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| I'm all about Anvil's hat |
After the face turn at Wrestlemania IV in the battle royale, Bret Hart went around the horn against Bad News Brown. This is a consistent theme throughout Bret's career is to get him accustomed to singles action because Vince saw long-term potential in him as a major singles draw. In 1988, they worked two big matches against Demolition on TV, but they crushed the Rougeaus around the horn until Royal Rumble '89. The Summerslam '88 match against Demolition is in the running as the best Hart Foundation match, but it is too little to matter in the grand scheme of things as it was just a one-off. In 1989, the Hart Foundation was de facto disbanded if you look at the results. Bret Hart was going around the horn with Mr. Perfect. When he was not wrestling Perfect, he was working matches with heels like DiBiase, Valentine, Martel and Bravo. At Survivor Series '89, he was not even paired with Neidhart, rather he was treated as singles wrestled paired against his normal opponent at the time, Dino Bravo. I still can't place my finger on it and it is driving me wild, but Bret is such a better singles wrestler. His tag matches almost always come off as cold and mechanical. I have yet to find a boring singles match. The Hart Foundation had one-offs with R&B, Powers of Pain, Twin Towers and Brainbusters, but 5 matches on 300 dates does not make a tag team. So now, you had bust feud with the Rougeaus in 1988 and no feuds in 1989. None of this bolsters the Hart Foundation's case.
In late 1989, Vince realized that the singles roster was still too stacked for Bret to be pushed through and he could too easily be lost in the mire. Thus he displayed great restraint and shrewdness by moving Bret back into the tag division where he could bolster his case in a kayfabe sense by winning the WWF Tag Team Titles again. However, the Tag Team Bubble was on the verge of collapse with the Busters departure, Powers of Pain a bust and Colossal Connection a short-term band-aid. The babyface roster had been stacked with Demolition, Rockers and Hart Foundation so that Hart Foundation had no one to feud with anyways in 1989. Vince had to resort to pairing the Hart Foundation as subtle heels to the Rockers, which produced the best series the Hart Foundation had since Strike Force. I never believed the idea was to turn the Hart Foundation heel as that would have fucked up his momentum for his '91 singles push. It was a feud to re-establish the Hart Foundation in the tag division while buying time for Demolition to win the belts back from the Colossal Connection. With Ax on his way out and the need to replace him with Crush, it became a perfect time to turn Demolition heel.
After this, it becomes very easy to understand the booking plans of McMahon. Use Demolition to bridge to Hart Foundation winning the tag titles at Summerslam '90. The fans will now associate Bret Hart as a champion and as a winner in this division. So that way when he transitions to singles, it will be very seamless for him to win the I-C title. At this point, the Road Warriors sign with the WWF, which fucks the Rockers hard and severely hurts their chances of winning the title. The Hart Foundation gains prestige by winning the titles, but once the LOD shows up everyone is a lameduck champion until they would get it next year. The Hart Foundation do not really need to defend it against stiff competition (i.e. Valentine & Honky would suffice) they just need the belts to add to Bret's face heat. The LOD get a Fall Main Event rub by running through all the major arenas beating their "clones" Demolition with the WWF World Heavyweight Champion The Ultimate Warrior. However, the WWF is not the NWA and instead of establishing the Legion of Doom as a top drawing main event act it only further hurts the Warrior's image as a draw as he is now hanging out with the tag teams. At this time, Nasty Boys just finish having a barnburner with the Steiners at Halloween Havoc '90 in the NWA and WWF gobble them up as their heel transition champions from Wrestlemania VII to the LOD's title victory at Summerslam '91. In the tag division, it was really smart booking as you add to the Bret Hart brand, you have a solid heel transition tag team, the LOD get their titles (sadly the Rockers are left holding their dicks).
Now what about the phantom title change that was supposed to give the Rockers the tag titles in October '90. I agree this is the only timeframe that Rockers could have won the titles as the Hart Foundation got most of the value out of the titles by just winning them and Rockers can get the rub until Wrestlemania VII. However, I think there was more value in Bret Hart than either Shawn or Marty. It was best to just stick with a lengthy Hart Foundation tag title run to propel Bret Hart.
What is really interesting is how people look at the respective legacies of these tag teams. Recently, the Place To Be Nation held a 64-team March Madness style tournament to see who the greatest WWF tag of all-time was. Hart Foundation won. The only reasons, I can figure is that they conflated their greatness with Bret Hart's singles run and they put a ton of stock in the Hart Foundation's two title reigns. Title reigns still matter to smart marks because it is the easiest (though an often faulty) indicator of "greatness" (combination of drawing power, workrate and company confidence). Briefly on why this faulty for the Hart Foundation, I make the argument against their workrate in this blog and they were defending the titles in a dead division with no heels. They were champions just to be champions not to draw as a tag team, but to bolster Bret Hart. I am a big Bret Hart fan and this is not an argument against him, but argument against his bland, boring and mechanical tag team that has had an inflated legacy based on assumptions. It is interesting that the Hart Foundation usually gets this bump from Bret Hart's singles career. Yet, recently on a lot of smart mark boards, there has been a groundswell of support for Shawn Michaels as the greatest wrestler of all time (something I do not even agree with one bit), but yet no conflation to bump up the Rockers (ironically, I think the Rockers might be the greatest tag team of all-times, easily top 5). Why? I have noticed it is the lack of tag title reigns. That is why Vince McMahon is a genius. He had a surefire hit in Bret Hart and he poured everything into him. Years later, you still have smart marks citing this as why the Hart Foundation is the greatest tag team of all time. It was not the Hart Foundation;s work. But Vince McMahon's work that created this legacy. Kids, never forget this. The McMahon Marketing Machine always wins.
Choice Cuts From Hart Foundation's Babyface Tenure:
WWF World Tag Team Champions Demolition vs Hart Foundation - Summerslam '88
Survivor Series '88
WWF World Tag Team Champions Brainbusters vs Hart Foundation -Summerslam '89
The Hart Foundation vs The Rockers - MSG 11/89
The Hart Foundation vs The Rockers - 10/89
Bret Hart vs Ted DiBiase - Odessa 3/89
Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect - MSG 4/89
Bret Hart vs Rick Martel - Primetime 10/89
Just missed the cut:
Hacksaw Duggan & Hart Foundation vs Dino Bravo & Rougeaus - Royal Rumble '89
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| Titles do matter |
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WWF Tag Champs Demolition w/Jimmy Hart & Mr. Fuji vs Hart Foundation - Summerslam '88
This is a battle between the two best in-ring generals of the WWF Tag Division: Ax & Bret. However, Bret proves that his will is indomitable and this is most definitely a Hart Foundation match, but surprisingly it is their best match I have seen so far. Demolition's trademarks of their opponents needing to double up, their early strength advantage, aimless beatdowns are nowhere to be found. Instead they are replaced by Bret and Anvil having their way with Demolition until Bret runs his shoulder into the post giving Demolition a focused attack.
