Post by Shatter Machine on Jun 21, 2015 10:23:54 GMT -5
I had some time this morning, so I thought I'd hammer out a review of a 5-star classic, and it's one of my all-time favorites, the Bret Hart-Davey Boy Smith I-C Title match from Summerslam 1992. I watched this on the History of the I-C title DVD, but it's also available on the first Bret Hart DVD set. Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan are on commentary. I remember having NO IDEA who was going to win when I was a kid, which was odd, because I was pretty good at figuring who was going to go over in most big PPV matches. I've probably seen this one about thirty times in my life, and I seriously can't praise Bret enough, having to carry Davey in front of all those people and make him look like a million bucks.
Without further ado:
08.29.1992
WWF Intercontinental Championship:
Bret Hart (Champion) Vs Davey Boy Smith (Challenger, led to the ring by Lennox Lewis)
Wembley Stadium
London, England
Lennox Lewis, pre World Champion days, but still a British Hero, leads the way out for Davey Boy. I had no idea who he was in the summer of 1992, but obviously, his time was coming. The crowd is massive and jacked, and Bret is pretty much the heel by default because of the crowd, and he does it well, wrestling his usual match, but being decidedly more heelish while doing it. In later interviews, Bret has alternately said that this was the greatest match of his career and also that Davey was either A) On drugs or B) Totally blown up five minutes in. Take your pick, based on whether Bret is talking to sister Diana, who was married to Davey, and is seated at ringside. (They keep going to Diana in an insert in the corner so we can see her lack of real emotion. How very Canadian.) They chest up to start, and Davey shoves Bret back. Bret goes to a headlock, and Davey sends him to the ropes. Bret with a leapfrog, and Davey knocks him down with a shoulder block. Bret goes to the floor, and Bobby Heenan (on commentary) says that Davey Boy has "Whoopi Goldberg Hair". Cute. Bret floats over on a press, into a rolling reverse for 2. Small package gets 2, and he goes back to the headlock. Davey Boy reverses into a hammerlock, and Bret just potatoes him with an elbow. Bret goes to a wristlock, and Davey does the flippity floppity reversal out of it. He slingshots Bret into the top turnbuckle and goes to an armbar. Crucifix gets 2, and he goes back to the armbar. Bret slams him, but Davey Boy holds on to the armbar. Bret gets a knee to the guy, then a leg drop. He goes to a reverse chinlock. Shoulder block, then Bret hits an inverted atomic drop, which Vince McMahon calls "a reverse piledriver", which I suppose is true in that he's got him reversed from a normal piledriver, but drops him the same way. I digress. Bret blocks a crucifix into a samoan drop for 2. He goes to a chinlock, but Davey powers out of it. They do a criss-cross, and Davey gets a monkey flip. He headbutts Bret, but eats Bret's boot on a charge into the corner. Bret hits a bulldog and goes up, but Davey slams him off. Davey then goes up, but HE misses a diving headbutt. Channeling Dynamite Kid, I suppose. Davey goes for a rolling reverse, but Bret dumps him out of the ring. Bret goes for a slingshot plancha but Davey is out of position, so Bret turns it into a sort-of slingblade. Bret was legit pissed at Davey for not being where he was supposed to, and has said that he worked a little stiffer with him for a while to let him know. He runs him to the post, and they go back in. Bret works the back, and hits a neckbreaker for 2. Backdrop gets 2. Snap suplex (they really ARE channeling Dynamite Kid) gets 2. Bret goes to a reverse chinlock to take a quick breather, and Davey comes out again. Davey with a backslide for 2. Bret hits a backbreaker for 2, then a second rope elbow to Davey's back. He pulls Davey up by the hair and then drops him, drawing boos for the first time. He goes back to the chinlock.Bret turns this into a sleeperhold, and Davey reaches the ropes. Bret won't break clean, and when he does, he goes right back to it. Davey fights out again, and press slams Bret into the ropes. A series of clotheslines gets 2. Press slam gets 2. Hanging vertical suplex gets 2. He whips Bret chest-first to the buckle, and Davey's powerslam (his finisher) only gets 2. He knocks Bret to the apron, and Bret reverses a suplex into a bridging German Suplex for 2. Davey blocks a suplex, and puts Bret on top. He hits an AWESOME superduperplex (that's a superplex with BOTH guys standing on the top rope) for 2. Double clothesline, and both guys are down. Bret goes for the sharpshooter from the mat, and gets it locked in, but Davey won't submit. He makes the ropes. Bret sends him off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip, but Davey hooks his legs and gets the pin and the title at 25:40. ***** They tease dissension and anger, but Diana comes in and emotionlessly convinces them to reconcile and Davey gets his big moment in his home country. It was Davey's best match ever, and one of Bret's top 5.
