Goodhelmet's Hart Foundation compilation

[Loss]

This is the thread we'll use to discuss stuff on this set. If you're interested in seeing how you can pick up this set, send a PM to goodhelmet and he'll advise you.

 

Set looks like this:

 

Disc 1

Bret v. Austin - Survivor Series 11/17/96 (VHS Master)

Bret vs. Owen ? 11/25/96

Bret vs. Vader ? 1/6/97

Royal Rumble ? 1/19/97 (VHS Master)

 

Disc 2

Bret quits the WWF 1/20/97

Owen and Davey Boy vs. Furans and Lafon (WWF Tag Titles) 1/20/97

Monsoon interview (continuation of the earlier Bret angle) 1/20/97

Austin vs. Taker 1/20/97

Owen and Davey Boy vs. Furans and Lafon (WWF Tag Titles) ? 2/3/97

Shawn Michaels loses his smile ? 2/13/97

Bret vs. Vader ? 2/13/97

Owen & Davey Boy vs. Furnas & Lafon - Final Four 2/16/97 (DVD)

Bret vs. Austin vs. Vader vs. Undertaker - Final Four 2/16/97 (DVD)

 

Disc 3

Bret and Sid angle 2/17/97

Bret and Sid angle continued 2/17/97

Bret vs. Sid (WWF championship) 2/17/97

Owen vs. Davey Boy (European Championship) ? 3/3/97

Bret vs. Sid and Bret's uncensored tirade (WWF Championship) ? 3/17/97

Bret vs. Austin (WM XIII) (DVD)

Bret heel turn promo after WM 13 ? 3/24/97

 

Disc 4

Owen vs. Davey, Bret reforms the Hart Foundation ? 3/31/97

Austin and Bret promo ? 3/31/97

Bret vs. Rocky Maivia 3/31/97

Austin vs. Bret - Revenge of Taker 4/20/97 (VHS Master)

Austin and Bret promo ? 4/21/97

Bret vs. Austin (street fight) and post match shenanigans ? 4/21/97

Brian Pillman, Owen, Davey Boy promo, Austin run in ? 4/28/97

Bret promo ? 4/28/97

 

Disc 5

Owen vs. Rocky (WWF IC Championship) 4/28/97

Austin promo 4/28/97

Taker vs. Davey Boy 4/28/97

Hart Foundation (first promo with all five members) ? 5/5/97

HBK Promo, Harts run in ? 5/5/97

Hart Foundation Promo ? 5/12/97

Austin Promo 5/12/97

Austin and HBK Promo ? 5/19/97

Bret and HBK Promo ("Sunny Days" comment) ? 5/19/97

Austin and HBK Promo ? 5/26/97

Pre-Tag Title Match angle ? 5/26/97

HBK and Austin vs. Owen and Davey (WWF Tag Titles) ? 5/26/97 (DVD)

Bret and HBK and Austin Promo ? 6/2/97

 

Disc 6

HBK vs. Austin ? 6/8/97 (VHS Master) ***Bonus Match***

Austin Promo 6/9/97

Pillman vs. Foley 6/9/97

Pillman Pre-Match Promo ? 6/16/97

Austin vs. Pillman ? 6/16/97

Hart Foundation Promo ? 6/16/97

Owen vs. Goldust vs. HHH (WWF IC Title) - 6/23/97

Team Austin vs. Team Canada - Canadian Stampede 7/6/97 (DVD)

 

Disc 7

Bret Promo ? 7/7/97

Bret vs. Goldust - 7/7/97

Hart Foundation Promo - 7/14/97

Austin and Foley vs. Owen and Davey Boy - 7/14/97

Hart Foundation and Austin Promo - 7/21/97

HBK Promo - 7/21/97

Austin and Foley and Taker vs. Hart Foundation (Flag Match) - 7/21/97

Hart Foundation Prom (The Pittsburgh Enema Promo) - 7/28/97

HBK Promo - 7/28/97

Bret vs. Patriot ? 7/28/97

Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart - Summerslam 8/3/97(DVD)

