Bret Hart vs Hollywood Hogan (WCW, 9-28-1998)

WCW Monday Nitro, Rochester, NY

This is the first ever meeting between Hart and Hogan, and the only time they ever met in a one-on-one televised match. This is the first time they have been on opposite sides of a match, not counting a Royal Rumble, since 1988, when Hogan and Randy Savage beat The Hart Foundation and Honky Tonk Man in a handicap dark match at a Superstars taping in Alabama. Hart is defending the U.S. title.

Tenay: “Is it a coincidence that we’ve never seen this match before, or is it as Bret Hart mentioned earlier tonight, that Hogan has been doing everything throughout his career to duck and hide from the Hitman?”

Hogan’s out first. He’s a cool man, a real hepcat. Hart is out second with no music. “He refuses to align himself with any affiliation or organization.” So this is Bret out of the nWo, on his own. He’s limping to the ring on a bad leg. Bret was a good seller but his limp walking always left a bit to be desired.

Hogan shoves Bret, Bret shoves back. C&E, Bret takes Hogan to the corner and it’s a fiery break. Hogan with a side headlock. Hart shoves him off the ropes, then Hogan drops him with a shoulder and struts around a bit. Hogan to a side headlock again, then a drop toehold, ridden into a front facelock, Hart reverses to a hammerlock. This is that good good Hulk Hogan technical wrestling he could do when he wanted to, like people always say. It doesn’t look like clumsy shit at all.

Hart with a wristlock. “I don’t think there’s any denial that Hogan can wrestle with the best of them,” Tony says. It makes sense, but also no. Hart holding an armbar, Hogan reverses to a wristlock, steps over the arm and takes Hart down into a cross armbreaker. Again, doesn’t look like shit at all. And Tony nutting about it isn’t transparent or anything.

Heenan gives Hogan’s skills great credit, but also still makes sure Hogan is seen as the dick. Heenan knew what he was doing. Lariat from Hogan puts Hart down, then he picks him up and slams him down. But Bret moves out of the way of three straight elbowdrops, and Bret is back in it, clotheslining Hogan — uh, through the ropes, kinda, Hulk’s not taking that bump on a Monday, brother, doesn’t work for him.

Anyway, they go outside and Hogan gingerly takes the post. Hogan begging off back inside, then he throws Bret through the ropes by grabbing his singlet and pulling him out. Hogan busts Bret’s knee, injured at Fall Brawl in September, over the guardrail. Then he does it again. Hogan is fired up.

Hart rolled into the ring, then dragged over to the post, where Hogan … pulls on his leg around the post. That’s fair enough, I guess. Now fully back into the ring and Hogan stays on the leg. Spinning toehold from Hogan. Watching him bob up and down is hilarious.

Anyway, here comes Tomato Sting. Sting gets in Hogan’s face, shoving him off of Hart. Konnan is there, too. Lex Luger, too. Konnan and Luger helping Hart out of the ring, but he wants to continue. Sting trying to talk him out of it. Tenay: “He’s waited for this moment his entire career!”

Now here comes a stretcher and some EMTs. Well, here come EMTs with a stretcher. The stretcher does nothing by itself. Luger and Konnan put Hart on the stretcher, and Sting disrobes and goes after Hogan. Apparently Sting is now in this match, as Charles Robinson is just…uh, letting this happen.

Hogan chops Sting in the corner. Split screen shows us that Hogan is pleading with Konnan and Luger on the stretcher, but they’re not letting him go back. Hogan with a back suplex on Sting. Hogan gets on the screen: “I can beat up the whole red and black at the same time!” Hogan pins Sting for two.

Backstage, Hart is on the stretcher. “Watch the BUMPS!” Then Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell attack Konnan and Luger. They’re dressed in hospital gowns and masks for…some reason. Hart off the stretcher and trying to escape. So Bret’s trying to go back to the ring, and Steiner and Bagwell basically just let it happen.

Meanwhile, Hogan is beating Sting’s ass. So here comes Bret out of a side entrance, near the commentary desk. Hogan misses a legdrop on Sting, who comes back with a Stinger splash in the corner, and he’s going for the scorpion deathlock. Hart cheers Sting on, then DDTs Sting. “WHAT?!” Yeah WHAT?!

Hart pounding on Sting now. Hogan doing the “we’re not worthy” to Bret Hart. Hart with a sharpshooter on Sting. Hart’s knee is fine despite all the punishment Hogan gave him earlier, not to mention previous damage.

Hogan tosses Bret a chair, and Hart uses it to destroy Sting’s knee. They keep beating up Sting. HERE COMES KONNAN! He’s no idiot, though, he’s trying to find a safe way in. There isn’t one. Konnan distracts Hogan and Hart enough to let Luger get Sting out.

Hogan and Hart are celebrating, but the building allegedly goes dark except the ring lights. So you think Warrior might be coming, but instead the show goes off the air.

Rating: 2/5. Some minutes of Hogan’s bad technical wrestling — listen, I prefer he just do punch-kick shit, he’s better at that — and then a ridiculous, stupid fucking WCW swerve. I’ll give it a 2 because it wasn’t repulsively lacking in entertainment or anything, and it’s neat to relive, for whatever it’s worth, the only televised Hogan-Hart match ever. But mostly this is one of those things where you have to shut your brain off entirely, or you get into wondering if this whole wrestling thing might be fake.