Dark Pegasus Video Review: Bret Hart: The Best There Is, Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be (Disc One)

Bret Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be (Disc One).

Vince McMahon thanks Bret for participating and being a professional.

Early Years: Stu Hart emigrated from the UK and was a tough shooter. The family moved to Calgary, and the rest is history. The Harts ran the Western areas while the Rougeaus ran the East. Steve Lombardi talks about the Dungeon and its legendary status for producing wrestlers. Bret says he was expected to be better than the other wrestlers. Bret grew up around the pros, but he made a big name for himself as an amateur too. His heart just wasn’t in it after a while, though. As a compromise with his dad, he decided to become a pro. Mr. Sakurada and Mr. Hito took him under their wings and trained him. Bret was a referee at the time and realized that it was a lot tougher to be a pro wrestler than he thought. He got the opportunity to fill in because the card was short one wrestler. Hito and Sakurada destroyed him in his first match and later explained that people wouldn’t expect him to get much offense in because he was a referee. After learning the ropes, it was off to Puerto Rico. Despite only having half his heart in wrestling up to that point, he learned a lot and decided to dedicate himself to wrestling.

Stampede Wrestling: Bret wasn’t good at first, but he could take a beating. He’s fine with that because the boys would always resent it when a promoter’s son was pushed. Talk turns to the feud between Bret and the Dynamite Kid. Bret calls him the best wrestler in the world, pound for pound. We see multiple clips of them doing stuff that wouldn’t be in vogue for another ten years. With business drying up in the territory, Stu had to turn to guys he knew wouldn’t leave — his sons. Bret teamed with Keith and won the Stampede version of the tag titles. We see them defeating the Kiwis (although you might not recognize them in the clips here, those are the Bushwhackers!) Bret’s tag success led to singles success against Leo Burke, Bad News Allen & the Stomper.

Easter Egg Alert!: Highlight “Stampede Wrestling” and press “LEFT” twice. You’ll see an interview from Jack Foley, the Dynamite Kid and the Kiwis (Bushwhackers). The Kiwis bite the head off Ed Whalen’s microphone.

Coming to WWE: Stu sold out to Vince who was hoping to acquire as much talent as he could. Bret went off to Japan and had some knee surgery before making his WWF debut in 1984 as “Brett Hart,” clean-cut kid from Calgary. Bret was brought in as a jobber, frustrating him because he came in as a pretty polished wrestler. Bret says he didn’t have a great physique or mic skills. WWF Booker George Scott came up with the gimmick of “Cowboy” Bret Hart wearing all white and riding out on a white horse. At first, Bret was just grateful for something, but Jim Neidhart made fun of him until he listened to his heart. Bret went to Scott and asked to be paired with Neidhart instead. Scott said he would never be a good heel and refused. Then, a few months later, when Bret was at his breaking point, Scott relented and created the Hart Foundation. Bret says he was happy because he wasn’t dependent on lazy old workers and could instead make himself and others look good.

Hart Foundation: The team worked so well because Neidhart was the energy and personality guy who could overpower you in the ring while Bret could dismantle you with pinpoint accuracy. Bret credits Neidhart for carrying the team in the early years, especially on the mic. Bret says that people took notice once they started their feud with the British Bulldogs. While Hulk and Andre main-evented, the Harts and Bulldogs created buzz with their great matches. Other good teams the Harts took on include the Killer Bees and Rougeaus. We see a funny promo where Bret gets pissed off at Jimmy Hart stealing from them. Neidhart calms him down and then freaks out himself. After a few months, George Scott admitted he just put them together to placate Bret, but they wound up being one of the best teams in WWE history.

Intercontinental Champion: Bret knew he wouldn’t be able to make his mark unless he struck out on his own. Bret says he was much more ready for it in 1991 than he was in 1988. He says it was an emotional time because he loved being a part of the Hart Foundation. While other, less talented guys got their shots, Bret had to wait patiently. He brings up the Ultimate Warrior as an example making me wonder if Vince hasn’t told everyone to bring that up in their DVDs because Jake Roberts runs him down too. Bret’s singles dream was realized just a few short months after he broke away from the Hart Foundation. Despite a severe back injury that kept him out for over a year, Mr. Perfect worked through pain and put Bret over because it was that important to him. Bret says, while it was a great in-ring match, the great story was behind the scenes because of Perfect’s professionalism. Bret would lose the title on a fluke to the Mountie. Mountie lost it a few days later to Roddy Piper. That set up Hart vs. Piper (one of my personal favorite matches). Roddy says that was his first ever pinfall loss. Bret pushed to put over the British Bulldog and promised the best match in history. Vince decided to let them co-main event. Bret talks about some of the problems in the match with DBS missing spots, but everything worked out in the end.

