| Breakdown: In Your House | |||
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.jpg) Promotional poster featuringD-Generation X (from left to right:X-Pac,Triple H,Billy Gunn,Chyna, andRoad Dogg) | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | September 27, 1998[1] | ||
| City | Hamilton, Ontario,Canada[1] | ||
| Venue | Copps Coliseum[1] | ||
| Attendance | 17,405[2] | ||
| Buy rate | 300,000[3] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| In Your House chronology | |||
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| WWE in Canada chronology | |||
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Breakdown: In Your House was the 24thIn Your Houseprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF; WWE as of 2002). It took place on September 27, 1998, at theCopps Coliseum inHamilton, Ontario,Canada. Nine matches were held on the PPV, while three matches were held for theSunday Night Heat pre-show. The promotional poster featuredD-Generation X, whoseentrance theme was titled "Break It Down." The event is notable for featuring the debut ofChristian.
Themain event was aTriple Threat match betweenStone Cold Steve Austin,The Undertaker, andKane for theWWF Championship, which ended in controversy when The Undertaker and Kane simultaneously pinned Austin. Another match at the event was a Triple Threat match in asteel cage betweenKen Shamrock,Mankind, andThe Rock to determine the number-one contender to the WWF Championship.
In Your House was a series of monthlyprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)events first produced by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in May 1995. They aired when the promotion was not holding one of its then-five major PPVs (WrestleMania,King of the Ring,SummerSlam,Survivor Series, andRoyal Rumble), and were sold at a lower cost. Breakdown: In Your House was the 24th In Your House event, and took place on September 27, 1998, at theCopps Coliseum inHamilton, Ontario,Canada. The name of the event was aboutD-Generation X, whose entrance theme was called "Break It Down".[1]
The event comprised twelveprofessional wrestling matches with outcomes predetermined by WWF scriptwriters. The matches involved wrestlers portraying theircharacters in planned storylines that took place before, during, and after the event.
The main feud heading into the event was between"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, andVince McMahon, who did not want Austin as theWWF Champion. On the September 5 episode ofRaw Saturday Night McMahon criticized, and insultedThe Undertaker, andKane for failing to dethrone Austin.[4] On the September 6 episode ofSunday Night Heat, McMahon apologized, and scheduled Austin to defend his title at Breakdown against both in aTriple Threat match.[5] On the September 14 episode ofRaw, McMahon added a stipulation that The Undertaker, and Kane could not pin each other. He then confronted Austin, who attacked him. The Undertaker and Kane broke up the attack and later that night interfered in Austin's match withKen Shamrock. With the help ofThe Rock andMankind, Austin fought off the attackers and chased after McMahon, who was watching from the aisle.[4] On the September 21 episode ofRaw, The Undertaker and Kane defeated Austin andBilly Gunn. After the match, Austin hit The Undertaker and Kane with a chair. McMahon made one more stipulation if anyone interfered in the match on Austin's behalf then Austin would automatically be stripped of the Title.[4]
On the same night, to prevent Shamrock, The Rock, and Mankind from teaming with Austin, McMahon allowed them to win a shot at the WWF Championship in a Triple Threat match. The match ended in a no-contest when The Undertaker and Kane attacked the three contestants. The Triple Threat match was rescheduled for Breakdown.[4] to be contested inside asteel cage.[5]
Lower down the card,Dustin Runnels clashed withVal Venis. Dustin's new gimmick was that of an evangelist who preached against the vulgarity of the WWF'sAttitude Era, mainly its violence, bloodlust, and sexual content, making Venis, whose gimmick was that of aporn star, a prime target. Venis responded the following evening onRaw with a film involving Runnels's wife,Terri, who had been absent for almost a year. On the September 13 episode ofSunday Night Heat, Dustin jumped through the crowd and attacked with a religious-themed sign, using the wood to choke him. The following week, Dustin, who was providing commentary, assaulted Venis, who was busy fightingOwen Hart, but Venis managed to tie him up in the ropes and deliver a promo further insinuating the details of his adulterous relationship with Terri.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Jim Ross |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| Spanish commentator | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Interviewers | Michael Cole |
| Dok Hendrix | |
| Kevin Kelly | |
| Referees | Mike Chioda |
| Jack Doan | |
| Earl Hebner | |
| Jim Korderas | |
| Tim White |
Despite featuring prominently on the promotional poster,Triple H did not participate in the event, due to a legitimate knee injury.[6]
Before the event officially began, three matches were taped forSunday Night Heat.Golga defeatedMosh,The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy andJeff Hardy) defeatedKaientai (Men's Teioh andFunaki), and8-Ball fromThe Disciples of Apocalypse defeatedBilly Gunn, andSkull fromThe Disciples of Apocalypse in aTriple Threat match.
