Austin/Bret - IYH Revenge of the Taker

[Guest Ray]

Anyone else know of/like this match?

 

It's been almost totally ignored/forgotten it seems.

 

The way it starts, Austin is clearly the better man, perhaps motivated by his hate. There's a great spot where Austin is in the ring alone and mocks Bret's entrance hand taunt. He takes it to Bret big time. Bret doesn't fight back always, even running away at times. Bret seems to be "waiting out the storm" as it were. Waiting for Austin's opening barrage to dwindle, waiting for Austin to make a mistake so that he may capitalize. This is just what happens, as Austin and the ref are fighting over a chair, Bret dropkicks Austin in the back, driving the chair into the referee. Bret, like cat waiting to pounce, sees his opportunity. Bret proceeds to viciously attack Austin's knee; with the chair, with a figure-four around the ringpost, and so forth. He even, in such a heelish act, removes Austin's knee brace. A lot of what follows, is centered around Austin being "the toughest SOB in the WWF." No matter how hard Bret attacks Austin's knee, he still manages to make brief comebacks. First, with a flurry of punches (from which, Bret regains control by simply kicking the knee), secondly, whilst Bret and Austin are at ringside, Austin, summoning all his strength, manages to dump Bret over his head into the crowd (Austin, still selling that knee, using the other side of his body to carry the weight). Somewhere in between, there's a wonderful transition, where Austin, not giving a damn what anyone thinks, gives Bret a big low blow. Austin tries a piledriver, but his leg won't hold up. Feel that selling. After a superplex, Bret goes for his sharpshooter, to which Austin counters by hitting Bret with his own removed knee brace. Then, with his good leg, he locks on a sharpshooter himself. Bret lasts for a while in it before Davey Boy and Owen run in. Austin chases them out of the ring and goes back to the sharpshooter, but Bret still doesn't submit. Owen and Davey make their return with a chair, and it's DQ time.

 

This is a very good, smart match which plays off their Wrestlemania match (with some nice reversing roles stuff). Totally underrated.

 

 

Agree? Disagree?

[JoeDirt 0]

I completely agree. I really like the match, though not as good as the others, and just watched it the other night. Probably ****. Along with a good Taker/Mankind match it makes up for the rest of the shit on that card.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

How about their World Tour '96 match? I didn't even know it existed until I saw it on my Best of Bret Hart compilation. I haven't gotten a chance to watch it in full yet, but my guess is it'll be their usual solid bout.

[Guest Ray]

I completely agree. I really like the match, though not as good as the others, and just watched it the other night. Probably ****.

Same thing here.

 

How about their World Tour '96 match? I didn't even know it existed until I saw it on my Best of Bret Hart compilation.

What the...?! I've never heard of this match. Can you give more details and tell me where you got this tape?

[MillenniumMan831 0]

How about their World Tour '96 match? I didn't even know it existed until I saw it on my Best of Bret Hart compilation.

What the...?! I've never heard of this match. Can you give more details and tell me where you got this tape?

It was from Kuwait on a 1hr tape called World Tour 1996. The same tour which saw Ahmed Johnson win the Kuwaiti Cup. It was just after WMXII and there was no issue between Hart and Austin at the time. A very solid wrestling bout that was nicely done without all the hatred. The ending saw Austin actually submit to the Sharpshooter in something that was obviously ignored by the time these 2 started feuding.

 

The card on the tape reads like an Ahmed Johnson Appreciation Show:

 

(All matched from Kuwait)

- Ahmed Johnson/Yokozuna vs. New Rockers

- Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin

- British Bulldog vs. Duke The Dumpster Droese (First Round)

- Ahmed Johnson vs. Owen Hart (Semifinal Match)

- Ahmed Johnson vs. HHH (Final Match includes postmatch presentaion of Kuwaiti Cup)

[JoeDirt 0]

I just got World Tour 96 off ebay, so I'll post a review of the match when I watch it!

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I just got World Tour 96 off ebay, so I'll post a review of the match when I watch it!

Just wanted to add that Owen Hart's cowardly heel antics in his match w/ Ahmed are classic.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I just watched this Bret/Austin recently and I was pleasently surprised. I think honestly the only reason why this match is forgotten is because it's on a PPV that not many people have seen or can get. But that's about it, as this match is in the ***1/2-**** range.

[cawthon777 0]

I think it's a good match but considering the talent involved that's pretty much a given. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it played up Bret's newfound cowardly heel role, which I never got used to.

 

Bret wasn't even supposed to face Austin that night. His original opponent was Psycho Sid, as Sid wanted payback for Bret costing him the title at WrestleMania. No clue why Sid was not on the show ... or why Rocky Miavia replaced him against Mankind at Cold Day in Hell. I know he was in a car wreck that summer but that wouldn't explain these situations.

 

The Kuwait match is the equivalent of an above average Raw or WCW Saturday Night bout. Obviously the two can go but Kuwait wasn't really the forum to put on a match similar to what they had at the Garden.

[JoeDirt 0]

The worst thing about Revenge of the Taker is that 3/5 matches end in a shitty DQ finish.