The beginning of the match is only interesting insofar that it sets the mood that the Hart Foundation is in control and the Demolition have no strength advantage. Anvil eats a knee while running the ropes ala the heel Hart Foundation. That is a short heat segment, before Bret's shoulder eats the post. Bret is a great sympathetic face in peril as the Demolition is relentless on his shoulder. This is the best Demolition control segment so far because their focused attack and being very active in it. Bret gets a clothesline for the false hot tag and then a boot to the face on a charge. Anvil is hot tonight! He dropkicks and slams Demolition at will clearing them from the ring. In my favorite spot of the match, Bret slingshots Anvil over the top rope onto Demolition on the floor. Anvil gets a running powerslam for 2. They do the Anvil slingshot into the corner and that only gets 2. A Bret backbreaker gets 2 and Ax saves. Fuji is on the apron and takes about 7 Anvil blows without flinching until Ax can finally hit Bret with Hart's megaphone. Way to make Anvil look like a chump, Fuji.
Besides Fuji no-selling all of Anvil's punches, this was way better than I expected because I always thought Summerslam '90 match kinda sucked. The beginning could have been helped by using some of Eadie's touches. However, the heat segment and the stretch were all very entertaining and worked well. So far this was the Anvil's best performance.
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Hart Foundation vs Fabulous Rougeaus Brothers - 9/88 Meadowlands
Lord Alfred Hayes loses his shit when the crowd throws frogs at the Quebecois. :)
This is one weird match. If you did not know any better from the outset of the match you would think the Harts were the heels and the Rougeaus faces. I would hazard that Bret's defense of the blatant cheating and arrogance was that they were still in transition to being babyface therefore it did not make sense to go full bore. Anyways, in the match you have to decide if you want to cheer for the pricks (Hart Foundation) who choke, pull hair, let a fallen man crawl over to his tag partner only slap his hand away or the cowards (Rougeaus). Eventually Bret lets Raymond make the tag. Jacques is entertaining in his mannerisms, but his work always leaves something to be desired. Bret is such a great face in peril. He is just a natural. The Rougeaus just have no spots at all to offer this match. Anvil gets tagged in and he is pretty decent as a hot tag, I feel like he will get better. He has all the traits to be a great hot tag. Bret irish whips Anvil into Raymond and then nails him with a piledriver. The ref is distracted Jacques off the top hits a prone Bret and the Rougeaus win. I'm a bit surprised since Demolition currently heel were the tag champs and with the Bulldogs sliding down the card, I thought Harts would take the win.
From a storyline standpoint, I know the Rougueas had turned heel at this time with their tiny American flags, but had the Hart Foundation turned face? There seems to be a long layoff for the Hart Foundation between WM IV and Sumemrslam '88 was that to ease the transition. I feel like I read somewhere that at some point Jimmy Hart betrays Hart Foundation to go with the Rougeaus, but I did not see him out there.
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Hart Foundation vs Fabulous Rougeaus - Boston 10/88 Brother Love as Special Guest Ref
Now this is more like it: a nice little fun match. Brother Love rambles on for 4 minutes. I don't know much about Brother Love's history. I know he was the Undertaker's original manager, but was he ever given anyone else? It is actually a brilliant gimmick for a manager and something I think that would work today.
The beginning of this match is really good and really establishes the stipulation of the match something that modern wrestling does not always do. Jacques pulls Bret's hair in order to get him to the ground and Brother Love lets it go. Bret pulls Jacques hair in a similar fashion and Brother Love makes him break his headlock. Bret gets a pinfall attempt Brother Love gives an exaggerated slow count. Jacques grabs a rollup while Bret is arguing and gets an egregious fast count. At this point, the heat is already nuclear in the Boston Garden with everyone throwing trash. Bret is so fed up he tags in the Anvil. The Rougeaus immediately point out that Bret is not holding the tag rope, Brother Love goes over to investigate and admonish him while the Rougeaus double team the Anvil. The Anvil FIP kills the match dead. The Rougeaus just have no spots, just choking, stomping and chinlocks. Brother Love lays the badmouth on the Anvil and also denies him a hot tag on grounds that Bret was not holding the tag rope. Bret eventually does come in and hits a bunch of his standard spots, which look amazing next to the Rougeaus' lame arsenal. Hart Foundation fed up with Brother Love dump his ass outside and hit the Hart Attack and Dave Hebner counts the three.
The Rougeaus were pretty bland as babyfaces and the heel turn has not helped. The Quebecers were so good, but yet the Fabulous Rougeaus are so lame in the ring. The Hart Foundation have not found their groove yet as a babyface team, but you can tall Bret is being groomed to be a singles star, which I feel is hurting the standing of the team. Finally, Brother Love seems like a great gimmick to me would have been a great addition to the cast of Heenan, Hart and Fuji.
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WWF Tag Champs Demolition w/Jimmy Hart & Mr. Fuji vs Hart Foundation - 10/88 SNME
This match is more of a backdrop to really kickstart Rougeaus/Hart Foundation feud in earnest around the horn while Demolition works against the Powers of Pain. It is very similar to Summerslam match only in low gear and a generic heat segment. Anvil controls early with a vertical suplex after some double teaming from Demolition. Bret does well for himself for about minute before he falls prey to the awesome might of Demolition. Bret is the best babyface worker that Demolition has faced in terms of selling and Bret gets the Demolition offense over that way. Hot tag to the Anvil, who is as I expected a pretty good hot tag besides the low-flying dropkicks just stick to power moves. He hits his running powerslam, but it gets broken up. Fuji & Hart on the ring apron while the Rougeaus sneak out. Fuji gets decked by Bret and sells. Anvil has Jimmy by the collar, but one of the Rougeaus tosses the meagphone to Ax who nails Anvil for the win in the confusion.
Not a match to go out your way to see, but it does kickstart the number 3 tag team feud with Rockers/Busters and Demolition/Powers Of Pain at 2 and 1. Finally the tag team division looks healthy again after a pretty dismal 1988.
