WWF In Your House: No Regrets was a 1996 professional wrestling event put on by the World Wrestling Federation. It was the 9th In Your House event, the 4th event of 1996 and the 76th event overall in the alternate WWF timeline. Taking place in the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska, the event was headlined by WWF Champion "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels defending the WWF Title in a Ladder Match against former champion Razor Ramon, billed as a rematch of their groundbreaking Ladder Match from Wrestlemania X 2 years earlier. Other matches on the card included a pair of Wrestlemania rematches as the Godwinns defended the WWF Tag Team Titles against The Bodydonnas, Shane Douglas defended the Television Title against Chris Benoit. It also featured The Undertaker challenging Hunter Hearst Helmsley for the Intercontinental Title.
This event is also notable for Steve Austin serving as color commentator for the event, as he was nursing an elbow injury at the time, with many pointing to it as the beginning of the anti-authority character (a trait which had only been shown briefly) that would mark his meteoric rise in the company.
Prelude[]
Following Shawn Michaels title victory at Wrestlemania, a battle royal was held the night after the event to crown a new challenger to the title. After the favorite, Bret Hart, was taken out by Vader (including an infamous scene where Vader Powerbombed Bret onto a concrete floor off of a loading dock), the battle royal was won by former WWF Champion Razor Ramon. The Bad Guy, in an effort to raise the stakes, challenged Michaels to a rematch of their Instant Classic Ladder Match from Wrestlemania X, only this time with the WWF Title hanging in the balance instead.
At Wrestlemania XII, the Godwinns had managed to defeat The Bodydonnas despite the best efforts of Sunny. In the weeks that followed, Sunny had attempted to ingratiate herself with the Hog Farmers, glomping on to Phineas (who was smitten with Sunny and had been for sometime) as opposed to her former tag team clients. The Bodydonnas had confronted Sunny on this, leading to Phineas and a reluctant Henry coming to the woman's aide, setting up a rematch for the titles.
On the Free For All at Wrestlemania XII, Belfast Brawler Finlay O'Flanagan had teamed with John Hawk Bradshaw in a losing effort against the New Rockers. In the course of the match, the two partners had argued with each other and eventually began fighting amongst themselves. A subsequent match on Raw had ended in a double countout when both men brawled through the crowd. In an effort to settle the score, Commissioner Slaughter ordered the two to battle in a Bar Room Brawl, in which the object was simply to incapacitate your opponent by knockout.
Event[]
The Free For All showcased Lightheavyweight Action as up and coming superstar Chris Jericho defeated Devon Storm with a Lionsault. The event itself began with the debut of the Wildman Marc Mero, a newly signed free agent who came in with a lot of hype, as he took on Owen Hart. The King of Harts was obviously ignoring Mero as a threat, treating the newcomer as if he were a rookie with no athletic ability. The Wildman though made him regret that decision, using a unique high flying offense that caught Owen off guard. The younger Hart was able to regain control after withstanding Mero's boxing ability, but a slight tiff outside between Jim Cornette and Sable (in which Sable slapped the taste right out of Cornette's mouth) gave a distraction and Mero the opening to hit a top rope Moonsault on Owen and pick up the huge upset victory in his debut match. The next match was a tag team affair as Scott and Ivan Putski teamed up to take on Jerry Lawler and Brian Christopher. While the elder Putski was isolated by Lawler and Christopher briefly, the two Polish Powerhouses took control of the match in the end and pinned The King and The Prince with stereo Polish Hammers, each scoring a pinfall over their counterpart to win the match.
The next fight was the Bar Room Brawl as John Hawk Bradshaw took on Finlay O'Flanagan. The brawl was a far more violent confrontation than most other WWF matches in the time period, with the two brawlers busting the other one open with broken glass and bar stool scattered throughout the set up area. It ended after Bradshaw powerbombed Finlay through a pool table, knocking him out and being declared the winner. The next match was the first of two Wrestlemania rematches as "The Franchise" defended the Television Title against "The Crippler." The match was even throughout as Douglas attempted to repeat his gameplan from the previous month's event, stalling for time in order to keep his title. However things didn't go his way this time, and Douglas fell victim to a Crossface submission from Benoit that caused The Franchise to tap out and gave the TV Title to Benoit.
