Bret Hart

[Guest Si82]

Video Review

Bret Hart

By Simon Mulvaney

Oct 2, 2002

 

- That first review wet my appetite for another one. This time it's Bret Hart. This video is your basic Coliseum Video profile of an established and popular WWF superstar. Which is basically a bunch of matches with the featured superstar in them. In this case it's a mixture of matches for two previous Bret Hart tapes. So on we go...

 

- Your host is Paul Bearer. He shills the matches on the tape.

 

- Cage Match: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels - Gorilla Monsoon & Johnny Polo (Raven) are on commentary for this one. Shawn attacks Bret as he enters the cage to start this one. Shawn bounces Bret around the cage and generally beats the crap out of him for a while. Shawn tries to escape the cage by stepping over Bret but has his foot grabbed by so he goes back in and beats on Bret a bit more. Kinda one-sided match at the moment. I bet I know who's gonna win though. Bret gains control with a slingshot into the side of the cage. Bret hammers Shawn for a bit. Johnny claims that going out of the cage door to win is "the weenie way out" and refers to then WWF President Jack Tunney as "the Prozac world champion". Funny Stuff. Back to the match and Bret hits a backbreaker and tries to climb out of the cage but gets dragged in by Michaels. Shawn regains control by bashing Bret's head into the cage. Slugfest ensues and Bret is thrown into the side of the cage. Michaels tries to escape but Bret grabs him at the last minute. Bret then tries and the same and get caught and Shawn repeats the spot again. Shawn throws Bret into the side of the cage and tries to escape the cage. Shawn is moving v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and Bret finally gets up and drags him back in. Johnny claims the Shawn would have escaped if he had a buzz cut. Nice one Johnny. Man this guy cracks me up. It's just a shame that he's stuck on Heat these days and we in the UK don't get to see it. Anyway, Shawn tries to escape through the door but gets crotched by Bret and both men are down. Shawn hits the superkick and starts to climb the cage. Bret climbs on after him and he kicks Shawn off the cage. Bret almost makes it out but Shawn drags him back in by the hair. Shawn slaps on a sleeper. Monsoon calls the match "a knock down, drag out affair" and Johnny calls it "a knock down, drag out, rock 'n' roll party in the street!" He even sings is too. Meanwhile, Bret breaks free and both men are down again. This is a pretty good match. Both men scale the cage and a slugfest ensues on the top. They both make it to the outside of the cage but Shawn catches his leg in the cage and is left hanging upsidedown as Bret jumps to the floor at 11:36. Winner: Bret Hart. ***. Good match.

 

- Bret Hart vs. I.R.S - Oh great, an I.R.S. match. This should be fun. Stan Lane & Gorilla Monsoon are on commentary for this one. An "Irwin" chant starts up before the match does. I don't understand why people chanted his name to piss him off. Can anyone explain it to me? Bret shoves Irwin to start and we get the usual stalling from him. This is one of those matches you just know is going to suck. But how badly? We shall see. A lockup to start, which ends up with Bret getting an armbar. I don't know about "Irwin" but this crowd is begging to piss me off. I.R.S. gets a hammerlock but Bret reverses and I.R.S. makes the ropes. Irwin steps on to the apron to jaw with the fans but Bret pulls him back in by the tie and gets a headbutt and headlock takedown. Irwin powers up and sends Bret to the ropes but is knocked down by a shoulderblock then hiptossed and knocked out of the ring. Irwin rakes under the ring and puts something in his boot. He then takes it out and puts in his right hand. They lock up in the corner and I.R.S. nails Bret with whatever he had in his hand over the referee's shoulder. Irwin beats on Bret and wraps his left leg around the ringpost. Bret works over Bret's leg on the outside. Back in I.R.S. gets a two count and then chokes Bret his the ropes. Irwin drops an elbow and gets another two count. I.R.S. slaps on a chinlock. Bret fights out of it and hammers I.R.S. Bret gets a russian legsweep, inside cradle and backbreaker for a series of two counts. Irwin regains the advantage with some kicks to the injured leg and throws Bret to the outside. Owen Hart heads down the aisle and lays the badmouth on Bret telling him to get up. Owen throws Bret back into the ring and Irwin goes to work. Bret nails Owen and I.R.S. sneaks up behind and gets a rollup for two but Bret reverses for the pin at 13:16. Winner: Bret Hart. *1/2. It was technically sound but boring as hell.

