SOTW 1 & The Bret The Hitman Hart thread

JP Liz

The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be

chopperbyrne

I'll start off with a display of his poor promo skills at the time, but a brilliant match.

King of the Ring 1993 - Bret Hart v Mr. Perfect

Part 1

Part 2

waltersobchak

chopperbyrne wrote: »

I'll start off with a display of his poor promo skills at the time, but a brilliant match.

King of the Ring 1993 - Bret Hart v Mr. Perfect

Part 1

Part 2

Thats an awesome match.. i always really liked how each of his KOTR qualifiers that night were all unique matches that had differant finshes, shows how much The Hitman cared about the quality of his matches.

SlickRic

he got me interested in Pro Wrestling.

awesome stories told in 95% of his matches.

he wasn't the draw he'd like us all to believe he was, but i do believe he was a huge influence on how well WWE initially broke the international market.

i will mark out as hard as i ever have if/when he returns to WWE TV.

gerrybbadd

My favourite of all the times!! The man could have a class match with just about anybody - case in point - Summerslam in the UK against the ****tish Bulldog!!!

JohnMc1

gerrybbadd wrote: »

My favourite of all the times!! The man could have a class match with just about anybody - case in point - Summerslam in the UK against the ****tish Bulldog!!!

Davey Boy was actually a good wrestler until he developed his loves for roids. Watch his All Japan matches and then tell us if he's **** or not.

Wompa1

His book was a great read. He did come across as a bit conceited and his thinking that having affairs saved his life because it kept him off the painkillers and roid is pretty laughable..makes me question his character as a person.

As a wrestler he was amazing. Sometimes a bit boring to watch a bit like Ric Flair only unlike Flair he could mix it up a bit more, tell a better story and execute each and every move flawlessly. I still remember being in awe of his Suplex back in the day. Great talent, I look forward to seeing him back on Raw as a character

Dancor

Summerslam '92 Davey Boy was out of his face on pain killers during that match. Bret carried him and made him look great.

Lone Kimono

The match between Bret and Owen at Wrestlemania X still is my favourite match of all time. It was my first Wrestlemania to watch and that match still stands out on top for me.

I would have loved to have seen Bret and Kurt Angle go head to head. I think its a match Bret has mentioned he would have liked to have had as well.

FutureGuy

Bret is one of my all time favourites. When I was younger, I was far more interested in the IC title than the WWF championship. Always thought they were much better wrestlers than Hogan etc.

Still remember watching Hart vs Bulldog at SS in the UK at a mates house.

Loved when he fought Mr. Perfect...can remember a match when Perfect went for a leg drop to the groin, but Hart countered it into a Sharpshooter FTW.

davrho

Not too sure of the author but i like this peice on Bret

"He is a five time WWF champion, two time IC champion, and two time tag team champion. He is on the short list of men to have been crowned both King of the Ring and winner of the Royal Rumble. He is on the short list of men to have held world championships in both WWF and WCW. He was one of the key players in one of the most significant shoot incidents in the history of pro wrestling. Sound impressive? I'm hardly scraping the surface.

For those who read this column regularly, it should come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of Bret Hart. Ironically, I was not nearly as taken with "The Hitman" for the first half of his career. I grew up in a Hulk Hogan centered wrestling universe, where a man of Hart's size and style was destined for nothing greater than the mid-card. My closest friend began to follow wrestling right when Hart won his first world title, and was a mark for him from that point on. For me, it wasn't until Hart's second title reign that I really warmed to him, and not until after his retirement that I truly came to understand him as easily one of the five greatest wrestlers of my lifetime. Hell, I would argue he was the best.

In a sense, Hart was bred to be a wrestler of importance. If any screen writer or wrestling booker tried to write Hart's story from the beginning, he'd get laughed off for not being realistic, and depending too much on clichés. Nuanced as real life can be, the fact remains that Hart could hardly have come from a more fitting background. He was the son of a wrestling superstar and master of the "The Dungeon"— the basement of the house, in which he trained many wrestling greats. Bret was a middle child among a dozen kids—a mix of bullies, attention hounds, jokers, and genuinely kind people. He rose from this family to win amateur wrestling medals, before honing his craft as professional wrestler whose defining traits were his precision and toughness. He was a son of destiny, but also a man who earned his own way, through talent and hard work. You can't make this stuff up.

