WWF In Your House: Battle Lines was a 1995 professional wrestling event put on by the World Wrestling Federation. It was the 2nd In Your House event, the 4th event of 1995 and the 64th event overall in the alternate WWF timeline. Hailing from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the show was headlined by a tag team match as "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel teamed with Bret "The Hitman" Hart to face "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and his bodyguard Sycho Sid. Other matches on the card included WWF Champion Razor Ramon defending against "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and "Double J" Jeff Jarrett defending the Intercontinental Championship against The British Bulldog in a match where, if Double J was disqualified, he would lose the title. The event is also notable for the debut segment of "The Hangman" Solomon Jacobs (played by Glen Jacobs, who would achieve greater fame in 1997 by portraying the character of Kane), who would spend the majority of 1995 as Bret Hart's main nemesis.
Prelude[]
The feud between Diesel and Shawn Michaels reached a crescendo following the loss of both men to Razor Ramon in the main event of Wrestlemania XI, with Sid and Michaels performing a beatdown on Big Daddy Cool the following night on Raw. Diesel demanded a match between the both of them, not caring if it was a handicap match or not, but WWF Commissioner ordered Diesel that, if he was to get his match, he would have to find a tag partner. The partner that Diesel got was former two time WWF Champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart, with the two teaming up in the main event to face HBK and his bodyguard Sycho Sid. However The Hitman was dealing with his own problems, as his brother Owen promised to reveal a "dark family secret" about Bret to the world during a special edition of the King's Court with Jerry Lawler, also at the pay per view.
Due to defeating Yokozuna at Wrestlemania (even if said victory was severely tainted), "Dr. Death" Steve Williams had been named the #1 contender to Razor Ramon's WWF title. Also following the split from Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji, Jim Cornette had named himself as the sole manager for Dr. Death, eager to manage the WWF Champion in his career once again. Thus Dr. Death would challenge Razor in this match-also launching a year plus long feud between Cornette's clients and a backstage group known as the "Kliq", consisting of Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon & the 1-2-3 Kid (the only acknowledged members of the group at the time).
At Wrestlemania, Mabel had sold out his friend and tag team partner Mo by allying himself with the Million Dollar Corporation. The following night on Raw, Mabel (now calling himself Big Mabel) would attack the Undertaker and crush his face with a legdrop, recapturing the urn in the process and then melting it down into a gold chain he wore around his neck. Having seemingly destroyed the Undertaker once again, Mabel turned his attention back to Mo, who swore to get revenge at In Your House.
Event[]
The event began with a Free For All Match in which "The King of Harts" defeated the WWF's short lived resident magician Phantasio, scoring a pin after an Enziguri kick to the back of the Magic Man's head. The event proper began with a six man tag as The Smoking Gunns teamed up with Tatanka to take on the entirety of the Disciples of Apocalypse. The DOA dominated the early part of the match, using quick tags with Tatanka in the ring. The Native American made a comeback against 8-Ball, eventually making the tag to Billy who cleaned house. The Gunns isolated Chainz, taking the twins out of the equation and eventually pinning the biker after their Sidewinder finisher. A special edition of the King's Court was next, with Owen Hart as the guest of Jerry "The King" Lawler. Owen said he was going to bring Bret's biggest secret to the WWF, a student from the Hart Family Dungeon that Bret was jealous of, so he had him kicked out of the wrestling industry, sent to prison, framing him for a crime he didn't commit. Bret came out at this point, interrupting Owen and telling him to quit speaking lies. Owen looks nervous when Bret gets in his face, but the fight is interrupted by the arrival of Solomon Jacobs, a seven foot monster who wears a Hangman's Noose around his neck. Jacobs destroys the Hitman with a Chokeslam, before literally hanging him with the noose over the top rope before Diesel runs out to save Bret.
The next match saw Big Mabel take on his former tag team partner, Mo. Despite Mo's best efforts, Mabel's size was way too much to overcome, and the Million Dollar Man's newest acquisition literally squashed his former friend with a big splash to pick up the win. The television title was on the line next as The 1-2-3 Kid challenged Chris Candido. The fitness guru took early control, but the match quickly turned into a back and forth affair with neither man able to gain a definitive advantage. The Kid started to regain momentum towards the end of the match, but before he could finish off The Bodydonna, the 15 minute time limit on the match struck, allowing Candido to sneak out of the match with his title still intact, though it was clear that the feud between the two was far from over.
