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[1994-11-23-WWF-Survivor Series] Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund ('Throw in the Towel')


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  • 2 months later...

The Sharpshooter versus the Chicken Wing. Submission match where the second must throw in the towel for the man they represent. Owen has said he will not throw towel in whatsoever. Stu and Helen have some nice ringside seats. Backlund works over Bret’s left arm/shoulder. They keep putting over how Foreman won the boxing title at the same age as Backlund.

 

First big submission is figure four by Bret. Owen doesn’t even bother to hold the towel in his hand. He’s not throwing it in. Bunch of Cross Face Chicken Wing attempts which gets the crowd going similar to Steve Williams’s Backdrops driver attempts in Japan. Bret gets the sharpshooter on but Owen completely outsmarts Davey Boy who runs himself into the steel steps for the knockout. Backlund gets on the Chickenwing.

 

Stage set for Owen’s fantastic acting. He is a mess at the sight of Davey Boy unconscious and his brother in the painful Chicken Wing. Owen pleads to his parents to do something about this. He’s in tears. That’s my brother! Helen and Stu just walk over Davey Boy’s body to get near the ring. Owen is begging them to throw in the towel. Stu isn’t complete buying this act but Helen is devasted. Finally Helen grabs the towel and throws it in. Owen grabs the towel and runs out of the ring in full joy.

 

The crowd is legitimately shocked at this outcome. Mr. Backlund has great facials after winning the title. In a way this was opposite of the Royal Rumble tag match where they went too quick to the decision that Bret couldn’t continue. Here he spends ten minutes in the chicken wing which is way too long but Owen completely carried things to the finish. He may not be the greatest promo guy but stuff like this was where he could really excel.

 

Mr. Bob Backlund, leader of the new generation. Owen promo where he laughs at his parents and calls Bret a loser.

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This remains probably my favorite WWF angle ever. The match is good for Bret and Backlund keeping the heat without being able to work any real false finishes or nearfalls. But the angle is amazing. Everyone has seen it, so I will just comment on my favorite single moment in this, which is when Howard Finkel announces Bret as the NEW WWF champ, and Bret turns around and has this awesome dejected look on his face. The post-match promos are gold too.

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Helen and Stu just walk over Davey Boy’s body to get near the ring.

That part still cracks me up to this day, especially with Helen doing it. Too bad she didn't become full-fledged heel as a result. It would've made sense. Walk over a fallen Davey Boy, without any concern for him, just to cost Bret the match.

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They played it note-perfect so Helen came off as a sympathetic elderly mother that couldn't bear to see her son in so much pain, along with Owen's Academy-worthy performance egging her on. Plus it was probably harder to heel an old woman in 1994 then it is today. Stu was great as the grizzled old-timer thinking "ah, this is nothing compared to the Dungeon, he'll get out". Everything about this was just about perfect.

 

Backlund's post-match promo may be my favourite thing ever in the history of wrestling.

 

EDIT: I don't know how to do youtube tags on this site, but here's the Backlund promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyIfMvyI_dM

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  • 2 weeks later...

Excellent match and angle. The angle is better than the match but I also thought this match was great. I loved the arm and leg work from both guys and the hold teases. This was all set up extremely well. It had really good structure and the drama is off the charts. Owen's promo was great afterwards as well.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Great match. One of the classic "match/angle" productions, ala Savage/Warrior and Hart/Doink/Lawler from Summerslam 93, which the WWF really excelled at back then. Holds up real well.

 

Out of curiousity, I checked Meltzer's rating for the match. He gave it a ridiculously low **, lower than the Yoko-Taker and Team Luger vs Corporation tag from the same card (both **1/2). I know he's never been much of a Backlund fan, but he was sometimes such a joyless wrestling snob back in those days.

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  • 1 year later...

He felt like the crowd didn't buy the angle, because every time they showed crowd shots of people sad about Bret losing, they started smiling and waving at the camera.

 

So I actively went back and looked for this and couldn't find any crowd shots at all.

 

The only match at Big Egg Universe with a case for being as good as this one is Toyota vs. Kong. This had some terrific counter-wrestling and is really one of the better technical matches in WWF/E history. I like how both guys went to alternate submission moves when their trademark holds kept getting countered. And, despite his problems getting a hero's reaction on past Raws, Bret is over enough here that he manages to keep this crowd emotionally invested all the way through a fairly dry, slow-paced technical bout with no near-falls and a ten-minute hold at the end. Owen's performance is spectacular and this is one of the better and more creative ways to get around any towel or flag-waving stipulation--it seems that most such matches end with the cornermen brawling and either a flag being waved or a towel accidentally flying into the ring, and they went with another route here that allowed the babyfaces to save face while not completely welching on the stipulation. Very good match and even better booking.

 

Owen's post-match promo is fun but Backlund's is transcendent, easily the best interview of his career. (It's on the WWE Youtube channel, thank goodness). Backlund goes halfway into Bray Wyatt territory talking of pasteurize, homogenize, and synchronize society back into morality, and now I'm envisioning a whole stable of "followers" running roughshod over the company like a proto-RTC-meets-proto-NWO and shaking my head at the missed opportunity.

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  • 1 year later...

