House Show Moments

[The Condor]

I assume that most of us have attended house shows and either enjoyed them for the different atmosphere or preferred live TV shows. What moments from shows that you've attended have stayed with you through the years and made a mark?

For me, I got to see a fantastic Jericho/Angle street fight in the main event of a show, but was also the unfortunate observer of one of the worst matches I've ever seen at anytime, in any promition: a Nash/Triple H main event featuring what felt like a 15 minute homoerotic bearhug.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>The first house show I ever went to featured a Triple H/X-Pac vs. Jeff Jarrett/Owen Hart guitar on a pole match, and DX did some hilarious stuff on the mic beforehand. I can't remember specifics, sadly, but I knew it wasn't something they'd have ever said on TV and that was when I first realized house shows were just meant to be fun without real storylines.

I was also young enough at that point to not understand a lot of innuendo/double entendres. My dad was horrified when I started participating in Al Snow's "WE WANT HEAD!" chants during his match, I was merely trying to support the mannequin.</font>

[DAMN iNATOR]

I don't remember who was in it, but the main event of one here in East Lansing @ Breslin Center on MSU campus was a cage match...I think that's the only time I've ever seen a "gimmick" match.

2 or 3 years back (#FUCKTHEHATERS) was right during the brief window where Rob Van Dam was on a part-time basis with the company. I ended up getting his t-shirt and when the music hit for his match that night you should've heard the crowd pop! It was louder than any I'd heard for a wrestler at a house show, and deservedly so, because fuck you guys, RVD is awesome!

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Professional wrestler gets loud pop in front of home area crowd? News at 11?

<img style="-webkit-user-select: none" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0_4XUqx7TE/Tzv0rFh3iQI/AAAAAAAAAE8/sS8xuT30Cs4/s1600/rvd.png">

[DAMN iNATOR]

Professional wrestler gets loud pop in front of home area crowd? News at 11?

<img style="-webkit-user-select: none" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0_4XUqx7TE/Tzv0rFh3iQI/AAAAAAAAAE8/sS8xuT30Cs4/s1600/rvd.png">

Don't forget to catch the story on a bear taking a shit in the woods.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Seeing Rowdy Roddy come down to the ring as a special guest ref in 1990. Saw Mr. Perfect's car in the parking lot I think.

WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - January 12, 1991 (matinee)
Due to travel problems, neither Ted Dibiase or Jimmy Snuka were able to appear for their scheduled match
Dustin Rhodes (sub. for Sam Houston) pinned Buddy Rose
Haku defeated Koko B. Ware
Jake Roberts defeated Rick Martel via disqualification
The Barbarian pinned Saba Simba
Kerry Von Erich defeated WWF IC Champion Mr. Perfect via disqualification; Roddy Piper was the guest referee for the bout
WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated Paul Roma & Hercules when Hart pinned Roma
Hulk Hogan & Tugboat defeated Earthquake & Dino Bravo when Hogan pinned Bravo

[DAMN iNATOR]

Travel problems keeping wrestlers away from the arena for their scheduled matches?! :eek: NO WAY!

See, you're not the only one who can be snarky, STD. Fucking prick.

[road doggy dogg]

Went to a house show in Detroit years ago and I remember some rookie scrub named "Kurt Angle" was in a dark match... was a triple threat with I think Steve Blackman and someone else... idk. Randomness. The match/event itself wasn't very memorable I just remember a few months after that Kurt Angle exploded and was a huge thing on the roster and I was like, "Oh yeah, I saw him live a few months ago and he was a nobody!"

[road doggy dogg]

Well I guess technically every match is a dark match... whatever

[Damian Rey]

First house show I went to featured Bret Hart v Diesel in a blue steel cage match for the title. Bret retained when he climbed out before Diesel could crawl out.

Also went to a house show shortly after the Rock had won his first title. He cut a great promo on the crowd, getting cheap pops only to hit us with the "biggest pile of trailer park trash" line. He was facing Kane in a cage match, and before he could finish the "...is cooking" line, he turned and exclaimed "oh shit" before Kanestarted wailing on him. I also remember a fan getting up and over the cage and Kane absolutely blasting said fan with a potato right hand.

[Rammsteinmad]

I went to a WCW house show in March 2000. Nothing amazing happened, but looking back, I was only 13 at the time and it was probably the greatest night of my life.

I still have my "nWo 4 Life" t-shirt from that show.

Never actually been to a WWE house show, only TV tapings. There's loads of funny and cool clips on Youtube from houseshows though. Would love it if WWE released a DVD set highlighting these shows, similar to their one about when Raw goes off the air.

[hb2k]

Great thread.

