WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart (1994)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart (1994)

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover of the tape features Bret holding the WWF Title belt, while the back promises to highlight the all-time best matches of his championship career... while also prominently featuring Kwang. Talk about mixed messages!

Gorilla Monsoon and Johnny Polo host from the studio. And, as I always do when we're treated to this pair, I'll take the time to note that they were a very underrated team. No Monsoon/Heenan or Monsoon/Ventura, but still really entertaining

Bret Hart v Jerry Lawler: TV taping dark match from Portland Maine on September 29 1993. Bret drags a stalling Lawler in by the hair to jump start the match, but a headbutt sends the King right back to the outside for more stalling. And lots of Burger King jokes from the announcers, of course. Back in, Lawler tries to corner the Hitman, but that ends badly for him when Bret turns the tables, and Jerry ends up on the outside again. Bret keeps dominating as Jerry climbs back in, so the King pulls a foreign objects out of his tights, and takes control with a loaded fist. Jerry with a fistdrop and a ropechoke, before using a series of jabs to put Bret in the corner for some abuse. It's really hard to give Lawler's heat segment much play-by-play, because it's literally all punch-kick stuff. He hasn't even broken a sweat! Piledriver hits, but he takes too long covering, and it only gets two. Undeterred, Jerry decides to hit him with another one, but Bret counters this one with a backdrop, and starts making a comeback. The referee gets bumped in the process, allowing Lawler to whack Bret with the crown, and he hooks a leveraged cradle at 8:22. A triumphant Lawler struts up the aisle, but another referee shows up to alert the first about what happened, and he orders the match to restart. Lawler protests (as well he should - the decision is supposed to be final), so Bret drags him back, and uses an inverted atomic drop. Russian legsweep and a vertical suplex set up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, so Bret adds a backdrop and a legdrop for two, before finishing with a simple small package at 10:05. Afterwards, Bret keeps destroying Lawler, but the officials save the King a spell in the Sharpshooter. As usual with these two together, the wrestling was nothing, but the match was fun because the characters are fun, and the way they interact is fun. ¾*

Bret Hart v Shawn Michaels: TV taping dark match from Florence South Carolina on January 11 1994. Shawn is carting around that bogus Intercontinental title belt here, though he is not recognized as the champion at this point. He still hasn't switched to the hearts on his tights yet either, though thankfully it would happen not long after this. Bret dominates the criss crosses in the early going, and works the arm. He tries a sleeper, but Shawn drops into the corner to escape, and Michaels manages to turn the tide by bootchoking the Hitman. Shawn with a cross corner whip ahead of a chinlock, but Bret slugs free. Shawn tries a dropkick, but Hart catches him with a catapult into the corner, and the Hitman adds an inverted atomic drop. Clothesline gets two, and a Russian legsweep is worth two. Backbreaker sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, so Shawn tries a powerslam, but Bret slips free. He tries a rollup, but Michaels manages to dump him to the outside to block - where Diesel is waiting with a trip into the post! He rolls Bret back in for Michaels to finish, and he sets up a piledriver, but Owen Hart runs in to save his brother before Michaels can execute it, and that's a DQ at 7:43! Nothing special, but predictably solid. * ½

Back in the studio, Polo thinks perhaps he should manage Bret, since he could really maximize this kid's potential. But then Gorilla reminds him that Bret's already pretty much won everything there is to win in the WWF, so why would he need Polo? He should have tried pitching Hulk Hogan instead. His ass never won the IC and Tag titles, or King of the Ring. That's probably why he hired Jimmy Hart. And speaking of everything Bret's done, let's take a look back at some of his past achievements, like beating Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam '91, beating Shawn Michaels in the first WWF ladder match in 1992, and winning his first WWF Title from Ric Flair. That video makes Johnny a little jealous, and he's especially jealous of the cool 'Excellence of Execution' nickname that Gorilla gave Bret, and wants Gorilla to give him one of his own. Polo as the pesky kid to Monsoon's world weary grandfather is a great dynamic

Bret Hart v Irwin R. Schyster: TV taping dark match from White Plains New York on February 1 1994. Bret's got the badass splatter tights on here. It's a shame he didn't really use those outside of 1994. I always liked the way his gear evolved, and had very distinct periods, but without ever really changing too much. 1993-1994 was probably his best stuff, and the worst would be the oversized skull/heart look that he debuted in '97, and hung on to through his WCW run. Lots of stalling from IRS in the early going. Bret dominates on the mat between bouts of stalling, so Schyster pulls a weapon out of his sock. Bret sees it, so IRS switches it to his pocket, and then there's nothing there when Hart sends the ref to check the boot. IRS keeps moving the weapon around to avoid getting busted during the pat downs, before finally managing to blast Hart with it to take control. He bashes Bret's leg into the post a few times ahead of working the part, but Hart fights him off in the corner, and uses a Russian legsweep for two. Small package gets two, and a backbreaker sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Love how Bret sells the knee on the landing, and how it delays his pin attempt. Schyster swipes at the knee to derail the comeback, and he dumps the Hitman to the outside to try for a countout, and here comes Owen Hart, fresh off of his heel turn at the Royal Rumble. He 'helps' Bret back in, but ends up colliding with him on the apron, and Hart reverses a rollup from Irwin at 13:15. Both guys are good enough that they can be engaging even when phoning it in, and this was about that. ¾*

