10 Best WWE In Your House Matches EVER

8. Shawn Michaels Vs Mankind (In Your House 10: Mind Games)

Stone Cold Steve Austin Dude Love
WWE.com

Proving that very little was an accident in the near-immaculate work of Shawn Michaels in 1996, a spot in which 'HBK' appeared for a second to shoot on Mankind was included just to work those that had noted his frosty temperament in other outings earlier in the year. On a show subtitled "Mind Games", it was another fine reference to the emotional unravelling of the champion and the depths he'd need to plumb in order to beat this psychotic boiler room dweller.

White meat Michaels had to get down in the muck in order to beat or even compete with the man that had seemingly gotten the measure of The Undertaker of all people earlier in the year. A wonderful and gripping clash of styles, the contest was a victory for Jim Ross' hiring strategy around the time. The roster and shows weren't drawing ratings or buyrates comparable to a rampaging WCW, but the diversity and improved attitude towards change were policies that would win the war long term.

It's this messaging that often gets lost in reevaluating the match itself, mainly because of the clashes it inspired. On its own, but for a slightly cheap finish, it was still a stone cold classic.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett