The first post of this new thread marks my 100th post in this forum. I know that 100 posts is nowhere near as big a milestone as KayfabeMan's 3,000, but I see this as a milestone of sorts as it’s the longest I’ve ever stayed on an internet forum (apart from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer forum over at
www.slayonline.co.uk, but that’s another story).
It's probably obvious to you all that I'm a Hart Foundation mark, given my nick and avatar, so with this thread, I’d like to build on a suggestion by Zen v.W.o in the thread about Jim Neidhart on the wrestling q&a section of the site, and create a Hart Foundation appreciation thread. Here I invite you all to post a little, or a lot, about your favourite matches or angles involving Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, the British Bulldog and Brian Pillman.
To begin, however, I shall use one of the WWF/E's favourite strategies. In the same way they borrow already used storylines, I shall borrow something I posted in another thread:
"I started watching WWF in 1992 (I was about 8). Two friends of mine were talking about LOD, Hulk Hogan, British Bulldog and it just seemed too good to miss. I had been raving about wrestling at home and, as we didn't have cable, my mother bought me the British Bulldog compilation video (where he fights Warlord, Rick Martel, Shawn Michaels, Earthquake and IRS). I was hooked! The following Christmas was fantastic as I got a Hasbro WWF ring and eight action figures (Hulk Hogan, Brutus Beefcake, LOD, Bushwhackers and Natural Disasters - weren't these toys cool??). I didn't get the chance to watch wrestling on TV so I had to rely on my friends telling me what was happening. Summerslam 92 was just the best - I marked out (but then, all 8 year old fans are marks aren't they?
) when British Bulldog beat Bret Hart and then they shook hands and hugged."
This epic match at SummerSlam 1992 is not the match I wish to discuss today though. I would instead like to focus on another really good match involving Bret and Davey Boy. October 1997, In Your House: Badd Blood – Bret Hart and British Bulldog vs Vader and the Patriot in a Flag Match.
This match was an important one for many reasons. It was of course the Hart Foundation members' last PPV appearance before the notorious Survivor Series Screwjob on 9th November 1997. Now usually gimmick matches such as this one tend to fall like a lead balloon but I think this match was one of the best ever. Crowd reaction of course plays a big role in the quality of a match. Vince had been feeding the fans the Bret Hart vs the United States angle since pretty much just after the Royal Rumble, so the fans were clearly behind 'Team USA' of Vader and the Patriot. If I remember correctly, all four workers got good heat from the fans. The action, as is expected in a match where there is no DQ, spilled to the outside. This clearly demonstrated that Bret and Davey Boy were not only very good at technical wrestling; they could also handle a semi-hardcore type of match very well. Bret had already been in a hardcore match of sorts in the fantastic WrestleMania XIII submissions only bout with Stone Cold, and Davey Boy went on to win the Hardcore championship (he was way too good for the Hardcore division, and could have easily carried the World title, but that's another issue to discuss later).
The result was also fitting. Bret and the Bulldog won, which gave Bret a full head of steam going into the next PPV – or so the marks thought. I am kinda embarrassed to say that, even though I was 14 at the time, I was still a mark. I had no idea about the Bret/HBK backstage heat, nor about Bret's negotiations with Vince and WCW and was really surprised when HBK 'won' in Montréal!
Unfortunately I no longer have the Badd Blood Flag Match on tape – so I'd appreciate it if someone could upload it and PM me the link! Thanks!
I hope you've enjoyed my 100th post – and as I said I invite you to post reports on your favourite matches featuring the Hart Foundation members.
Hitman84