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Hart Foundation & Hacksaw Duggan vs Fabulous Rougeaus & Dino Bravo w/Jimmy Hart & Frenchy Martin - 2 out of 3 Falls Royal; Rumble '89
I cant believe they gave Bravo, a world's strongest man gimmick because he is just not that large. His battle of bulls with Neidhart ends up with the Anvil winning with a clothesline. Duggan comes in and dwarfs Bravo. Bret comes in and gets a series of nearfalls the idea is to win that all-important first fall quickly. Bravo pulls down the ropes and Bret crashes and burns to the outside. Bravo gets a side slam and excitedly tags Rougeaus. Raymond hoists Bret up onto his shoulders and Jacques leaps from the top rope and does a seated senton to Bret. It was pretty impressive. The French Canadians go up one fall to none.
Rougeaus press their advantage against Bret. Unfortunately, Raymond does a gutwrench suplex to Bret. Dino has one of the best gutwrench suplexes so it seems like a waste to have Raymond do it. Dino in with a reverse atomic drop. Now the Rougeaus do a double team gutbuster. Dino grabs a bearhug on Bret and the chant of U-S-A! fills The Summit in Houston and Jesse is all over this one as the Quebecois has the Albertan in a bearhug. Bravo lowers Bret's shoulders on the mat, but only for a 2. Jacques now applies a camel clutch. Now the Boston Crab, which results in a false tag. They now go into the abdominal stretch and Raymond kicks Bret while he is in prone. Jacques gets cocky during a monkey flip attempt and Bret hits a reverse atomic drop. Duggan in to a big pop with some Sid-esque punches. He slingshots Anvil and then Bret onto hapless Raymond before winning the fall himself with an elbow. It is all knotted up. Bret is still selling on the outside.
Duggan wanders over into the heel corner and gets triple teamed. Gorilla tries to cover and says that what happens when you are not used to tag wrestling. Jesse makes me laugh when he says "No. Thats what happens you're Jim Duggan." Lots of triple team choking and stomping. Jacques does hit a really nice dropkick. Bravo hits a reverse atomic drop, but that sends Duggan over to tag Bret. Bret hits his own reverse atomic drop. If you like the reverse atomic drop this is your match! Bret pounds away on Bravo and gets a backbreaker. His second rope elbow is broken up. Bret goes for his reverse sunset flip, but Bravo hooks the ropes and Duggans whacks him with 2x4 for the win.
This was the best Rougeaus match outside of the Rockers match that I really liked. I have become a fan of Dino Bravo; he is not a great lost worker, but he tries really hard and he is fun to watch. The Rougeaus have been really underwhelming thus far with some really lame match. This was a fun, popcorn match and was much better than I expected.
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| I don't know about you, but I need a break. |
I am not able to put my finger on why just yet, but the proof is in the pudding. Bret Hart is a way better singles wrestler than he is a tag wrestler. All his tag matches have left me feeling underwhelmed. The following two matches from early '89 against DiBiase and Hennig demonstrate Bret was ready for Primetime in 1989. It is for the best Vince waited to give Bret the proper push he deserved in 1991 rather than be allowed to wallow in the WWF midcard mire from 1989-91. It is that level of patience that is missing from Vince nowadays. On the same token, he no longer uses the tag division effectively so that he can afford to be patient. However, it was this uncertainity that really hurt Bret from 1988-1990. The Hart Foundation was positioned behind Demolition and the Rockers as the number 3 babyface tag team and this start-stop hurt his match output I feel.
Bret Hart vs Ted DiBiasie - 3/89 Wrestling Challenge
This felt like a NWA Touring title defense. As I have pointed out in the past, due to the compressed nature of the WWF style, each segment is shorter. This match had the feel that Bret was a plucky challenger and Ted the dominant champ rather than equals. Bret spent most of 1989 in singles action. Dont be fooled by the PPV tag team matches in 1989. When Bret was on the road, this was a test drive for his 1991 singles push. Vince saw something early with Bret, but this maybe Vince's greatest push because he did such a great job with the slow burn. DiBiase was on his way down, but was still a big deal and he just fashioned the Million Dollar Championship. Yet, this match went to a double countout thats a big deal.
Bret starts off red hot and is looking to get DiBiase off balance early. He goes for a lot of big moves early thinking that this was his best chance to beat DiBiase was to catch him unawares early with Russian Legsweep, atomic drop, crossbody, small package. DiBiase, visibly flustered, takes a powder twice to collect himself and break Bret's momentum. I really liked the shine. Eventually DiBiase moves out the way and Bret does his crossbody of the ropes spot that always looks nasty and Bret milks it for all its worth. Great transition to heat and a great staple of Bret's stock bumps. DiBiase works his heat segment well pressing his advantage and showing his confident demeanor as the Million Dollar Champion. DiBiase even hit a elbow off the second rope that is more rare than a Flair success off the top rope. Ted delivers a fist drop and a vertical suplex gets 2. Bret gets his own vertical suplex, which is a good hope spot. DiBiase hits a belly to back suplex to quash that. A DiBiase backbreaker gets two; Bret grabs a small package for two again. It feels like DiBiase is in control, but Bret is not going away. I loved all the cradles. DiBiase gets another fist drop and he works an active chinlock. Double clothesline sends both men to the mat. Bret gets a press slam off the top. I feel at home, now. Bret executes his backbreaker/elbow combo for 2. Bret high knees the turnbuckle. Thus DiBiase goes to work over it with the Spinning Toehold inevitable he gets kicked off to the outside so Bret follows him out with a plancha. Slugfest ensues and a double countout results. Bret actually gets the better of Ted in the post-match antics, which indicates that Vince definitely had confidence in him.
I think this is DiBiase's best match in WWF better than the Savage matches. There was some really great action here and an excellent story told by both men. Each man played their parts well as DiBiase looked so self-assured and Bret plays such a great, plucky face in peril. The finish sequence was beautiful as everything logically connected. ****
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Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect - 4/89 MSG
This felt like a Nick Bockwinkel AWA title defense with Perfect letting Hart get more offense in than DiBiase and making them appear as equals. Perfect worked a more rugged style than he usually did in the WWF and also added the King of the Mountain segment for maximum effect. Bret once again played such a great face, but this time did not feel as plucky rather as confident challenger.
I really liked the opening shine segment. Bret has a such great offensive arsenal and he always puts it on display in singles matches. One of my favorite spots was Perfect missing a drop toe hold. It was a nice touch and I wished there were more spots like that sprinkled into matches. Bret goes for a lot of pinfall attempts early. I like always trying to win mentality. He even busts out his crucifix pins. They do a bodyslam->kickoff symmetry sequence. My absolute favorite spot of the match is Bret trips Perfect and pushes him down and Perfect falls flat on his face with authority. It was such an excellent spot. Hennig, much like DiBiase, takes a walk to collect himself and break Bret's momentum.
