‘WWE Vintage Collection: Wrestlemania Road Trip’ TV Report #93 – March 17th, 2010

Shown on Sky Sports in the U.K.

By Stephen Lyon.

This week: The Road to Wrestlemania continued this week, with a one match show: Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels in an 'Iron Man' match from Wrestlemania 12.

Quick note: This show was pre-empted from its' normal Sunday timeslot this past week, and aired earlier today. A repeat showing of this episode airs tomorrow (Thursday) on Sky Sports 3 at 5pm. The show returns to its' normal timeslot and channel this coming Sunday.

The Show:

Show opened with a short preview video for the Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels match from Wrestlemania 12.

A recap video aired on Wrestlemania 11, focusing on the celebrities involved - Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy and Salt N' Pepa - and the Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow match.

This was followed by a newly-produced (perhaps for the new Shawn Michaels DVD) Michael Cole-voiced over video on the Bret vs Shawn match from Wrestlemania 12. The video featured the classic footage of both Michaels and Hart training for the match, with Michaels training with mentor Jose Lothario in the gym, and Hart wrestling with his father Stu Hart in the famed 'dungeon' in Calgary. Comments aired from both men from the WM12 ppv broadcast, taped hours before the match. Michaels was reserved and said everyone knows his story, and now was the time to write the final chapter. Hart was playing subtle heel, saying that 'one man's sunset is another man's dawn' and that he hoped he'd wake up the following morning as the WWF champion.

1) Shawn Michaels (w/Jose Lothario in his corner) defeated Bret Hart in 61:55 of the Iron Man match, to win the WWF title. Announcers for this match were Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler. This match was edited to fit this show's format, so minus the opening videos and commercial breaks, around 35 minutes of the match aired. Both ring entrances were shown, including Shawn's spectacular ring entrance, coming down from the rafters on a zip-wire. WWF President, Gorilla Monsoon was in the ring before the match, and situated at ringside. A clock was situated in the corner of the screen for most of the match, keeping score of any falls and running down the clock. Hart and Michaels mat-wrestled initially, exchanging takedowns. Michaels surprised Hart with his takedowns. After a commercial break, 14 minutes had elapsed. Bret slammed Michaels and went for the sharpshooter, but Shawn grabbed the ropes. Bret then clotheslined him to the outside. Bret followed him to ringside, but Michaels posted him. Bret staggered backwards and landed in the lap of Tony Chimel at ringside. Michaels threw a superkick, but Bret ducked and the hapless Chimel tasted sweet chin music. Back in the ring, Bret grounded Shawn with a chinlock.

An edit took place, and 22 minutes had now elapsed. Michaels threw Bret into the turnbuckles, but Michaels himself took a bump to the outside, landing on a cameraman. In classic immature Michaels style, he shoved the cameraman and cussed him out (resulting in a bleep). Vince on commentary acknowledged that Michaels 'had a temper'. Michaels jumped off the second turnbuckle and nailed Bret with a double axehandle. Michaels' strategy was to work over Bret's left shoulder, which he did to great effect, using a hammerlock slam, then throwing Bret into the turnbuckles 'shoulder-first' several times. Michaels DDT'd Bret on to his shoulder, then hyperextended Bret's shoulder and arm with a leg scissors. Bret managed to break free, and picked Shawn up to drop him throat-first across the second rope. Bret then slingshotted Shawn into the turnbuckles, with Shawn hitting the ring post with his head.

After a commercial break, 31 minutes had now elapsed. Michaels slammed Bret off the top rope, then caught him with a standing huracanrana. Michaels elbowed Bret in the face, then teased a superkick, causing Bret to bail to the outside. Not to be deterred, Michaels climbed the turnbuckles and jumped off the top rope and on to Bret outside the ring. Back inside, Michaels nailed Bret with a crossbody block off the top rope, but Bret rolled through with the move and landed on top, scoring a nearfall. Both scored nearfalls on each other, including Michaels scoring a two count after a perfectplex. Michaels used a sleeperhold on Bret, but after his arm dropped twice, Bret powered out of the move. Michaels attempted a top rope move, but Bret backdropped Shawn over the top rope and to ringside, Michaels taking a spectacular bump in the process.

