Goody Bag 78: Total Eclipse of Bret Hart

 

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Ric Flair: From a live event in Oakland California on October 25 1991, in their second ever match. Flair has got the NWA World title belt with him here, and the crowd is amped up for this one. Posturing to start, with Flair playing mind games. Flair gets a standing side-headlock on, but Hogan forces a criss cross, and blasts him with a shoulderblock. Hulk with a standing headlock, so Flair forces a criss cross, but Hogan counters a hiptoss attempt with a short-clothesline, and Ric bails. Ric manages a cheap shot on the way back in, and he takes Hogan into the corner to unload on. A chop sends Hulk to the outside, and Flair catches him with a knife-edge on the way back in, but Hogan no-sells. Hulk with a pair of clotheslines, and a cross corner whip flips Flair to the apron, where Hulk meets him with a clothesline that puts Ric on the outside. Ric teases walking out, but Hulk drags him back in, only to get clobbered after surrendering the high ground. Flair goes upstairs, but Hulk slams him off the top, so Flair throws more chops. Cross corner whip, but Hulk dodges the charge in, and uses a pair of elbowdrops ahead of a bootrake. Hulk with a series of right hands, so Bobby Heenan distracts him, and Flair sneaks up with a high knee. Ric puts the boots to the champion, and a chokehold follows. Flair starts targeting the knee, and he works the Hulkster’s leg for a bit. Flair uses a kneedrop to knock Hogan loopy, but Hulk still blocks the figure four, so Flair keeps hammering the leg. He tries for the hold again, but Hulk blocks again. Ric keeps pounding, but a third attempt is blocked a third time. Flair responds with a side suplex for two, but inadvertently triggers the HULK UP!! Shoulderblock! Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Bodyslam! Legdrop! But Heenan puts Ric in the ropes at two! Bobby passes the Nature Boy a weapon as Hulk argues with the referee, and Ric pops the champion with it to win the title at 11:37! We get the awesome image of Ric celebrating with both belts before another official comes out, and reverses the decision. This was, like most of their matches together, fun stuff. **

Ric Flair and Sid Justice v Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan: TV taping dark match from Mobile Alabama on March 9 1992. Flair and Piper start, and they posture to start. Flair gives him a clean break in the corner, so Piper pops him with a right hand in response. Flair uses chops in the corner, but Roddy returns fire, and wins a slugfest. A cross corner whip rebonds Ric into a backdrop, and Piper adds a kneelift. Into the corner for a ten-punch count, and another cross corner whip flips Flair onto the apron, where Hulk is waiting with a big boot. Hulk rolls him back in, and Roddy gives him a tag, but Flair runs off to tag Sid. Sid throws a knee and hammers Hulk with forearms, before dropping him with a bodyslam. Sid with a really weak axehandle (so loose you could see it didn’t even make contact from the wide angle), and he chokes Hogan in the corner. Turnbuckle smash, but Hulk reverses, and adds a second, before unloading. Hogan uses a cross corner clothesline, but Sid kicks him to buy time, and uses more forearm smashes. A criss cross sees a blind tag to Piper, and Hogan bodyslams Sid on the way out, allowing Roddy mounted punches. Piper was so small during this period that he almost looks comical beside Sid. Justice quickly fights him off, but Piper blocks a 2nd rope axehandle with a gut-punch, so Sid passes to Ric. Flair uses an inverted atomic drop before dumping Roddy to the outside, where Sid whacks him with a chair. Another super weak shot there. That gives Ric a two count on the way back in, and the heels work Piper over. Flair ends up getting slammed off the top, allowing the tag to Hulk, and Hogan backdrops the Nature Boy. He adds a few clotheslines, and the big boot sets up the legdrop, but Sid hits him with a chair to save (the referee distracted). That allows Flair to cover, but it triggers the HULK UP!! Flair tries cutting it off with chops, but Hulk is going, and there’s no stopping it. He uses an atomic drop, so Sid comes in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Hulk catches Ric with a clothesline for the pin at 11:42. The parts without Sid were pretty good, about two-star level. The parts with Sid were ridiculous and business exposing, negative-star level. Call it at *

Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart v The Blu Brothers: TV taping dark match from Louisville Kentucky on July 24 1995. Michaels looks horrible here, like he just got done working an iron man match, or something. Bret starts with Jacob Blu, and the Hitman uses his speed and technical skills to hold the bigger man in a wristlock. Jacob throws a knee to escapes, but a criss cross allows Hart a bodypress for two, and he tags Shawn. Michaels dives in with a flying axehandle, and he gets Jacob in an armbar from there. Jacob fights him off and tags, but Eli Blu charges his way into a drop-toehold, and Michaels gets an armbar on. Eli escapes, so Michaels catches him with a jumping forearm, and Eli ends up on the outside. Back in, and the babyfaces double up on Eli, working the arm, until Jacob pulls the top rope down during a criss cross, and Michaels takes a spill over the top. That turns the tide, and the Brothers go to work on HBK. Jacob misses a 2nd rope legdrop to allow the hot tag to Hart, and the Hitman runs wild. A Russian legsweep gets him two, and a small package is worth another two. Bret uses a backbreaker to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two when Eli saves, and Roseanne Barr the door! Shawn clears Eli out with a dropkick, allowing Hart to put Jacob in the Sharpshooter at 7:46. This is interesting for the obvious reasons, even if the match itself is nothing of note. *

Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart v Jerry Lawler and Hakushi: TV taping dark match from St. Louis Missouri on July 26 1995. There’s a Coliseum Video banner hanging over the ring, so I guess this was meant to end up on one of their releases, but never did. The heels attack before the bell to kick start the bout, with Lawler targeting Michaels, and Hakushi hammering Hart. The dust settles on Hart and Hakushi, and Hakushi uses a cross corner whip to set up a handspring backelbow in the corner. The heels cut the ring in half on the Hitman, until Bret blocks a dive from Lawler, and gets the hot tag to Shawn. Michaels runs wild, and a jumping forearm on Hakushi leads to a flying axehandle for two. A small package is worth two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying elbowdrop for two. Tag to Bret, and he puts Hakushi in the Sharpshooter at 10:36. Well, no wonder they didn’t release this, it was surprisingly dull, considering the level of talent involved. They just kind of went right into the heat segment, and while it wasn’t a resthold exhibition, everyone clearly had it in low gear. ½*