Favorite Bret Hart & Ric Flair match

[JN News 0]

Pick one of your favorite match for both Bret & Flair.

 

 

 

 

Bret Hart: Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (IYH 5)

 

Ric Flair: Ric Flair vs. Vader (Starrcade 1993)

[Guest]

Bret is a hard one to pick, but I'll take the match with Owen at WM X.

 

My Flair one is the draw with Windham on his DVD.

 

Most of my favorite matches are ones that elevate both men onto a platform where they could conceivably be considered equals. Both of those matches do that for me.

[Timmy8271 0]

Bret Hart: vs 123 Kid Raw 94

 

Ric Flair: vs Randy Savage Wrestlemania 8

[Guest Kobe24KGold]

Top 5 matches for both men:

 

5. Bret vs. Austin -- Survivor Series 1996

4. Bret vs. HBK -- 1992 Ladder Match

3. Bret vs. Diesel -- KOTR 94

2. Bret vs. Perfect- SummerSlam 91

1. Bret vs. Vader vs. Taker vs. Austin -- Final Four 1997

 

5. Flair vs. Sting -- Clash 1

4. Flair vs. Steamboat -- WrestleWar 1989

3. Flair vs. Funk -- I Quit 1989

2. Flair vs. HHH -- Taboo Tuesday 2005

1. Flair vs. Luger -- Starrcade 88 (the best carry job ever)

[MDH257 0]

Bret vs. Owen (Steel Cage, Summerslam '94)

 

Flair vs. Steamboat (Chi-Town Rumble '89)

[LooseCannon25 0]

Bret vs. Owen (WM X)

 

Flair vs. Steamboat (Chi Town Rumble)

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

Bret vs. Owen (WM X)

 

Flair vs. Steamboat (Chi Town Rumble)

[Bruce Blank 0]

I'm pretty partial to Bret Hart Vs Ric Flair (WWF World title match)

[cabbageboy 0]

Bret: vs. Bulldog from SS 92 (how could anyone not have mentioned this yet?)

 

Flair: I'll go outside the box and say vs. Mr. Perfect from Raw 1993, Loser Leaves Town.

 

Some of these matches mentioned aren't really even that good. I don't think either the Bret/Shawn ladder match or the Bret title win over Flair are much.

[CanadianChris 0]

Bret: vs. Steve Austin, WrestleMania XIII

Flair: vs. Ricky Steamboat, WrestleWar 89

[Aero 0]

I haven't seen nearly as many Flair matches as I have Bret matches, but it would be...

 

Bret vs. Austin from WM 13

Flair vs. Funk from Clash

[World's Worst Man 0]

Bret vs. Austin from Survivor Series 1996.

 

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat from Clash of the Champions VI.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Bret: vs. Owen, WMX

Flair: vs. Steamboat, Clash of the Champions

 

I am boring.

[Special K 0]

Bret / Owen WMX

Flair / Funk 'I quit'

 

It's fun to see a vicious, face Flair.

[chaosrage 0]

Bret/Shawn - WMXII

 

Flair/Steamboat - Clash

[Guest wildpegasus]

I don't know really.

 

Bret Hart vs Dibiase End of Surivor Series 90

 

Ric Flair vs Kerry Von Erich Steel Cage Match from WCCW

[humanoid92 0]

For Flair, it's always been the Savage match at WM 8. One of my favorite matches ever. I like to think of it as perfect chaos.

 

This got me thinking of my favorite 1 on 1 Bret matches. I think I'm going with this for my top ten:

 

10) Bret vs. Razor, KOTR 93

Underrated match. As solid of a 10 minute match as you'll find.

 

9) Bret vs. Austin, SS 96

Longer match than I expected at the time. Even though Bret won, I think this put Austin over huge.

 

8) Bret vs. Diesel, KOTR 94

Their workrate may be better in their other two PPV matches and Nash was still pretty terrible at this point, but I love the storyline with Neidhart and Shawn's constant interference.

 

7) Bret vs. Bulldog, IYH 5

Awesome match and very different than Wembley. I'm not sure anyone thought Bulldog had a chance though.

 

6) Bret vs. Perfect, KOTR 93

Legitimately could have gone either way. Even though it was the semifinals, this was essentially for the crown. The pre-match interview, followed by Perfect going heel in the match, Bret's bump to the railing and the out of nowhere finish are all... well, perfect.

