Pro Wrestling Love vol. 31: Best of WWF 1988-1992 (Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Rockers)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 31:

The Best of World Wrestling Federation 1988-1992

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time.

Subject: This thirty-first volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the Top 6 countdown of the best matches to take place in World Wrestling Federation between 1988-1992. The time period is set because it is the second half of the Hulkamania Era. The year 1988 is the beginning of the PPV era with Royal Rumble and Summerslam starting in 1988. Also in 1988, Vince’s vision of becoming a fully nationalized promotion comes to fruition and the style has changed from the bloody, gritty territorial WWF to the colorful, cartoony WWF. I chose 1992 to end it as it was the year of transition from the Hulkamania Era to the New Generation with Hulk Hogan being phased out after Wrestlemania VIII and Bret Hart winning the World Championship. You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

Greatest Moment In Pro Wrestling History

Honorable Mentions

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs The Genius – SNME 11/1/89

“Ravishing” Rick Rude vs “Rowdy” Roddy Piper – MSG 12/28/89 Steel Cage

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Sgt. Slaughter – MSG 6/3/91 Desert Storm

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Randy Savage – Wrestlemania VIII

The best of the main event scene features a motley assortment of some of the most famous pro wrestlers in history. I LOVE the two Hogan matches listed here. The Genius match is one of the BEST Comedy matches of all time and the Desert Storm Match against Slaughter is the most American thing ever and I still mark out for Camo Hulk & the FIREBALL~! Rude vs. Piper is one of the best Piper matches of all time and a great steel cage match. Flair vs Savage has a slow start but a roaring finish where Macho Man completes his comeback from retirement and defend the honor of his women to win the WWF Championship.

Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs Tito Santana – MSG 11/22/88

Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs “Rugged” Ronnie Garvin – MSG 12/30/88

Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs Blue Blazer – Boston 4/22/89

Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs “Rugged” Ronnie Garvin – MSG 9/30/89

Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs “Rugged” Ronnie Garvin – MLG 10/8/89

Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs “Rugged” Ronnie Garvin – Royal Rumble 1990 Submission Match

Greg Valentine had an interesting career after the break up of The Dream Team in 1987. He rejoined Jimmy Hart and began a feud with the over the hill George “The Animal” Steele and the decrepit Don Muraco who had become so bloated he couldn’t move. It was a waste of Valentine. Valentine had plenty left in the tank as noted by reprising his rivalry with Tito Santana, a great veteran vs rookie match with Blue Blazer (Owen Hart) and of course his crazy stiff, brutal feud with “Rugged” Ronnie Garvin, which was a Crockett dream feud come to life. I have no idea why Vince had these two feud for a year and even have a grudge match on PPV at Royal Rumble 1990 but thank God and I am so grateful because this was the feud that kept on giving.

WWF World Tag Team Champions Demolition vs The Rockers – MSG 10/24/88

The Rockers vs The BrainBusters – MSG 1/23/89

Rick Martel & Fabulous Rougeaus vs Tito Santana & Rockers - Summerslam 89

The Rockers vs Fabulous Rougeaus – Paris 10/13/89

The Ultimate Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, The Rockers) vs The Heenan Family (Andre The Giant, Arn Anderson, Haku & Bobby "The Brain" Heenan) - Survivor Series 1989

The Rockers vs Powers of Pain – MSG 1/15/90 – WWF Match of the Year, 1990

The Rockers vs Orient Express (WWF Royal Rumble 01/19/91)

To me the WWF of 1988-1992 was the WWF of the Rockers they were the workhorses of the promotion constantly having great matches with a wide variety of opponents. They had great sprints and babyface vs heel matches with the BrainBusters & Fabulous Rougeaus. They had a great spotfests with Orient Express. Two of their best matches were the power vs. speed and David vs Goliath contests against Demolition in 1988 and the 1990 match against the Powers of Pain. The Demolition match was the second best match of 1988 and the Powers of Pain match was the 1990 WWF Match of the Year. It pained me greatly to leave off this match from the list. Rockers vs Powers of Pain is one of the most entertaining matches of all time and I highly recommend it.

Royal Rumble 1992

What can I say about this match that has not already been said? This is the culmination of the 1980s. Ric Flair running the gauntlet through his greatest challengers, the greatest WWF rivals that we all dreamed of him fighting and the stars of the 90s. It is a fantastic way to spend an hour.

Top Six Matches of WWF 1988-1992

#6. WWF Women’s Tag Team Champions Jumping Bomb Angels vs Glamour Girls – Boston 3/5/88

WWF Match of the Year, 1988

So I may have gone a tad bit overboard in my praise for this match on Tag Teams Back Again (Whoomp There It Is!), but this match still rocks and I think at the very least it is as good as the famous MSG match. It is a little bit shorter than I remember. I loved the babyface shine of this match. The Angels just overwhelm the Girls attacking from all angles at high-speed. That short arm scissors sent me back into Mark Out City! You gotta see this Short Arm Scissors! The Girls were great stooges and bumpers for the all-out assault of the Jumping Bomb Angels. I liked the double Abdominal Stretch and Gorilla was very impressed by the proficiency of the Angels. I thought where this match really stood out was the heat segment. One Angel missed a senton and immediately tagged out, but this left the other Angel in the danger of a double team. Earl Hebner was BARKING at all the women during this chaotic heat segment but he could not be everywhere at once and he totally lost control. The Girls were awesome with tons of double teaming, choking and hair pulling. The other Angel desperately contested this but Hebner was being a blockhead. I really liked her apron work. We get that classic strong bridge from the Angel in Peril. The best part of the match was that the Glamour Girls used the tag rope liberally to choke out the Bomb Angel. I was marking out. Then there was just great stuff. Like the false hot tag and all that great gaga. Martin misses an elbow drop. HOT TAG! HIGH KNEES GALORE! She just starts throwing her ass at them like Asuka would. Leliani Kai thinks she is really smart for avoiding a crossbody but eats a missile dropkick! Big pop! 1-2-Judy Martin saves. Backslide in the fracas gets three! Move over Rockers vs Demolition, this is the WWF Match of the year for 1988! Great high-energy tag team wrestling with an awesome heat segment.

#5. The Rockers vs. Hart Foundation – MSG 11/25/89

For my money, the most underrated match in WWF history. This is an amazing transformative babyface vs babyface match where you see tempers flare and by the 20 minute time limit blood is boiling over. To me, easily the best Hart Foundation match and the second best Rockers match in the WWF a close second to the Rougeaus match in London. Making this one of the best tag team matches in WWF history.

This match is equitable without trading spots back and forth with not rhyme or reason. If there is one thing that is Bret's bread and butter it is the face vs face matches. He is an incredible subtle heel. Most babyface vs babyfaces matches establish a sense of equality between the combatants. Heels are usually inferior in some way to their face counterpart which incites their underhanded tactics. Not to be disappointed, this match at the beginning is very symmetrical. Bret hits a move. Marty hits that move. Bret misses an elbow. Marty misses an elbow. So on and so forth, you can sense that brimming tension from experience you just are waiting for the Hart Foundation to get so frustrated they cheat. It is that tension that keeps you in suspense becuase just dont know when it is going to happen. Anvil actually has a really good sequence with Shawn. Shawn attempts to shoulderblock Anvil, but cant. He smartens up and tries a high cross body and Anvil catches him, but Shawn rolls through into a pinning combination. Once again, there is that sense of frustration. Anvil just needs to get a hold of this quick little bugger and Shawn is frustrated that Anvil is so much stronger that it creating such an obstacle. When Marty comes in, he gets steamrolled and Anvil feels like he finally go it. Then Marty hits a drop toe hold into a front facelock. Marty breathes a sigh of relief and Anvil is like "Fuck, again". Anvil gets frustrated tags out and Bret misses an elbow. Eventually Bret gets an atomic drop and he tags in Anvil. Finally, Bret has enough and he slides and buries the knee in Shawn's back while he is running the ropes, vintage Hart Foundation. It blows off Act One of the Tension.

