Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect (King of the Ring 1993 Semifinal Match- March 13, 1993)
Wow, another Bret Hart match! This is the third Bret Hart match I have randomly selected. I'm not a fan of Bret Hart's wrestling style so this is proof that these match selections are random because I would never intentionally review any of Bret's matches. There are only a few Bret Hart matches I would consider reviewing and none of those matches were the three matches I have randomly selected so far.
The Facts:
- This match can be seen on Bret Hart's official WWE DVD.
- This match happened in Dayton, Ohio at the Nutter Center. The attendance was 6,500 which is the lowest attendance for any King of the Ring event. The Nutter Center hosted RAW on January 4, 2010. On that night, Bret Hart made his return to the WWE and WWE went head-to-head against TNA on TV for the first time. The Nutter Center also hosted the first RAW after WrestleMania 23.
- The Pay-Per-View buyrate for this event was the highest of any King of the Ring event until 1999.
- Hulk Hogan made his final PPV appearance in the WWF until 2002 at this PPV.
- This match had a 18:56 time length and was the longest match of the night.
- Jim Ross, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and Randy "Macho Man" Savage were the announcers for this match.
- Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer gave this match a ****1/4 star rating.
- This match is not the most famous Hart vs. Perfect match. The most famous match is the match they had at SummerSlam 1991.
The Match:
This was the semi-final match of the King of the Ring tournament. Bam Bam Bigelow did not have an opponent in the semi-finals so the winner of this match would face Bam Bam Bigelow in the finals. The match was mostly technical wrestling. This was a Bret Hart match. There wasn't a lot of big spots. Hart and Perfect went back-and-forth during the first five minutes but after that, Mr. Perfect took control of the match. With Bret Hart on the ring apron and resting against the ropes, Perfect grabbed the top rope and pushed it which caused Hart to go flying off the ropes and into the guardrails outside the ring. After Mr. Perfect got Hart back in the ring, Perfect hit a nice dropkick off the top rope. Mr. Perfect went to the top rope again but this time Hart stopped him and hit a suplex off the top rope. Bret Hart then put Perfect into the figure-four leglock. Mr. Perfect did a good job selling the leglock and it looked like he was in pain. Perfect looked like he going to have to submit to the leglock, but he found a way to reach the ropes and break the leglock. After that, Hart started storytelling. Hart immediately started working on the Perfect's leg after putting it in the figure-four leglock. Jim Ross said that Hart was trying to weaken the leg. The commentary by Ross, Macho Man, and Bobby Heenan was amazing in this match. It's nice to hear announcers talking about the match and pointing out little things that the viewers at home might not have noticed. This was the second match of the night for both Perfect and Hart so the story of the match was that both men were tired and the winner would face a well-rest Bam Bam because Bam Bam competed in only one match prior to the finals. Hart and Perfect were doing a lot of selling. They looked exhausted and looked like they were both in a lot of pain. Perfect was limping during the match. The announcers were talking about how tough both men are. Mr. Perfect took back control of the match at the 14 minute mark. At this point, the action was very slow. Like I said, this was mostly a technical wrestling match. There was a 30 minute time limit for the match and the announcers were saying that they doubted that either man could last that long.
Perfect was in control, but Hart reversed a sleeper hold by Perfect by dragging Perfect into the corner and Perfect's head smacked off the top turnbuckle. Hart took control and hit the Russian leg sweep, backbreaker, and elbow drop off the top rope. Hart tried to put Perfect in the Sharpshooter but Perfect grabbed Bret Hart's fingers which stopped the Sharpshooter because Hart had a damaged hand. Perfect tried to hit the Perfectplex but Hart countered it by suplexing Perfect out of the ring. Perfect was going to land on his feet but Hart never released the suplex so Hart fell outside the ring too and dragged Perfect to the ground. Perfect got up almost immediately and got into the ring. A few seconds later, Hart also got into the ring. When Hart was in the ring, Perfect executed an inside cradle pinning maneuver, but Hart was able to counter it and force Perfect's shoulders to the mat. Hart got the three count and won the match.
Winner: Bret Hart
Rating: ***1/4
Bret Hart won his match against Bam Bam in the finals and became the 1993 King of the Ring. This was a good match, but I don't consider it a classic match. I didn't think this match was very exciting. I think you got to really appreciate storytelling and selling to love this match and I don't really appreciate those stuff. I want to see a physical match, not a match with a lot of psychology and strategy. This is the third Bret Hart match I reviewed and I have noticed he likes storytelling. He likes selling his injuries and stuff like that. That's great for fans who enjoy seeing the little details of each match but I enjoy seeing two men beat the crap out of each other. I don't pay a lot of attention to stuff like Bret Hart attacking his opponent's ankle because his opponent sprained his ankle earlier in the match. I just see it as Hart attacking his opponent's ankle and I don't really wonder why he is doing it. It's a good thing Jim Ross, Macho Man, and Bobby Heenan were calling this match because they did an awesome job explaining the match. Jim Ross did a good job telling the viewers at home that Bret Hart had an injured hand which is why Mr. Perfect grabbed Hart's fingers when Hart tried to put Perfect in the Sharpshooter. If the announcers were Michael Cole, Booker T, and Jerry Lawler, I wouldn't learn anything because all three of them would be too busy arguing about random things that have nothing to do with the match happening in the ring.
Most people gave this match at least four stars, but not me. I think Perfect and Hart did a good job, but I didn't think it was a great match. The moves were well-executed, but they were basic technical wrestling moves. This was a more mental match than a physical match. This is a match that makes you think which is something I don't really like doing during a wrestling match. If you enjoy a real wrestling match which is something we don't see too often on RAW, then you will probably like this match. But, I want a little bit more action and I thought this match was a little bit too slow and boring. I'm not surprised. That's Bret Hart's style. His matches aren't fast-paced with high risk spots. His matches are telling a story by attacking his opponents injured body parts and selling his own injuries by limping on a bad leg and making painful facial expressions. Bret Hart tried to make professional wrestling look like a real sport, but if I want to watch real wrestling, then I will watch UFC or amateur wrestling. I'm a professional wrestling fan and to me, professional wrestling is body slamming someone onto a steel chair. Hart and Perfect gave a good effort and put on a good show for the fans, but I didn't love the match as much as everyone else did.
Mr. Perfect was such a great gimmick!
ReplyDeleteWas it the "perfect" gimmick?
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