Perfect gets back in and when the opportunity presented itself in the corner, Perfect clocked Bret with a straight right. Perfect gets a big kneelift and a wicked chop sending Bret to floor. They play King of the Mountain as Perfect wont let Bret back in. This climaxes with Bret taking his bump off the apron onto the railing. Perfect only gets two of it. He hits a standing dropkick sending him back to the floor. Perfect decides to use the spinning toe hold. I thought they could have set this up better like in the DiBiase match where Bret injured his knee first. Bret kicks off Hennig into the post and he sells it well perfectly. smile.gif
Bret is relentless on the arm and his offense looked great. He was really capitalizing on his newfound advantage. However, he commits the cardinal sin of wrestling by going for another crucifix pin and Perfect dumps him hard onto mat. Perfect is still selling the arm and cant press his advantage. Perfect uses the hair to stop Bret's abdominal stretch. Bret pushes Perfect out of the ring on a rollup attempt and follows up with a plancha. Here comes the big Bret comeback: Perfect spins out on an atomic drop, vertical suplex, backbreaker and elbow, but time limit expires.
I, much like, Lord Alfred totally forgot about the time limit and was totally engrossed in the action. Bret wants five more minutes, but Perfect blindsides him. Bret ends up getting the better of him and sends him packing. That is twice that Bret was allowed to get the symbolical victory over two top heels. This was a great action-packed match. I would say the heat segment dragged a little bit more in the Perfect match, but I thought work through King of the Mountain and the Bret's comeback were done excellently. I would give this match the nod over the DiBiase, but it is close. In any event, both are great showcases of all three men and prove that Bret was ready to be a major singles player as early as 1989.
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Bret Hart vs Greg Valentine 5/89 Meadowlands
Bret Hart was just ostensibly a tag wrestler at this point as he was splitting his time in a program with Mr. Perfect and wrestling random matches with Neidhart against random tag teams. Outside a small program with Powers of Pain isolated to Primetime and the Rockers program at the end of the year, Bret's main focus was against Mr. Perfect and other midcard heels. I think Vince's booking restraint at this point is genius and displays how good used to be. He would never be that patient anymore. After two really awesome matches against DiBiase and Perfect, the bar was set high for the Hammer. I believe Valentine outclasses both DiBiase and Perfect in the WWF so I had really high hopes for this one. However, this came off as one of Bret's more pedestrian matches. I was not expecting a brawl per se, just something a little bit more hard-hitting. DOnt get me wrong, Valentine definitely laying in his shots and Bret gave as good as he got, but did not reach the fever pitch I wanted.
The beginning was some by the numbers Bret control work with a chinlock and wristlock. After a headbutt, Valentine feigned doing his TIMBAAAAAH, but instead stood frozen until Bret's dropkick. Valentine chucked Bret out of the ring. Bret really milks out on the floor and they play King of the Mountain for a bit. I think Bret really liked that in 1989. Bret is a really good sympathetic face and Valentine is great when he is on top. So the match picks up here as Valentine is really laying in his stuff. Valentine is the Patron Saint of Clubbering because he is so damn good at it. Valentine whiffs on a second rope elbow drop. Bret mounts his comeback and shows a lot more fire. He headbutts Valentine again and pushes him over TIMBAAAAAAAH! Bret gets his backbreaker and goes for his second rope elbow, but Mr. Perfect distracts him. Valentine catches him with a high knee and stomps on his ankle repeatedly. Bret is really milking this and he attempts to crawl away that is such a great moment of helplessness. Bret is able to muster up enough to kick Valentine off on the figure 4 sending him into the post, but the bell rings before the 3 count registering.
They were doing a nice slow burn with Bret Hart going to draws with a lot of mid-card heels and it was a good booking decision. The match picked up once Valentine took control and the finish was really well-done, but I felt overall it could have been better. I would liked some more meaty exchanges. Bret is really proving his worth as an underdog babyface.
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WWF World Tag Team Champs The Brain Busters vs Hart Foundation - Summerslam '89 Non-title
Non-title due to this match being signed before Busters' title victory. The Busters just loved to bump and sell for WWF babyfaces. Maybe, it was not Eadie's fault at all, it may just be how the Busters wanted to work. Like I am not a person to claim heels need to be a faces level because they really should not. The babyfaces should be better except the heels utilize nefarious tactics, but at the same time heels should not be out and out jabronis. I didn't mind this match as much because we do get a heat segment (on Anvil, weird), but still the Hart Foundation gobbled them up. At first, I felt a bit hypocritical for enjoying this match a lot more than the Demolition matches especially after raising such a big stink. At the end of the day, I rather watch Bret Hart's offense than Demolition's offense. I still don't think it is one of the elite tag team matches of 80s WWF, but it is still very good. I would actually put it around the Summerslam '89 six-man tag in terms of quality.
The Hart Foundation establishes the arm-based attack on both Busters each time they come in. The best spot of this segment really encapsulates Bret and something I never really thought about. Arn executes a drop toehold into a hammerlock, but rides high and Bret counters to a headlock. Bret just has this look on his face that was just like one big eye-roll and I immediately thought of Tenryu. Bret is amazing at displaying contempt for his opponents. He is one of the few wrestlers that is not only condescending on the mic, but is actually condescending in the ring also. Bret does an excellent top wristlock bridge transitions into the Busters double top wristlock spot that always gets a huge pop. Arn blindsides Bret, but this was not the transition as Bret is back on offense. However, Arn pulls Tully out of the way and Anvil eats the turnbuckles. We get the Anvil FIP, which is weird and no spinebuster. It is decent stuff, but you know it can be better. They do Arn's head collision spot and Bobby's facial expression that makes it. Then the Hart Foundation sliding knee on the apron is the transition. After watching basically every major Hart Foundation match, I marked out that Bret did that to transition. I have watched this match twice before and I never even batted an eye. This time I was like "Of course that was the transition. That's genius!" Bret kicks some serious Tully ass and then runs through Tully. It is breaking loose in Tulsa and Anvil is slingshotted in (love that spot) and then slams Bret onto Tully. Heenan distracts the ref and Arn second-rope elbow costs Hart Foundation the match as AA gets the pin. The nice little touch is he uses Bret's arm to cover his head so that ref won't notice. smile.gif
This is a really fun match, but like a lot Hart Foundation matches I have watched, but it feels mechanical and exhibition-y at the beginning. However, it is still a fun match that is enjoyable. I am just happier with the idea that Bret Hart vs AA & Tully exists more than it in practice. I know one of the things that people go after the Rockers for not having that money feud, but Hart Foundation did not have one from 1988-1991 that's pretty incredible. It was just how WWF tag scene was booked with Demolition going from POP, Towers, Busters, Colossal Connection, but they pretty much leave all the other tag teams to float in the wind.