The Undertaker next challenged Hunter Hearst Helmsley for the Intercontinental Title, and the American Blueblood was clearly outclassed throughout the duration of the match. Helmsley couldn't manage to get much offense in against the Phenom. Despite the Undertaker hitting a Chokeslam and setting up for the Tombstone, things went south for the Deadman as Mankind returned and threatened Paul Bearer at ringside. This drew the Undertaker's attention immediately and the two began brawling around the ring area, resulting in Helmsley being disqualified (but keeping his title) and getting the hell out of dodge. Mankind and Undertaker continued to brawl, with Mankind cinching in the Mandible Claw after a momentary lapse of concentration on the part of the Undertaker when he checked on his longtime manager. This caused Undertaker to pass out at ringside as Mankind left the ring suddenly, calling off his assault for an unknown reason. The Tag Team Titles were on the line next as The Bodydonnas challenged the Godwinns. Despite Jim Ross' belief that Sunny would immediately turn on the Godwinns, Phineas' new "lady friend" as he called her appeared to be true to her word and cheered for the Godwinns on the outside as the Hog Farmers were an even match for Candido and Radford. The fitness gurus did get Phineas isolated, but when they rubbed their near victory in Sunny's face, she slapped Candido behind the referee's back, giving Henry the chance to tag in and hit a Slop Drop on Candido, picking up the victory and retaining the titles.
The main event Ladder Match followed and, like the Wrestlemania classic from two years prior, both Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels fought tooth and nail to capture the WWF Title hanging from the rafters. Unlike their last match, multiple ladders became involved, with both men climbing up simultaneously next to each other at one point, only to come crashing down to the canvas below. It appeared like Razor would have the chance to win, hitting the Razor's Edge off the side of one of the ladders. However Michaels' resiliancy came into effect and he climbed a ladder on the opposite side, racing Razor to the top to get the belt. From the side, Michaels hit a modified Sweet Chin Music on the Bad Guy, sending him tumbling to the ground long enough for Michaels to finish climbing up and grab the championship belt, retaining in another great match. Afterwards, Razor held Michaels hand up in victory as the two buried the hatchet again to close the show.
Results[]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| FFA | "Lionheart" Chris Jericho d. Devon Storm by Pinfall | Singles Match | 8:17 |
| 1 | "Wildman" Marc Mero w/Sable d. "The King of Harts" Owen Hart w/Jim Cornette by Pinfall | Singles Match | 11:00 |
| 2 | Scott Putski & "Polish Power" Ivan Putski d. Brian Christopher & Jerry "The King" Lawler by Pinfall | Tag Team Match | 8:59 |
| 3 | John Hawk Bradshaw d. Finlay O'Flanagan by Knockout | Bar Room Brawl | 11:01 |
| 4 | "The Crippler" Chris Benoit d. "The Franchise" Shane Douglas w/Ted DiBiase (c) by Submission | Singles Match for the WWF Television Title | 9:18 |
| 5 | The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer d. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (c) by Disqualification | Singles Match for the WWF Intercontinental Title | 15:07 |
| 6 | The Godwinns [Henry O. & Phineas I.] w/Hillbilly Jim & Sunny (c) d. The Bodydonnas [Chris Candido & Rad Radford] by Pinfall | Tag Team Match for the WWF Tag Team Titles | 10:36 |
| 7 | "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels (c) d. Razor Ramon | Ladder Match for the WWF Championship | 24:39 |
Aftermath[]
This would be Razor Ramon's last WWF pay per view appearance for several years, due to his and Diesel (aka Kevin Nash) leaving for WCW the following month. Shane Douglas would cost Chris Benoit the TV Title the following night on Raw in a match with Savio Vega, leading to a match at Day of Infamy in which Benoit's career was on the line, but so was Ted DiBiase's. Sunny would eventually turn on the Godwinns a couple of weeks later, abandoning them for the New Rockers after Jannetty and Cassidy won the Tag Team Titles.