 

Disc 8

Bret Hart vs. Undertaker - Summerslam '97 8/3/97 (VHS Master)

Hart Foundation, Slaughter, and Austin Promo (Slaughter's debut as Commissioner? 8/4/97

HBK Promo (heel turn) - 8/4/97

Owen vs. Dude Love - 8/4/97

Owen and Davey Boy vs. Patriot and Shamrock - 8/11/97

Bret vs. Vader (WWF Championship) ? 8/29/97

Bret vs. Patriot - Ground Zero 9/7/97 (PPV Master)

 

Disc 9

Bret vs. Vader - 9/8/97

Owen vs. Goldust - 9/8/97

Austin stuns Lawler - 9/15/97

Owen vs. Patriot - 9/15/97

Bret and Davey Boy vs. Headbangers (WWF Tag Titles) ? 9/15/97

Owen Hart vs. Vader - One Night Only 9/20/97 (PAL Convert DVD)

Bret Hart vs. Undertaker - One Night Only 9/20/97 (DVD)

HBK vs. Davey Boy Smith - One Night Only 9/20/97 (PAL Convert DVD)

 

Disc 10

Owen vs. Pillman and Austin stuns Vince ? 9/22/97 (Pillman's last Raw match)

Bret vs. Goldust ? 9/22/97

Kliq, Slaughter, and Harts Promo ? 9/29/97

Vader vs. Davey Boy - 9/29/97

Austin Promo - 9/29/97

Owen Promo (Austin dressed as a Riot Squad Member) - 9/29/97

Owen v. Faarooq ? Badd Blood 10/5/97 (VHS Master)

Bret & Bulldog vs. Vader & Patriot ? Badd Blood 10/5/97 (VHS Master)

Pillman Salute ? 10/6/97

Kliq and Harts Promo (MSG "Curtain Call" Footage Shown) - 10/6/97

 

Disc 11

Davey Boy vs. Rock - 10/6/97

Bret vs. HHH - 10/6/97

Bret and Kliq Promo (Degeneration X named) ? 10/13/97

Owen vs. Kama ? 10/13/97

Bret vs. Farooq ? 10/20/97

HBK vs. Owen ? 10/20/97

NoD, Harts, and DX Promo ? 10/27/97

Bret vs. Shamrock (Bret's last Raw match) ? 10/27/97

Bret and HBK Video Package ? 11/3/97

Vader vs. Davey Boy (Dog Collar Match) ? 11/3/97

Owen vs. Austin - Survivor Series 11/9/97 (VHS Master)

Bret vs. HBK - Survivor Series 11/9/97 (DVD)

 

Disc 12: Epilogue

DX, Shamrock, and Slaughter Promo ? 11/10/97

Austin Promo ? 11/10/97

Vince Interview Part 1("Bret Screwed Bret") ? 11/17/97

Vince Interview Part 2 ? 11/17/97

DX Promo (Handsome Harvey) ? 11/24/97

DX Promo (Midget Bret) ? 11/24/97

HBK vs. Vader ? 11/24/97

HHH vs. Jim Neidhart ? 12/1/97

"Destruction of the Hart Foundation" Video Package ? 12/8/97

DX Promo and Strip Poker ? 12/8/97

Vince and Owen Promo ? 12/15/97

HBK vs. Owen (HBK's last Raw match before 2002) ? 12/29/97

I'm about to start on Disc 1 now.

[Loss]

Disc 1 ...

 

First, I have to point out that the VQ is pretty amazing here. I know Will sought out the best possible VQ on every single match. There are other HF sets out there I've come across in the past, but none look this crystal clear. And if WWE sold this exact set, it would cost $300.00.

 

Am I making my point clearly enough yet?

 

Anyway, the set starts off with a bang by showing Austin/Bret from Survivor Series '96. Match still holds up as a terrific one today, and actually gets better in some ways every time that I watch it. I love the finish in the sense that Austin is so stubborn that he refuses to let go of the hold and it ends up costing him the match. What I find weirdest is that JR is trying to get the story of the match over, and Vince doesn't seem to understand what he's doing. JR says there will not be a lot of high flying, and I think Vince somehow took that as an insult to the match and says, "I don't know about that. I think you're likely to see it all." Funny. Anyway, great, great, great match that I'll have to review in full sometime.

