Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

[5.0] "It is certainly an intense mat wrestling match. Unfortunately, the finish is a bit overbooked in terms of its length; the submission holds and their counters are certainly executed correctly up to that point, but the implausible knockout of the Bulldog and Helen Hart's involvement take away some of the fun for me. Much worse is the decision to rush Diesel into the championship and unnecessarily devalue this match--and thus the Hitman as well--through the 8-second squash the following day. Owens's acting performance, however, remains brilliant, of course."

[4.0] "This match is just bad. Really long, really slow, really boring. I don't like that. 35 minutes of fucking submissions, some shitty dramma in the end. All of that was really boring and stupid. IDK why people love this match SO much"

[10.0] "Unique classic. Creative structure with the towel rule, mat-based wrestling; body-part psychology, limb work, submission - heat, struggle, interesting twists, the family drama, storytelling and a dramatic finish with the towel being thrown and Bret enduring the Crossface Chickenwing for 10 minutes without submitting is insane. Backlund becoming WWF champion 10 years later is surreal. ****1/2"

[2.0] "35 minutes for a submission match? What were they thinking? There was some decent drama towards the end, but it took forever to get there. Match is a bore to watch."

[7.0] "Amazing match and there Owen really tricked me, thinking It was his face turn and there he escapes after Bret loses the title, the match was amazing technically speaking, Bret putting in the table his experience from The Dungeon and Owen making everything so Bret surrenders to the 2nd Longest champion who got it for 3 days. 7/10 [****1/4]"

[4.0] "First, I want to give a lot of credit to Backlund. From everything I've ever read or seen, everyone describes him as a true class act and professional. Back when he was in his prime, he was given a lot of blame for not being able to follow Bruno, but like him or don't, you can't deny that back then and since his return in 92, he worked very hard. They knew they were going with Diesel after this show, and I think it was a really nice nod to Bob that they gave him one more small run as a show of respect. The match itself, though...it is technically fine, but for a match that relied entirely on technical wrestling, I think Bret has had far better. It was just too slow and went on forever. There are bursts that are great, but like the WM12 Iron Man match to me, the bursts weren't good enough to justify the length and overall slowness. The GOOD parts were the story telling. Owen could have won an award for his acting here, swerving the crowd and pleading to his parents. It is a perfect finish. Helen throws in the towel to save her son from the pain, even though Stu tries to stop her. Bret can claim he never gave up to lose the title, and both parents played a brilliant role. The final chicken wing lasts for WAY too long. It lasts for literal minutes. You could chop at LEAST 10 minutes off this match and lose very little. Maybe even 15. There is a lot to like about this match, but it just isn't for me. Too slow, too long, and drags on a lot."

[6.0] "It's a little slow with a prolonged ending. Bret was in the chicken wing for what felt like 10 years. The best part was Owen's big swerve pleading with his mother to throw in the towel. I always thought this match should've been better."

[6.0] "This was so great for like 75% of it, a technical masterclass and also just a fucking war. But the last quarter where the milk the drama and beat the dead horse far, far beyond any sane period of time kinda ruined the whole match almost, that shit was so boring."

[5.0] "This seemed like Vince trying to recapture the past and not being able to move on from Backlund. He clearly wasn't over, so he put the belt on him, short reign as it was, but no one asked for this and no one cared. This match was way too long for the story it told. But it was technically an ok match."

[9.0] "Really fun technical match with an amazing ending that made Owen Hart look like an absolute scumbag. I can see this match not being everyone's cup of tea, but if this is the kind of thing you like, and it is for me, it's hard to find a better example of the pure technician style from this era."

[3.0] "I don't know why but i just wasn't a fan of the match- owen hart pleading with his parents to throw in the towel for bret hart was brilliant but in terms of the match before it was dissapointing for me i think the stipulation affected the flow of the match as i thought the whole match was just slow but it was nice to see backlund hold another world championship but i think ithe ending just dragged on a bit and shoudve happened a couple minutes before so overall i rate this match a 3/10 mainly for the owen hart work"

[10.0] "This is a classic! one of the best Backlund matches and by far his best match in 1990s, the Angle is five stars but they're also wrestling this insanely gritty 1970s technical showdown with some elements of 1990s wrestling, the post match is one of the grestest things ever, this might be the greatest angle and promo of 90s with wrestling that's straight outta 70s/early 80s [****3/4]"

[9.0] "I can understand why some fans would dislike this match, but count me among the group of people who love it. Bob Backlund is just terrific. I love his work over Bret's shoulder, which is somehow simultaneously creative yet very simple. He is a master at all the little details that so many other wrestlers would just completely overlook. His counter of Bret's Figure Four might be the first time it has ever looked like the pressure on the hold was actually reversed after the recipient rolled over - I've frankly never had a clue what was supposed to be going on in that spot until I saw Backlund do it here, because he understands all the nuances of how a hold should do damage to his opponent. It is methodically paced, but it's so marvelously executed that even for a niche style of wrestling, they end up really having the crowd during the latter portion of the match (prior to that final chickenwing spot). The finish is where this often match often loses people, because it does last an eternity, but Owen's manipulation of his mother to screw Bret out of his title is brilliant. In one sense I don't mind how long this lasts, because I can buy that it would take a lot for the Hart family to throw in the towel (Stu still wasn't willing to do it), but where it really lacks credibility is how long Bulldog is unconscious for after ramming into the steps. I will say, Bret's selling in the post-match is sensational, and he makes it seem like his shoulder has genuinely been torn to shreds. Backlund's celebration is classic, too. It's definitely not a very mainstream friendly match, but if you appreciate the technical side of pro wrestling and don't mind the methodical pace, you'll find a lot of excellent work to enjoy here."