The first match of the event was betweenEdge, andOwen Hart. Edge gained the early advantage after adropkick. After Edge sent Hart outside the ring, Edge attempted a move from the apron, which Hart countered into apowerslam. Hart gained the advantage afterward until Edge performed anelectric chair facebuster as Hart climbed the turnbuckles to regain the advantage. Hart eventually countered asuplex attempt into a bridgingGerman suplex. Hart then missed an attack in the corner, and Edge attempted asuperplex. Hart countered it into aninverted suplex slam from the turnbuckles. Hart then attempted theSharpshooter, which Edge countered into asmall package. After performing aspinning heel kick, Edge saw the debutingChristian at ringside. This distraction allowed Hart to pin Edge with aroll-up. After the match, Edge followed Christian into the crowd.[7][8]
The second match was betweenToo Much (Brian Christopher andScott Taylor), and the team ofAl Snow, andScorpio. After going back, and forth, Taylor performed apumphandle suplex. Snow and Christopher tagged in, and Snow deliveredtrapping headbutts. Scorpio and Taylor tagged in. As Scorpio deliveredcorner clotheslines, Snow threw asteel chair into the ring. With Scorpio distracting thereferee, Snow performed acalf kick with the chair. Scorpio then performed adropkick with the chair to Christopher into Taylor. As Scorpio performed asplash to Taylor, Snow performed amoonsault on the outside from the security wall onto Christopher. As Scorpio was on the top turnbuckle, Christopher tripped him and performed a suplex on the outside. Taylor followed with aspringboardaxe handle. Back inside, Too Much performed aback body drop, and Christopher performed abulldog to Scorpio. Scorpio then countered a back-body drop from Too Much into a double dropkick. Snow tagged in, and, as Scorpio distracted the referee, attacked Too Much with his mannequin head, also accidentally hitting Scorpio. Snow then performed alow blow to Taylor with the head. Christopher performed aTennessee Jam onto Snow, Scorpio performed aflying clothesline to Christopher, and Snow finally pinned Taylor after aSnow Plow.[7][8]
The third match was betweenMarc Mero (accompanied byJacqueline) andDroz. Mero had the early advantage with punches and kicks. Droz came back with aflapjack and a dropkick. Mero left the ring and looked to leave as Droz came after him and attacked Mero with the guard rail and steps. Back in the ring, Mero performed aknee lift, but Droz performed aflying shoulder block and a clothesline. Mero then performed a backbody drop, sending Droz outside the ring. Mero followed with asuicidesenton. Back inside, Droz blocked aslingshot splash attempt with his knees and followed with a flyingspinningback elbow, aninverted atomic drop, and a power slam. As Droz went for the pin, Jacqueline placed Mero's foot on the bottom rope, stopping the count. Mero then came back with a clothesline and choked Droz with the athletic tape around his wrist. Mero then distracted the referee as Jacqueline hit Droz with theheel of her shoe from the top rope. Mero then pinned Droz after aMarvelocity.[7][8]
The fourth match was aFalls Count Anywhere match betweenVader andBradshaw. Bradshaw gained the early advantage with attacks in the corner until Vader performed aclothesline, and abig splash. Bradshaw fought back with abig boot, and performed a clothesline, sending Vader outside the ring. Outside, Bradshaw attacked Vader with the ringpost and the ring bell, but Vader fought back using the ring steps. Back inside the ring, Bradshaw performed attacks in the corner, and a belly-to-back suplex. Vader then sent Bradshaw outside the ring, where Vader attacked Bradshaw using the guard rail, and delivered a low blow. Back inside, Vader performed a splash from the second rope, and aVader Splash. Bradshaw fought back, performing aClothesline from Hell, and pinned Vader after aneckbreaker slam.[7][8]
The fifth match was betweenD'Lo Brown andGangrel. The match went back and forth until Brown performed a low blow, and arunning sitout powerbomb. Brown kept the advantage until Gangrel performed a flapjack onto the ropes.Mark Henry then came down to ringside as Gangrel performed a back body drop and a flying clothesline. As Gangrel ran at the ropes, Henry pulled down the ropes, sending Gangrel outside the ring. Brown distracted the referee as Henry sent Gangrel into the ringpost, and back into the ring. Brown then pinned Gangrel after aSky High. After the match, Gangrel spat "blood" into Henry's face, attacked Brown, and performed anImpaler on Brown.[7][8]
