. Grabbing a chair from the side, Kavana blasted Austin over the head with it as he tried to stop him. The referee was busy trying to break a choke Sid had on Bret and didn’t notice Kavana sliding the chair into the ring before jumping up onto the apron and calling Sid out.

As Sid turned and got ready to plant Kavana with a punch, the referee dived between them in order to break it up, allowing Bret to smack Sid across the back with the chair. Sid collapsed and was quickly covered by Bret who, as an added security, hooked his legs onto the bottom rope. The referee quickly got down and made the three slaps to the mat in order to give the Foundation the win. Sliding into the ring, Kavana neglected celebration to quickly get in Bret’s face, demanding he face Owen with him. Taking this calmly and coolly, Bret merely waved off Kavana and turned his back on him, prompting a furious Kavana to grab Bret by the arm and drag him back, finally getting the Champion’s attention.

Before he could make further progress however, Kavana was attacked from behind by Austin, forcing the Foundation to beat a retreat as Sid soon joined the brawl. Owen wasn’t as lucky as the others however as he was caught by Sid and dragged back into the ring before being subjected to Sid’s Powerbomb. From outside the ring, Bret ordered Kavana to go help which was replied to with Kavana merely shrugging and smirking at Owen’s plight before heading back down the aisle to the back, ending Raw with an infuriated Hitman glaring at the younger man’s retreating back.

Monday Night Raw, January 27th, 1997:

Hopes regarding the collapse of the Hart Foundation seemed to dim as the night opened with Bulldog making his way to the arena, the title belt hung over his shoulder and a look of concern on his face. Such hopes rose again however when Bret, Owen and Savio made their way down to the ring once more, Championship gold upon them as Savio grabbed a microphone “Kavana you punk!” He started “You dare leave Owen out to hang last week? You told me you had his back when you went out there! You told me everything would be fine! You’re nothing but a punk and a liar and we demand that you come out here right now! No one gets away with treating my tag partner like that! Nobody!”

His tirade over, Savio joined the others in glaring down the aisle for Kavana to appear, and he didn’t disappoint. Walking with purpose, Kavana made his way down the aisle and got right into the Foundation’s face in the ring “You want to accuse me of letting you down? Now let’s see if I got this straight. First of all, a couple of months ago, I save the asses of both of you from a beating before you two bolted and let me get beat by a seven foot ugly piece of monkey crap! Oh, oh, but that ain’t all! When I was given a shot at the Intercontinental Championship, this nobody here,” Kavana jammed a finger at Owen “got in my way and cost me the damn match! Why was that, you wanted to play with your brother-in-law? You wanted all the fun with him? He’s married to your sister you sick freak!”

Owen leapt forward, almost running right at Kavana before Bret held out a hand and stopped him while Kavana went on “But the final thing, the final thing. When I was busy trying to get rid of Jake Robert’s AA partner, you throw us both over the damn rope! So not only did you stab me in the back, but you were dumb enough to do it before we’d even gotten rid of Vader! Are you that stupid? Did you want to lose? Hell, might explain why you and cueball there got your asses kicked by a bunch of hick farmers!”

With the crowd egging him on, Kavana paced in front of the Foundation, really hammering his point home “So when you come out here, and tell me that I stabbed you in the back, maybe you should look in the mirror because so far, the only one in this damn outfit who’s treated me with the least bit of respect is Davey Boy! Now you can either give me the chance that I’ve earned or I will kick every one of your asses around the arena! Last chance Bret!”

Bret kept a cool gaze on Kavana throughout his tirade, not reaction much until it was finished and he went to answer. Before he could however, Rule Britannia rang out through the arena and Bulldog made his way down to the ring in a hurry. He instantly got between Kavana and the others, trying to calm things down while grabbing the microphone from Kavana “Bret, before you make a decision, just let me speak.” Owen stepped forward to protest but a glare from Bulldog stopped him short “I’ll have words with you later! You’re a bloody idiot you know that?! You had to eliminate Kavana before we got rid of Vader and let him bulldoze over us! I ought to slap the teeth from your mouth!”

Ignoring the crowd’s cheers at those words, Bulldog turned to Kavana to speak “Now look lad, I know you’re angry and you’ve got every right to be. But don’t turn away from the Foundation, you’ve got a lot of potential and we can help you with that. I’ll give you my word right now that you will get your shot for greatness if you just hang on with us.” After that, Bulldog turned to Bret “Now I know there’s been some words said here that shouldn’t have been. But after what Owen did, can you blame him? Don’t make this night the one where we lose a great talent. Please Bret, I’m asking this as your brother-in-law.”

His face having moved at all during all of this, Bret looked from Kavana, to Bulldog and to Owen before finally replying “You know Flex, I don’t know if it was an excess of guts or a lack of brains that made you come out here tonight but you’ve gotten one thing right at least. Owen did make a mistake and you are owed another shot. And you’ll get it tonight. But let’s make one thing clear Flex.” Bret stepped up in front of the younger wrestler, his eyes meeting his with a cold look “No one, absolutely no one makes demands of me. Davey showed me the proper respect I deserve, he asked. This is your last chance. Don’t screw it up.”And with that, Bret turned his back on Kavana and left the ring, the Foundation slowly going behind him with Kavana not looking quite as happy as he could have been.

The plan for the match went awry however when later that night, Owen took on Goldust in a match. Getting the upper hand, Owen was mortified when he heard the sound of shattering glass and Austin sped down to the ring. Hitting him with a Stone Cold Stunner before Owen could defend himself, Austin than grabbed a microphone before planting the boot into Owen a few more times, Goldust having beaten a hasty retreat “Bulldog!” Austin shouted “Get down here right now damnit! You’ve cheated me out of a shot before but you won’t do it again! Now get down here before I break this little pissant’s neck!” Stomping down hard on Owen to make the point clear, Austin didn’t have to wait long before the Foundation appeared at the top of the aisle, wary to make any movements in case Austin went through with his threat.

“Austin! I’m here!” Bulldog called out desperately “Now what do you want?”

Giving the Foundation a contemptuous look as he once more booted Owen in the back of the head, Austin replied “What do you think I want? For the last damn month now, you’ve been hiding from me Davey! You stole my title, hid behind your little boy club there and refused to even look me in the eye! Well no more damnit! You’re gonna give me my shot right here and now or you’re gonna have to carry this whiny good for nothin’ out on a stretcher!” Austin placed his knee on Owen’s upper back and yanked his head back in a stretch, affirming his threat.

Panicking, Bulldog rushed forward a few steps only for Austin to yank a little harder “Last chance Davey!” Austin taunted “Give me my shot boy!”

“Alright! Alright! You’ve got your shot!” Bulldog shouted “We’ll have it right here! Just let Owen go and I’ll give you your shot I promise!”

Austin held the hold for a few seconds longer before finally letting go, throwing Owen face first down to the mat “Then get your ass down here so we can start!”

With Owen seemingly safe, Bulldog did so, making his way warily down to the ring and getting in, still keeping his eyes closely on Austin as the Foundation got into place around the ring. With the referee now back in the ring, he rang the bell and it looked as if things were about to get started when Kavana slipped under the bottom rope behind Bulldog, grabbed his friend by the arm and spun him round to receive a slap that sent the British man back a few steps. The entire arena looked on puzzled as the referee rang the bell for the disqualification and then Kavana turned to Austin and smirked, shouting out loud enough for the cameras to pick up “You thought you could steal my shot?!”

Realising he’d been duped, Austin exploded into a rage, running right at Kavana and pounding away at him in the corner, battering away at the younger man in his fury. An attempt by Bulldog to break things up was received with a Stunner for his troubles. Going back to beating Kavana, Austin was too caught up to see Savio and Bret climb into the ring and hit him from behind. Calls for Owen to help were met with him holding his neck and protesting injury, until the crowd roared as Vader started to run down the aisle, gunning for the Foundation which prompted Owen to drop the act and jump over the rails and to safety.

As Owen fled, Vader helped turn the tide against the Foundation, sending Savio flying over the top rope while Bret quickly slipped under the ropes as an escape. Seeing that Bret had gotten away, Vader grabbed Bulldog and flung him into the corner while Austin hit Kavana with the Stunner. Vader gave a signal to the crowd before hitting the Vader Bomb on Bulldog, sending a clear message that he wasn’t done, something that Bret had to consider as he looked down from the top of the aisle.

Before Raw ended however, a camera backstage caught sight of Mankind as he slowly made his way through the corridors, screaming for Paul Bearer. As he turned one corner however, he walked face first into the oncoming fist of the Undertaker who followed it up by slamming Mankind’s head into the wall “Paul Bearer has fled for the night.” The Undertaker said as Mankind crawled away “For now, I have you.”

A boot went to Mankind’s back and the manic man tried to scurry away as Undertaker pursued, only for a door at the end of the corridor to open and Vader come barrelling through and boot Mankind in the face. Eager for his own revenge, Vader didn’t see Undertaker grow furious at this incursion as he grabbed Vader and struck him, prompting the big man to fight back. As Raw ended, their brawl went on in the back, Mankind eventually managing to escape in the confusion.

Monday Night Raw, February 3rd, 1997:

Chaos and confusion continued to reign throughout the WWF as Raw went on through the night, Austin gunning for Bulldog, Undertaker gunning for Mankind and Vader gunning for Mankind and Bret Hart at the same time. The Hart Foundation itself was weakened from the division between Bulldog, Kavana and the others over the formers being left out to dry again. The only attempt at a calming influence came from Gorilla Monsoon as the chaos reached a fever pitch throughout the night. He made his way down to the ring amid murmurs from the crowd wondering how he was going to deal with the anarchy that seemingly controlled the WWF.

“For the last two weeks now, we’ve seen an increase of disorder in the WWF.” Monsoon began “We’ve seen attacks on almost every single person on the roster, the hierarchy has been sent into chaos and a firm hand is needed. To that end, I have decided to finally put to rest some of the outlying issues that have brought this great company to a standstill. First of all, this long standing rivalry between Vader and Mankind. Now Undertaker, I know you’re listening in the back and that you’ve got a major beef with Mankind, but Vader has had long running problems with him as well and things have never been settled in the ring. To that end, he and Mankind shall face off next Sunday at In Your House. You shall get him for a match of your choosing at WrestleMania if it doesn’t already clash with other plans for you.”

As the crowd erupted into cheers at this idea, Monsoon went on “Also, there is the issue of Steve Austin and the Intercontinental Championship. Austin, I do not approve of your tactics last week in an attempt to secure a shot at the belt despite whatever grievances you may have had. However, you do have a fair claim to the title and to that end, next Sunday; you shall partner with Jake Roberts and take on the British Bulldog and Flex Kavana in a tag team match. If you win, you shall be the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship.”

“Now for Bret, you won’t get off so easily and as an extra challenge for next Sunday, you shall put your title up against the Undertaker!” Monsoon smiled as the crowd cheered at this “That’ll keep you both out of trouble and out of the business of others for the night I believe. Now, I think that should sort out some of the problems we have had here...”

Before he could finish, Monsoon was interrupted by the music of Owen Hart and the Tag Team Champions made their way down the aisle to the ring, Owen getting in Monsoon’s face straight away “Who do you think you are, dictating terms to the Hart Foundation?!” He demanded as Savio circled round the two like a vulture “Don’t think your position will make you safe old man, not if you want a reminder of what happened last time you believed that!”

Eyeing Owen coolly, Monsoon showed no signs of being intimidated as he answered “You know, I thought there was something I forgot. You boys need a good set of opponents to defend those belts against now don’t you? Well, I’ve got a surprise for you two coming right up before WrestleMania, something I know you’ll both love. But for next Sunday, you’ll face the Headbangers for the Championships! Whoever wins gets to defend the titles at WrestleMania involving our new signings.”

