10 Best Matches From B-Level WWE Pay Per Views
8. Bret Hart Vs. British Bulldog - In Your House: Season's Beatings
The B-level pay-per-view has a rich but unheralded history of presenting follow ups to matches that surpassed their legendary originals - which, like the best sequels, compensated for originality with a higher degree of quality.
Bret Hart and The British Bulldog started that tradition at the unfortunately-named Season’s Beatings. Bulldog wore the same tights as he had during his Wembley Stadium triumph, but as if to underscore that this was a leaner and more focussed challenger, his long shock of dreads had been cropped into a short, neat crew cut.
It was emblematic of the match itself. As momentous and dramatic as their bout at SummerSlam 1992 was, Bulldog’s dire physical condition meant that it lagged badly in places. This was smoother, more urgent. Bulldog’s impeccable conditioning meant that his role as powerhouse resonated far more. Hart could sell, believably, for anybody - but in the wake of an opponent in the form of his life, he rarely reached the heights he did here.
Fans were initially detached, raining down chants of “ECW!” It’s a testament to the sublime pacing - and the rare but astute (and disgustingly liberal) use of blood - that by the finish, the Pennsylvania natives were completely invested.
Hart, criticised by some as formulaic, was a master at crafting bespoke performances. In creating a fusion of WWF storytelling and crimson-soaked ECW ultra-violence, he dragged a one match show out of the very worst thing the WWF had ever charged money for.