From The Shelf: WWF No Way Out of Texas: In Your House

WWF No Way Out of Texas: In Your House
Houston, TX
2/15/1998

Key Points:
-Shawn Michaels was originally set to team with Triple H and the New Age Outlaws but injured his back at the Royal Rumble so a mystery partner will replace him.
-The Rock and Ken Shamrock wage war heading into Wrestlemania.
-Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie are out for revenge after the New Age Outlaws push them off the stage in a dumpster weeks ago on RAW.
-Vader looks to stop the wrath of Kane.

Opening video package basically recaps all the storylines heading into the show.

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

Marc Mero and TAFKA Goldust w/Sable and Luna vs. The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher)
Sable gets a HUGE pop which upsets Mero. Mero orders Sable to the back before the match even begins. Mero and Mosh start. Mero with some jabs in the corner and he hits a back elbow. Elbow drop by Mero and he throws more jabs at Mosh. Whip to the corner and Mero charges but misses. Flying asshole into the corner by Mosh and he clotheslines Mero to the floor. Goldust and Luna help Mero to his feet and he reenters the ring. Tag to Thrasher and he hits a second rope clothesline. Tag top Goldust and he drop toe holds him as he was coming in. Thrasher blocks a monkey flip attempt and hits a clothesline. Tag to Mosh and he hits a dropkick. Slam by Mosh and Thrasher suplexes Mosh onto Goldust for 2 as Mero breaks. Mero distracts the ref which allows Thrasher to land some shots on Goldust. Dropkick by Mosh and he tags Thrasher. They hammer away on Goldust and Mero blind tags in. He hits a kneelift and follows with an elbow drop for 2. Headlock by Thrasher and he gets sent to the ropes where he hits some shoulderblocks. Goldust low-bridged Thrasher to the floor and Luna lands some shots on him. Goldust drops Thrasher face first onto the steps and back in, Mero stomps away. He drops Thrasher into the ropes and tags Goldust. Clothesline by Goldust and he hits a kneedrop for 2. Tag to Mero and he hammers away on Thrasher. Snapmare and Mero grabs a chinlock on a now bloody Thrasher. Thrasher fights out so Mero hits a knee to the midsection. He stomps away in the corner as a loud “Mero Sucks” chant breaks out. Tag to Goldust and he covers Thrasher for 2. Thrasher comes back with a crossbody for 2 as Mero saves. Tag to Mero and he snapmares Thrasher. He chokes Thrasher with his wrist tape and hits a sit-out powerbomb for 2 as Mosh saves. Mero goes for the TKO but Thrasher escapes and hits a DDT. Hot tag to Mosh who cleans house. Double flapjack by the Headbangers gets 2 as Mero saves. They look for the Stage Dive but Luna crotches Thrasher, allowing Goldust to backdrop Mosh. Sable returns as Mero hits the TKO on Mosh. She goes after Luna but Mero and Goldust keep them apart. Thrasher switches places with Mosh as Mero enters the ring and Thrasher gets the small package for 3!!! WWF officials come out to keep Sable and Luna apart. Mero and Sable argue and Sable shoves him down to a HUGE ovation!!!
Winners- The Headbangers **1/4 (Mediocre match as they did nothing of interest and the crowd only cared about seeing Sable.)

The Jackyll predicts a cataclysm of mythical proportions in tonight’s main event.

Owen Hart says that he doesn’t care who the mystery partner is tonight. He warns Stone Cold to stay out of his way and promises to bust Triple H’s legs.