Behind Owen, Savio sent a death glare at his partner for having got them into this trap and as Monsoon exited the ring, they started bickering over whose fault it was. The night went on with some of the fighting being reigned in as several people had now got what they had finally wanted or at least been mollified to an extent. The main event of the night, a tag team match with Vader and Austin taking on the Tag Team Champions in a non-title bout. The peace didn’t last long however as the Undertaker made his way down to the ring, looking for Vader’s blood at having cheated him out of his vengeance, for now. A brawl soon started between the two as the referee signalled for the disqualification and Austin was double teamed by the Foundation.

Things grew more complex as Mankind made his way down and jumped the Undertaker from behind with Bret and Bulldog soon joining him to take on Vader. They themselves were followed by the Headbangers as they attacked Savio and Owen, Raw ending with an all out brawl along the ring and aisle.

Monday Night Raw, February 10th, 1007:

As the final Raw before In Your House started, it seemed that the disruption of last week had been quelled somewhat and the Foundation was showing a united front as Kavana faced Headbanger Mosh with Owen Hart in the former’s corner. Kavana had a clear advantage over Mosh throughout the bout, only suffering a reversal as his opponent stopped short in front of a dropkick. Mosh grabbed his opponent and attempted a punch only for Kavana to dodge it and land several blows that led Mosh into the ropes before attempting to throw the rocker across the ring. Mosh managed to reverse the throw however and Kavana ran right into a blow from Owen Hart which had been meant for Mosh that sent him stumbling into a small package and a quick win for Mosh.

Honestly appealing that it had been an accident Owen made his way to the back as Kavana kept a death glare on him, believing this to be the final betrayal by Owen that he’d tolerate. An irony indeed as Owen had attempted to help him for once.

Further on in the night, Jake Roberts took on Owen as a preliminary for both men’s bouts on Sunday. Owen went on the onslaught, battering away at Jake as he showed no mercy to the long standing thorn in the Foundation’s side. To his credit, Jake battered back, more than once getting the upper hand on Owen as the younger man’s cockiness was taken advantage of. Owen’s youth and his cheap shots helped even the score until Flex Kavana came down the aisle.

The presence of Kavana helped offset Owen to the extent that Roberts was able to fight back more effectively, lifting Owen up for a suplex before a quick cover from Jake followed. When it seemed as if Owen would kick out, his legs were grabbed by Kavana, pulling him down as the referee slapped the mat for the third time and awarded the victory to Jake. Owen sprang up as the result was announced and glared down at Kavana, screaming down at him furiously. Kavana started to walk down the aisle, taunting Owen that he was merely returning the favour, not realising that Savio had come down the aisle, cutting off Kavana’s line of retreat while Owen walked up to Kavana, obviously seeing to end the rivalry between them once and for all.

Before that could happen however, Jake had followed behind Owen, grabbed him and spun him round before planting his head into the aisle floor with a bone crunching DDT. Savio rushed forward only to be struck down by a clothesline from Kavana. Both he and Roberts shared a look before Kavana made his way to the back, leaving Roberts grinning.

The night continued with Austin being ambushed by Bulldog before his own match of the night. Sending the Texan into the guard rail before stomping on him for a while longer, Bulldog left, cursing up a storm against his foe.

Wrapping up the final of Raw, Bret Hart was set once more against Mankind for a one on one match for the title. A match that barely even begun before the Undertaker made his way down the aisle, both Mankind and Paul Bearer looking panicked at the sight of the dead man, something Bret took advantage off with an attack on Mankind. Paul Bearer ran round the ring to escape from the Undertaker, only to stop short as Vader himself made his way down the aisle, not wanting Mankind to be too damaged for their upcoming bout.

Bret himself was distracted at the arrival of Vader and paused in his attack on Mankind only for the advantage to be taken by his foe as a solid punch to the face sent the Hitman down. On the outside, Undertaker looked up at Mankind and slowly dragged his thumb across his throat, signalling his intent if it hadn’t been made clear beforehand. On the other side of the ring, Vader had shoved Paul Bearer to one side and got up onto the apron, shouting out to Mankind to come face him. Boxed in on both sides, Mankind saw a minor saving grace when Bret took the opportunity to cheap shot Vader, following him to the outside to follow up on the attack.

With the referee having to throw out the contest, the Undertaker got into the ring and started fighting with his hated enemy. The final image of the night in the lead up to In Your House was a brawl between the four men with neither giving an inch as they battled their most hated enemies.

In Your House: Fall Of Mankind, February 16th, 1997:

In Your House started off heading off the feud of Sid and Goldust, the latter protesting that there could only ever be one golden man in the WWF. To which he received a Powerbomb for his protestations. Moving on swiftly from that was the bout for the Tag Team Championships where the young and eager Headbangers looked to secure their first taste of gold. They were met in kind by the Hart Foundation with Savio and Owen instantly taking the fight to the brash rookies.

Despite their lack of experience, both Mosh and Thrash fought their opponents to a near standstill, showing teamwork that set them apart from most other tag teams, outmanoeuvring Savio and Owen on more than one occasion. Every attempt by the Foundation to outnumber their opponents was met in kind by the Headbangers struggling back. Their usual overpowering tactics nullified, Owen and Savio were forced to more desperate measures, Savio distracting the referee as Owen took off one of the pads of the turnbuckles, driving Thrash’s head into the exposed steel. With their opponent down, Owen managed to see of Mosh while Savio covered Thrash, sneaking a win and maintaining their reign.

Following that match was the tag team bout pitching Jake Roberts and Steve Austin against Bulldog and Kavana, the latter of which looked less than happy as he walked down to the ring. When they were in the ring, they barely had time to get settled before Austin’s music started and the fiery Texan ran down to the ring, not even waiting for Jake to make his entrance as a brawl erupted with Austin taking out his frustrations on Bulldog, unleashing a furious attack that took the Foundation members by surprise, Kavana being sent over the top rope while Bulldog was hammered repeatedly.

When Jake got to the ring, Kavana had managed to sneak back in and struck Austin from behind, giving Bulldog a breathing space as the two went at it. Jake disrupted this however by getting between Austin and Kavana, trying to break them apart when Austin shoved him out of the way, his bloodlust up and eager for a beating on someone. The referee finally stepped in however and forced some order onto the situation, squaring off Austin and Kavana as their partners retreated to their respective corners.

Both Austin and Kavana squared off, neither man showing signs of slowing down as they hit back and forth, Kavana’s speed matched by Austin’s brawling as the latter slowly got the advantage, planting blow upon blow upon Kavana before throwing him into his corner, demanding he tag in Bulldog. Reluctant to do so, Kavana found he had little choice when Bulldog slapped his shoulder and stepped into the ring, eager to get to Austin. Something he soon regretted as Austin barrelled straight into him, sending both over the top rope. I didn’t take long for both men to get on their feet and resume their brawl on the outside, Bulldog giving Austin a clothesline that sent him over the guard rail and into the crowd. Not even stopping there, Bulldog hopped over the rail and followed the Rattlesnake, neither man stopping as they continued their fight right through the crowd and the arena.

Unable to call the two back, the referee proceeded to count them out, gaining a no contest result. Something that was taken advantage of when Owen and Savio rushed down the aisle and attacked Jake from behind, Owen calling on Kavana to help with. Pausing for a moment, Kavana eventually stepped forward and tried to pull Owen off, telling him that this was enough only to be slapped right in the face. Finally, after months of abuse and betrayal, something inside of Kavana snapped and he pulled Owen around before striking him in the face and grabbing his hair to throw him over the ropes. Savio soon followed as Kavana tossed him as well before going over to Jake and helping him to his feet.

As they retreated down the aisle, Owen and Savio glared at Kavana, swearing revenge for his leaving the Foundation. As he watched them go, Kavana merely shouted back one last challenge “Just bring it!”

Following that was the match between Mankind and Vader, something that didn’t even wait for the bell to ring as Mankind attempted to ambush Vader as he made his way down the aisle. Prepared for him this time however, Vader countered and chucked Mankind into the guard rail, starting a long, bloody beating. Without the bell even having been rung, Mankind was beaten around the ring as Vader took sweet revenge against the maniac. Some respite came when Mankind landed a low blow on his opponent before striking the big man with the ringside bell. Stunned, Vader was then laid on top of the Spanish announce table as Mankind climbed up to the apron then up onto the top of the turnbuckle, raising his arm before leaping it off and hitting Vader square in the chest, the table collapsing under the weight of both men and the impact from Mankind’s leap.

It took some time but eventually, Mankind got up to his feet, dragging Vader behind him as he lifted up the big man and pushed him under the bottom rope into the ring. The match now officially started, Mankind quickly went for the cover but only managed two. Squealing in anger, Mankind go up and stomped heavily on Vader, his boot rising and falling as he heavily planted stomp after stomp onto the big man’s prone body. After the savage attack, Mankind dragged Vader up only to be grabbed around the throat, the big man getting a second wind as he choked Mankind before head butting him and throwing the maniac over the top rope onto the ground below.

Quickly following outside, Vader drove Mankind headfirst into the steel steps before picking up his prone body, placing his head between his legs and picking him up for a truly devastating powerbomb that went through the remaining announce table, earning a roar of appreciation from the crowd. Grabbing his opponent by the hair, Vader then threw him through the bottom rope into the ring, clambering in himself to make the pin only to get a two for his efforts. Frustrated, Vader got up and clambered onto the turnbuckle, aiming for a moonsault when Mankind got up and rushed after him in a mad dash, landing a blow on Vader’s back that forced him to step down to the middle rope.

Seizing his advantage, Mankind put his foot on the ropes as he climbed up beside Vader, beating his head furiously as he tried to force the big man down. An elbow to the chin put a stop to this and another elbow sent the stunned Mankind onto his back, laying him out at an angle. This was the chance Vader had been hoping for as he climbed to the top rope and hit a moonsault that got the three count and the win. As the crowd roared its appreciation, Vader got shakily to his feet, breathing heavily and grinning. Mankind was out of his way, now there was only WrestleMania.

The night ended not on that note but the question of who would be the Champion going into WrestleMania. The Undertaker made his usual grandiose entrance followed in turn by Bret Hart who looked decidedly nervous at facing the dead man. A feeling that soon became justified as the Undertaker took to Bret with a vengeance, powering through his technical expertise with a series of slams and heavy hitting manoeuvres that left Bret on the mat. Slipping outside of the ring to get a breather, Bret was followed by his opponent and Undertaker kept up the assault, eager for gold almost as much for revenge on Mankind.

It was not to be however. Bret fell once more to the Undertaker’s attack, being thrown into the guard rail before having his head slammed into the steel steps and finally sent back into the ring. As this went on, Paul Bearer made his way down the ring, calling out for Undertaker and managing to get his attention. Screaming that he would call upon the one in Hell should Mankind fall, Bearer managed to keep Undertaker distracted long enough for the referee to count to ten and disqualify the dead man. At the sound of the bell, Bearer quickly retreated while Bret celebrated in the ring at his tainted victory, not noticing Undertaker fume before climbing back into the ring.

The only warning Bret got that Undertaker hadn’t left was when he turned around and received a hand around his neck, being lifted high into the air before being slammed back down to the mat with a chokeslam. His anger not completely sated, the dead man then picked up Bret one final time and hit him with the Tombstone Piledriver, knocking the Champion out completely. Thus the event ended, not in the way many had hoped, but leading up to a very clear path to WrestleMania.
 
Monday Night Raw, February 17th, 1997:

The final run up was about to begin. The final few weeks were about to begin towards WrestleMania and the main event therein. Things got off to a rapid start as the Hart Foundation made their way down to the ring at the start of the night, noticeably without the presence of Flex Kavana, a possible reason for the sour look on Bulldog’s face at least. With every member carrying a gold belt, it seemed as if it was going to be a victory parade, something that was dispelled the instant Bret Hart started talking into the microphone “Now normally, I’d be happy to come down here and tell all you fat idiots that the Foundation still have all the gold and the glory that comes with it. That WrestleMania will be the night when we put the nail in the coffin of every last deadbeat in this company. WrestleMania will be the night when the Hart Foundation finally turns this place around into a true wrestling haven.”

