In Your House 5, the festive show that was broadcast 8 days before Christmas 1995. So you’ll notice a festive theme throughout this show. That makes me feel warm and nostalgic inside. But what’s on the card tonight? Well expect 6 matches, the standard for an In Your House pay per view as they only run 2 hours long.

As we know from Survivor Series, Bret Hart the new WWF champion defends his gold against challenger and brother-in-law The British Bulldog. Bulldog feels he should be champion after Bret attacked him in his title match back at In Your House 4. So now Bulldog gets his shot. IN the semi main event Undertaker finally gets his hands on King Mabel in a Casket Match in which the history dates back to Mabel defeating The Undertaker in a King Of The Ring quater final before putting the Dead Man out of action by crushing his face. Undertaker still wears the mask today.

Also tonight Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty who were screwed out of their Survivor Series matches get their hands on the men that screwed them, The 123 Kid and Sycho Sid. Plenty of history between these four guys with Kid not only being best friends with Razor Ramon before he turned on him but Kid is also former tag team champions with Marty Jannetty. Owen Hart recently took Shawn Michaels out of action and with his new found confidence he laid down an open challenge. It didn’t take long for the challenge to be accepted and it was by none other than former WWF champion Big Daddy Cool Diesel.

Henry Godwinn and Hunter Hearst Helmsley are two men on opposite sides of the spectrum. At the last In Your House PPV Godwinn chased Helmsley to the back with his slop bucket in hand. Then at Survivor Series the two men were on opposite teams in a match that Godwinns team would come out victorious. Tonight the two men meet in the first ever Hog Pen match, a match were you must throw your opponent into a hog pen to win. Messy. Also in action are Ahmed Johnson and Dean Douglas, two men in the upper mid card of the WWF rankings. So let’s get to it.

We open with a nice festive montage. But then comes the twist and The Hart Family aren’t enjoying the Christmas holiday because tonight Bret Hart and British Bulldog battle for the WWF title. Then we go to ringside where Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are at ringside. They let us know that Santa is also here tonight. Jerry Lawler then lets us know that he has a surprise for us all tonight!

Sid & The 123 Kid vs. Razor Ramon & Marty Jannetty

Well this goes back to 123 Kid turning on Razor Ramon and their on going issues at Survivor Series where Sid cost Marty Jannetty his match and Kid cost Razor Ramon his match. Some nice icicles on the name straps. Razor Ramon is still Intercontinental champion but he doesn’t defend it tonight. We then see a shot of Goldust who is sat in the crowd. This is Razors 6th PPV in a row, that’s more than anyone else except Diesel. Razor, along with Yokozuna and Diesel has fought on every single In Your house event so far. Razor and Jannetty both came out in leather jackets. Jannetty and Kid start the match. Kid gets in a cheap shot but it’s back and forth with Jannetty getting a near fall. It was only The Kid of these four men to get a victory on the last PPV, Survivor Series. Jannetty is yet to win a match since his return to the WWF. You’d have to go back to Survivor Series 93 to find Marty’s last win. He tags in Razor now and the crowd go nuts. Everyone wants to see Razor give a beating to the Kid and that’s what he does until Sid makes a blind tag. Sid slows the pace right down then tags back in Kid who hits some quick kicks. Kid and Sid make quick tags now. Sids last PPV win came at In Your House 3 when he beat Henry Godwinn. Of all the matches The Million Dollar Corporation have had in 1995 only those two matches have been won. Sid and Ramon hit a clothesline to each other and both go down.

Jannetty and Kid are tagged in now and Marty hits a powerslam for the two. Jannetty has lost 17 PPV matches in the WWF, only Shawn Michaels, Tito Santana, Bret Hart and Hercules have lost more. On the other side of the coin, Razor Ramon has 11 PPV wins and only 7 guys have more than him. If Razor wins this one he’ll go up to joint 6th with Shawn Michaels and The Ultimate Warrior. Todd Pettingill interviews Goldust up in the stands and Goldust seems to have an obsession with Razor Ramon. He then hands Todd a note for Razor Ramon. Very bizarre. Sid is tagged in and he gives Jannetty a couple of big powerslams then gets in Razors edge, goading him in. Jannetty rolls up Sid but Kid breaks it up. Kid is tagged in and he hits a frog splash from the top for a two. Sid is tagged back in as the Million Dollar Corporation make quick tags. Sid has a chinlock applied to Jannetty but the former Intercontinental champion gets out of it and tries for a comeback but Sid ground him and tags in Kid. Kid goes for a flying dropkick in the corner but Jannetty moves and both men crawl to their corners. And both men make the tag! Razor comes in and takes down everybody. Throwing Kid into Sid before hitting a fallaway slam on Kid. Ramon then sets up for the Razors Edge but Sid hits a back body drop. Sid then attempts a legdrop but Razor moves. The Bad Guy then hits a bulldog off the second rope which is enough for the three count!