One thing I really like about this is that while it is super segmented like most Bret matches there is more of a sense of struggle. Shawn is not just a rag doll for the Harts he is fighting back and getting pinning combination of the Harts. He just cant get to his corner. Anvil is working the lower back with power holds and Bret is employing his usual crisp offense. Shawn is easily the best FIP they have ever had. This is the best Hart Foundation heat segment I have seen. Anvil misses the slingshot splash and they got me on that one.Instead, it was a missed elbow by Bret that gave Shawn the opportunity for tag to Marty.

I didnt think the crowd was in step with Marty, but it was a good hot tag by Marty. He was focused on getting pinfalls as opposed to big spots, which I think fans are used to. Backslides, cross bodies, and sunset flips not vicious holds, but quick barrage to try win the match and again a lot of suspense. When Bret grabs with a double leg takedown and stomps him in the gut. Finally breaking the momentum of Marty. He sells the breather so well. It expresses "I weathered that storm. Damn that little fucker is fast". Bret ducks and Marty high cross bodies nothing but the concrete floor in a nasty bump. Marty tags out quickly. Shawn gets steamrolled by Anvil and bumps out of control for that one. Still only 2. Now standing dropkick by Shawn gets 2. It is just a barrage of nearfalls back and forth between Shawn and Bret. Shawn wrangles Bret into an abdominal stretch. Anvil comes in break this up and Marty is hot comes in shove Anvil. Bell rings signaling a draw. Both teams go at it, but mid card babyfaces come out to break it up. The tension comes to boiling point, but it is not allowed to spill over.

This one is a well-structured three Act play. You see the frustration that neither team can get the advantage, which ends with Bret burying the knee in Shawn's back. Act II is FIP, which has the usual tension of when will Shawn get the tag. Act III was a just a barrage of nearfalls where you were wondering who would get the duke and if maybe someone's temper would get the best of them. Instead we were robbed of a finish, but in a good way that made you want to see it climax later. 

#4. WWF Intercontinental Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart vs “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith – Summerslam 1992

WWF Match of the Year, 1992

We talk about Ric Flair carrying broomsticks to great match, but in no match is the phrase "carrying a broomstick" more apropos than here where Bret Hart carries Davey Boy's mindless body to not just a great match but the best match to take place in the WWF in 1992. It is very clear that Bret is forced to work into a chinlock to call the next sequence and then return to the chinlock to do much the same. Bulldog was sloppy at times and I would imagine very dangerous to work with. Bret looked pissed in his usual understated manner. Some of those strikes coming off the ropes looked extra stiff. The boot in the corner looked brutal. Then the Bret plancha to the floor may have been the most dangerous Bret spot ever because Davey Boy was out of position and Bret just said "Fuck it" and then yanked him down by the neck. Bret basically was getting in his payback for Davey Boy being blowed up and forgetting the entire match. 

Since we are in full Bret Hart ring general mode, we get a superb NWA Champion touring match. Bret was the heir to Lou Thesz and should have led the NWA into the 1960s with his amazing penchant for thriving as a champion in babyface vs babyface matches as a subtle heel in hard fought contests. Things like being subtly outwrestled early and resorting to a hard back elbow to escape a hammerlock is so old school I love it. Nowadays thats a meanginless spot, but built right you can come off like King Prick. Of course, a lot is added that "NWA Champion" Bret Hart is taking on the Hometown Hero, British Bulldog in front of the rabid Wembley Stadium so it adds that NWA touring Champion feel of the match. I thought the shine was pretty good and I think Davey Boy was still coherent at the time. The shove that sends Bret spiraling out of control to the floor was superb. Bret sold it well and it really put over the British Bulldog as a force to be reckoned with. Bulldog working in and out of an armbar while going for early pinning combinations was a smart way to put him over as a challenger looking for a win. The Crucifix Pin is always over in my house. Like I said, Bret was very chippy in this match in contrast to Bulldog working holds & pinning combinations. The Brain posits that these two are on equal footing because neither man is too bright. He was resorting to hard back elbows and a stiff kneelift ala Nick Bockwinkel. It is these subtle touches that heels Bret in the match, but not in the long term once the match is over.

The silver lining of Bulldog being a zombie was that Bret was forced to put himself in positions to overcome Bulldog's offense. Usually Bret would ragdoll his opponent  but here he actually set Bulldog in motion and then would cut him off masterfully. Bret quashing the next Crucifix pin attempt was great. That boot in the corner was stiff as hell. I really liked Bret's bulldog. There's a great sequence where Bulldog press slams Bret off the top rope but then misses an ugly splash from the top rope. Bulldog ends up on the outside and thats where the crazy Bret plancha happens. Theres a very obvious moment where Bulldog is zonked out of his mind as he is just standing taking Bret's offense and Bret cant get him to bump until he hits a dropkick and Davey Boy's instincts kick in. Bret is so good at offense and just grinding out a match. He is in his element after the plancha cemented his advantage. Bret cant negotiate the pinfall after any of his Five Moves of Doom so he resorts to bieling Davey Boy by the hair and this draws the ire of the partisan British crowd. Great spot as Bret really puts Bulldog as the wronged babyface. Bret goes back to the chinlock to call a sleeper sequence. The "three arm" drop is such an epic moment in wrestling and signals the Bulldog comeback. Bulldogs blows a spot they have done a thousand times in Hart Foundation vs Bulldogs matches where Bulldog military presses Hart and falls back with him so that he crotches himself on the top rope. Like I said it was probably very dangerous for Bret to be working this match and I was surprised he let Bulldog press slam him again. Delayed Vertical and Running Powerslam only get two. Usually this would be the death knell for the hometown hero. Hit your finish and kickout means the heel is taking this. Bulldog hits a superplex for two. Bret is really calling for all the stops. One thing I noticed in this match was there was a lot of rushing. They were not really milking the moments as much as they could and I think it is because one was a zombie and the other was freaking out that he was in there with a zombie. Bret's Bridging German was a cool spot that you dont see often from him. Bulldogs kicks out and as they lied in a heap Bret applies the Sharpshooter! Honestly, if you didnt the finish but know the rhythm of pro wrestling with Bulldog blowing his wad (running powerslam) this should be the finish. I feel like Bret was working the smarts here in a good way. Bulldog makes to the ropes and then the iconic finish with Bulldog kneeling down on a sunset flip attempt for the win and a MASSIVE ROAR is let out from the British Faithful!