One of the great WWF moments of the 90's as Mr. Backlund begins 3 glorious days of decency, morality and principality.

This may be my favourite Hebner match as well. ;) A real epic at 35m. Scientific all the way. I loved the way they worked it. Both men clearly had an eye on locking on their finisher, yet all attempts were being fought off. So they had to work over the target body parts first. I enjoyed the pure wrestling with sound technique and fighting over holds. A figure four leglock in the middle was a key spot. Then Bret finally acquired the Sharpshooter, but his dastardly younger brother quickly broke it up. Bob then enacted a procurement, cue Hart family melodrama. I did enjoy what they were doing, but it went on for twice as long as was necessary. Bit of a rating drain. Nevertheless I marked out big time for the finish and it was a very fine contest.

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  • 11 months later...

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund - WWF Survivor Series 1994 Submission Match

 

Pretty incredible booking here. Bob Backlund snapped after a match challenging Bret Hart for the title he never lost. He began claiming he was still the rightful WWF Champion and only lost because his manager, Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel within his consent in his 12/83 title defense against Iron Sheik. So he goes on a rampage of applying the Crossface Chickenwing n everyone including Skaaland. To play off this history, Backlund wants a submission match where the corner man has to throw in the towel. He has the perfect corner man, Owen Hart. Owen hates his brother, Bret and has no love for Backlund. So Backlund can rest assured there is no way Owen will throw in the towel. Brilliant! Bret has Davey Boy, who Bret can trust as his brother in-law.

 

First half: Bob tries to jump Bret, but Bret fires off the heavy artillery, punches and headbutts. He just unloads on Backlund. Backlund looks like a crazed man has no idea what he wants to do. Bret is controlling with a tight headlock. Backlund goes for the Crossface Chickenwing early and often as that seems to be his only strategy. Loved Bret's urgency to get out of that hold very quickly before its applied especially liked the belly to belly counter. Bret immediately going for the Sharpshooter is a nice touch as is Backlund quick escape. Loved how Bret immediately lunged after him and clamped on a front chancery. The urgency in this match has been great. Bret misses an elbow and Backlund starts to yank on the arm HARD. Backlund finally building some momentum with some really strong arm work. I like how they put over that pinfalls don't matter here. Backlund is tenacious with his wrist control. Classic Bob. Bret is able to get free long enough to hit an inverted atomic drop. He wrestles with Backlund's legs cant get the Sharpshooer but gets the Figure-4. Backlund is hollering, but Owen does not give a fuck. Bret will have to snap Backlund's leg. Backlund does reverse and now Bret is writhing in pain as Owen eggs on Davey Boy to throw it in. Bret reverses and Backlund makes the ropes. Great way to establish Owen's apathy for Backlund's well-being and how he is going to be a dick at ringside whenever Bret is in trouble. Really strong match thus far as we head into the second half with Bret working over the leg of Backlund even trying for a Sharpshooter, but Backlund wriggles free.

 

Second half: Bret tries to go upstairs with Backlund and pays for it. Backlund hits one of his sweet piledrivers. Backlund keeps going for the Crossface Chickenwing, but Bret goes for the ropes. Backlund gets a sleeper which his version of the figure-4 spot as it is his nearfall before the finish, an alternate to the crossface chickenwing like the figure-4 was the alternate to Sharpshooter. Bret falls forcing Backlund's head into turnbuckle. Backdrops out of piledriver. Bret hits an amazing piledriver and then runs through the Five Moves of Doom in glorious fashion. He gets the Sharpshooter! Owen is in the ring and Davey Boy gives chase. Owen clubs Bret from behind. Davey Boy tries to tackle Owen but hits his head hard on the steel steps. He is knocked out for the next ten minutes. Bob Backlund locks in the Crossface Chickenwing for the next ten minutes which must have been horrible for Bret, who mentions in his book that hold is legitimately painful. If you look at it there is no way to apply without causing pain it just contorts the shoulder and neck in a painful way. Thus begin some of the greatest theatrics that would ever occur in the WWF as Owen goes into full sympathy mode. He feels bad for Davey Boy and then Bret. He never meant for it to go this far, Mom. We are a family, mom. It is hilarious how Helen & Stu stepover Davey Boy like he is a puddle of water. Stu grabs the towel out of Helen's hand and wont throw it in. The crowd is right with them and is chanting Lets Go Bret to the bitter end. Helen yanks the towel out of her husband's hands to throw it into to save her baby boy. Owen is elated and races back to the dressing room. Backlund is just staring at his hands and is just a little too good at acting like a loon if you know what I mean. Bret is helped to the back by his parents heart broken at what transpired. I thought Vince and Gorilla, yes Gorilla, did a great job getting this angle over.

 

There are some clunky moments in this, but I thought they did a great job telling the basic story of the Sharpshooter vs Crossface Chickenwing. Lots of good attempts and escapes. Arm work and leg work were logical and well done. Figure-4 and sleeper were good nearfalls. Bret's finish stretch was hot! Sharpshooter and Owen blasting him was great. The Owen theatrics were top notch and really drives this into must watch territory. Really amazing piece of pro wrestling theatre that everyone should watch. ****1/4

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  • GSR changed the title to [1994-11-23-WWF-Survivor Series] Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund ('Throw in the Towel')

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