Bret V Diesel

[Guest Kane Fan]

Just saw this match today - thought it was decent. It's hurt by Diesel not selling his leg injuries in the long run and Bret's comeback after recieving a heavy beatdown by Diesel. What did you all think of this match?

[cawthon777 0]

That 20-something match MADE people take notice of Diesel. Yes, he had beaten Razor Ramon and won the IC title but it was a screwjob ending to a short match. Remember that he had Bret down and out when Neidhart ran in to protect the title. The average fan could easily argue that the belt was his for the taking.

 

The KOTR bout transformed him from a big guy mid carder into a big guy who was seen as a threat to the world title. Without that high profile match under his belt, I don't know how well Diesel taking the belt in November would have been received.

[Dark Age 0]

The Royal Rumble match was better.

[cawthon777 0]

The Rumble did a lot for him, yes, but tossing out Bart Gunn, Kwang, Virgil, and Bob Backlund is a bit different than going 20-minutes with Bret Hart in a world title match.

[Dark Age 0]

Actually, I was saying the Bret/Diesel match at Rumble 95 was better than the KOTR match.

[Black Lushus 0]

Bret/Diesel at S. Series 95>R. Rumble 95>KOTR 94

[Kardo 0]

What about the cage mat......... errrrr Never mind.

 

Survivor Series 1995 is easily my favourite, very fun match indeed.

[Australian Pride 0]

Was the Survivors95 match the first time someone had gone through a table on WWF television? I cant remember anything like that happening before that.

 

As KOTR94 - it was a great match with a bad finish. It really announced Diesel as a threat, and was a great step in the booking of the Diesel character as he evolved from bodyguard to IC champ, to World Champion.

[Slickster 0]

Was the Survivors95 match the first time someone had gone through a table on WWF television? I cant remember anything like that happening before that.

I think it was the first table-breaking spot, yes.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Only if you don't count the Slammies 1987 and/or SNME 3/88.

[BHK 0]

The KOTR bout transformed him from a big guy mid carder into a big guy who was seen as a threat to the world title.  Without that high profile match under his belt, I don't know how well Diesel taking the belt in November would have been received.

Well, didn't he end up being the worst drawing champion in WWF history?

 

I don't think the reception could have been much worse...

[Black Lushus 0]

i'd chalk that up to the dead weight he was stuck wrestling then, Mabel, Sid, DiBiase guys, etc...his only good matches were against Hart and Michaels...

[The Buzz 0]

I think Hart, HBK, and Diesel were all low drawing champs to the lack of good opponents.

[Black Lushus 0]

hell i hated every UT title reign compared to Nash's...even his title matches with Mick weren't that spectacular...

[Dark Age 0]

Taker's reign in 97 was decent. Some fun matches with Foley, Vader and Bret.

 

I think Hart, HBK, and Diesel were all low drawing champs to the lack of good opponents.

 

Bret was WWE's biggest draw during his entire main event run from 92/3 - 97.

[Shanghai Kid 0]

Taker's reign in 97 was decent. Some fun matches with Foley, Vader and Bret.

 

I think Hart, HBK, and Diesel were all low drawing champs to the lack of good opponents.

 

Bret was WWE's biggest draw during his entire main event run from 92/3 - 97.

I find it hard to believe that Bret was a bigger draw in 97 than Austin or a bigger draw than HBK in 95.

[cawthon777 0]

I believe it, if in fact it's true.

 

Bret - and the Undertaker for that matter - was an established top star, world champion, and main eventer while Austin and Michaels were just on the verge of doing the same during those respective years.

[Shanghai Kid 0]

I believe it, if in fact it's true.

 

Bret - and the Undertaker for that matter - was an established top star, world champion, and main eventer while Austin and Michaels were just on the verge of doing the same during those respective years.

HBK in 95-96 was just way more over than Bret, Bret was the #2 face in those two years, so I have to seriously doubt he was their #1 draw.

 

Austin in 97 was the hottest face the company had in a long time. His shirts probably started selling like crazy, I doubt Bret was drawing more by Summer-Fall 97.