Turning round to face Bulldog, Bret’s expression suddenly darkened behind his sunglasses “But right now, we’ve got a major problem to settle. Namely, that kid you defended Davey, the one who you said would be the future, he stabbed us all in the back! Kavana was your choice! He was the one you wanted in Davey! And now he’s turned back to a drunk so he could fight against us. What do you have to say?”

Before the panicked Bulldog could answer that demand, unfamiliar music played throughout the arena and Flex Kavana stepped out, glaring down at the ring and the people in it before he started talking “You know, it’s really interesting to me to see this. Here you are Bret, blaming Davey Boy for losing me when you and that thin streak of nothing you call a brother are responsible! Davey gave me respect! Let’s get one thing straight here; I joined the Foundation because I was offered the respect that came from the best in the business. Instead, you kept me down, never lifted a finger to help while that nothing you call a brother was more than happy to drag me down to his subterranean level!”

As he spoke, Kavana made his way down to the ring, pausing to get in and face the Foundation “Now I’m here to do only one thing, and that’s to ask the only one of you bunch of nobodies worth a damn to make a right decision.” Kavana turned to Bulldog as he went on “You stood up for me Davey, helped me and had my back despite what Owen and the rest did. I want to thank you for it by giving you some advice and a chance. Get rid of these pieces of crap as soon as you can and get away from them before they stab you in the back.” Kavana held out a hand, offering Bulldog it to shake “I want to give you the same chance Jake gave me, walk away Bulldog.”

Before any answer could be given, Bret quickly stepped in, finally showing some emotion after weeks of stoic attitude “Don’t you dare Davey! After all we’ve done for you; after all I’ve done for you! Don’t you dare stab us in the back now! We’re family damnit and you’ll be no better than Austin, Vader or the rest of the parasites in this industry! I’m your brother-in-law Davey, I’m Bret Hart. I’ve given all you have! You owe me everything you have right now! You even think about doing this, and you’re dead to me, and you’re dead to the entire Hart family. Now you can either betray your own family and become the scum we’ve fought for the last eight months, or you can help us put this arrogant little piece of dirt down like you should. Do the right thing, the only sensible thing.”

For a long moment, Bulldog gave no answer as he looked at the Foundation and then Kavana before taking Bret’s microphone and speaking to Kavana “I just want to say that I stand by what I said when you first came here Kavana. You’ve got a lot of potential and could easily become the best. And this gesture of loyalty means the world to me. Loyalty is a virtue I believe is most important of all. And when it comes to loyalty Kavana...” Bulldog looked back to Bret for a moment, pain in his face before turning back to Kavana “When it comes to loyalty, family always comes first.”

There was no time to react before Bulldog struck Kavana across the head with the microphone in his hand, making the young man stumble backwards before Owen and Savio descended upon him like a pair of jackals, beating down on him with a series of blows while Bulldog looked on, obviously torn. A slap on the shoulder from Bret brought him back down to Earth as he was ordered to help Savio and Owen in their attack. Bulldog didn’t at first but the constant ordering from Bret and questions of his loyalty finally forced him to act, moving forward and stamping down on Kavana with great reluctance, joining in the beating before Jake Roberts suddenly made his way down to the ring, chair in hand as he went for the save.

Despite the numerical advantage, no Foundation wanted to tangle with Jake when he had a chair to use. The Foundation quickly got out of the ring and left Kavana to his wounds as Jake glared at the attackers.

Further on into the night saw the arrival of a highly irate Stone Cold Steve Austin who was soon scouring the back for either Bulldog or Gorilla Monsoon as he aimed to get his title shot. On top of this were an incredibly nervous Paul Bearer and Mankind being stalked by the Undertaker who had yet to name his stipulation for the upcoming match at WrestleMania. Finishing off the night was Vader staking his claim against the Foundation as a match between him and Owen Hart soon turned ugly with the Foundation interfering to take out Vader while Austin after Bulldog and Kavana wanting revenge soon followed, ending Raw with an all out brawl between the seven men.

Monday Night Raw, February 24th, 1997:

Not one for great amounts of patience, Steve Austin quickly made his way down to the ring amid cheers from the crowd and looking eager for blood “Now before anything else happens, Stone Cold’s jus gotta say that I’m pissed off!” Pacing in the ring, Austin went on “For months now, Bulldog’s being running from me, hiding when Stone Cold’s got close and when I finally managed to get a shot, he used that little boyfriend of his to weasel out of the match! Now you can try and escape all you want Bulldog but I will get my hands on you and I will kick your ass from here until WrestleMania, SummerSlam and everything in...!”

Austin’s rant was cut off as Rule Britannia rang out throughout the arena and Bulldog made his way down the ring, looking pretty much fed up of everything which he was more than happy to verbalise when he got into the ring “You know what Austin? I am sick to death of you coming out here and running your mouth week after week after week, saying you’re better than me! Well you’re not! You want me Austin?! Fine, you’ve got me! Name the time and place and I’ll face you! Whatever match you want! Go on Austin! You wanted me, now you’ve got me!”

By now Bulldog had got right into Austin’s face, his fury showing as he breathed heavily, daring Austin to make the next move. Something Austin was more than happy to do but the appearance of Gorilla Monsoon at the entrance of the aisle prevented him from answering “Now wait just a minute! Austin failed in his stipulation to gain his shot and considering his tactics over the last few weeks...”

“Shove it up your ass Monsoon! The men are talking!” Austin barked at the WWF President before turning back to Bulldog “Now you say any match? At any time? Well, thing is, Stone Cold ain’t nothing if he ain’t a showman so we’re gonna settle this once and for all at WrestleMania.” As the crowd responded positively to that announcement, Austin went on with his idea “Now if I recall right, ain’t no one who’s faced you who hasn’t had to look over their shoulders for fear that the rest of your little gang’s gonna jump them and put them down for count. So what I want first of all is that none of your little group’s gonna be there to get in my way of kicking your ass!”

Going red at the anger from Austin’s words, Bulldog shouted his response “You want a match without the Foundation?! Fine, have it! Just you and me! I don’t need them to kick your arse anyway!”

A broad smile crossed Austin’s face at Bulldog’s words and then he went on “Well now that suits me just fine Bulldog but there’s something else. Now it’s seemed to me that even without your little club you’ve found some way to screw over everyone who wasn’t playing by the rules. Stone Cold, he don’t care about the rules but I do care about that belt that rightfully belongs to me. So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re not gonna settle this with a simple one, two, three count, but with a ten count. Last man standing rules Bulldog. No pins, no submissions. But you and me kicking each other’s asses until one of us don’t get up. No disqualifications, no grabbing the ropes to screw me with a pin, but a good old ass kicking that WrestleMania’s never seen before. You got the balls to agree to this?”

“You’re damn right I do!” Bulldog shouted in reply “I’ll face you at WrestleMania and I’ll bury you at WrestleMania! You won’t get away from me Austin! I will end you!” With that, the two faced eye to eye in the ring, not turning away as Gorilla Monsoon could only look on helplessly at this new development.

Monsoon would gain one victory later on in the night as Phineas Godwinn took on Owen Hart in a match with Savio proving crucial for a victory although as Owen celebrated, the look on Savio’s face to Owen ignoring him was less than happy. Before something could be made of this however, Monsoon once more appeared at the top of the aisle, looking a lot more confident than before as he spoke “Well congratulations on your victory Owen. But before you get too complacent, it’s time that I introduce you to your opponents for WrestleMania!”

The arena waited with bated breath to see who would come out and claim their shot for the gold. They weren’t disappointed at the result.

“Urrrrggghhhhh What a rush!”

Within a moment, the arena had erupted into wild cheers as the Legion of Doom made their way past Gorilla Monsoon into the arena, receiving a tremendous ovation from the crowd. Both Savio and Owen looked on, shocked at this turn of events and it only increased as Hawk grabbed the microphone “Well look whose back!” He shouted triumphantly while grinning like a predator at the Champions “It’s been a long time and LOD are back and we see these are our opponents?! What do we think of that Animal?”

“Pathetic!” Was the response “These two punks are going to be at WrestleMania?! They ain’t even fit to lace our boots! You think you even deserve to wear those belts? You two are nothing compared to us!”

By now, Owen had grabbed a microphone and attempted to shout down the LOD “You think you’re better than us? We’re the World Tag-Team Champions! You two don’t stand a chance against us and we can prove it! You think Bulldog’s the only one who can make a stipulation? You name any sort of match you want and we’ll have it!”

As Savio did a face fault at such a challenge, both Animal and Hawk grinned at each other before responding “You think you can keep up with us Owen? Even you’re still taking orders from your big brother?”

“I take orders from no one!” Owen shouted back over the objections of his partner, his temper up “Name any match you want and we’ll have it!”

Chuckling darkly, Animal responded “Then it’s up to us to show you never to take the LOD lightly! We’ll be having a street fight right in that ring! I hope you boys are ready, cos I don’t think you’ll be walking out in one piece!”

Handing the microphone over to Hawk, Animal stood back and let his partner give the immortal words “Urrrrggghhhhh what a rush!” As LOD left, Savio confronted Owen, giving the universal words generally reserved for complete idiots.

As the night came to an end, Flex Kavana was set to face off in a match with Bret Hart as the Foundation backed the corner of the latter and Jake Roberts with the former. I didn’t take very long for the Foundation to interfere and attack both opponents as Owen led the charge against Jake, Savio following moments later as Bulldog hung back, trying to avoid taking sides. The beat down on Jake distracted Kavana long enough for Bret to get him in a roll up and a pin. The attack didn’t stop after the bell rang however as Bret threw Kavana over the top rope onto the floor before ordering Bulldog to help with the attack.

Reluctantly, Bulldog did so as he threw Kavana into the guard rail while Bret looked down from the ring at the carnage, his triumph to be interrupted however as Vader ran down to the ring, slipping underneath the ropes and managing to clothesline Bret down before the Champion escaped, Raw ending with Vader staring down Bret as he retreated along with the rest of the Foundation, Kavana and Roberts still recovering from their beating.

Monday Night Raw, March 3rd, 1997:

As the countdown to WrestleMania went on, the return of the Legion of Doom as well as the stipulation added to the Intercontinental title match had got interest rising to a peak. The ongoing rivalry between the Undertaker and Mankind also wasn’t without notice as the two continued their cat and mouse chase as Mankind attempted to bring down the Undertaker before their match, an ambush in the arena going awry as the Dead man fought back, sending Mankind retreating back to wherever he had come, fearing the wrath of his foe more than ever.

Vader also had to deal with the Foundation trying to take him out, Bret having put out the order for the big man to be stopped. Vader found some allies in Austin, Kavana and Roberts though, each with their own grudge against the Foundation and with the LOD on side, it appeared that the previously dominating force in the WWF was facing pressure like never before. The main event of Raw saw Vader cement this as he defeated Savio Vega in a match, the Foundation having to deal with the LOD and Austin as they brawled down the aisle after the match was done, the chaos in the WWF only increasing.

Monday Night Raw, March 10th, 1997:

Despite the setbacks of the last few weeks, the Foundation returned to Raw with a show of strength, a tag match between the LOD against Bret and Bulldog being the main event of the night as the Foundation went out to show that they weren’t rattled by previous events. A camera managed to catch the Foundation in their locker room as Bret gave them his own speech to prepare them for the upcoming weeks.

“We’ve had our setbacks; I’m not going to lie about that. First Kavana turns our back on us, then Monsoon shows his utter bias by allowing Austin to name whatever stipulation he wants at WrestleMania and finally brings in his own little team of puppets to help bring us down. But we’re not going to let this get on top of us. We are the Hart Foundation, we are the elite, the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. And at WrestleMania, we’ll prove it to the entire world and get rid of every single piece of scum infecting this company. We did it with Shawn Michaels and we can do it with all our opponents.”