WWF Light Heavyweight Title- Taka Michinoku © vs. Pantera
Sunny is the guest ring announcer for this upcoming match. Brian Christopher also makes his way down to the ring to do commentary. Spinning heel kick by Taka to start and Pantera comes back with an arm drag sending Taka to the floor. Pantera follows out with a summersault plancha to the floor. Back in, Pantera hits a hurricanrana and charges but misses and falls to the floor. Taka follows out with a springboard crossbody to the floor!!! Back in, Taka sends Pantera to the corner and follows with a corner forearm. Basement dropkick by Taka and they head to the apron. Pantera comes off the top with a headscissors off the apron on Taka!!! Suicide dive by Pantera drives Taka hard into the barricade and Pantera follows with a double stomp to the back. Back in, Pantera hits a double underhook back breaker and he grabs the Camel Clutch. Taka makes the ropes to break and Pantera kicks Taka hard in the back. Mexican surfboard by Pantera and he releases after being caught with his shoulders on the mat. Taka charges but Pantera backdrops him all the way to the floor. Pantera follows with a Tope Con Hilo onto the back of Taka. Back in, Pantera hits a backbreaker and he goes up for a second rope elbow drop. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Pantera and he takes time to gloat, allowing Taka to fight back. They go up and Pantera takes him off the top with a hurricanrana. Pantera goes up and hits a moonsault off the top for 2. H goes for another one but this time he misses. Taka goes up and hits a kneedrop off the top. He goes for the Michinoku Driver but Pantera counters into a small package for 2. Inside cradle by antera gets 2. He goes for a hurricanrana but Taka blocks with a sit-out powerbomb for 2. Taka goes up and hits a missile dropkick to the back. Michinoku Driver gets 3!!!
Winner and Still WWF Light Heavyweight Champion- Taka Michinoku ***1/4 (A really good match that was almost taken away by the god awful commentary. Christopher and Lawler spent the entire match making jokes about the Japanese and praising Christopher. The hot finish and hard work from the competitors helped overcome the garbage on commentary.)

After the match, Brian Christopher wants to go in the ring and confront Taka but Lawler stops him. This allows Taka to hit a springboard crossbody to both on the floor!!! Lawler and Christopher recover and go after Taka but he bails into the crowd to escape.

The Quebecers (Jacque Rougeau and Pierre Carl-Ouelett) vs. The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas)
Jacque and Phineas start. Dropkick by Jacque but Phineas comes back with a poke to the eye. Tag to Henry and he goes to the ropes but Pierre hits him from behind. He tags in and goes to work on the arm of Henry. Henry returns the favor and grabs an arm bar. Pierre comes back with a drop toe hold and he tags Jacque. They stomp away on Henry in the corner but Henry comes back with a double clothesline. Tag to Phineas and he hits the Divorce Court. Hammerlock by Phineas and he tags Henry who hits a second rope kneedrop onto the arm of Jacque. Shoulderbreaker by Henry and Phineas tags in. Spinebuster followed up by a legdrop by Phineas gets 2. Tag to Henry and Jacque catches him with a kick in the face. Tag to Phineas and he snapmares Jacque for 2. Jacque comes back with a sunset flip for 2 and Henry tags in. He grabs a chinlock but Jacque breaks with a jawbreaker. He goes for a piledriver but Henry backdrops out. Tag to Phineas and he hammers away on Jacque. Jacque comes back with a back elbow and gets a not so hot tag to Pierre. Clothesline and a legdrop by Pierre. Powerslam by Pierre gets 2 as Henry saves. Double hot shot onto Phineas by the Quebecers and Jacque hits a piledriver. Quebec Crash gets 2 as Henry saves. Jacque sends Henry to the floor and goes up. He hits a crossbody to the floor onto Henry and back in, Pierre looks for an O’Connor roll on Phineas but Henry catches him with a cheap shot allowing Phineas to cover for 3.
Winners- The Godwinns *3/4 (Nothing match, it went way too long and the crowd was absolutely DEAD for it.)

After the match, The Godwinns lay the Quebecers out with the slop buckets.

The New Age Outlaws are upset that they don’t know who their partner is tonight and they just want a little respect. They say they’re going to get to the bottom of it.

Jim Cornette warns Bradshaw that Jeff Jarrett could end his career tonight with the Figure Four. Jarrett claims to be the world’s greatest wrestler and entertainer and promises to prove it tonight.