WWE Champion: Losing the IC Title in the manner he did rose Bret’s stock immensely, so when Vince had problems with Ric Flair, they turned to Bret. Bret politely puts Ric over. He talks about dislocating his finger and popping it back in. Bret wins with the Sharpshooter. Bret says he didn’t see himself being “the champion” of the company. Neither did I at the time, even though I was rooting for him. By the time he realized he was a worthy champion, they took it away from him and gave it to Hogan. He didn’t care for that. He didn’t think Hogan deserved to be champion (no shit!). Bret decided the best way to prove everyone wrong was to have great matches. He talks about having great matches with Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow at King of the Ring 1993. It was a message to Hulk Hogan on his last night there. Bret says you have to be able to wrestle all shapes and sizes when you’re champion.

International Star: Bret talks about his fans all over the world and how he always tried to make time for them. Christian credits Bret with the WWE’s continued success in Canada. Vince says the only person who can compare with Bret’s skill is Buddy Rogers. Animal calls him #2-3 of the technical wrestlers he faced.

Hart Family Feud: But not everyone was happy with Bret. His little brother Owen resented his success. This led to a reluctant Bret taking him on in a spectacular series of matches. Bret reveals that Owen was ready to quit before that feud, and looking back, he wishes he did. He says people came up to him for years talking about their estranged siblings. Owen picked up a big win at WrestleMania X, but it would be his last over Bret. Bret says it brought them closer.

Iron Man Match: After months of carrying big guys to great matches, Bret got a blowjob run. Well, more of a reach-around actually. He was just there to hold the title while the built Shawn Michaels to take his spot. I understand why he’s upset, but they did the right thing. It seems like Bret is more resentful that he was being passed over by Shawn Michaels rather than the fact he was being passed over. He wishes his matches with Diesel and the British Bulldog got more respect. When the WWE filmed training vignettes they showed Bret jogging gingerly on ice and getting beat up by his father while Shawn looked like superman. During the match, Bret says Shawn took some liberties with him and then acted ungrateful by asking Bret to clear out immediately after the match so he could have his moment.

Stone Cold Steve Austin: Bret says he knew Austin would be a star when he saw him in WCW. He begged Vince to bring him over so they could work together. They had a great protagonist/antagonist relationship. Bret compares it to a dance, and they had good rhythm. Bret wins at Survivor Series, but Austin’s legend grew. So much so that the fans gravitated to him instead of Bret. This irked Bret, leading to his heel turn. The turn was completed at WrestleMania 13 as Austin passed out to the Sharpshooter. Austin became the biggest star in the history of the WWE.

U.S.A. vs. Canada: Bret says you can’t go against what the fans want, so if they wanted to be a heel, he’d be a heel. However, people still loved him Canada. Bret decided to turn heel in America but remain a face everywhere else, a highly unique situation in the modern era. He thinks the American wrestling fans wanted to be the bad guys. A new Hart Foundation emerged made up of Bret, Owen, Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart. Bret says it was harmless because there’s little difference between America and Canada.

Survivor Series 1997: With Bret a hero in Canada and Shawn Michaels the hottest heel they’d had in years, it made sense that they would meet in Montreal. You may have heard of this PPV. Of course, it’s most famous for being the last appearance of Furnas and Lafon. Okay, no it’s not. Bret was on his way to WCW thanks to a perceived lack of respect. He doesn’t give a satisfactory explanation as to why he refused to lose to Michaels other than he “did it for the boys in the back.” Vince, of course, decided to screw him over while Bret was in the Sharpshooter. I think it’s safe to say that Montreal fans were pissed…and still are. Bret says it was damaging to his family. He blames a lack of communication, but he stands by his behavior.

WCW: Bret then turned his life over to the WCW brain trust. Vince says they could have built the entire promotion around Bret; instead, he became an also-ran behind Hogan. He’s glad that they had no idea what to do with Bret, but he’s sorry for Bret. Bischoff tries subtly to lay it off on Bret’s lack of motivation, which Bret resents. Bret says he had very few good moments in WCW, tricking Goldberg with the steel plate was one of them.