And don't be mistaken, because Bret Hart did work his way up in the wrestling business. One could argue that he was the booker's son, and while this may have lent him a hand in getting his foot in the door, there were a lot of booker's sons who settled for being a star in daddy's territory. Bret Hart wanted to take on the world. This is what landed the man in WWF. And when he had arrived he refused to be saddled with a crappy cowboy gimmick, instead conceiving of the idea of teaming up in the Hart Foundation, and stumbling upon the pink and black attire that would become his trademark.

Once he had worked his way up, Bret Hart was exactly what he said he was—"The Excellence of Execution." Whether he was delivering one of the crispest clotheslines in the business as part of the Hart Attack, leveling someone with a side Russian legsweep, taking a turnbuckle bump chest first to make it look real, or applying the greatest submission hold of his era, in the sharpshooter, virtually everything The Hitman did looked like a million bucks. This becomes all the more remarkable when you consider that, by all accounts, he never seriously injured another wrestler in nearly 25 years in the business.

Bret Hart was also important for his many fantastic feuds. The guy could truly make each and every scenario work. He played the underdog role to a tee in his on-again, off-again war with Yokozuna. He played the perfect straight man to Jerry Lawler's comedy act in dominating his feud with "The King." He tugged on the heartstrings of fans everywhere in his unique family feud with Owen Hart—the likes of which I don't think wrestling had seen before, or has yet seen since. And of course, there was his most memorable feud. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels each attained upper card singles status at around the same time. In early 1992, they battled over the Intercontinental title on the house show circuit, including the WWF's first ladder match. By the end of 1992, they were having their first confrontation over the world title. In 1996, they headlined Wrestlemania. And then, as 1997 came to a close, five years after their first Survivor Series main event, they did it again—this time resulting in the Montreal Screw Job. The greatest part of this feud may be just how organic and real it all was. On stage and off there was a real clash. Michaels was a cocky, ultra-talented prick. Hart was a no-nonsense, technically-brilliant guy who may have taken himself a bit too seriously. You can't get a much more natural rivalry than that. And while a part of me laments the fact that the feud could never truly be blown off in the ring, I reckon the only way it really could have ended was when one man left the company.

I'm making a conscious choice not to delve into the story or the politics of the Screw Job. It has been covered many times over and if I was going to start in on it, it would warrant a column all it's own. The heart of the issue, though, was that Bret Hart's sense of his own importance to the Canadian fans. I cannot blame him. Looking at Hart from an American perspective, he probably just barely cracks the list of the top ten draws of his generation. Turn to an international perspective, though, and particularly to Canada, the only guys who could even touch Hart would be Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan—and truth be told, I think he had them both beat. Would American hero Hogan have let a foreigner beat him for the world title, in the US, in effectively his last match with the WWF? Much less if that foreigner was someone he personally disliked? The idea is laughable, and we, as fans, wouldn't even question him for that. Such is the case for Hart, Canada's biggest wrestling hero, truly the pride of nation who wanted to leave Canada a champion.

Part of the importance of Bret Hart's career comes in the form of tragedy. For his epic success, what followed in Hart's career was nearly as epically sad. First there was the Screw Job. Then there was the revelation that, creatively, WCW really didn't have anything for him. One of wrestling's great stars, and hottest acts coming into the company, found himself a mid-card guy for no real reason. And then, dwarfing every other concern, came the tragic death of his closest brother, Owen—and in a WWF ring, no less. After some time away, Hart would return to the ring, and even go on to win another world championship. His career was cut short through a concussion-inducing bout with Bill Goldberg that changed the course his career and life. As if this were not enough to ruin a man, Hart's brother in law, Davey Boy Smith passed away shortly thereafter. And, of course, most recently, Hart's friend Chris Benoit redefined wrestling tragedies once and for all.