NWA North American Heavyweight Championship- Jeff Jarrett © w/Jim Cornette, Barry Windham, and the Rock N’ Roll Express vs. Bradshaw
For those who don’t know, after months of rants about the state of pro wrestling, Jim Cornette brought in an NWA invasion to represent real wrestling. Barry Windham also just recently turned on Bradshaw, ending the New Blackjacks. WWF officials force Windham and the Rock N’ Roll Express to the back since only Cornette has a manager’s license. Bradshaw stalks Windham as he goes to the back. Jarrett tries to attack from behind but Bradshaw catches him and hammers away. Back in, Bradshaw hits some stiff kicks to Jarrett and he hits a hiptoss. Chops by Bradshaw and he hits a big boot. He clotheslines Jarrett to the floor and he rams Jarrett and Cornette’s heads together. Bradshaw goes after Cornette but Jarrett attacks him from behind and they head back in. Dropkick by Jarrett and he hits a leaping clothesline. Jarrett is reversed to the corner and Bradshaw charges but eats elbow. Second rope dropkick by Jarrett gets 2. Jarrett chokes Bradshaw in the ropes and Cornette gets some choking in as well. Bradshaw chases after Cornette and walks into a Jarrett clothesline for 2. Small package by Bradshaw gets 2 and he blocks a Jarrett sunset flip attempt. Whip to the corner and Bradshaw charges but eats boot. Jarrett goes to jump on Bradshaw in the ropes but misses and gets crotched. Cornette clips Bradshaw in the knee with the tennis racket and Jarrett jumps onto the leg of Bradshaw. Kicks to the leg by Jarrett and he goes for the Figure-4 but Bradshaw kicks him away. DDT by Jarrett and he goes up. Bradshaw crotches him and hammers away. He follows up and goes for a superplex but Jarrett shoves him off. He goes for a crossbody off the top but Bradshaw catches him and hits a fall-a-way slam. Rights by Bradshaw and he hits a powerbomb. He slingshots Cornette into the ring and sends him crashing into Jarrett. Jarrett nails Bradshaw with the tennis racket for the DQ!!! Bradshaw grabs the racket and he nails Jarrett and the incoming Rock N’ Roll Express with it. Bradshaw grabs Cornette and slams him. He goes for the lariat but Barry Windham trips him up, allowing the NWA to lay a beat down on Bradshaw. The Legion of Doom come out and clear the ring of the NWA.
Winner by DQ- Bradshaw **1/2 (Lame finish aside, this match had some fun old school callbacks but it was way to slow at times. OK at best. )

Triple H says DX’s phones haven’t stop ringing about gaining membership into the group. He says no one can match up to Shawn Michaels and take his place, so Triple H decided to make the match tonight a handicap match. He says even if the WWF officials assign them a partner the result will remain the same.

The Rock tries to take the microphone from Faarooq but Faarooq tells him he’s the leader and everyone needs to fall in with him. As Faarooq cuts his promo, Rock mocks him and brag about him being the champ. He completely outshined Faarooq and he didn’t even say anything!!!!

