WWF WrestleMania X

After a vacation and being busy at work and home these reviews are back.

March 20, 1994

From Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler

The show starts off with a music video package on the first WrestleMania.

Little Richard sings “America the Beautiful” after an enthusiastic introduction by Vince.

Vince now introduces Lawler and then we get a video package on the Bret and Owen Hart feud.

“The Rocket” Owen Hart vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart

Bill Dunn is the ring announcer tonight. And he is not too good. We also see a new entrance for the wrestlers and that the hard cam view is facing the entrance like all of the other shows at MSG. Bret gives his glasses to a kid sitting ringside. Lawler wants to know what is going through the minds of Stu & Helen Hart and wishes they were here tonight. Owen celebrates after shoving Bret during a lock up then they end in a stalemate after some mat work as Owen celebrates again. Owen crawls to the ropes after Bret grounds him then yells at the ref to get him off before Bret runs him through the ropes. Owen is pissed then returns to slap Bret across the face before ducking between the ropes. Owen yanks Bret down by the hair after reversing a hold but Bret fights back and works the arm. Bret gets two with a reverse rollup before going back to the arm. Bret continues to work over his brother to the fans delight as Owen is getting increasingly frustrated. Vince wonders if Bret will have the killer instinct against his younger brother as Owen comes back to catch Bret with a spinning heel kick. Owen kicks Bret out of the ring then toys with him before bringing the match back inside of the ring. Owen hits a backbreaker then uses a Camel’s Clutch as the crowd chants for Bret. Owen switches to a chin lock as Bret escapes then uses a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count. Bret rolls through a crossbody attempt for a two count but Owen immediately targets Bret’s back. Bret rolls outside after kicking out of another pinfall then comes back inside where Owen uses a bridging German suplex for a two count. Lawler makes jokes about Helen Hart as Bret blocks a suplex with a small package that gets two but Owen once again goes back on the attack. Owen flips out of a backbreaker attempt then hits Bret with a tombstone piledriver. Owen now heads up top for a splash but misses as both men are down. Bret clotheslines Owen for a two count and uses his other trademark moves for nearfalls and even argues with the ref that he got a three count. Owen catches Bret with an enziguiri then both men counter their shaprshooter attempts. Owen uses a jackknife cover for two then rolls outside where Bret flies out with a pescado. Bret clutches his knee on the ground then limps as he rolls Owen back inside. Owen is in the corner as Bret has trouble standing so Owen goes right after the knee. Owen mocks Bret’s limping as he continues to work over the knee with the crowd chanting for Bret. Owen now applies the figure four and mocks his brother but Bret reverses and they roll around until Owen reaches the ropes. Owen goes back to attacking the leg but Bret hits an enziguiri as both men are down. Bret hits a bulldog for a two count then hits a piledriver and rolls on top but that only gets two. Vince says that just watching the match is exhausting and imagine participating in it as Bret hits a superplex but still cannot put Owen away. Owen swings and misses then Bret locks on a sleeper but Owen runs them into the ropes and kicks Bret low. Owen now applies the Sharpshooter then Bret eventually reverses but Owen reaches the ropes. Owen eats boot on a charge in the corner then Bret tries for a victory roll but Owen blocks that and ends up getting the surprise win (20:21) *****.

Thoughts: An amazing match. Not since Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage has there been a WWF match with this level of backstory and in-ring performance. Two brothers go back-and-forth with the younger brother countering a move and getting the win which shocked the entire live crowd and likely the same for anyone watching on PPV. In his book “My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling,” Bret said he was wrestling Owen on house shows prior to the show and they were not that great according to him so both guys went to the Stu Hart Dungeon three days before WrestleMania and laid out the match, with Bret saying his main goal was to get Owen over as a heel. And they accomplished that by having Owen go after Bret’s knee. This match turned Owen from Bret’s brother into a legitimate contender. In his “Something to Wrestle With” podcast, Bruce Prichard claimed that Bret thought he should have gotten the win over Owen but later was okay when told he would be getting the title and headlining tours against Owen for the title. Just an amazing match that everyone fan should watch.

Todd Pettengill is now backstage with Owen. He asks how he’s feeling as Owen gloats and calls himself the “best there is, best there was, and the best there ever will be.” Owen then says how he is the better man for beating Bret and after the beating Bret received he does not have a “hope in hell” in winning a world title match.

WrestleMania Moment is WrestleMania 2 and how it came from three different locations as we see a clip of the battle royal.