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Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect w/The Genius - 10/89 Primetime Wrestling
This was a great TV match that highlighted two superstars that were definitely on the rise. I didn't feel like this was a AWA title defense, but more two hungry wrestlers looking to show each other up. Bret hiptosses Perfect to start who busts out his spin out bump. Perfect misses his drop toehold like in the MSG match, but this time Bret points it out and mocks him with some exaggerated applause. Then they work a side headlock, but they keep it entertaining with each wrestler pulling the other's hair liberally (my favorite part of the match). Perfect powders out and comes back. They run the same spot as from MSG where the ref tries to get a clean break in the corner and Perfect capitalizes with a cheapsot. Perfect with a vicious high kneelift. He chops away on Bret and they do a brief King of the Mountain. Perfect starts to mock Bret and Bret starts mounting his comeback, but ends up taking the Bret Bump to give Perfect a 2 count. Perfect biels him by the hair. Perfect goes on top only to get crotched. Here comes bump-a-rama. I love his oversell when Bret kicks the back of his leg. Perfect goes nuts with a reverse atomic drop sell that looks more painful than the actual move. Dolph aint got nothing on this guy
Bret biels Perfect by the hair twice and second time Perfect posts himself. I love that payback spot! Bret starts to get frustrated as he cant negotiate the pinfall. Bret sends Perfect on the floor and they do some fighting outside. It really demonstrates how underutilized the area around ring was in the WWF when the NWA used it so effectively. Bret gets his reverse sunset flip, but Perfect pulls his trunks and pins Bret for the victory.
This match was a lot of fun mixed comedy well throughout with all the hair pulling at the beginning and then Perfect overselling like a madman. I recall I really liked their April 1989 MSG draw but I have not seen that in five years (I wrote this review five years ago, but I re-watched it just now). The finish really encapsulated that idea with it being nip and tuck only Perfect was willing to go the extra mile and cheat to get the victory. ****
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Rick Martel w/Slick vs Bret Hart - Primetime 10/89
Martel getting funky with Slick is pretty much why wrestling is better than any form of entertainment. We start early with Martel showboating and dancing. Bret is just shaking his head. Martel cartwheels out of a back body drop attempt and does his little dance. TREMENDOUS~! They do some counter wrestling and Martel proves hes still got it with a cool drop toehold. I am a drop toehold mark. Once again Martel parade s himself. Martel again floats over on Bret in the corner and goes to showboat and Bret has enough and levels him with a clothesline. Fucking brilliant opening that paid itself off excellently with a clothesline. Bret works over the arm and everything loosk crisp as always. Martel is game and keeps him moving and is selling well. Martel thumbs him in the throat, a heel Martel staple, to set up his heat segment, but we dont get all of it because of commerical. Fuck. Martel is just relentlessly working over the back with strikes and a Camel Clutch and lots of well-timed showboating. Incredible struggle over the Boston Crab. Martel tries put it on three times gets spun out twice and each time adds an elbow or backbreaker before he can get it on. I love that sense of struggle really puts over Martels' finish, Bret's will to win and Martel as a wrestler. On each failed attempt, Martel gets frustrated. Just really great work again. Bret makes the ropes, but Martel thinks he has won, before getting more frustarted. Bret powders as Martel does jumping jacks. Ruh roh, pride before the fall. Martel clotheslines the ringpost when he tries to follow Bret out. Bret starts hitting his stock offense and is going for covers after each move trying to get the victory at any moment. Martel takes an excellent over the top turnbuckle and Bret is just pouring on the pinfall attempts. Bret blocks the atomic drop and gets his own. He hits a dropkick as time runs out and it is a draw. The draw was the standard 1989 singles finish for Bret Hart, who really being put in a ton of singles matches with the mid-card heels to build his credibility. Bret's push to the top is the greatest slow-burn push ever by McMahon. I loved the beginning and the middle of this match and the finish was fun, but not at the level of how good the rest of the work was. One of the best Bret singles matches of 89 and a great Martel match.
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Bret Hart vs Dino Bravo - 10/89 London
Dino Bravo blows a lot of spots. He is pretty awkward in the ring. He relies on some boring holds. I don't care. I love Dino Bravo. He is hilarious and he puts so much effort into all his matches that he is a total guilty pleasure of mine. This is a pretty decent carry job by Bret, but you could he is pretty frustrated with Dino and his inability to do his spots. Some of the problems were with the layout as the transitions were pretty poorly done and felt very forced, which is unusual for Bret matches as usually everything progresses pretty logically.
Dino establishes he is stronger than Bret and with every shove off he celebrates like he has beaten Hulk Hogan. When Bret hits a cross body block to get Dino off his feet, the crowd pops huge. I will say the crowd was rabid for this match from beginning to end. London absolutely loved Bret. Bret slugs Dino on the apron and he goes for a walk threatening to leave. Bret does pretty decent arm work keeps it varied and moving. Dino is blowing spots left and right during this portion. Bret does his stomp to the midsection to a huge reaction. At this point, Dino just sort of takes over, which I hate as a transition. They play King of the Mountain until Bravo slingshots Bret off the apron into the guardrail. I love that bump. Dino hits a sweet gutwrench suplex for 2. Bret looks like he is revving up takes a wicked version of the Bret Bump. He was fucking flying into those turnbuckles. Bret timed his hope spots well, but Dino would stop his momentum with some power holds like the bearhug. Dino goes on top and gets caught with a strike to the midsection. Really, Bret that was your babyface transition spot???? Dino bumps and sells really well for Bret and his usual offense. The crowd is lapping this up with a spoon and they are just mad for the Hitman. Bret dropkicks Bravo to the outside and follows him out with the plancha. Between the plancha and the guardrail bump, Bret was pulling out some big spots for London. Suck up. smile.gif Bravo pulls him off the apron back onto the floor. Bravo looks gassed and Bret comes back in with a reverse sunset flip that is reversed with trunks to give Bravo the duke. Where I have seen that before? smile.gif
It is not a match, I wanna watch again. Dino really has no business going anywhere near 20 minutes, but if this was around 10 minutes this could have been a fun TV spotfest. Bret busted out some of his big guns and Dino was entertaining. It is nothing to go out of your way to see, but a fine match nonetheless.
