-So technically what I’m about to review is disk two of the blu ray version of this collection. There are only a couple more matches, but a lot of interviews and both hall of fame speeches.
– WWE Championship- Iron Man Match- Bret Hart (champion) vs. Shawn Michaels (w/Jose Lothario) (03.31.1996)
Match in Five Words or Less: A Tough Watch
Summary/Analysis: This is one of the controversial and divisive matches in the history of Wrestlemania. To be honest, I did not enjoy this match at the time, and I still find it hard to watch. It’s not that I don’t enjoy both guys’ work. Hell, both Shawn Michaels and Bret are two guys I would consider my favorites of all time. The problem is I believe these two tried to treat this match as a personal contest of wills instead of working a match. It’s why neither guy wanted to take a regulation pinfall, and why there was no psychology.
Bret Hart is a guy who once sold a knee injury through two different matches. In his opening match against Owen Hart, he injured his knee (kayfabe) and it ultimately cost him the contest when he lost to a simple victory roll. Later on that night Hart came out limping before his match with Yokozuna. After seeing Hart’s arm and shoulder worked on, he should have been barely lift it up. Instead, Michaels’ arm work goes by the wayside. We all know about the tension between Michaels and Hart, but at this point it was nowhere near the breaking point. I believe Hart felt he had so much to prove, he didn’t want to sell that arm for fear of showing any weakness.
The WWF obviously wanted this to be an epic contest or else they wouldn’t have given these guys 60 full minutes. With falling ratings and a depleted roster, you’ve got to give the WWF credit for having the guts to have a match like this. These kind of matches were fixtures of the 70s and 80s, but they had fallen out of favor in the 90s. That is unless you want to count that craptacular 60 minute match between Shane Douglas and Tully Blanchard. I actually watched the Rock vs. Triple H Iron Man match as well as the first C.M. Punk vs. Samoa Joe 60 minute draw from 2004 for a comparison. I’m not saying that any of those four are better workers then Michaels and Hart. What I’m saying is they worked smarter types of matches.
Rock and Triple H used multiple finishes in a realistic way. By having Triple H take such a commanding lead early, it made for a more dramatic finish. People wanted to see if the Rock could come back or if Triple H would regain the title. Now the ending was abysmal, but the whole of match was far superior to this match. The more enthusiastic crowd in Kentucky compared to the almost cationic Anaheim also helped too.
Punk vs. Joe from ROH’s World Title Classic was not an iron man match, but it worked because up to that point, people had been trying to beat Joe. Punk changed the strategy up and attempted to wear down Joe over the long period of time. Once you watch the other two matches, you’ll appreciate their entire trilogy, but the way they worked that first match was something special.
I feel using these two examples explain why I feel this way about the main event of Wrestlemania 12. Combining everything together, this was not executed well. The crowd has no interest. There wasn’t the kind of psychology that could have made this match special. Finally Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are not good enough to fill up 60 minutes. There are going to be some slow points and those are chances to talk about the psychology or story behind the match. Lawler is too busy making jokes about Hart’s father and Vince is… well Vince. Add it all together, you have one of the big disappointments in the history of this show.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW WWE Champion- Shawn Michaels/1:01:52/***1/2
-Bret Hart’s hall of fame speech from 2006 is next as he goes for nearly a half hour talking about some of his favorite opponents and essentially giving what everyone thought might be a farewell to WWE speech. Michaels and Hart still hadn’t made up at this point, so it appeared at this point that there would never be a reconciliation. That is until…
-January 4, 2010- A historic day for WWE and professional wrestling as Bret Hart appeared on Raw for the first time in 15 years. Hart and Michaels apparently made up on screen and off in one of the very best moments on Raw over the last ten years. There’s no way these two could ever have a match which would live up to the lofty expectations of their previous ones, so why even bother trying to build this up for Wrestlemania? While the McMahon/Hart angle certainly got botched, it was still great that Hart and Michaels got a chance to patch things up. It’s the only way this DVD gets made and really one of the few chances to see two older wrestlers become adults who don’t need to inces
santly snipe at another retired wrestler.
