Jump to content
TSM Forums
Sign in to follow this  
Guest TSMAdmin

Today in Wrestling History (November 9)

Recommended Posts

Guest TSMAdmin

Today in Wrestling History (November 9)

by Jared "JHawk" Hawkins

 

A few things before we begin. First off, a special thank you to Tim for informing me that The Hurricane's "Shining Wizard" is actually Masahiro Chono's "Shining Black". One of these days I'll learn Japanese so that I'll have some idea what these Japanese announcers are saying on these tapes. Since all I ever understand is "LARIATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

 

Also, I was informed by an AOL reader that Get Well Randy does in fact work. Send a letter to [email protected] and you will receive the following:

 

Dear Randy Orton Fan:

 

Thank you for your well wishes as I recover from my shoulder injury.

 

As you can see, life as a third generation superstar isn't always easy, but thanks to the unrelenting support of all you fans, I should be back in the ring in no time.

 

Fortunately, just because my shoulder's injured doesn't mean the rest of my body is (if you know what I mean, ladies :) )

 

Anyway, I digress.

 

Thanks again,

 

Randy Orton

 

My suggestion? Call him an asshole and see if the response changes at all.

 

Anyway, you have probably noticed that I haven't done the Today in Wrestling History since covering the 1998 Intercontinental Title tournament last month, and there are several reasons for that, but the most important one was having nothing of major importance in my tape collection. However, that all changes here. Today is Chris Jericho's birthday, and in celebration, we will cover the greatest moments of...yeah, right, please. Have you forgotten what today is?

 

As you might be aware, five years ago today, the WWF held their 11th Annual Survivor Series event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the people speak French and don't even like to admit they're Canadian. It was on this PPV that Kane first gained some crediblity (sort of), the push for the future New Age Outlaws officially started, and Steve Austin recovered from his near-paralyzing neck injury to regain the Intercontinental Championship. Oh yeah, and something rather unforgettable as well.

 

I'm trying to do this from memory, so hopefully I'm getting all of this right.

 

The story so far: The feud between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart started peacefully enough. Aside of a handful of 1990 tag team matches (including a WWF Tag Team Title change that is only acknowledged by WWE when they feel it appropriate), they pretty much never met prior to July 1992, when Bret successfully defended the Intercontinental Title against Michaels in a thrilling ladder match that can be found on the Smack 'Em Whack 'Em video.

 

November 25, 1992: Bret Hart makes his first ever PPV WWF Title defense, defeating newly crowned Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels in a very good but nearly forgotten title match to end the 1992 Survivor Series. Aside of the occassional battle royal, this is the end of their matches. Until...

 

January 21, 1996: Shawn Michaels wins the Royal Rumble to earn a shot at Bret Hart's WWF Title at WrestleMania XII.

 

February 19, 1996: As part of a taping of Raw, Bret and Shawn meet in a face-to-face interview, each saying they are in better condition should their WrestleMania match go an extended length of time. Acting WWF president Roddy Piper comes out and decides we'll find out who is better conditioned, making their match a one hour Ironman Match.

 

In this time, problems begin to surface backstage. Neither man wants to be the first man to drop a fall in the Ironman Match, which makes booking the match problematic.

 

March 31, 1996: Michaels pins Hart 1:52 into overtime to win the WWF Title one fall to none. Storyline-wise, Bret is angry with the decision to send the match into overtime and refuses to wrestle in the United States. In reality, Bret's contract is running out in October and he is only obligated to work overseas tours in that time.

 

September/October 1996: Bret Hart is negotiating with both the WWF and WCW, and he finally opts to return to the WWF for less money. He signs a 20-year contract, the final 17 years being for a front office job, but he is under the understanding that he will defeat Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title at WrestleMania XIII.

 

January 20, 1997: The angle to set up Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels gets underway, as Hart, upset that Steve Austin was declared the winner of the Royal Rumble after being dumped over the top rope by Bret, quits the WWF at the beginning of Raw. Even though Bret has supposedly left the building, he magically hears the ruling that Gorilla Monsoon makes announcing a fatal four way to determine the number one contender. He accepts the challenge.

 

February 13, 1997: Shawn Michaels relinquishes the WWF Title on a special Thursday edition of Raw due to a knee injury, claiming he's "lost his smile". Many, including Bret Hart, feel the injury is being faked and is merely a way for Michaels to get out of jobbing to Bret at WrestleMania.

 

Bret Hart is injured shortly after WrestleMania and makes several TV appearances in a wheelchair. On one edition of Raw, Bret Hart goes into an in-ring tirade against Shawn Michaels that extends past the show's allotted airtime. The segment ends with Shawn superkicking Bret out of his wheelchair. A week or two later, Shawn makes the infamous "Sunny days" comment, implying that Bret and Tammy Sytch have had an affair. Bret and Shawn are later scheduled to face each other at the King of the Ring event, but Bret's injuries aren't healing properly, so Shawn ends up wrestling Steve Austin in the only good match of the entire PPV.