 

5) Bret vs. Shawn, WM 12

I've defended this one a million times before and my explanation can be found elsewhere on the forum. Simply put, I love that this match went down the way it did. Even though I was pissed Shawn won at the time and the overtime thing was bogus, I like that there was only one fall the entire time. And I honestly don't feel that the slower beginning is boring. I think it's completely logical and well done. The match builds beautifully, which is a testament to both guys. And how exactly could anyone put over Shawn for the title in a more meaningful way? Main event of Wrestlemania, face vs. face, one hour match, wins it clean with the superkick in the middle, all by outwrestling the top wrestler in the world, his old rival, and 3 time Champ. Can you think of a better way to win the Title?

 

4) Bret vs. Owen, SS 94

By far my favorite Cage match ever. Usually Cage matches suck. This one was exciting and full of athleticism. And given Owen's win at WM, his KOTR win, the fact that it wasn't the last match (midcard Title matches usually went to the heel), Bret's fever (last time he wrestled with a fever he lost the IC Title), and the fact that all it takes to win a Cage match is to climb out, it seemed like Owen had a legitimate shot to take the gold.

 

3) Bret vs. Bulldog, SS 92

When you break it down move by move, it's just really solid and not spectacular but to me this match is all about the aura. The brother in law storyline and the setting of the match in Bulldog's backyard was beautiful. It hadn't been done before. And the fact that the IC Title match went on last was a great surprise. Great environment, with the dark sky after most of the matches going on in the afternoon. This just had the feel of a classic. Bret looked so cool walking down that big aisle. This match made him. And the match itself is really good. Still one of my favorite finishing sequences ever, with Bret hooking the sharpshooter as both guys lay knocked out after a double clothesline. I love the finish with Bulldog sitting down on the sunset flip. A lot of my favorite matches end with pinning combinations rather than a big finishing move.

 

2) Bret vs. Piper, WM 8

Just a classic example of simple, yet effective storytelling. Not Bret's best match workrate wise, but the interview and intra-match storyline are a thing of beauty. It doesn't hurt that Gorilla and Heenan are at their best on commentary during this one. Really innovative finish as well. If you agree that this is an awesome match then you already know what I'm talking about and if you don't care for it then nothing I can say will convince you it's great. This is one of those matches you either get or you don't.

 

1) Bret vs. Owen, WM X

As was mentioned, this made Owen into Bret's equal. In just 20 minutes, 2 years of jobbing and being viewed as a lower card guy were erased forever. I love everything about this match. So many things culminated and yet began at WM X. The storyline of Bret getting screwed at WM 9 and finally getting another real Title shot, as well as the Hart Family dysfunction that began at Survivor Series. Everything surrounding this from mid 93 to mid 94 was booked so beautifully. Watching WM X live I had no idea this would be the first match. It was so surprising and exciting to see this open the show. This match combined with the last match of the show made Owen a star and solidified Bret's status as a legend all at once. Brilliant stuff, and again, I like the pinning trap combination. You can say it's out of nowhere, but really it's not, as it made perfect sense for Bret to try the victory roll- he had won several matches with it in the past. No pulling the tights or feet on the ropes either. Owen took this one cleanly.

 

The unique thing about Owen's elevation here is that something like this can't possibly be duplicated. An Owen win here was A HUGE upset because his position on the card as a singles wrestler in the WWF had never been anything but a level above jobber whereas Bret was the #1 guy. But because they were brothers it also didn't seem that farfetched that Owen could outwrestle him since he knew him so well and was so similar by definition of being his brother. And it was clear that although Bret was the better technical wrestler, Owen was no slouch in that category and was by far the better arial wrestler. So even though their status on the card was miles apart, after Owen actually won it was extremely justifiable to see why he won. This simply can't be replicated. More modern upsets like Jeff Hardy vs. HHH and Rey Mysterio in the Rumble have nothing on this. It's hard to elevate someone that highly that quickly without it seeming out of place or completely random, like it did with Bradshaw a couple years ago. This instantly shot Owen from bottom of the card to top of the card and somehow didn't feel the slightest bit out of place. And these days upsets are so meaningless and frequent that they've lost all meaning. Heading into the Rumble each year now, it's hard NOT to expect the little guy or the veteran or the underdog or the guy drawing #1 to win it all. But upsets like that didn't happen much in those days. The best thing about this match is the way that it was a shocking, major upset and yet made perfect sense and was totally believable at the same time. Nobody thought Owen had a chance in hell at the beginning but by the end of the match you felt like it wasn't a fluke and he could do it again. The work in the ring matched the storyline perfectly. Bret was reluctant to fight his brother but got into it more after Owen provoked him. The fact that it was such an evenly wrestled match throughout really put over Owen's ability as Bret's equal.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Ric Flair: vs. Ricky Steamboat, Clash of the Champions

Bret Hart: vs. Steve Austin, Wrestlemania XIII

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Favorite Bret matches were again Owen at WM X and SSlam 94, a tie.

