Wrestling Timeline: Every Dog Has His Day

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! The slap 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 one 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 faction 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 enjoyed being 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 continues 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 words 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 contract 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.”
 
Heh, I love how the shoe's gone onto the other foot so completely, but... "Western Screwjob" is a bit bland. Can't you name it after a city? Perhaps to complete the absolute reversal, put it in a Texan City, and have the Harts and McMahon soundly booed whenever the WWE goes to the Lone Star State?

Anyway, with Shawn on the decline and Bret Hart continuing to rise, the Attitude Era is going to be incredibly different (we all knew it would be anyway, but still...) - the impression I get of Bret is that he wasn't really in favour of the shock-and-awe, more adult-oriented turn the WWF took during the Attitude Era.

And I wonder if WCW will use Michaels more effectively than they did Bret, when he eventually heads on down there. Considering they've lost the initiative in terms of "big heel power-stable", it'll be interesting to get a look at what, if anything, WCW has done in the meantime, and ECW of course can't be forgotten. How long is this timeline planned to be?

Oh, and for the love of Hogan, please, please please Butterfly away the Stone Cold Steve Austin "WHAT" chants.
 
Can't you name it after a city?

WHAT?

It is named after a city, Western Palm Beach in Florida. :)

And I wonder if WCW will use Michaels more effectively than they did Bret, when he eventually heads on down there.

WHAT?

Shawn's going to be a mixed bag backstage wise in WCW. On the one hand, he's up against Hogan, the Talleyrand of Professional Wrestling. On the other hand, he has all the Kliq members in place one way or another.

How long is this timeline planned to be?

WHAT?

About up until 2002 and the aftermath of a very different Invasion.

Oh, and for the love of Hogan, please, please please Butterfly away the Stone Cold Steve Austin "WHAT" chants.

WHAT?

:p

But seriously, they'll be gone. Or the TL will end before they become truly popular.
 
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 Kavana’s 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. Jus 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. He 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 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 it 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 mood 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. No 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. He 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. His 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 Austin 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-seventh 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 he 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. He 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...
 
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 Austin 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.

Was the only major mistake I saw in this post.

Otherwise, very good. The development of Flex Kavana and the Hart Foundation in general is interesting, and I hope there's a glimpse at how the Kliq vs. Hogan backstage politicking in WCW goes.
 
Was the only major mistake I saw in this post.

Otherwise, very good. The development of Flex Kavana and the Hart Foundation in general is interesting, and I hope there's a glimpse at how the Kliq vs. Hogan backstage politicking in WCW goes.

There will be. And it won't be pretty...

Anywho, update!

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 o 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 chocked 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. He referee counts to five before Bulldog gets 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 go 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 mat 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 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 argued 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 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 wrestler to come out of the company 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 Goldust, the former with Bulldog and Jake Roberts in his corner taking on Chris Candido, the ‘master physique wrestler’. 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 through 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. Force 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.
 
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