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| She sure makes a BIG IMPRESSION~! |
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The Rockers vs Hart Foundation MSG 11/89
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
I think I talked by myself into liking this as my favorite Hart Foundation match. The Demolition match is close, but 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.
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Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart 2/90 Wrestle Challenge
The Anvil does the world's most clumsy job giving Bret's shades to a kid. I hope he was not the ring-bearer at anyone's wedding. They do some basic face vs face wrestling to prove they are equals. Bret busts out the sequence from their MSG match where Bret does a reverse atomic drop and hits a clothesline. Hey Bret misses an elbow too. Deja vu. Bret does his euro uppercuts into backslide sequence. Now they do Bret's backbreaker countered into a slam sequence. Bret is making Shawn look really good here, not a total knock on Shawn, but an observation. They fight over a vertical suplex in the ropes. Neither one wants to break. Shawn shoves Bret and Bret hits Shawn with a straight right. Marty gets on the apron and hits Bret with a straight right and it breaks down to a melee. It definitely presented an interesting angle on TV between two biggest face teams besides Demolition. At this point, the roster was way too babyface heavy and this shook things up.
The Rockers vs Hart Foundation SNME 4/90
They basically work the sprint version of their MSG match, which hurts the feel of the match a lot. They are literally doing the same spots as the ones from the MSG match. If I am calling out Marty doing a drop toehold that's pretty pathetic. I had seen this match before because it was on the Bret Hart DVD and I always really like it, but now seeing the "complete" match from MSG, this took a huge hit from me. Since they are trying to get all the spots in, the match loses that tension that was building in the MSG match. Instead, they are just transitioning between spots with no breathe. Bret's sliding knee no longer feels like the climax to a great opening act to the match, but rather just another move. Now if they constructed new spots and created a new match for their sprint then I would judge it on its merits. Instead, it is just the clipped down version of the MSG match. For example, Rockers/Busters matches for the most part seemed unique. Of course, the big change in this match and the MSG match is the appearance of Demolition. Bret gets distracted first and Shawn dropkicks Bret to the outside and Demolition acts like lumberjacks. Marty's hot tag is pretty much the same though Anvils misses his slingshot splash here instead of the heat segment. They do the Anvil tossing Shawn onto outside when he kicks out as the spot to lead to Demolition getting involved. They look to send Shawn back in, but Marty, ever the hot-head, punches Ax. The match breaks down into a melee.
Having seen the "full" version, this match seems like a let-down. As a sprint, it is fun because they cram a ridiculous amount of spots into the match, but less is more in this situation. I would put this firmly behind the Rockers/ Busters SNME sprint.
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Hart Foundation vs Powers of Pain - Wrestlefest '90
It is worth noting that the Hart Foundation are once again talking about winning the tag titles foreshadowing that Bret has returned solidly to the tag ranks.The short answer is no with a caveat. This would be a very good match if Warlord did not suck out loud. The Rockers made Warlord look good by making him take some bumps early and bumping huge for him. Bret actually makes him sell arm work. Yes it should be on Warlord for sucking, but Bret should recognize this and adapt. God if Barbie just had a different partner. The way Warlord just sat in those arm holds was just embarrassing to watch. Counter to this was Barbie/Anvil battle of the bulls and then Bret crawling through Barbie's legs to let Anvil clothesline him. This was some fun face shine, but gets bogged down once Warlord is in there. The transition was lame as it was Warlord just picking up Bret and giving him a backbreaker. Warlord wrung his arm at least. Barbie hit his wicked sweet headbutt and big boot to Bret. Watching all this Bret reminds me how great his selling is. For so long I was focused on how amazing his offense was for a North American wrestler. Bret hits a boot in the corner and the Anvil is hot. Fuji trips up Anvil and a melee ensues. Fuji hits Warlord with his cane and Anvil beats the count for the victory. POP try to get their heat back, but Bret apprehends the cane and goes to town.
Nothing worth going out of your way to see, but it is pretty decent. The second best Powers of Pain match I have seen, not that is high praise.
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WWF Tag Champs Demolition (Smash & Crush) vs Hart Foundation - Summerslam 1990 2 Out of 3 Falls
This ain't Eadie's Demolition as they are treated like any other heel tag team. There is none of that sense of struggle that Demolition usually imposes on its opponents. Instead of the Hart Foundation are having their way with the "Mighty" Demolition even Bret is able to manhandle both members of Demolition at once. It begins with some basic arm work on Smash, which Bret always make look good even when it is perfunctory. Crush catches Bret on a cross body attempt and Bret takes a blind boot to the head when running the ropes and I felt the heat segment coming, but instead he tags out to Anvil. Bret back in and a melee ensues with Bret coming out the better. Anvil gets wiped out on the outside, but Bret is in command with a Russian Legsweep, backbreaker, second rop elbow, but Crush breaks it up. They hit Demolition Decapitation to win the first fall. This first fall even though Demolition picked up victory made them feel like generic also-rans. Hart Foundation was definitely piloting the match and looking good.
Second fall does its job, but it is a bare minimum effort. Weak, weak heat segment on Bret. Bret clotheslines and struggles to tag in Anvil. Anvil running powerslam gets two and then Bret slingshots Anvil into Smash in the corner. Hart Attack, but Crush leaps on the ref to prevent the pinfall only to get DQ. Stupid finish to a lame fall. Ax hurries out in the intermission to hide under the ring.
Third fall was a little better as up until this point it had been a Hart Foundation squash. Crush wipes out Bret before the fall and Bret sells on the outside, but this does not last for long as Bret immediately is back on offense. Anvil shoulderblocks Smash and slams Bret on top for two. Smash and Ax switch. Finally the match picks up as Ax pulverizes Bret with his double ace handles. He gets a two off the Bret Bump and Crush executes a nice tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crush detains Anvil while they repeatedly double team Bret on the outside and they finally get some heat on this match. Road Warriors come out to a massive pop to break up Demolition Decapitation. Anvil does his slingshot shoulderblock on Crush while Bret tabletops him for the three and their second World Tag Team Championship.
This was a really lackluster affair that felt like more of a squash match for the Hart Foundation than a dramatic title bout. If they wrestled the match like the third fall and really made use of the three man advantage this could have been something a bit more. Instead, it seemed clear that Bret was set to be a big star and Demolition was on job duty for the LOD so the match really reflected their momentum on the pecking order at this time. Summerslam '88 is definitely the match to watch between the two biggest WWF Tag Teams of this era.