Without further ado:
08.29.1992
WWF Intercontinental Championship:
Bret Hart (Champion) Vs Davey Boy Smith (Challenger, led to the ring by Lennox Lewis)
Wembley Stadium
London, England
Lennox Lewis, pre World Champion days, but still a British Hero, leads the way out for Davey Boy. I had no idea who he was in the summer of 1992, but obviously, his time was coming. The crowd is massive and jacked, and Bret is pretty much the heel by default because of the crowd, and he does it well, wrestling his usual match, but being decidedly more heelish while doing it. In later interviews, Bret has alternately said that this was the greatest match of his career and also that Davey was either A) On drugs or B) Totally blown up five minutes in. Take your pick, based on whether Bret is talking to sister Diana, who was married to Davey, and is seated at ringside. (They keep going to Diana in an insert in the corner so we can see her lack of real emotion. How very Canadian.) They chest up to start, and Davey shoves Bret back. Bret goes to a headlock, and Davey sends him to the ropes. Bret with a leapfrog, and Davey knocks him down with a shoulder block. Bret goes to the floor, and Bobby Heenan (on commentary) says that Davey Boy has "Whoopi Goldberg Hair". Cute. Bret floats over on a press, into a rolling reverse for 2. Small package gets 2, and he goes back to the headlock. Davey Boy reverses into a hammerlock, and Bret just potatoes him with an elbow. Bret goes to a wristlock, and Davey does the flippity floppity reversal out of it. He slingshots Bret into the top turnbuckle and goes to an armbar. Crucifix gets 2, and he goes back to the armbar. Bret slams him, but Davey Boy holds on to the armbar. Bret gets a knee to the guy, then a leg drop. He goes to a reverse chinlock. Shoulder block, then Bret hits an inverted atomic drop, which Vince McMahon calls "a reverse piledriver", which I suppose is true in that he's got him reversed from a normal piledriver, but drops him the same way. I digress. Bret blocks a crucifix into a samoan drop for 2. He goes to a chinlock, but Davey powers out of it. They do a criss-cross, and Davey gets a monkey flip. He headbutts Bret, but eats Bret's boot on a charge into the corner. Bret hits a bulldog and goes up, but Davey slams him off. Davey then goes up, but HE misses a diving headbutt. Channeling Dynamite Kid, I suppose. Davey goes for a rolling reverse, but Bret dumps him out of the ring. Bret goes for a slingshot plancha but Davey is out of position, so Bret turns it into a sort-of slingblade. Bret was legit pissed at Davey for not being where he was supposed to, and has said that he worked a little stiffer with him for a while to let him know. He runs him to the post, and they go back in. Bret works the back, and hits a neckbreaker for 2. Backdrop gets 2. Snap suplex (they really ARE channeling Dynamite Kid) gets 2. Bret goes to a reverse chinlock to take a quick breather, and Davey comes out again. Davey with a backslide for 2. Bret hits a backbreaker for 2, then a second rope elbow to Davey's back. He pulls Davey up by the hair and then drops him, drawing boos for the first time. He goes back to the chinlock.Bret turns this into a sleeperhold, and Davey reaches the ropes. Bret won't break clean, and when he does, he goes right back to it. Davey fights out again, and press slams Bret into the ropes. A series of clotheslines gets 2. Press slam gets 2. Hanging vertical suplex gets 2. He whips Bret chest-first to the buckle, and Davey's powerslam (his finisher) only gets 2. He knocks Bret to the apron, and Bret reverses a suplex into a bridging German Suplex for 2. Davey blocks a suplex, and puts Bret on top. He hits an AWESOME superduperplex (that's a superplex with BOTH guys standing on the top rope) for 2. Double clothesline, and both guys are down. Bret goes for the sharpshooter from the mat, and gets it locked in, but Davey won't submit. He makes the ropes. Bret sends him off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip, but Davey hooks his legs and gets the pin and the title at 25:40. ***** They tease dissension and anger, but Diana comes in and emotionlessly convinces them to reconcile and Davey gets his big moment in his home country. It was Davey's best match ever, and one of Bret's top 5.