Gorilla and Johnny discuss training methods for Bret against a guy like Yokozuna, which Johnny thinks starts and ends with him taking 20% of the purse. This leads to Bret cutting a promo in the dressing room about how difficult an opponent Yokozuna is, which was actually really great. I like how Bret just talks to you, as opposed to shouting insanity like Hogan or Warrior or Savage. Not that those guys weren't great in their own ways, but Bret's 'everyman' style was relatable, and a nice change after years of over the top stuff

Bret Hart v Adam Bomb: TV taping dark match from Grand Rapids Michigan on August 31 1993. And here's Polo managing Hart's opponent, so I guess that 20% deal didn't work out. Bret's way of sizing Bomb up as they square off is pure genius. Just the little facial expressions and such. It's so small that you might not even notice it, but it adds so much if you do. Bomb knocks him around in the early going, so Bret uses Adam's own momentum against him into a hiptoss, and a clothesline sends him over the top. Bomb drags him out after him, but hits the post while trying to use it against Bret, and the Hitman capitalizes by working on the hand as they head back inside. Bomb fights him off with a powerslam, and a cross corner whip causes Hart to crumble up like an old accordion. Bomb reacts by giving him another one, and a ropechoke puts Bret on his back for two. Hart fights back with a sunset flip for two, but Bomb cuts him off right away, and hits a sidewalk slam for two. Chinlock, as Gorilla excitedly asks Stan Lane how much Bomb weighs on commentary, and marvels at the response. And here he got pissed off at Art Donovan. Hypocrite. Bomb with another corner whip, but Bret lifts his boot on the charge, and dives with a 2^nd rope flying bulldog for two. Inverted atomic drop and a hangman's clothesline get two, and a Russian legsweep is worth two. 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop misses, allowing Adam to choke him a bit, and he goes up for the flying clothesline, but takes too long getting there, and Hart slams him off. Sharpshooter, and Bomb is defused at 11:36. * (Original rating: ½*)

Back at the studio, Gorilla tells Johnny that Bret's doesn't wait for the championship committee to get him opponents, he just takes on all comers, no matter who or when. "You know what kind of champion that is?" Monsoon asks. "Dumb," responds Polo

Bret Hart v Kwang: TV taping dark match from Springfield Massachusetts on February 2 1994. I'm guessing this was very early in the taping, because it looks like they hadn't quite found the right lighting level yet, and it looks more like a house show. They feel each other out to start, with Bret pretty easily dominating on the mat. Yeah, well, I'd hope so. If he can't easily dominate the likes of Kwang, how are we supposed to buy him as a world title contender? Kwang forces a criss cross to escape an armbar, but Hart uses a bodypress for two, and armdrags him right back down into the hold. Kwang goes to the eyes to escape, and another criss cross goes better for him with a spinkick for two. Chop to the throat gets two, so Kwang works a nervehold. Ah, now I see the point of facing Kwang. Prep for Yokozuna. Kwang goes for a bodyslam, so Bret counters with a small package, but Harvey Wippleman is distracting the referee, and delays the count. Hard to believe Harvey was still in his twenties at this point. He looks much older. Back to the nervehold for a while, as the announcers again talk about how big a guy is. Poor Art was probably an avid Coliseum Video watcher, and was just trying to fit in, you damn bullies! Kwang with a cross corner whip and a superkick, but Bret stops short to dodge a spinheel kick, and it's comeback time. Russian legsweep gets two, and the 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop sets up the Sharpshooter at 7:57. You can tell this one was nothing just by how Bret didn't even bother covering between every move during the comeback. ¼*

Next, Bret shows us how the WWF scales a building to make it look more full than it is. Okay, that wasn’t the POINT of the segment, but that’s exactly what it does. This would have been hilarious if the fans in the building noticed him, and everyone suddenly swarmed, ignoring the action in the ring

We take a look back at Bret's three wins at King of the Ring '93, followed by the Lawler angle afterwards. Shouldn't this have aired before the Lawler match?

