And the greatest US match of the 90's is....

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

Benoit/Malenko v Saturn/Raven which was the last decent tag match in the US.

I have't seen the B/M vs. S/R tag match, but how does the Austin/HHH vs. Benoit/Jericho tag match compare? Personally, I'd rank that one as the last great tag match in the US.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I don't have much time now but Bret/Benoit is just a ***1/2 match. Bret and Benoit got lost in the emotion of the moment and forgot to connect with the crowd on the level that they usually do.

 

More later when I get back from class.

 

Tim

You're nuts.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

As for the comment on the 2nd ladder match being worse than the worst.....no way. The second match had the GREAT psych which Michaels took straight out of the Misawa/Kawada series and blended it in perfectly with the ladder match concept. Easily Michaels best match ever.

And possibly drunk.

 

Does the fact that the FINISH was BLOWN THREE TIMES factor into that opinion at all?

[Guest Tim Cooke]

No, your nuts.

 

Benoit/Bret is a match that they wrestled for themselves. There is nothing wrong with that but it does effect how the match is done. The original poster brought up how the match was "The 1990's Match of the Decade" which is ludicrous as it isn't even 1999 MOTY.

 

Watch Benoit/Bret and compare it to any other true classic match. It is missing sustained heat and a deeply rooted storyline. The match is a series of moves that don't really focus on anything. Calling it a technical classic is not true either, as I can point to Valk Han, Tamura, and Takada matches that exemplify this much better.

 

As for Michaels/Ramon II, all of the stuff leading up to the finish is GOLDEN. The finish is a little bit annoying but nothing really terrible.

 

Tim, who is guessing that opposing views are bad on this board.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

"I have't seen the B/M vs. S/R tag match, but how does the Austin/HHH vs. Benoit/Jericho tag match compare? Personally, I'd rank that one as the last great tag match in the US."

 

Yuck is all I have to say for the RAW tag match. Benoit and Austin looked good but the booking sucked, the wrong man was taking pins at some points, the ref looked stupid...*** tops. No where near the Raven/Saturn v Benoit/Malenko match.

 

Tim

[EL DANDY~! 0]

Tim...wow...imagine WRESTLING FOR YOURSELF instead of for some stupid asshole whose only contribution to the wrestling business is bringing in T n A into the mainstream. You know, for ONCE I'd like some people to just look at that match and WATCH IT instead of analyizing it to death. I've seen it tons of times. I know the fact that it's CHRIS MOTHERFUCKING BENOIT, the best technical wrestler in the world today, and BRET MOTHERFUCKING HART, the man who paved the way for guys like Benoit to actually make it to the top. Tim, I really don't see how you can POSSIBLY give a match like Benoit/Hart ***1/2, yet PIMP THE HELL out of Michaels/Ramon II, a match whose finish was blown THREE TIMES, and a match that was almost the exact same match as the Wrestlemania X match.

 

And you mention Volk Han, Takada and such. Those guys are shoot-style wrestlers. There's a reason they are technically sound, and it's because they can go to the mat. Benoit and Hart took to it far greater levels than just matwork and counterwrestling. I'm all for opposing viewpoints, but realize both sides of the equation before you topple somebody's viewpoint.

 

And as for the crowd not being into it...wow. It's Owen's memorial match, with his brother in there, and Chris F'n Benoit. And you said the crowd wasn't connecting with them>? Whatever, man...

[Guest Tim Cooke]

"Tim...wow...imagine WRESTLING FOR YOURSELF instead of for some stupid asshole whose only contribution to the wrestling business is bringing in T n A into the mainstream."

 

Do you read? I never said that working for themselves was bad, but when looking at the match from a review standpoint it has to be pointed out.

 

"You know, for ONCE I'd like some people to just look at that match and WATCH IT instead of analyizing it to death."

 

For once I would like guys like you to watch matches and try to figure out what works and what doesn't.

 

"I've seen it tons of times. I know the fact that it's CHRIS MOTHERFUCKING BENOIT, the best technical wrestler in the world today, and BRET MOTHERFUCKING HART, the man who paved the way for guys like Benoit to actually make it to the top. Tim, I really don't see how you can POSSIBLY give a match like Benoit/Hart ***1/2"

 

Ok, I will change it to ***** because you have seen it a ton of times, Benoit is the greatest technical worker in the world (which is like saying Shawn Michaels was the best worker in the world in 1995-1996). Seriously, come up with something better than that.

