What was the deal with Bob Backlund in 1994?
 

Why did they give him the strap? Especially just to lose it to Diesel a few days later at a house show? Just seems so random to me, plus I don't really know why he was brought in to face Bret at Survivor Series, if anyone wants to fill me in.

looking at that card from the 94 survivor series, wow the talent roster was pretty thin at the time

ahhh I remember when belts changed hands at house shows. good times.

classic Owen Hart in that title match

For real. Owen was the fucking man in 1994.

I see, thanks!

He did play a pretty good psycho. I didn't know of his past, so all I knew of him was this gimmick period. Some old guy feuding with Bret.

PERSONALLY, I would have loved to have seen Owen Hart in that submission match at Survivor Series instead of Bob Backlund. Owen didn't have to win. Could've had Bret drop the belt to Diesel at the Royal Rumble via interference from a jealous Owen, which happened anyways. But whatever. The Backlund match was awesome so I can't complain.

Yeah, I guess this makes sense. Easier to have Nash win the title by beating a heel nutcase like Backlund, it made him look like an even bigger "good guy" (it's 1994 we're talking about). And since Bob won the title in such controversial fashion (by Helen Hart throwing-in the towel), it was better for WWF to ensure Bret and Diesel both remained huge babyfaces, than to have 'em go at each other (especially due to the fact that Diesel had just made his turn, so it was still to be seen how everything went with him).

The match Bret and Nash had at Survivor Series 1995 was pretty sweet, though, so we still had them go at it for the title eventually, with Bret coming out on top.

Honestly I think Bret Hart is Kevin Nash's best opponent. I've still gotta see the Cage match at the Feb 1996 In Your House, but all the other matches have been AWESOME between them.

It would've been pretty cool if instead of having Owen pick Yokozuna at WrestleMania XI to be his partner he picked Bob Backlund. Owen & Backlund would've been an awesome tag team.

I was at MSG when diesel beat Backland for the title

He was busy playing chess with Jonathan Taylor-Thomas and facing Bret in an I Quit match.

I guess beating up two stupid Cowboys wouldn't be too hard after that.

I was going by my theory above that if Bret had faced Owen instead of Backlund at Survivor Series 1994 and lost, then screwed Bret out of the title at the 1995 Royal Rumble to Diesel. Then that'd either set up an I quit match between Bret and Owen at WrestleMania or have them go their seperate ways and have Owen bring in Backlund for his tag partner at WrestleMania instead of Yokozuna. All in the past now though.