[1997-10-20-WWF-Raw] Shawn Michaels vs Owen Hart

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

JIP. I don't know what Bret was told about how the Hart Foundation was supposed to be positioned at this point, but listen to the commentary. It's weird. Owen is the babyface here, but Austin runs in to attack Owen. The ref takes the bump instead. Bret runs in to get his hands on Shawn -- finally! DX are out to pull Shawn out of the ring. I hope Bret stiffed Shawn during all of that.

[s1rweeze]

I don't know what Bret was told about how the Hart Foundation was supposed to be positioned at this point, but listen to the commentary. It's weird.

In hindsight, it seems like there was a strange parallel going on between Bret in WWF and Flair in WCW: two legends crassly shoved aside for political reasons

[ajtroma]

You'll notice little subtle shots at Bret here and there. Not just during the vile racist angle but like calling Owen the "real Hitman". Vince is a petty man, but, goddammit, he is fascinating.

[Kevin Ridge]

Outside of Canada this might be Owen’s first face match since he turned on Bret at Royal Rumble 94. The building is shaking now when Austin shows up and stuns someone. Bret finally gets a piece of Shawn and lays in the right hands.

[Dooley]

You'll notice little subtle shots at Bret here and there. Not just during the vile racist angle but like calling Owen the "real Hitman". Vince is a petty man, but, goddammit, he is fascinating.

I thought it was Bret's idea to call Owen "the real hitman of the Hart Foundation". I'm pretty sure he even said it in promos.

[soup23]

Action looked fun and it is interesting to see Owen in a babyface role. Tempers flare up and Shawn ends up getting blasted by Bret in a cool moment.

[PeteF3]

Fun little match, and I love how Owen's enzuigiri was still an Achilles' heel for Shawn, two years later. This OKC crowd has been one of the better ones of the year for the WWF, possibly the best American audience. Even during Jeff Jarrett's monologue, they certainly weren't bored by him.

[Exposer]

Great segment. The pre-match video package is awesome referencing Owen & Shawn's past with the concussion angle. Owen comes out first & asks Shawn to leave his group in the back & he'll leave his so they can settle this feud once & for all with all titles on the line. Good promo from Owen. DX comes out & Rude's mic doesn't work. Commentary hilariously buries them for it. Rude does a great intro of Shawn who comes out obliges with Owen's request. He sticks his tongue out & crotch chops a bunch during his entrance. What an asshole. The match is very good for the time it gets. These two have great chemistry. Shawn pile drives Owen on the floor, but we see it live through the lens of the tiny television in the Hart Foundation locker room as they watch on. Typical Kevin Dunn production gaffe. The match builds nicely & we get some hot near falls. Shawn sets up for Sweet Chin Music, but Owen counters & hits his enziguri. I love that it's sort of Shawn's Achilles heel. Owen looks like he might win, but Austin comes through the crowd again due another insane pop. He confronts Owen in the ring but stuns the referee because it's a title match & he doesn't want to lose his title shot against Owen. That's brilliant. Owen turns around into a Sweet Chin Music & Shawn goes for the cover, but the ref's out. Bret runs down to the ring & starts pounding on Shawn. DX run down & pull Shawn out of the ring. The Hart Foundation follow. This has great heat. I loved Bret getting some measure of revenge on Shawn for being a fucking asshole. They also protected Owen really well here & Austin doing what he did makes total sense.