 

"yet PIMP THE HELL out of Michaels/Ramon II, a match whose finish was blown THREE TIMES, and a match that was almost the exact same match as the Wrestlemania X match."

 

Hmmm...did I ever pimp the SS match that much. I said it was the best ladder match that has been done.

 

"And you mention Volk Han, Takada and such. Those guys are shoot-style wrestlers. There's a reason they are technically sound, and it's because they can go to the mat. Benoit and Hart took to it far greater levels than just matwork and counterwrestling. I'm all for opposing viewpoints, but realize both sides of the equation before you topple somebody's viewpoint."

 

Ding Dong, Takada, Tamura, and Han are all Pro Wrestlers. You call Benoit the best technical wrestler in the world. I LOVE Benoit. Best wrestler in the WWE today. But no way does he compare to Han, Tamura, or Takada on the mat on his best day.

 

"And as for the crowd not being into it...wow. It's Owen's memorial match, with his brother in there, and Chris F'n Benoit. And you said the crowd wasn't connecting with them?"

 

The said that the crowd heat not being into it hurts it. I understand the match and what they were doing, but a great match has to have some heat.

 

"Whatever, man..."

 

This basically sums up your whole post.

 

Tim, "whatever man!"

[Guest Midnight Express83]

I didn't tape Nitro so I didn't see it. But from what I can remember. It wasn't a bad match. I rate it ***** because to me that was match of the year for 1999. Everyone mostly forgets about it at the end of the year because well, how many matches on FREE TV are voted match of the year by the masses? Lets count: 1-1993 HBK vs MJ. The match is about as good as wrestling gets. They wanted an old school match so crowd heat wouldn't be that high. The crowd was silent but watching. Like Benoit vs Angle last Sunday. Crowd wasn't quiet "this is boring". They were quiet "this is good, let me see more". From what I see on this board and across the net, the people who don't rate it ***** mostly discount the commercial breaks and the fact Benoit didn't go over.

[Guest HartFan86]

I don't see how you can give ***1/2 for Benoit/Hart, but it's your opinion...and probably only yours.

 

Benoit/Hart had a better story going into then any other match EVER. I mean, it was a match where 2 wrestlers go out to honor a fellow wrestler who passed away with one of them being his brother. They went out there for 25 minutes to put on the greatest Nitro match ever and to honor Owen Hart, and you can only give it ***1/2? I don't get it.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

"don't see how you can give ***1/2 for Benoit/Hart, but it's your opinion...and probably only yours."

 

Not only mine. But that doesn't really matter.

 

"Benoit/Hart had a better story going into then any other match EVER."

 

How so? I don't see any backstory. I like the match. I thought it was a very fitting tribute to Owen. But there is no backstory. Nothing to play off of. And as far as the story in the ring, it was a bunch of holds strung together fairly well.

 

"I mean, it was a match where 2 wrestlers go out to honor a fellow wrestler who passed away with one of them being his brother. They went out there for 25 minutes to put on the greatest Nitro match ever and to honor Owen Hart, and you can only give it ***1/2?"

 

***1/2 in my book is a good rating. I don't throw out stars like I own a billion of them. There have been many tribute matches to wrestlers that are emotionally stimulating. That doesn't make it an automatic ***** affair.

 

"I don't get it."

 

Tim

[Guest HartFan86]

"I don't get it."

So you had to add that in the end to make it look like you are better or something? Once again, I don't get it.

 

And who else agrees with Tim because I'm curious to know.

[Guest wolverine]

I agree with Tim. It's not the end-all be-all when you've seen so much better, like Tim and I have.

 

-wolverine, Chris Benoit fan.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

Actually, I was going to respond to the "I don't get it" remark, but felt I shouldn't get into a pissing war. Guess I was wrong.

 

Tim, like Wolv, a BIG Benoit fan as well.

[Guest HartFan86]

Wolverine, what would you give Bret/Benoit?

[cawthon777 0]

To start, I'm a first time user so it should be interesting to see how long it takes before someone calls me ignorant for not knowing all there is to know about All Japan.

 

I agree with just about everyone's pick so far (aside from Razor / HBK from Summer Slam which was just a drawn out version of their previous battle with no "backstory" and thrown together at the last minute to increase the buyrate). I do, however, have a few honorable mentions that have yet to be featured.

