Bret Hart DVD Review
This 3 DVD set is in honor of the legendary career of Bret “The Hitman” Hart. The DVD title comes from Bret’s famous catch phrase describing himself. The first DVD has a documentary on Bret’s career, extras discussing his famous family and stories that wouldn’t fit in the documentary, and two Hart Foundation matches. The other two discs only have matches.
The Documentary
The documentary features Bret discussing his career.
While others appear on the disc, no one else really is on for that long. The disc is made for someone with an understanding of Bret’s career. If you are unfamiliar with Bret’s story, you should read my profile of him first. There is never before seen in the US footage of Bret from his Stampede Wrestling days. Bret was a great storyteller in the ring and that ability translates to his interview for the DVD. As far as Montreal and Owen go, there is no new ground covered on this disc and I think Bret goes out of his way to make sure of that. He has stated in the past that he does not want his career defined by Montreal and doesn’t want to profit from his brother’s death. I am glad to report that Bret seems to be in a good place as it regards to these events and does not seem to carry the anger that he used to when discussing these events. Recommendation: Watch
Editing of the Matches
As is the case with most WWE discs, the editing of matches leaves a lot to be desired. This disc does not feature alternative commentary tracks of Bret discussing any of the matches.
Jesse Ventura’s commentary is cut from the Hart Foundation vs. Rockers match. There is no commentary for the match between Bret and Ted DiBiase. The match between Bret and Bam Bam Bigelow is in Spanish. One of his matches against Owen and the Owen tribute match are missing the action that took place during the commercial breaks. Even with all these problems, there is not one match I don’t recommend watching.
Hart Foundation Matches
There are four Hart Foundation matches on the DVD. The first two (vs. The British Bulldogs and The Killer Bees) are from MSG shows from their heel run. For some reason, history has not been kind to the memory of The Killer Bees. This match will hopefully make fans remember what a great team they were. The other two (vs. The Rockers and Nasty Boys) are from their face era. I believe the match against The Nasty Boys was the final televised appearance of that version of The Hart Foundation.
1986 – 1992 Singles Matches
In this era, matches against Ricky Steamboat, Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, and The British Bulldog are featured. All three matches are as good as you would think they would be with the talent involved. The Steamboat match is from a 1986 Boston Garden Show. The Ted DiBiase match was a dark match from a TV taping that has no commentary. The match against Mr. Perfect is from SummerSlam 91. Despite having a serious back injury that would keep him out of the ring for over a year, Mr. Perfect lived up to his moniker. The match against The British Bulldog was the main event of what some argue to be the highest attended WWF event of all time.
1993 – 1994 Singles Matches
The most noticeable match not on the DVD from this era is his title victory over Ric Flair. That match was never televised but is available on the Smack ‘em Whack’em VHS. Having seen that match, I can say that while historic it wasn’t that great of a match. The matches from this era that are represented are matches against Bam Bam Bigelow, Mr. Perfect, and two matches against Owen Hart. The Bam Bam Bigelow match is in Spanish. The Mr. Perfect match is from the 1993 King of the Ring. Amazingly, this match is the second of the evening for both men. The first match against Owen is their WrestleMania X match. It can be argued that this was the greatest opening match of any PPV. The second match is from the debut episode of WWF Action Zone. The commentary of this match is so bad, I was hoping for either the silence or Spanish commentary of the previous matches. The match was also cut for commercial breaks. Despite these problems, the match is well worth watching.
1995 Singles Matches
This features three matches that broke new ground for the WWF in their transformation from bad cartoon gimmicks to the Attitude era. The match with Hakushi features both of these on display. In spite of a horrible gimmick, Hakushi was one of the first wrestlers in the WWF to use the moves that we are used to seeing the cruiserweights do. The match against Diesel from Survivor Series 95 was the first time the Spanish announce table was broken. His match against The British Bulldog was one of the first bloody matches of the era and it is funny hearing Vince beg the camera man not to show a close up considering the next match on the DVD.
The Documentary
The documentary features Bret discussing his career.
While others appear on the disc, no one else really is on for that long. The disc is made for someone with an understanding of Bret’s career. If you are unfamiliar with Bret’s story, you should read my profile of him first. There is never before seen in the US footage of Bret from his Stampede Wrestling days. Bret was a great storyteller in the ring and that ability translates to his interview for the DVD. As far as Montreal and Owen go, there is no new ground covered on this disc and I think Bret goes out of his way to make sure of that. He has stated in the past that he does not want his career defined by Montreal and doesn’t want to profit from his brother’s death. I am glad to report that Bret seems to be in a good place as it regards to these events and does not seem to carry the anger that he used to when discussing these events. Recommendation: Watch
Editing of the Matches
As is the case with most WWE discs, the editing of matches leaves a lot to be desired. This disc does not feature alternative commentary tracks of Bret discussing any of the matches.
Jesse Ventura’s commentary is cut from the Hart Foundation vs. Rockers match. There is no commentary for the match between Bret and Ted DiBiase. The match between Bret and Bam Bam Bigelow is in Spanish. One of his matches against Owen and the Owen tribute match are missing the action that took place during the commercial breaks. Even with all these problems, there is not one match I don’t recommend watching.
Hart Foundation Matches
There are four Hart Foundation matches on the DVD. The first two (vs. The British Bulldogs and The Killer Bees) are from MSG shows from their heel run. For some reason, history has not been kind to the memory of The Killer Bees. This match will hopefully make fans remember what a great team they were. The other two (vs. The Rockers and Nasty Boys) are from their face era. I believe the match against The Nasty Boys was the final televised appearance of that version of The Hart Foundation.
1986 – 1992 Singles Matches
In this era, matches against Ricky Steamboat, Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, and The British Bulldog are featured. All three matches are as good as you would think they would be with the talent involved. The Steamboat match is from a 1986 Boston Garden Show. The Ted DiBiase match was a dark match from a TV taping that has no commentary. The match against Mr. Perfect is from SummerSlam 91. Despite having a serious back injury that would keep him out of the ring for over a year, Mr. Perfect lived up to his moniker. The match against The British Bulldog was the main event of what some argue to be the highest attended WWF event of all time.
1993 – 1994 Singles Matches
The most noticeable match not on the DVD from this era is his title victory over Ric Flair. That match was never televised but is available on the Smack ‘em Whack’em VHS. Having seen that match, I can say that while historic it wasn’t that great of a match. The matches from this era that are represented are matches against Bam Bam Bigelow, Mr. Perfect, and two matches against Owen Hart. The Bam Bam Bigelow match is in Spanish. The Mr. Perfect match is from the 1993 King of the Ring. Amazingly, this match is the second of the evening for both men. The first match against Owen is their WrestleMania X match. It can be argued that this was the greatest opening match of any PPV. The second match is from the debut episode of WWF Action Zone. The commentary of this match is so bad, I was hoping for either the silence or Spanish commentary of the previous matches. The match was also cut for commercial breaks. Despite these problems, the match is well worth watching.
1995 Singles Matches
This features three matches that broke new ground for the WWF in their transformation from bad cartoon gimmicks to the Attitude era. The match with Hakushi features both of these on display. In spite of a horrible gimmick, Hakushi was one of the first wrestlers in the WWF to use the moves that we are used to seeing the cruiserweights do. The match against Diesel from Survivor Series 95 was the first time the Spanish announce table was broken. His match against The British Bulldog was one of the first bloody matches of the era and it is funny hearing Vince beg the camera man not to show a close up considering the next match on the DVD.
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