The sixth match was a Triple Threat match in asteel cage betweenKen Shamrock,Mankind andThe Rock. The match went back and forth between all three, and each was double-teamed. As Mankind and Shamrock double-teamed The Rock, The Rock fought back with a DDT to Mankind and afloat-over DDT to Shamrock. The Rock then performed ascoop slam and aPeople's Elbow to both before climbing the cage. Mankind and Shamrock stopped and attacked The Rock. The Rock then performed a low blow to Shamrock and aRock Bottom to Mankind. Shamrock fought back with abelly to belly suplex, and applied theankle lock. Mankind stopped Shamrock and climbed to the top of the cage. The Rock followed but Mankind threw him off. Mankind then performed adiving elbow drop from the top of the cage, but The Rock avoided it. Shamrock then attempted to climb out the door, but Mankind held onto his leg. Shamrock brought a chair into the ring and attempted to hit Mankind. Mankind avoided it, performed adouble-arm DDT on Shamrock, and hit him with the chair. As Mankind climbed the cage, The Rock pinned Shamrock to win the match, and become the number-one contender to the WWF Championship.[7][8]
The seventh match was betweenDustin Runnels andVal Venis (accompanied byTerri Runnels). Venis performed aspinebuster, but Runnels came back with apowerbomb. Venis knocked Runnels outside and attacked Runnels. As they re-entered the ring, Runnels performed a backbody drop, but Venis fought back with aRussian legsweep, and applied thecamel clutch. Runnels blocked a suplex into his suplex, but Venis came back with achinlock. Runnels fought back with a DDT and climbed the turnbuckles, but Venis threw him to the outside. They then went back and forth until Venis performed a power slam, several elbow drops, and pinned Runnels after aMoney Shot.[7][8]
The eighth match was betweenJeff Jarrett andSouthern Justice (Mark Canterbury andDennis Knight), andD-Generation X (Billy Gunn,Road Dogg, andX-Pac). Gunn and Dogg attacked Jarrett and Southern Justice from behind during X-Pac's entrance. X-Pac and Jarrett started, with X-Pac countering a hurricanrana attempt into a powerbomb. Road Dogg tagged in but was dominated by Jarrett and Southern Justice after a cheap shot from Canterbury. X-Pac eventually tagged in after Road Dogg's head hit Jarrett's head. X-Pac was also dominated after Canterbury countered a spinning heel kick into a powerbomb. Jarrett applied thesleeper hold. X-Pac escaped, performed a belly-to-back suplex, and tagged in Gunn. Gunn fought off Jarrett and Southern Justice, and X-Pac performed the Bronco Buster on Jarrett. Jarrett tried to bring aguitar into the ring, but Gunn took it from him. The referee stopped Gunn from using the guitar, and Southern Justice double-teamed Gunn. Outside, Jarretthit X-Pac in the head with the guitar, as Gunn pinned Knight after aFameasser. X-Pac left holding onto his right eye.[7][8]
Themain event was a Triple Threat match betweenKane,The Undertaker and"Stone Cold" Steve Austin for theWWF Championship. The Undertaker and Kane were prohibited from pinning each other. Another stipulation added was that if anyone caused interference on Austin's behalf, Austin would immediately be stripped of the title. During The Undertaker's entrance, Austin attacked him with a chair. Austin then fought off Kane using the chair and the ring post. Kane fought back, and threw Austin outside, where The Undertaker attacked him. Austin countered by sending The Undertaker into the ring steps and then pulled Kane's crotch into the ring post. Austin then performed theStone Cold Stunner to Kane, but Undertaker pulled him out and sent him into the ringpost. Back in the ring, The Undertaker attacked Austin until Austin came back with aLou Thesz press, and a swinging neckbreaker. Kane pulled Austin outside, and The Undertaker accidentally hit Kane. Austin then shoved The Undertaker into Kane and choked Kane with cables. The Undertaker then choked Austin with cables, and The Undertaker and Kane dominated Austin. As Austin was kicked outside, he took the chair and hit Kane, but then Undertaker hit Austin with the chair. Austin was dominated, but The Undertaker and Kane stopped each other from pinning Austin. Undertaker then fought with Kane until Kane and Austin double-teamed him. Austin sent The Undertaker outside and performed a Russian leg sweep on Kane. Kane fought back with aheadbutt, and Austin was dominated again. The Undertaker and Kane stopped each other from pinning Austin, and they fought until they performed clotheslines to each other. Austin took advantage and attacked both. Austin attempted a Stone Cold Stunner on Kane but was shoved into The Undertaker, who performed a big boot. The Undertaker and Kane then performed adouble chokeslam, and pinned Austin simultaneously. Austin lost the title, but no new champion was announced.Vince McMahon came to ringside, and took the title belt. McMahon left, and Austin followed him backstage. McMahon told Austin that he wasn't the champion anymore, and the title belt was his.[7][8]
The event has received mixed reviews from critics.
