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Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at Survivor Series 1996
This is amazing, and would be remembered more if it weren't for their Wrestlemania classic.
Austin is awesome. I'm getting such a bigger appreciation for him as I get older. He has a cinematic quality to his heel work, that works so freakin' well with Bret's psychology & storytelling abilities. I've often felt like Bret matches look & feel and have the arc of movies sometimes, and Austin couldn't be a more fitting heel opponent for Bret's films.
I am also impressed with Austin as a wrestler. He has said that he was fearful, because he didn't know much about submission moves, but I never would have been able to tell watching this match. He does them with ease, and they look beautiful.
Bret continues his streak of impressing the hell out of me, with busting out moves and moments that you never knew he was capable of. I've always said that he was capable of flashy things and wow moments, but because he's such a crisp technician, and is known for that, people kind of notice it less with him.
But he is such a clever wrestler. I love the way he reverses one of Austin's moves into an almost Sharpshooter. This is again what separates him from the other greats. He can keep topping himself, so even something he's really known for, can have a different feel to it. It also highlights one of the things I say about him, which is that he has such an amazing flow when he's wrestling.
I freakin' love the exchange of punches twice. Working itself into a "we're right back to where we started, even though we're both f'n' knackered!" arc. It looked cinematic.
This match had all of the components. Just taking 1/4th of a star off, for the slow beginning. I don't really mind that, actually, but if Wrestlemania XIII is a five star match, then I guess I want to be thrifty here, lol. Even though this is much better wrestled.
**** 3/4
Looking back, should Bret be called "Mr. Survivor Series"? lol. He had a really nice run of Survivor Series matches for a good while.Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund at Survivor Series 1994
What did you all think of Bret's Survivor Series 1994 match against Bob Backlund?:
http://www.wwe.com/videos/bret-hart...ubmission-match-survivor-series-1994-26038648
This is not the same one as the Wrestlemania match, which even Bret hated (I think he called it his worst match. He hated the concept, and said he knew the concept would make it the most boring thing ever).
This Survivor Series match that I'm talking about, is the Submission match, which involved Owen, Davey Boy Smith, & Bret's other family on the sidelines.
It's funny, because I just randomly remembered the match, because I remember really being involved in the drama as a kid. I found it riveting.
It's a bit slow for those who don't like a lot of mat wrestling, but I love the psychology, and I loved the maniacal Backlund, and the storyline behind it. Most importantly, Owen was fabulous during this.
Just another one of Bret's little under-appreciated gems.
Loved the whole buildup of the Cross-Face Chicken Wing over several months, and then how it ended up playing itself out in the match.
Vince was great on the mic. "Oh, no. THIS CAN'T BE!!"
I watched this again two nights ago, and it's funny, because I then came across a Bret interview last night, in which he said that this was one of his favorite matches! It's just weird that I totally happened across that comment.
Here's him discussing it, and it shows you what a ring general he is, and how much thought he puts into his matches, and the concepts, and execution and all of that:
fast forward to the 9:38 mark:
Also interesting how he talks about Vince having such a great wrestling mind, and being a genuine, huge, wrestling fan. That answers that thread that was started earlier, about whether Vince just cares about money solely, or does he genuinely love wrestling.
So as for the topic of this thread, I think that Bret was one of the best ring generals ever, if not the very best, and I think that's what separates him from the other elites.
He goes on to state that that's one of the reasons why he's such a big Punk & Cena fan. He said he's been around them, and they're the same way, as far as being very meticulous about directing, and making sure that things are cohesive. I don't think that they have the same great mind & vision that Bret does, but they have some of the same qualities, in terms of level of preparation, and taking it seriously.
Here's him complimenting Punk & Cena for these qualities, and he also compliments Daniel Bryan, saying that Bryan reminds him of his brother Owen. ff to the 5:30 mark:
Would have been a nice thing to post in the Bryan vs. Bret thread, if it weren't locked.
ETA: Here's Jim Ross talking about the Backlund/Bret match:
****, in large part due to the storyline & psychology, and all of the moving parts.JR, I recently rewatched Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund's 35 minute "towel match" during the '94 Survivor Series. Wow, what a match! Bret really took a 45-year-old Backlund to the top of his game, and what a great story the match told. You just don't see matches like this anymore. What did you think of this match?
Posted: Wed, 01/20/2010 - 5:05am in Wrestling
J.R.'s Answer:
It was excellent but I wasn't surprised as both men are great athletes in magnificent condition plus Backlund was a great amateur in college and his pro record speaks for itself. Obviously, you know I am a Hitman fan and his in ring work was always spot on. matches like this are few and far between due to the experience and talent level of both men having the same agenda...to perform in a great, physical wrestling match.
Looking back, I actually think that Vince based a lot of his Mr. McMahon character on the Mr. Backlund character, as far as mannerisms and everything.
Clique I really like your reviews if you have the time could you please do one on the 2/3 falls match between Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko from ECW? I read about it in Eddie's book before he passed away and he wrote that it was his favorite match of all time, and that it was so special atmosphere wise because the hostile ECW crowd was known to give the wrestlers heat and throw things at them if they knew a wrestler was leaving the cult/company and word got out that both of them were leaving for WCW. Besides the fact of them leaving, they got a standing ovation. Was it really "that good". If you're busy I totally understand but yeah, would love your thoughts on that match, hopefully without telling me the result cause i plan on seeing it for the first time.
Oh, can you imagine the alliances he would form with Dusty, Magnum, and the Rock n' Roll Express to oppose the Horsemen? The tag team battles would create so much heat they'd set the entire territory on fire! Flair vs. Lawler in a more extensive program, on a bigger stage, feuding for the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship will forever be a dream. Thinking about heel Lawler vs. Steamboat just kills me. Lawler in JCP/WCW indeed would have been amazing.ALL HAIL LAWLER AND FUNK. God, I so wish Lawler had spent some time with Crockett/WCW. Could have done so much more. Amazing to think how incredible his career is without really leaving Memphis until he joined WWF.
For Clique...
I love the internet. Being able to go back and re-assess wrestlers with a different perspective is a great thing. I tell you what, I've really learned to appreciate guys like King Kong Bundy, who I slept on completely when I was a lot younger. Nick Bockwinkel is a big one too. I just completely slept on those guys.Clique...I fucking love this section. It gives me a chance to go back in time and view what the product was once like. I don't compare what we see now to what we saw back then, it's two entirely separate deals.