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The Rockers vs Hart Foundation - 2 Out of 3 Falls 10/90
I feel like I should watch this again because it was late at night and my brother watched it with me. Normally, I watch these matches by myself with undivided attention, but my brother, who I enjoy watching RAW with often has a lot of questions, which distracts me. Though he did point how dead the crowd was. I thought this match was overly long. Usually the SNME 2 out of 3 Falls match are like 10 minutes, which bothers me to end. So I was happy in that this match went a more appropriate length given the stipulation however I felt like they lost the story of the match after the rope break and just started throwing things out there, which made it feel long.
First good thing as this was not a carbon copy of the MSG, which makes sense as this is the direct continuation of their SNME match and it feels like the continuation. You have spots where the wrestlers are learning from each other. The Rockers double team Bret, but duck the Anvil's clothesline and hit a double superkick. Bret still gets them with a double noggin knocker and Anvil hits his double clothesline. I marked pretty hard for the Rockers' duck and at that point, I thought this match was going to be pretty great. Marty is then tentative to go toe to toe with Anvil. He knows that Anvil usually steam rolls him so he gets started then hooks the ropes. Rockers end up on top with a double dropkick. The Rockers are learning from their mistakes and the Hart Foundation is not adapting. Rockers really get the best of the Hart Foundation with their double team moves. They double Irish Whip Anvil into the ropes knocking Bret off the apron. A double bodyslam should set up the double fist drop, but Bret breaks it up. Anvil gets the Oklahoma Slam on Shawn and Shawn does the Flair Flip in the corner. Bret gets frustrated after a nice series of moves: backbreaker, Russian Leg Sweep and a piledriver. This allows Shawn to tag Marty and Marty sits down on a Bret sunset flip to get 3. The first fall was incredible. The Rockers looked smart. They learned from the previous encounter and kept the Hart Foundation off balance. Once, Bret got into a groove he thought he had the fall won and then the Rockers pulled it out and he was fuckin pissed, really well-done.
Bret is right on the attack as he is hot over the ending to the fall that he thought he had in hand. Bret and Marty really jockey for position on a suplex. They double team Bret again, but Anvil clears the ring with just his presence. Bret then sits in a front facelock, which my brother points out is boring. I have to agree. At some point, the top rope breaks by Marty. Bret gets wicked flustered slapping on a chinlock as you can see him trying to figure out what to do. Bret then takes the bump of the match as he takes his usual front-first bump into the turnbuckles, but only the bottom two and it looked sick. Marty's superkick gets two, but Bret hits a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Bret bodyslams Anvil on top, which brother thought was pretty cool. Hart Foundation hit Demolition Decapitation for 2 and Shawn breaks up a Rocket Launcher. Bret hits a belly to back suplex, which sets up the Hart Attack to pick up the fall. I think if they cut out the beginning of this fall and just had the Hart Foundation pour it on it would have been better. The rope breaking made some of the spots look very awkward.
Ring crew fixes the ropes.
Hart Foundation gets the sliding knee in here and Anvil hits a back body drop. Bret is pressing the advantage with European uppercuts, but no backslide by Marty. Instead, Bret cross bodies the ropes, a dangerous proposition given that the ropes had just broken. At this point, I thought they just started throwing things out there as they sort of take turns hitting spots. I think the idea of was to create drama with both teams trading blows and never knowing when the match would stop. I just thought this looked too choreographed and they did not transition well between spots. Bret matches usually have good logical progression and the first two falls show that, but not the final fall. The final sequence sees Anvil suplexing Bret onto Marty's knees. Yet, Anvil clears the ring and they look to hit Hart Attack Shawn interrupts and Marty gets the pin. It just seemed like a mess as you have the Rockers injuring Bret, but the Anvil reclaims control only for Shawn to intervene.
I just thought the match overstayed its welcome and plus the rope problems make this a disappointing match as the first fall started off so promising. Actually the first fall by itself would have been a classic match. The two additional falls dragged it down as they lost that fell that this match was a continuation instead they just started throwing things out there.
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By 1989, it was evident that WWF tag team bubble was on the verge of collapse with Demolition, Rockers and Hart Foundation all on the babyface side with no matching heels teams. Then with the LOD coming in it just became so lopsided that you had the Hart Foundation defending against Rhythm 'n" Blues (Greg Valentine & Honky Tonk Man) around the horn in the Fall & Winter '90. I wanted to see some of these matches, but I could not find anything complete, which is too bad as I am a big Hammer fan.
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WWF World Tag Team Champs Hart Foundation vs Legion of Doom - 3/12/91
I'm surprised this match even exists as these are the two biggest babyface tag teams in the WWF at the time. It was inevitable LOD were going to win the tag titles soon just as it was inevitable that Bret was going to rocket up the singles ladder. Thus you have one team on its ascent and the other headed to its disintegration because of that they didn't need to keep the Hart Foundation as strong and Bret was always willing to heel it up in these situations. Bret is such a great heel in face vs face matches. It is a really unique talent that he possesses. This match is the Hart Foundation's guile versus the unadulterated power of the Road Warriors and it was much better than I expected. The LOD really had their working boots on and Hart Foundation seemed game for this match.
The match begins with Animal and Anvil proving that they are even in power game with no man gaining an advantage. This is the typical start to face versus face matches to establish equality between the participants. Animal does manage to bowl the Anvil over with a shoulder block, but both Animal and Anvil tag out. Bret and Hawk is also even stevens as Bret escapes a military press and Hawk escapes Bret rollup attempt. When Bret gets dumped to outside he is more frustrated than hurt. Bret hits a swinging neckbreaker, but gets thrown off during a pinfall attempt. Bret pissed tags out to Anvil.
Bret buries a blind knee to Hawk's back and then stomps him in the gut on the outside. That is some really nice progression from the Hitman. If you can beat 'em, cheat 'em. Hawk does really well in this face in peril. He does not immediately sell like he is dead. Instead the life slowly drains from Hawk's disposition. In the beginning, Hwk is still trying to bury shoulders into the Hitman in the corner, but by the end of the segment he is on jelly legs, which is some really smart wrestling from Hawk. Whenever, Hawk gets testy they always apply a front facelock to keep him from Animal to contain the explosiveness of Hawk. Bret comes over and punches Animal. This is some of the best heel work from the Hart Foundation I have seen. HART ATTACK! Animal saves. Bret slingshotted into corner. Hawk Moves! Bret Bump! Hawk clotheslines Anvil and HOT TAG TO ANIMAL!
Animal fills his victims full of dread with shoulderblocks. They set up for Doomsday Device but thwarted by Anvil. Bret hits a backbreaker on Animal and slingshots Anvil onto him. They go for a Rocket Launcher attempt and Animal catches and pins Bret!?!?!??!?!? It is not so weird they would job out the champs given that they not only lose the titles soon and also disband, but it seems weird they would let the LOD pin them clean. It was not announced as non-title so I was really taken a back by the finish. They all shake hands after the match.