The Death of Owen Hart: Owen dies on May 23, 1999 in a silly and tragic accident at “Over the Edge” as he was being lowered from the rafters. Bret regrets not being with the company at the time. When WCW came to that same arena, Bret Hart asked to have a match against Chris Benoit. It was a ***** classic, but more importantly a fitting tribute to Owen. Bret thinks that Owen was looking down on them that night.

Problems in WCW: A few weeks later, Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara came to the WCW as the new creative guys. They immediately pushed younger talent like Bret, Chris Benoit, Buff Bagwell and Eddy Guerrero. Well, three out of four ain’t bad. Bret defeated Benoit in the finals of a tournament to crown a new champion. The match is made to look much better than it was because of silly outside interference. Bret’s honeymoon would not last long, though, as an errant kick to the head by Bill Goldberg ended his career.

Living it Up: Forced to retire, Bret was forced to watch from the sidelines as WCW tanked, his friend Benoit jumped to the WWF and the wrestling landscape changed drastically. He says that not everything is forgiven with the WWE yet, but it’s a start. Bret is thankful for his experiences and his new wife and, for that matter, his future.

EXTRAS:

Bret Hart Introduces the DVD Extras: Bret lets us know that he handpicked these moments and matches from the finest orchards in Tuscany.

Bret talks about the origin of the name “The Dungeon”: Bret says that the first guy to call it the Dungeon and make it stick was Jesse Ventura. Bret says if you’ve ever been there, you know it was a dungeon.

Bret talks about being away from his family on Halloween: The toughest part of the business is being away from his family. Over time, families fall apart from the distance. He’d have to experience birthdays and holidays through pictures. He says it’s an irony that you find out you were a hero to millions of kids but on Christmas Day you weren’t there for your own.

Bret talks about how well the Hart Foundation got along: Bret says he got along with Neidhart and Jimmy Hart. He calls it a rarity because the Rockers, Demolition, the British Bulldogs, even the Rougeas (who were real life brothers) stopped talking to one another near the end of their respective runs. Bret says that Jimmy Hart was much like his character in that he told them how great they were every day.

Bret talks about learning the Sharpshooter: No, he didn’t learn it from Riki Choshyu. He didn’t even learn it from Terry Taylor, which I could have handled. He learned it from KONNAN!

Bret tells a story about Owen Hart crank-calling Stu Hart: Around WrestleMania time there are always a number of old stars coming out of the woodwork for reunions and such. Owen decided to have a little fun with his dad by calling from the lobby of the hotel they were staying at and passing himself off as Reg Park, who used to design all the belts. Reg was a big guy, if not a tough guy, so Owen started challenging Stu to a fight to settle it all. Of course, Stu got all worked up before Owen eventually let him off the hook.

Family Tree: We see from family photos that Stu did not believe in birth control. Bret’s oldest brother was Smith Hart, who paved the way for them in wrestling. Next was Bruce, whom we probably all know. Keith, who was a skilled amateur wrestler, was also an inspiration for the younger Harts. Wayne did a lot of refereeing in the Stampede territory. Bret says Dean Hart was probably his greatest influence. Ellie went on to marry Jim Neidhart. Georgia was the sweetest sister. Then Bret. Then bookish Allison. Then Ross Hart, who had a good understanding of wrestling. Then Diana, who married the British Bulldog. Finally, Owen who was the rascal. John Boy was the one with the mole.

Learning the Ropes: Because of the weak American dollar, no American stars wanted to wrestle for Stampede. Stu had to go to Japan, the UK and Mexico to find stars. Bret says he was able to learn several different styles.

Sunglasses: In Los Angeles, he was unprepared for his interviews and didn’t want Vince to know he was nervous. Bret caught a break when the take was unusable. He watched the interview and saw his eyes darting all over the place. He knew he couldn’t let Vince see him like that, so he ran down the hall and grabbed a pair of sunglasses. Instead of looking like a coked out suspect on “Cops,” he looked pretty cool.

Being a Villain: He enjoyed the early days with the Hart Foundation despite the tough 3-show/night schedule. Being a total jerk was such a release. Of course, if you’re a really great villain, people start to like you, which is why he turned face the first time.