As fans, we lost Bret Hart for a period of years. By late 2000 he was retired and out of the public eye. In 2002, his life changed again with a stroke that temporarily paralyzed him, and left him a vulnerable man from that point forward.

Against all odds, in the years that followed, we fans got pieces of Bret Hart back. In 2005, Hart partnered with WWE on the release of a documentary and collection of matches, spanning his career—a true treasure to wrestling fans from that era. In 2006, Hart accepted an invitation to enter the WWE Hall of Fame. Giving the Hall perhaps its greatest moment, Hart delivered a speech that went from tragic, to hilarious, to downright inspirational. The final piece of the puzzle, cementing Hart's legacy, came in 2007 with the release of his 500 plus page tome of a memoir. The book was honest and beautiful, and didn't shy away from any narrative thread. It is without question, my favorite wrestling book, and, indeed, one of my favorite books in general. I'm convinced that this book gave a legion of fans the closure they needed. It's the ultimate telling of an amazing career, and an affirmation that Bret is, as he said in his Hall of Fame speech, OK.

Bret Hart turns 51 next week. It's easy to forget wrestling's stars of yesteryears—especially those who don't come running at Vince McMahon's beck and call, to serve as guest referees or have one more last match. Nonetheless, Hart remains a star worth celebrating, and a true legend. His contributions to the business were of the greatest importance. "

flahavaj

JohnMc1 wrote: »

Davey Boy was actually a good wrestler until he developed his loves for roids. Watch his All Japan matches and then tell us if he's **** or not.

Theres a British Bulldogs vs Kobashi/Misawa match floating around that I'd give my right ball to see in full. AFAIK it only aired in clipped form. Bastards.

JohnMc1

flahavaj wrote: »

Theres a British Bulldogs vs Kobashi/Misawa match floating around that I'd give my right ball to see in full. AFAIK it only aired in clipped form. Bastards.

yeah you might have to check ebay for that or know somebody who get you a tape of it.

flahavaj

JohnMc1 wrote: »

yeah you might have to check ebay for that or know somebody who get you a tape of it.

Don't think it exists. I've seen the clipped version loads of places.:(

geeky

The wrestler - an amazing storyteller in just about every match he did. I've watched any Hart match I can get my hands on and have yet to see a poor one. His promo skills weren't extraordinary, at least not until his heel run in WWE, but he was one of the best creative minds the business has ever seen. It's a crying shame that he's not booking a promotion, because he's got such a head for both the bell-to-bell work and the business as a whole.

The person - a bitter man, with a distinctly melodramatic streak. Seeing 'wrestling with shadows' and reading his book makes me think that he's highly prone to both depression and self-pity. That's not to say that he hasn't had some tough breaks - God knows the Montreal screwjob must have been awful to experience, ditto the end of his career and the tragic death of Owen - but, even before that, he comes off as a very miserable character. He's also fallen out with far too many people in the business for it to be mere coincidence, which explains the 'crying shame' above.

I've heard more recent interviews with him, where he seems far more upbeat and sanguine. I really hope that this new stint with WWE is a sign that he's emerged from a downward personal spiral.

flahavaj

He would be incredible as a road agent, helping guys put matches together and advising younger wrestlers on psychology etc.

HorseRadish

Watched Bret vs the Patriot from the Ground Zero In Your House last night,great match.

D2D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUrFj9onuzk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvX5WCShDeQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2znOEVTn24

gerrybbadd

JohnMc1 wrote: »

Davey Boy was actually a good wrestler until he developed his loves for roids. Watch his All Japan matches and then tell us if he's **** or not.

Theres no doubt the Bulldog was quite a good wrestler, until he got swole! I can't deny that fact. He was also, imo, part of two of the greatest tag teams of all time - the British Bulldogs & when he teamed with Owen Hart.