Bret proves why he is one of the all-time great ring generals here as he works the touring NWA champion babyface vs babyface match against a Hometown Hero Zombie. There are too many chinlocks (that are more jarring in how they break the rhythm) and general sloppiness to say this contends as one of the best matches of all time. Still, even with no sliding scale this match is incredible. Bret is the king of the babyface vs babyface match playing the subtle heel to perfection here. The match is built perfectly I loved how Bret had to earn his heat segment in the middle match. So many cutoffs and it was the plancha really won him that control. The finish stretch was electric and I loved the Running Powerslam nearfall before the Sharpshooter. I think that really added to the drama. One of the best individual performances in the history of pro wrestling as Bret Hart proves why he is an all-time great in the business.

#3. WWF Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude vs The Ultimate Warrior – Summerslam 1989

Every heel in the wrestling business should watch how Rick Rude sells. Heel selling is rapidly becoming a lost art. I should NOT feel sympathy for a heel. I should either be pointing & laughing OR wanting to see the babyface kick more ass. Rick Rude is the master of this. Every cringe and expression of pain, I get a little bit of joy and I want to see the Warrior pour more on. Warrior is pissed because Rude & The Brain stole the Intercontinental Title from him at WrestleMania V and this is his revenge match. He is full controlled anger, stalking King of the Jungle mode. Lots of Warrior no selling to establish he feels NO PAIN! There is a crucial difference from no selling & not selling. "No selling" is a form of selling. It signals to the audience "I am a badass muthafucka and I am here to kick ass" or it is to announce the comeback. Not selling is when some tool takes a shot then just keeps moving to finish out the sequence. "No selling" is a powerful tool in the arsenal of a babyface and should NOT be decried. 

I LOVE the first highspot of this match. Warrior literally chucks Rude out of the ring. Warrior from a Military Press THREW Rude out to the floor. It was insane! Warrior throws Rude into the apron face-first. This is that heel selling I was talking about earlier. Belt shot by Warrior on the back of Rude again great Rude selling. Warrior is a man possessed. The Irish Whips into the corner, then the reverse atomic drop and then Warrior making Rude do a seat drop, these are all spots that in Rude's wheelhouse for selling. Rude really put on a heel selling clinic. Warrior had scored one move from the top, a double axehandle so he goes back for more, but Rude knocks him off the top. We get the reverse chinlock as is customary in Rude's matches. This is the only low point of the match. One thing, I should note is I liked Warrior's selling. He was just going down to one knee and NEVER bumping. He is looking to fight back. He is down not out. Kudos to Tony Schiavone pointing this out. This is actually a great match to point out the difference between babyface and heel selling. Also, I like the feeling that Rude's control is tenuous. We know that Warrior is an overwhelming force of nature. You know that Rude is just hanging on by a thread. Warrior starts to show life when he pries the hands of Rude open to avoid the Rude Awakening, which would have curtains. But Rude wraps him up in a sleeper. Warrior breaks free, but in the fracas the referee gets run over. Warrior unleashes a badass onslaught of offense: clotheslines, powerslams and even a piledriver! However, the ref being knocked out means he could not get the pinfall. On the piledriver, Rude got his foot on the rope once the ref awoke from his slumber. Running powerslam...WARRIOR SPLASH EATS KNEES! Wow! Rude goes for a piledriver...WAIT...is that a...GANSO BOMB?!?! Rude hits a safer version that but it was really not that safe. Warrior could have easily been spiked on his head! WOW! Now Rude unleashes a badass assault of offense, fist drop and a conventional piledriver. Now Roddy Piper is here. I have seen their steel cage from later in 1989 and I highly recommend it. I dont know what the beef was and Tony was pretty vague. It seems a way to protect Rude who they saw as a top flight heel still and didnt want to lose clean to Warrior, which is surprising as Warrior would be the Man in less a year. I dont think Hogan would have needed help to win his match. Rude hip swivels at Piper. So Piper lifts up his skirt to reveal a pair of his bare ass cheeks! Woah I didnt need to see that! Rude gets up on the turnbuckles in anger and Warrior comes gives him a German suplex! Nice! Warrior Shouldertackle! He really launches himself! PRESS SLAM! WARRIOR SPLASH! 1-2-3!

Very fun, popcorn action blockbuster. In a era bereft of great matches, this match stands out as something really great special. Rude looked phenomenal here both on offense and selling. Hell even Warrior looked way better than usual, some great offense and selling when necessary. The bomb throwing at the end was awesome and riveting. It felt like I was watching All Japan at the end. I would still say Rockers vs Rougeaus is my WWF Match of the Year for 1989, but this is a close, close second. Highly recommended.

#2. The Rockers vs. Fabulous Rougeaus – London 10/10/89

WWF Match of the Year, 1989

This is pro wrestling. I know pro wrestling can be a lot of things, but this really captures the fun, light-hearted aspect of wrestling that develops into a dramatic story: can Shawn Michaels make the tag? It is such a simple hook. I often feel compelled to dig deeper to prove that this is a more impressive match. In this match, it is beauty is how shallow it is. It is two pricks trying to show up the good guys. The good guys goofing on the bad guys and having fun at their expense. The crowd is laughing along right with them. This level of entertainment and fun is what is missing from most WWF face control segments. Until the pricks can grab a handful of hair, then it becomes a dramatic effort from Michaels to get the hot tag to escape an incredible onslaught from the dastardly, underhanded bad guys. The amount of offense Michaels takes and his selling is the drama that most their WWF heat segments are missing. The go home stretch calls back to the opening with the good guys using the bad guys own dirty tactics against them to pick up the victory.

Who are these guys and what did they do with the Rougeaus? The Rougeaus have been the most underwhelming tag team that I have seen in my viewing. Their heat segments tend to be borefests and Raymond seems devoid of any charisma. In this match, the Rougeaus look like the best WWF heel tag team ever in this one match. They stooge and bitch out like the Busters and they have the offense of the Midnight Express in this match. I understand the beginning can be tedious for some, but I like bullshit. You will see that Marty does want to lock up twice, but each time Jacques calls him a chicken and goads him into doing the relatively easy feat of athleticism. I am a sucker for heels that congratulate themselves over simple feats. However, now the Rockers get the idea how they can really show up the Rougeaus with Shawn's moonsault and shaking the ropes for Jacques. How much Jacques throws his head being rammed into the top turnbuckle is awesome. I laughed again (only thing I laugh at each time).

I love how Jacques scurries away into the protective embrace of Raymond. The MX used Cornette to bitch out for them, but here the Rougeaus do it themselves. The leg work is incredible and the best Rockers control segment with all the switches without tags. Jacques, the ref and crowd just make this segment so great and another stretch where I can not stop smiling. Then while Jacques is arguing, Marty will let Raymond to get to the corner, but Jacques wont be there. Then when Jacques makes a mad dash for the corner, Marty yanks him away. I just love that stuff. Hell, even Raymond is great for all his work within this hold and constantly keeping it moving. Eventually, Jacques grabs Shawn's hair and Raymond rams a pretty nice knee into Shawn's back transforming this match from light-hearted to a dramatic affair. Already, you can tell Rougeaus are game for what I consider the best heat segment in WWF 80s tag wrestling. Shawn takes his Flair Flip bump into the turnbuckle and bumps huge off a double chop. The stars are just aligned in this match as Shawn is having his best FIP and the Rougeaus are just fucking on. Raymond's savate kick sends Shawn tumbling over the top rope and they start working on Shawn's back. They do the Boston Crab/knee combo and then Raymond throws Shawn onto Jacques' knee. Seriously, where the hell have these Rougeaus been. "We are really seeing the Rougeaus at their absolute best." - Tony. Tony always knows what's up. Jacques does a fake clap for a tag and the crowd boos the shit out of him. I love this crowd! Raymond busts out the rolling short arm scissors into a pin combination and Shawn reverses. I love this match!

