Booker T vs Bret Hart (WCW, 7-12-1998)

WCW Bash at the Beach, San Diego, CA

For Booker’s TV title, and Bret’s first title shot in WCW. Bret is now being described as an instigator and master manipulator, which is how he got this title shot, working Booker T all up over several weeks.

Fans all over Bret’s case from ringside. Hart with a sly grin when he sees the TV title belt presented by Billy Silverman. Hart talks a little at Booker, who shoves him. Bret: “So much for bein’ Mr. Nice Guy.”

C&E, Booker takes him over with an armdrag. Booker is fresh off a seven match series with Chris Benoit, which really made him a true rising singles star in WCW, setting him on the path to being a 5-time WCW champion.

Hart grapples Booker down, Booker up and standing, back elbow from Hart to escape a waistlock, then some right hands to put Booker on the canvas. Booker off the ropes, ducks a clothesline, Booker with the flying forearm for two. Booker grabs the wrist, ducks under and hits a back kick. Snapmare and a two count.

Bret off the ropes, blocks a hiptoss, Booker blocks one in return and hiptosses Bret over the top to the floor! Booker follows Hart out and rams him into the guardrail, then gets some encouragement from the fans. “Some, uh, skin,” says Tony.

Hart takes advantage of that, though, stungunning Booker into the guardrail. Bret gives some fan the evil eye. Maybe the one who screamed, “SURVIVOR SERIES!” Back into the ring, Bret drives an elbow down over Booker’s back. Eye rake from Hart, a staple of his heel work. Booker off the ropes, back elbow from Hart.

Hart opens the legs and drives his head down into the stomach. Heenan ALWAYS thinks that’s gonna be the sharpshooter. Right hand from Bret, Booker blocks a whip and counters into a SPINE ON THE PINE for two. Hart up and clotheslines Booker over to the floor. Hart plays to the crowd so much as a heel. Basic old school heel stuff.

Booker rammed into the guardrail again, and Bret shoves the steps over, giving himself room to slam Booker into the post, back-first. A man in a FILA shirt gives Bret the “jacking off” hand motion.

Back into the ring, Bret continues to goad the ringside fans. Legdrop from Bret. Side backbreaker. Hart up to the second rope, hits the elbow for two. Russian legsweep, another cover, another two count. Deliberate pace between moves by Hart. Now he’s encouraging them to cheer for Booker, fuck it.

Hart rakes Booker’s eyes over the top rope, another thing he worked in as a heel. Hart with a European uppercut, another one, a third. Then some stomps to Booker in the corner, just beating him down.

Booker sent to the other corner, kicks up and over, and rolls Bret up sorta sunset flip style for two. Hart right back on the advantage, though. Booker blocks a whip again, knee to the cut, kick to the face, big spinning heel kick! No spinaroonie, as Heenan notes. Booker is beaten up here. But the axe kick connects and both men are down.

Booker sends Bret off the ropes, hits a pancake, and THEN spins up. Heenan still notes he didn’t fully pop up like normal. Booker going up top, hits a missile dropkick. Cover, two, Bret gets a foot on the rope and then launches himself out of the ring to collect himself. Hart grabs a chair and CRACKS a flying Booker T with it in mid-air! That’s the DQ.

Hart pops Booker with the chair again. Hart puts Booker back into the ring and gets the chair again, driving it down into Booker’s chest. Now a swinging shot to the leg. And another. More shots to the knee. Several more. Bret now drags Booker over to the corner and puts the figure four on around the post. Bret flips off Billy Silverman in the midst of the hold. Outstanding. Tony wonders where the fuck Stevie Ray is, or anyone, really. Bret just holding this figure four. Silverman can’t do shit, he’s too weak a man.

Hey, it’s Stevie Ray, moseying over to the scene. Hart breaks and calmly walks away. Stevie Ray is not particularly concerned. Stevie and Booker have been sort of at odds recently, not seeing eye-to-eye. Stevie standing over Booker and talking to him. Doctor comes in and Stevie brushes him off. Silverman giving Stevie some guff, but Stevie walks Booker out to toughen him up. Booker asks for Silverman to help. Doctor takes over.

Rating: 3.5/5. Didn’t get enough time to be anything really special but they had a good match and a nice DQ finish and some good post-match antics. This seems like something that should have set up more matches between the two, but it didn’t, really. They do have a few more matches, but none that worked right off of this one, really.