 

The Rockers vs. the Orient Express (Royal Rumble 91)

Very overlooked but one of the best WWF tag team battles back when tag team wrestling was at its peak in the U.S.

 

The Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage (WrestleMania VII)

No one is going to regard Warrior as anything resembling a sound wrestler - and I would agree with that description. However, the match is full of emotion, had about 9 months of buildup, and finished with a very memorable confrontation btw. Savage and Liz.

 

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 92)

I found this to be much more enjoyable than their WrestleMania XII meeting. This was at a time when these two "mid-carders" were given the opportunity to headline a pay-per-view in an era dominated by Hogan, Savage, Flair, and Warrior - and the two not only held their own but pulled off a very overlooked classic.

 

Cactus Jack vs. Big Van Vader (Halloween Havoc 93)

Yes, wrestling gets a lot more hardcore than this but I regard this match as being an introduction to U.S. fans as to what hardcore wrestling is all about. This was at a time when the WWF and WCW were being as cartoonish as ever - but Cactus and Vader took the gimmick that was "Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal" and pulled off a brutal and bloody match that neither promotion would come close to meeting for years to come.

 

And the winner is...

 

Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair (1/9/93; Boston Garden)

The WWF's first attempt at the 60-minute marathon match, this bout included everything from Bobby Heenan's interference, to Hart submitting multiple times to the figure-4, to the favorite foreign object blow behind the referee's back (a favorite to mine), to enjoyable scientific wrestling put on by two of the best of all time. If you haven't seen it, give it a try. As far as falls go, it's closer to Rock/Triple H than Hart/HBK - but the psychology is there.

 

THE HISTORY OF WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT - Over 40 years of arena reports, fan photo galleries, This Month in History, and updated daily!

http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

The Bret/Flair Ironman is a fantastic match.

[Guest RickyChosyu]

I have to agree with Tim as well. Hart/Benoit isn't what it's cracked up to be. It was certainly the last great match Hart would be involved in (and probably the only worthwhile one he had in WCW) but it's not at the levle of Benoit/Malenko vs. Raven/Saturn, and saying things like "IT HAD CHRIS BENOIT AND BRET HART IN IT" isn't going to sell me on it. Neither is "it was the best match that year, so it's *****." Not only was it not the best match that year, but even if it was, that doesn't require that it be *****. There have been years where a five star match never took place, believe it or not. Anyway, good workers have had dissapointing matches together plenty of times, and while I wouldn't really call Hart/Benoit an example of that, it wasn't at the levle that some people hype it to be.

 

Just watch Benoit in the Spring Stampede tag, and then watch him against Hart. Not only does he use chain wrestling to set up the flow of the match, but he integrates false finishes that actually work and finds a much better role for himself. In Hart/Benoit, he was just "young-upstart looking to prove himself and pay tribute to his friend" which, while a good idea, never took form the way it should have. In the tag match, he's a total dick who knows not only how to win, but how to humiliate his opponents in the process. He does that character so well that Malenko quickly follows his lead and the match completely takes off because of it. Much better performance.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

I hate to rain on the parade again, but the Flair/Hart Marathon match is ***** and a MOTYC?

 

The match put me to sleep. Bret and Flair were incompatable. They couldn't work a decent match together.

 

The 60 mins consisted mainly of Flair cheating with holds on the mat.

 

I LOVE "Prime" Ric Flair. I think Hart is as close to a "Misawa" that the US will ever see for a while. But this match blows. Flair did a ton more with Windham in their 2/14/86 44 min match than he did in the 60 minutes given with Hart. In 54 minutes with Steamboat at Clash VI, Flair did a ton more than he did 4 years later with Hart.

 

1993 is full of MOTYC. This isn't one of them.

 

Tim, who likes the Owen/Bret marathon match from 7/93 better but wouldn't even call it ****.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

*Is beginning paperwork to get Tim committed to an asylum.*

[Guest bob_barron]

I hate to rain on the parade again, but the Flair/Hart Marathon match is ***** and a MOTYC?

 

The match put me to sleep. Bret and Flair were incompatable. They couldn't work a decent match together.

 

The 60 mins consisted mainly of Flair cheating with holds on the mat.