Jacques knees Raymond by accident and lets out a nice, hearty "Fuck!". Here comes Marty doing his best Rick Martel. Hands above his head, so energized just hitting anything in blue and yellow including the Mouth of the South. Raymond trips him from the outside allowing Jacques to get a piledriver. Now the Rougeaus go for the coup d'grace the Megaphone, but Shawn is able to get it and hit Jacques for Marty to get the pin. Once again, the Rockers give the Rougeaus a taste of their own medicine.

I love the MX/RNR Wrestlewar '90 match and I really don't think this is far off of it. This is my pick for the best WWF tag team match of all time (Austin/HHH vs Benoit/Jericho is close). It has the best control and heat segments with an actual, logical finish with a really good transition that bridges light-hearted with dramatic. The criticism I know is that there is a lot of bs in the beginning, but I enjoyed it and it played into the control segment well with the Rockers still fucking around with the Rougeaus and it sort of fuels the Rougeaus fire to really kick their ass even though they were the ones that instigated it. Shawn is really off the charts selling and bumping for the Rougeaus. I liked this finish stretch even more than the Paris match because it is not trading piledrivers. It is actually using the Megaphone against the Rougeaus. It is really fighting fire with fire. From showing up Rogeaus at the outset to using their Megaphone against them and everything in between, the Rockers proved they could beat the Rougeaus at their own game. 

#1. “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs The Ultimate Warrior – Wrestlemania VII Career Match

Even though, I have seen it a zillion times and I knew it was coming, they still got me. It was right when Liz hopped over the barricade, it was like I was in the dustiest room imaginable. It wasnt the embrace or putting her on the shoulder because I knew all that was coming. I had forgotten about the rope holding spot. I just had a good cry. Greatest moment in pro wrestling history. I am not even sure it is close. For a moment to consistently make me cry just shows the incredible power. 

I have reviewed over 1800 matches at this point. I breakdown these matches logically really going into the minutia of what works and why it works. To me, the best matches are not for critical thinking. They are not the matches that appease the mind. They are the matches that make you feel. That move you. That hit you in the gut and tug on the heartstrings. Thats why this match is ***** all the way and I honestly think any rating less than that is severely underrating the match. As so many others have pointed out the Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth story arc from Wrestlemania II to Wrestlemania VIII is incredible. What makes it so good you dont even have to see the intervening moments. You can just watch those seven matches and you get the complete story of a man that is loaded with character development, action, twists & turns and ultimately the feel good ending of him winning the WWF Title from Ric Flair. The climax of that story is right here at Wrestlemania VII. After the jealous explosion at Wrestlemania V and Elizabeth getting a modicum of revenge with the help of the American Dream at Wrestlemania VI, this is where it all comes to a head. The Macho Man vs The Ultimate Warrior where one man's career will be over.

I think you can assert that this is the most influential match of all time, at the very least the most influential WrestleMania match on other WrestleMania main events. "I'm sorry, I love you" comes right from this playbook. Now, it is not even WrestleMania main events but many WWE matches and indy matches that incorporate this style of cinematic storytelling. This is not an original thought many have picked up on the fact that Shawn Michaels popularized the style, BUT it was the Macho Man Randy Savage who innovated it. This is the pinnacle of Randy Savage's vision as a storytelling. To me this is the biggest reason, Vince McMahon loved Randy Savage so much is that they shared the very same vision of what pro wrestling could be. It could be a entertainment platform that truly captures every aspect of humanity. Vince loves moments. Pro wrestling even though it is a dynamic sport, Vince saw the value in distilling it into static images. I dont think there is a more powerful image than Randy hoisting Elizabeth on his shoulder. To me that is the pinnacle of Vince McMahon's vision of pro wrestling. Love is the most human experience. It is often sorely lacking in pro wrestling and even all these years later there is no greater love story. 

Am I ever going to talk about this match? The match sees Randy Savage in full Memphis heel mode and Ultimate Warrior is in stalking avenging angel mode. Warrior was very careful not to blow up during this match. His movements were all measured and never wasted. He understood the moment and it could be explained in kayfabe that he was cautious given the stakes of the match. Normally, I dont include the managers in the title of the match, but this was effectively a handicap match and Sherri worked OVERTIME in this match. She was every bit a part of this match as Savage and Warrior. They established pretty early on that Savage was outgunned by the bigger & stronger Warrior so it would take a team effort to take him down. Savage loves the spot where his opponent chokes him and lifts him high up in the air, but this time he is thrown into Sherri. They tried many distraction tactics but they all failed against Warrior who was laser-focused in this match. Warrior was absorbing the punishment and returning it tenfold. Warrior was basically playing King of the Jungle carved out the center of the ring while Savage and Sherri were two hyenas trying to dislodge him. Try as they might, they were always thwarted. Warrior was very static. Savage and Sherri were supplying the energy: bumping 'n' running. One really impressive spot that I had forgotten about was when Warrior caught the Macho Man in his arms on a top rope crossbody. Then set him down and slapped him, the ultimate sign of disrespect.  

I loved that both transitions to Macho Man offense were because of Warrior leaving his feet. Warrior had the game plan of letting Savage come to him and then counterattacking, but twice Warrior went for big shouldertackles and missed. He deviated from the gameplan and had to pay for it. Sherri was brutal on the outside. You could argue that Sherri actually got more offense on Warrior than Savage did! Neither heat segment lasted all that long as the Warrior was simply too strong. Eventually one Sherri's distraction tactics paid off and Savage dropped Warrior throat first on the ropes. Some really good selling from the Warrior choking. Savage did his famous snap his opponent's head over top rope as he jumps to the floor. Savage was so damn good in this match and so was Sherri.

At this point, Savage drops the FIVE Top Rope Elbows and this is when it kicks into cinematic territory. That is such an insane number especially since one usually gets the job done. Then Warrior KICKS OUT! What I love about his match is that it is not just about Savage/Sherri/Elizabeth they give some room for Warrior to have character development. Remember, Warrior defeated Hogan at the previous WrestleMania, yes Savage cost him the WWF title at Royal Rumble, BUT the Warrior had NOT faced real adversity in match before. So when Warrior runs this his usual comeback complete with the Press Slam/Warrior Splash AND The Macho Man kicks out, that became a moment when we could learn a lot about the Warrior. Warrior showed vulnerability unaccustomed to a WWF babyface at the time. He looked up to the Heavens and wondered what he needed to do. He started talking to his hands and he realized that he might not have what it takes to get it done. Warrior was going to walk out on the WWF downtrodden if it was not for Savage's hubris attacking the Warrior. Sherri held Warrior for Savage to come crashing down on Warrior as he was on the railing. Warrior shoved Sherri and Savage took that bump chin-first on the steel railing. That was a nasty, nasty bump. He really threw himself into it. Macho Man had pretty much knocked himself out and was a victim of his own pride & greed. Warrior hits three King-Sized Shouldertackles that Savage sold beautifully. Then in emphatic fashion, Warrior, King of the Jungle, but one foot on the chest of the Macho Man and won the match 1-2-3! 

