100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
49. The Undertaker vs. Vader vs. Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (In Your House: Final Four)
February 1997's version of In Your House proved to be a valuable tool on the road to WrestleMania 13. Reigning WWF Champ Shawn Michaels "lost his smile", which meant a hasty re-write of 'Mania plans and a gripping four way involving the final quartet from January's Royal Rumble: Bret Hart, Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Vader.
The WWF went with a quirky set of rules for the bout. Wrestlers could be eliminated by pinfall, submission or by being thrown over the top rope (Rumble style, thus in-keeping with the theme). That added a sense of danger to every moment in the match, including when workers were selling near the ropes, and the 'No DQ' addition meant weapons were in effect as well.
Vader ate some steel steps to the eye and bled heavily, Austin and Hart continued to bash one another and build towards 'Mania, and The Undertaker seemed like a viable threat to the vacant belt himself. For federation fans seeking excitement after a barren few years of feeding on scraps, this was a dream scenario. Finally, they had some real meat on the bone at the top of the card.
Bret's title win was a false dawn due to Sycho Sid's shock victory the following night on Raw, but don't let that ruin your enjoyment of IYH: Final Four. This four-way match ultimately aided key storylines at the top of WrestleMania's priority list, and that's hardly a negative. Both Hart vs. Austin and 'Taker vs. Sid benefitted from what happened in Chattanooga.
Vader also looked like a real killer for surviving the grisly eye injury. Not his first!