 

Next up on the set is Bret against Owen from the 11/25/96 RAW. I'm impressed that there's no drop in video quality at all between PPV and TV. Good match, but they do steal some sequences directly from the WM X match, like the slapping contest into the rollup and Bret working over Owen's arm early on. This is a nice contrast in that it shows Bret as a babyface still getting cheered before the darker days ahead, but it's also apparent watching this match why WCW were kicking their asses at this time. These matches, at this time, were a dime a dozen, and in addition to the storylines not being as old-fashioned on Nitro, you had all-action matches with guys pulling off the spectacular on the undercard. In some ways, their patience paid off, but it's obvious at this point just how far off they are from where they need to be.

 

That is, until Austin runs in for the DQ. It's like the volume is immediately turned up when he runs in and when he's about to Pillmanize Bret's ankle, we get a staredown between Austin and Davey Boy, who tries to prevent this from happening, leading to problems between Owen and Davey Boy, which results in Austin leveling Davey Boy with a chair.

 

Next up, we have Vader v Bret with Shawn doing commentary at ringside. Shawn's commentary is interesting.

 

"Who drew first blood? Bret drew first blood. I simply held the World Wrestling Federation championship and defended it to the best of my ability while Bret set at home and bashed me the entire time out of pure jealousy."

 

Blurring the line indeed.

 

Anyway, this isn't as good of a match as you'd expect, but at the same time, it is a nice sense of foreshadowing for what would come later on the set, with Bret eventually snapping and Michaels expressing his frustration.

 

Finally, we get the full 1997 Royal Rumble. I'm not going to watch the entire match or anything at this time, but it's worth pointing out that after Bret was screwed at the It's Time PPV with Shawn Michaels interfering and costing him the title, he rightfully wins the Royal Rumble while the ref is distracted, but Austin comes back in and tosses Bret for the real victory.

 

That's a quick, overall view of Disc 1. More to come.

[goodhelmet]

Next up, we have Vader v Bret with Shawn doing commentary at ringside. Shawn's commentary is interesting.

 

"Who drew first blood? Bret drew first blood. I simply held the World Wrestling Federation championship and defended it to the best of my ability while Bret set at home and bashed me the entire time out of pure jealousy."

 

Blurring the line indeed.

 

Anyway, this isn't as good of a match as you'd expect, but at the same time, it is a nice sense of foreshadowing for what would come later on the set, with Bret eventually snapping and Michaels expressing his frustration.

I remember a "What are you watching" thread and I had the exact same thoughts. The match was nothing but the commentary was compelling. It was almost as if Vader and Bret knew Shawn would be burying them so why bother?

 

 

I'm not going to watch the entire match or anything at this time, but it's worth pointing out that after Bret was screwed at the It's Time PPV with Shawn Michaels interfering and costing him the title,

One of my few regrets with this set was the inability to pick up a high quality version of It's Time. Oh well, maybe next time.

[kjh]

I'm not going to watch the entire match or anything at this time, but it's worth pointing out that after Bret was screwed at the It's Time PPV with Shawn Michaels interfering and costing him the title,

One of my few regrets with this set was the inability to pick up a high quality version of It's Time. Oh well, maybe next time.

Ah, we miss more bitter barbs from Shawn. Wasn't it in that match he called Sid the most expensive piece of luggage in the business? The things you failed to pick up when you're 15.

[Guest teke184]

I'm not going to watch the entire match or anything at this time, but it's worth pointing out that after Bret was screwed at the It's Time PPV with Shawn Michaels interfering and costing him the title,

One of my few regrets with this set was the inability to pick up a high quality version of It's Time. Oh well, maybe next time.

Ah, we miss more bitter barbs from Shawn. Wasn't it in that match he called Sid the most expensive piece of luggage in the business? The things you failed to pick up when you're 15.