 

June 9, 1997: Prior to Raw, Michaels and Hart engage in a backstage brawl that leads to Shawn Michaels temporarily leaving the WWF. If memory serves me right, the main thing that caused this to escalate is the previously mentioned "Sunny days" comment. The real-life brawl is later used for an angle leading up to SummerSlam.

 

July 14, 1997: Shawn Michaels returns, conveniently enough at a live Raw in his hometown of San Antonio.

 

July 28, 1997: Michaels interferes in the main event of a live Raw, causing Hart to lose to The Patriot.

 

August 3, 1997: SummerSlam 1997. Shawn Michaels is the special referee for The Undertaker's WWF title defense against Bret Hart. If Bret loses, he can never wrestle in the United States. If Shawn appears to favor The Undertaker, he is the one who gets the lifetime US ban. The match ends with Shawn stopping Bret from using a steel chair, Bret spitting on Shawn, and Shawn swinging the chair but accidently missing Bret and hitting Taker.

 

The two men are pretty much kept apart until October, when their long-awaited rematch is announced for the upcoming Survivor Series. However, more real-life heat has surfaced, as Bret is upset at the decision to take the European Title off of brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith to allow Michaels to become the first Grand Slam winner. Bret is assured that Davey Boy will regain the belt on the next European tour.

 

Here is where things get interesting, and somewhere on the Wrestling Observer website is a much better explanation, but I'll do my best to follow the events of early-November.

 

Vince McMahon comes up to Bret Hart near the end of October and asks if Bret is willing to restructure his contract since the WWF is nearing bankruptcy. Bret initially objects since he took a much lower contract just a year ago to remain loyal to the company. An agreement is reached that Bret is allowed to negotiate with WCW, and Vince will even help Bret get as much money as possible for the jump.

 

There's only one problem. Bret Hart is still World Wrestling Federation Champion and needs to drop the belt before he leaves for WCW. Of course, the next shot goes to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series. Bret is supposed to get the WrestleMania XII job back and hasn't due to the February "knee injury". Bret also has a clause that he gets "reasonable creative control" in his final 30 days with the company.

 

Bret Hart signs a big money contract with WCW (the final figure is never released but is generally accepted as a seven figure deal) and is scheduled to begin working for the company on December 1. However, citing his "reasonable creative control" clause, Bret refuses to drop the title to Shawn at Survivor Series, saying he didn't want to lose the title in Canada. Bret says he'll surrender the title the following night on Raw. I've also heard that Bret even arranged to begin a week later with WCW, which would enable him to drop the title to Michaels at the Degeneration X pay-per-view event if necessary. Either way, Bret and Vince agree to end the Survivor Series match in a "schmozz", as Bret so eloquently put it in Wrestling With Shadows. Bret even goes so far as to make sure referee Earl Hebner will not allow anything screwy to happen. Earl swears on his children that he will not call for the bell. Even with that assurance, Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith advise Bret to kick out at one and not allow himself to be placed into any submission moves.

 

Everybody got all that? Because I'm not sure I do and I'm the one who wrote all that.

 

Without any further ado... It's November 9, 1997. It's the Survivor Series from the Centre Molson in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Good Ol' JR and The Pharaoh are calling the action.

 

The cameras follow the Holy Bible Kid from backstage until he gets to the ring. French ring announcing and everything. Gotta love them Quebecers, huh? Shawn Michaels dry humps the Canadian flag just to piss people off. If they'd have only known what was to come.

 

And now we follow Bret Hart from his locker room as he makes his way to the ring as well. Every World Title match should have this type of feel to it. Have the intros in the ring after both men are in and it might actually feel like a sport. JR acknowledges that Bret is 40. Maybe he doesn't want people to know that, JR.

 

Sign in crowd: "Why not leave now, Brett?" Shawn attacks Bret from behind even before the bell, but Bret is by far a better brawler, so he gets the best out of the exchange. The battle quickly spills out to the floor, and Bret uses the ringpost to his advantage. Earl Hebner has yet to call for the bell, so Bret continues to beat the hell out of HBK on the floor. Over the railing they go, and I hope Montreal fans have insurance for getting beat up by angry professional wrestlers. Bret finally brings Shawn back to ringside, and referees, Sgt. Chin, and Vince McAsshole (pre-"asshole" chants) all make their way to the ring to try to get this one back into the ring. Shawn finally gains the advantage and chokes Bret as JR speculates that Bret will leave the WWF if he loses tonight. Again the brawl is in the crowd, and again the referees try to separate them. Shawn goes for a piledriver, but Bret backdrops him over the guardrail. So they're back at ringside again. This time they brawl down the aisle, and again Shawn goes for a piledriver, so Bret once again backdrops him. Vertical suplex on the floor! Shawn struggles to his feet and hits Pat Patterson for no good reason. Shawn throws Tim White into Bret to try to get some separation, and now the brawl is back near the entryway. Bret hits Shawn with a fire extinguisher. Bret with a shot for Jack Doan just because he's there. Vince pleads with Bret to bring the fight to the ring, but apparently beating on HBK is too much fun. He does start punching him back toward the ring though. Bret uses the guardrail, throws Shawn into the ring, and finally we are officially underway.

