Goody Bag XIX: Young at Hart

 

Pegasus Kid v Owen Hart: From NJPW Sumo Hall Show in Tokyo Japan on June 26 1990. Kid attacks during the instructions, and hits a quick side suplex, then brutally press-slams Owen over the top to the floor! Nasty! Pegasus follows out for a snap suplex on the floor, but a suplex back into the ring is blocked, so Kid delivers a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two instead. He tosses Owen back to the floor, but Hart beats the count, so Kid gutwrench suplexes him. Superplex, but Hart is able to block, and he flies off the top with a dropkick. Standing dropkick sends Pegasus to the outside, and Hart is after him with a tope, then a whip into the rail. Inside, Owen delivers a backbreaker for two, and he slaps on a Boston crab, but Kid gets the ropes. Hart punishes him with an abdominal stretch, but Kid counters to a wristlock, but Owen escapes with a slingshot hiptoss, then adds a rana for two. They trade holds on the mat for a bit, and Owen gets the better of a criss cross with a gutwrench suplex for two. Pegasus fires back with a knife edge chop for two, and he grounds Owen in a headscissors. Hart is able to counter to an STF, and a nice overhead belly-to-belly suplex gets two. Chinlock, but Pegasus brutally side suplexes his way out, and he knocks Owen out of the ring with a dropkick to setup a plancha! Back in, Owen wins a criss cross with a leg-feed enzuigiri for two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying moonsault for two. Gutwrench suplex sets up another moonsault, but this time Kid crotches him on the top turnbuckle, and brings him down with a side superplex at 12:10. A few noticeable errors, but some wild high spots for 1990. *** ¼

Lex Luger v Owen Hart: From WWF Mania, June 26 1993 (taped June 14) from Columbus Ohio. This is pretty much the last days on Luger's heel run as the Narcissist here. Feeling out process to start, with Owen controlling a reversal sequence. He frustrates Luger into charging, but is ready with a drop-toehold down into an armbar, which he hangs onto for a while. Lex gets the ropes to escape, so Owen tries a sleeper, but Luger falls into the corner to escape. Corner whip hits, but a charge doesn't, and Owen bulldogs him for two. Backdrop and a spinheel kick setup a flying bodypress for two, and a standing dropkick follows. Owen keeps hammering in the corner, but Luger exposes his loaded forearm, and blasts Hart with it for the pin at 4:39. Nothing to write mama about. ¾*

Jerry Lawler v Owen Hart: From WWF Wrestling Challenge, July 25 1993 (taped July 7) in Salisbury Maryland. They exchange verbal jabs to start, and Lawler stalls on the outside after Owen gets the crowd to chant 'Burger King' at him. Owen destroys him once Jerry finally steps in, and the King keeps stalling at every turn - using every old trick in the Memphis playbook. Slugfest goes Owen's way, and a standing dropkick sends Jerry hiding behind the official. Lawler pulls an object out of his tights to take control, and some kid in the front row is losing his shit trying to get the referee to search him! That's awesome! Jerry with a fistdrop, but he telegraphs and backdrop, and Owen blocks. Spinheel kick and a backdrop setup a missile dropkick for two, but a cross corner charge misses, and Jerry hits the Piledriver at 6:33. ½*

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Owen Hart: From WWF All American Wrestling on August 8 1993 (taped July 25) in Alexandria Bay New York. Feeling out process to start, with Owen dominating. I covered the RAW tapings that this match came from a while back, and man, this is still easily the shittiest building the WWF ever ran. Shawn is looking pudgy as fuck here. Shawn gets sent to the outside after trying to reverse a hammerlock, and Owen follows - only to get distracted by Diesel, and nailed. Shawn rolls him back in for a flying axehandle, then adds a backbreaker for two. Snapmare sets up a chinlock, but Owen fights free, and backslides the champion for two. Shawn slugs him down to try and prevent a comeback, and he grounds the Rocket in another chinlock. Owen escapes, so Shawn cross corner whips him, but a charge hits boot, and Hart bulldogs Michaels for two. Overhead belly-to-belly suplex gets two, and a spinheel kick follows - only to have Diesel trip him up as he bounces off the ropes for the DQ at 7:15. They'd have far better matches later on. *

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Razor Ramon v Owen Hart: From the Stu Hart 50^th Anniversary Show on December 15 1995 up in Calgary. Owen tries a bodypress right away, but gets caught in a fallaway slam, and Ramon clotheslines his ass over the top. Owen stalls out there for a bit, and back in, Ramon works an armbar. Hart escapes and hits a missile dropkick to turn the tide, and a straddling ropechoke follows. Owen unloads in the corner, and a cross corner whip ends up snapping the top rope off! Razor just learned the hard way that you can't bump around in an indy ring like you can in the bigs. Hart, like a true pro, dumps Ramon to the outside to brawl while the ring guys fix the problem. That's so much better than how his brother handled that problem in 1990. With the ropes fixed, Owen brings it in for a leg-feed enzuigiri, and a spinheel kick for two. Razor wins a slugfest to allow him a side superplex, but 1-2-3 Kid comes out to prevent the Razor's Edge! Really? A run in on a crossover show? Ramon kicks his ass and goes back to the Edge, but Owen backdrops him over the top, and scores the pin at 6:10! That's quickly overturned, so Hart takes his frustrations out by stomping the crap out of the champion. Vertical suplex, but Ramon counters with an inside cradle to retain at 7:10. This looked to be pretty heavily clipped so I'll forgo an official rating, but it was okay. Plus, it’s always fun to see WWF guys work non-WWF shows.