The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, The Rock, Kama Mustafa, D’Lo Brown, and Mark Henry) vs. Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, and the Disciples of Apocalypse (Chainz, Skull, and 8-Ball)
Brown and Skull start. Skull knocks Brown down to start but he comes back with rights. Whip to the corner and Skull hits a corner clothesline. Punches in the corner but Brown breaks with a reverse atomic drop. Leg lariat by Brown but Skull comes back with a spinning heel kick. Big boot by Skull and he tags Shamrock. Brown rakes the eyes but Shamrock comes back with a back elbow. Tag to Kama and Chainz and Kama hammers away. Chainz comes back with a big boot followed by a slam. Elbopw drops by Chainz and Kama rakes the eyes to come back. Tag to Henry and he wants Johnson, so Chainz obliges with a tag. They slug it out and Henry hammers the back. Johnson comes back with a slam and Brown tags in who attacks Johnson from behind. He goes for a suplex but Johnson counters with a sit-out Gordbuster. Brown goes up and hits the Frog Splash as Johnson was going for the tag. Tag to Faarooq and Johnson catches him with a spinebuster. He goes for the Pearl River Plunge but Rock breaks it up. Tag to 8-Ball who cleans house. Powerslam by 8-Ball gets 2 and Shamrock tags in. Leg lariat by Shamrock but Faarooq goes low to come back. Tag to Rock and he hits a DDT for 2. He stomps away and chokes Shamrock with his boot. Tag to Kama and he sends Shamrock to the corner. He charges but misses and 8-Ball tags in. Double back elbow by Skull and 8-Bal and Skull officially tags in. Kama takes him down and hits a heel kick for 2. Tag to Brown and he chops away on Skull. Skull comes back with chops of his own and charges in the corner but eats elbow. Snapmare and Brown hits a second rope elbow drop for 2 as 8-Ball breaks. Tag to Rock and he hits a slam. People’s Elbow by Rock gets 1 as Chainz breaks. Tag to Faarooq and Skull catches him with a faceplant to come back. Tag to Rock and Skull catches him with a clothesline. Rock comes back with a slam and he goes low when 8-Ball distracts the ref. Henry comes in and hits a shoulderblock. Tag to Kama and he hits a slam. Elbow drop gets 2 and Kama goes to the chinlock. Skull fights out and Brown tags in. Backbreaker by Brown and he goes up. Moonsault off the top misses and Rock and Shamrock tag in. Everyone enters the ring and brawls which leads to Shamrock hitting a belly to belly suplex on Rock. Ankle Lock by Shamrock and Rock taps to a HUGE pop!!!
Winners- Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson, and the Disciples of Apocalypse *** (Really fun match that had good heat. D’Lo was the workhorse of the match, helping to cover some of the limitations of the other competitors.)

After the match, Rock and Faarooq argue and Rock shoves him. The rest of the Nation have to hold Faarooq back and Rock goes outside of the ring to collect himself. Rock reenters the ring and the Nation does their pose to show they are still united.

Stone Cold says he doesn’t care about who the mystery partner is and says it’ll mean something to kick some ass in Texas.

Video package for Kane/Vader airs.

Vader vs. Kane w/Paul Bearer
Rights by Kane to start but Vader fights back with rights of his own. Clothesline by Kane and Vader bails. Kane follows and they brawl on the floor. Shots to the neck on the apron by Kane and he slams Vader’s face off the steps a few times. Back in, Vader hammers away on Kane and dumps him to the floor. Vader follows and he sends Kane into the post shoulder first. Kane snaps Vader’s neck off the ropes and goes up. Flying clothesline by Kane and he chokes away on Vader in the corner. Suplex by Kane and he hits an elbow drop. Kane leaps off the top onto the back of Vader and he rakes the face of Vader. Clothesline by Kane and he sends Vader to the corner for a corner clothesline. Vader slugs back but Kane hammers the midsection to take back control. Slam by Kane and he chokes Vader in the ropes. He snaps Vader’s neck off the ropes again but Vader comes back with an avalanche. He clotheslines Kane to the floor and back in, Kane hits a DDT. Whip to the corner and Kane charges but eats a stiff lariat. Vader hammers awat in the corner and hits another avalanche. Kane goes for a chokeslam but Vader goes low and hits a short arm clothesline. Big Splash by Vader and he goes up for a moonsault!!!!!!! He connects but Kane sits right up!!!!!! Vader clotheslines Kane to the floor again and follows out. They brawl on the floor and Vader is reversed into the steps. Vader grabs a fire extinguisher and sprays Kane in the face!!! Back in, Vader hits a Jackknife Powerbomb and he knocks Paul Bearer off the apron. Kane sits up again and hits a chokeslam. Tombstone by Kane gets 3.
Winner- Kane **1/2 (Match was decent but the story was fantastic. Kane was such an invinsible monster that he another monster look human in comparison. The booking of Kane here was fantastic and is a great example of how to book a monster.)

After the match, in retaliation for the fire extinguisher, Kane DRILLS Vader with a wrench!!!! Vader is out cold as medics come out to check on him.

Video package for the main event airs.