 

Favorite Flair match was the 92 Rumble. Perfect match.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

"Bret Hart vs Dibiase End of Surivor Series 90"

 

:::Bret sits up from being pinned to end the match:::

 

"FUCK!"

[Perfxion 0]

Bret vs. Austin from Survivor Series 1996.

 

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat from Clash of the Champions VI.

 

 

'nuff said.

[BruiserKC 0]

Fave Hart and Flair matches for me...

 

For Bret Hart...

 

Wrestlemania X...Bret/Owen

Wrestlemania XIII...Hart/Austin

Wrestlemania XII...Hart/HBK

 

For Flair

Flair vs. Steamboat...Clash of Champions VI

Flair vs. Vader...Starrcade '93

Royal Rumble '92

[JN News 0]

Here's another favorite of mine......

 

 

 

For Bret Hart

 

 

Bret vs. Diesel (Steel Cage Match for the WWF Title. IYH)

 

 

For Ric Flair

 

 

Flair vs. Savage from Starrcade 1995.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I'll go:

 

Hart/Bulldog --- IYH 5

Royal Rumble 1992 for Flair

[The Buzz 0]

Bret Hart vs Stone Cold- Wrestlemania 13

 

Ric Flair vs Sting-any of them

[snuffbox 0]

Bret-Bulldog - SS92

Flair-Steamboat - Clash

[Guest dlb19338]

For Flair, it's always been the Savage match at WM 8. One of my favorite matches ever. I like to think of it as perfect chaos.

 

This got me thinking of my favorite 1 on 1 Bret matches. I think I'm going with this for my top ten:

 

10) Bret vs. Razor, KOTR 93

Underrated match. As solid of a 10 minute match as you'll find.

 

9) Bret vs. Austin, SS 96

Longer match than I expected at the time. Even though Bret won, I think this put Austin over huge.

 

8) Bret vs. Diesel, KOTR 94

Their workrate may be better in their other two PPV matches and Nash was still pretty terrible at this point, but I love the storyline with Neidhart and Shawn's constant interference.

 

7) Bret vs. Bulldog, IYH 5

Awesome match and very different than Wembley. I'm not sure anyone thought Bulldog had a chance though.

 

6) Bret vs. Perfect, KOTR 93

Legitimately could have gone either way. Even though it was the semifinals, this was essentially for the crown. The pre-match interview, followed by Perfect going heel in the match, Bret's bump to the railing and the out of nowhere finish are all... well, perfect.

 

5) Bret vs. Shawn, WM 12

I've defended this one a million times before and my explanation can be found elsewhere on the forum. Simply put, I love that this match went down the way it did. Even though I was pissed Shawn won at the time and the overtime thing was bogus, I like that there was only one fall the entire time. And I honestly don't feel that the slower beginning is boring. I think it's completely logical and well done. The match builds beautifully, which is a testament to both guys. And how exactly could anyone put over Shawn for the title in a more meaningful way? Main event of Wrestlemania, face vs. face, one hour match, wins it clean with the superkick in the middle, all by outwrestling the top wrestler in the world, his old rival, and 3 time Champ. Can you think of a better way to win the Title?

 

4) Bret vs. Owen, SS 94

By far my favorite Cage match ever. Usually Cage matches suck. This one was exciting and full of athleticism. And given Owen's win at WM, his KOTR win, the fact that it wasn't the last match (midcard Title matches usually went to the heel), Bret's fever (last time he wrestled with a fever he lost the IC Title), and the fact that all it takes to win a Cage match is to climb out, it seemed like Owen had a legitimate shot to take the gold.

 

3) Bret vs. Bulldog, SS 92

When you break it down move by move, it's just really solid and not spectacular but to me this match is all about the aura. The brother in law storyline and the setting of the match in Bulldog's backyard was beautiful. It hadn't been done before. And the fact that the IC Title match went on last was a great surprise. Great environment, with the dark sky after most of the matches going on in the afternoon. This just had the feel of a classic. Bret looked so cool walking down that big aisle. This match made him. And the match itself is really good. Still one of my favorite finishing sequences ever, with Bret hooking the sharpshooter as both guys lay knocked out after a double clothesline. I love the finish with Bulldog sitting down on the sunset flip. A lot of my favorite matches end with pinning combinations rather than a big finishing move.

 

2) Bret vs. Piper, WM 8

Just a classic example of simple, yet effective storytelling. Not Bret's best match workrate wise, but the interview and intra-match storyline are a thing of beauty. It doesn't hurt that Gorilla and Heenan are at their best on commentary during this one. Really innovative finish as well. If you agree that this is an awesome match then you already know what I'm talking about and if you don't care for it then nothing I can say will convince you it's great. This is one of those matches you either get or you don't.

