100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
45. The Hart Foundation vs. Steve Austin, LOD, Goldust & Ken Shamrock (In Your House: Canadian Stampede)
There was so much to like as the WWF headed into its 16th In Your House pay-per-view in July 1997. Rising babyface stars like Steve Austin and Ken Shamrock teamed with Goldust and the Legion Of Doom vs. The Hart Foundation. Bret Hart was on fire as a heel, and he was ably backed by brother Owen, Jim Neidhart, The British Bulldog and Brian Pillman.
Plus, the atmosphere in Calgary was like a fever dream. It was that old "Bizzaro World" thing Jerry Lawler occasionally droned on about via commentary. In July '97, the 'King' would've been positively spot on in his assessment. Canadian fans were firmly behind The Hart Foundation, and they booed Austin, Shamrock, Goldust and LOD out of the building.
That gave Canadian Stampede a totally bespoke aura all of its own, and it'd arguably never be matched.
Fans inside the Saddledome might've torn the WWF's ring and PPV set to pieces had they dared to put Austin and pals over that night. Bret was leading his squad to victory and that was that. The federation could get back to business as usual once they crossed back over the border into the United States. There was no chance in hell The Foundation would be eating that 'L'.
The raucous atmosphere carried most of the match, but there was a lot of action to savour on top of it. 'Stone Cold' having to be escorted out of the building by security really says it all. He was on the rise as the WWF's antihero babyface, but Canadian fans hated Austin on 6 July 1997.
Scorching heat.