[1993-08-13-WWF-MSG, NY] Bret Hart vs Yokozuna (Cage)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Excellent cage match! If anyone is wondering how we picked this one when there were a few Bret/Yoko cage handhelds available, we went with the best VQ since they basically worked the same match in every city. Bret and Yoko always worked really well together and this is not an exception to that. It's a WWF style cage match, and all the flaws that are inherent in WWF cage matches are certainly there, but they are way less annoying. This is really the best possible WWF style cage match. Yokozuna was a tremendous performer, mainly because his in-ring timing was so spot on and he wasn't afraid to sell. Every Yoko bump tends to get an enormous pop because he builds up the big fall so well. One of the best U.S. matches of the year.

 

This is slightly different than the others for Lawler's involvement. He does many of the same spots Fuji normally would do from ringside.

 

There is another pro-shot version later on the yearbook, which is also a really strong match. With a few months difference, I'm curious if they're still working the same match or not. We shall see.

[Kevin Ridge]

To me big heavy guys are at a big disadvantage in cage matches. I do like the big run up Yokozuna does for his high impact movies like elbow drop and leg drop. Corner charge too. Someone like Bret has good timing at getting out of the way at the last second. Great spot where Yoko sets Bret up for the Banzai but it's in the corner near the cage door and Bret almost manages to sneak out underneath Yoko. Selling by Yoko is great when he gets crotched on the middle rope and when he misses a big splash. Lawler interferes in match. Hey, Bret did it first in his! There is less cage climbing in match with Yoko's size so the escape spots are built more around the door. I really thought this was pretty darn excellent of a match. A top WWF match of the year. So much better than their WrestleMania matches. Yoko squishes Bret after match with Banzai for good measure. Yoko is looking like a total beast.

[Guest TheGreatPuma]

Bret vs Yokozuna in the cage is just incredible. I felt this if this is the match I personally have on VHS tape than it is an all time epic performance by Bret Hart that shows he is among the best wrestlers of all time. I marked out like crazy watching this match and thought it was pretty much perfect. Yokozuna who I was always a big fan of has his best match I've ever seen him have and he is on in this. I just love that these two got to have their A plus match.

 

Now my memory is poor sometimes so I cant exactly remember the match's date anymore. Pure dramatic genius of a match which had a spot there at the end that ended up for me being another one of those classic Bret Hart moments that you remember for a lifetime. Bret may have been the best at those.

[PeteF3]

Hugely dramatic match, up there with Jannetty/Doink as a WWF MOTYC. Lots of downtime, but the selling and timing are so good by both guys (not to mention Lawler and even Fuji outside) that it doesn't matter. I too loved the "near-fall" with Bret trying to sneak out underneath the Banzai Drop set-up. Lots of clever spots like Bret crotching Yokozuna on the middle rope and the use of the salt bucket that Lawler tosses in. Bret clobbers Yoko with it leading to an INSANE near-fall that has MSG exploding and almost had *me* going. Lawler eventually tosses salt in Bret's eyes and Yokozuna gets the victory. Yokozuna then squashes him with a Banzai Drop afterward! Very rare to see a heel vanquish his babyface opponent so thoroughly in a WWF main event like that.

[soup23]

Awesome match with the WWF cage being utilized well. Yoko is a monster and locked inside of this cage, that can be dangerous. Bret has to use his speed and smarts to outwit the big man at every turn. He does that well and the teases are brilliant at making both Bret and Yoko look competent. The Lawler ending was fine and led to Yoko securing the win in a smart way. Some of these WWF Handheld matches from 93 have been disappointing but between this and the Iron Man, we have had some great stuff too. ****

[ohtani's jacket]

#415

 

I've never been a fan of any of the Bret/Yokozuna matches and this was no exception. It's not really the workers' fault. This was worked pretty much how you'd expect it to be, but it was still slow, plodding and dull. Bret vs. a big man is a match-up that doesn't really interest me as Bret has neither the offense nor the theatrical selling ability to make it interesting.

[garretta]

I'm not sold on this one, especially not as a WWF Match of The Year candidate.

 

First and most importantly, Yoko looked lousy. Not in a bad worker sense (although he certainly wasn't good), but in the sense that he was too big to get out of his own way, which threw off the timing of the match. Part of the reason Bret laid around so much had to be that there was no sense trying an escape spot if Yoko wasn't going to be able to stop it. How many times did we see Yoko nearly blow himself up trying to get to his feet? Too damn many, that's how. The only other guy I can think of who had so much trouble getting up once he was knocked down was Andre, and he had legit health issues including a back so bad he had to wear a brace in the ring. What was Yoko's excuse except that he couldn't watch his diet? If this had been a shoot, Bret would have been champion fifty times over, and if he'd wanted to go into business for himself here, no one could have done a thing to stop it. Fortunately for all concerned, he didn't.

