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[1995-09-24-WWF-In Your House III] Bret Hart vs Jean Pierre Lafitte


Loss

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  • 2 months later...

Bret's tope to start things off was on the highlight reel for a long time. Lafitte takes some nasty bumps off of missed moves, including a missed somersault plancha to the floor. This is a Bret Hart match, but it's a deviation from his typical match. If there's a such thing as a Bret Hart spotfest, this is a Bret Hart spotfest, and a really fun one.

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  • 7 months later...
  • 5 months later...

I just watched this match recently and I thought it was really good. This match was different than many of Bret's other matches and Lafitte looked great. They told a great story of Lafitte having Bret's number and countering Bret's signature moves. It seemed like most of Bret's offense was defensively getting out of the way of Lafitte's high risk maneuvers. This was a refreshing match to watch and one I recommend.

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  • 1 year later...

Man is this arena dark. Bret almost breaks his neck leveling LaFitte with a tope before the bell. Pierre has some great agility and spots but really doesn't know how to control or pace a match. Lots of weak clubbering in between the highspots. Ross is really sticking out like a sore thumb at this point--eventually the Vince/Ross/Lawler trio would gel into a strong commentary team but they're not there yet. About 50% of this match is the closing sequence, and that's where this gets good. LaFitte takes a sick flat back bump to the floor when missing the somersault plancha and then even tops Bret's chest-first turnbuckle bump. Bret puts LaFitte away with his put-the-Sharpshooter-on-from-his-back move after LaFitte had blocked the first attempt. I thought this was going to be a disappointment after the slow start, but this turned into a hell of a bout. Now let's get Bret out of the damned mid-card.

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  • 1 month later...

Bret Hart vs Jean-Pierre Lafitte - In Your House III 9/24/95

 

I have watched this match three times and everytime I watch it my thoughts initially are always "why did I like this match so much again?". Oh yeah because the finish stretch is so badass. I have no idea what got into Bret, but he was out to prove something in this match. It was probably all the months since Royal Rumble 95 being condemned to midcard hell. This is my favorite Bret Hart match of that period between Rumble '95 and Survivor Series '95. He was throwing himself into bumps and he was keeping everything moving. I liked his constant attempts for victory. Basically he was pissed off at the beginning of the match, he got his jacket back and then he just wanted to get the victory. This was not Bret's greatest long term selling performance and the match was more structured around Bret trying to win the match with veteran tactics and Jean Pierre's bumps.

 

I liked Jean Pierre's look. I just don't think you should have called him a pirate. On the RAW before this PPV, Bret Hart basically undercut the entire gimmick when he said he did not know pirates still existed. It is a cool look, but no reason to say he is out and out a pirate. As for being underpushed, I am not buying it. Besides Pierre's bumps, this was the Bret Hart show. Pierre looked lost when he was working a control segment and Bret was carrying it via selling and feeding smart cutoffs. The initial arm posting by Bret and then the consequent quick succession of whips was so well-done to cement Pierre, but Pierre then ran out of things to do. Underutilized, I would buy as I loved the Quebecers and I think Pierre in a tag team where he can be the big bumper and hide his weaknesses in a heel tag team would be perfect.

 

Pierre gets up top and hits a legdrop instead of the Cannonball well that was not too bright. CANNONBALLLLLL!!! MISSES!!! Bret goes for the Sharpshooter because he is angling for a quick victory. The spot of the match is Pierre doing a somersault plancha to the outside floor with no protection because Bret moved. Bret takes over and looks great mixing his Five Moves and his pinnning combinations. Pierre catches him on a crucifix and plants him with a somersault. Folks, I think we have established that Pierre can indeed do a somersault. Pierre looks pretty strong, but whiffs on a top rope splash should have went CANNONBALLLLLL!!! and Bret gets the Sharpshooter from on the mat.

This is an incredible finish stretch especially in 1995. There is not a ton of really classic selling, but it is not mindless either because there is a real sense of struggle to win the match. Bret is going for pinning combinations and his Sharpshooter. Pierre is going for his big knockout blow. It just that Bret is getting countered and Pierre is whiffing. It comes down to if Pierre hits a big move he will win, but what toll are these misses taking on him and eventually if he keeps missing Bret will take advantage with a pinning combination or Sharpshooter. I would not call this a spotfest even though the match is totally structured around spots and bumps and not selling, but there is still a psychology of winning behind it where each man has his own strategy and the other wrestler is responding to that strategy, which is lacking in today's product. ****

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  • 4 months later...

Pierre has some great agility and spots but really doesn't know how to control or pace a match. Lots of weak clubbering in between the highspots.

This gets exposed big-time in their 10/2/95 rematch on Raw (not in the yearbook), which is effectively a lower-octane version of their match here. The flashy bumps are replaced with even more cutoffs from Lafitte and he has absolutely no idea how to fill the time between them, outside of jawing with the fans (who don't really bite on him being a remotely credible threat to beat Bret after this match).

 

Watching that Raw rematch, though, does help drive home how important the high spots are here. Hart's dive at the beginning is fantastic, but Lafitte's somersault plancha bump is just ridiculous; a "holy sh*t" moment every time I rewatch. Without the exclamation points (and there are more than these two), I don't know that the fans would have bought into this but, as it is, it's a fun match.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1995-09-24-WWF-In Your House III] Bret Hart vs Jean Pierre Lafitte
  • 3 years later...

This feud started after LaFitte (the future PCO) stole Bret's jacket. It's a dumb way to start a feud and you could make the argument that Bret was misused throughout the majority of 1995, but this match is a hit! Bret starts the match by blindsiding LaFitte with a suicide dive so brutal that he nearly ends up breaking his own neck! These two bring the hate and trade snug strikes without the match breaking down into a straight-up brawl. LaFitte might be a big man, but he takes some insane bumps during the match. Not only does he end missing three big moves from the top rope, he also lands right on his arse after Bret dodges a somersault plancha to the outside. It's been over 25+ years since this match and PCO is still taking huge bumps like this, and that's truly insane! This match had big bumps and even bigger near-falls, don't sleep on this match! ★★★¾

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