From nowhere really Razor gets the win! We didn’t even get to see a Razor’s Edge which is a shame. This was a nice way to start the evening but I wasn’t happy with the finish. Razor continues to climb the ranks and the most wins column. A good win for the Intercontinental champion who seems to be moving onto a feud with Goldust. And Jannetty gets a win.

Rating: 5/10

Back in the ring and the ring announcer announces “The Nature Boy” Buddy Landell. Jerry Lawler then gets into the ring with something under his arm. He gets on the mic and introduces Jeff Jarrett! Jarrett comes out, we haven’t seen him since he lost the Intercontinental title to Shawn Michaels at In Your House 2! This was unexpected but I’m not opposed to it. Lawler then unwraps what he has under his arm and it’s a Gold CD because Jarrett sold over 500,000 albums. Jeff says he has a new album coming out entitled “Greater Than Great” and he’s announcing that he is the first man in the 1996 Royal Rumble match. King then invites Jarrett to come and sit with him at ringside and so Jarrett will be commentating for here on.

Dean Douglas comes out next and he makes the announcement that he can’t wrestle tonight because of a back injury. Douglas then announces his student and replacement for tonight Buddy Landell who comes out to Ric Flairs music.

Buddy Landell vs. Ahmed Johnson

Well this is a PPV debut for Buddy Landell and he goes up against Ahmed Johnson who is wrestling in his second ever PPV match. Douglas slaps Johnson before the bell and Buddy comes in for the sneak attack but Ahmed no-sells everything. Admed then hits a spinebuster before nailing the Pearl River Plunge for the victory! That was over very quickly! Johnson makes it two for two on pay per view though and he’s looking like a  beast. After the bell Jerry Lawler grabs a microphone and calls Ahmed out of the ring. Lawler asks Jeff Jarrett if he was impressed with Ahmed Johnsons victory and Jeff says absolutely not. Johnson then gets all up in Lawlers face but Jarrett attacks him from behind with his gold album before nailing him with a steel chair and chucking him into the ring steps! It’s not long until Ahmed is no-selling again though and he chases Double J to the back after an awkward scuffle in the entrance way!

Rating: N/A

Todd is backstage now with Razor Ramon and he asks him about his Intercontinental title defence against Yokozuna tomorrow night on Raw. Razor is confident and then Todd hands him the note from Goldust. Razor reads it then screw is up before storming out.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Henry Godwinn – Hog pen match

Well this is an interesting one. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who has won 2 of his 3 PPV matches thus far, including both singles matches, battles Henry Godwinn who is still looking for his first PPV singles victory in a hog pen match. Which basically means there is a hog pen near the entranceway and this match is going to end there. Hillbilly Jim is actually the special guest referee for this one! He’s a fellow farmer like Godwinn so I hope he stays unbias. Godwinn attempts to slop Helmsley in the early going but instead slops the ring announcer. The match finally gets underway and it’s Godwinn with the advantage in the early going. He ties Hunter up in the ring ropes then rubs slop in his face! This frustrates Hunter and he hits a clothesline before beating Hunter down in the corner. Godwinns first PPV victory came at Survivor Series as part of the Dark Side, he previously suffered losses to the likes of Sid and Bam Bam Bigelow. Hunter has beaten Fatu and Bob Holly in singles PPV matches but suffered the loss to Henry Godwinns team at Survivor Series. Godwinn rams Hunters face into the ring steps, there are no count outs in this one. Henry then walks Hunter towards the hog pen but Helmsley gets down and runs Godwinn into the barriers.

