SummerSlam '91: Intercontinental Title - Mr. Perfect (c) vs. Bret Hart
Date: August 26, 1991
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31304555
Background: Bret Hart had broken away quietly from Jim Neidhart after they lost the tag team titles at WrestleMania VII and had begun a singles push. There wasn't a big personal grudge here; Bret had just worked his way up to #1 contender status.
The Match: Gorilla, Heenan, and Piper on the call, and my God do they do a hilarious job on this match. Seriously, if this match sucked the commentary would still justify watching it. As stated in my above post, Hennig was working this match pretty badly hurt, but he soldiers through like a true champion and you can really only ever detect an injury in sporadic brief moments even if you're looking for it.
Really hate this Coach guy being in Perfect's way. Perfect had no such need for a cheap heat magnet hanging out in his corner. Anyway, Bret and Perfect circle each other and then enter into a standard wrestling match, side headlock into an Irish whip, Perfect's hiptoss attempt is blocked, Bret Hart succeeds with his hiptoss, and we're off.
Perfect re-enters, Bret surprises him with a crucifix, gets an early near-fall with a two-count. Hart controls a bit of the early offense, but it's mostly mat wrestling rather than high-impact stuff. He gets Perfect's legs split to potentially lock in the sharpshooter, but stomps instead. Sends Perfect into the corner, Perfect gets a foot up, Perfect tries to follow, Bret is able to grab a hold of him with a side headlock and take him over. Perfect donkey kicks Bret down, gets up, Bret knocks him back down, donkey kick again, Bret back to his feet and clotheslines Perfect over the top…this is too fast for me to even keep up with it. Great stuff.
Perfect goes out to confer with Coach, then decides to take a walk and accept a countout. Bret chases him down and throws him back into the ring, breaking one of the straps on Perfect's singlet in the process. Bret wrestles him into a stalemate in the corner; referee Earl Hebner tries to break them apart and Perfect connects on a cheap shot as Hebner attempts to separate. Perfect knocks Bret to the outside, follows him out, hits a vicious chop and then returns to the ring. Bret tries to return, Perfect meets him on the other side of the ropes and slingshots him backwards into the barricade.
This time Bret returns, blocks a punch, lands his own, and gets some momentum back in the match. Runs Perfect into the corner, pulls him back into a rolling cradle pin, only a two-count. Perfect recovers, sends Bret into the corner, Bret takes an even harder bump than usual, this time back-first instead of his usual chest-first bump. Cover, only two. Neck snap, roll through for a pin attempt, only two. Bret reverses a whip into the ropes, then drops his head and gets kicked in the face. Perfect sends him to the outside, then from one side of the corner he starts to head to the top. At the second rope, Bret meets him, and two slug back and forth. Perfect gets the better of the exchange and knocks Bret off. Perfect falls off as well but onto Bret for a pin, but still only a two-count.
Perfect goes for the humiliating slaps on Bret in the corner, then grabs him by the hair and throws him across the ring by it. Picks him back up, into the ropes, applies a sleeper. Bret's arm doesn't drop on three because of course it doesn't, Perfect never wins via sleeper despite increasingly using it more and more. Bret works his way back to his feet, attempts to surprise Perfect with another crucifix pinning attempt, but Perfect reverses into a Samoan drop. One more cover, one more two-count. Bret back into the corner, this time for the hard chest-first bump.
Perfect in control, gets Bret to the middle and successfully executes the Perfectplex, but Bret manages to kick out at two. Perfect bitches to the ref, allowing recovery time for Bret. Bret with the atomic drop, then he returns the "throw him across the ring by the hair" favor. Suplex, pin, two-count. Small package by Bret, two-count. Russian legsweep, pin, two-count. Backbreaker, second-rope elbow, still just a two-count. This was the birth of Bret's five moves of doom; they weren't known as signature moves yet.
After the last two, Bret gets to arguing with the referee, Perfect rolls him up, but again just a two-count. Bret kicks Perfect's leg out twice, then goes to apply the Sharpshooter. Coach gets up on the apron and distracts Bret away, allowing Perfect to blindside him. Perfect splits Bret's legs then stomps him low.
Splits them again and tries to drop a leg, but Bret catches his leg on the way down, blunts any impact, and then goes to work applying a leglock. He turns from his back, reversing it into a Sharpshooter, Perfect immediately submits, and the torch is passed.
Bret heads out to the crowd and hugs his family. Great moment.
Result: "…and NEW Intercontinental Champion," Bret Hart via submission (18:04)
Meltzer Rating: ****
My Review and Rating: Obviously this is a classic in the careers of both men and one of the best WWF matches of the early 90's in general. I'm surprised that Meltzer can only find a flat four stars for this. ****1/2