Yeah, that's the match with the infamous "luggage" comment...

 

 

I've got that one on a comp tape somewhere but it's not exactly reference-quality like most of the stuff I provided to Helmet.

[kjh]

Match still holds up as a terrific one today

Agreed. What makes it particularly impressive is that it was Bret's first match in two months and first non house show match since WrestleMania and there was no obvious signs of ring rust or fatigue in the match. The finishing run where they deulled submission holds was very unique for a WWF match, foreshadowing their "I Quit" match, and worked really well in the context of the story of the match. After Austin's new finisher failed him, what better idea than going back to his old finisher? The only problem was that WWF fans at the time had been conditioned to only react to patented submission moves like the Sharpshooter, so the last few minutes of the match perhaps could have gotten a better response.

 

What I find weirdest is that JR is trying to get the story of the match over, and Vince doesn't seem to understand what he's doing. JR says there will not be a lot of high flying, and I think Vince somehow took that as an insult to the match and says, "I don't know about that. I think you're likely to see it all." Funny.

JR simply outclassed him on commentary, which is quite funny given that he was still playing subtle heel to Vince after the whole fake Razor and Diesel fiasco. He was much better at putting over the changing direction of the company from gimmicky sports entertainment ("Not a trash man, not a clown" about Bret) to a harder edged product empasising more athleticism and competition, though it was still very much a work in progress. He even managed to throw a subtle cheap shot at WCW in the process ("These men are still in their primes"). It's funny how one year later he would be alluding to how old Bret actually was in commentary.

 

This is a nice contrast in that it shows Bret as a babyface still getting cheered before the darker days ahead, but it's also apparent watching this match why WCW were kicking their asses at this time. These matches, at this time, were a dime a dozen, and in addition to the storylines not being as old-fashioned on Nitro, you had all-action matches with guys pulling off the spectacular on the undercard. In some ways, their patience paid off, but it's obvious at this point just how far off they are from where they need to be.

Yeah Bret was still getting a nice reaction, but not really enough to warrant his huge salary or lead people to believe he would turn around the company's fortunes as the top babyface. With that in mind, the darker days ahead aren't that surprising, especially as some fans were already starting to pop for Austin.

 

You're right about why WCW were kicking their asses at the time. This was Bret's first match back on cable television in over 8 months and before the finish it came across as such a non-event. Not that the action was bad or anything, it just came across as a typical TV match.

 

It's like the volume is immediately turned up when he runs in and when he's about to Pillmanize Bret's ankle, we get a staredown between Austin and Davey Boy, who tries to prevent this from happening, leading to problems between Owen and Davey Boy, which results in Austin leveling Davey Boy with a chair.

One thing I didn't like about the storyline was that I thought the reason why Davey Boy saved Bret, namely he's Bret's brother-in-law, seemed really weak to me considering they had one of the bloodiest matches in WWF history less than a year ago. Such an important angle should have been teased more in the week or so before the match, so it wasn't so confusing and feel less like it came out of nowhere.

 

Shawn's commentary is interesting.

 

"Who drew first blood? Bret drew first blood. I simply held the World Wrestling Federation championship and defended it to the best of my ability while Bret set at home and bashed me the entire time out of pure jealousy."

That just comes across as so childish to me - bitching about Bret starting it, as if that absolves him of all blame of all the things he did later on to screw with Bret.

 

I thought the most interesting line was "Believe me he's no angel" before mumbling something about Vince killing him if he expounded on that. Well, he certainly expounded on that 6 months later. And who cares if he wasn't the perfect role model between the sheets so to speak as long as he treated the fans with respect and was classy in public? It is a work after all.

 

Anyway, this isn't as good of a match as you'd expect

Yeah, Vader wasn't treated as enough of a monster by Bret (though you could say that about much of Vader's WWF run) wrestling him like he would anyone else except doing a back suplex instead of a backbreaker, so the job didn't help Vader at all. If anything it made Bret look weak, losing for the second time in less than a month, even with the excuse of Austin's interference.