Helmsley throws Godwinn into the side of the hog pen then goes for a Pedigree but Godwinn back body drops Helmsley onto the top of the pen. Helmsley gets up to his feet and dives off the pen with a big elbow to Godwinn. It seems that to win this match you have to actually get your opponent into the hog pen. The two men go back into the ring where Godwinn hits a nice front face driver on Helmsley. Hillbilly Jim definitely seems to be helping out Godwinn. Godwinn throws Hunter all the way out of the ring then the two men battle down the entrance ramp towards the hog pen again. Godwinn goes for the Slop Drop but Hunter manages to escape the move by grabbing onto the railings. Godwinn throws Hunter into the side of the pen then gets him up and nails The Slop Drop! Both men are down though and both get up slowly. Godwinn goes to clothesline Hunter but he ducks and Helmsley back body drops Godwinn into the pen! Hunter Hearst Helmsley wins the match! He makes it three wins from four PPV matches. Not bad at all. After the match Godwinn throws Helmsley into the hog pen much to the enjoyment of Hillbilly Jim. Someone in the crowd throws a drink at Hunter and it proper smashes him in the face.

An interesting match. More for entertainment rather than decent quality wrestling. A good win for Hunter none the less. He makes it a 75% win percentage on PPV.

Rating: 4.25/10

We now have a look at Diesel who has had a change in attitude since losing the WWF title. Owen Hart is taking credit for putting Shawn Michaels out of commission and now we have a match between these two guys.

Diesel vs. Owen Hart

This is a first time meeting on PPV between these two guys in singles action. Diesel gets a great reaction despite a semi-heel turn. Diesel accepted Owen Harts open challenge and I’m looking forward to this one. Diesel starts the match well hitting some big knees in the corner before throwing Owen from one side of the ring to the other. The former WWF champion hits a sidewalk slam. Diesel has wrestled on every In Your House PPV, much like Razor Ramon has. Unbelievably this is Diesels 13th PPV in a row. Only Shawn Michaels has done that before. It’s all Owen Hart now as he comes off the top with a missile dropkick. Owen then hits an enzeguri, the move that put Shawn Michaels out of commission but he just gets a 2 count. Diesel gets back into the match and hits snake eyes before crushing Owen on the middle rope. You’d fancy Big Daddy Cool to win this one to get back on track and he hits a big boot before motion ing for The Jackknife. He says “This is for you Shawn” before nailing Owen with the move.

Diesel then puts a foot on Owen but takes it off after a two count. He gets Owen back up then shoves the referee! The referee calls for the bell as Diesel hits a second Jackknife! The announcement is made that Owen Hart wins the match by disqualification! Diesels music hits but Owen Hart is the winner tonight in what was a pretty short match. Really disappointing. I would have loved to see a proper match between these two guys.

Rating: 3.75/10

Ted Dibiase’s music hits and The Million Dollar Man comes to the ring. In the entrance way Santa Clause and Savio Vega are handing out presents. Dibiase is on the microphone and says that everybody including Savio Vega has a price for the Million Dollar Man. Dibiase invites Vega into the ring to prove that he can be bought. Dibiase calls Santa fat and ancient and says that he can’t get from the couch to the sofa without blowing a fuse. Dibiase then asks Savio if he believes in Santa Clause and Savio of course says yes and that he hasn’t got a price to be bought. Santa continues to hand out presents, throwing shirts to the fans. Santa then attacks Savio Vega! Santa and Dibiase put the boots into Vega whilst Dibiase laughs. The two men the walk to the back and Savio runs at them and takes out Santa, pulling his beard and hat off. I’m not sure who the man is (turns out it was a young Ball Mahoney) but he and Savio fight to the back!

We then have a video package with Mabel saying that he isn’t scared of The Undertaker, he’s beaten him and put him out of action.

