Bret Hart vs Fatu (WWF, 3-1-1993)

WWF Monday Night Raw, New York, NY

A request! When I was going back over the first year of Raw some years back — again, we’re talking like a decade ago at this point, which is actually Very Funny and not concerning — this was one of my favorite matches on the show for the year.

At the time, I liked this better than the famous early Raw Flair vs Perfect match, but I’ve also probably made clear I’m not as high on that one as some are, probably wouldn’t make my ’93 Raw top 10.

Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart (WWF, 4-5-1992)

WWF WrestleMania VIII, Indianapolis, IN

A request! When watching Flair vs Savage from this show recently, I realized then that I’d never rewatched this one for Blogging Purposes, so I’m very glad to do it.

Piper’s defending the Intercontinental title, the one and only WWF title he ever held before they did that goofy thing in 2006 with him and Flair beating the Spirit Squad to win tag belts.

Hart had lost the IC belt to The Mountie in January at a house show just before the Royal Rumble, with the story being that he bravely battled a 600 degree fever or whatever. The two were set to meet at the Rumble, but instead it was Mountie defending against a subbed-in Piper, who won the title.

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

Million Dollar Team vs Dream Team (WWF, 11-22-1990)

WWF Survivor Series, Hartford, CT

A request! It is Dusty’s birthday, as discussed before, and so this is fitting.

It’s also fitting, kinda, because last night on the NXT program, a 614-year-old Undertaker got to come in and punch Bron Breakker in the face one time which sent Bron Breakker into the great beyond, followed by a chokeslam and Undertaker making clear that this little loser wiener isn’t a big American Bad Ass like him. If they follow this up by having Breakker spear Undertaker in a WrestleMania match until Undertaker shits his pants and gets on the mic and says “ive shitted my pants ill go home now” then I think that’s probably pretty good

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

40-Man Battle Royal (WWF, 5-18-1992)

WWF, Cincinnati, OH

A request! This is from a Wrestling Challenge taping in Cincinnati, and is on the “Bashed in the USA” Coliseum Video. Mike McGuirk, under Jim Ross yelling, announces that this is a first in WWF history, a 40-man battle royal.

“40?!?!” Bobby Heenan asks, as checked out of being here anymore as he can stand. 40 whole men??? Wh-wh-WHAT? There is also a 40-man battle royal that took place on June 1 and is on the “Rampage ’92” tape. No idea why they got horny, with a thinned-out roster, to do 40-man battle royals in the spring of 1992.

Now I also hear you saying: “But TAPE, you handsome scientist, Jim Ross did not work in the WWF until WrestleMania IX in 1993.” Yes, but this tape didn’t come out until he worked there and it’s just him and Heenan doing half-awake commentary about a year later or whatever. Like, duh! Haha! How could you even be so silly as to pause on this idea for a minute when you wanted to be sure about the date? OBVIOUSLY studio recorded commentary recorded later! Hello!!

Oh, Randy Savage is also here on commentary.

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

Bret Hart, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart & Brian Pillman vs Steve Austin, Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock & Goldust (WWF, 7-6-1997)

WWF In Your House: Canadian Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

A request! The Hart Foundation are back in Calgary for one of the greatest receptions in pro wrestling history. The Austin side is a mish-mash of Guys, but the only one that really matters is Austin and his ongoing war. The other four could have been anyone.

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

Bret Hart vs Terry Funk (9-11-1997)

Terry Funk Presents WrestleFest: 50 Years of Funk, Amarillo, TX

A request! This is the main event of what was billed in Beyond the Mat as a “retirement show” for Terry Funk, but it’s never actually said that it will be. It is always said that it will be his final match in Amarillo. Despite any stories you may see elsewhere, he didn’t “break his retirement” to wrestle in FMW 11 days later, I mean Jesus, he clearly would have already been booked to go to goddamn Japan for that when this show took place.

He also went to Germany in October, then back to Japan in December, and by the end of the year (we’re talking three months from this) he wound up working WWF dark matches before a full-on return there as Chainsaw Charlie in January ’98.

Terry almost didn’t totally lie, though, and this nearly was his final match in Amarillo, but then he wrestled for WCW there at a house show in 2000, beating Lance Storm for the U.S. title, and then for the XWF against Greg Valentine in 2002. This is also his first match in Amarillo since 1993.

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

Bret Hart vs Mankind (WWF, 1-25-1997)

WWF Shotgun Saturday Night, New York, NY

A request! This is the fourth episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, so they’re still a live show, late on Saturday night, live from a small, “cool” New York venue (in this case, Webster Hall), and the entire concept is to be edgier, more in tune with Generation X and the video game commercials of 1995.

Look, basically, the show was meant to be ECW.

A month after this, they were done with the nightclub thing, they were done with the live aspect, and it was just matches taped before or after Raw, and all the other little accents meant to make it fresh and exciting were dropped soon enough, too, and it just became a standard B-show.

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

Hart Foundation vs Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 2-3-1989)

WWF (The Main Event Taping), Milwaukee, WI

The WWF were in Milwaukee at the Bradley Center for The Main Event, featuring the Mega Powers vs Twin Towers and Ted DiBiase vs Virgil, which drew an 11.6 rating on NBC. This match was part of the show that didn’t air on TV, and this is taken from Coliseum’s “Best of the WWF Volume 20.” And since it was a big TV taping, there’s (a reported) 20,000 in the building, roughly.

(Ko-fi)

TAPE’s Time Travel: This Week in TV Wrestling, Dec. 11-17, 1995

IN THIS SET:

• WCW Prime (Dec. 11, 1995)
• WWF Monday Night Raw (Dec. 11, 1995)
• WCW Monday Nitro (Dec. 11, 1995)
• ECW Hardcore TV (Dec. 12, 1995)
• WCW Worldwide (Dec. 16, 1995)
• WCW Pro (Dec. 16, 1995)
• WWF Superstars (Dec. 16, 1995)
• USWA Championship Wrestling (Dec. 16, 1995)
• WCW Saturday Night (Dec. 16, 1995)
• WWF In Your House (Dec. 17, 1995)

TAPE’s Time Travel: This Week in TV Wrestling, Nov. 13-19, 1995

A new week, and this one has a pay-per-view extravaganza from the World Wrestling Federation, one of the old Big Four, AND I’m putting in an ECW supercard that didn’t, technically, in original form, air on TV in full, but whatever. I just want to watch it.

IN THIS SET:

• WCW Prime (Nov. 13, 1995)
• WWF Monday Night Raw (Nov. 13, 1995)
• WCW Monday Nitro (Nov. 13, 1995)
• ECW Hardcore TV (Nov. 14, 1995)
• WCW Worldwide (Nov. 18, 1995)
• WCW Pro (Nov. 18, 1995)
• WWF Superstars (Nov. 18, 1995)
• WCW Saturday Night (Nov. 18, 1995)
• ECW November to Remember (Nov. 18, 1995; I know this wasn’t on TV in full alone but I don’t care)
• WCW Main Event (Nov. 19, 1995)
• WWF Survivor Series (Nov. 19, 1995)