[8.0] "This match proves how damn good Bret was. Both Backlund and Bret worked fantastic together. The ending was a little drawn out but it was so investing. Overall a Pretty great match"

[7.0] "It was phenomenal except for the overstretched finish. Both of the guys were exceptional with their submissions and I don't only mean the holds themselves and the transitions between them, but they were constantly moving and reacting to everything. Nothing was too stationary and there was always something that you could look at. It felt like a real fight while keeping the crowd engaged and only the finish that was way too long dragged it down a bit. Great match, one to study when it comes to movement during submissions."

[5.0] "There's a lot of good mat based techinical wrestling in this match and it has an old school feel. Miles better than their Mania match mostly since there's no Piper Screaming. Its still too long and slow for me to fully enjoy though, specially the final Chickenwing that goes on for ages"

[5.0] "I struggled to decide what rating to give this match. I settled on 5 as it was a decent enough match, I just felt the over-excessive use of the Chickenwing at the end was too much and went on wayyyy longer than it needed to."

[7.0] "Not a bad match, the two of them worked well together. Very technical match. The end of the match is what held this one down a point. The end was too drawn out. Crowd was really involved in this one."

[7.0] "Great match that got over Owen has a huge prick as he begs him parents to throw in the towel then gloats about fooling them. Crowd boos the shit out of Backlund. Crazy Bob was actually a pretty good gimmick but they crushed that idea quickly by putting all their eggs in a basket called Diesel."

[9.0] "This was a terrific old-school technical wrestling clinic with a great dose of storytelling and character work all throughout. Loved the psychology, the limb work, the struggle for escape, the will to maintain control - just flawless in those aspects. Backlund's arm work was amazingly nasty, might as well break the damn arm while you're at it, Bob. Bret's selling was superb as well, though I believe Bob may have edged him out in that department. Very hot comeback from Bret near the end. The final ten minutes with the Chickenwing dragged a bit, but Owen was always there to keep things interesting. He deserves an Oscar just for his acting alone. I know this match isn't for everyone, but it absolutely did it for me. Two of the best technicians tussling it out for half an hour before some next-level drama kicked in. Another thing, Backlund's post-match interview "I FEEL LIKE GOD! " was awesome. [****1/4]"

[3.0] "A very weak and protracted fight, it lasts more than half an hour and is very difficult to watch. There are, of course, rare bursts of activity, but their minimum. At the same time, there is also a stupid intrigue with a towel in it, which is too tight. And about the result, I generally keep quiet. Where does such a rating come from, I put 3"

[5.0] "This was a pretty good match technically speaking, but it was just bizarre. The submission at the end felt like it lasted half of the match. That was just wasting time for no reason. I did enjoy the chain wrestling though, Bret and Backlund worked well together. **3/4"

[5.0] "Sorry, but I really don't rate this one all that highly. When the whole end section of the match is Backlund holding a submission on Bret for what felt like an eternity, that doesn't make for a good time. The stuff we got before it was fine enough, so I won't be too harsh on this, but that closing section put me to sleep."

[4.0] "I don't mind mat-based wrestling but this is just too much of it with few actual moves in-between. I can understand why people might enjoy the technical nature of this, but it's just not my type of match."

[6.0] "I'm a huge Bret Hart fan, I loved Bob's heel work during this time, yet for some reason I just can't put this match at the level of Bret-Owen or Bret-Diesel from earlier in the year. The match is good, Owen is brilliant on the outside yet it's a bit too long in my opinion, and even though Owen is telling a great story during the Crossface finish, that went on FOREVER, at least 7 or 8 minutes! Still not a bad match at all, but I wouldn't say it's a classic. At least for me. ***"

[10.0] "Bobs best match Brett could pull a classic out of anybody Great match told a great story centered around competition just a great wrestling matches of this era"

[9.0] "Fantastic match but not without it's flaws. The limb attacks were excellent. The counters, the struggle for holds and the constant back and forth . Bob Backlund's work on the arm was very vicious. Determined to break the arm it seems. His facials and characteristics were awesome as well. And people say Backlund is boring? WTF he brought so much energy to the match imo. Bret fighting back was awesome as well but he didn't really sell the arm attacks well at all until after the match. The inclusion of Owen Hart as well was genius. Thought the ending went on way to long though. Awesome match, great dose of storytelling and excellent mat work ****1/2"

[8.0] "The match is technical for the most part and has an old school feeling that gives it a special charm. It lasts for 35 minutes and it's really epic for some parts, but it's not really easy to enjoy because it seems out of time. The final Chickenwing Crossface lasts for too long and the conclusion isn't great to see but the idea was good. ***3/4"

[10.0] "I simply can't help but love this match so much. The inring action was great, with both guys doing some mat wrestling and limb work. But besides that the story it told was fantastic. Owen just 'taking' out the Bulldog, and tried to force Bret's mom to throw in the towel. While she hesitated she threw it in after a while. Owen his acting was on point. ****1/2"

[10.0] "I really love this match, it's highly unusual but the story it tells is great. First you've got some world class technical work, on a level rarely seen in WWF, and Backlund especially is really working stupendously and injecting a ton of character and personality into it. Then as we move forward Owen becomes just as important to the match as either wrestler, his interference is on point and perfectly placed, but best of all is him faking tears to manipulate the Hart parents, "remember Thanksgiving Mom? " is a beautiful line. Backlund deserved the title based on his wonderful performance, shame they immediately squashed him."

[10.0] "This match is one of my more favourite Bret Hart matches of all time. Him and Backlund put on a great match and the added drama of the towel having to be thrown in to end the match helped improve it even more. Owen did a great job making you believe that he was feeling remorse and added to the drama of the match."