The Undertaker vs. King Mabel – Casket Match

Lots of history dating back to King Of The Ring between these two. Mabel defeated Undertaker that night and he put the Dead Man out of action not long after. Undertaker might have won the match at Survivor Series but he didn’t get his hands on Mabel that night. That was actually Undertakers last loss on pay per view. Undertaker chokes Mabel in the corner then Irish whips him into the corner before hitting a splash. Undertaker has defeated the likes of Kamala, Kama and Yokozuna in casket matches before but did lost one to Yokozuna nearly two years ago. Mabel gets the advantage and goes for a splash off the top but Undertaker gets out of the way. Undertaker still has the mask protecting his face and he gets distracted by Mo allowing the big man to hit a big belly to belly then a legdrop before hitting a splash. This is Undertakers 24th PPV appearance from 51 PPVs. He now goes even with Tito Santana. Mo throws Undertaker in the casket then Mabel goes to close the lid but Undertaker gets out! Very close to being over there. Undertaker hits a big clothesline on Mabel, taking him off his feet then picks him up and chokeslams him right back down!

Mabel has had a good 1995, winning the King Of The ring tournament and main eventing Summerslam before feuding with The Undertaker. Undertaker throws Mabel in the casket then goes to close the lid but Mo attacks him from behind but gets a chokeslam for his troubles. Undertaker then rolls Mo into the casket too. Instead of closing the lid though Undertaker grabs the golden chain from around Mo’s neck which is Undertakers melted down urn. The Dead Man then closes the casket lid to win the match! With this win Undertaker records 15 PPV wins, more than anybody besides Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. Undertaker celebrates, holding the chain up. Another short match that I think could have been better. Undertaker then motions that he wants the WWF title!

Rating: 4/10

Backstage now to Jim Ross who first shows us a clip of Bulldog defeating Bret Hart at Summerslam 92. In come Jim Cornette, British Bulldog and Diana Hart. Cornette says Hart has always been jealous of The British Bulldog. Diana Hart then says that she has full confidence in her husband. Bulldog then says he’ll be winning the WWF title tonight.

Now over to Todd Pettingill who is with Bret Hart. Hart says he is there to stop Bulldog and tonight he proves that he is the best there is, was and ever will be.

Bret Hart (c) vs. The British Bulldog – WWF Championship Match

This is our only title match tonight and it’s between three time WWF champion Bret Hart and number one contender The British Bulldog. This is the second time these two men have met on PPV, the first being Bulldogs big win over Hart at Summerslam 92. These are two very experienced wrestlers with Bret having had more PPV appearances, matches and wins than anybody else in WWF history. A nice touch with British Bulldog wearing the same tights that he did at Wembley Stadium in 1992 when he beat Bret. Some nice technical wrestling in the early going, something we haven’t seen since the opening contest. It’s back and forth in the early going with both men using technical moves and reversals. Hart uses an arm drag and concentrates on the arm. Cornette has a Santa Clause tennis racket cover. Hart hits a cross body for a two count. Bulldog hits a knee to get the advantage then slams Bret into the ground using his hair. He then ties Bret up in the corner and lays in some boots before accidentally shoving the referee to the mat. Bulldog then helps the referee back up, what a sport. Bulldog has been on a good roll as of late, winning his Survivor Series match and before that recording wins over Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow on PPV.

Vince McMahon just announces that at the Royal Rumble, The Undertaker will face the winner of this match. Does that mean that The Bulldog is now the favourite? He has a sleeper locked in on Bret now but the champion gets out of it. It’s still Bulldog with the advantage though as he hits a back body drop on the champion and gets a two count. Bulldog goes to the headlock as an “ECW” chant breaks out. Hart eventually gets out of it and monkey flips Bulldog across the ring before hitting an atomic drop and a clothesline. Bret then hits a devastating piledriver which earns him another two count. The champion then hits his trademark side Russian leg sweep followed by an elbow off the second rope. Bret then puts Bulldog on the top rope and tries for a superplex but Bulldog throws Bret onto the top rope, crotching the champion. Hart falls to the outside and Bulldog goes out to throw him into the steps. Bulldog actually won the last time he had a WWF title match but it was by disqualification when Bret Hart got involved.