Stopping in front of Bulldog, Bret cast a contemptuous eye on his brother-in-law “And you Davey. What the Hell were you thinking accepting Austin’s demands? I always knew you weren’t the brightest person but to blindly agree to whatever he said? That takes a special kind of stupidity.” Bret waved a hand to silence Bulldog’s protests as he went on “Don’t say a damn thing. You were stupid enough to agree to those stipulations and now we won’t have your back. If you lose Davey, you’re out; you won’t be worthy to even be near the Foundation. Do I make myself clear?”

The beleaguered Bulldog could only nod in reply, his mood not lifting even when he and Bret faced off against the LOD. The distraction showed as the returning team managed to dominate Bulldog, Animal and Hawk reminding everyone why they were considered one of the top tag teams around. When Bulldog managed to thumb Hawk’s eye and make the tag to Bret, the Champion gave his partner a look of utter contempt before taking the fight to Hawk, knocking him down with a clothesline before going for the Road Warrior’s leg, locking it on with a series of leg locks and strikes to weaken it. After tagging in Bulldog, it seemed as if the damage had had an effect as Hawk was manhandled by the stronger wrestler, Bulldog finding some of his spark as he hit Hawk with a series of slams and suplexes.

Before the finishing touches could be made however, an attempt at a back body drop by Bulldog was converted into a DDT by Hawk, allowing him to crawl over and make the tag to Animal. As Bulldog went over to do the same though, Bret hung back, refusing to make the tag while calling out “You brought this on yourself!” As Bulldog gaped in shock at the betrayal, he was attacked from behind by Animal who hit him with a piledriver before setting up the Doomsday Device, Bulldog falling hard to the mat as it was hit. After that was the pin and the victory going to the LOD while Bret made his way back down the aisle, leaving Bulldog in a heap in the ring.

Monday Night Raw, March 17th, 1997:

It was the final Raw before WrestleMania and the tensions throughout the Federation were at a fever pitch. In a series of matches that involved the Foundation and their opponents, Raw was set to give a preview of what was to come as Bulldog took on Animal, Owen Hart took on Vader, Savio Vega took on Hawk and Bret took on Stone Cold. Added to this was the constant spanner in the works of Mankind and the Undertaker as the camera cut to the back with the demonic dead man standing beside a beaten and worn down looking coffin, cracked and chipped in places.

“For nearly a year...” Undertaker started “For nearly a year now I have been hunted, tormented and attacked by Mankind. I have been betrayed by the one man who I thought would always support me. All because I was not the monster he wanted. Look at me Paul Bearer, look into my eyes and you will see the darkness you sought. I may not have been what you once wanted, but spurned by my oldest ally and hunted by a madman, I have gone further into the darkness than I have ever done before. Let Mankind come Paul Bearer, let any others you may have come forth. For I am ready and this Sunday, at WrestleMania, when I throw Mankind into this coffin and seal him away for eternity, I shall come for you. And then, you shall finally, rest... in... peace...”

After those words, the matches started when Bulldog took on Animal, both of them powerhouses who refused to back down. But it seemed that the punishment Bret had dealt out last week had left an impact upon the Bulldog and he still seemed distracted, allowing Animal to capitalise on it. Dominating the middle of the match, Animal dragged his thumb over his throat as he showed his intent before throwing Bulldog against the ropes for a patented powerslam only for a desperate flying shoulder block by Bulldog reversed the situation and sent Animal careening out of the ring, landing awkwardly on his head.

As Bulldog recovered in the ring, the referee counted to ten, giving the Intercontinental Champion the victory just as Animal got to his feet but the second before he could get back into the ring. As he fumed his way to the back of the arena, Animal passed Jakes Roberts and Flex Kavana as they made their way to the ring, getting in as Bulldog looked to the both of them warily, his guard up as Kavana started talking “Now look Davey, before you start anything, there’s something we need to say. I know that you’re loyal to your family and I can respect that. You and Bret have been through a lot, good times and bad and you want to pay your respect to him. But look how he’s treating you! He threatens you, demeans you and threw you to the wolves last week! You think you owe him your loyalty after that?!”

Not allowing Bulldog the time to reply, Kavana passed the microphone towards Jake who carried on “Loyalty to the family is a great virtue Davey but when the family is a nest of vipers, there is only so much loyalty it is owed. The Hart name has been brought low by the hubris of Bret, he has led you and others into the darkness by playing on your professional pride. Now when you need him, he’s willing to throw you aside like a piece of garbage. Don’t let them do this to you. You are the better man Davey. All you have to do is walk away from them.”

Bulldog looked at both Kavana and Jake for a long while before turning around and walking out of the ring, paying little heed to the calls of Jake and Kavana to return as he seemed deep in his own thoughts.

Raw continued with the matches going on, Owen against Vader soon degenerating into interference from Savio that saw the latter get powerbombed while Owen quickly made his way out of the ring, leaving his partner high and dry. Despite him being worse for wear, Savio still made his way down to his match with Hawk, clutching himself in obvious pain and unable to put up much of a fight. The fact that Owen didn’t even bother to come out and help him as Hawk got the pin after a piledriver did little to temper Savio’s fury and as he limped to the back, it seemed that more than one major crack was affecting the Foundation.

The final match before WrestleMania was the match with Bret Hart against Steve Austin, the brawling Texan not waiting for the bell but jumping out of the ring and running down the aisle as the Hitman made his entrance. The two fought down the aisle without pause as Austin and Bret struggled for dominance, a low blow from Bret managing to earn him that. The bell rang when Bret threw Austin into the ring, officially starting the match. Austin’s vulnerability was capitalised on throughout by Bret as he tried to wrap up the match quickly, wanting to put Austin away as quickly as possible.

Austin fought back hard though, refusing to go down as he countered Bret’s technical skills with his own toughness, laying punch after punch into Bret before a boot to the gut and a throw into the turnbuckle shifted the momentum firmly in Austin’s favour. The match was not to get a firm conclusion however as the beat down Austin was giving Bret was interrupted as the Foundation made their way down to the ring, albeit with Bulldog and Savio looking somewhat reluctant in doing so.

The attempt to attack Austin was met in kind with LOD and Vader running down to face the Foundation and preventing an outright assault on Austin. Quickly getting out of the ring, the Foundation sized up their opponents in the ring and knew that WrestleMania would be the do or die moment for them.

WrestleMania 13, March 23rd, 1997:

At long last, the time had come. Months of suspense, build up and feuds had led to this single point, WrestleMania, the granddaddy of them all. It was the night where the Hart Foundation would emerge triumphant or crumble to dust. The long running feud of Undertaker and Mankind was also to finally be put to rest while four tag teams would brawl over who would claim the number one contenders shot in their division, Ahmed Johnson had agreed to fight a gauntlet match with the Nation of Domination and Sycho Sid would himself take on a jealous Marc Mero for the former’s seeming affections towards Sable.

After the victory of the Headbangers and Sycho Sid in their respective matches, it was time for the Intercontinental bout. Austin looked determined as he had ever been as he practically marched down the aisle, his thoughts solely on the gold and the chance for glory. Bulldog entered finally showing the focus he had been lacking for weeks, eager to take the battle to Austin and reclaim his standing as Champion. For once, both men were able to keep themselves under control until the bell finally rang and then the match was on. There was to be little in the way of technical style of wrestling or skill, it would be a brawl.

Austin opened the first salvo of assault, knocking Bulldog down with a clothesline before taking the opportunity to stick his boot in multiple times. Dragging him back up, Austin pummelled Bulldog to the ropes, going for one final punch before Bulldog managed to duck and use Austin’s momentum to send him over the top ropes onto the ground below. Resting for a moment, Bulldog stepped out onto the apron and hit the rising Austin with a double axe handle, sending Austin face first to the announce table nearby only to have his face smashed against it several times as well.

With the advantage firmly in his favour, Bulldog grabbed a nearby chair to cement it only for Austin to grab onto the weapon and shove it right into Bulldog’s face with a resounding smack that cut the Champion open. Taking the new window of opportunity, Austin grabbed Bulldog and flung him into the steps and then into the guard rail around the ring before picking him up and throwing him back in the ring, grabbing the discarded chair for good measure. The referee counted to five before Bulldog got to his knees, planting a low blow on Austin as he went to hit him with the chair.

From that point on, Bulldog did all he could to put Austin away, breaking every rule he could with chokes, low blows and every power move in his arsenal. His hanging vertical suplex was even more devastating than usual as Bulldog made sure Austin’s back hit the prone chair on the canvas. But despite all this, the now blood soaked Champion failed to put Austin down fully, only managing an eight count at most each time. His attempt to finish Austin with a Running Powerslam went awry as Austin wriggled out before planting a Stunner on Bulldog as he turned around, both men collapsing from the move and from exhaustion.

It was a nine count before both men had risen to their feet, moving to the centre of the ring as they punched back and forth to knock the other down. Austin seemed to get an advantage as Bulldog fell back a few steps and went for a clothesline but Bulldog ducked and caught Austin with a back body drop onto the canvas. Running out of ideas, Bulldog headed towards the corner as Austin slowly dragged himself to his feet, ripping off the padding completely before heading back to Austin who seemed to get a second wind as he leapt up and hit Bulldog with a Lou Thesz press.

Unleashing a series of punches on his opponent, Austin then got up, pulling Bulldog with him before throwing him into the ropes and hitting the Champion with a back body drop. Only getting a six from the referee, Austin dragged Bulldog over to the corner, kicking and then stomping a mudhole in him, giving Bulldog an extra two finger salute for good measure. Dragging him up once more, Austin threw Bulldog into the corner only for it to be reversed and Austin’s back smacked right into the naked metal of the turnbuckle, stumbling forward as Bulldog picked him up before slamming him down into the mat with a Running Powerslam.

Backing off to the corner, a battered and bloodied Bulldog smiled as the referee counted, his fingers counting down to eight before Austin crawled to his knees and pulled himself up with the ropes the instant before ten was reached. Gaping in shock, Bulldog could only stand there as Austin steadied himself, talking trash directly at Bulldog, refusing to give in despite the pounding he had taken. With no other option, Bulldog rushed forward at the same time as Austin, exchanging blows for a while before Austin slipped under Bulldog’s fist and turned around, wrapping his arms around the Champion’s neck as he slapped on the Million Dollar Dream.

Before the move could knock Bulldog out however, he forced Austin backwards into the corner with the exposed metal, forcing Austin to relinquish the hold. Breaking away, Bulldog ran forward to hit a clothesline only for Austin to dodge out of the way, the Champion ramming his ribs into the metal before Austin grabbed the back of his head and proceeded to hit it against the unprotected steel ten times before pulling Bulldog back for one final Stone Cold Stunner. There would be no getting up from that as the referee counted to ten and awarded Austin a very hard fought victory.

Slipping out of the ring to grab the belt and celebrating as he went down the aisle, Austin didn’t bother to stop as he went to the back, leaving a prone Bulldog lying in his own blood while Kavana and Jake made their way down to the ring, getting in the ring to help Bulldog onto his feet. They were interrupted as the Foundation made their way down to the ring, furious at Bulldog’s failure and determined to make it clear that they didn’t tolerate it. Savio Vega hung back while Owen and Bret stepped into the ring, ordering Kavana and Jakes aside to get at Bulldog.

Both men refused, leading to a stand off until Bret and Owen took the cheap shot to both men, laying them down with punches until Bulldog managed to get to his feet and hit both of them with clotheslines, collapsing from exhaustion as Jake and Kavana recovered, forcing the Foundation to retreat down the aisle, cursing the interference. Back in the ring, a bloodied Bulldog was helped back up to his feet by Kavana and Roberts, the two aiding him down the aisle as the crowd applauded him along the way.

Following that battle saw Ahmed Johnson manage to overcome four members of the Nation of Domination before Farooq battered on his exhausted foe, picking up the victory before the Nation proceeded to jump and beat down on Ahmed that would put him on the shelf for some months with his injuries.

