[1993-04-24-WWF-Barcelona, ESP] Bret Hart vs Bam Bam Bigelow

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Good match, but I'm not sure why Bret considers it one of his best, as it's basically Bret getting beat up the whole time then mounting a brief comeback and getting the pin at the end.

[shoe]

I thought this was good with top notch psychology. Bigelow is so agile. It's kinda cool watching Bret working big men like Bigelow and Yoko who would be prototype heels during a Hogan run. Hogan could never have the quality bouts that Bret has with these guys.

[Matt D]

I can totally see why Bret would think this is one of his best, actually. The early armwork is a lot of fun and set up and continued and even paid off very well by Bam Bam. The backwork is focused, makes the suplex reversal seem like a miracle, and there's a good amount of foreshadowing and set up here. The usual fun finishing stretch. I'm surprised more people didn't have more to say about this.

[Loss]

The more I see of Bret, the less I like him. He was a great wrestler, but has so many dull, unexciting matches.

[Kevin Ridge]

Thought it was good though not great. Was this the match Bret put over as a favorite of his? They have a much longer match the next night that was put on his recent Blu Ray release. I wonder if there is some confusion between the two.

[PeteF3]

For a guy with the rep of a perennial underachiever, Bam Bam has been in quite the groove in 1992 and '93. Bigelow goes all out on Bret's back and busts out his double underhook backbreaker among other fun offense. This is pretty much a clone of KOTR '93, with a lot of the same spots like Bigelow countering the back suplex and Sharpshooter, and the finish is the same. This was good, solid stuff--the kind that made those '92-'94 Coliseum Videos fun.

[WingedEagle]

Prety big crowd here. I thought this was one of the better WWF matches of the year so far. Bigelow sends Hart out with a shoulderblock while Hart returns the favor. Bigelow posts Hart's back and continues his attack on it with a bearhug and Sammartino backbreaker. This was a really simple match but I thought it was very well focused and both excelled in their roles. Hart teases a comeback by scoring a back suplex but he's too worn down to capitalize. Bigelow eventually misses the headbutt which sees Bret work towards the sharpshooter, which is blocked, before the pinfall. Very fun match.

 

***1/2

 

Loss touched on it above, but in going through the yearbooks I'm not seeing much that makes a case for Hart as any type of GOAT candidate. I'm sure he'll make my top 100, but I can't see him finishing very highly. Just not a ton of stellar matches.

[soup23]

I can see this sticking out in Bret's mind based on the setting and the overall uniqueness flavor of the match. I think it is a good match overall but the setting makes it more memorable certainly. Bigelow does a good job working over Bret until he is able to mount a comeback and pick up what feels like an impressive victory. ***

[garretta]

I liked this more as a Bam Bam performance than a Bret one. Bigelow looked really good here, busting out a variety of offensive moves to hurt Bret's back after a couple of brutal-looking post shots. I especially liked the double underhook backbreaker, which I've never seen before, I used to read in the magazines about how gifted he was in the ring, but I've never seen him work like he had skill until this match. Size and agility, yes. Skill, no.

 

Bret blew off the back injury too easily in my book. He never struggled to move around the ring, and he certainly had no trouble doing exactly what he wanted to do. I wouldn't make a big deal out of this except that Bammer looked so good working Bret's back over that it's a shame that nothing came of it, even short-term. Normally Bret's a very good seller, so I'd be interested to know what was wrong with him in this match.

 

JR sounded more at home with the WWF style here than he did at Mania, and what a difference working with him makes in Heenan. There are still a few jokes (why would you use Heenan if you didn't want humor?), but even when he's tried to be serious, he's seldom been this good. Not only does he add his two cents about the back injury and talk about what Bret's going through, but he also talks about what he'd do if he were in Bammer's shoes, some of which Bammer actually does. It was a treat to listen to him, and a tip of the cowboy hat to JR for bringing it out. His magic didn't work on Savage, though; maybe he's trying to tell Vince that he doesn't want to be in the booth anymore in the only way he can, by being below average and hoping Vince will take the hint. Whatever the case may be, he added nothing to the match except what's fast becoming a tired spiel about the R-E-S-P-E-C-T he has for Bret. (Heenan: "Thank you, Aretha Franklin!")

 

Story of the Night: I really enjoyed Heenan talking about how old-timers used to tape different parts of their bodies in order to both sucker opponents into going after body parts that weren't hurt and to hide injuries. I've never actually heard Heenan talk about his younger days in the business while commentating before, at least not without a punchline at the end. Too bad Savage can't do anything more than accuse Heenan of calling him an old-timer, which he never came close to doing.

 

Watching this match makes me want to see a Bret-Yoko match in full to see how he'd do against a guy even bigger and meaner than Bammer. Somehow, I don't think a victory roll will be enough to get him the win.

[Superstar Sleeze]

On 10/13/2013 at 9:11 PM, Kevin Ridge said:

Thought it was good though not great. Was this the match Bret put over as a favorite of his? They have a much longer match the next night that was put on his recent Blu Ray release. I wonder if there is some confusion between the two.

This is an interesting point. I see on Cagematch the Milan match from the next night did make tape, but if memory serves me correctly the Barcelona match is the match that made the Bret Hart DVD.

Bret Hart vs Bam Bam Bigelow - WWF Barcelona 4/24/93

This made the the initial DVD release for Bret Hart back in the mid-2000s when I was gobbling those up with fury. Christmas shopping was so easy for me back then just buy me the latest one. This match did not make too much of an impression on me compared to the other badass matches on the set. I agree with my past self in that this is a very good match, but nowhere near one of Bret's best (Cagematch has it at his 24th best, which seems too high). 

Short match, only 11minutes and change, my memory was that it was longer. Not a huge Bam Bam fan, but this one is his better efforts. I actually thought the King of the Ring Finals match was better. This is light years better than their July RAW match though. They establish Bam Bam's power advantage early through conventional measures. Bret is able to work the arm and start to build an advantage. Bigelow even goes for a press slam and Bret falls on top of Bam Bam because Bam Bam cant hold him up. Now thats a nice twist you dont see every day. He gets a little cocky when he hits Bigelow with an European Uppercut so hard it sends him to the floor. Bam Bam catches Bret coming off the apron and sends him spine first into the steel post. What follows is laser-focused, clinical back work. Really enjoyed all over it, good suplexes/slams, holds and strikes to the back. Loved the headbutt to the back, a real Bam Bam signature. Bearhug was well-worked. The Argentine Backbreaker is not something you see a lot of and that was cool. Bigelow missed the top rope headbutt which is a perfect transition to Bret's comeback. Bret keeps brief with a flying clothesline and bulldog. Bam Bam quashes the Sharpshooter attempt. Bam Bam shifts his weight on a suplex attempt. 1-2-NO! Good nearfall that I was not expecting. Bret gets a Victory Roll out of the corner to win. Someone should bring back the Victory Roll. It is a very good match. Very textbook. It is textbook wrestling, done very well. *** 1/2