[Guest Staravenger]

Bret drew dick in 95 and HBK drew dick worse, so niether should be getting pats on the back for being draws, although Bret was a better draw than HBK.

[Black Lushus 0]

if anyone was worse than Nash as a draw it had to be Yokozuna right? That year (93/94) blew for title matches, but I'm sure people hated him enough that the draw was huge for people wanting to see him get beat so I suppose i'm probably wrong...I can't think of one memorable match he had during his reign other than the one where Bret beat him at WM10...

[Dark Age 0]

HBK in 95-96 was just way more over than Bret, Bret was the #2 face in those two years, so I have to seriously doubt he was their #1 draw.

 

Overness doesn't always translate to drawing power.

 

1997 Royal Rumble, headlined by Shawn vs Sid, got a 0.7 buyrate. The 1996 Rumble, headlined by Bret vs Taker, got a 1.1 buyrate. 1995 Rumble had Nash vs Bret, and got a 1.0. 94 had Taker/Yoko and did 0.9. 93, with Bret vs Razor did 1.25. The 3 Bret headlined shows did best, the Shawn show did worst. Of course Rumbles are harder to figure out who drew because of the Rumble itself, but whenever Bret was in a title match it did well, when Shawn was in one, it didn't.

 

The 93 and 94 WrestleManias, both headlined by Bret vs Yoko, got 2.0 and 1.68. 95, headlined by Shawn vs Nash and Bigelow/Taylor got a 1.3. 96, it went down to 1.2 with Shawn in the main against Bret. 97, with Taker vs Sid got .77. The shows in 93 and 94, with Bret headlining, got more than 95 and 96, with Shawn at the top. All 4 smoked Taker in the main in 97. 96 had Bret AND Shawn, but Bret atleast had drawn against Yoko, where as Shawn bombed against Nash. What's more, it was built on Shawn's boyhood dream, and it bombed. Biggest draw for Mania in 93-97 = Bret.

 

96 and 97 KOTR, with Shawn headlining against Bulldog and Austin (plus Taker/Faarooq in a double main) got 0.6 and 0.6. The 95 show, headlined by Nash, actually drew more at .65. 94 KOTR (Bret vs Nash) did a .85. 93 was headlined by the actual tournament (which Bret won) and got a 1.1. Bret headlined shows outdrew the Shawn headlined shows, Taker's show, Austin's show, and Nash's.

 

SummerSlam 92 (Bret vs Davey) did 1.5. 93 (Yoko vs Luger) did 1.2. 94 (Bret vs Owen, Taker vs Taker) did 1.3, up from the year prior now that Bret was back in the main. 95, Nash vs Mabel, did 0.9. 96 (Shawn/Vader) did a HORRIBLE .58. 97 was Bret vs Taker, and it went up to .80. Shawn headlining against Vader was the worst, Bret against Bulldog did best. The buyrate went up every time Bret headlined.

 

SurSer 92 had Shawn vs Bret and got 1.4. 93 was the Yoko/Luger clusterfuck and drew a .82. 94 had Taker vs Yoko and Bret vs Backlund and did a 0.9. 95, with Bret vs Nash did .57, and the next year with Shawn vs Sid did .58. Bret vs Shawn at 97 did a .89. The Bret/Shawn matches drew the most, along with the Taker/Yoko/Bret/Bob show. The 95 and 96 shows bombed, but that can be put down to Nash and Sid.

 

The two highest buyrates for IYH shows actually had Nash headlining at .83 and .81 against Sid and Shawn. Ater that it was Nash/Bret in a Cage at .77, then Sid/Nash and Nash/Shawn vs Owen/Yoko at .7 for both. The worst IYH shows both had Bret headlining against Bulldog and Sid, at .3 and .35, but the first one can be put down to Nash killing the company. IYH shows were a mixed bag anyway, so the buyrates were kinda all over the place.

 

From the big 5 shows, however, it shows that Bret quite easily drew more than Shawn, or anyone else for that matter. Shawn headlined shows (against Vader and Sid the most noticeable) bombed, with Bret headlined shows (Owen, Taker) doing better.