IWF Over the Edge: In Your House

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Over the Edge: In Your House was the first of what became an annual International Wrestling Federation pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF). It was also the 22nd pay-per-view event in the In Your House series. It was presented by Castrol GTX and took place on May 31, 1998, at the Wisconsin Center Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the first IWF pay-per-view event to have a TV Parental Guidelines rating of TV-14. The company would go on to give all of its pay-per-view events TV-14 ratings from this point through The Great American Bash 2008, with SummerSlam 2008 being the first of their pay-per-views to be rated TV-PG in over a decade.

The main event was a IWF Championship match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dude Love, which Austin won after overcoming bias officiating from Vince Matteson. The main match on the undercard was a Six-man tag team match between D-Generation X members Triple K, Billy Gunn, and Road Dogg against The Nation members Owen Heart, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown, which The Nation won after Heart delivered a Pedigree on Triple K onto one of the IWF Tag Team Championship belts.

Background

On the April 13, 1998 episode of Raw Is War, Jon Foley appeared under his Dude Love gimmick, where he interfered in a IWF Championship match between Vince Matteson, the IWF Chairman, and the champion Steve Austin. Love tried to cut a promo, asking Austin and Matteson to just "get along", but McMahon responded by pushing Love down. Love then applied the Mandible claw on Matteson, which led to Matteson fleeing the ring. Austin then attacked Love, but Love used the Mandible Claw on Austin as well, sparking the beginning of a feud between Austin and Love. The following week on Raw Is War, Matteson appeared on Love's new interview segment, the Love Shack, and announced that Love would face Austin at Unforgiven: In Your House. Love wrestled Steve Blackman in a match, where Love won after the ring bell was rung for unknown reasons. After the match, Matteson and Love sparred until Matteson fled the ring, which allowed Austin to come down to the ring to attack Love. At In Your House: Unforgiven, Austin attacked McMahon at ringside with a steel chair and then delivered a Stone Cold Stunner on Love. The referee of the match was knocked out, which led Austin to count his own pin; however, Gerald Brisco then informed ringside announcer Howard Finkel, that Austin was disqualified for attacking Matteson, who was the IWF Chairman. Due to IWF rules, Love did not win the IWF Championship, and Austin retained the title. The feud continued on the May 4 episode of Raw Is War, where Matteson booked a match between Love and Terry Funk, in an attempt to affect him psychologically as Love and Funk were best friends, where Love defeated Funk. After the match, Love formed an alliance with Matteson, after Matteson approved of Love defeating Funk. The following week on Raw Is War, Matteson announced a IWF Championship match at Over the Edge between Love and Austin with a special guest timekeeper, Gerald Brisco, a special guest ring announcer, Pat Patterson, and a special guest referee, Matteson himself. On the May 18 episode of Raw Is War, Love defeated Dustin Runnels, the former Goldust, in a number one contender's match, to ensure his main event championship match at Over the Edge.

On the May 11 episode of Raw Is War, D-Generation X (DX) attempted to cut a promo, but was interrupted by Owen Heart, with The Nation, who said that he was here "to kick some ass", which began the rivalry between DX and The Nation. Later that night, Triple K defeated Heart, while DX and The Nation interfered in the main event tag team match, in which all members of both stables brawled until the end of the show. The following week on Raw Is War, DX cut a promo that insulted The Nation, which led to The Nation and DX brawling until IWF officials broke up the fight. After the brawl was settled, DX members Road Dogg and Billy Gunn defeated The Rock and D'Lo Brown of The Nation in a tag team match, further enhancing their feud. On the final episode of Raw is War before Over the Edge, The Rock, a member of The Nation, and DX member Triple K fought to a double countout.

On February 2 Vader challenged Kane to a match at No Way Out of Texas: In Your House, where Kane defeated Vader by pinfall, in the process injuring Vader. On the May 18th episode of Raw, Vader attacked Kane during a tag team battle royal. On the final Raw episode leading to Over the Edge, Vader lured Kane into a loser loses mask match, that was made official for Over the Edge. Later that night, Kane attacked Vader after his match, which led to both wrestlers brawling until Kane fled the ring.

Event

The first match that aired was the tag team encounter of L.O.D. 2000 and the Disciples of Apocalypse (D.O.A). Control of the match went back and forth between the two teams throughout, until 8-Ball attempted to switch places with Skull. Droz, who was at ringside in L.O.D's corner, interfered by clotheslining 8-Ball, leaving Skull to receive a powerslam and be pinned by Animal, thus L.O.D 2000 won the match. After that match, The Rock came out to insult the Milwaukee audience, but Faarooq came out and attacked The Rock with a steel chair, and finished off the attack with a piledriver onto the chair. Commissioner Slaughter then announced that The Rock had to compete in his match later in the event, despite any injury he may have suffered.

The next match was the encounter of Steve Blackman and Jeff Jarrett. The two superstars fought back and forth exchanging control of the match, however, Jarrett would grab one of Blackman's arnis sticks and attempted to hit Blackman with it, however, Blackman countered and retrieved the stick and hit Jarrett with it. Blackman then went to the top rope to attempt an aerial technique, but Tennessee Lee hit him with the arnis stick, leading to Jarrett pinning Blackman for the win.