The Intercontinental Title was on the line next, as Double J defended against The British Bulldog in a Wrestlemania rematch. Due to Jarrett's constant use of the championship advantage (where a title doesn't change hands on a disqualification or countout), Commissioner Slaughter had stripped it away for this match, giving Davey Boy a distinct advantage. And early on it seemed as if the Bulldog would take advantage of this, powering around Double J as if he were a ragdoll. To his credit the country star used his smarts to outwit the Bulldog, causing him to make mistakes and targeting his knee as a way of slowing him down. Davey Boy battled back though, keeping Double J from hooking on the Figure 4 and hitting Jarrett with a delayed vertical suplex in an impressive display of power. The Roadie tried to distract Bulldog, but Davey Boy knocked him off the apron. Double J rolled up the Bulldog from behind, but Davey Boy still kicked out, causing Jarrett to back off asking for mercy. The Roadie jumped back onto the apron, distracting the ref long enough for Jarrett to hit a low blow on Davey Boy and then cinch up on a small package, picking up the pinfall and still escaping with his title.
The WWF Title was on the line next as Razor Ramon defended against Dr. Death. The two wrestlers each traded power moves in the early going, the champion refusing to give the challenger any ground. Razor gained the upper hand, attempting to finish the match early with the Razor's Edge, but a distraction from Cornette allowed Dr. Death to hit the champion from behind, gaining control. Williams wore down Razor with several chinlocks and a modified Camel Clutch, but couldn't make the champion submit. He then attempted an Oklahoma Stampede, but Razor fought out of the slam and instead hit a fallaway slam of his own. After several clotheslines, Razor hit the Razor's Edge and picked up the win, retaining the title. The main event followed and, for a time, it seemed as if Diesel would be alone in taking on HBK and Sid due to injuries Bret Hart sustained earlier in the night. Sid and Michaels dominated Big Daddy Cool in the early going, but eventually the Hitman made his way to the ring, limping as he did so, and provided the backup to Diesel. Diesel was able to knock Sid out of the ring long enough to make a tag to Bret, who came in and fought Shawn Michaels briefly, taking him out of the equation as well. Sid came back in for a 2 on 1, but Diesel came back and took him out, only for the referee to push Diesel out of the ring. Sid and Shawn used the distraction, the Sycho one holding the Hitman for a Sweet Chin Music, only for Bret to duck and Michaels to kick Sid instead. Bret then pulled Shawn into the center of the ring and hooked him in the Sharpshooter, causing Shawn to tap out and giving Bret and Diesel the win. The two faces celebrated together to end the night on a high note.
Results[]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| FFA | "The King of Harts" Owen Hart d. Phantasio by Pinfall | Singles Match | 8:00 |
| 1 | The Smoking Gunns [Billy & Bart Gunn] & Tatanka d. The Disciples of Apocalypse [Chainz, 8-Ball & Skull] w/Big Momma Burke by Pinfall | Six Man Tag Match | 11:00 |
| 2 | Big Mabel w/Ted DiBiase d. Mo by Pinfall | Singles Match | 7:15 |
| 3 | "The Bodydonna" Chris Candido w/Sunny (c) & The 1-2-3 Kid Wrestled to a Time Limit Draw | Singles Match for the WWF Television Title | 15:00 |
| 4 | "Double J" Jeff Jarrett w/The Roadie (c) d. The British Bulldog by Pinfall | Singles Match for the WWF Intercontinental Title | 12:34 |
| 5 | Razor Ramon (c) d. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams w/Jim Cornette by Pinfall | Singles Match for the WWF Title | 13:00 |
| 6 | "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel & Bret "The Hitman" Hart d. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels & Sycho Sid by Pinfall | Tag Team Match | 15:22 |
Aftermath[]
Bret would begin a lengthy feud with Solomon Jacobs, leading to their first match at the next In Your House pay per view and a longterm story for the Hitman (also involving Jerry Lawler, who became Jacobs' pseudo-manager). Michaels would split with Sid the following night on Raw, causing Sid to powerbomb his former employer, only for Diesel and Razor to make the save, turning Michaels face in the process, while Sid would join the Million Dollar Corporation. The match between Razor and Dr. Death (who left the company for Japan following this event) would be the first shot in a lengthy feud between a group informally known as The Kliq (and acknowledged as including Diesel, Razor, Michaels and eventually the 1-2-3 Kid) and wrestlers under Cornette's tutelage.