Dunn welcomes Sy Sperling to the ring. For those unaware, he was the President of the “Hair Club for Men.” He then welcomes us to Howard Finkel, who now has hair. Finkel then introduces us to the next match.

Mixed Tag Match: Bam Bam Bigelow & Luna Vachon vs. Doink the Clown & Dink

Doink squirts Sperling with his flower. The rules are Doink and Bigelow can only be in the ring against each other. Bigelow attacks Doink then hits a dropkick. Doink avoids a senton then hammers away in the corner before working the arm. Doink tags out after some back-and-forth then Dink squares off against Bigelow but Luna comes in after the camera zooms in on her ass. Dink smacks Luna’s ass but ends up getting choked out on the ropes. Luna then uses a running hip attack but misses a second attempt then Dink hits an elbow drop for a two count. Dink avouds an elbow then heads up top but Luna gets out of the way. Luna rakes the back then slams him before heading up top where he misses a splash. Both of them tag out as Doink now hammers away until Bigelow clotheslines him over the top rope. Dink now distracts Bigelow & Luna while Doink is still on the outside. Doink returns but Bigelow breaks up his sunset flip attempt with a sit-down splash. Bigelow eats boot on a charge in the corner then Doink hits a DDT. Doink now heads up top but misses the sit-down splash then Bigelow hits a pair of clothesline before knocking Dink off of the apron. Bigelow goes back to beating on Doink then heads up and hits the flying headbutt for the win (6:11) *. Dink returns to the ring after the match and gets attacked by Luna. Dink is able to roll away from Bigelow’s splash and we now see Doink & Dink stand tall in the ring.

Thoughts: This felt too long even at just a tad over six minutes. I wouldn’t call it terrible, since it was a comedy match, but I was waiting for it to end. They also lost the crowd quickly and Luna did not look good in the ring. When Matt Borne got fired and Ray Apollo became Doink it was nowhere near the same level of worker in the role. I’m not calling Apollo terrible but Borne was a top worker. And adding Dink was a flop and Luna becoming involved also did not enhance this feud. The Doink character would also become de-emphasized going forward. Speaking of Dink, Bigelow mentioned in his shoot interview that both Luna and himself tortured Dink. Luna also added in her shoot interview with RF Video that the ref was told in his earpiece that they had to take this match “home” earlier than planned and the end did not go well due to the fact Dink primarily spoke French and barely understood English.

We now hear “Hail to the Chief” as the camera shows us a Bill Clinton impersonator sitting next to Jack Tunney. A boy what a shitty impersonator he turned out to be.

Stan Lane is backstage on the WrestleMania Hotline. We see him interviewing Bret.

WrestleMania Moment is now WrestleMania III as it set the indoor attendance record and we see a clip of the Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant staredown.

Falls Count Anywhere Match: “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Crush

The rules are that you have to return to the ring after a pinfall . Savage runs up the aisle to attack Crush but Crush fights back. Crush hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker then drops Savage throat-first across the guardrail for the pin. Savage then pulls himself up and heads to the ring but Fuji whacks him from behind with the flag post. Finkel counts down from ten as Savage just beats the count. Crush beats on Savage, who is in the tree-of-woe position. Fuji hands Crush some salt as the ref tries to get Savage down. Savage is down then is able to knock the salt into Crush’s eyes in a convoluted spot as Crush for some reason kept inching towards Savage in a backwards motion. Savage hits the flying elbow drop then kicks Crush outside where he covers for the pin. Crush remains out on the ground then Fuji comes eventually comes over to pour water on his face as he just beats the count. Savage now yells at the ref then charges but ends up getting backdropped over the top rope. Crush heads out but Savage rams his head into the post then against the steps. Savage clotheslines Crush over the guardrail but ends up getting decked with a right hand. They are in the aisle where Savage blocks a piledriver and takes Crush backstage. He sends Crush through the doors then another set of doors and gets the pin. Savage then strings up Crush and ties the rope against a support. He boots Crush then the rope fell down as Crush is on the floor. The countdown is at 15 seconds with Savage in the ring and beating on Fuji then Crush ends up getting counted out (9:44) **. After the match, Savage celebrates and gets a great reaction.