I love it all! All the gaga with Macho Man & Sherri trying every nefarious trick in the book to beat the Warrior. I loved Warrior's controlled anger. He was focused and here to win. Then the finish run starting with the FIVE Elbow Drops, Warrior Splash->Kickout->Warrior Self-Doubt, Savage eating the steel, Warrior's one foot cover is one of the most perfect endings to a pro wrestling match. Is it a technical marvel? Of course not! Thats missing the point. The match itself is an amazing roller coaster ride and then add in the greatest post-match in the history of pro wrestling, it is an iconic match that is the pinnacle of Vince McMahon's & Randy Savage's story telling and continues to influence pro wrestling to this day. 

Pro Wrestling Love Vol. 1: Best of WWF in 1993-97 (Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Undertaker)

EDITOR'S NOTE: The original intention was publish this series at the PlaceToBeNation.com however due to time constraints I have decided to start publishing on my own here at RidingSpaceMountain.Blogspot.com. Eventually, all blogs will cross-posted to PlaceToBeNation.com. In addition, I want to remark that this first blog was about double what I intended the word count to be and I will be working on being more concise without losing any information. Please bear with me as the series is getting off the ground. Thank you very much!

Hey yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

“In the beginning was the Word…”

 A suitably dramatic way to start the “Pro Wrestling Love” series at the Place To Be Nation wouldn’t you say! I have always favored the written word because as the author I can constantly refine verbiage to best convey the intended message. However, I do bear in mind Voltaire’s advice that “The search for perfection is the enemy of good.” For far too long, I have procrastinated on writing this series in an effort to have perfect, complete information on pro wrestling’s voluminous catalog of matches, which is a foolhardy notion. Now, the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) has given me the impetus to write this now or I shall forever have to hold my peace on subject near and dear to my heart: What is the Greatest Pro Wrestling Match of All Time?

I Love Pro Wrestling! This picture always makes me smile! :)

Keiji Mutoh coined the term “Pro Wrestling Love” and I have selected it as the title of these series of articles because I love pro wrestling. It is pure and simple. I want to celebrate pro wrestling in all its forms throughout time and the globe. The tone of these articles will be positive praising the men and women that craft amazing stories through body language that is universal and timeless. Superficially, this seems like a facile task since I will be discussing the Greatest Matches of All Time. However, when you are discussing the Greatest Match of All Time being hypercritical is only natural. The stakes are higher and the passion is greater. When you truly, deeply love something as much as I love pro wrestling, the thoughtful criticism is a sign of affection because I care that much.

My goal for these articles is to increase awareness of great pro wrestling to as many people as possible. If just one person comes away from these articles watching a match they never seen before, then I have done my job because whether they love it or hate it they will have expanded their knowledge of pro wrestling. My favorite moments recently as a fan is discovering these hidden gems and exposing them to the world. Who can forget when I lost my mind over an obscure AJ Styles vs Bobby Roode match (Final Resolution 2011) and made everyone on ProWrestlingOnly.com watch it. (FYI, you should totally drop what you are doing and watch that now because AJ gives the single greatest selling performance ever. Don’t worry I will wait for you to come back. You watched it? Wasn’t it amazing?) As a wrestling fan now, that’s what I live for and I am really excited for this project.

I am Martin “Superstar Sleeze” Boulevard and a pro wrestling fan for over twenty years now. I am Superstar Sleeze on ProWrestlingOnly.com. You may have heard before on the “Titans Of Wrestling” where I was nicknamed the “Teen Titan” and you may have heard me on my now-defunct podcast “Tag Teams Back Again”. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @superstarsleeze and you can send me any feedback there.

The expected format will be I will discuss the twelve or so greatest matches from a promotion over a five year period. First, I will discuss a broad theme about pro wrestling psychology pertinent to the matches that will be discussed in the article. Then, I will explain why I selected this specific five year period. Then I will give a brief overview of the promotion and the prominent wrestlers at the time in that promotion. Each five year period will be broken into two articles, six matches per article. The reviews will be 5-7 sentences each and will focus on the narrative of the match and what makes the match special. Full reviews can be found on the ProWrestlingOnly.com forum. Simply go to the folder of the Month/Year, find the match and you will be able to read my full review of the match. 

The first period I selected was the World Wrestling Federation from 1993-1997. There may be no better understood era of a pro wrestling promotion than the WWF in the mid-90s. That’s exactly why I chose it to be the first subject. It is a common touchstone that all wrestling fans no matter if you are a WWE-only fan or a fan that watches FUTEN and Black Terry tapes we all have an opinion on it. If you are going to being reading my opinion throughout this series, it is good to know where I stand on canon before we venture off into the hinterlands of pro wrestling. Even though, I think this is the most well-characterized era of pro wrestling, I think I still found a couple hidden gems in the #7-#12 range. I will freely admit that the top six is the usual suspects, but they are the usual suspects for a reason.

To me, 1993-1997 is a natural time epoch in the history of WWF as a transition between the Hogan era (Hogan leaves in June of 1993) and the Attitude Era (Austin wins the title in March of 98). This era is sometimes dubbed the “New Generation” and it is basically the Bret & Shawn era.   In January of 1993, Bret Hart is the World Wrestling Federation Champion and November of 1997 he “loses” the championship to Shawn Michaels in the infamous Montreal Screwjob. In the interim, Bret and Shawn are consistently spotlighted as the best pro wrestlers in the company even in the midst of the year-long Diesel World Title Reign. It will be noted that 11 out of 12 the matches selected have either Bret or Shawn in them. If I was to do a Top 25, 24 of the matches would have either Bret or Shawn in them. That’s how dominant they were from a “workrate” (for a lack of a better term) perspective .

I watched and reviewed a total of 72 matches from this era.

Blah blah blah...will you get on with the countdown already?

Honorable Mentions:

The Best of Non-Bret, Non-Shawn Matches:

Marty Jannetty vs Doink The Clown - WWF RAW 6/21/93 2 Out Of 3 Falls

WWF World Tag Champs Marty Jannetty & 1-2-3 Kid vs Quebecers -WWF MSG 1/17/94

Marty & Doink are unsung great midcard wrestlers in 1993.

The Best of 1993:

Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect - WWF King of the Ring 1993

Bret Hart vs Doink The Clown/Bret Hart vs Jerry Lawler - Summerslam 1993

No matches from 1993 made the Top 12 and I wanted to make sure they were represented. These are the two best and I think Bret vs Perfect match from KOTR ’93 is the WWF Match of the Year from 1993.

Great Tag Team Matches of The Era:

Bret Hart & Davey Boy Smith vs Owen Hart & Bob Backlund - WWF Action Zone 2/26/95

WWF Tag Champions Owen Hart & British Bulldog vs Shawn Michaels & Steve Austin - WWF RAW 5/26/97

Only one tag team match made my Top 12 so I wanted to give some love to the other great tag team matches from the era.

The Last One Out:

Shawn Michaels vs Mankind - WWF RAW 8/11/97

This is just a randomly great, out of control, insane brawl that never gets talked about enough and really just misses the cut. It came down to this or the HHH vs Catcus street fight and I gave the nod to the latter.

