The Dungeon Collection DVD Review
I was extremely excited when I heard that a new Bret Hart DVD was on its way. Even if they made a DVD of his worst matches, it'd still be a damn good DVD. Well now that I finally own a copy, lets see how good this one is.
Disc 1 Matches :
Bret Hart vs Dynamite Kid : 2 out of 3 Falls
This match isn't shown in full, but I'll still give it a rating based on what's here. Supposedly these two had the best matches in Stampede Wrestling, Stu Hart's company. What happened to Dynamite after retiring from wrestling was a tragedy, as he was easily one of the best competitors at the time and , perhaps, all time. Hart had already won the first fall as the video started. Dynamite gets DQ'd to end the match. Pretty entertaining. Some people might not like it though, due to the slow pace. **1/2
Bret Hart vs Buzz Sawyer
From Georgia Championship Wrestling. Bret described Buzz as the most likable guy in the world. The video quality for the match is awful, like something from a very old VHS tape. Although that should be expected seeing as it's from 1979. Very scientific match. A little dull though. Time limit expires to end the match. **
Bret Hart vs Leo Burke
This is another match that is joined in progress. I think it's about ten minutes in. Leo was a great heel, as he took may jeers from the crowd, and got them 100% behind Bret. Enjoyable stuff, but I wish we had gotten the whole thing. Bret hits the piledriver for the 3 count, but the ref descides to call it a DQ to give Leo the title back. **1/4
Bret Hart vs Dynamite Kid
I never knew that these guys had a singles match during their time in the WWF. In fact it might be the only one they had in the WWF that was filmed. Nice little gem of a match here. I'm guessing that this match stole the show on this night. Great match here at Dynamite rolls up Bret for the win. ***1/2
The Hart Foundation vs The Islanders
The Tag Team Titles are on the line. This took place in the Spectrum in Philadelphia, which Bret thought had the loudest American fans. The match takes quite a while to get started. This really was the golden age for tag teams. Entertaining match, with a nice nearfall towards the end. Bret gets the pin to retain the titles. Fun stuff. **3/4
Bret Hart vs Andre The Giant
Bret and Andre were great friends behind the scenes. Bret had tons of respect for the giant. This match took place in Milan, in a match that Andre requested personally. Video quality is awful for the match, like a bad youtube video. Partway through the match the video becomes clearer. Not a very entertaining match, but it is quite intriguing due to it's rarity. Andre picks up the win. 1/2*
Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect
These two have had some absolutely stunning matches in wrestling history, and I'm hoping that this one shall be no different. Another two guys that had a ton of respect for one another. Quite an early match between them. The fast paced action in this match was rare for the time. The sections with no action went a little too long for my liking, but they made up for it with some great wrestling. Not the best match between these two, but that's not a bad thing, since these two could have a good match in their sleep. Time limit expires to end the match. ***1/2
Disc 2 Matches :
The Hart Foundation vs The Twin Towers
The Hart Foundation got back together after Bret's singles push was put on hold for some reason. Twin Towers are of course Big Boss Man and Akeem. Akeem almost injured Bret during the match after he sat on him. Bret said he felt a numbness going through his body after the move. Surpisingly good pace in the match, and the crowd was really into it. Twin Towers somehow win by countout. Good, fun match though. ***
Bret Hart vs Tiger Mask II
Rare match that took place in the Tokyo Dome, Japan. Bret called this show a huge supercard of WWE and Japanese wrestlers. Bret was a heel here, seeing as he was a foreigner. He still had a few supporters though. This match had the quiet, respectful fans that applauded the athleticism. It's quite a slow paced match, but it does have its moments. Time limit expires to end the match. **1/2
Bret Hart vs Ric Flair
If you've read Bret's book, then you know that he had no idea why people were so in awe of Ric Flair. He thought that the matches they had together weren't very good and didn't think Flair was a good worker. I'm not sure about that, and the matches between these two have usually been very good, including this one. Just the usual great Flair match here. It was going great until a crappy countout ruined it. Great match all the same. ***3/4
Bret Hart vs The Undertaker
These two had a couple of great matches in 1997 for the WWF Title, but this was before Taker extended his moveset a little bit. As Bret calls it, he was in his "Frankenstein" state of mind. This was actually a lot of fun while it lasted. Probably Undertaker's best match up to that point. Good stuff as Taker hits Bret with the urn for the win. **3/4
Bret Hart vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Bam Bam is probably the best superheavyweight that Bret ever faced, unless you count Diesel. Bam Bam had his best matches with Bret, most notably the KOTR Finals match. And once again we get another good big man/little man match between the two. The match ended with the same roll up that they always do, but still fun. ***
Disc 3 Matches :
Bret Hart vs Diesel
From King of the Ring 1994. This match is the match that made Diesel a star, for better or for worse. Mainly worse since he helped them with their worst financial year in 1995. Funny how they didn't see that it was the guy who always has great matches who should've been the star, although to be fair he did hold the title for another few months. This was just about as good as their other matches. In other words, it was fucking awesome. Great nearfalls and great drama. ****
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart : No Holds Barred
One of the best rivalries ever, between two of the best technical wrestlers ever, who have had a couple of the greatest matches ever. Kinda makes this match highly anticipated, does it not? The only problem with this was that it was way too short. Deserved another ten minutes at least. Still some fast paced, great action though. Owen submits to the sharpshooter to end the match. ***1/2
Bret Hart vs Jean-Pierre Lafitte
Only a guy like Bret Hart could get a great match out of a silly gimmick like Lafitte's. Basically, he was a pirate. Yes a pirate. The storyline was stupid too, with Jean stealing Bret's ring jacket to start their rivalry. And yet Bret salvaged a great match out of the stupidity of it all. I wonder what he could've done with the Katie Vick storyline. Another great Bret match as Jean submits to the sharpshooter. ****
Bret Hart vs Stone Cold
I've really been looking forward to this one, as I'm a huge fan of their feud, including their Survivor Series 1996 and Wrestlemania 13 matches. Both are five star classics in my book. This took place in South Africa. This wasn't on the same level as their other classics, but it was still a great, rare match. Bret rolls up Austin to win the match. ***3/4
Bret Hart vs The Patriot
The Patriot uses the theme song that Kurt Angle made famous. Bret Hart agaianst Kurt Angle, that's a dream match for you! Anyway, the Patriot was the ideal opponent for Bret since he was in his anti-American stage of his heel turn. I don't think the Patriot is famous for anything other than this bout. This was an exciting match with some nice nearfalls. Great crowd heat as well. Bret wins with the sharpshooter. ****
Bret Hart vs Booker T
First of two WCW matches on the set. Bret was fighting here even though he needed surgery after hurting his groin in a match with Dean Malenko. Bret was impressed with Booker's skill in the ring. You could tell that Bret wasn't really into it, but most of his time in WCW seems that way. Still quite an entertaining match. It just felt unmotivated. **1/2
Bret Hart vs Sting
I've always preferred Bret's sharpshooter to Sting's scorpion death-lock. The winner of this match would go onto the finals of this World Title tournament. Not too bad a match to be honest, but not that good either. Both guys were capable of more. Bret wins to go on to face Benoit in the finals. **
8.5/10. It was always gonna be hard living up to Bret's first three disc set, but this one held up very well. For one, these are rare matches and there are no repeats to be found. Also, it's freaking Bret Hart, so even if the matches aren't that great, they're still gonna be very entertaining. There are still a lot of great gems in there though. Bret's stories between the matches were very interesting as well. All in all, a great DVD set that is definitely worth a look, even if you're not a fan of the Hitman.
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