Thoughts: At times this featured good action but the 60 second rule really hindered the match and the finish, with Crush falling down after being tied up, looked ridiculous. Savage was incredibly over here in what turned out to be his final televized match for the WWF. He worked hard here and it did feature good action at times but that 60 second rule was awful as was the botched finish. Savage would work some house shows before leaving at the end of October. According to Bruce Prichard in his “Something to Wrestle With” podcast about this show, he claimed that Savage was the one who wanted to get off the road and out of the ring while Savage’s brother, Lanny Poffo, claims Savage left due to the fact they kept him out of the ring.

We now go to Pettengill, who is with the “president.” He asks the president if he is enjoying the show as the President says he like the show. This impersonator can barely even speak let alone pull off a Bill Clinton impression. IRS is sitting behind and grills the president before saying he is doing a fine job and congratulates him for raising taxes, because its time these people paid there fair share.

Pettengill now narrates a video package on the Fan Fest. Looked pretty cool if you asked me although its nowhere near as elaborate as the WWE Fan Axxess events of today.

We now see Savage celebrating at the Paramount Theater, where the show was on closed circuit, and says we haven’t seen nothing yet.

WrestleMania Moment is now WrestleMania IV with Randy Savage becoming the champion after winning the tournament. The one highlight of that awful PPV.

WWF Women’s Championship: Leilani Kai vs. Alundra Blayze

The graphic reads Leilani’s last name as “Kei.” She looks completely out of place here. She runs over Blayze but misses a charge in the corner as Blayze rollser up for a two count. Blayze then ducks underneath and gets a two with a sunset flip. Kai uses a lifting choke then hammers away before a scoop slam gets here a two count. Blayze comes back with a hurricarana for two but Kai uses some hair flips then tosses Blayze outside. Lawler makes fun of the Clinton impersonator as Kai uses more hair tossing then uses a butterfly suplex for a two count. Blayze comes back with a clothesline as Vince “believes” Kai wrestled at the first WrestleMania as Blayze is now using the hair flips. Blayze then ducks an attack and uses a bridging German suplex for the win (3:26) *1/4. The camera then shows Freddie Blassie, Lou Albano, Nikolai Volkoff, and Fabulous Moolah at ringside. Vince says that Moolah helped the Women’s Championship for many years.

Thoughts: They tried but the crowd did not care at all, which was to be expected since the division itself has not been hyped, just Blayze. A bit too much of the dated, hair-pulling offense from the Moolah days but besides that they did some decent stuff in here and the pace was solid.

WrestleMania Moment is now WrestleMania V with Roddy Piper extinguishing Morton Downey Jr.

Men on a Mission rap their way to the ring.

Pettengill tries to interview Rhonda Shear but Shawn Michaels interrupts. Shawn says everyone knows they are together but now Burt Reynolds shows up as Shawn is pissed. Burt then promises to take Rhonda where ever she wants. Burt was easily a few deep here. In fact, in the “1994 WWE Timeline as told by Sean Waltman” from Kayfabe Commentaries, Waltman referred to Burt as “whiskey nose” and said he was in fact drunk while Bruce Prichard denied Burt was drunk on his “Something to Wrestle With” podcast.

WWF Tag Team Championship: Men on a Mission w/ Oscar vs. The Quebecers w/ Johnny Polo

The Quebecers attack from behind before the bell and continue to hammer away. They toss Mo outside and beat on Mabel for a bit. Mabel comes back with a double clothesline then tags out as Mo hits a crossbody for a two count. Mo eventually gets trapped in the corner as The Quebecers run interference to maintain control. Pierre takes Mo out with a pescado then rolls him back inside for a two count. The Quebecers get a nearfall with a double stungun as the crowd now chants “let’s go Mo.” Pierre whiffs on a clothesline then Mo takes him out in some sort of cannonball in an obviously fucked up spot. Mo does not tag out though then Pierre misses a top rope leg drop. Mabel finally tags in but the crowd is dead since the action has been awful for the past minute. Mabel runs wild until he misses an avalanche. The Quebecers fail on a double suplex attempt but soften him up then hit the move as the crowd cheers. Pierre now heads up top as The Quebecers hit the assisted senton but Mabel kicks out at two. Pierre hammers away but Mabel fights back. Jacques jumps onto Mabel’s back but gets flinged off. Mabel then catches Pierre with a spinning heel kick then clotheslines Jacques. Mo tags and they use the Hip Hop Drop but Polo is distracting the ref. Oscar now pulls Polo off then Mo clotheslines Pierre over the top rope where he is hit with the Hip Hop Drop. MoM rolls back inside but Polo pulls out Jacques as MoM wins via count out (7:43) *. After the match, Oscar raps as MoM holds the titles.

