WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart: His Greatest Hits (1993)

 

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart: His Greatest Hits (1993)

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover features... Bret Hart. Huh, avant-garde choice

Gene Okerlund hosts from the studio, so don't expect much in the way of fun segments outside of matches

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Bam Bam Bigelow: TV taping dark match from North Charleston South Carolina on March 8 1993. They size each other up to start, with Bigelow trying to scare him back with his size, but Hart able to outsmart him at every turn. Basic stuff here, but effective, and done well. Bigelow manages to nail him with a shoulderblock during a criss cross that sends the champion to the outside, and Bam Bam pounds him when Hart makes it back inside. Another criss cross goes better for Bret with a dropkick, so Bigelow tries rebounding with an elbowdrop before Hart can get back to a vertical base, but Bret dodges. Nice sequence there. Hart works the arm, so Bam Bam goes to the eyes. Press-slam, but Bret topples him for two, and he uses more speed to stick and move on the Beast from the East. Hart is working like a cruiserweight here. Jumping backelbow sends Bigelow to the outside, but a dive from the apron ends badly when Bam Bam catches him, and rams the champion into the post a couple of times. Hart beats the count (with Bigelow a little too relaxed about it), and Bam Bam greets him with a pounding. Bigelow works a bearhug to wear Bret down for a side suplex for two, and a corner whip crumbles the Hitman. Bigelow with an overhead backbreaker rack, but Bret manages to escape with a side suplex, and both men are left looking up at the lights. Bigelow recovers first and dives onto Bret with a headbutt drop, and a butterfly backbreakers sets up a flying headbutt drop, but Hart rolls out of the way. Bret makes a comeback, and the Russian legsweep gets two. 2^nd rope clothesline gets two, and a 2^nd rope bulldog sets up the Sharpshooter, but Bam Bam blocks. Bret tries a charge, but Bigelow grabs him in a bearhug to block, so Hart resorts to biting to facilitate his counter to a side suplex - only for Bigelow to topple for two this time. Cross corner whip works, but a charge gets blocked via boot, and Hart uses a victory roll at 13:46. Bret did a bunch of unique stuff here that I've only seen him do a handful of times (or even never before), and the match was generally good, but Bigelow's heat segment was pretty dull. ***

Bret Hart music video

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Bret Hart v Skinner: From SummerSlam Spectacular, aired August 23 1992 from Nashville Tennessee. Bret tries a quick rollup, but Skinner hits the deck to dodge him, and Hart flies to the floor. Skinner follows out with an axehandle off of the apron, and hits Hart in the throat with his Gator Glove. Inside, Skinner continues to choke him with it, but the referee catches him, so he reverts to biting. Rope-assisted abdominal stretch, and more choking, but Bret throws a sunset flip for two. Skinner responds with a well executed shoulderbreaker, but gets decked off of a flying axehandle attempt, and caught with the Russian legsweep. Backbreaker gets two, but a blind charge misses, so Skinner tries to blow him low, only to have Hart tie him up on the mat (he already had a chick in the front row scheduled to blow him low, and didn’t want to have to shower first), and roll into the Sharpshooter at 6:16. This was well paced, and Hart looked good, but nothing extraordinary here. ½*

Okerlund explains the concept of a Ladder match, back when that was something unique

WWF Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Bret Hart v Shawn Michaels: From Portland Maine on July 21 1992, as a dark match during a TV taping. This is historically significant for being the first Ladder match run in the WWF, and was originally supposed to a part of SummerSlam '92, before the show got moved from Washington DC to London. Feeling out process to start, with Shawn trying to be slick, but eating a pair of clotheslines and a backdrop early on. Cross corner whip and an uppercut are both nicely sold, but Michaels clips the knee when Hart tries to head out for the ladder. Shawn hammers him for a bit before dragging the ladder down the aisle, but Bret punches him at ringside before he can bring it in. Hart whips him into the post, and takes the challenger in for a headbutt to setup a pointed elbowdrop. Bret retrieves the ladder, but Sherri gets involved, allowing Shawn to steal it away. He starts to climb, but Hart pulls him off in time. Bret climbs, so Shawn swipes at the leg again, and the Hitman falls off. Michaels drives the ladder into Hart's midsection a few times, then cross corner whips him into it, but Hart hooks the ankle to prevent a climb. Shawn stomps him and ascends, but Bret tips the ladder over to cut that off, and it falls on top of HBK in the process! Bret climbs, but Shawn bashes his head into the upper rungs to knock him off, and then rams his skull into it a few more times in the corner for good measure. Michaels with a corner whip, but a charge hits boot, and Bret nails him with a 2nd rope flying clothesline. Hart keeps coming with a catapult into the ladder, and a backbreaker follows. The Hitman climbs, but Shawn is able to drag him down, and we have a double knockout spot. Both guys end up climbing, but an altercation at the top of the ladder results in it tipping over. Slugfest ends in Sherri tripping the champion on the ropes, allowing Shawn to throw a superkick, and hit the Teardrop Suplex! That's enough to allow him to climb, and he quite nearly gets the belt when Bret dropkicks the ladder - knocking Michaels off, and out of the ring! With Shawn down on the floor, Bret is able to climb, and retain at 13:46. Good enough for the time period, though it doesn't really hold up at all today. Hell, when I saw it for the first time in 1994 (after I had already seen WrestleMania X), it felt like it didn't hold up. But then, this was essentially a dark match tacked on at a TV taping - I'd bet they'd have kicked this up a notch had they done it on pay per view as originally envisioned. Still interesting as a historical oddity, though. ** ½