After that came the Tag Team Championship bouts with Owen and Savio looking less than pleased at the prospective bout ahead of them. When LOD made their entrance however, their eagerness was matched only by the sheer amount of weaponry they brought to the ring, two shopping trolleys full to the brim with them. Both Owen and Savio quickly got out of the ring as LOD threw the items into the ring from steel pipes, wooden poles, a stop sign, garbage cans and finally, a kitchen sink. Both Savio and Owen protested this turn of events but as the referee pointed out, it was a street match and as such, everything was legal.

That bit of the law laid down, LOD made their first move by attacking the Foundation members with their fists for now, the weapons still strewn across the ring. The power and brawling style in their favour, LOD managed to dominate the Foundation as they used whatever came to hand to beat their opponents senseless. Getting their heads round the rule less environment, a quick set of low blows helped their cause. With no tags needed, the four men continued their brawl in the ring, Owen Hart somewhat out of place as his technical skills were neutered by the weapons at place around the ring.

With all four men using the weapons strewn across the ring, it didn’t take long before all of them were battered, bruised and aching from the beatings they had inflicted upon each other. The end seemed to come however when an attempt to clothesline Owen out of the ring got Animal a back drop over the top ropes instead. Taking advantage of that, the Foundation then double teamed Hawk, clubbing him down with fists and kicks before Savio grabbed a nearby garbage can lid as Owen held Hawk steady. Striking with the weapon, Savio was unable to stop himself and smashed the metal lid over Owen’s head as Hawk slipped out of his grip.

His partner down, Savio was easy pickings for a returning Animal from the outside who stunned Savio with a mop handle to the back before hoisting him onto his shoulders, allowing Hawk to climb on top of the ropes and hit the Doomsday Device before making the pin and winning the Championships. As the LOD left the ring, Owen made his way back in, his face locked in a furious scowl at the realisation that they had lost. Seeing Savio get to his feet, Owen turned on his partner, shoving him against the ropes and blaming him for everything that had gone wrong.

His patience stretched to breaking point, Savio snapped and struck out, giving a series of punches to Owen before hitting him with a Spinning Heel Kick. Rounding on his fallen ex-partner, Savio shouted in a voice loud enough for the cameras and front rows to hear “Take you and your brother’s Foundation, and stick it up your ass!” And with that, he left the ring, determined now to walk a different path.

It took some time for the ring to be cleared of the various weapons that had been left within it and now allowed for the penultimate match to begin, low music playing as Paul Bearer led Mankind down to the ring, neither looking very happy at what was about to happen. The crowd was very different in this though and as the arena plunged into darkness, they yelled in delight before Latin chanting was heard and a group of Druids made their way down to the ring, their master’s choice of coffin for his opponent being pushed in the middle. As it was put in place at the side of the ring, a tolling bell was heard next and the Undertaker made his way down to the ring, climbing in and offering Mankind a death glare, knowing there was no escape now for his most hated foe.

Only a fraction of a second after the bell rang, the two went at each other hammer and tongs, battering down on each other with no inch given or taken. Mankind was the first to show weakness, pausing in his own attack as Undertaker hit him over and over again with his fists, sending Mankind back into the ropes before throwing him against those opposite and sending the maniac down to the canvas with a clothesline. Months of frustration and hatred had boiled to this moment and let loose, showing no mercy whatsoever to Mankind as he threw him like a rag doll around the ring, having his fill of blood as he threw Mankind out of the ring and onto the metal stairs, cutting him open.

As Undertaker watched Mankind bleed and squeal on the floor, a desperate Paul Bearer had managed to get behind the dead man and went to hit him with the urn only to be stopped as Undertaker turned around and fixed his glare on his former manager. Before he could take his pound of flesh from Bearer though, Undertaker was attacked from behind by the bloodied Mankind who threw his opponent into the Spanish announce table, placing him on it before keeping the dead man stunned with a few well placed punches and elbows to the head.

As Undertaker lay on the table, Mankind clambered up onto the apron of the ring and braced himself before running along it and jumping off with his elbow outstretched, hitting the Undertaker dead on in the chest and the combined weight of both men made the table smash in two. The crowd roared with appreciation as the men lay in the splinters and shards of the table before Mankind unsteadily made his way to his feet, Undertaker not before behind until Mankind grabbed him his his head, rammed it into the ring apron and then threw him into the ring.

Following straight after his foe, Mankind dragged the Undertaker to his feet and attempted a DDT before the dead man managed to reverse it by picking up Mankind and hitting him with a spinebuster that reverberated across the ring. Both men lay on the mat, taking the time to recover with Undertaker rising first, telling the referees as the coffin to open it and then throwing Mankind over the top ropes and into the coffin but was unable to shut it before Mankind scrambled out desperately, skirting out halfway across the ring through sheer terror.

With the coffin lid closing due to the lack of a victim, Undertaker chased after Mankind, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him into the corner, letting his fists and boots do the talking as Mankind was pounded away on. Unable to take the dead man’s fury, Mankind slid down the turnbuckle as the attack went on, only to be dragged up to his feet and thrown into the opposite corner. Undertaker followed only to meet an elbow to his jaw and a boot to the gut. Finding some energy stored in his madness, Mankind grabbed Undertaker and threw him over the rope onto the coffin, following it up with a few boots to the head through the ropes.

Falling off the coffin, Undertaker rose to his feet, trying to get back into the ring but was yanked in by the hair by Mankind who pulled him between his legs and hit the dead man with a piledriver. Squealing in glee as he got up, Mankind’s celebration was cut short as Undertaker sat up and locked his stare onto him and the dead man slowly rose to his feet, grabbing Mankind as the maniac attempted to charge him but was stopped short by the Mandible Claw being shoved right into his mouth. Undertaker staggered back and forth as he tried to rip the Claw out of his mouth but to no avail and he slowly sank to his knees and soon after, his back.

With the Undertaker out for the count, Mankind screamed to get the coffin open before he dragged the prone body towards it, Paul Bearer shouting jubilantly at ringside as Mankind slid the body into the casket and started to close the lid. At the last moment though, a hand rose up and prevented the lid from shutting, all of Mankind’s efforts into closing the coffin went unfulfilled as a lone gloved hand shoved the door wide open, forcing Mankind to stumble backwards as the Undertaker rose from the coffin, eyes wide with rage as he pressed his attack.

Another attempt by Mankind to lock on the Mandible Claw was prevented as Undertaker simply booted his enemy in the face, making him fall to the mat. As he got unsteadily to his feet, a hand enclosed around Mankind’s throat before he was lifted up and slammed to the ground with a devastating chokeslam. Undertaker paused amid the cheers from the crowd, his eyes flickering upwards before he raised his hand and dragged his thumb across his throat, showing his unmistakeable intent. Mankind seemed none the wiser as he got to his feet before turning around and being lifted up onto the dead man’s shoulder before being placed in the position for the Tombstone. Something Undertaker relished as he leapt up before his knees and Mankind’s head met the canvas with a mighty slam.

With that done, all that was left was for Undertaker to drag Mankind’s carcass over to the coffin before slinging it in, the bell signalling and awarding the victory to the Undertaker. Soaking up the cheers of the crowd in the ring, Undertaker smiled darkly as Paul Bearer retreated down the aisle, swearing vengeance on his former protégé for his actions. The moment he left however, the arena plunged into darkness once more and the Druids returned, coming down the aisle and surrounding the coffin before dragging it to the back, Undertaker following behind the procession carrying his fallen foe.

All of the undercard out of the way, it was now time for the main event. The big man Vader against none other than Bret Hart who had seen his Foundation crumble and fall throughout the night. It was to either finally put to rest the long standing threat of Bret Hart to the WWF, or cement his run as Champion. Vader’s entrance was marked with a huge roar from the crowd, cheering the big man on as they longed to see him end Bret’s reign as Champion. The Hitman entered to a chorus of boos although he seemed happy to ignore them, swaggering to the ring as if he expected everything to go according to plan.

When the bell rang and the match started, it was clear that Vader held the strength advantage as a lock up resulted in Bret being thrown right across the ring into a corner. Picking himself up, doubt crept across Bret’s face just before Vader charged into it, taking the fight to the Champion with a series of punches before throwing him to the opposite corner and following it up with a full body splash that Bret only just managed to dodge. Vader stumbled back into a kick to his leg, Bret aiming for that limb as he gave a series of kicks and stomps to it to further weaken it.

Vader fought back however as an attempt to get a leg lock on the big man was responded too with a forceful kick that sent Bret back as Vader quickly got up, responding to a further attempted attack by Bret with his huge arms coming together and striking the Hitman on his head, sending him down to the canvas. With the advantage now, Vader picked Bret up and proceeded to almost break him in half with a series of power moves, using body slams, powerslams and clotheslines to bring him down. Bret refused to give up though and managed to reverse an attempted back body drop with a dropkick to his knee, reopening that injury.

As both men got to their feet, Bret lunged at Vader and hit him with a chop block, bringing the big man down. Taking advantage of this, Bret dragged Vader over to the corner, pulling his legs around the turnbuckle before pulling the beaten leg and striking it against the metal a total of three times. Not content with that, Bret then wrapped Vader’s legs around the turnbuckle before raising his own leg and then leaping up to complete the hold, locking on the figure four around the turnbuckle as Vader writhed in agony.

Bret kept up the hold until he was forced to get back in the ring before being counted out and then tried to pin Vader, managing only to get a two. Frustrated by this, Bret dragged Vader up by his head only for the big man to push him away, causing Bret to knock the referee out of the ring in his wild flailing. The Hitman steadied himself however and went after Vader only to receive a right hook to his gut before his head was placed between the big man’s legs as Vader picked Bret up and hit him with an earth shaking powerbomb. Crawling over to Bret, Vader draped an arm over him and waited to here the referee count only to hear nothing. Getting slowly to his feet, Vader looked round before seeing the referee out on the ground outside the ring.

Not noticing Bret slide out towards the announcer’s table behind him, Vader got out of the ring to try and wake the referee up. It wasn’t until he felt a steel chair striking his weakened leg that he realised Bret was up and about. Seeing that the referee was still not up, Bret used this to his advantage as he pushed Vader into the ring before following him and striking his leg a further three times with the chair, ending it with a brutal shot to his head which laid the big man out. Throwing the chair to one side, Bret then went out and dragged the referee back into the ring, ordering him to count as he covered Vader.

Much to his shock though, the count only went to two as Vader kicked out the moment before the mat was slapped for a third time. Shock spreading across his face, Bret berated the referee before going back to Vader, stomping on him to keep him down before climbing onto the second ropes and hitting the big man with a double elbow drop. Another pin simply got another two count and Bret pulled at his hair in frustration, obviously reaching the end of his tether. Getting up, Bret grabbed Vader’s legs before stepping between them, experiencing no resistance as he locked on the Sharpshooter.

Vader shot up, shouting at the pain coursing through his injured leg and lower back before he tried to clamber towards the ropes, reaching out in desperation. He managed to just about lock his fingers around the bottom rope but a desperate pull by Bret brought the big man back to the middle of the ring. Hope started to fade as Vader sank down seemed to have passed out, the referee stepping forward and lifting his hand up twice, it slapping the mat each time before it was lifted a third time only for Vader to finally shoot it back up, still refusing to submit despite the pain.

Rising from his position, Vader stretched and kicked out, Bret’s grip slipping as he was pushed forward by the momentum and forced to let go from the sheer power behind it. Falling to his knees, Bret could only get up and look on in shock as Vader rose to his feet with the ropes to help him, grinning in his insane fashion and urging Bret to bring whatever he had left. Bret did so, charging at Vader only to meet an elbow to his jaw that was followed up by a clothesline. Finding some energy to carry on, Vader threw Bret into the corner before pummelling him with a series of uppercuts to his body, finishing it off with a headbutt that sent the Hitman down to the ground.