Thoughts: I thought this match sucked. Mo was horrible here and the heat segment on him killed the match. It was also reported in the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter” that Jacques came into this match with a sprained ankle and that could have hindered the match too as Pierre did seem to do most of the heavy lifting for the team. The finish was also dumb too and Prichard also added in his podcast that this match went long and he became heated, especially at Jacques who was insistent they did not go over their allotted time.

WrestleMania Moment is WrestleMania VI with Ultimate Warrior defeating Hulk Hogan to capture the World Heavyweight Title. Gorilla is narrating and says “no one is unbeatable.”

We get a video package on the Luger/Yokozuna feud.

Rhonda Shear and Donnie Wahlberg come out as the guest timekeeper and ring announcer. Wahlberg gets booed then announces Mr. Perfect as the guest referee for the match. He gets a great reaction and comes out in what looks like an old-time baseball prison league uniform. Lawler is pissed and wants to know how Luger got to handpick the ref but Vince reminded him that everyone had to agree to this decision.

WWF World Heavyweight Championship: Yokozuna (c) w/ Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette vs. Lex Luger

New theme music here for Luger, who also gets a patriotic firework display. Lawler tells us that the American way is putting “Arabian oil into Japanese cars.” They slug it out to start with Luger winning that battle. Yokozuna catches Luger with a clothesline but misses a leg drop then gets knocked through the ropes. Luger heads out and rams Yokozuna’s head off of the steps twice after a struggle then rolls Yokozuna back inside. Luger heads up top for a crossbody and gets two. Elbow drop gets two as Lawler calls out Perfect for counting too fast. Yokozuna now fights back and chokes out Luger with the ropes. Luger ducks a clothesline and tries a slam but Yokozuna falls on top and gets a two count. Yokozuna stomps away and already appears gassed but in control of the match. Yokozuna unties the top turnbuckle pad and tosses it off while Perfect was talking to Cornette. Yokozuna beats down Luger in the corner then works a nerve hold in the middle of the ring. The crowd starts up with a USA chant but that dies down as this hold continues. Luger gets to his feet as the chant gets a bit louder but he gets sent back to the mat then Yokozuna threatens to hit Perfect. Yokozuna attacks the neck then applies yet another nerve hold which looks anything but painful. Cornette is shown looking pleased on the outside as this nerve hold continues. Yokozuna now dumps Luger outside and into the guardrail. Yokozuna brings Luger back in and hits a few chops before applying yet another nerve hold that looks like Yokozuna is just putting his hand on Luger’s shoulder. Luger fights back but Yokozuna punches him back to the mat and goes back to the nerve hold. Luger escapes again then ducks a pair of clotheslines until he is caught in a belly-to-belly suplex. Yokozuna signals for the Bonzai drop but Luger blocks a turnbuckle smash into the exposed steel. Luger sends Yokozuna into the steel then the crowd starts up a USA chant as Luger hits a few clotheslines then a slam. Luger now signals for the forearm smash and hits that then slingshots Cornette into the ring. Luger beats on Cornette then knocks Fuji down before covering nut Perfect neglects to count and checks on Cornette. Luger turns Perfect around then Perfect checks on Fuji. Luger turns Perfect around and covers but Perfect signals for the bell as he has disqualified Luger. Perfect then leaves as Luger cannot believe what has happened (14:40) 1/2*.

Thoughts: Good lord was this awful. The first 90 seconds or so was okay then Luger’s comeback was at least halfway decent but those long nerve holds took the crowd out of the match and having Yokozuna in poor cardiovascular condition wrestle twice in one night was a bad idea so he really had to pace himself. There was also a rumor that Luger was in fact supposed to have won the title but apparently “leaked” the finish of the match and that was overheard by a “New York Daily News” reporter at a restaurant but this was never proven to have been the case and denied by everyone involved.

Pettengill is backstage with Perfect. We hear Perfect say that its an automatic disqualification when you put your hands on an official in the WWF. Luger interrupts and is irate and says what Perfect did was bogus but Perfect repeats himself as the two are separated. And its clear we are moving towards a Perfect/Luger feud.

We see Lane backstage with Owen for the WrestleMania Hotline.

WrestleMania Moment is WrestleMania VII with the Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel blindfold match.

