'Stone Cold' Steve Austin vs Dude Love (WWF In Your House: Over The Edge) Review

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin vs Dude Love (WWF In Your House: Over The Edge)

I have always considered this match to be the match in this era that was the genesis of the brawling genre, before it would become overdone as the year and into '99 would become. There is of course a whole convoluted back-story to how this title match came about and who is to be involved.

They actually had a match at the prior In Your House: Unforgiven that I have very little memory of TBH. Foley beat funk and Goldust to get this title shot (YES VINCE, I CAN SAY TITLE SHOT :p) The kitchen sink is thrown at this match with who's involved. Patterson is the announcer, Brisco is the bell ringer and Vince McMahon is the referee. Vince reminds us that this can only end by his own hand.

A line of importance there to remember when watching the match

Also if Austin touched Vince, then we will have a new champion.

This is also the same building that christened “Austin 3:16” and where Mankind battled The Undertaker in that HIAC

First up, out come Patterson and Brisco and they go through some very thorough and funny introductions. I tried putting the video of these up on YT – BUT VINCE IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT FUCKING DOWN AGAIN

So, here it is on an alternative video site so peeps can watch them rather than me writing what they say down;

https://vid.me/DmtL

Got to take note of the cars down the isle as Brisco is making his way to the ring.

:lol Looks exactly like a car salesmen here, too. Well, he owned his own body shop at least.

Well, 10 minutes later and the challenger; (Corporate) Dude Love is first out. Grinning wildly as he's got all his teeth in for this match it seems. Crowd go wild as Patterson starts introducing Austin.

“He's a beer swilling fool”

“He's a loud mouth punk”

“He's a disgrace to every human being alive today”

“Well I got news for you...........I ain't going to introduce a bum”

LOL

Crowd go ape as the glass shatters and the champion, STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN, finally makes his way out here.

Just as Vince goes to call for the bell to get this started.............................GONG goes off

“Business is about to pick up” - :proud Oh J.R, I miss thee.

Here comes the motherfucking UNDERTAKER.

He seems to be out here so Vince doesn't fuck about and officiates this match fairly. The bell FINALLY RINGS and this this is under way.

Collar and elbow tie up to start with and both go into the corner. Vince backs Austin off, and gets the old Stone Cold finger salute for his troubles. Quick headlock by Foley (Now, I don't really want to keep writing Dude or Love, or Dude Love, so I'm just going to say Foley :p). He takes Austin down with a shoulder barge and tries for a pin. Vince counts suspiciously fast here and Austin gets right in his face to ask “What the fuck was that?”.

I have just noticed Vince is wearing an earpiece microphone lol.

Foley again takes Austin down and goes for another pin, but gets a one this time. Austin whips him off the roped and stiffs him with a nasty looking elbow to the face and immediately gets him into a side headlock on the mat.

A “Vince is gay” chant starts in the crowd

Austin reverses an Irish whip into the ropes, kicks Foley in the gut and slams his head backwards right onto the mat.

Foley's teeth have fell out

Austin picks them and STAMPS ON THEM

How could you, Steve.

'Dude has lost his smile'

Foley starts kicking the shit out of Austin. He's got Austin in the corner and starts wailing at him with big right hands. He tries to whip Austin off the ropes, but it gets reversed and Austin hits him with a LOU THESZ press and punches the crap out of Foley. He follows this up by dumping Foley over the top rope and onto the outside via clothesline. Both on the outside now, as Austin nails Foley's head off the guardrail and tries to send him into the steps. Instead, Foley reverses this and it's Austin who takes the big bump into the steel steps.

Foley follows up on this by ramming Austin's head into the same steps, just as Taker is looking loomingly on. Vince is screaming at Austin, who is flat on the outside, to get back in the ring. Soon as he does, Foley hits him with a drop toe hold and gets a 2 count.

“LETS GO STONE COLD, LET'S GO” Crowd is obviously hot for Austin.

Austin is in the corner now as Foley starts choking him out with his boot and biting him in the damn head..............and all Vince can do is watch on. Foley whips Austin hard into the opposite turnbuckle. Foley fully in control now as he drops an elbow onto Austin and then slams his head into the turnbuckle. He sends Austin into another turnbuckle and runs straight at him and hits him hard with a running knee to the gut. Foley again goes for a pin, but Austin kicks out at 1.

Austin manages to reverse a whip into the ropes and hits Foley with a neckbreaker. He then gets up immediately and hits Foley with a series of clotheslines. He gets Foley into the corner and starts 'stomping a mudhole' in him with kicks to the gut. Austin tries to clothesline Foley again, but Foley ducks and puts Austin into the

MANDABLE CLAW

Austin quickly gets out of it by sending Foley INTO the top rope

I'm sure Foley wants to keeps his ears here TBH.

He sets himself free and rolls to the outside. Austin follows him out and they briefly slug it out before Foley sends Austin flying over the announcers table

Patterson then gets on the mic and says “THIS IS A REMINDER; THIS IS A NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH”

Since when??? Vince up to his tricks here.

Foley starts choking the life out of Austin with some cable cord. Austin breaks free by running and sending Foley into the ring area and off a table. Austin just starts beating the shit out of Foley and ends up sending both of them over the guardrail and into the crowd.

Another hell of a bump by Foley.

Both back in the ring now and Austin is firmly in command as he starts choking Foley on the ropes.

NO DQ, VINCEY BOY

Austin tries to hit Foley with a running jump into the ropes, but Foley moves and Austin ends up bouncing hard off the ropes. This should allow Foley some time to get his shit back together too. He gets up and baseball slides Austin outside of the ring. He then runs out the ring and hits Austin with his patented neckbreaker.