Top Twelve Matches of World Wrestling Federation from 1993-1997

#12. Cactus Jack vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley – RAW 9/22/97 Falls Count Anywhere

The best non-Bret, non-Shawn match of the era is a Falls Count Anywhere match between Cactus Jack and HHH. Foley was such an integral part to making HHH a star in both 1997 and 2000. In ’97 they feuded after Helmsley defeated Mankind for the King of the Ring. 1997 saw the Faces of Foley come to light as they humanized the Deranged Mankind and explained his childhood love of wrestling.  That led to the debut of Dude Love and then ultimately the return of Cactus Jack to a wrestling ring, which is announced via an amazing video package where Foley plays all his characters simultaneously thanks to some TV magic. Dude Love calling “Mankind” always cracks me up.  HHH does a great job selling Foley coming out as Cactus Jack as a total “shit his pants” moment.

I like my brawls short and sweet. It should be a burst of violent adrenaline not a drawn out war of attrition. This match maximizes its time and efficiently dishes out brutality. It is the Greatest Hits of Cactus Jack in one action-packed ten minute match. Cactus supplying both the offense and the bumps. Shoutout to Chyna for being really awesome in this. She was great in creating the dynamic to give Helmsley a fighting chance in this because the match demanded that Helmsley be a bumping coward in this match. They came up with a creative way to neutralize her by having Cactus shove Triple H who ended up colliding with Chyna into the steel steps. The finish was superb. Cactus uses his brutal bump, the Nestea Plunge (basically banging the back of his head really hard on metal or concrete) to make you believe he is ripe for the Pedigree, but instead turns it around by hitting a monster  piledriver through the table. Excellent, energetic plunder-based brawl that made Foley feel like a huge star.

#11. Bret Hart vs “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – Revenge of The Taker 1997

A hidden gem hiding in plain sight. It is BRET HART VS STONE COLD IN 1997 why don’t people talk about this more? Does it pale in comparison to Wrestlemania XIII’s submission match? Of course, but 99% of matches do that does not make this any less special. The backstory is that this a month after the Mania match and the feud has not been settled.

Stone Cold’s selling in this match is superb. For a trash talking, ass kicker, selling is actually a pretty difficult thing because vulnerability can be seen as undercutting Austin as the TOUGHEST SOB. However, you cannot be the TOUGHEST SOB in history if there is no pain to overcome. This is what Austin does so expertly well in this match is convey vulnerability, but also his grit in struggling with the pain: collapsing on piledriver attempts, lunging forward constantly, yelling in agony. He is in a tremendous of pain, but goddmanit there is no quit in him. Of course in my estimation there is no one better in the history of North American wrestling better at grinding down a body part than Bret “The Hitman” Hart. He is impeccable in control of match offensively because of his wide arsenal of offense, his excellent execution (he deserves the nickname) and his sound psychology. I have noted in the past that Bret matches can be very neatly segmented. If Bret is on offense, he is on offense and you are his ragdoll. When Bret is selling, his opponent is on offense and Bret will ragdoll for you. That being said the transitions will usually be good just inside a segment there is no sense of struggle. Austin because of his tenacious, energetic style forces Bret's hand. So many times Austin will just charge or throw a wild punch. It is not even that much of a hope spot, but it is a spot that forces Bret to eyerake or to kick at the bad knee to re-establish control. Austin keeps Bret honest and I love that.

The narrative was excellent with the ultra-hot, energetic opening from Austin. The hook of the match is that Bret is able to re-injure Austin’s knee because Austin was trying to attack Bret with a chair, but as Austin & Hebner were fighting over the chair this afforded Bret the opportunity to dropkick Austin from behind bump Hebner and then attack Austin’s knee. Austin was screwed over by his own propensity for violence. I describe how great the heat segment is in depth in the above paragraph. What they do so well in the finish stretch is protect their finishes. In Kayfabe, Austin has try for the Stunner. In reality, he was not booked to win so you cant hit the Stunner. Instead, he attempts it and Bret holds onto the top rope for dear life. It was Bret’s selling tenaciously holding onto that rope that made the spot fantastic and enhanced the Stunner that much more. By the same token, Bret has to go for the Sharpshooter, that won him the Wrestlemania match. Here the cool spot is that Austin whacks Bret in the face with his own metal knee brace, the very knee brace Bret ripped off to inflict more damage. Thus the symmetry that goes back to Austin & chair is revisited here. The finish is Austin wants Bret to submit to his own move: the Sharpshooter, how humiliating would that be! The Hart Foundation bails him out by bum-rushing the ring. In the post-match, Austin attacks the knee of Bret Hart with a chair to give him a taste of his own medicine. The job would be finished the following night on RAW when Austin would savagely destroy Bret’s knee in a street fight putting him in a wheel chair. Besides the DQ finish, this is just excellent wrestling and my hot take is that this is actually a better wrestling match than their more heralded Survivor Series 1996 which I found well-worked, but pedestrian at times.

#10. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart vs The Undertaker 

One Night Only 1997

Lets keep the Bret Hart love rolling. This is generally considered to be the last great match of Bret’s WWF career. Bret defeated Undertaker for the Championship at Summerslam in one of my all-time favorite angles when special guest referee Shawn Michaels accidentally nailed the Undertaker with a steel chair. This is the Championship rematch and happens on a special UK PPV.

As we will see later in this countdown Bret is a master at working with a bigger opponent in Diesel and here it is not much different. He tries different strategies early (throwing punches/brawling, speed and taking off a turnbuckle pad), but none work against the Man From The Dark Side and eventually he eats his patented running chest-first bump into the exposed turnbuckle! Then…

Just by Bret Hart kicking Undertaker's knee, there is a massive reaction. That embodies pro wrestling to me. It is not about the crazy flips or modified suplexes. It is about caring about your favorite wrestler and telling a story where you are building to an outcome. Eventually, Bret earns full control when Undertaker’s knee slams into a turnbuckle on a missed charge. Bret is a Great White that smells blood in the water. Like I said in the Austin match, there is no one else I rather watch grind out a match than Bret and his control segment on the Undertaker’s knee is a thing of beauty. Undertaker for his part sold so well and really peppered in those hope spots to make Bret continue to earn this control segment. The finish stretch featured great logical escalation with smart transitions. I thought the finish itself was pretty cheap but that was to be expected as Undertaker as a strong babyface could not lose clean. This match really demonstrates how great Bret Hart is on offense and how great Undertaker can be at selling. The red-hot UK crowd really helped this match and we see later in the countout how they really put another match over the top. This is a great exhibition of minimalist wrestling and how a simple kick to the knee can get a massive reaction.

What do you mean Shawn is taking the next three slots?

#9. WWF World Tag Team Champions Diesel & Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid Action Zone 10/30/94

The sole tag team match to make the countdown pits Kliq vs Kliq as Tag Champs Shawn & Diesel defend against best friends Razor & Kid in a barnburner of a tag match. This takes right before the Diesel & Shawn split that would lead to Diesel monster babyface push and being the WWF Champion for a year.

Shawn was my MVP of the match. After years being in the Rockers, he was great at turning around all the shit that was done to him and throwing right back as a heel. He was doing so much great apron work in this: feeding Razor, using a blind tag to set up heat, constant cheating. It was a really masterful heel tag work performance and I thought he was the one directing traffic. When it came time to get his ass kicked, he threw himself all over the place for Razor and Kid. He was basically their tackling dummy. I think all four guys impressed, but I would go with Shawn as my MVP.