In 2008, J.D. Dunn of 411Mania gave the event a rating of 6.0 [Average], stating, "The seeds for Rockamania were planted here, and it launched Edge as asingles star -- before they decided to de-push him. Like a lot of 1998 stuff that was heavy on theRusso, it worked at the time but had a short shelf life. It might be worth a look for nostalgia, and for some historical reasons, but the wrestling leaves a lot to be desired. I'll be generous, and call it a mild thumbs up. Don't take it as a ringing endorsement or anything, though.Mildly recommended."[9]
In 2018, Chris of Retro Pro Wrestling described the event as "odd," stating, "Though I can understand why not everybody was a fan of that main event, it was typical of the ‘f**k the rules’ brawling style that was so typical of the WWF main event scene at the time, and it worked pretty well. As for the show as a whole, this was an odd one. Outside of the last three matches, nothing much seemed to matter. Edge/Owen, MeroDroz, and D’Lo/Gangrel were as random as you could have asked for and didn’t seem to have any point to them, whilst the best thing about Venis/Runnels was seeing Terri looking stunning. Not that I’m saying this was a bad show. Most of the matches were decent enough, just not the kind of classics that would make it a must-see viewing 20 years later. If there is one reason to watch this show, it’s The Rock. This wasn’t the best he ever performed, but it was the first PPV where you saw that the former Rocky Maivia wasn’t just over, but was Main Event Superstar over, and during the hottest period in the company’s history, that’s saying something."[10]
In 2022, Paul Matthews of Classic Wrestling Review described the event as "average," stating, "This show was average. Nothing on it was bad, but much of it was dull and flat. The first half was throwaway matches with little build. They developed the matches for the second half well. But the action was lackluster, except for the cage. Even the main event was disappointing. I didn’t hate it, but it was forgettable. However, I love the closing scene of the PPV. Despite the rest of the show, that final shot is memorable."[11]
The following night onRaw is War, McMahon attempted to announce a newWWF Champion. He held a presentation ceremony and introduced The Undertaker and Kane. After saying that both deserved to be the WWF Champion, Austin drove aZamboni into the arena, and attacked McMahon before police officers stopped him, and arrested him. Because The Undertaker and Kane both failed to defend McMahon from Austin, McMahon did not name a new champion but instead made a match atJudgment Day between The Undertaker and Kane with Austin as thespecial referee. This prompted The Undertaker and Kane to attack Mr. McMahon, injuring his ankle because he gave them thefinger behind their backs.[12]
Due to the controversy with the WWF Championship, The Rock was not given a match for the title. TheNation of Domination disbanded shortly after Breakdown, and The Rock went on to feud with Nation membersMark Henry andD'Lo Brown before winning the WWF Championship atSurvivor Series.[13][14] Mankind and Shamrock feuded over theWWF Intercontinental Championship after Shamrock won the title in an eight-man tournament.[15] Mankind and The Rock continued their feud after The Rock won the WWF Championship.This would be the final Pay-per-view appearance for both Henry O. Godwinn and Vader, the former due to injury and the latter due to creative differences.[13]
Owen Hart would "quit" the WWF after injuring (kayfabe) Dan "The Beast" Severn onRaw Is War via a reverse piledriver (similar to the move that legitimately injured "Stone Cold" Steve Austin the previous year) but would return after a short absence in his Blue Blazer persona, though more of a heel than the previous incarnation of the character. Severn would return for the 1999 Royal Rumble then leave the WWF shortly afterward to resume his UFC career (as well as defend his NWA World Heavyweight title).