 

I LOVE "Prime" Ric Flair. I think Hart is as close to a "Misawa" that the US will ever see for a while. But this match blows. Flair did a ton more with Windham in their 2/14/86 44 min match than he did in the 60 minutes given with Hart. In 54 minutes with Steamboat at Clash VI, Flair did a ton more than he did 4 years later with Hart.

 

1993 is full of MOTYC. This isn't one of them.

 

Tim, who likes the Owen/Bret marathon match from 7/93 better but wouldn't even call it ****.

I've seen three Bret v. Flair matches- Souled Out 98, the title switch and a match from Invasion 92.

 

They ranged from ***3/4-****1/4

[Guest Tim Cooke]

"*Is beginning paperwork to get Tim committed to an asylum.*"

 

Why is it a ***** match? Why is it a MOTYC?

 

I know the people who's opinions I value have the same opinion that I do...it is anything but special.

 

Tim

[Guest godthedog]

my argument for bret/flair being *****:

 

60-minute iron man match for the WWF title, most falls at the end wins. Bobby Heenan is at ringside, in Flair's corner. Bret and Flair take their time and lock up. Flair forces Bret into the corner and whoos him. Something happens that I can't quite see (because it's a fancam and the camera is pointed at the crowd), but the guys come back into focus in time for me to see them lock up again. This time Bret forces Flair into the corner. Flair is a little frustrated and pushes Bret, who responds by slapping the spit out of Flair's mouth. Another lock up leads to some nice chain wrestling that ends with Flair in a hammerlock. He reaches the ropes, taking the time to sell the arm nicely. He gets Bret in a wristlock and attempts the time-tested heel trick of pulling the hair to gain leverage, which pisses Bret off. Flair tries to keep the upper hand with a chinlock, but Bret quickly reverses into a hammerlock. Flair takes over again with some chops, and from here they go into a really long sequence of Flair working Bret's arm that I won't bother doing play-by-play on. Flair keeps it mildly interesting (using the ropes like only he can, working the repeated pinfall attempt, yelling at fans, etc.), and at one point does something I've never seen before: he keeps Hart in a hammerlock while holding him down for the pin and puts all his weight on the good shoulder, forcing him to fight it by putting his bad shoulder up. Brilliant. There's another noteworthy segment during this flurry of armbars where Flair punches Bret three times in the face and Bret sells like he's been hit with a crowbar. This becomes important later. Bret finally says, "Okay, enough of this shit where I just lie on the ground and act hurt," and mounts a comeback (taking the time to sell the arm the whole times), until Flair gets an inverted atomic drop while Bret's doing the ten punches in the corner. But Bret manages to maintain the upper hand, dodging an elbow drop and doing the requisite "Flair gets whipped into the turnbuckle then back body dropped" spot.

 

Bret with a figure four on Flair (hooking the right leg, which is strange, because in the fucked-up logic of wrestling, Flair is gonna have to sell the right leg instead of the left). The crowd is going nuts in appreciation of the rich dramatic irony here, I didn't know wrestling fans could be so high-brow. Bret has also stopped selling the arm. Flair is screaming, fighting to get the ropes. Something interesting about the submission holds so far: when Bret's in a hold he takes the time to act hurt, but Flair takes the time to act hurt AND try to find a way out of the hold. Flair gets the ropes (after a really weird spot where the ref kicks his arm away from the ropes, preventing him from reaching them for a while) and goes to the apron to recover, but Bret won't let him; he suplexes Flair to the inside and hooks on the figure four again. Flair quickly counters with a rake to the face, and throws Bret out of the ring in desperation to let himself recover. Flair looks hurt, limping around the ring, trying to walk it off. I'm sure Bret looks hurt too, but the camera's not on him so I can't comment. Bret comes inside and Flair punches him in the face a LOT (with Bret selling like a madman for them), then tosses him outside and slams his face into the railing. Bret beats the ten count back in, only to have Flair knee drop him (with Flair selling the leg the whole time). He misses a second knee drop and Bret hooks on the figure four yet AGAIN. He does it quickly enough for me to buy as a near-fall, but Flair makes the ropes. Bret keeps working the leg, but Flair throws him out. Bret attempts a sunset flip on his way back in, and almost gets Flair down, but he gets punched in the face and has to roll outside to recover. Bret has just absolved himself of forgetting about the arm, cause...when else have you ever seen someone have to go out of the ring to recover from a punch? He tries a sunset flip again but Flair's smart enough this time to counter it with some elbows. Flair gets a 2 count from a backdrop suplex. He sends Bret to the ropes and goes for another punch, but Bret ducks and rolls him up for the 3 count out of nowhere. 1-0 Bret, and both players get a one-minute rest period after each fall.