Finkel is about to introduce Harvey Whippleman but Whippleman yanks the mic out of his hands and rags on him for being “garbage.” Whippleman said that despite his hair, Finkel is still ugly then rips his shirt. However, Finkel shoves Whippleman down. Adam Bomb runs into the ring but Earthquake makes the save then the match begins

Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Whippleman vs. Earthquake

Earthquake uses a belly-to-belly suplex and a powerslam before putting Bomb away with the sit-down splash (0:35).

Thoughts: Just filler to give Earthquake a win and add more heat to this Finkel/Whippleman feud, which had been played up off-and-on for the past year. According to Bomb in an interview, this match was switched to being this short because they had to give more time for the ladder match.

Pettengill is in the locker room awaiting Yokozuna. Cornette comes out instead and tells Pettengill who cares about Luger because Yokozuna has the championship. Cornette then tells Bret the question is will he come out of this match with his health due to the hurt knee and has to overcome that he lost to his brother tonight. Cornette continues to talk as the camera zooms in on Yokozuna’s face.

WrestleMania Moment is The Undertaker appearing at WrestleMania VIII.

WWF Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Shawn Michaels w/ Diesel vs. Razor Ramon (c)

We get a reversal sequence that ends with Razor hitting a choke slam. Shawn comes back with a corkscrew neckbreaker then the camera shows the ladders in the aisle. Razor knocks Shawn down but Shawn sidesteps a charge and sends Razor through the ropes. Razor comes out but Diesel knocks him down then the ref kicks Diesel out of the match as Shawn flips out. We go back into the ring as Shawn takes all sorts of bumps before Razor clotheslines him over the top rope. Razor heads out and pulls up the floor mats but Shawn attacks then takes the match back into the ring. Razor decks Shawn then sets up for the Razor’s Edge but Shawn counters with a back drop that sends Razor outside and onto the exposed floor. Shawn grabs a ladder and drags it down the aisle until Razor cuts him off. Razor now picks up the ladder and tries to bring it inside but Shawn uses a baseball slide to knock it back into Razor as Vince reiterates how you can use the ladder as a weapon. Shawn brings the ladder inside and uses it to jab Razor in the ribs. Shawn now tosses the ladder at Razor’s back a few times then sets it up and climbs but Razor grabs Shawn’s legs then pulls down the tights to expose Shawn’s ass. Shawn then kicks Razor down and hits a flying elbow drop. Shawn slams Razor then with the ladder leaning in the corner, climbs the top rope and jumps off the third rung from the top for a splash. Shawn sets the ladder up again and climbs as he tries to reach the belts but Razor shakes the ladder then tips it over as Shawn bounces off of the ropes. Shawn slowly gets up first and places the ladder in the corner. Shawn sets up for an Irish whip but Razor reverses and Shawn ends up on the floor in another crazy bump. Razor takes the ladder outside and rams it into Shawn’s face. Razor continues to beat on Shawn with the ladder then slingshots Shawn into the ladder as he is down in the aisle. Razor tosses Shawn back into the ring and does the same with the ladder. Razor then whacks Shawn with the ladder and that sends Shawn over the top rope. Razor sets up the ladder and tries to climb but Shawn knocks him off with a flying double axe handle from behind as both men are down. Vince hypes up this match and says the WWF is truly unbelievable as now both men climb the ladder. They slug it out on top until Razor slams Shawn off as he also falls down in the process. Razor sets the ladder up again as Lawler says the ladder is now broken. Razor climbs up and reaches for the belts but Shawn knocks him off by dropkicking the ladder. The camera shows the belts swinging from the cable as Shawn knocks the ladder on top of Razor. Shawn then catches Razor with a super kick then hits a piledriver. Shawn then climbs the top rope and pushes the ladder on top of Razor. Shawn now climbs the ladder after taking his time but Razor knocks him off and during the landing Shawn gets his foot caught in the ropes. Lawler screams about how Diesel should be here to untie his leg but Razor climbs up and grabs the two belts, even falling down from the top of the ladder, and gets the win to be crowned the undisputed Intercontinental Champion (18:47) *****. The fans give this a standing ovation

Thoughts: Just an amazing match with an incredible individual performance by Shawn. Razor was fine here but Shawn could have gotten a match of this caliber with many people on this roster I believe. He was just incredible. It also closes the chapter on their feud, which was a good one with Shawn coming back with his title after never have being pinned and facing the current Intercontinental Champion to crown the undisputed Intercontinental Title. The psychology was tight and this spawned thousands of ladder matches since. In Bret Hart’s book he talked about being pissed that Shawn took his idea of the ladder match to Vince and even after asking Shawn not to do this finish he did it anyway. It was reported in the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter” by Dave Meltzer that Shawn was took take a several month-long sabbattical leave from the ring (Wade Keller of “Pro Wrestling Torch” originally reported that Shawn gave notice then issued a correction the following week). Now, Razor will have to find a new opponent as we wait to see what happens with Shawn.

