#137: Bret Hart vs. Ricky Steamboat, WWE on NESN (3/8/1986).
This is the one and only singles encounter between The Hitman and The Dragon.
According to Bret Hart, this match was originally set to take place at WrestleMania 2, but plans changed and both men were instead added to the WWE/NFL Battle Royal. Bret was pretty disappointed by this change, but Ricky was there to encourage him to go out and show the back why this match should've happened at Mania instead of this random show.
Hart goes on the attack right away as the bell rings. Hart punches Steamboat in the corner, while he still has his entrance gear on. Steamboat reverses an irish whip and sends Hart crashing into it instead. Steamboat finally removes his entrance gear, and sets his sights on Hart. Big chop in the corner, followed by a strike to the skull. He smashes Hart’s head off the turnbuckle, and then connects with a chop to the head.
Steamboat goes after Jimmy Hart at ringside. Steamboat with more chops right to the head of The Hitman. He applies an arm bar next. He sends an elbow into the extended arm repeatedly, and Hart sells it like death. Steamboat lifts Hart into the air by his wrist, and it looked painful as hell. He hammerlocks the arm and sends Hart arm first into the turnbuckle. Steamboat comes off the ropes and connects with an arm drag. He transitions back into the arm bar.
Jimmy Hart continues to give advice to Bret, and Steamboat yells for him to shut up, which I found hilarious. Hart is able to escape the hold, and he takes the side headlock. Steamboat is able to hit another hip toss, followed by an arm drag back into the arm bar. If there’s one thing you’re guaranteed to see in a Ricky Steamboat match, it is limb control. Steamboat hits a leg drop to the injured arm of Bret. The Hitman breaks the hold, and eats a thrust kick right to the forehead.
Bret comes back with a swinging neckbreaker to The Dragon. Hart with a leg drop to the back of the head next, as the crowd shows their disinterest in his work. Hart with a headbutt, and a back elbow to the head. Hart stomps on the midsection, and follows with a strike. Steamboat ends up going face first to the floor. On the apron, Hart unloads with some roundhouse rights to Steamboat, and then brings him back to the ring with a suplex that gets him a nearfall.
Hart with the side headlock next, as he tries to slow Steamboat down. Ricky strikes the kidney and goes for the powerslam, but Hart counters into a pin for 2. Steamboat reverses a back breaker into a power slam. Steamboat looks for a splash, but Hart brings his knees up to block it. He tosses Steamboat to the floor, and slams him spine first to the wooden floor. Both men are back in the ring, and Hart slams him once again. He covers, and Steamboat kicks out.
Hart is furious and unloads with a series of strikes. Hart connects with a hard backbreaker. Hart goes for a middle rope elbow drop, but Steamboat is able to avoid it, and Hart lands hard. Steamboat with a series of karate chops, and another to the chest that drops The Hitman for a 2 count. Steamboat connects with a nice back suplex, but Hart is able to get his shoulder up. Steamboat smashes Hart’s head off the mat, and follows with a chop to the head.
Steamboat pops off some chops and punches in the corner, and he even shoves the referee for a moment. Hart reverses Steamboat and irish whips him into the ref in the corner. Hart tries a pin, but hey, no one can count! Hart aggressively lifts the ref back to his feet, then hits a shoulder tackle to Steamboat, who reverses it into a pinfall for the 3 and the win!
This is a pretty solid match, though watching it, you can tell that both men are holding back for future matchups - ones that sadly never happened. Bret played a great heel here, cutting Ricky off at every turn, while Ricky was a valiant babyface that had the crowd on his side from the very beginning. It was a very bare bones 1980s WWE match, but with great in ring workers. The crowd was hot, and the work was admirable.
I just wish we could've seen both men in their prime duke it out for a half hour.