 

The other big problem I have came after the match. This was clearly supposed to be a case of Yoko scraping by with a lucky win to set up his showdown with Luger at SummerSlam. That was the whole point of Lawler being at ringside in Fuji's place. So why did we get Yoko squashing Bret like a bug afterward and strutting out of the cage like he owned the entire Eastern Seaboard? There's definitely a time and a place for Yoko to look like an unbeatable monster, but this wasn't it. Even if Vince wanted to put across that Luger was the one and only guy who could stand up to Yoko, this was a bad choice, especially since Vince undoubtedly already knew that Luger wasn't getting his hands on the belt. If Luger's not your champion, what's the matter with keeping Bret hot for at least another month or so until you're ready to segue to Taker? Just to be clear, I have no problem with Yoko winning, but he should have taken the win and kept going back to the locker room instead of killing Bret almost dead.

 

I liked what little I could see of Lawler at ringside, and of course the salt bucket spot and the throwing of the salt itself were the turning points of the match. This was probably the best overall heel performance I've seen out of Lawler, and if Vince couldn't have gotten Corny to be Yoko's spokesman, Lawler wouldn't have been a bad second choice. About the only thing missing was the King waving the Japanese flag; if he'd done that and they'd aired this match in Memphis, he could have always said he did it in honor of his old pal Tojo Yamamoto!

 

I thought for sure that I'd miss the finish with the way the camera was moving around like crazy toward the end, but I didn't, thank goodness.

 

God help us all if they worked this same match in December, especially if Lawler wasn't there to interfere. I don't even think Corny can do those spots as well as the King did here.

[JKWebb]

I think this was entertaining at times, but there is a lot of stalling in this match. Not the fun kind of stalling, but just Bret laying around and Yoko catching his breath. This kind of leads into OJ's point of Bret not using the offense or theatrical selling enough to make it interesting. Speaking of Jerry Lawler, I think he could have had a better match with Yoko. I'm not trying to slam Bret or anything either, because I like Bret, but I just didn't see this as a great match or a great performance by either guy. It had it's moments, but overall it fell short for me. If I were to watch this again, I'd order a large coffee first. To Loss's point, I do think that Yoko built up the "big fall" well. Particularly the final one in this match.

 

#415 - placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-450-401/2/

[Superstar Sleeze]

Definitely siding with the earlier posters, I thought this was incredibly well built and didn't find it boring at all.

 

WWF World Champion Yokozuna vs Bret Hart - WWF MSG 8/13/93

 

I'm throughly impressed that these two had such a compelling match for twenty minutes. It was so simple but so elegant and really everything had such a perfect build. Bret's strategy against the behemoth was twofold: fists and speed. He needed to take advantage of every missed opportunity. Missed elbow, missed legdrop, missed splash, Bret always would make a break for it. But he always get caught. Because he couldn't do his normal offense he would just haul off and punch. Bret has one of the better punches in WWF.

 

The part that really makes it for me is the kid that is super into it. When Bret is teeing off, he is right there with him "You can get him down." "CMON BRET BABBBBBYYYYYY" Loved the genuine emotion. Which leads me to the best part of the match Yoko's selling. He was giving Blackwell a run for his money in the weeble wobbles but don't fall down selling. Selling his own headbutt. Timing his missed spots and his constant cheating was great. That second rope bulldog that takes him down was molten as was the clothesline . The Garden was rocking because Yoko was rolling. Loved the false finish where Yoko is poised for the Banzai Drop in the corner near the door so Bret makes a break for it. Bret fighting fire with Fire by kicking the ropes in his balls or thumb to the eye was great. In a NUCLEAR false finish, Hitman clobbers him with the salt bucket tossed in by Lawler and the ref counts 1-2-No! MSG POPS HUGE!!! Lawler throws powder in Brets eyes as he is climbing and Yoko wins and then squashed Bret for good measure with Banzai Drop.

 

Match right up my alley that is all about working in the unique attributes of Yoko and building a distinct match around that. Not a typical Bret match. Lots of drama, great timing and so much is paid off in these mini-battles. Yoko is tremendous in this. Great David vs Goliath match with amazing selling from Goliath ****