Bret Hart v Blake Beverly: From Prime Time Wrestling on October 12 1992 (taped September 22) in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Beverly works a headlock to start, and he uses a handful of hair to take Hart down for a chinlock when Bret starts to wrestle free. Bret escapes that, and a criss cross results in Hart blocking a rollup, and using a Thesz-press cradle for two. Blake cuts him off with another headlock, but Bret starts countering to an overhead wristlock, so Beverly tries another cheap shot. Hart fights him off this time, however, and a monkeyflip leads to a chinlock. Cue interference from the Genius to turn the tide, but the referee catches him, and he's ejected. Damage is done, however, and Beverly works a front-facelock. Blake with a backbreaker to set up a headbutt drop to the lower back for two, and he works a bearhug. Hart escapes and tries a bodypress, but Blake catches him in a powerslam for two, and he pounds Bret into the corner. Cross corner whip rattles the Hitman, and Blake adds a side suplex for two. Back to the bearhug, but a corner splash misses, and both guys collide during a criss cross for a double knockout. Blake is up slightly ahead, but Bret reverses him into the ropes, and hits a facebuster. Hart with a backdrop and a clothesline (energetically sold by Beverly), and the Russian legsweep gets two. Backbreaker sets up a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop, and it's Sharpshooter time! Beau Beverly shows up to distract the referee as Bret locks it in, and Hart goes after him, allowing Blake a cheap shot for the pin at 9:20. Yeah, I'm totally expecting a reversed decision here. And before I can even finish typing that, Sgt. Slaughter shows up to reverse the decision. Though, really, that isn't even fair. Beau was a distraction, but Bret didn't have to acknowledge him, and Blake didn't really do anything wrong. Also, why bother? I mean, they could just book Bret freakin' Hart to go over Blake Beverly clean? Pretty low gear stuff, but competent. *

Bret Hart v Lex Luger: TV taping dark match from Halifax Nova Scotia Canada on May 24 1993, and Bret's got the WrestleMania IX outfit on tonight. I was always disappointed that we never got a proper feud between these two, after they teased it on TV. Luger stalls on the outside before the match, so Bret chases him in, and unloads. I'm not sure I get booking Luger as a cowardly heel at this point, but okay. Bret takes him down and works the arm, and he uses a bodypress for two. Back to the arm for a while until Lex pops him with an elbow during a rope break, and Luger adds a turnbuckle smash as he takes control. Lex dumps him to the outside for some abuse, but Bret reverses a smash into the guardrail, and he hammers Luger all around ringside. Back in, Luger is begging off, but Bret shows no mercy, pounding him into the corner. Lex goes to the eyes to buy time, and that allows him to crumple Hart with a few cross corner whips. Lex with a backbreaker to set up an elbowdrop for two, and a backelbow connects, sets up a pointed elbowdrop for two. Lex argues the count, allowing Hart a schoolboy for two, and Luger keeps arguing even after the kickout! Ha! That allows Bret to start making a comeback, but Lex kicks him down low to cut that off early, and he works a chinlock. They need to get to the point with this one already. The referee seems amused with Luger's trash talking of the crowd, at least. Luger with a clothesline for two, but Hart counters a backdrop with a sunset flip for two, so Lex tries a vertical suplex to keep control, but Bret reverses! Hitman with a sleeper, but Luger quickly fights him off in the corner, so Bret tries a rollup, but Luger blocks. He gets cocky, allowing Bret to pull out an inverted atomic drop, followed by a clothesline for two. Russian legsweep gets two, and a small package is worth two. Backbreaker sets up the 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, and now it's Bret's turn to foolishly argue the count. That allows Lex to recover, and they collide for a double knockout spot. Lex tries a big right as they get vertical, but Hart counters with a rollup for two. Lex tries a rollup, but Hart blocks, and slaps on the Sharpshooter. That draws Razor Ramon in to attack, and it's a DQ win for Bret at 16:12. Razor? I didn't even realize they were still feuding at this point, and he was never aligned with Luger on TV (though they did do a bunch of house show tag matches with Luger and Ramon against Hart and Mr. Perfect before WrestleMania). Afterwards, Razor holds Bret for Lex to hit with the loaded forearm, but he ends up nailing Ramon instead. That leads to a brawl between them, and the crowd is very supportive of Razor here, as he teases a face turn. Pretty dull stuff, with Luger working the gimmick more than the match, and Bret not trying especially hard to engage him. ½*

Gene clarifies that Canada is Bret's own home country, and we get clips of his first WWF Title win over Ric Flair in Saskatoon

