Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith 12/17/95

Where: Hershey, PA

Backstory:
After the emotional family feud from these two brother in laws fighting at Summer Slam 1992 for the Intercontinental Title, The British Bulldog wants lightning to strike twice as he challenges Bret for his WWF Championship in a rematch from 3 years prior. This is a technique that the WWF has used before as Ravishing Rick Rude was able to get a PPV Main Event from the Ultimate Warrior because he beat the Warrior for his IC belt a year ago, and now wanted his WWF Title. Diana Smith was torn as to who to root for in '92, but now is clearly on Bulldog's side.

In Ring Analysis:

Both men lock up, and Bulldog shoves Hart off. The lock up again with the same result. The third lockup has Bulldog take Bret down with a headlock, but Bret reverses into an armbar. Bulldog cheats and yanks the hair to take Hart down. Bulldog gets Bret in an armbar, and Bret backs him into the corner. He backs off without attacking like a true babyface.

They lock up again, and Bret takes him down with an armdrag. Bret's the company's superior worker so he'll usually win these wrestling matchups. He begins working the arm. Bulldog gets him up and uses an irish whip but Bret hits a cross body for a 2 count. Bret then gets an inverted atomic drop and a boot to the gut. One thing you notice watching a Bret Hart match is that all of these moves that he uses flow seamlessly. They all make sense within the context of a wrestling match as they look natural and non-choreographed.

Bret goes back to the armbar as Bulldog struggles to get another Irish whip. This time he gets a knee to the gut on Bret and takes him down. He then grabs Bret by the back of is hair and yanks him to the ground. He then gets him up for appears to be the running powerslam, but it turns out that Smith put Bret in the tree of woe in the corner. He pounds on him as Bret sells the beating.

Bulldog then gets Bret in a reverse chinlock. The fans start to boo as they want the babyface to come back. An ECW chant breaks out as the fans are starting to rebel against the slower, yet safer, WWF product for the time. Bret fights out but gets caugt in a Samoan drop. Bulldog then hits a nice legdrop. He goes back to the reverse chinlock to slow down Bret's momentum. He releases and chokes the Hitman out with the ropes. While Bulldog releases, his manager Jim Cornette, hits Bret with his racket. Bulldog goes back to reverse chinlock, but Bret gets him into the corner and fires away with strikes. He tries to whip him into the turnbuckle, but Smith reverses and Bret takes his patented chest-first turnbuckle charge. Bulldog then its a back body drop and gets a 2-count. Bulldog again works the reverse chinlock as he's either winded or this is his technique to get the crowd against him. I would go with the later since they never keep the move on for more than 20 seconds.

Bret fights out again as Bulldog switches to a side-headlock. Bret fights out for what appears to be the academic Irish whip, but Bulldog shows off his power by holding on and grounding Bret in the headlock. Bret fights back up, but this time gets the Irish whip. He gets floors with a shoulerblock. Bulldog runs the ropes, and Bret leapfrogs him, and comes back with a reverse monkey flip. This was a great move as Bret's comebacks rely on leverage moves as his main offense.

He follows up wit another inverted atomic drop. Bret then hits the running bulldog. Bulldog then gets up and reverses an Irish whip but puts his head down for a back body drop which Bret maneuvers into a jumping piledriver. This is exactly what I mean by Bret's moveset falling in seamlessly with his match. He didn't just go for a piledriver, he found an opening for one when the opportunity presented itself. Bret then Irish whips Smith and gives him a punch to set him up for a side Russian legsweep. Bret then goes off the second rope for a forearm drop. Bret sensing victory sets Bulldog up for a superplex, but Bulldog suplexes Bret crotch first on the top rope. The momentum sends Bret outside the ring, and Bulldog follows. Bulldog then hits Bret in the back of the head with a forearm that sends Bret's head into the ringside steps. He then picks Bret up and rams him into the ringpost as Bret has bladed over his forehead.

Bulldog gets Bret in the ring and whips him into the turnbukcle hard. Bulldog then sets Bret up and repays the favor with his own piledriver. Bulldog then hits a standing vertical suplex. Bulldog uses another signature move as he hits a big press slam for a 2-count. Bulldog goes up top and hits a flying headbutt to Bret's back for another 2. Bulldog is just hitting big move after big move. He goes for the pin after every move to let the crowd know that he thinks it's any move that will finish this match.

Bulldog then continues working on Bret's back by putting him a bow-and-arrow submission move. Bret snaps out and tries for a Sharpshooter, but Bulldog escapes. Bulldog then hits a huge running shoulderblock that sends Bret to the outside. You can see that the Bulldogs tights are covered in Bret's blood. Bulldog gets Bret on the apron and tries to suplex Bret back in the ring. Bret reverses and hits a bridging German suplex for a nearfall.

Bulldog gets up, but Bret sends him into the ropes and both men crash with a double clothesline. Bulldog is up first and charges Bret, but The Hitman outmaneuvers him by back body dropping him over the top rope. Bret then hits a tope to follow up. Bret then tries a spring board cross body, but the Bulldog catches him and hits his running powerslam to the ringside floor. Bulldog opts not to try to roll Bret in the ring for a near certain victory and instead rolls up the ringside mats. He tries for a suplex there but Bret reverses and crotches Smith on the ringside barricade and hits a clothesline. Bret is a bloody mess and throws him back in the ring.

The Hitman hits a backbreaker for another two count. Bret then gets Smith in an arm ringer and snaps him towards the corner where he hits it upside down and bounces on his head. That looked great but I'm not sure that's how Smith planned on taking that spot. Bret sends Bulldog up for the superplex again, but this time he hits it. He only gets a 2-count though as the announcers are playing up that Bret can't finish of the Bulldog. Bulldog then sneaks in a rollup for 2. Bret gets Smith in the corner and has another Irish whip into the turnbuckle reversed. Bulldog charges and eats a boot though. Bret then puts the Bulldog in the La Magistral cradle for the three count and the very hard fought victory.


Winner by pinfall in 21:09: Bret Hart ****1/2

That was a very anti-climatic finish, but it's not like the Bulldog should have had a ton of gas left in the tank. Chris Jericho claims he taught Bret that move just for that match, and while it's a good pin, I think it would have worked better after that turnbuckle whip where Bulldog landed on his head.

Moving past that this was a war of a wrestling match as it started off with mat wrestling but by the end, both men looked like they were fighting for their lives. Bret Hart told a great story, and Davey Boy Smith was always game to have a great match when he had an opponent that could lead him properly.