Ric
Flair vs. Terry Funk in the I Quit match at the NWA Clash of the Champions IX in
November of 1989 is my all-time favorite wrestling match viewed in real time; I wrote one of my
first columns about it in PORK #16. Every self-respecting fan should see the I
Quit match, but I also highly recommend it to any non-fan who is curious about
why many of us are devoted to the True Sport of Kings. Flair and Funk were
masters of their craft who told a simple but effective story in the ring with
believable performances. I knew it would be a long time before another bout
rivaled the I Quit match’s brutality. Nearly ten years passed before that
happened, so let us set our time machine to the WWF in early 1997 so we can
examine that epic encounter!
 |
| Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The best there is...the best there was... ...and the best there ever will be. |
Bret
“Hit Man” Hart was a WWF mainstay, first making a name for himself in the late
‘80s as one-half of the Hart Foundation. They were two-time tag team
titleholders before Bret struck out on his own, eventually holding the WWF
Intercontinental and world championships. Hart firmly established himself as
“the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be,” which
was hard to argue when he tore down the house with opponents like Davey Boy
Smith or Shawn Michaels. Michaels had unseated the Hit Man for the world title
at WrestleMania XII in an hour-long marathon, causing Bret to question his
place in a changing wrestling business. He would take time off for much of 1996
and it was during that time that a new foe loomed in the horizon, waiting for
his return.
Astute
wrestling fans pegged Steve Austin as a future world champion even in his debut
year with WCW in 1990. I do not mind telling you that I was one of those fans.
You would have to be foolish not to notice his ability and the massive amount of
potential he had at the time.
Unfortunately, WCW never used Stunning Steve to
his potential by utilizing him above a mid-card capacity. He vanished around
the time WCW began devolving into the Hulk Hogan & Friends Variety Hour,
but soon came aboard the WWF under the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s
tutelage as the Ringmaster. Although I was not a huge fan of the Ringmaster
persona, I knew that Austin was in the right promotion now and that it would be
only a matter of time before he tasted championship gold. Things started
falling into place when he ditched DiBiase, became “Stone Cold” Steve Austin,
and won the King of the Ring tournament in 1996. I grinned from ear to ear when
I caught the recap and saw Austin’s fiery post-match interview where he ran down
Jake “The Snake” Roberts, his opponent in the final who was undergoing
something of a religious awakening. Roberts had quoted John 3:16 before the
bout, inspiring Stone Cold’s infamous response, “AUSTIN 3:16 SAYS I JUST
WHIPPED YOUR ASS!”
Stone
Cold had arrived.
Austin
had a lot of hunger and fury built up from the lack of opportunities in WCW. No
one would ever stand in his way again. He was finished wasting his time with a
past-his-prime Jake Roberts or the WWF’s mid-card fodder. Austin wanted the best
competition possible, so his sights were set on the wrestler labeled the Best
There is, the Best There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be. Although Bret
was on a sabbatical, that did not stop Stone Cold from trashing the Hart name
whenever possible. Rumors were abound that Hart was considering a lucrative WCW
contract, following other ex-WWF talent like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Kevin
Nash, and Scott Hall. He finally returned after what felt like an eternity,
declaring his WWF loyalty and accepting Austin’s challenge. Hart referred to
Austin as the WWF’s best new wrestler, but intended to make an example of him. Bret
still questioned his place in the current wrestling landscape where fans
cheered despicable foul-mouths like Austin when the Hit Man always stood for
hard work and integrity. This had to change.
Bret
and Stone Cold had some great matches in 1996, but their rivalry was only
beginning. Things escalated when Austin cheated the Hit Man out of winning the
1997 Royal Rumble and then cost him a world title match against Sid Vicious, throwing
an already hastily assembled WrestleMania XIII card into chaos. Bret was out
for blood. He demanded revenge and would get the opportunity against Stone Cold
Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIII. Although Bret had previously defeated Austin
via pinfall, that would not count this time. Disqualifications and count-outs
weren’t happening here either. This match would end when one combatant conceded
defeat to the other by submission. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship star
Ken Shamrock would serve as the guest referee. This match could be the one that
saved WrestleMania, which was shaping up to be something of a disaster. Submission
matches were often boring, but Bret and Austin were the best around. They were
more than up for the task. Their hatred felt legitimate. Austin said he had
never given up on anything in his life and was not about to start now. Bret
promised he would or be crippled in the process. I thought the possibility for their
submission bout to rival my old I Quit favorite was very real. Man, was I
excited!
Bret
and Austin didn’t wait for the timekeeper’s bell; they tore into each other
upon sight, immediately taking their battle out of the ring. Their fight even
spilled into the stands where fans got an up-close-and-personal look at the Hit
Man and Stone Cold! Our combatants went back and forth, beating each other from
pillar to post. However, the turning point came when Hart reversed an Irish
whip on the floor and sent Austin crashing headfirst into the guardrail. Austin
came up bleeding, compelling the Hit Man to zero in on the wound. Stone Cold
would rebound, but was losing blood and energy fast. Hart locked Austin’s legs
in the Sharpshooter, his finishing submission hold, and the end was near. Stone
Cold put forth a
valiant effort to break free, screaming at the top of his
lungs as the blood flowed from his forehead. He wouldn’t give up no matter
what! We were screaming at the top of our lungs for Austin to break the hold so
they could fight some more. However, we could see that Stone Cold was quickly
fading. Referee Ken Shamrock ended the match when it became apparent that
Austin had passed out, both from blood loss and the pain applied to his back
and legs by Hart’s Sharpshooter. Bret was officially the winner, but Stone Cold
gained the moral victory by refusing to submit. Hart knew it and attacked the
unconscious Austin after the match, eliciting a cascade of boos from the
audience. Shamrock intervened for a brief standoff, but Bret exited the ring
and headed back towards the locker room in disgust. WWF cameras caught the Hit
Man in the aisle yelling “FUCK YOU!” at an irate fan while flipping him off and
it was a glorious ending to a magnificent match. What a story—Bret became
everything he hated to destroy Austin, who kept his word and never gave up!
We
shared the opinion that Austin’s time was now; that he would walk out of next
year’s WrestleMania with the world championship. We could not wait to see what
would happen between him and the Hit Man on Monday Night Raw in subsequent
weeks. Bret vs. Austin had exceeded our expectations with violence and
bloodshed the old-fashioned way, but my friend Joe had one question for me: Was
it as good as the I Quit match?
“No…it
was BETTER!”
No comments:
Post a Comment