diff --git a/rpc/client/event_test.go b/rpc/client/event_test.go
index 863d23d4..f43a47e9 100644
--- a/rpc/client/event_test.go
+++ b/rpc/client/event_test.go
@@ -6,14 +6,14 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
-	events "github.com/tendermint/go-events"
+	merktest "github.com/tendermint/merkleeyes/testutil"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/client"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
 )
 
-func TestEvents(t *testing.T) {
+func TestHeaderEvents(t *testing.T) {
 	require := require.New(t)
 	for i, c := range GetClients() {
-		// for i, c := range []client.Client{getLocalClient()} {
 		// test if this client implements event switch as well.
 		evsw, ok := c.(types.EventSwitch)
 		if !assert.True(t, ok, "%d: %v", i, c) {
@@ -29,31 +29,50 @@ func TestEvents(t *testing.T) {
 			defer evsw.Stop()
 		}
 
-		// let's wait for the next header...
-		listener := "fooz"
-		event, timeout := make(chan events.EventData, 10), make(chan bool, 1)
-		// start timeout count-down
-		go func() {
-			time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
-			timeout <- true
-		}()
-
-		// register for the next header event
 		evtTyp := types.EventStringNewBlockHeader()
-		evsw.AddListenerForEvent(listener, evtTyp, func(data events.EventData) {
-			event <- data
-		})
-		// make sure to unregister after the test is over
-		// TODO: don't require both!
-		defer evsw.RemoveListenerForEvent(listener, evtTyp)
-		defer evsw.RemoveListener(listener)
-
-		select {
-		case <-timeout:
-			require.True(false, "%d: a timeout waiting for event", i)
-		case evt := <-event:
-			_, ok := evt.(types.EventDataNewBlockHeader)
-			require.True(ok, "%d: %#v", i, evt)
-		}
+		evt, err := client.WaitForOneEvent(evsw, evtTyp, 1*time.Second)
+		require.Nil(err, "%d: %+v", i, err)
+		_, ok = evt.(types.EventDataNewBlockHeader)
+		require.True(ok, "%d: %#v", i, evt)
+		// TODO: more checks...
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTxEvents(t *testing.T) {
+	require := require.New(t)
+	for i, c := range GetClients() {
+		// test if this client implements event switch as well.
+		evsw, ok := c.(types.EventSwitch)
+		if !assert.True(t, ok, "%d: %v", i, c) {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// start for this test it if it wasn't already running
+		if !evsw.IsRunning() {
+			// if so, then we start it, listen, and stop it.
+			st, err := evsw.Start()
+			require.Nil(err, "%d: %+v", i, err)
+			require.True(st, "%d", i)
+			defer evsw.Stop()
+		}
+
+		// make the tx
+		_, _, tx := merktest.MakeTxKV()
+		evtTyp := types.EventStringTx(types.Tx(tx))
+
+		// send async
+		txres, err := c.BroadcastTxAsync(tx)
+		require.Nil(err, "%+v", err)
+		require.True(txres.Code.IsOK())
+
+		// and wait for confirmation
+		evt, err := client.WaitForOneEvent(evsw, evtTyp, 1*time.Second)
+		require.Nil(err, "%d: %+v", i, err)
+		// and make sure it has the proper info
+		txe, ok := evt.(types.EventDataTx)
+		require.True(ok, "%d: %#v", i, evt)
+		// make sure this is the proper tx
+		require.EqualValues(tx, txe.Tx)
+		require.True(txe.Code.IsOK())
 	}
 }
diff --git a/rpc/client/helpers.go b/rpc/client/helpers.go
index bf8860e7..5af1fe20 100644
--- a/rpc/client/helpers.go
+++ b/rpc/client/helpers.go
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	cmn "github.com/tendermint/go-common"
+	events "github.com/tendermint/go-events"
 )
 