Vince goes to Patterson and Pat gets back on the mic

“THIS IS A REMINDER; THIS IS A FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE MATCH”

YOU NAUGHTY S.O.B, VINCE

Foley gets an immediate 2 count on the outside on Austin. Austin is straight up and just as Foley is celebrating with a little jig, Austin runs over him like a freight train with a powerful clothesline. He runs again over to Foley, but Foley sends him over his head and

ONTO THE HOOD OF A CAR

Foley then pins Austin on the car but only gets another 2 count. They trade a couple of punches and Foley runs at Austin, but this time it's Austin's turn to reveres it and sends Foley face first into a car

Even Patterson has come down to have a look lol. Taker is also still there of course, hovering over Vince to make sure he's counting these pin attempts properly. Both Austin and Foley are now on the roof of a car and Austin seemingly tries to go for a STUNNER, but Foley sends him flying onto the top of the next car

Another big bump by Austin.

Foley then does a SUNSET FLIP OFF THE HOOD OF A CAR and pins Austin......but can only get a 2 count again.

Foley then picks up some sort of steel pipe. He hits Austin with it, but immediately throws it away and instead rams Austin's head off the hood of the car.

JUICE TIME - AUSTIN IS BUSTED OPEN

Austin starts a comeback as he punches the shit out of Foley. He tries to piledrive Foley on the outside but Foley reverses and sends Austin over in a back flip. Another 2 count by Foley follows. He hits Austin with a quick snap suplex.

Man, Austin is taking some damn bumps here.

Foley then gets onto the roof a car and drops a flying elbow............but Austin manages to move out of the way

Austin then starts literally kicking the shit out of Foley all the way back to the ring. He sends Foley crashing hard into the steps. Both finally back into the ring now. Austin tries to bounce off the ropes, but Patterson catches his foot and stops him. This allows Foley to hit Austin with a clothesline and he starts hitting Austin in the head and into the open wound.

Foley takes off the turnbuckle padding and exposes the steel. He immediately rams Austin's head straight into it. Austin is just down, bloodies and beaten as he's slumped in the corner. Foley goes running over and nails him with a knee. Foley again rams Austin's head off the exposed steel. He puts Austin in a hold that brings back fond memories of Wrestlemania 13/Bret and all that

Memories, like the corners of my mind........oh sorry.

Vince is taunting Austin here, but Austin starts fighting his way back up. He gets out of it and launches at Foley with a quick flurry of right hands.....but Foley immediately whacks his head again off that exposed turnbuckle. He goes for a pin......1..........2................2.9

AUSTIN KICKS OUT

Vince is having a mini meltdown here as Foley asks Patterson to give him a steel chair. He nails Austin in the midriff with it and whacks hit hard off his back. He nails Austin with a double arm DDT right off the chair. This has to be it as Foley goes for another cover..1.2...................2.9

AUSTIN DAMN FUCK KICKS OUT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Austin is now up and in the corner as Foley comes running at him with the chair...........but Austin manages to get his feet up sends the chair flying off Foley's head

Finally, some rest bite for Austin and a chance for some revenge. He grabs the chair himself and starts psyching himself up, but he ends up being too over zealous with the chair and it ends up bouncing off the ropes and hits him plum in the face

This doesn't deter him though as he nails Foley in the head with the chair. He pins Foley

BUT THAT S.O.B VINCE JUST STANDS THERE AND REFUSES TO MAKE THE DAMN COUNT

Austin goes over and screams at him to count. Just as he does that, Foley grabs the chair and tries to hit Austin with it, but Austin moves and the chair ends up off off Vince's noggin'

Austin immediately hits Foley with the STONE COLD STUNNER. Another ref comes down to count the pin/ 1.......2...........................PATTERSON GRABS THE REFS LEGS and pulls him out the ring. He nails the poor ref with a follow up punch lol. He could still throw a mean punch. By this time, Foley is up and puts Austin into the MANDABLE CLAW.

Austin's shoulders appear to be on the mat as Patterson takes it upon himself to count the pin. 1..........2....................UNDERTAKER GRABS PATTERSON and drags him out the ring.

HE PUTS HIM IN A CHOKESLAM AND SENDS HIM CRASHING THROUGH THE TABLE

Brisco then tries to count the pin, but is also pulled out the ring and

CHOKESLAMMED THOUGH A TABLE

Back in the ring and Austin hits Foley

WITH ANOTHER STONE COLD STUNNER

He covers Foley, grabs Vince's dead hand and makes the count with it.

No doubt about this one............1.........2........................3.

Austin finally retains.

Crowd go ape as Austin celebrates and has an eye to eye with Undertaker. Brisco/Vince/Pat are all dead of course.

THIS WAS FUCKING AWESOME AND I FUCKING MISS THIS SHIT. Seriously, it is still one of the most fun matches you could ever watch, from the outlandish announcements at the start, to the over top story of the match, to the final bell. This style of match would become very prevalent over the course of the A.E, but here it's fresh and is done to perfection. The overbooking of it was great, with the stooges and Taker being involved. Vince was wonderful around this time as a character and in this match, he continues that by stacking the odds against Austin and wanting you to will on Austin in every turn.

Austin himself deserves a lot of credit for taking all those bumps tbh, esp around this time of his career. He took his share on the outside onto the floor and on those ringside cars. I was never the biggest fan of the 'Dude Love' character, but I did like him as the 'corporate heel' here with Vince and co as it worked with the story and esp in this match.

Credit to Patterson/Brisco too for being very entertaining and taking those table bumps.

I fucking love this match and everyone should go and watch it NOW.