Where Are They Now?: All Wrestlers At Badd Blood: In Your House (1997)
Here, we look at where all the participants of Badd Blood: In Your House (1997) are now.
Photo Credit: WWE
British Bulldog
At this point in time, Davey Boy Smith was an ally of Bret Hart’s in the 1997 iteration of The Hart Foundation. Smith was a recent World Tag Team and European champion but had lost both belts by the time of this event. He would not last much longer in the WWF but would return during the Attitude Era – aligning with the Mean Street Posse and wearing in jeans. This final run would not be a highlight of Bulldog’s career.
In 2002 whilst training to return to the ring, Smith passed away in British Columbia whilst aged only 39. An enlarged heart was the reason noted for his death, his passing being ruled natural causes. The British wrestling deity had 2 funeral services (one by the Harts, one by girlfriend Andrea Redding), notably both were attended by brother-in-law Bret Hart.
Bret Hart
The then-WWE champion, Bret Hart once again did not main event a PPV when on top, instead the heel ‘Hitman’ competed in a tag team flag match against the pro-Americans Vader and The Patriot. Everything would change for Bret the next PPV, Survivor Series 1997 where the infamous Montreal Screwjob took place.
Having recently overcoming cancer, his legacy is further spread through family relatives who are in the industry. At the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony, he was tackled by an invading fan during The Hart Foundation’s induction. In addition to cropping up in WWE, with whom he has since reconciled, he has appeared more recently in AEW and Impact! Wrestling. He made waves earlier in 2021 as well for dubbing the current WWE championship as a “piece of crap”.
Vader
A huge force in WCW and New Japan, Vader never really got a fair shot in WWF, largely due to backstage politics and injuries. In this bout, he tried to defend the honor of the USA and despite the great workers involved, the match was pretty bad, with ‘The Mastodon’ working hurt. The match lasted over 20-minutes and would have greatly benefitted from shortening this time.
Unfortunately for Vader, his last few years were plagued with health issues, even being diagnosed with congestive heart failure that limited his life to 2 more years. In June 2018, Vader unfortunately passed away during a month-long hospital stretch due to pneumonia. The 63-year-old was frequently supported and visited by Sting during his final days. A Hall of Fame induction is surely in his future due to being one of the greatest big men of all time.
The Patriot
A main eventer for a short period in the WWF, The Patriot aka Del Wilkes was the polar opposite to Bret Hart, with the duo feuding and Patriot even getting a non-title pinfall over ‘The Excellence of Execution’ in a singles match on Raw. Wilkes worked the contest having recently come off a stint of dehydration so too was wrestling while ill. Despite it being a flag match, the American hero took the 3-count when pinned in the O’Connor Roll by Hart.
Today, Wilkes lives in Columbia, South Carolina, having worked in the automobile industry for the last decade and a half. He is currently a used cars salesman alongside his wife Cathy.
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