43 minutes had now elapsed, and we rejoined the action with Bret giving Michaels a Russian legsweep. Bret whipped Michaels into the corner, and Michaels took another bump to ringside, this time landing on Jose Lothario and knocking him down. Lothario was down a second time moments later, when Bret posted Shawn, and Shawn landed on Lothario again. Back in the ring, Bret belly-to-belly suplexed Michaels for a nearfall, and began to work on Michaels' lower back in preparation for the sharpshooter. Michaels fought back, and in desperation, threw chops and punches. Bret attempted a suplex, but Michaels broke free and tried for a roll up, scoring a two count. Michaels was knocked out of the ring, and Bret executed a running a plancha dive through the ropes and on to Michaels outside the ring.

After another break, just three minutes of the match remained. Michaels slammed Bret, then nailed him with a double axe handle blow from the top, a snap suplex and the big elbow, all scoring a two count. Michaels used a gut-wrench suplex into a powerbomb, then pulled out an Asai moonsault for another nearfall. Shawn followed this up with a frankensteiner on Bret. The big turning point came when Shawn jumped off the top rope, and Bret caught both his legs, and with just 33 seconds remaining, locked on the sharpshooter for the first time during the match. Michaels never submitted, and as the crowd counted down the time remaining, the match ended with a no-falls-stalemate between the two. Referee Earl Hebner handed Bret the WWF title belt, and Bret made his way back down the aisle. In the ring, Gorilla Monsoon spoke to both Hebner and ring announcer Howard Finkel, and Finkel then announced that Monsoon had ruled that the match must continue, under sudden death rules - much to the annoyance and frustration of Bret, who thought he'd retained his title on a draw.

After a final commercial break, the sudden death period began. Bret used a backbreaker on Shawn and whipped him into the turnbuckles. Bret charged at Shawn, but Shawn leapfrogged him, then superkicked him. Both men were down, and as Bret rose again, this time Michaels connected again with another superkick, enabling him to pin him to win the match and WWF title. Afterwards, Michaels celebrated his 'boyhood dream come true', as an unhappy Bret stormed back to the locker room. 

Closing thoughts: This match is very divisive. Some people claim this to be one of the greatest matches ever, whilst others feel it is overrated. I'm somewhere in between on this. Whilst it wasn't greatest match ever (or even the greatest in Wrestlemania history) in my opinion, presented here, in edited form and in a modern day context nearly 14 years later, this was a fantastic match that has lasted the test of time. Two all-time greats, in their athletic prime, putting on a fantastic showcase of their craft. Famously, a lot of people in the crowd left the Anaheim building where this was held, before and during the match. And there was an alarming lack of crowd heat for a lot of this match, very noticeable on tv. The idea of not having any falls at all during the 60 minutes was, perhaps in hindsight, a mistake and a contributory factor towards the lack of crowd heat. Tellingly, the second 60 minute Iron Man match that the WWF put on, Triple H vs The Rock at the Backlash 2000 ppv four years later, featured 11 falls during the hour, Triple H beating Rock 6-5.

Regardless of the faults, Hart vs Michaels at WM12 was a classic match, and this made for a great tv show today. A wrestler of the calibre of Bret Hart in his prime is missing from today's scene, and it goes without saying that it will be a sad day for the business when Shawn Michaels retires.

Match Results:

1) Shawn Michaels (w/Jose Lothario in his corner) defeated Bret Hart in 61:55 of the Iron Man match, to win the WWF title ('WWF Wrestlemania 12’ pay-per-view event – Anaheim, California: 31/03/96). 

Please note: I DO NOT sell DVDs or tapes of any of these shows. Sorry!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s report. For other reports like this one, be sure to check it out my website archive at http://www.classicwrestlingreports.com .

It’s no longer updated, but this website carries all of my previous WWE Classics tv reports that have been featured on the old WrestlingObserver.com website.

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Until next week, have a good week.

Stephen Lyon,
St Helens, England, U.K.