 

By now Bret's recovered enough to get his momentum going. Flair begs off in the corner and suckers him into a quick pin attempt, which (of course) doesn't work. Sleeper hold by Bret (which is excellent psychology--the move requires no effort, and at this point Bret can afford to wear him down and stall instead of going for another pin), but Flair hoists him up and slams his knee against Flair's own, causing Bret to break the hold and start holding his leg in pain (which, to me, doesn't make a whole lot of sense; why would a basic move like that hurt so much?). And since Bret's holding his leg, we all know what happens from here: Flair starts working the knee like a madman--kicking it and twisting it around into places it's not supposed to be. He tries for a figure four but Bret's still too aware of his surroundings to let that happen. Heenan distracts the ref long enough for him to bash Bret's knee in with a chair. Ref ejects Heenan from ringside, and Bret's lying in the corner, clutching his leg like it's about to fall off. He's absolutely helpless, and Flair slaps the figure four on him in the center of the ring. Bret's using everything he has to block out the pain as much as he can. Crowd starts a "Let's go Bret" chant. He stays in the hold for a loooooooong time, but finally reaches the ropes. Then Flair drags him out to the middle of the ring and puts him in the figure four again. Bret is just writhing in pain, barely hanging on. Flair grabs the ropes for extra leverage, Bret has absolutely no way to counter, nowhere to go...and he finally submits. 1-1, and Flair decidedly has the advantage.

 

Flair keeps working the leg, taking his time, and Bret's in so much pain he can't do anything. He can't mount any kind of offense, can't counter anything, and at this point is just trying to stay alive. Flair goes for the figure four again, but Bret rushes to the ropes and uses every ounce of strength he has just to hold on, with Flair trying to pull him back to the middle of the ring. Bret's hands slip, and Flair--you guessed it--puts Bret in yet another figure four, with assistance from the ropes. Bret has no choice but to submit again, and it's 2-1 in Flair's favor.

 

Bret rolls out of the ring to buy some time, and Flair starts coming at him with a chair before the ref stops him. Actually, I don't see why he didn't just hit Bret with the chair anyway. Flair could've afforded the loss and just put another figure four on him, grinding Bret's knee into oblivion and making it even harder for Bret to stay in the match. Anyway, we're back in the ring. Flair puts Bret in the figure four AGAIN, but Bret's close enough to the ropes to grab them in time. At this point it looks like Bret has no hope in hell of even getting an offensive move in, much less winning the match. Flair continues to make him his bitch, but Bret still has something left in him--albeit only enough to get a few punches in and a headbutt (which is not the wisest thing to do, considering the shots he's taken to the head so far in this match). And indeed, Bret's too hurt by his own headbutt to capitalize while Flair's down, so Flair stays in control by working the pinfall attempt (with ropes, of course). Bret eventually sees another opening and starts slugging away at Flair in desperation. Flair's too dazed to regain control of the match, so Bret keeps on slugging. He gets the ten punches in the corner, then nurses his leg (selling! Dig it!) while the crowd gets treated to a Flair flop. Whip to the turnbuckle yields a Flair flip and the Nature Boy flies off the ropes for a double axe-handle as quick as he can, but Bret sees it and nails him in the stomach. Crowd is slowly getting louder. Bret starts rolling off the five moves of doom (still selling the leg for the entire time), and Bret is FINALLY decidedly back on the offensive. See how smooth that transition was? They didn't follow the "wrestler A has control until wrestler B gets control with one big move" formula--it took a series of moves and circumstances for Bret to regain control of the match. Flair runs to the corner and Bret, like an idiot, runs after him, which gives Flair the perfect opportunity to kick him square in the nuts. It gets a couple two counts, and Flair works the pinfall attempt again (with what? with ROPES!). He throws Bret off the ropes for a hip toss, but Bret counters it into a backslide (which i TOTALLY bought as a near-fall) for two. It takes Flair a second to orient himself and Bret is stalking toward him like a big old bear is stalking toward a teeny little bunny rabbit. However, this teeny little bunny rabbit cheats, and it sticks its thumb in the big old bear's eye. All Bret's momentum is lost, you can feel the air going out of the crowd. Flair puts Bret in a sleeper, and Bret fights hard to get out of it. He even makes the ropes, but Flair pulls him away into the center of the ring (but shouldn't the ref break the hold anyway?). Bret keeps fighting, keeps fighting...but he's starting to go limp. Ref raises Bret's hand once and it falls...twice...