What really impressed me was the strong understanding of fundamentals. The babyface shine is such a critical, yet oft overlooked portion of a match. It is so crucial in giving a reason for the fans to believe their heroes have a chance. I am a sucker for a babyfaces to hit a finish early (Razor Edge) and not get the pin in tag situations because you have the easy out of the partner breaking it up. Kid was so awesome with is nearfall barrage. Who the hell was this Kevin Nash flying all around? Razor, an against the grain pick for face in peril, takes heat off a cheap tag and then the liberal amounts of cheating, this heat segment was one of the all-time great tag team stretch runs with really strong psychology. Razor worked the face in peril well. Diesel was shockingly awesome at offense in this match. Michaels accidentally superkicking Diesel was great angle advancement, it gets Sweet Chin Music over as a killer move (remember it was a relatively recent move and to have the Big Man go down for 5 minutes really sells it as a game-ender) and also it got Razor/Kid back in it.  Kid was a killer hot tag.  I thought Shawn Michaels showed why he is one of the all-time greatest wrestlers here, awesome command of psychology from beginning to end especially that sleeper after the hot tag to grind the Razor/Kid fast break to a halt. The Kid’s top rope leg drop is one of the all time great babyface false finishes. The Sleeping Giant is stirring and OUT OF NOWHERE NAILS KID WITH A BIG BOOT! Michaels covers 1-2-3! Serious contender for best WWF tag match of all time.

#8. WWF European Champion The British Bulldog vs Shawn Michaels 

One Night Only 1997

This is a bold claim and I probably going to eat my words but I think this is the greatest heat-seeking match of all time. Shawn Michaels is at his prickly prick best here in the UK pissing off the crowd against their native son and hugely popular hero, The British Bulldog. Shawn making out with about 5 girls on his way to ring is just so sleazy and so perfect to get him nuclear heat throughout the match. We discussed how much I loved the shine in the previous match and you will find a pattern as you read more and more of my reviews. The beginning of matches really, really matter. A strong shine is one way to really kickstart a match. When you have the raw power of the Bulldog and the pinball bumping machine in the Heartbreak Kid, you have a recipe for success. Shawn bumps like a madman for Davey Boy at the outset of the match. The whole time I was pumping my fist and I wanted Shawn to get his. It was a magnificent opening to a match. Everything Shawn tried was thrown back in his face, beautiful, high-end wrestling displaying the high wrestling IQ of Shawn Michaels. Then Rick Rude comes out who liberally interferes in the match to give Michaels the advantage a perfect heel move to transition. Shawn Michaels’s biggest flaw is his lack of offense and they play this smart with a very short heat segment. This triggers HHH & Chyna to come out for even more insurance for HBK. We move from nuclear heat to HYDROGEN BOMB HEAT!

British Bulldog goes for his trademark running powerslam on the floor, but he slips and wrenches his right knee, which has a brace around it. SWEET CHIN MUSIC! Rude & HHH ram the railing into the knee as the fans are just trying to fight against them by holding the railing back. THAT IS PRO WRESTLING! That spot gets me every single time. So powerful. Shawn Michaels rips off the knee brace and throws it at Bulldog’s wife and terminally ill sister, what an asshole. The ending with the figure-4 is so over the top, HHH & Chyna have HBK’s hands for extra leverage and just when Davey Boy is gonna turn it, Rude cleans his clock and he passes out from the pain. The crowd is a near riot and is just pelting D-Generation X with garbage. It is really annoying the Hart Foundation did not get any licks in during the save. It felt so empty after Shawn was such an unmitigated douche to Davey Boy, his family and this crowd. You wanted some semblance of comeuppance. I have been on record before saying as much as I love to think about and analyze pro wrestling, pro wrestling should not exist in the mind, but should hit you in the gut. This match is an emotional tour de force that hits you right where it hurts. 

#7. WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels 

Wrestlemania X Ladder Match

An iconic and supremely influential match that has stood the test of time. It is one of the most famous matches in WWF canon and is something that almost every WWF fan has seen. Of all the matches, I have talked about so far, this is the most famous and most important. What the WWF does better than any pro wrestling company ever is creating singular moments in wrestling matches that will stick with you forever. I am not going to list the moments of this match, but we all know the spots I am talking about. So what saves this match from just relying on simple nostalgia is two things: the violence of the ladder spots and the way they build drama. From the opening salvo of the Michaels baseball slide into the ladder into Razor until when Shawn rides the ladder down onto Razor, they ladder is incorporated into almost every spot organically and for maximum damage. The iconic matches may last forever, but when re-watching a match it is the struggle of two men trying to win and overcome pain that makes the match immortal.

In addition, I think what this match does really well is building drama. What I think is most interesting about this match is that it builds drama in a radically different way than most matches build drama.  Most wrestling matches build drama through the shine/heat/comeback formula. A traditional comeback builds drama through the fire of the babyface overcoming the odds of the heat segment and then there is a couple twists and turns before the finish. Razor did not make a fiery comeback. The drama was that getting up that damn ladder was so damn difficult. It feels like the drama of real sports. Shawn was not especially nefarious in this match and Razor was just in an early hole. As he dug himself out, it was not this comeback that whips you into a frenzy, but rather you are intrigued how somebody will actually be able to win this match. I love the finish: Shawn knocked off the ladder, tied in the ropes as Razor slowly climbs to become the undisputed Intercontinental Champion is one of the all-time great finishes. This WWF classic remains timeless. 

Tune in next time for the top six! Currently Shawn leads Bret 3-2, will Shawn end up with more matches in the Top 12 overall than Bret? Who will get the coveted number one spot? All this and much more in Pro Wrestling Love vol. 2!

British Bulldog: A Night At Wembley

Hey yo bromigoes and bromigas,

Community is a weird show. Annie is wicked hot.

Ogle Ogle Ogle Ogle

I totally forgot today was the ten-year anniversary of the passing of the “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith and figured what the hell lets do a review for him. Davey Boy was actually from Britain (always a big draw there) and got his big break as one-half of the British Bulldogs with the Dynamite Kid in Stampede Wrestling up in Calgary. Dynamite Kid, who was Chris Benoit’s idol, was a hard-hitting, high-impact wrestler, but on the smaller side. Smith was the bigger of the two and possessed incredible power, but impressive agility for a man his size. Stampede Wrestling was run by Stu Hart, patriarch of the famous Hart clan and it was there the Bulldogs caught the eye of Vince McMahon and the WWF. However, while up there Davey Boy became smitten with one of the Hart girls: Diana and ended up marrying her.

In the WWF, The British Bulldogs captured their World Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania II and embarked on great feuds with likes of fellow Stampede alumni, the Hart Foundation, Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, both of who were his brothers in -law. Bret was Diana’s brother and the Anvil married another Hart girl by the name of Ellie. The Bulldog eventually branched off into singles wrestling as the Dynamite Kid, an ornery son of a bitch, entered a downward spiral of alcohol and drugs.