Realising Bret was in place, Vader raised his hand, the crowd roaring as he signalled what was to come. Vader climbed up the turnbuckle, stopping as he felt the pain in his leg acting up. Vader clutched his injured limb, giving enough time for Bret to recover and climb beside Vader, hitting him with a series of blows to the head as he tried to bring down the big man. Vader found the endurance to fight through though, elbowing Bret in the head enough times to stun the Hitman before sending him careening off the ropes onto the mat.

His opportunity now here, Vader climbed to the top rope, looked behind him once to make sure Bret had got to his feet and then leapt, sailing through the air amid a thousand flashing cameras as he landed his Moonsault directly onto Bret, landing hard and covering him with the pin, earning the three count. The arena erupted into jubilation as the result was announced and Vader given the belt. He was the new WWF Champion; the reign of the Foundation was now and truly buried.

Taking a moment to let it sink in, Vader then grabbed the belt and limped over to the nearest corner, climbing up to the middle rope and holding the belt aloft, celebrating his victory amid the cheering of the crowd. Battered, exhausted and knowing there would be many challengers after his position, Vader celebrated in the ring, knowing he’d be ready to face each and every one of them and show them for now, it was his time.

Excerpt From ‘The Rise and Rise of the WWF’ (2003):

“WrestleMania Thirteen was a true watershed moment for the WWF. Capitalising on Allen White’s (Vader) established popularity while building on old favourites such as the LOD and new favourites such as Steve William’s persona of Stone Cold, WrestleMania Thirteen saw the end of two major successful storylines. The first being the rivalry between Mark Calaway (Undertaker) and Mick Foley’s Mankind persona. Mick Foley’s work during this period as the unpredictable and insane Mankind had propelled him to new heights as far as popularity went and esteem amongst WWF management to help build a major long term feud. It was unsurprising that this would later impact his career, especially in light of his own history with Allen White.”

“The second angle to end at WrestleMania was the Hart Foundation angle. Originally thought as a general anti-American faction, the reluctance of Bret Hart to use that as a storyline made it into the elitist faction it would become known as. It was and still is regarded as a hugely successful angle, if feeling dragged out at some points. It managed to bring new life into the WWF after the mire of the Shawn Michaels reign as Champion; it elevated a young Dwayne Johnson (Flex Kavana) to prominence with his charisma earning him a good deal of popularity, it also helped push Juan Rivera (Savio Vega) to some prominence rather than linger in a generic mid-card role and gave Aurelian Smith (Jake Roberts) a new lease of life in his career, taking on an on-screen mentor role for the most part.”

“What the Hart Foundation angle really allowed the WWF to do though was stand firm against the shocking and popular NWO angle in WCW at the time. Accused at the time of being a rip-off of the Foundation angle (Although disproved largely at the time and completely later on), WCW’s role in helping the WWF shape up cannot be stated enough. Bringing new and popular wrestlers to the fore, taking the company in bold new directions all started at the turning point of deciding to turn Vader into the face of the company. Although later having to step aside for the rising stars of the Attitude Era, Allen White was a major player in helping it form and indeed, early and mid 1997 were, as a matter of fact, Vader time.”
 
Monday Night Nitro, March 24th, 1997:

As per usual when it came to Nitro, the nWo were more than happy to start things off by interrupting proceedings, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash making their way down to the ring, Nash grabbing a microphone from nearby before making his way to the centre of the ring “Now as you all know, the NWO is always on the lookout for new blood to wipe away the useless piles of crap in this company. And I tell ya folks, we’ve picked a doozy! Fresh from up north, he’s gonna be a new star in the nWo, the one to help us finally bury WCW six feet under! Shawn, come on out!”

From out of the first row of the crowd, a man clad in a nWo t-shirt hopped over the guard rail, giving a saunter for the crowd before stepping onto the ring apron, posing once more before finally getting into the ring and taking the microphone from Nash “Thanks for the introduction there Nash. Now I’m here, I’m going to show everyone that the nWo are the best wrestling has to offer. Forget that fat sack of crap up north who says he’s Champion or that pink clad piece of Canadian vomit, this is where it’s really at!” Shawn looked right at the camera as he said his next words “Believe me Vince, you screwed me, so me and the nWo are going to bury you deep into the ground.” He gave an evil grin before going on “Your crappy little company’s going to be burnt to the ground Vince and I’ll be there, laughing all the way.”

Post on WrestleCrap Forum by member SuperJoe and reply by member RegalDug:

“So I take it this forum’s definition of hubris is the Shawn Michaels’ promos when he jumped to WCW?”

--> “That and what TV Tropes calls ‘Hilarious in Hindsight.”

Monday Night Raw, March 24th, 1997:

The opening to Raw started off on a much more triumphant note than its rival as Vader, the WWF Champion made his way down to the ring amidst a wall of cheers from the crowd. The belt slung over his shoulder, Vader held it high above his head as he got into the ring, celebrating his victory. Grabbing a microphone, he paused to hear the chants of the crowd before he started speaking.

“It’s Vader time!” He shouted, getting an appreciative cheer from the crowd “You all saw me last night, I beat Bret, the Foundation’s dead in the gutter and the belt is in the hands of a real Champion!” Vader looked towards the Gorilla Position, locking on a glare “I know there ain’t a whole lot of you back there that like this. Hell, some of you are thinking that you don’t have a chance to win now, that with the gold round my waist, there’s no chance it’s going to move.” Pausing for a dark chuckle, Vader went on “Hell, no point in saying anything other than you’re right. I am the WWF Champion because I am the best, because I beat the best and know, it’s my time to prove it to the World.”

Slapping his chest as he started to get worked up, Vader paced back and forth along the edge of the ring, still eyeing the Gorilla Position “This isn’t going to be me waiting for any of you bums to work up the nerve to challenge me, I’m demanding it right now! I want you to all know that this belt’s up for grabs! You want to fight for it? You got it! Name the time, the place, anything you want! I ain’t gonna hide but I’m gonna fight! So any of you out there in the back want to take a chance, come out here right now so we can start this! You want to be Champion? You have to beat me worse than I’ve ever been beaten before to do it! Come out here and I’ll show you why it’s my time! It’s Vader time!”

Throwing down the microphone, Vader continued to pace the edge of the ring, eagerly waiting for any challenger to come. His answer came in the form of the sound of shattering glass and Austin making his way down to the ring, Intercontinental belt round his waist with a microphone and a six pack in hand and looking eager for blood. Not wasting any time with posing, Austin brought his microphone up to his mouth and looked hard at Vader, something that was returned in kind before the Texan started talking “Well first things first Vader, for kicking the ass of that pink wearing pansy last night, and me beating Bulldog like the mongrel he is, I reckon we’ve earned ourselves a drink, here’s yours.”

Taking the six pack, Austin grabbed a can and threw it over to Vader. The big man looked suspiciously at Austin before shrugging and opening the beer, bashing it against Austin’s and then chugging it down. When both men were done, Austin threw his own can to one side before going on “Now onto business. While the Foundation’s now dead and gone, it seems to me that the way to the title’s wide open. And with you giving that challenge just there... Well, you know a good ol’ Texan boy ain’t the sort to turn down a challenge or shot at the big time. So what do you say Vader? You and me in this ring tonight, kicking each other’s asses for that belt?”

The crowd erupted into cheers at this suggestion and Vader himself broke into a wide grin, picking up his discarded microphone and looking Austin up and down “Well now, that is a suggestion. Although it seems like you’ve already picked up one shiny belt yourself last night.” Vader indicated Austin’s own Intercontinental belt with one hand.

“There ain’t no rule that says I can’t go for yours as well Vader.” Austin said “Hell, the amount of asses I’ve kicked the last year alone makes me the best candidate. Who else is there? You said you’re eager for challenge? Here’s one right now Vader! Let’s see who time it is when you have Stone Cold Steve Austin kicking your ass up and down this here ring!”

In response, Vader chuckled darkly once again before speaking “Well, that is one Hell of a tempting offer Austin although don’t expect to be handing out the ass kicking as far as I’m concerned. You want your title shot? Alright, you’ve...”

“WE ARE THE NATION! OF DOMINATION!”

Before Vader could confirm the title shot fully, the familiar and hated sounds of the Nation’s theme was heard and from out the Gorilla Position came Farooq, flanked by his organisation “Now look at this.” Farooq said as the music died down “Two of the Champions of the WWF in the ring at the same time. The Tag Team Champions ain’t here but there is something that’s bothering me. I look at you Vader and you Austin and then I look at the Legion of Doom and you know what I see?”

Vader and Austin shared a look with each other before turning back towards Farooq, obviously uninterested in what he had to say “Two people who could kick the ass of every single one you whiners?” Vader responded.

“Hell no!” Farooq answered furiously “What I see is the WWF holding us down again! The only Champions are white bread good ol’ boys that the company is proud to parade around. Bret was right about one thing, the company doesn’t want the wrong sort of wrestler to be Champion. Wrestler’s like us. So if you two have the guts to put those titles on the line, you’ll do it now against us! Or do we have to take you out like we did to that Oreo? So what’s your answer boys?”

It was Austin who was the one to answer, giving a sneer of contempt at the Nation before saying “Well I can see why the suits wouldn’t want you with a belt. Like you said Farooq, it took all seven of you to take down one man so you ain’t even fit to open up in a Bush League!” Ignoring the Nation explode into outrage, Austin went on “But tell you what, you want a title shot? You got one, my title on the line tonight against Crush.”

“And to show how serious I am, my title’s up for grabs too.” Vader leered down the aisle “Hope you’re ready Scorpio, ‘cos you’re in for a Hell of a fight!” Scorpio’s eyes bulged at that as he realised the challenge had been answered, but not in the way the Nation had hoped and Raw went to break with Farooq looking at his followers and opponents with equal fury.

When Raw came back on, it was to the sight of Owen Hart making his way down to the ring to face off against Kavana in their grudge match. With a face full of thunder, Owen stalked the ring back and forth before the music for Kavana was heard and the young wrestler stepped out to the arena, Jake Roberts by his side. The two pausing for a moment while Owen glared at them. Finally, Kavana stepped to one side and from out into the arena, Bulldog walked, causing Owen’s expression to darken even further as his brother-in-law walked down the ring with the two enemies of the former Foundation member.

As Kavana stepped into the ring however, the bell rang straight away and after a few seconds, Owen stepped out, shaking his head. Ignoring the calls from the referee and the others in the ring to come back, Owen instead retreated to the back, not wanting to take on Kavana and the new team he was a part of. The camera followed him backstage where walked into the path of Savio Vega “Some help you turned out to be!” Owen snapped at him “You think you’re going to get away with ratting on me at WrestleMania?! I’ll tell you now, after I’m done with Kavana you-!”

A shot to the face cut off Owen’s words however and the Hart stumbled to the floor as Savio looked down at him “Forget about your brother-in-law little man! You’ve got enough problems with me! You got me to go against the WWF with promises of gold man! Well from now on, I’m on my own and if you’ve got a problem with that, we can settle it in the ring!” With those words, Savio turned and walked away, leaving a confused and furious Owen Hart behind.

Later on in the night, the wrestling was interrupted as Gorilla Monsoon and a group of guards surrounded the ring as in the centre stood a glass case with a new Championship belt held within it depicting Europe. Monsoon smiled at the crowd before starting to talk on a microphone “Well, all this hulaboo might have you wondering what’s going on. For all those who aren’t in the know or have missed the clues over the last few weeks, the WWF is going to be held outside the country for the next few weeks as we go on a tour of Europe and finish with an In Your House pay per view in Manchester, England. The reason for all of this is not only to bring the WWF to a whole new level in Europe but to also crown a new Champion of a new title.”

With one hand, Monsoon indicated the belt in the case “For a long time, the WWF has had the World Championship and the Intercontinental Championship to aim for, to prove that the wrestlers holding them were among the greatest single wrestlers in our industry. At In Your House, a new title shall be brought into that level of accolade. The European Championship is to be decided in a Tournament that will take place over the new three weeks and will end at In Your House with a new Champion crowned. Previous to this night’s Raw, a lottery was held to determine the eight competitors for the tournament that will be held for the next few weeks.”