The third match was the encounter of Marc Mero against a mystery opponent chosen by Sable, where if Sable's representative lost, she would have to leave the IWF. After Mero was introduced, Sable came out and told Mero that she did not need a man to fight for her, insisting she would fight Mero. Mero then lay down and allowed Sable to pin him. However, he reversed the pin at a two count and rolled Sable into a small package, winning the match via pinfall. This forced Sable to leave the IWF.

The fourth match was a Handicap match between the team of Bradshaw and Taka Michinoku against Kaientai members Dick Togo, Mens Teioh and Sho Funaki. This match was a "bonus" match for the event, as it was previously unannounced. Bradshaw dominated the match by squashing all Kaientai members, however Michinoku was given a diving senton and pinned by Togo, which meant that Kaientai won.

The next match was an Intercontinental Championship match between Faarooq and the champion, The Rock. After Faarooq made his entrance, Howard Finkel announced The Rock's entrance; however, he did not come out and after a second announcement, Commissioner Slaughter came out and gave The Rock ten seconds to come out. If The Rock failed to come out, he would be stripped of the championship. After Slaughter counted to two, The Rock came out wearing a neck brace, from the earlier attack, and before he was able to get into the ring, Faarooq attacked The Rock in the aisle. After they entered the ring, the two wrestlers fought back and forth until Faarooq Spinebustered The Rock, and attempted to pin him, but The Rock broke the pin at a two count after he placed his foot on the bottom ring rope. As Faarooq argued with the referee, The Rock retaliated by rolling up Faarooq into a pinfall to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

The sixth match was a Mask vs. Mask match between Kane and Vader, where the loser would have to be unmasked. The two wrestlers fought back and forth throughout the match until Vader gained control after he hit Kane with a wrench; however, Kane retaliated by countering a moonsault attempt into a Tombstone Piledriver. Kane would then gain the pinfall to win the match and was able keep his mask. After the match, Kane pulled Vader's mask off, revealing his face.

The next match, and final match on the undercard, was a Six-man tag team match between D-Generation X members, Triple K, Billy Gunn, and Road Dogg and Nation members, Owen Heart, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown. After back and forth action with frequent tags, DX gained control after Chyna and Mark Henry, who were at ringside and respectively were in DX and The Nation's corner, attacked one another. This caused the referee to become distracted, allowing Triple K and Gunn to deliver a Spike piledriver on Brown; however, Heart came into the ring and attacked Gunn and Triple K. Heart performed a Pedigree on Triple K, and covered him for a successful pinfall.

The main event was a IWF Championship match between Dude Love and the champion, Stone Cold Steve Austin, with Vince Matteson as the special guest referee. The two wrestlers fought back and forth into the beginning of the match, and took the fight to ringside, where Pat Patterson announced that the match would be contested under No Disqualification rules. The two wrestlers continue to brawl at ringside, where they took the fight into the aisle, where Patterson then announced that the match would be contested under Falls Count Anywhere rules, where afterwards Austin and Love continued to brawl all over the arena. As the fight returned to the ring, Patterson handed Love a steel chair, which Love and Austin used to attack each other, however, Dude Love accidentally hit Matteson with the steel chair. Austin then delivered a Stone Cold Stunner on Love, and a second referee attempted to count Austin's pin attempt. Patterson attacked the second referee, however, allowing Love to perform the Mandible claw on Austin. Both Patterson and Gerald Brisco attempted to count the pinfall, but The Undertaker, who was at ringside, chokeslammed them both through the announcer's tables. Austin then miraculously delivered another Stone Cold Stunner on Love, which proceeded to Austin dragging Matteson to where Austin would pin Love, by using Matteson's hand to count the pinfall.

Aftermath

The next night on Raw Is War, Kane defeated The Undertaker in a number one contender's match, thus becoming the number one contender for Steve Austin's IWF Championship and beginning their feud. The following week on Raw is War, Kane, Mankind, and The Undertaker interrupted a segment with Austin and Vince Matteson, and attacked Austin. They placed him in a casket, which was carried by druids during Undertaker's entrance. Austin and Kane further enhanced their feud by Austin and Kane brawling on top of a lowered Cell, on the June 15 episode of Raw is War. The following week on Raw is War, Paul Bearer announced that Kane and Austin would contest their championship match at King of the Ring, in a First Blood match. At King of the Ring, Kane defeated Austin for the IWF Championship, thus becoming IWF Champion for the first time. However, Kane lost the championship to Austin the next night on Raw is War.

Dude Love failed to win the IWF Championship at Over the Edge, and returned to feud with The Undertaker under his Mankind gimmick, as he interfered in Undertaker's number one contender's match, allowing Kane to pin him on the June 1 episode of Raw is War. It was then announced the following week on Raw is War that The Undertaker and Mankind would wrestle at King of the Ring in a Hell in a Cell match. Further enhancing their feud, Undertaker and Austin teamed up to take on Mankind and Kane in a Hell in a Cell match on the June 15, 1998 episode of Raw is War, where the match ended up in a no contest. At King of the Ring, Undertaker defeated Mankind in a Hell in a Cell match, where Undertaker threw Mankind off the roof and through the ring, which resulted in Mankind receiving several severe injuries.

Results

References

External links