Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The Wrestling Blog Retro Live Tweet Series, Episode 3: WWF In Your House: Canadian Stampede

Oh yes, it's gonna go down
Photo Credit: WWE.com
A month or so ago, several titanic users of the Twittah Machine ventured forth on an odyssey to watch one of the worst pay-per-views ever produced by a mainstream wrestling company in WCW Sin. Several months before that, several others, some the same, some not, gathered 'round the television to view WrestleMania 2, the forgotten Mania for a reason, to celebrate the launch of the WWE Network. Because both of those shows were so bad, I, the charterer and benefactor of these voyages, ended up feeling super-duper bad about putting people through those shows. So, as a make-good, I am beyond ecstatic to announce that the third installment of The Wrestling Blog Retro Live Tweet Series shall be centered around one of the best, if not THE best pre-2000 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view events. I am officially setting a coordination time of 8 PM Eastern Daylight on Wednesday, September 3 for this trek into the past of the great Northern neighbor to the United States. Yes, the third episode will deal with...

WWF In Your House: Canadian Stampede

The times were turbulent in WWF in 1997. The dated, cartoonish era of silly gimmicks and larger-than-life superhero and archvillain characters gave way to an explosive mix of real people who had real issues. Throw in a heavy dose of jingoism, and the pot was ready to blow its lid. Canadian Stampede was the final two-hour installment of the In Your House series, and only four matches were on the slate. All four of them drew some kind of acclaim. The show opened with one of many outstanding brawls between Mankind and Triple H. Then, Great Sasuke and TAKA Michinoku showed that WCW wasn't the only company who could put on outstanding junior heavyweight action (although the lack of follow-up on their match was baffling). Undertaker and Vader squared off for the WWF Championship, and when that HOSS FIGHT served as an extended palate-cleanser, then one knew the main event had to be special. And with the nuclear Calgary Saddledome crowd in place, the Hart Foundation's defense of Canadian soil against Team USA, led by Steve Austin, turned out to cap what many still consider to be in their top five events of all-time. Won't you come and join me and my intrepid band of live-tweeters for two hours of sublime wrestling action next week?