JohnMc1

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Theres no doubt the Bulldog was quite a good wrestler, until he got swole! I can't deny that fact. He was also, imo, part of two of the greatest tag teams of all time - the British Bulldogs & when he teamed with Owen Hart.

Yeah the roiding was the end of him. The team with Owen was great. Its a shame that WWE never used them to their full potential.

D2D

Sorry this is so long but it's an all-time classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE13jiLVuKs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki9JHSNfhT0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgIN-FKNJaM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDmFn0mScDA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiq5z9kwiW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIGnW4sexks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3HqrUzLWcY

Iron Hide

flahavaj wrote: »

He would be incredible as a road agent, helping guys put matches together and advising younger wrestlers on psychology etc.

And he'd break ya in half with a sharpshooter..

Headshot

Bret is my favourite wrestler

I loved watching him so much, he was my hero while growing up . The montreal screwjob was a turning point in my life as a fan of WWF/E, I was gutted so much for Bret and decided to give up watching WWE so I missed a few years of it. Time is a great healer and decided to start watching wwe again. iv been watching it for like a 1yr now I think

If the rumours are true about him coming back to wwe, I will be so happy

he's truly is the best in my eyes

Casei11

Headshot wrote: »

Bret is my favourite wrestler

I loved watching him so much, he was my hero while growing up . The montreal screwjob was a turning point in my life as a fan of WWF/E, I was gutted so much for Bret and decided to give up watching WWE so I missed a few years of it. Time is a great healer and decided to start watching wwe again. iv been watching it for like a 1yr now I think

If the rumours are true about him coming back to wwe, I will be so happy

he truly is the best in my eyes

Same thoughts as myself!

SlickRic

Dare_2_defy wrote: »

Sorry this is so long but it's an all-time classic

i'd love to agree with you, as i'm a huge mark for both, but it just isn't.

it was, is and forever will be hyped up beyond belief, but it really is quite slow, and only gets going at about the 45 minute mark.

but that might just be me.

compare it to the hour long match Flair/Steamboat for instance, and it pales in comparison.

HorseRadish

Only watched this KOTR today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnlkt1JJktw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTnZJbvWaUI

JP Liz

He is definitely one of best ever to grace WWE. He pretty much was the top face of WWE for the early part of the 90s.

One of my early memories of him was his ring attire - pink tights and black jacket and the shades ( i always wanted to get his shades )

I loved his feuds with his brother Owen Hart RIP and HBK

HorseRadish

JP Liz wrote: »

He is definitely one of best ever to grace WWE. He pretty much was the top face of WWE for the early part of the 90s.

One of my early memories of him was his ring attire - pink tights and black jacket and the shades ( i always wanted to get his shades )

I loved his feuds with his brother Owen Hart RIP and HBK

Still have my Hitman shades from the 94 house show

Vince135792003

JP Liz wrote: »

( i always wanted to get his shades )

Me too.

mitchmeister

HorseRadish wrote: »

Still have my Hitman shades from the 94 house show

try one silver pair, one pink pair, and one brand spankin new signed pair!

imo people who use the words 'mark out' are knobs

Mr Teeny

mitchmeister wrote: »

try one silver pair, one pink pair, and one brand spankin new signed pair!

imo people who use the words 'mark out' are knobs

They're not half as bad as people who come on internet forums trying to brag about how much better their merchandise is though

Now be nice, t'is Christmas after all

On topic: Bret is the reason i started watching WWF. If he comes back, he'll be the reason I start watching again. Legend.

flahavaj

Dare_2_defy wrote: »

Sorry this is so long but it's an all-time classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE13jiLVuKs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki9JHSNfhT0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgIN-FKNJaM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDmFn0mScDA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiq5z9kwiW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIGnW4sexks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3HqrUzLWcY

As far as one hour matches goes, I actually think this is quite mediocre.

SlickRic

SlickRic wrote: »

i'd love to agree with you, as i'm a huge mark for both, but it just isn't.

it was, is and forever will be hyped up beyond belief, but it really is quite slow, and only gets going at about the 45 minute mark.

but that might just be me.

compare it to the hour long match Flair/Steamboat for instance, and it pales in comparison.

flahavaj wrote: »

As far as one hour matches goes, I actually think this is quite mediocre.

i'm actually glad someone else said it.

he is still a legend though.