Vince then says there is a commotion in the dressing room as we see the IRS & Jeff Jarrett & Rick Martel & Headshrinkers team arguing as Vince says there will not be a ten-man tag match tonight. This is because the show ran too long but according to Waltman, he still ended up getting a $10,000 payoff for the show so I assume that was the going rate for the guys involved in the match?

Back to the president as we get more shitty comedy with this awful Clinton impersonator. Ted DiBiase then appears and tells Clinton that everyone has a price for the Million Dollar Man.

WrestleMania Moment is WrestleMania IX and how it was an afternoon of “miscarriages of justice.”

We get an ad for the King of the Ring PPV, which will take place in Baltimore, MD on 6/19.

The Bret Hart music video airs. Haven’t seen this one in a while. Maybe early 1993 was the last time it aired?

Burt Reynolds and Jennie Garth head down to the ring, escorted by Pat Patterson. They are the guest ring announcer and timekeeper for the match. Burt Reynolds then announces Roddy Piper as the guest referee. Piper gets a great reaction.

WWF World Heavyweight Title Match: Yokozuna (c) w/ Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart

Bret limps down to the ring then gets beat down as soon as he steps inside. Yokozuna continues to hammer away as Bret is on the mat clutching his knee. Bret now fights back but whiffs on a dropkick as Lawler is yelling about Piper allowing Bret to used closed fists. Yokozuna now targets the back of Bret as Piper yells at Cornette. Yokozuna sets up for a splash but Bret rolls away as both men are down. Bret is up first and fires away then knocks both Yokozuna and himself down with a headbutt. Yokozuna gets up first but Bret blocks a mat slam and hits one of his own. Bret hammers away until Yokozuna cuts him off. Bret then fights back again and knocks Yokozuna down with a double axe handle to the back. Piper counts until Cornette drags him outside then Piper decks Cornette and heads back in as Fuji checks on Cornette. Piper yells at Yokozuna, who then hits Bret with a leg drop. Yokozuna then sends Bret outside as Piper starts up the ten count but Bret is able to beat the count. Yokozuna now chokes out Bret in the corner but misses an avalanche. Bret comes off the middle rope with a bulldog that gets two. Clothesline gets two. Yokozuna catches Bret with a belly-to-belly suplex then signals for the Bonzai Drop. He drags Bret in the corner and sets up but misses the move after slipping off then Bret covers for the win and becomes the new champion (10:38) **. Bret then celebrates and sees Luger come into the ring. They stare at each other before hugging then Piper congratulates Bret. We then see Burt Reynolds, Razor, Tatanka, Sparky Plugg, Kid, Savage, and even Rhonda Shear come out to celebrate. Bret then gets hoisted up on the shoulders of several wrestlers as we see Owen in the aisle shake his head in disbelief. Everyone now stares at Owen, who turns around and leaves.

Thoughts: Bret was able to make this passable but still below par for a PPV World Title match. And the finish didn’t exactly make anyone look strong and it was an anticlimactic way to end Yokozuna’s reign as an unstoppable monster but by this point, with his condition deteriorating, it was needed. The best part here was Owen looking on in disgust while seeing his brother celebrate as even though he still beat Bret he remains in the shadow of his older brother. It also sets up for a Bret vs. Owen Title program as their feud reaches a new chapter. Bret also wrote in his book how Savage had tears in his eyes when he congratulated him and it was also reported how the company was thrilled that Reynolds came in and hugged Bret. Heck, even in the “1994 WWE Timeline as told by Sean Waltman” we heard from Waltman himself that Bret winning was not just for the fans but also for the “boys” in the back.

Final Thoughts: Bottom line is that we had two classic matches (before seeing this again I was unsure if I would rate them both ***** but fuck it these matches are incredible), one of which legitimized a midcard wrestler while the other turned a wrestler into a star. Bret Hart also captured the title for the second time and has an already made feud with his brother. However, the rest of the card was generally poor. With that being said, the two classic matches make this show far from a thumbs down but you are much better off watching the aforementioned matches and skipping the rest.