I liked that match a whole lot and thought everybody played their roles perfectly. That may have been the Hart Foundation's best heel tag team performance and it was when they were ostensibly babyfaces. The LOD looked great here and it is one of the better matches I had seen them in as Hawk really delivered an inspired performance as the FIP.
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WWF Tag Champs Hart Foundation vs Earthquake & Dino Bravo w/Jimmy Hart MSG 3/15/91
Just weeks before, the Hart Foundation's clash with Jimmy Hart's Nasty Boys, Jimmy Hart leads Earthquake and Dino Bravo to soften up the Hart Foundation. I always liked when there was intra-stable continuity as sometimes it just seemed liked all wrestlers had in common was their manager. It is cool to see them work together. Even though, I have become quite the mark for Dino Bravo, Earthquake really impressed me in this match as this was the first Tenta match I have ever seen. I could see how that Summerslam 1990 match with Hulk Hogan could be fun and I should watch sometime down the line.
The beginning starts with the usual, perfunctory heel in peril arm work on Bravo. Bravo seems awfully subdued and Hart Foundation dont use much in the way of speed to overcome him they just impose their will. Hart Foundation were working too much as a superteam at this point. Bravo is able to get a reverse atomic drop, but Quake misses an elbow. Bret whips Anvil into Quake in their corner. Melee ensues and Bret is caught by Earthquake and slammed hard into the post. This where the match picks up.
I would be remiss not to mention that at some point, Lord Alfred says the term "cock-a-hoop", which has me, Gorilla and the Brain saying "What!?!?!" sounds like a pretty bitchin' term once I looked it up. Good job Al! Speaking of the Brain, he gets spit on my Bravo when he misses the Anvil, but Brain still defends him now that's commitment. Quake throws his weight around while Bravo gets a piledriver for 2; Anvil saved. Quake slams/elbow is broken at 2 by Anvil. Earthquake stares a hole into the Anvil. Quake slam again gets broken up. Bravo hits the bearhug.
False hot tag leads to the heels double slamming Bret. Quake jumps around to simulate an earthquake, but Anvil bulldozes him over. The Hart Foundation execute a double slam and Anvil slams Bret into Dino for the victory.
I really like the heat segment in this match as the offense was entertaining and Bret is such a good face in peril. I liked that Earthquake stood his ground and made the Harts work for it rather than how they treated Bravo as their jobber. There was actually no comeback, which was different. Bret was not afraid to change pace at his own expense. In the Demolition match Anvil looked like the world-beater and here he was again saving Bret's ass. Bret was also a fan of not always using their finish to end matches, which gave his matches a sense of unpredictably. Nothing to go out of your way to see, but further proof that Hart Foundation had improved since their heel days. Still Bret is much better singles wrestler.
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WWF Tag Champs Hart Foundation vs Nasty Boys w/Jimmy Hart - Wrestlemania VII
I love the Nasty Boys gimmick as lunkhead, cartoon goons. They remind me of the goons in the Power Rangers in a good way. Wrestling needs more teams like the Nasty Boys. For all intents and purposes the Hart Foundation were done after this and this was pretty fitting way for them to go out in a pretty mediocre match. So much of the Hart Foundation run has either been overrated or just generic. Bret was such a better singles wrestler maybe because he tried harder or had better competition or just knew how to structure his matches better in that environment. The Hart Foundation was a real disappointment. The Nasty Boys are actually pretty good in this match in terms of bumping, but holy shit was their heat segment the shits.
The match starts with Bret firing off moves on the Nasties with Knobs bumping a lot better than I remember he could. Knobs goads the Anvil in and Anvil shoulderblocks everyone to a big pop. I know Neidhart had drug problems, but if they gave the New Foundation a bit of a better name and a better push they could have been pretty good. Bret does the 10-count punches in the corner, which I have never seen him do. Did the Nasties actually contribute a spot? Bret hits his Russian Leg Sweep into the second rope elbow gets a 2. Knobs cracks Bret in the back of the neck and Sags capitalizes with a backbreaker. Then in a heat segment that felt interminable the Nasties put Bret into a succession of reverse chinlocks. Knobs accidentally hits Saggs with the megaphone. Anvil is a house afire one last time. Sags is able to save Knobs on a powerslam. Jimmy Hart's hopes for tag team gold remain alive. Bret chases Sags and Sags collides with Knobs in a funny spot. They hit the Hart Attack on Knobs , but ref is busy detaining Bret and they hit Anvil with Jimmy's motorcycle helmet for the win. Jimmy Hart's celebration is one for the ages.
The Nasty Boys were perfect transitional champions for the Legion of Doom, which were heirs presumptive to being the babyface ace tag team fucking the Rockers over in the process. The match was pretty much by the numbers and having watched the Halloween Havoc '90 match with Nasties and Steiners you see how much the WWF style can handcuff you. The Hart Foundation had a solid, but uninspiring six year run and if Bret never made it big they would be mentioned like the Bulldogs a good little team.
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The Rockers vs Hart Foundation Tokyo Dome 3/91
See Rockers vs Hart Foundation MSG 11/89. They basically do the same match verbatim only performed worse and with a finish. The Dome is not feeling this match and there is pretty much zero heat for this. The Rockers looked stoned. Bret looks wicked sick and very pale. Neither team seems very into match and just do the same spots from the MSG 89 match with no passion. The only difference is Hart Foundation add some attacks to heel it up a bit more, but to no avail the whole match feels perfunctory. The finish is that Bret rolls through Shawn's cross body and is able to get the win this time. Ostensibly because Bret was more over in Japan than the Rockers since he has worked there. Watch the 11/89 MSG match.
A team underwhelmed me throughout their tenure goes out with a whimper.
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Re-reading all of this, I acknowledge this is a bit harsh. I stand by everything I say about the booking and how well-executed it is by McMahon. However, there was a lack of great work from the Hart Foundation. Part of it is due to the Hart Foundation basically being non-existent in 1989 and a lack of game opponents save for the Rockers in this era. I do not think this is a run that is a blight on Bret Hart's career, but a series of wasted years. When you are vying for greatest wrestler you can not afford wasted years. He is undeniably a great singles wrestler throughout this run and when they pulled the trigger he surely made the most of it. However, as a tag wrestler he leaves a lot to be desired.
Up next will either be Demolition vol. 2: Walking Disaster or The Best of The Dream Team: The Hammer Swings Down.