 // Waiter is informed of current height, decided whether to quit early
@@ -47,3 +49,36 @@ func WaitForHeight(c StatusClient, h int, waiter Waiter) error {
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+// WaitForOneEvent subscribes to a websocket event for the given
+// event time and returns upon receiving it one time, or
+// when the timeout duration has expired.
+//
+// This handles subscribing and unsubscribing under the hood
+func WaitForOneEvent(evsw events.EventSwitch,
+	evtTyp string, timeout time.Duration) (events.EventData, error) {
+	listener := cmn.RandStr(12)
+
+	evts, quit := make(chan events.EventData, 10), make(chan bool, 1)
+	// start timeout count-down
+	go func() {
+		time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
+		quit <- true
+	}()
+
+	// register for the next event of this type
+	evsw.AddListenerForEvent(listener, evtTyp, func(data events.EventData) {
+		evts <- data
+	})
+	// make sure to unregister after the test is over
+	// TODO: don't require both!
+	defer evsw.RemoveListenerForEvent(listener, evtTyp)
+	defer evsw.RemoveListener(listener)
+
+	select {
+	case <-quit:
+		return nil, errors.New("timed out waiting for event")
+	case evt := <-evts:
+		return evt, nil
+	}
+}
diff --git a/rpc/client/httpclient.go b/rpc/client/httpclient.go
index f07775eb..4eb94f5a 100644
--- a/rpc/client/httpclient.go
+++ b/rpc/client/httpclient.go
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ type WSEvents struct {
 	endpoint string
 	ws       *rpcclient.WSClient
 	quit     chan bool
+	done     chan bool
 }
 
 func newWSEvents(remote, endpoint string) *WSEvents {
@@ -181,6 +182,7 @@ func newWSEvents(remote, endpoint string) *WSEvents {
 		endpoint:    endpoint,
 		remote:      remote,
 		quit:        make(chan bool, 1),
+		done:        make(chan bool, 1),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -211,7 +213,9 @@ func (w *WSEvents) Stop() bool {
 	if stop {
 		// send a message to quit to stop the eventListener
 		w.quit <- true
+		<-w.done
 		w.ws.Stop()
+		w.ws = nil
 	}
 	return stop
 }
@@ -249,7 +253,9 @@ func (w *WSEvents) eventListener() {
 			// FIXME: better logging/handling of errors??
 			fmt.Printf("ws err: %+v\n", err)
 		case <-w.quit:
-			// only way to finish this method
+			// send a message so we can wait for the routine to exit
+			// before cleaning up the w.ws stuff
+			w.done <- true
 			return
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/rpc/client/rpc_test.go b/rpc/client/rpc_test.go
index 4c9e5abf..11c7f726 100644
--- a/rpc/client/rpc_test.go
+++ b/rpc/client/rpc_test.go
@@ -179,59 +179,3 @@ func TestAppCalls(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
-
-// TestSubscriptions only works for HTTPClient
-//
-// TODO: generalize this functionality -> Local and Client
-// func TestSubscriptions(t *testing.T) {
-// 	require := require.New(t)
-// 	c := getHTTPClient()
-// 	err := c.StartWebsocket()
-// 	require.Nil(err)
-// 	defer c.StopWebsocket()
-
-// 	// subscribe to a transaction event
-// 	_, _, tx := merktest.MakeTxKV()
-// 	eventType := types.EventStringTx(types.Tx(tx))
-// 	c.Subscribe(eventType)
-
-// 	// set up a listener
-// 	r, e := c.GetEventChannels()
-// 	go func() {
-// 		// send a tx and wait for it to propogate
-// 		_, err = c.BroadcastTxCommit(tx)
-// 		require.Nil(err, string(tx))
-// 	}()
-
-// 	checkData := func(data []byte, kind byte) {
-// 		x := []interface{}{}
-// 		err := json.Unmarshal(data, &x)
-// 		require.Nil(err)
-// 		// gotta love wire's json format
-// 		require.EqualValues(kind, x[0])
-// 	}
-
-// 	res := <-r
-// 	checkData(res, ctypes.ResultTypeSubscribe)
-
-// 	// read one event, must be success
-// 	select {
-// 	case res := <-r:
-// 		checkData(res, ctypes.ResultTypeEvent)
-// 		// this is good.. let's get the data... ugh...
-// 		// result := new(ctypes.TMResult)
-// 		// wire.ReadJSON(result, res, &err)
-// 		// require.Nil(err, "%+v", err)
-// 		// event, ok := (*result).(*ctypes.ResultEvent)
-// 		// require.True(ok)
-// 		// assert.Equal("foo", event.Name)
-// 		// data, ok := event.Data.(types.EventDataTx)
-// 		// require.True(ok)
-// 		// assert.EqualValues(0, data.Code)
-// 		// assert.EqualValues(tx, data.Tx)
-// 	case err := <-e:
-// 		// this is a failure
-// 		require.Nil(err)
-// 	}
-
-// }