100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
85. Owen Hart vs. The British Bulldog (Raw, 3 March 1997)
The brand new European Title seemed like something totally refreshing when it played before an enthused Berlin, Germany audience in late-February 1997. A fine tournament final between Owen Hart and The British Bulldog didn't actually air until beaming on the (pretty unique) 3 March '97 edition of Raw, meaning fans had to wait to see these real-life family members put on one of the best matches of the entire year.
It's a pity the production quality was so poor in Germany, because that didn't do much to make the match seem big time. Similarly, piped in commentary done in post meant everything felt more like an indy show than the WWF's flagship weekly program. If you're able to look past shoddy international production, then you'll find a true boots n' tights style classic that showed just how much chemistry Owen and Davey Boy Smith had as rivals.
They were tag-team partners at the time too, and had found a lot of success in the doubles division, so it wasn't exactly common for them to go nose to nose back then. That also added to the refreshing feel. Neither man rushed through anything until the match got more heated late on. By then, fans around ringside were glued to the bout and wanted to find out who'd be the first to hold a new title.
There was a real old-school vibe to the match even back then. It all felt very non-WWF, albeit in a stimulating, positive way. It might also be one of the last truly great singles matches Bulldog ever worked too.