 

- WWF Championship Match: WWF Champion Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - Jim Ross, Bobby Hennan & Randy Savage are on commentary for this one. Lockup to start and Bam Bam tosses Bret to the floor. Bret responses with a side headlock but Bigelow powers out and shoulderblocks Bret out of the ring. Back in Bigelow hammers away on Bret. Bret comes back with a dropkick and a wristlock. Bret works over the arm for a while until Bigelow rakes the eyes to break free. Bigelow goes for a press slam coming off the ropes but Bret shifts his weight and gets the cover for two. Bret hammers Bigelow to the outside. Bret tries to jump Bigelow from the apron but gets caught and posted instead. Bigelow picks him up again and posts Bret again. Back in Bigelow hammers on the back of Bret for a bit. Bigelow locks in a bearhug on Bret and then turns it into a suplex for two. Bigelow whips Bret into the corner a couple of times and then puts Bret into an over the shoulder backbreaker. Bigelow releases the hold and Bret hits a suplex and both men are down. Bigelow gets up first and hits a headbutt to the lower back of Bret. Bigelow hits a backbreaker and then heads up for the flying headbutt...and misses. Bret makes his usual comeback and hammers on Bigelow in the corner. Bret hits a russian legsweep and a flying clothesline for a couple of two counts. Bret then hits a flying bulldog for and goes for the Sharpshooter but Bigelow powers out. Bigelow goes for another bearhug but Bret fights out of it. Bret goes for a suplex but Bigelow reverses into a cover for two. Bigelow whips Bret into the corner but Bret manages to get onto the shoulders of Bigelow and get a victory roll for the pin at 13:48. Winner: Bret Hart. **1/4. It was OK but a little boring for my tastes.

 

- WWF Championship Match: WWF Champion Bret Hart vs. Fatu - This is taken from Monday Night Raw back in 1993 with Jim Ross, Bobby Hennan & Randy Savage on commentary for this once again. Lockup to start and Fatu (Rikishi) overpowers Bret but he comes back with a side headlock. Bret goes for a body press off the ropes but Fatu catches him and slams him to the mat. Fatu misses an elbow drop and Bret gets an arm drag and then slaps on an armbar. Fatu powers out and whips Bret into the corner but misses a charge and Bret takes control again with the armbar. Fatu powers out again but Bret knocks him down with a shoulderblock but trips Bret up on the second one. Bret was just faking however and pops up and rolls Fatu up from behind while he wasn't looking for a two count. This is a pretty fast paced back and forth match here. I was expecting it to be rubbish. Bret goes back to the armbar again! Fatu tries to slam his way out of it but Bret keeps his grip. Fatu manages to regain control and hits a superkick for two. Fatu knocks Bret down with a headbutt and then hits him with a clothesline for another two count. Fatu wears Bret down for a bit. Samu makes his way down the aisle while Bret hits a crossbody for two. Fatu throws Bret to the outside and Afa distracts the referee while Samu beats on Bret on the outside of the ring. The match then jumps forward a bit (why I don't know) and Fatu hits a sideslam. He follows it up with a flying headbutt for a two count. Fatu goes up again but Bret crotches him and hits a superplex for two. He follows it up with a bulldog, backbreaker and an elbow for a couple of two counts. Bret slaps on the Sharpshooter but Afa distracts the referee while Samu interferes for a bit. Bret comes back with a russian leg sweep, dropkick and then the Sharpshooter for the win. Winner: Bret Hart. **1/2. It was a decent enough match but it dragged a little in parts.

 

- WWF Championship Match: WWF Champion Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart (WWF Wrestlemania X) - Rowdy Roddy Piper is your special guest referee for this contest. Yokozuna hammers on Bret as he gets in the ring to start. Bret comes back with some kicks and punches but Yoko regains control. Bret hammers away on Yoko and gets a two count. The match jumps forward and Yoko has a headlock on Bret in the centre of the ring. Bret gets out of it and both men get back to their feet. Yoko hits a belly to belly suplex on Bret as my tape goes nuts. Yoko drags Bret to the corner for the Banzai drop but he falls backwards and Bret covers for the win. Winner and NEW WWF Champion: Bret Hart. *. Due to clipping the version on this tape the match is only 2:38 long. However, the full match is pretty crappy anyway so I doesn't really matter.

 

- Overall: Well this tape is just a mish-mash of mediocre matches from two previous Bret Hart tapes with only the cage match worth watching. So if you fancy seeing Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels go at it in an early blue bars cages match then pick it up. Otherwise, don't bother there are much better Bret Hart matches out there. Mild recommendation for the cage match.

 

Feedback Apreciated!

[Guest Cancer Marney]

I always liked the Hitman... back when I was 7 and I didn't know this stuff was fake. I don't watch wrestling anymore, but reading this review brought back some fun memories of the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Thanks.

[Guest Si82]

I always liked the Hitman... back when I was 7 and I didn't know this stuff was fake. I don't watch wrestling anymore, but reading this review brought back some fun memories of the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Thanks.

I'm glad you enojyed the little nostaliga trip Marney. I too was a big Bret Hart fan and it was kinda cool to see these matches again.

[Guest Black Tiger]

Good review, but a very bad tape, this was during the time of the Clique running the WWF and Bret was totaly dogging it in the ring.

[Guest bob_barron]

Most of the matches were 93-94 before the Kliq really took power.

 

Good review btw

[Guest Si82]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

Bob's right, the matches on the tape are from 93-94.