 

And Bret immediately cheats by choking Shawn with the Quebec flag. Inverted atomic drop. Irish whip, but Shawn ducks a clothesline and comes off with a flying forearm. Kick to the face! That's a field goal in the CFL! And another. And now Shawn chokes Bret with the Quebec flag. The crowd heat is absolutely incredible. Headsmash into the turnbuckle. Shawn throws Bret out of the ring, and we're back on the floor again. Series of punches and elbows by Shawn, then on top of the steel steps...and a gourdbuster! Well, it won't hurt Bret's looks any. And a flagpole to Bret Hart's upper chest (possibly the throat). Shouldn't this have been a double countout by now? Oh yeah, I forgot. Bret is back in, and Shawn comes down with a flying axhandle! Front facelock now. Bret finally breaks it by tossing Michaels to the mat. And Bret immediately starts working the knees to set up the Sharpshooter, but Michaels stops the onslaught early with a rake to the eyes. Shawn telegraphs a backdrop, and Bret kicks him, but another rake to the eyes gives Shawn the advantage again. Shawn up top...flying bodypress, but Bret rolls through it for a two count. Bret immediately back to the left leg of Shawn. Bret rams the leg into the ringpost, and there's the ringpost figure-four! I don't know how painful that is, but it looks good by God. Lawler thinks Michaels quit, but Bret was out of the ring, so no harm no foul. Bret continues to work over the left knee. Conventional figure-four (on the wrong leg as usual). Michaels tries to turn over, which allegedly alleviates the pressure...and he finally does, but Bret immediately gets to the ropes. Bret put the hold on, so I don't know why he doesn't just let go when he gets turned over. One of those wrestling things we're just supposed to accept, I guess. Bret with Shawn in the corner, and a series of punches into the corner. Russian legsweep by Bret and a cover for 2. Headbutt to the midsection. Hard snap suplex and a cover for 2. Backbreaker, followed by the elbowdrop from the second turnbuckle...but Michaels pulls Earl Hebner into Bret before the move can connect. Shawn with a rake to the face, and he puts Bret into the Sharpshooter. Bret breaks it...just after the bell starts ringing at 12:20. Bret and Shawn both look confused. Bret spits at Vince as Shawn is announced as the champion, but Shawn's got Hungry Hungry Hippos and Gerald Brisco leading him to the back before anything can happen. Postmatch, Bret's got the entire family out there with him, as Bret destroys an innocent monitor as if it cost Bret the match or something. Shitty finish aside, this match was quite good until that point, as they had a nice groove going. *** 1/4 Not as good as Survivor Series 1992, but better than WrestleMani XII.

 

Aftermath: An angry Bret Hart gave Vince McMahon an ultimatum...be out of the building before Bret got out of the shower, or get a shot to the face. Well, Vince gave Bret that free shot, and Vince was on TV for two weeks with a balck eye. Elsewhere, chaos ensued, as several wrestlers, including Mick Foley, skipped the following night's Raw out of protest (and despite what Foley tells you, at least two other wrestlers did not appear in protest). Shawn told Bret he wouldn't accept the title...but showed up the next night and pretty much buried Hart even further. Raw aired the now-infamous "Bret Screwed Bret" interview a week later.

 

As far as Bret's family went? Well, Davey Boy Smith had the remainder of his contract bought out. Jim Neidhart was buried before being shipped off to WCW. Only Owen Hart stuck around, and despite them teasing an Owen-Shawn feud that would have drawn huge money, Owen was stuck with Triple H in the midcard until joining the Nation of Domination in June 1998.

 

The move, however, ended up being the beginning of the WWF's turnaround, as Bret's exit and Shawn's subsequent back injury forced the WWF to make some new main eventers...and I think Steve Austin and The Rock did just fine for themselves.

 

Shawn Michaels has only recently admitted to being in on the screw job after years of denying it.

 

Oh yeah, and Bret Hart? He made seven figures to do nothing in WCW. Literally nothing. When he finally started being used to some extent, he suffered a concussion against Bill Goldberg that ended his career.

 

It's funny. Only Vince McMahon has seemed to survive what I call the "Montreal curse" thus far, and he's probably the most guilty party of them all. Of course, with business dropping rapidly, maybe he's just now getting his.

 

My opinion on who's right and who's wrong? Anybody who was involved with it is wrong. Bret had been around long enough to know the tradition of passing the torch on the way out. At the same time, Vince had been around enough to know that you don't agree to one finish and change it without everybody knowing. Call it a wash.

 

Send your feedback to [email protected]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Sign in to follow this  

×