DrumSteve

bret is the reason i watched wrestling in the first place. I could never identify with the ultra americaness of the major faces like hogan or even warrior. But bret was no nonsense. Plus he had awesome theme music.

Headshot

HorseRadish

Who remembers this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOWlhrQV9iM

Headshot

HorseRadish wrote: »

Who remembers this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOWlhrQV9iM

memories eh

Jack Vegas

Wompa1 wrote: »

His book was a great read. He did come across as a bit conceited and his thinking that having affairs saved his life because it kept him off the painkillers and roid is pretty laughable..makes me question his character as a person./QUOTE]

This. I don't think he came across as a nice guy in his book at all.

As a wrestler though, class act. However, I don't think he was much of a showman in the ring, and always found his best work was against wrestlers who with less of an emphasis on technical wrestling and more on the showmanship side of things, for example his match with Benoit at the WCW Owen Hart tribute show was technically superb, but not the most exciting match I've ever seen to be honest.

davrho

Headshot wrote: »

memories eh

And some folk here think wwe(f) was never a kids product? I remember they promotions well

Vince135792003

Since today is THE day. A great tribute video on Bret Hart especially if your sick of every wrestling tribute video having Creed in it. This one doesn't and it's simple but produced beautifully:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmiwW0-GIOs

fatal

Vince135792003 wrote: »

Since today is THE day. A great tribute video on Bret Hart especially if your sick of every wrestling tribute video having Creed in it. This one doesn't and it's simple but produced beautifully:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmiwW0-GIOs

Masterfully done.
Tonight couldn't come any sooner for me.This has to be one of the most anticipated RAWs ever,for me it is anyway.

Vince135792003

Above all else, whatever they do tonight, I hope Bret comes out of it looking well.

Cactus Col

During most of Bret Hart's (and HBK's) time at the top I was only vaguely aware of wrestling. I'd watch wwf maybe once in a while, but wouldn't pay too much attention to what was going on. It was towards the end of the attitude era that I started watching properly again (around 99).

Maybe this is the reason I never bought Bret Hart as WWF champion. Obviously a great wrestler, but to my eyes he should never have been anything more than a transitional champ, and challenger.

It was only when Austin arrived that Bret really shone, as the heel leader of the Hard Foundation stable.


Also, I was really disappointed that the music in the "Still Alive" video above wasn't the song from Portal (the game).

waltersobchak

PWInsider have a full legal streaming of wrestling with shadows up on their website http://www.pwinsider.com/article/44058/where-it-all-began-the-complete-wrestling-with-shadows-documentary.html?p=1

Vince135792003

Vince135792003 wrote: »

I hope Bret comes out of it looking well.

I don't think my wish came through.

Bounty Hunter

hope nobody minds, I changed the name of the thread slightly, still acknowledging that he was the first SOTW (as obviously the OP does) and im now bumping the thread as in the next few months this imo would be a good basis for a all purpose Bret Hart thread as you know there is going to be a lot of talk about him

grames_bond

the man is a legend!

that is all!

paddyismaddy

THE BEST EVER!

D.Q

thought he looked a bit funny in the cena shorts. Other than that, great return, it will keep me interested anyway, probably at a cost to my college attendance.

KMFCross

It appears Bret and Shawn have made up for real and not just on screen, see the link below:

http://brethart.com/appearances/post-jan-4-2010-raw-appearance-update

jaykhunter

cheers for posting. LOL he's working us as well with Vince...



I dunno he looks pretty reluctant in this photo - Shawn's hugging him much more, and Bret's nervously patting Shawn on the back, look at Bret's fingers. The expression on Bret's face too...Maybe i'm just reading too much into it but he doesn't look comfortable in the slightest. He looks about as happy to receive a hug as The Rock did with Hogan at WMX8...