Cage Match: Bret Hart v Shawn Michaels: TV taping dark match from Utica New York on December 1 1993. I'm honestly surprised they bothered with a cage for a dark match (even one taped for Coliseum Video) during this era, when they actually had to set it up and take it down piece by piece. Shawn attacks while Bret is climbing into the cage, and goes to work. The WWF had so many banners during this era. Visible in this match alone are two with the company logo, a Coliseum Video one, a Superstars one, and an ICOPRO one. I miss the banners over the ring, and honestly don't understand why they did away with them. Shawn works him over, but misses a dropkick, allowing Bret a catapult into the corner. Hart with a backbreaker before he makes the first climb attempt of the match, but Shawn pulls him back over, and bashes him into the cage. Slugfest starts going Bret's way, so Shawn dumps him into the cage again, and crawls for the door, but Bret manages to hook the ankle to block. Hart goes for the door next, but Shawn saves, and they take turns making dives for the door until Shawn snaps Bret's throat under the bottom rope with a catapult. Michaels tosses him into the steel and climbs, making it over the top before Bret is able to grab two handfuls of hair to force him back over. They fight it out on the top rope, with Hart getting the better of it, but Shawn able to stop him from climbing over by dropping him crotch-first across the top rope in violent fashion. The crowd is surprisingly unperturbed by such a dramatic bump. Shawn crawls for the door, but Bret cuts him off, so Michaels throws a Superkick at him. He climbs, but Bret meets him at the top rope, and knocks him down with big kick. Hart climbs, but Shawn impressively leaps up to the top of the cage to pull him back over by the hair from the mat. Quite the vertical leap there. HBK tries a sleeper to put the Hitman out, but Bret manages to drop him into the cage before he loses consciousness. Hart climbs, but Shawn is hot on his tail, and they have a slugfest at the top of the cage. Michaels makes it over first, but Bret bashes his face into the steel, leaving Shawn hanging upside-down on the outside! That allows Hart to jump down, and we have a winner at 11:37. This one isn't really worth much on its own, but it is interesting as it's basically a template for the more famous Hart/Hart cage match from SummerSlam the following year, right down to the exact same finish. *

WWF Title Match: Yokozuna v Bret Hart: From WrestleMania X, and man, this made it onto almost as many compilations as the damn ladder match, didn't it? And you know there was no way they're doing a tape for the German audience without this one. Roddy Piper is the special guest referee for this, with Burt Reynolds as the guest ring announcer, and Jeanie Garth as the guest timekeeper. What do you think the likelihood of Burt and Mark Wahlberg discussing this show on the set of Boogie Nights is? 'Hey, yeah kid, I met your brother this one time at this wrestling thing in New York.' Bret is still limping from the opener, but Yoko doesn't show any mercy, attacking before the bell. He hammers the Hitman, and a bodyslam connects, but Bret brings the fight to the monster with right hands. Dropkick connects, but a second one doesn't, and Yoko stomps his challenger. Headbutt sets up a splash, but Hart rolls out of the way, and starts throwing rights to try and rattle the champion. Headbutt of his own manages to knock the big man off of his feet, but it knocks Hart down as well, and Bret doesn't have a follow-up. Criss cross sees Bret launch another attack with right hands, and this time manages to actually put him down for two - Cornette pulling referee Piper out to stop the count! Off of some punches? Roddy isn't some tame normal official, however, and he knocks Cornette out, but the save has allowed Yokozuna to recover, and he chokes the Hitman on the mat. Legdrop hits, and Yoko tosses Hart over the top to the outside to try for the countout. Piper is kinda fast on his count, but Hart still beats it inside, so Yokozuna goes for the kill with an avalanche - only to miss! That allows Hart to dive with a 2nd rope flying bulldog, but it only gets two. 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop gets two, and a hangman's clothesline is worth two. 2nd rope flying clothesline, but Yokozuna catches him in a belly-to-belly suplex, and it's time for the Banzi Drop! He drags Hart into the corner to finish off, but ends up slipping off the ropes, and Bret dives on top for the pin at 10:33! Not either mans finest hour from a workrate perspective, but Bret had already given us enough on that front tonight anyway. Overall, it all totally works though, and the victory celebration after the bell still remains one of my all time favorite moments in wrestling history. ½*

We get some final thoughts from Bret, who talks about the match against Davey Boy Smith, and how it may be his greatest ever, even though he lost. I'm, like, the only one who wasn't blown away by that one. Though, I can see why Bret would really love it, considering what he personally had to put in to carry Bulldog to something that night. It was certainly an impressive performance, no doubt

Back at the studio, Gorilla and Johnny wrap up

BUExperience: There’s really not much here in terms of wrestling, and other than the banter between Monsoon and Polo, there’s not much in the way of entertaining skits or segments either. Pretty much a waste of time, which is a shame, because this one should have been a slam dunk.

Not a good addition to your Coliseum Collection.