Bulldog then rams Bret into the ringpost and somehow it seems that Bret is pouring with blood. I’m not convinced this is real blood at all though. No, it’s definitely not. Bret has now stopped bleeding. Back in the ring and Bulldog hits a piledriver for a two count. Davey Boy Smith now hits his trademark stalling suplex for another 2 then hits a gorilla press slam for another 2. Bulldog then goes up top and hits a diving headbutt for a two. Bulldog exacutes a surfboard stretch but Bret is quick to get out of it and go for the Sharpshooter but Bulldog evades that one before shoving Bret outside of the ring once more. Bulldog tries to suplex Bret back in but The Hitman jumps down and hits a bridging German suplex for a two count. Both men then take each other down with clotheslines and the crowd are definitely behind Bret. The champion back body drops Bulldog to the outside and then springboards himself out on top of Bulldog. Bret then tries for another springboard but Bulldog catches him on his shoulder and hits his finisher, the running powerslam on Bret on the outside!

Somehow both men haven’t got counted out yet as Bulldog takes away the mats on the outside. He then goes for a suplex but Bret reverses it and crotches Bulldog on the railings. Bret then throws Bulldog back into the ring and hits a backbreaker for a two count. It’s all Hart now as he throws bulldog into the corner hard then puts him up on the top rope before hitting a superplex for a two. We then have a similar sequence to Wembley stadium with Bret reversing Bulldogs pin attempt but it’s only for a 2. Bulldog then reverses an Irish whip into the corner but Bret catches him with a boot. Bret then wraps Bulldog up and rolls him up for the three count! Bret Hart retains his WWF Championship in a solid enough match. Bret then goes on to fight The Undertaker at The Royal Rumble. It was a solid match between Bret and Bulldog, definitely the match of the night.

Rating: 7.25/10

Now to Todd Pettingill who is with The Undertaker and Paul Bearer. Paul Bearer thanks Gorilla Monsoon for granting Undertaker a title match. Diesel then comes into the picture and says he should be getting a title match. Paul Bearer then says that Big Daddy Cool hasn’t been very cool recently. Diesel and Undertaker then go face to face in a very cool moment.

And that was In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings. It wasn’t the most memorable night in WWE history and won’t be remembered for much either. It started ok with the tag team match. 123 Kid and Marty Jannetty bought a lot of fast paced action whilst Sid was in there as the big man and Razor was the big fan favourite. It seems as though this tag team match was in at the expense of a tag team title match which I would have preferred. Down the line i’m sure we’ll get a 123 Kid/Razor Ramon match but there’s no harm in slowly building to it. The Ahmed Johnson/Buddy Landell match which seemed pointless actually served a few purposes. It got Johnson over as a beast and also meant that Jeff Jarrett returned in a big feud. I like Jarrett returning, he’s a solid midcard heel that can be used in the upper-mid role if required. Him and Ahmed Johnson could definitely elevate both guys.

Helmsley and Henry Godwinns match will be remembered for the gimmick rather than the quality itself. Hunter seems to be going up the ranks and I wouldn’t mind seeing him challenge Razor for the Intercontinental title although it does seem Goldust is next on Razors list. Diesel beating Owen Hart keeps Big Daddy Cool in the limelight as he continues his quest to get the WWF title back. I’d love to see a full heel turn and feud with Undertaker in the future. I didn’t really get the whole Santa Clause schtick but maybe it serves as a debut for a new man in the Million Dollar Corporation. The Undertaker defeated Mabel which is fine, it means both men can move onto new things. Namely the WWF title for Undertaker as he goes after Bret Hart at The Royal Rumble. Mabel is well suited to the midcard, I wouldn’t mind seeing a short feud with Bam Bam Bigelow or Ahmed Johnson in the future.

Then the main event between Bret Hart and British Bulldog was the highlight of the night. Both men put on a decent enough mate, although nothing spectacular. I hated the blood spot because it was so unconvincing. I’m not sure where it leaves The British Bulldog at this point, I wouldn’t have minded seeing him against Ahmed Johnson but maybe another short feud with Diesel or Henry Godwinn is on the card.

Overall a fairly disappointing evening, a forgettable card and a night that set up new feuds like Diesel/Undertaker, Undertaker/Bret Hart, Double J and Ahmed Johnson.

Overall Rating: 48.5/100 (Ranked #34 out of 51)

Match Of The Night: Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog
Worst Match Of The Night: Diesel vs. Owen Hart
Surprise Of The Night: The return of Jeff Jarrett
Worst Booking Of The Night: None
Wrestler Of The Night: The Undertaker
IYH5 Will Be Remembered For: The Hog Pen match