 

But the hand stays up the third time, and Bret uses what precious little energy he has left to run to the corner and duck his head, sending Flair's face into the turnbuckle. Flair's hurt, but Bret is just out of it. He tries to capitalize, but he can't even stand up straight. Flair recovers first and gets a two count from a chop. We've got ten minutes left. Flair whips Bret into the buckle a couple times and gets some two counts from that. Stalling suplex gets a two and Flair can't believe Bret could have anything in him at this point. He tries to cover again, still gets two. Elbow drop gets two. Flair goes to the top rope.

 

Pop quiz time: Flair goes to the top rope, what happens now?

 

a) He hits Bret with a splash that gets a two count

 

b ) He pulls off the first and only 450 splash of his career for a three count and a two-fall advantage

 

c) He attempts a dragonrana but Bret reverses it to a running awesome bomb

 

d) He gets thrown off

 

Answer at the end of this rant. Meanwhile, Bret is standing back up, blocking out the pain, the fatigue, the lactic acid, and is running on pure adrenaline. Flair chops him; he blocks out the pain and no sells it. Flair gets pissed and chops again, Bret no-sells again. He pulls his straps off and stalks toward Flair (still limping--only Bret fucking Hart can even sell while he's no-selling), screaming at him to hit harder. Flair is shitting his pants right now, he has absolutely no idea what to do. Bret unloads on him with a back body drop, a bulldog, a backbreaker and a superplex. Five minutes left. Bret's firmly in control, but Flair still has enough left to hold on to that one-fall advantage...until Bret slaps the sharpshooter on him for the submission. 2-2.

 

At this point, Heenan runs in to help Flair up, but the ref kicks him out again. Well, that was...pointless. Bret tries a shoulder block, and we've got a double KO. I guess both guys needed a breather, but...a shoulder block, this late in the match? Flair's up first but Bret makes him eat an inverted atomic drop. He puts Flair on the top rope for the superplex and is about to pick him up, but Flair rakes the eyes. But Flair can't get off the top rope in time and Bret goes up again to finish it, but Flair punches him in the face...and this is when the work on the face pays off, cause Bret falls like a ton of bricks and he's out cold. The crowd gasps. He's flat on his back and he's not moving. At all. This is BAD. Flair slowly crawls toward Bret and covers him...for two. Everybody in the arena goes apeshit. Flair punches him in the face again...for two. Flair is frustrated now. He unloads on Bret's face with a flurry of right hands then puts the figure four on him. Bret's hurt and ALMOST out of it, but he reaches the ropes. Flair throws him to the outside in desperation, Bret makes it back in with a sunset flip (where we get to see the crack of Flair's ass) for a two count. Flair's had enough of this, he's ready to end this match NOW. They fight over position in the ring (with Flair pulling like mad on Bret's leg to drag him to the center, and Bret trying to hold on to the ropes for dear life) and Flair finally wins that battle, getting him in the middle of the ring. He hooks Bret's leg for the figure four, but when he leans in for the other leg Bret cradles him for the count, the pinfall and the victory with less than a minute to go. Final result: 3-2 Bret Hart, and I'm exhausted just watching this thing. *****

 

In sum: The first two words that come to mind are "holy" and "shit." This is the most cerebral match I've ever seen outside of Japan. Not only that, but the back-and-forth between these two was absolutely spot on, with the drama building ever-so-slowly to heights that pro wrestling matches almost never reach. The storytelling was perfect, and the selling that Hart and Flair do cannot be hyperbolized enough (aside from when Bret stopped selling the arm a little too early). Once you get past the format (i.e., the lack of commentary and handheld camera) and pay close attention to the match, it's one of the most rewarding fights you'll ever see. Aside from some little qualms I already mentioned, my only problem with this match is the long armbar sequence that had nothing to do with the rest of the match. But I can easily overlook that for the plusses.

 

Answer: d

 

and the bret/owen iron man match was from 94, bret didn't have the title in 7/93.

[Guest godthedog]

well...i killed that discussion.