10 Wrestling Matches One Second Away From Perfection
6. The Quebecers Vs The Hart Brothers (WWE Royal Rumble 1994)
"And that's why I kicked your leg outta your leg!"
Words that haunted Owen Hart in the immediate aftermath, even if the flub wasn't anywhere near disastrous enough to derail one of the best turns in company history. And what a match to build it off of.
The tag team title match at 1994's Royal Rumble existed mostly as a backdrop for the Hart Brothers fallout, but it f*cking ruled too. 'The Hitman' sold his bad leg as if The Quebecers had separated it from his body, and still shaped his body in such a way that Owen's post-match treachery felt exactly 1% justified.
This was art. Owen's impassioned and enraged post-match promo just one stumble away from being the same.
It happened again after the luxurious WrestleMania X classic between the brothers. In celebrating his victory over his more experienced sibling, Owen forgot to wipe the spittle from his face. It was distracting to the viewer if not 'The Rocket', ever-so-slightly tarnishing his crowning moment's post-script.