6. Canadian Stampede
Widely considered the best show of 1997, In Your House: Canadian Stampede was a streamlined, two-hour show that never let up for a minute.
With a lineup of only four matches, there was no room for filler, and thus not a bad match on the show. In the opener, Hunter Hearst Helmsley formally began his feud with Mankind in a wild brawl that spilled out all over the arena and even picked up again later in the night. From there the WWF launched its new Light Heavyweight division with a nice spotfest between The Great Sasuke and newcomer Taka Michinoku.
While not quite up to the standard set by WCW’s Cruiserweight division, this was a refreshingly different match for a WWF card. Next up was the WWF Title match, as The Undertaker defended against Vader (subbing for an injured Ahmed Johnson) in probably the best match of their 1997 series. Then came the monumental headliner – a five-on-five war between hometown heroes The Hart Foundation and their hated (in Canada at least) American adversaries led by Steve Austin.
The match was an epic melee that involved not only the ten official participants, but various Hart family members seated at ringside. While nothing was really settled in the end, this match (and this PPV) was a glorious chapter in the US vs. Canada feud of 1997.