In my opinion, the British Bulldog was an over-achiever, as he was not not gifted in the promo department, but he was an exceptional talent in the ring, agile for a man his size. However, the hallmark of a great wrestler is he can wrestle a great match with anybody. All of the Bulldog’s great matches occurred against either Bret, Owen Hart (RIP Owen) or Shawn Michaels. With a week of training, I could have a great match against one of those three in their primes. Yet Bulldog headlined many PPV’s, but never did capture the big one. His biggest moment was at Summerslam 1992 at Wembley Stadium in London, England in front of 80,000 of his countrymen he main evented his first PPV against his brother in-law, Bret “The Hitman” Hart challenging for the Intercontinental Championship.

WWF Intercontinental Champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart vs “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith

Summerslam 1992 London, UK

They are hanging from the rafters, Gorilla! A decidedly split reaction for the ultra-white meat babyface Bret Hart. Tons of Union Jacks in the audience to support the Bulldog. Diana is shown in the crowd and The Brain immediately thinks she will support whoever wins. Vince says that Diana must very conflicted about this confrontation. Vince asserts that Hart is just as popular as Bulldog, in any country, definitely McMahon. The Brain wonders if Hart is kissing the championship goodbye as Hart gives out his shades to a lucky kid in the front row. They stand toe-to-toe and lock eyes. Shove by Bret to establish “Boo me!” as if the fans needed any help with the Bulldog donning Union Jack tights.

Collar elbow tie-up, Bulldog wins both and grabs a side headlock. They do a criss-cross spot and huge shoulderblock sends Hart to the outside. Nice bump. The Brain wonders why Davey Boy lets Whoopi Goldberg do his hair. Smith has his hair braids with red, white, and blue beads in them.  Smith’s power game has been established. Hart proves he is the superior chain wrestler grabbing a side-headlock. Hart escapes the press slam and a series of flash near-falls for Bret. He slows down Bulldog with a  side-headlock. The Brain posits that they are on an equal footing because neither is too bright. Smith escapes smoothly into a hammerlock and drives the knees into Hart’s exposed arm. Hart regains his vertical base and applies a standing armbar. Very smooth and well-executed by both men so far as it is power vs technique. Smith uses his agility to escape the armbar and grab his own. Criss-cross spot and Davey boy catches him and catapults Hart into the corner. Back onto the arm, nice leverage moves by Smith as he lifts Hart by one arm. The fans are chanting Bulldog. Nice crucifix pin by Bulldog gets two and its right back on the armbar as Diana looks on concerned. Hart tries to get out of the armbar by slamming the Bulldog, but Bulldog hangs onto the hold. Davey Boy is relentless on the arm. Reviewing things help notice new things, Bret sets up a lot of spots in this match by running the ropes. British crowd has airhorns to rev up and co-ordinate the chant for Bulldogs while Bulldog is in the chinlock. Atomic drop as the fans are hot for the Bulldog; Bret blocks the crucifix pin with a slam and we go back to the chinlock. Another criss-cross pot, this time British Bulldog wins with a monkey flip. Bulldog connects with a headbutt. When Bret gets his foot up in the corner to stop the charging Bulldog, the crowd boos like mad. Bret sets him up for the first of his FIVE MOVES OF DOOM: the bulldog out of the corner.           

In a move out of the Flair playbook, Bulldog press slams Bret off the top rope, but Bret moves out of the way of a high-risk move by the Bulldog. In 1992, Vince was already describing Bret a wily veteran. Good Bret spot is when it looks like the opponent is going to get a victory roll and he slides down sending his opponent to crash and burn on the outside. The crowd HATES Bret. Bret with a nasty pescado on the Bulldog by hooking his neck on the way down. He picks up the Bulldog an drams his back first into the steel ringpost. Bret has chosen his body part.

Bret sends Bulldog hard into the turnbuckles, now a headbutt to the small of the back. Side Russian Legsweep, the second of the Five Moves of Doom gets a two-count. Davey Boy may be out on his feet as Bret is pummeling him with Europen uppercuts finally gets his off his feet with a dropkick. Big back body drop only gets two for Bret. This actually some really good heel work for Bret as he is working the crowd into a frenzy, Bulldog should get some credit for selling. Crowd is rabid for the Bulldog, one of the hottest crowds ever. Nice snap suplex only gets two, which is the third Move of Doom. Bulldog reverses a European uppercut into a backslide popping the crowd. Backbreaker and in combination with a second rope elbow completes the Five Moves of Doom and still the Bulldog kicks out at two. Hart, now goes into a full-on dick heel mode, pulling up Bulldog by his braids drawing the ire of the partisan British crowd. The Brain notes you could never do that to Bret because his hair is coated with oil slicks. HA!

Bret is clearly frustrated now so he goes back to the chinlock. Wild swing by the Bulldog is reversed into a sleeper by the Hitman. Vince, annoyingly, declares it is over which means it isn’t. Vince sucked on commentary. Bulldog gets to the ropes and Bret breaks at 4. Off the ropes they go and Bret slaps on another sleeper. They do the “three arm” drops spot and Bulldog powers out at two. Bulldog breaks the hold by ramming Bret into the turnbuckle. Slugfest, baby! In a spot I think that went awry, Bulldog goes for a press slam and drops Bret into the ropes and Bret gets all tangled. Huge clothesline by the Bulldog on Bret out of the corner as the crowd comes alive for Smith. Only gets two for Davey Boy, who now hits a press slam for two count. Smith is in disbelief and goes for a delayed  vertical suplex. That is one of the Bulldog’s best spots, but only gets two. Bret takes the Bret bump into the turnbuckles, but that only gets a two. Bulldog signals for the Running Powerslam and I notice there is a Confederate flag in the crowd. WTF?!?! Running Powerslam only gets two and is a tremendous false finish. Hart is selling like a champ by using the ropes to hold him up and Smith just nudges his head and he collapses.  

Hart reverses a vertical suplex into bridging German suplex for only a two count and the crowd is bonkers and I am coughing up a storm due to all this excitement. Bret hooks him for a suplex, but Bulldog sets him up on the top rope. Huge superplex by Smith and he drapes the arm over Hart and only gets two.  Double clothesline and both men are out. Even though they had some restspots we are near the 25 minute mark and this had been a pace that kills. From their backs, Hart is attempting to apply the Sharpshooter, his finishing subsmission hold. The crowd is nervous as their hero seems doomed for defeat. Full applied and Vince declares it to be all over. Vince is ultimate negative nelly. But Bulldog gets to the ropes and Bret sends him off the ropes. Bulldog sits down on a sunset flip attempt and gets a three count and the INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP. The pop is HUGE and it lasts for minutes as the stadium is RAUCOUS! The Bret teases exiting as the crowd boos before they finally embrace to huge cheers as The Brain suggests he waffle him.

A stellar contest for the Intercontinental title as it was the Bret show. A brilliant performance by him on offense and then bumping to make the Bulldog look like a million bucks that is heralded as one the most impressive singular performances. Bulldog hit his spots well and together they wrestled a damn near perfect match. *****

The British Bulldog would go on to main PPV’s against Bret, Diesel and Shawn for the WWF title and win the tag team titles with brother in-law, Owen, one of the most terrific tag teams of the 90s. Davey Boy passed in 2002. His greatest achievement will be that one summer night in Wembley when he set London ablaze with his Intercontinental title victory. Rest In Peace, Davey Boy.