My first ever was one week after Survivor Series 96. I was so excited to see my favourite wrestler, Shawn Michaels, the WWF Champion, for months. But alas, Sid beat him for the belt and Shawn didn't make the tour. Instead I got a 90 second main event with Sid pinning Faarooq. I did get one of the few Bret Hart Vs. Mankind matches, however, a great, red hot brawl.

Also got to see a show shortly after Mania 15 with Austin and Rock on opposite sides when both were red hot, a total joy.

Another favourite was a Smackdown in late 2003, with Eddie Guerrero being molten hot as a babyface, Brock Lesnar Vs. Undertaker in a very good little match, and featured a Rhyno promo where, to open the show, he told the audience to "shut the fuck up". I wasn't expecting that.

[Rammsteinmad]

Another favourite was a Smackdown in late 2003, with Eddie Guerrero being molten hot as a babyface, Brock Lesnar Vs. Undertaker in a very good little match, and featured a Rhyno promo where, to open the show, he told the audience to "shut the fuck up". I wasn't expecting that.

Oh my God I wanna see a video of that so badly!

[Maluco]

Only have been to one in the UK, was pretty excited about it, went with a few mates.

We got there and there were signs in the arena apologising that Taker wouldn't be there as advertised, so not great.

His surprise replacement was Booker T who answered an open challenge by Matt Hardy...was nice, but didn't make up for the disappointment.

Main event was Edge vs Lesnar, nothing memorable happened really...

[drave]

Mid to late 90's early 00's I saw Kane and Paul Bearer do The People's Elbow to The Rock. That was pretty great.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Thought of another one. Saw MNM wrestle the opening contest of a SmackDown house show in early 2005. They weren't even called MNM, just Johnny Nitro and Joey Matthews.

They ended up being a big deal a few months later.</font>

[Theo Dious]

This is kind of an odd one, but I went to a house show in West Virginia that featured a tag match of Randy Orton and Ric Flair vs Goldberg and Shawn Michaels. Towards the end of the match Flair randomly slipped and fell off the ring apron. He barely participated in the rest of the match and then limped to the back. I went to the following Raw show and it was announced the Flair wouldn't be competing against Maven in their schedule match due to an injury suffered over the weekend. Of course Flair ended up attacking Maven at the end of the match he did have, so I have no idea of the legitimacy of the injury, but it's basically the only house show I've ever been to that in any way had any outside bearing on the story line.

[The Condor]

Waiting for Seth to come in and regale us with the story of the time he watched a great Hackenschmidt/Gotch match with Lou Thesz.

[Simple Fan]

Went to house show in Rupp Arena in Lexington when I was a kid it think it was somewhere around 2002. Don't remember much of the card but remember meeting the wrestlers in the lobby after the show. Got Stone Cold, Debra, Brock Lesnar, Raven, And Big Shows autographs and met Trish Stratus's mom(Big Show seem to be hitting on her) William Regal was the only wrestler that would give autographs, I don't know if he was in character or just didn't want to be bothered. Taker, Henry, and JBL were at the bar and we didn't bother them any. Stone Cold Steve Austin was pretty cool tough.

[The CyNick]

My first was Savage-Dibiase. Guessing it must have been 88.

[Big Vic]

When big show was WWE champ I saw a house show main event with Him vs Edge and for a minute I was thinking "Whoa Edge is gonna win the title". Pretty good match.

Last house show I saw was right before Vengeance 06 and had DX vs the Spirit Squad in the Main Event....

I missed a house show in my area where apparently Bob Holly beat the piss out of Renee Dupree with a chair for getting his rental car a ticket or something.

[Lock Jaw]

Only been to one. Main event was Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Sycho Sid for the World Title. I was still naive enough to believe that something major could happen and I could bear witness to history.

I can't even remember what other matches there were. Gonna see if I can find the historical record....

[Lock Jaw]

huh. Apparently it was actually a RAW taping. Triple threat title match WAS just a dark match main event, though....

[CSL]

most "memorable" house show moment for me was probably HBK/Flair when Flair spent most of the match with his arse purposefully hanging out of his tights

[Evil Vito]

Only been to one. Main event was Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Sycho Sid for the World Title. I was still naive enough to believe that something major could happen and I could bear witness to history.

I can't even remember what other matches there were. Gonna see if I can find the historical record....

<font color=goldenrod>Ha, at my first house show Ken Shamrock made Val Venis tap out to win the Intercontinental Title. The crowd popped and I started to wonder how weird it will be for people watching Raw to see Shamrock come out with a belt he won at an event only people in Boston saw.

But alas...he kept the Ankle Lock on too long after the bell and the decision was reversed.</font>

[Lock Jaw]

He was in the zoooooooone!!

[Big Vic]

When was the last time a title changed at a house show?

I remember Christian beating Booker for the IC title in 2003. (or vice versa)

[Lock Jaw]

Think one or the other tag titles changes once, after 2003.... too lazy to look it up....