 

1) Bret vs. Owen, WM X

As was mentioned, this made Owen into Bret's equal. In just 20 minutes, 2 years of jobbing and being viewed as a lower card guy were erased forever. I love everything about this match. So many things culminated and yet began at WM X. The storyline of Bret getting screwed at WM 9 and finally getting another real Title shot, as well as the Hart Family dysfunction that began at Survivor Series. Everything surrounding this from mid 93 to mid 94 was booked so beautifully. Watching WM X live I had no idea this would be the first match. It was so surprising and exciting to see this open the show. This match combined with the last match of the show made Owen a star and solidified Bret's status as a legend all at once. Brilliant stuff, and again, I like the pinning trap combination. You can say it's out of nowhere, but really it's not, as it made perfect sense for Bret to try the victory roll- he had won several matches with it in the past. No pulling the tights or feet on the ropes either. Owen took this one cleanly.

 

The unique thing about Owen's elevation here is that something like this can't possibly be duplicated. An Owen win here was A HUGE upset because his position on the card as a singles wrestler in the WWF had never been anything but a level above jobber whereas Bret was the #1 guy. But because they were brothers it also didn't seem that farfetched that Owen could outwrestle him since he knew him so well and was so similar by definition of being his brother. And it was clear that although Bret was the better technical wrestler, Owen was no slouch in that category and was by far the better arial wrestler. So even though their status on the card was miles apart, after Owen actually won it was extremely justifiable to see why he won. This simply can't be replicated. More modern upsets like Jeff Hardy vs. HHH and Rey Mysterio in the Rumble have nothing on this. It's hard to elevate someone that highly that quickly without it seeming out of place or completely random, like it did with Bradshaw a couple years ago. This instantly shot Owen from bottom of the card to top of the card and somehow didn't feel the slightest bit out of place. And these days upsets are so meaningless and frequent that they've lost all meaning. Heading into the Rumble each year now, it's hard NOT to expect the little guy or the veteran or the underdog or the guy drawing #1 to win it all. But upsets like that didn't happen much in those days. The best thing about this match is the way that it was a shocking, major upset and yet made perfect sense and was totally believable at the same time. Nobody thought Owen had a chance in hell at the beginning but by the end of the match you felt like it wasn't a fluke and he could do it again. The work in the ring matched the storyline perfectly. Bret was reluctant to fight his brother but got into it more after Owen provoked him. The fact that it was such an evenly wrestled match throughout really put over Owen's ability as Bret's equal.

 

WM8 - good call....I was surprised how much I enjoyed this match....and I did like the finish. Was this the only time Piper ever got pinned clean? I was actually surprised that Hart got busted open.

[Guest Dangerous Donnie D]

After much thought, I have decided on the following:

 

Ric Flair vs. Sam Houston, from some Evolution of the Horseman comp I have. In my opinion, this displays Flair's talent as a worker better than any other Flair match i've watched. Flair takes a bland midcarder, and by the end of the match has everyone in the entire arena believing that SAM FUCKING HOUSTON has a great chance of walking out with the NWA title. Just tremendous and my favorite for the simple fact it wasn't 30 minutes of chinlocks and figure fours.

 

Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, Wrestlemania whatever. No reason really needed, it came down to this match, and the match vs. Owen from Wrestlemania X. Ultimately, I chose this match, because i'm a dork for southern psychology, and the Wrestlemania X match didn't have enough hate in it for my tastes.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Hart

 

win: Vs. Flair - Saskatoon

 

loss: Vs. HBK - WM XII

 

Flair

 

win: Vs. Vader - Starrcade 1993

 

loss: Vs. Savage - WM VIII

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Flair:

 

vs. Piper NWA 82 ****1/4

vs. Steamboat Chi-Town 89 ****1/4

vs. Garvin Starrcade 87 ****

vs. Lugar Starrcade 88 **** (calling this a carry isn't fair to Lugar at all, now the Bash 88 match was the best carry.)

vs. Hogan 11/91 and 12/91 MSG ***3/4

 

Steamboat/Flair Clash would be my favorite if the whole match was as great as the second fall. Flair/Funk Bash is excellent as well.

 

Bret:

vs. Smith Summerslam 92 ***1/2

vs Henning KoR 93 ****

vs Owen Wrestlemania 10 ****

vs Piper Wrestlemania 8 ***3/4

vs. Austin Survior Series 96 ***3/4

 

Haven't seen Bret/Taker or Bret/Nash in ages, would love to revisit them.