-Shawn Michaels 2011 hall of fame speech isn’t anything special but for the cliq reunion that took place at the end. Because of his humbleness and religion, it always seems awkward when Michaels tries to talk about himself and the person he used to be before 1997. Triple H as a presenter tried to do his best, but it was awkward seeing him make goofy jokes and then try to get serious. Sometimes I wonder what WWE is trying to accomplish with the hall of fame every year.
– We get a series of promos from 1997 where Hart and Michaels tear into each other with borderline shoot promos. Pretty vicious stuff from both guys. I couldn’t even begin to do these promos justice. If they had gone in this direction what Rock and Cena, I promise people would actually be interested in their Wrestlemania 28 match instead of the increased apathy I seem to be finding online. There’s about three or four of these promos, but a couple of the more nasty Shawn Michaels ones are left off. Nonetheless, you still get Shawn Michaels’ “sunny days” comment. For a fun activity, look at Owen Hart’s reaction to it. While no one else in the ring heard it, it’s obvious by Owen’s face he did hear it and was quite angry. Very good promo work throughout. This could almost be a clinic for some of the WWE talent these days as to how to cut promos and get crowd heat.
-WWE Championship: Bret Hart (champion) vs. Shawn Michaels (11.09.1997)
-Match in Five Words or less: THAT Match
Match Summary/Analysis: I love the idea that people who wanted the complete Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels match collection had to buy the blu ray. Clearly, WWE doesn’t understand how few people are interested in blu rays as a medium. I’m the nerdiest of the wrestling nerds, and I was borderline on buying it. If not for reviewing the DVD for the website, I’d have probably skipped it altogether. Ross says this match will likely never happen again. How true that turned out to be. While the actual match time barely reaches 12 minutes, there’s a good ten minutes of brawling that takes place before the bell rings. They go all over ringside as security, referees, and Vince McMahon all hanging around. McMahon was just an announcer at this point, so his presence was a bit unusual. Back inside AND THE BELL RINGS! Hart chokes Michaels with a flag. Atomic drop sends the challenger down. Flying forearm and Hart is down. Kip up. He punts Hart in the head. Stomp to Hart’s head followed by some choking with the Quebec flag. Hart rammed into the buckle. Back outside. Fans seem close to riot mode. Series of jabs and interaction with the Montreal faithful. Face first suplex into the steps. Michaels hits Hart with the flag pole. This is a completely different match than these two have ever had. Double axehandle off the top rope. Front face lock. What an odd match. Hart works out of the hold and tosses him. Time for some leg work. Michaels rips at the eyes. Kick by Hart. Again to the legs but Michaels rakes the eyes. Into the buckle and a quick bodyslam. Cross body reversed into a two count by Hart. More kicking of Michaels’ left leg. To the outside. Hard into the post. Figure four around the post. Crowd pops huge for that one. Continued leg work in the ring. Figure four leglock inside the ring. Michaels reverses. Hart grabs the ropes. Right hands in the corner. Whip and Michaels heads right into a Russian legsweep. Cover for a two count. Headbutt to the midsection. Snap suplex into a two count. Backbreaker and to the top rope. Michaels pulls the referee in front of him. Michaels applies the sharpshooter… and all hell breaks loose. Hebner calls for the bell and gets the hell out of the ring in record time. You’ve never seen a referee move that fast. Hart spits in McMahon’s face. Michaels grabs the belt and departs quickly. Ross talks a little bit, but Lawler is dead silent. As a match… no one cares about any aspect of it except the finish simply because of how (in)famous it has become. It was completely different than any match previous, and the heat was very tangible. If only these two could have been more professional and worked together more, this could have been an epic rivalry that could have carried WWE into 1998 and beyond.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW WWE Champion- Shawn Michaels/12:11/***1/2
-Some deleted scenes from the interview as Bret Hart talks about winning the world title for the first time and his nightmare WCW experience. Some between takes footage shows the friendship that seems to have redeveloped between the two men. Michaels also explains his eye condition and makes jokes about it. Good little twenty minutes to end things on a happy note.
The Verdict: This is one of the better WWE releases in recent memories. Thanks to an incredible two hour interview and a comprehensive series of matches, this “greatest rivalries” DVD collection is an absolutely thumbs up and must see DVD for anyone who considers themselves a wrestling fan. And with the holidays rapidly approaching, this is an excellent DVD to consider purchasing for a wrestling fan friend. Or a former fan who loves HBK and Hart but has no interest in the current program.