THIS Is The Most Overrated Wrestling Match Of All Time

12 Chinlock
WWE Network

It lasts for 31 seconds. Shawn responds with, for f*ck’s sake, an armbar. The action then heats up, and it is temporarily so exciting that you forget that Bret shows no ill effects of the hold that has subdued him for literally eight minutes. Bret rocks him with a lariat, using the full power of his arm without selling it afterwards, sending Michaels sprawling to the outside. It is at this moment that the folly of the match becomes apparent; in taking a lethal Sweet Chin Music, cosplaying timekeeper Tony Chimel, a non-wrestler, takes the best bump—and sells it better than anything else is sold.

This is it. This is where everything intensifies.

This is where Bret Hart applies a chinlock for, and this is no snark exaggeration, two minutes and 24 seconds. After the most brief of rallies, Hart cinches the hold back in. This lasts, and this is so snark exaggeration, 55 seconds. “The greatest title match in WWF history” is beginning to look a lot like Baron Corbin’s Best Of BluRay.

Infuriatingly, another rapid, crisp sequence of arm drags and dropkicks unfolds. It’s clear just how much exhilarating chemistry the dynamic boasts, but it’s all spiteful flex in an overarching battle of tedious, political inhibition. At 24 minutes, having absorbed a painful-looking shoulder bump into the ring post, Hart finally clutches to it as if in mild discomfort.

People will tell you that this is pro wrestling in its purest form. It isn’t. It is, at its absolute worst, Jinder Mahal’s UWFi debut. It is a match that strives for the traditional, submission-based drama of a Billy Robinson technical classic with little of the invention—nor the crucial consistency—that such a match demands. Hart and Michaels alienate the casual crowd with this gruelling layout. The very few paying strict attention are punished with what feels like an instinctive refusal on Bret’s part to thread everything together with his trademark, immersive narrative craft. He didn’t like Shawn, and this real-life sentiment too often manifests as a reluctance to commit.

CONT'D...(3 of 5)

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!