Tribute Videos:

Dean Hart Tribute Video: Bret lost his brother Dean to diabetes (or similar kidney ailment) the night before the Survivor Series in 1990 and, while he couldn’t ask for the booking to be changed, Bret asked Ted Dibiase if they could go out and do a good wrestling sequence. Dibiase agreed, and they had a nice little match.

Tribute to Bret Hart’s wrestling colleagues who have passed away: This carries even more weight in light of Eddy Guerrero’s recent passing. Bret says he always pictured himself, Curt Hennig and Owen sitting on the porch drinking beers and talking about the good old days. He also says that Elizabeth was very classy and really “above” the business.

The Matches:

The Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. the British Bulldogs (07/13/85).

Bret starts out with Dynamite and spends the first minute or so complaining about hair pulling. Dynamite runs Bret out of the ring off a hammerlock. Neidhart wins a battle of shoulderblocks but takes a punt to the chest. The Bulldogs team up and shoulderblock Neidhart down. Bret takes over from there, dismantling Davey Boy Smith as Gorilla and Alfred Hayes put him over on commentary. The Harts bust out their backbreaker into an elbowdrop and taunt the crowd. Davey Boy slips out of a backbreaker by Bret and slams Bret, but Bret grabs hold of his leg to cut off the tag. Davey surprises Bret with a crucifix, but Anvil makes the save. Of course, the siren song of all heels proves to be the Harts’ undoing as Anvil holds DBS for a Bret charge. You know what happens next. Dynamite tags in and completely dismantles the Harts. I’d hate to think what he’d do if he didn’t like you. Bret takes the Bret-bump and a missile dropkick. DBS powerslams Bret, but Anvil keeps making the save after every cover. Bret applies a Boston Crab, so Dynamite runs in and breaks it up. “Turnaround is fair play,” quoth the Gorilla. Bret rolls up Davey Boy, but he rolls through, but then Bret rolls through that! Great wrestling going on here. Davey Boy hits a sunset flip, but the curfew time limit expires at 13:12. Good stuff here, including Davey Boy playing face-in-peril twice and the Harts’ blatant cheating. ***3/4

The Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. the Killer Bees (2/17/86).

Lord Alfred Hayes’ homoerotic commentary is always good for a laugh. The announcers put over Brunzell’s Holly-ish dropkick as the Bees go to work on Anvil’s legs. Anvil is hilarious, selling a double hamstring stretch. Bret tries to lean into a tag and nearly falls into the ring. Blair wraps on a figure-four, opening him up to a Bret legdrop. Blair plays face-in-peril as Bret alternates between cheating like a bastard and taunting the crowd. Bret slips off the second rope and misses an elbow. Brunzell gets the HOT TAG and whips the Harts into one another. Why doesn’t anyone work that spot in anymore? Brunzell opens a can of bear-shaped whip-ass (ha ha! Honey jokes rule!). Bret catches him with a knee in the back, and the Harts go back to work. Brunzell gets the crowd in a tizzy as he tries to push his way through a front facelock to his corner. Bret steers him away, though, and tags Anvil. To the outside, Bret slams Brunzell, triggering an incensed Brian Blair to attack. Back in, Brunzell gets a surprise Sunset Flip for two. They replay the spot where Brunzell fights toward a tag out of an Anvil front facelock, but Bret takes a swipe at Blair, cutting off a tag. That’s such a great spot, and it became a signature of the Hart Foundation. Bret whips Anvil into a driving shoulderblock on Brunzell, prompting Hayes to speculate that he broke Brunzell’s ribs. Brunzell surprises Bret with a dropkick, but Anvil sneaks in behind the ref’s back and puts Bret on top. They replay the facelock spot a third time, this time with Anvil distracting the ref so he doesn’t see the tag. Great stuff! The Harts try the double-team whip spot again, but this time Bret winds up taking the “Bret-bump” to the corner. HOT TAG TO BLAIR! Blair takes on both Harts. Powerslam to Bret. Slam to Anvil. He atomic drops Bret into the Anvil. Anvil tries to break up a pin but hits his own partner. Blair locks in an abdominal stretch, prompting groans from everyone born after 1975. The match breaks down into a fracas, and the Brunzell hits Bret with dropkick. However, the 20 minute time limit expires at 18:50. Wow, AWESOME match! If only it had an ending. Both sides want to go at it. And they would many, many more times. ****

And there’s your high note on which to end disc one. Final Thoughts will be reserved for the disc three review, but we all know this is going to be a winner.

J.D. Dunn