Taking a sheet of paper from his pocket and ceremoniously unfolding it, Monsoon proceeded to read out loud “The eight men competing for the title will be Owen Hart, Savio Vega, Flex Kavana, Chris Candido, Bart Gunn, Crush, Goldust and finally, the British Bulldog.” Monsoon paused as he put the paper back in his pocket “There you have it folks, the eight men who will be competing for this title over the next few weeks. Good luck to all of them, they’re in for a lot of tough competition. And the winner will be the first ever European Champion as well as go down in this company’s grand history.”

With the announcement over and done with, Raw got back underway with Austin taking on Crush for the Intercontinental Championship. Despite being the smaller of the two, Austin happily took the fight to Crush, battering away at the taller man while showing no pause in beating him around the ring. Only the timely intervention by PG-13 prevented an outright Austin victory but the referee proved to be surprisingly alert and the bell rang out for the disqualification, Austin managing to get out of the ring before a three on one beat down could take place and giving them a two fingered salute as he made his retreat.

The main event saw Vader by himself taking on Scorpio with the entire Nation at his back. It seemed that the big man would have some trouble with this but the bell rang to see Scorpio stepping out of his corner, hitting Vader with a few brief jabs on the body before getting out of range and posing for the Nation as if he’d got Vader on the ropes. Turning back round to face the Champion, Scorpio only managed to get a boot to his gut and a bone breaking powerbomb for his troubles. With his opponent out on the mat, Vader put his boot idly on top of him and raised his arms in victory as the three count was made.

With the match over, the Nation stood in shock and disappointment before Farooq pointed to Vader, ordering the troops in. As one the Nation attacked, going under the ropes as they tried to attack Vader. For a while, he fought off their assault, battering back PG-13 and Crush while Farooq hung back. It was only when Scorpio crawled over to the Champion and hit him with a low blow that the odds finally turned in their favour and Farooq followed up with a punishing lariat to Vader’s throat.

As the Champion fell, the Nation fell on him like a pack of dogs, beating him down while Crush wrapped a chain around his fist and used it to punch Vader three times in the face while PG-13 held him up. Raw ended as Farooq grabbed the title and held it over his head “This is mine!” He taunted while Vader received a beating behind him.

Excerpt From ‘The Rise and Rise of the WWF’ (2003):

“Despite being seen as a mistake in the WWF and terminated when possible, Davey Boy Smith’s brief run as Champion had caused a surge of popularity in Britain (And to a lesser extent, Europe) for wrestling as one of the most famous wrestlers to come out of the country finally achieved the top prize. To further on this spike, Smith was given a run with the Intercontinental Championship as well as being slowly turned face so that when the time came, he’d be in a prime position to receive the European Championship, a belt created to take advantage of the recent upswing in popularity in Europe. The PPV in Britain would prove to be a success with ideas forming of an actual long term plan for events in Britain itself...”

Monday Night Raw, March 31st, 1997:

In the first stage of the European tour for Monday Night Raw, the event was in Germany with the opening bouts of the European Championship tournament. On top of that was Vader after revenge against the Nation for their attack on him, making the first move by brutalising Scorpio in the back of the arena as Raw started, putting him out of action for the night as the show started. This was far from the most exciting moment of the night however as the matches for the Tournament got underway and the wrestlers worked hard to get the title.

The first bout, Owen Hart against Savio Vega as the younger Hart brother soon found himself being taken to pieces by Vega who was keen to get to grips with his former partner. From the outset, the already beleaguered Owen found himself being struck down with a series of kicks and strikes as Vega vented his frustrations on him. As Owen scrambled to the ropes in order to climb up to his feet, Savio charged towards him to end it with a Spinning Heel Kick when Owen managed to duck, sending Savio careening onto the floor below. Taking the time to recover, Owen stood just behind the ropes and when Savio tried to get back into the ring, a brutal kick to the head from Owen cut it short and the former Hart Foundation member was disqualified via count out.

With the first match of the tournament out of the way, the second match saw Flex Kavana against Chris Candido, the former with Bulldog and Jake Roberts in his corner. With his mentors in his corner, Kavana soon made short work of the arrogant opponent, using his arrogance against him as the various poses and taunts Candido went for were met by Kavana retaliating with attacks and finished the match with his patented 180 DDT that got him the three count.

The third match of the Tournament, Bart Gunn vs. Crush was a powerhouse slogfest for the most part. Both men were very strong but Bart had to contend with PG-13 who were more than happy to slip in and out to take the advantage away from Bart. Having to contend with a three on one, Bart was soon too heavily distracted to notice that Crush was right behind him until the Heart Punch knocked him to the ground, earning Crush the victory and pass to the next round of the tournament.

The final match of the tournament bracket saw Goldust take on British Bulldog, the latter having Kavana and Roberts in his corner as he took on the golden oddity. It would prove to be a back and forth competition as Bulldog’s wrestling prowess was countered by his opponent’s mind games, putting the otherwise focused wrestler off his game. A few jabs to the eye when the going got tough also helped Goldust’s cause and for a moment, it looked as if he had the match in the bag with an attempt at the Curtain Call. When the move was attempted however, Davey Boy used the momentum to flip over Goldust’s shoulder onto his feet and then promptly span his opponent round to pick him up and hit him with the Running Powerslam, earning Bulldog the victory and a pass to the next tier of the tournament.

The final match of the night saw Farooq take on Steve Austin for his Intercontinental belt. Even with Scorpio out of the picture, Austin still had PG-13 and Crush to contend with on the outside of the ring and struggled to keep control as Farooq grinded him down with a selection of power moves. Just as Farooq had Austin where he wanted him and started to set up the Dominator, a familiar pounding music was heard and Vader burst into the arena. Bee lining straight for the leader of the Nation, Vader was able to send the other members down to the floor with some several well placed jabs. Not even bothering to wait for the Champion to come after him, Farooq fled the ring and out into the audience, ending Raw with a tense chase.

Monday Night Raw, April 7th, 1997:

Being broadcast from Spain, Raw saw the furthering of the Tournament along with the continuing feud with the Nation against Vader and Austin. The former took a much more personal turn however as Owen was due to take on Kavana in a match in the tournament while Bulldog had to contend with the Nation threatening his own bout. Both Vader and Austin also had to keep an eye out for the Nation as their Championships were under constant threat from the group in one form or another.

As Kavana made his way to the ring, flanked by Bulldog and Jake Roberts, he glared down at Owen who stood in the ring, their old rivalry still not forgotten and didn’t wait long to be reignited. Not waiting for the bell or anything else, Kavana slid into the ring as he got close and ran after Owen, taking him by surprise by nailing a clothesline that sent him to the floor. Off balance, Owen was dominated for the next several minutes as the old wounds Kavana had felt from his time in the Foundation.

Cheered on by Bulldog and Jake, Kavana laid Owen out across the ring, sending the older wrestler reeling from blow and slam alike. Unable to keep up with the pressure, Owen quickly fled the ring and got out to the announcing tables, grabbing a chair and carrying it over to the edge of the ring. Seeing this, Bulldog rushed round the ring, shouting at Owen to drop it only for the referee to get in front of him, determined to prevent Bulldog from interfering.

During this, Owen had managed to slip into the ring and go for a chair shot only for Kavana to dodge it and instead hit Owen with a DDT as he turned around. Going for a pin however, Kavana noticed the lack of a count and got up to investigate as he started shouting down at the referee to get back in the ring. This allowed enough time for Owen to rise to his feet and grab the chair to give Kavana a thwack. He had reckoned without Roberts however who got into the ring and tried to grab the chair, struggling over with Owen.

Just as it seemed that he would lose, Owen suddenly brought his head into contact with the chair, hitting himself with it and falling to the floor. The referee turned at the noise and seeing Owen lying on the mat with Jake standing over him, chair in hand and came to the obvious conclusion. The bell rang as Kavana was disqualified and Owen made a quick recovery, fleeing the ring as he laughed at the three he left behind, now one step closer to gaining the new Championship.

Following that was a Savio Vega match as he took on Goldust, the contest going back and forth before Savio planted a Spinning Heel Kick onto Goldust’s jaw and picking up the victory, earning a cheer from the Spanish crowd.

The evening went on to see Bulldog take on Crush as the Nation of Domination flanked the latter and Roberts and Kavana flanked the former. Both sides wanted their man to come out on top and the Nation were willing to do anything to accomplish that while Kavana and Roberts did their best to stop them.

Things started off with a test of strength, Crush momentarily gaining the upper hand before Bulldog pushed him back, showing that he was still one of the strongest men in the WWF. Crush then took the fight to Bulldog, using his size and brawling skills to try and outdo Davey only to be met in kind by the latter’s technical skill and strength. Crush was soon on the wrong end of a beating as Bulldog worked his advantage only for the Nation to intervene, tripping up Bulldog and distracting the referee to give Crush the advantage.

Taking offence to this, both Kavana and Roberts rushed round the ring to take the fight to the Nation, brawling with PG-13 while the referee tried to keep things under control. Inside the ring, Farooq had slipped in and attacked Bulldog from behind, beating down on him with a series of blows. As the referee was knocked to the floor outside, the Nation lost all restraint and began attacking their three opponents, working to beat them down entirely and make it known that the Nation was the dominant force in the WWF.

This came to a screeching halt however when two figures burst out from the Gorilla position, one shortly after the other. The first was Steve Austin, who shot down the aisle and headed round the ring to get at PG-13, taking care of the weaker Nation members while a slower figure came down the aisle and got into the ring, although sharing Austin’s own determination. Vader knocked down the resisting Crush with a brutal lariat before heading straight towards Farooq. The Nation’s leader was busy stomping on Bulldog and offered little resistance as a huge arm knocked against his back, causing him to fall to the floor and out of the ring.

Vader followed Farooq directly out of the ring, not paying attention to the referee slowly getting back into the structure where it was relatively safe. Crush rose unsteadily to his feet as the referee clambered into the ring only for Bulldog to crawl over and grab Crush by the waist to pull him over into a pin that got the three count.

There was no time for Bulldog to celebrate however as the brawl continued to rage across the ring and around it. The confusion was added to by Owen Hart dashing from out of the crowd and into the ring, hitting Bulldog with a chair as he rose to his feet and quickly fleeing once more. The final was set for the Championship and much more besides with Raw ending amid chaos from the brawling factions.

Monday Night Raw, April 14th, 1997:

In the run up to In Your House, the two main feuds that everyone was focusing on in Raw as it broadcasted from Germany were the run up to the new Championship and the ever growing hatred between the Nation and Vader with Austin. The latter would start off the evening as the Nation made their way down to the ring, looking as discontented as they had ever done. Microphone in hand, Farooq started off proceedings with a rant that had been coming for some time.

“For a long time now, ever since I joined this federation, I have been saying, I’ve been telling everyone that the WWF is only for the people that look good on camera, that they don’t care about skill and keep the deserving down. Like they’ve kept the Nation down and brought up Vader because he’s Monsoon’s little tool, someone who helped get rid of the Foundation because they gave the old bastard a beating he’d earned!”

His fire worked up now, Farooq got into the swing of things as he went on “Now, we have a chance to finally show everyone what the WWF has been trying to hide. That there are black wrestlers who can make it, that they don’t need the blessing of the President to get the Championship. We took care of the Oreo and we can take care of that fat ass and his little bald boyfriend once and for all. We will be the Champions and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it. The Nation shall reign! We shall...”

A familiar chant broke up Farooq’s flow and the Nation turned to the entrance of the ramp to see Vader step out into the arena, looking unimpressed as he raised a microphone and started speaking “You know Farooq, you go on about how you were held down, that you can’t get your shot because you’re black or because you’re not the handpicked person by the company.” Vader gave a sneer at such words “I don’t think you realised it, but I ain’t picture perfect myself. You see Farooq, what you never got round to realisin’ is that as far as I’m concerned, it’s never what you look like that holds you down. It’s that you don’t have the balls to face me like a man!”