WWF Title Match: Ric Flair v Bret Hart: From a WWF TV taping in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on October 12 1992. Joined in progress with Bret trying a figure four, but Flair is quick to block. Headlock, but Hart escapes with his own kneebreaker, and he drops a series of elbows to the leg to setup a leglock. Having suitably worn Ric down, Bret shifts to the figure four, and he gets it on this time! Ric gets the ropes, so Bret drags him away and tries another elbowdrop to the knee, but this time Flair dodges. Nice timing on that exchange. Hiptoss, but Bret counters to a backslide for two, so Flair throws a closed fist to try and cut him off, but Bret gets a sleeper on anyway! Flair escapes with a side suplex, and he hooks an inside cradle for two. Butterfly suplex gets two, and a kneedrop connects, but it aggravates the champion's leg as well. Corner whip sets up a chop for two, with Ric holding on for multiple pin attempts. He argues the count, allowing Bret to schoolboy him for two, but Ric cuts him off again with a kneebreaker into his own Figure Four! Bret manages to reverse, but Ric is in the ropes right away, and that's a break. Flair keeps hammering the leg, and he goes back to the Figure Four, but this time Hart counters with a small package for two! That leads to a slugfest in the corner, and Bret is able to control with a cross corner whip, but he hits boot on the follow-up charge. Flair goes to the top rope, but Hart manages to recover to slam him off, and another cross corner whip sets up another backdrop. Hart adds a pointed elbowdrop for two, and a Russian legsweep is worth two. Backbreaker sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, and a nice vertical suplex is worth two, leaving Flair begging off! He suckers Hart into the corner for some chops, but Bret pulls down the straps, and starts slugging at the champion! He muscles Flair up to the top for a vertical superplex, which rattles the Nature Boy enough for Hart to apply the Sharpshooter for the title at 26:29! I can totally see why both guys would be disappointed with this one. It's certainly not 'bad,' but well below what you would expect. And given the participants, and given the time period, and the length of time they were given, anything less than, like, four-and-one-half-stars, would be considered a disappointment. It's a weird kind of match, where it's not quite a 'Flair match,' and not quite a 'Hart match,' but some weird hybrid that seemed to take the weak points of both of their 'standard' match styles, and magnify them. It was more of a Flair match than a Hart one, however, which is another issue, as Bret doesn’t really plug into that formula very well. ***

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Fatu: From Monday Night RAW, March 1 1993 in New York City. Hart is cautious tying up, and tries a standing side-headlock, but gets whipped into the ropes, and slammed. He manages to catch Fatu with an armdrag into an armbar as he tries to follow-up, and holds onto it through another bodyslam attempt. Facebuster, but Fatu's Samoan, and pops up with a savate kick for two. Come on, Bret! You should know better. Short-clothesline for two, and Fatu slaps on a nervehold. Criss cross ends in Hart hitting a bodypress for two, but the kickout leaves him on the floor, where Samu slams him. He adds a falling headbutt and a shot into the steps for good measure, and Fatu drags him back in for a headbutt of his own. Cross corner whip and a backbreaker get two, and a pair of falling headbutts is worth two. Piledriver for two, and another cross corner whip gets two. Sidewalk slam and a 2^nd rope headbutt for two, so Fatu goes to the top for a flying splash, but Hart crotches him on the top turnbuckle, and superplexes him down for two. Bret with a bulldog for two, and a backbreaker sets up the 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Sharpshooter, but Afa pops up onto the apron to distract the referee, and Samu breaks it up with a lariat. He switches places with Fatu and covers Hart for two, then switches back to let the legal man finish. Fatu goes for the kill, but a heel miscommunication leaves Samu tied in the ropes, and Bret finishes Fatu with the Sharpshooter at 15:06. Better than I expected. Bret guided him through a nice match for Fatu (and sold well for him), and it was given enough time to properly develop. **

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Yokozuna: TV taping dark match from Beaumont Texas on January 4 1993. The announcers get into a funny conversation, with Bobby Heenan rightly pointing out that Bret can't slam Yoko, can't use the Sharpshooter on him, and has to worry about Mr. Fuji on the outside too, leading to Randy Savage responding that Bret isn't thinking about any of those things because he's got a positive attitude. Yokozuna chucks Bret out of the ring during the initial lockup, leaving Bret regrouping on the outside. Back in, Yokozuna blasts him with a headbutt, and a bodyslam sets up a legdrop. Yokozuna pounds away, but ends up missing an avalanche, and Bret unloads with rights. Series of clotheslines only stagger the big guy, so Bret dives off the middle with a bulldog, and then adds a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Bret goes back to the middle for another dive, but this time Fuji whacks him with the flagpole before he can leap, and that's a DQ at a brisk 5:01. Nothing about this screamed 'WrestleMania main event,' so of course, it headlined the next two. ¼*

Gene signs off by reading Bret's resume

BUExperience: Nothing groundbreaking here, but I enjoyed this one.

A good addition to your Coliseum Collection.