This review was commissioned by portablestove over on my Ko-fi account.
At their very best, pro wrestling matches become bigger than themselves. It’s not always an intentional thing, and it’s not strictly tied down to the quality of the match or the performances within, but now and then the stars align exactly right and something that was truly great on its own takes on an almost mythic quality when seen with a little distance. It speaks to the greatness of both Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin that they achieve such a thing together. Twice.
Here, we have their first major singles bout against each other, and history tells us that the stakes here may be grander than they first seem. Bret Hart’s coming back from some time off for the first time in months, and in the time since he’s been gone, Stone Cold Steve Austin has become King of the Ring and a real force to be reckoned with within the WWF. If one zooms out a little further too, there’s something to be said about how Austin’s rise also coincides with the first major Shawn Michaels WWF Championship reign–one that ended Bret’s own title run. Bret’s hold on the WWF is slipping from a kayfabe point of view, and at Madison Square Garden against Austin, he has a chance to reassert himself.
Placing this match against the wider backdrop of pro wrestling history though, we see that a lot of the underlying narrative tension between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin speaks to the transition that the WWF as a whole is about to make. Bret’s on the record stating that there was a part of him frustrated at the way the company was moving. Austin, as a pro wrestling character, was a bad guy doing bad things, and that didn’t stop people from loving him. It’s not hard to read this whole rivalry then as a grander philosophical struggle between what Bret envisioned the WWF to be and the force of Austin’s attitude gaining steam with each new day. It’s not ever put into such hokey terms (thank god), but in hindsight, it’s about Bret Hart desperately trying to hold back the incoming Attitude Era.
In that regard, this match brought to mind Cena/Lesnar from 2012, another classic match of its time, marking a murky transition period for the company at large. In both, we have our hero standing up against the (incredibly popular) force of what will come to replace him.
It’s not ever quite so violent, but the match here is potent nonetheless. What’s most striking about it is just how naturally the action informs the larger themes at hand. Bret and Austin don’t need to gesture towards these lofty ideas, because they’re far too confident for that kind of thing. When the talent is this fucking good, this zoned in and laser focused on the core quality of the wrestling itself, everything else follows. The match means something greater, because these two make the match matter. It’s a nuance that’s lost on so many, even other greats.
Notably, the match is structured around the two differing styles brought to the table. While this is pre-neck break Austin, and he’s still real willing and capable of working a more chain wrestling-heavy style, he still does come across as the more gruff brawler between the two. Bret’s all science, but Austin’s working with this vicious streak to him that constantly threatens to derail Bret’s composure and momentum. Again, positioning the match against a grander backdrop, Austin feels inevitable for most of this match. It’s not just that he’s more vicious when the match calls for it, but it’s also that his very presence in the match poisons the air around both men. He can’t help but bring out Bret’s insecurities, his frustrations, and what that means is that even when Bret is in control, there’s a spite to how he works. Look at those early wristlock arm wrenches these two trade, Austin’s mean with it, which forces Bret to be mean with it too. It’s not just about controlling the pace, it’s about hurting the other.
Austin’s inevitability translates into ruthlessness too. He hits that gorgeous spinning Stun Gun to seize early control, and he fights dirty to keep it by choking Bret out with the ropes. When Bret starts getting spirited enough to make a comeback, Austin again escalates by taking the fight to the floor. And while it’s a struggle down there, it’s Austin’s brutality that wins out when he catapults Bret right into the laps of the Spanish announce team. My god, just watch Austin in those moments, leaping into Bret with no care for his surroundings, just wanting to pound some punishment into Bret.
The crowd tells the story too. Bret tries to keep things sporting and clean to start and we have a very dull, uninvested New York City. But when Austin brings that sweet violence to the fore, taking the fight right into their laps, they finally go wild for this match. Even in the midst of this battle, Bret’s losing the war.
The beauty of such things though is that in the face of inevitable change, it’s sometimes possible to at least hit pause. It matters to stand one’s ground even in a losing fight, and Bret does that here. He remains solid, as he always does, and plays the thinking man’s game. When Austin delivers a truly evil superplex (note how he makes a point of climbing to the top for extra impact), it’s Bret that gets the better of the exchange just by hooking Austin’s legs for a pinfall attempt. And when Austin loses his cool, it costs him constantly. He goes to punch out Bret instead of pinning him, he goes backwards and tries to choke out Bret with the Million Dollar Dream instead of pushing forward. Austin compromises, he steps back, and in doing so, loses the night.
Our hero delays the inevitable, and sometimes that’s enough.
It’s amazing, truly weighty stuff these two accomplish in the ring that night. Mechanically, pure perfection. The snap on all the offense from both men, the overwhelming charisma of Austin both on offense and when selling for something like Bret’s punches on the comeback, it’s all so goddamn good. With a better crowd who cared a little more for the nuts and bolts of this thing, perhaps one of the greatest matches of all time. But that’s just fitting, isn’t it? Bret’s losing his grip on these people, and in doing so, puts together a match that’s just a little bit over their heads. Locked out of perfection by his own attention to detail. I can admire the struggle and the dedication, but I can’t deny the (mixed but still beautiful) result.
It’s tragic, but it’s true.
IS IT BETTER THAN 6/3/94? Misawa and Kawada simply can’t hold a candle to the construction of this match. Basically a perfectly executed thing at a key moment in history when it all means so much more. Is this match perfect? Not quite. There’s some version of this that gets the same ideas across but gets the people with them just a little bit faster too. But it’s just a lot more airtight than the King’s Road classic ever was, and that wins Bret and Austin the day.
Rating: ****1/2