Non-Sanctioned, Anything Goes Match- Triple H, New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn), and ??? w/Chyna vs. Stone Cold, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack, and Chainsaw Charlie
Shawn Michaels was supposed to compete but suffered the back injury at the Royal Rumble. The mystery partner, the man they hyped up all PPV is no other than……Savio Vega. Yep. Cactus and Chainsaw bring out a bin full of weapons for this match. Austin beats on Billy Gunn to start and he hits a thesz press into some rights. Elbow drop by Austin and he hits a reverse atomic drop. He goes for the Stunner but Gunn bails. Austin cleans house with a trash can lid and he clotheslines Triple H for 2. Everyone brawls on the floor and back in, Cactus nails Dogg with a cookie sheet. Charlie sends Dogg into a table in the corner and Owen powerslams Gunn through the table!!!! Sharpshooter by Owen but Triple H breaks with a clothesline. Owen goes for a hurricanrana but Triple H blocks with a powerbomb. Charlie beats on Savio with a trash can lid but Triple H attacks him with a trash can. DDT by Triple H gets 2 as Owen saves. Enzuguiri by Owen and he hits a spinebuster. Sharpshooter by Owen but Dogg breaks with a chair. He sets up two chairs and POWERBOMBS CHARLIE THROUGH THE CHAIRS!!!!! The ref finally gains control as Gunn piledrives Charlie onto a trash can lid for 2 as Cactus saves. Tag to Triple H and he stomps away on Charlie in the corner. Tag to Vega and he hits some rights. Dogg comes in and hits a back suplex for 2 as Jack saves. Headbutts by Charlie and Austin TOSSES A TRASH CAN AT A CHARGING BILLY GUNN!!!! Awesome spot. Triple H comes in and hits a reverse atomic drop on Charlie. Tag to Vega and he grabs a standing front facelock. Charlie tries to fight to the corner but Dogg stops him. Owne tries to come in but the ref forces him back to the corner. Triple H nails Charlie with a chair a few times and Charlie falls to the floor. Back in, Charlie collides with Dogg and tags Cactus who cleans house. He hammers away on Dogg in the corner and he puts a broken piece of table again Dogg in the corner. He sends Gunn into the broken table and follows with a Double Arm DDT for 2 as Savio saves. Missile dropkick by Owen to Vega and Cactus grabs a double mandible claw to the Outlaws!!! Triple H goes low to break and Cactus comes back by clotheslines Gunn to the floor. He follows out and Gunn catches him with a DDT on the floor. Gunn slams Cactus on the floor and he nails Cactus with the steel steps. Back in, Triple H suplexes Cactus for 2. He hammers away and tags Gunn. Wishbone to Cactus and Savio starts wrapping Cactus in barbed wire!!!!! Triple H nails Cactus with a chair and Vega follows suit. Gunn goes to hit Cactus with a chair but misses and hits Road Dogg!!!!! HOT TAG TO AUSTIN!!!! He cleans house and sends Vega flying to the floor. He stomps away on Triple H in the corner and hammers away on Gunn. Stunner to Road Dogg gets 3!!!
Winners- Stone Cold, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack, and Chainsaw Charlie ***1/2 ( After all the hype about who replaced Shawn Michaels, it wasn’t a secret signing from WCW or ECW. It wasn’t a major returning superstar or a debuting star. It was a midcarder, and that’s being kind at this point. One of the worst surprises in wrestling history. That being said, the match was extremely fun, everyone brought their A game and produced a wild brawl. Austin came out of the match with a ton of momentum heading into Wrestlemania. )

After the match, Austin takes out Billy Gunn with a stunner. Chyna enters the ring and confronts Austin!!!! She shoves him and flips him off!!!! AUSTIN STUNS HER!!!!!!

The 411: No Way Out of Texas is basically a "b" level show used to set up the major programs for next month's Wrestlemania. There are no stand out matches, and there are a few matches on the show that are a drag to watch. The Light Heavyweight Title Match and the main event can probably be found on Youtube if you wish to watch them, otherwise this show is not worth going out of your way to watch.
Final Score:  5.5   [ Not So Good ]