Outrage crossed Farooq’s face at that and he stepped to the ropes, showing his anger clearly “I don’t have the balls?! Says the man who hides behind Austin every night of the week! You’ve never faced me or the Nation at full strength! You honestly think that you can take us on? Do you?!”

A smirk was the initial reply from Vader before he went on “Farooq, I broke Mankind, I broke the Foundation and I sure as Hell can break you. You want the title? Then come get it. But you can try all you like, it ain’t your time yet Farooq. It’s my time! It’s Vader time!”

The sound of shattering glass punctuated this and Austin appeared beside Vader, looking down at the Nation with barely concealed contempt “Now I may be coming off as kinda crude here.” Austin started “But Vader made one Hell of a point. Without that little glee club of yours Farooq, you don’t have the balls to take on anyone. Y’see, me and Vader, we crawled and busted our asses to get where we are. We didn’t have anyone to back us up, even when we had the entire Foundation against us and we still came out on top. It ain’t the fact that you’re black that’s holding you down Farooq, it’s that you can’t put your money where your mouth is. Like the big man said, you ain’t got no balls. None of you have! All together you don’t stand a chance against either of us!”

Once again anger crossed Farooq’s face at the accusation and he had to be restrained by the rest of the Nation, resorting to words instead of actions because of it “You want to prove anything? This Sunday, I’ll prove to both of you that the Nation is worthy! You two in a tag team against me, and the Nation itself! You think you can handle that?! We’ll prove that the Nation is the force to be reckoned with in the WWF and even with both your efforts, you can’t hold us down!”

Vader and Austin shared a glance before giving a smirk and Vader replied “We can. Bring the entire Nation if you want! We’ll take you on and the rest and we’ll show you that the bottom line is that you can’t make it.” With that, the challenge was made and the event set. Vader and Austin would take on the entire Nation of Domination in a tag match that would promise to be brutal.

At the midpoint of the show, the focus went to a vignette where the Undertaker, covered in shadows spoke “My War with Mankind took its toll on me in body, mind and spirit. But my eventual victory has allowed me to gather my strength once more in the darkness. I shall soon return to the WWF and all foes to the Undertaker shall rest... in... peace...”

For Europeans though, another event had caught their attention, namely the final of the European Championship match and the two competitors, Owen Hart and British Bulldog. Both men had their following with Bulldog having the hometown advantage when the final was to take place. This was set to be added to by the appearance of Owen Hart towards the end of Raw as he made his way down to the ring, grabbing a microphone as he looked down the aisle “Alright, we all know what’s happening this Sunday. Davey, get out here so we can get one thing cleared. Not Kavana, not Jake, just you and me. Come on, I haven’t all night.”

Owen didn’t have long to wait as Davey Boy’s music started and he made his way down to the ring by himself, looking cautious as his brother-in-law waited for him inside the ring although he stepped in before long. Facing Bulldog, Owen gave him a long stare before speaking again “So here we are Davey, you and me for a new title and a place in wrestling history. But the thing is, we could have made history before but you had to turn your back on that!” Owen snapped towards Bulldog, his face full of fury as he went on “You, me and Bret had the chance to make something of this place, to make it the true wrestling federation above all the others! We had that chance and you blew it! And now Bret’s at home with his back almost broken in two because of that monster Vader and you can’t even bother to help me get revenge?! You’re nothing Davey! Nothing!!”

Getting into Bulldog’s face, Owen went on with his tirade “We could have owned this place Davey! All we needed was one night, to win at WrestleMania and we’d have gotten rid of all the dead weight and made this a place where athletes would shine! But no, you had to turn your back on us; you chose a drunk and a damn rookie over us! You’ve shamed your family and stabbed the entire Hart family in the back! You wouldn’t be anything if it wasn’t for us! And this Sunday I’ll prove to everyone here that you were always hiding in the shadow of me and Bret; that you always had to depend on us to get anywhere. Do you hear me Davey? You’re going to lose and I will show everyone that the Harts are the greatest wrestlers in the World!”

Owen threw down the microphone in contempt, showing just what he thought of Bulldog. Davey picked it up nonchalantly, tapping it a few times to make sure it worked before looking back up at Owen “You know Owen...” He started “You always spoke utter garbage. Took Kavana, Jake and Austin to beat sense into me to realise that what Bret was saying was utter garbage but I do now. And to return the favour, I’m going to beat some sense into you.”

With those words, Bulldog dropped the microphone and rammed into Owen with a clothesline, knocking him down. Before Bulldog could press the attack however, Owen rolled out of the ring and scarpered down the aisle, ending Raw with Bulldog and Owen glaring at each other in preparation for the pay-per-view.

In Your House: Battle Of Britain, April 20th, 1997:

For the first pay-per-view in Britain by the WWF since SummerSlam ’92, the stacked card was topped off with the double main event, Vader and Austin taking on the Nation of Domination and the European Championship to be decided in a match between Owen Hart and the British Bulldog.

For the crowd in Manchester, it would be the tag match to start things off as Austin and then Vader made their way down to the ring before the entire Nation made their way down as a group. There was to be no rules in this one, a pure street fight to the very end. It started off without any sort of waiting for the referee to get it ordered as the Nation tried to swarm Austin and Vader. Their efforts were met with fierce resistance though as PG-13 proved to be the sacrificial lambs to the first defence of their opponents as they were both knocked right down with a lariat from Austin and Vader.

Following right after the cannon fodder, Crush and Scorpio went after Vader and Austin respectively with Farooq stopping to root under the ring and throw a chair, a length of chain and several steel pipes into the ring before slipping in and grabbing a pipe and ramming it into Vader’s back, saving Crush from being further beaten by the big man. This swung the pendulum back into the Nation’s favour as Farooq did the same to Austin, bringing him down with the blow.

What followed was a gang beat down as the Nation attempted to bring down their foes with an unsophisticated beat down. For several minutes, Vader and Austin were assaulted and seemed to be at a loose end under Austin planted a low blow right into Farooq’s groin while Vader almost took Scorpio’s head off with a spine ripping lariat. The odds turned once more, Vader focusing on Farooq as the two started a back and forth brawl that spilled out over the ropes and onto the mats outside the ring. Realising that he was out of reach of the Nation for now, Farooq started to retreat to the back as Vader battered him all along the way.

Now left on his own, Austin held his own as he laid out Scorpio and PG-13 with a steel chair, leaving only Crush to deal with. Just as the larger man stumbled to his feet however, the killing blow was averted as a man leapt out from the crowd, slipped into the ring and struck Austin from behind. Stumbling forward, the Rattlesnake was easy prey to Crush unleashing a devastating blow to his head with the chain wrapped round his fist. That done, Crush quickly covered Austin for the win and the Nation gained the victory.

One part of their business taken care of, the Nation prepared to see to the rest as the new man grabbed onto Austin and pulled him up to his knees, allowing Crush and the other members of a recovering Nation to strike at the downed Intercontinental Champion with boots and weapons. With no Vader to come help him as he chased stand brawled with Farooq in the back, Austin was given a beat down like no other for several minutes before leaving him a broken mess in the ring, the Nation eventually leaving while lifting their hands in victory, the new man grinning from ear to ear. When the referees got to the ring to help Austin up, he managed to just about shake them off before stumbling down the aisle, using the barricades as an aide to walk, fury driving him onwards.

Although the saga between the Nation and their enemies had taken a drastic turn, the crowd’s focus was once more taken away from that in the build up the Tournament final. The Championship was placed on a pedestal beside the ring for whoever could claim it, shining in the arena’s lights. Owen made his way down the ring to a chorus of boos, looking focused and contemptible of the people surrounding him. As he got into the ring, Owen waltzed over to the side of the ring and pointed down at the Championship, bragging that he had it in hand. This was drowned out completely by a wall of sound as Bulldog stepped out of the Gorilla Position and into the arena, the crowd exploding into a frenzy as the hometown favourite made his way down to the ring, giving everyone along the way a high five.

Neither Kavana nor Jake accompanied Bulldog down to the ring, the two having lost a tag match earlier on in the night and Bulldog wanted to have Owen without a way to squirm his way out via any means like he had done with the match against Kavana. The two stood in the middle of the ring, facing each other as they waited for the bell to ring and the match to start. Neither man backed down from their stare off and only when the bell rang did they make a move with Owen quickly striking Bulldog across the face only to receive a punch back in return.

The two traded blows until Owen fell back under a barrage of punches from Davey Boy, being sent into the corner and then thrown into the opposite one, the combo being finished off with a clothesline that sent Owen to the floor. Picking him back up, Davey Boy threw him against the ropes and got him with a back body drop before then locking on with a choke hold to soften him up.

Latching onto the ropes, Owen escaped and then rolled out of the ring to recover, Davey Boy patiently waiting and even sitting on the ropes to make it easier for Owen to make his way back in. Owen snarled and ignored the offer, going to another side of the ring to get back in before locking up with Bulldog. Owen was pushed towards the corner and could only gain an advantage by discreetly prodding Bulldog in the eye and following it up with a running knee that sent Bulldog over onto his back.

The advantage now with him, Owen took to Bulldog with a vengeance, working on his left arm to prevent him from using his superior strength. Stamping on his hand to start with, Owen dragged Bulldog’s as he leapt over the top rope and brought it down onto it. Following on from that, Owen dragged Bulldog over to the turnbuckle and wrapped his arm around it, punched it over and over until the referee physically pulled him away. Getting back in the ring, Owen then stood on the second rope over Bulldog and used the height to leap up and then stamp hard on his arm once more.

Dragging Bulldog to his feet, Owen gave him a contemptuous slap before throwing him against the ropes and was shocked as it was reversed and Davey attempted a Gorilla Press Slam only for his arm to buckle as he fell backwards and inadvertently crotched Owen on the ropes. Clutching is arm as Owen clutched his groin, Davey slowly got to his feet and tugged Owen up by his hair, planting a blow on his body but falling back as his injured arm was hurt once more. Gaining a second wind, Owen went for a kick only for it to be caught and went for an enzurguri instead, clipping Davey on his bad arm.

Now with the tide firmly in his favour, Owen worked on the arm some more, locking on an armbar of Jericho proportions. Despite the pain however, Bulldog refused to submit and managed to roll over backwards and hook his legs onto the ropes. Forced to let go, Owen started to lose his patience as he took a hold of Bulldog’s arm once more and twisted it around, only for the hold to be reversed and Bulldog did a cartwheel to unbalance Owen and then planted him with a clothesline.

The referee had managed to count to six before both men were on their feet, Owen striking Bulldog across the face and Bulldog retaliating with his good arm. A repeat of earlier was cut short as a kick to the injured arm and Owen pressed on as he set Bulldog up for a suplex. The attempt was blocked three times before Bulldog picked Owen up with his one good arm and held him for eight seconds before planting him down onto the canvas.

By this point, both men were near exhaustion and Bulldog cradled his injured arm as he rose, pushing Owen into the corner before throwing him into the opposite one and following. Owen jumped when he reached the corner and stretched out his body to avoid Bulldog but was caught in mid-air, helpless to stop from being hit the Running Powerslam. The crowd roared and then groaned as it only managed to get a long, long two count.

Pressing on, Bulldog got up to keep up the attack but was caught off balance with a drop toe hold. With Davey Boy down on the mat, Owen got up and locked in the position for the Sharpshooter, pausing only to taunt Davey before he put it on. This would prove to be fatal as Bulldog reached up and grabbed Owen by the head and rolled over, trapping him in a small package as the referee slapped the mat three times and gave the victory to Bulldog.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the result was read out and Bulldog got to his feet, holding his hands up in victory. The referee took the belt from its podium and handed it over as Bulldog stepped out of the ring and took hold of it. Hoisting it up into the air, Bulldog stood at the barricade as his wife and son stood up in the first row, basking in the moment of being the new and first, European Champion.
 
Top