Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper (Intercontinental Championship) (Wrestlemania 8) Review

Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper (Intercontinental Championship) (Wrestlemania 8)

This is a match that will always hold a special place in my heart, and I'm sure others who were a kid around this time. Bret was my favourite back then and will always be, but I also liked Piper, so it was an interesting match with them both going in as faces and knowing the close history between the two. Been years since I have watched the match too. Piper/Bret apparently planned out the match in a diner somewhere and they both agreed that they'll add a 'surprise' to the match that would fool everyone, including Vince. I'm sure we'll get to that in the match.......

Piper won the Intercontinental Championship back at the Royal Rumble from The Mountie and Bret was the next in line, and a win would be the catalyst for his real big push.

First, I'll post a promo between the two a few weeks before Wrestlemania (IF Vince hasn't took it down yet)

Roddy Piper + Bret Hart (Challenge 3/15/1992)

First of all, Piper looks great here in his street clothes. It's a very good promo from both, but esp Piper, who quickly goes from not so serious, to full on serious. Piper offers not to fight Bret, he respects Bret and the Hart family and doesn't want to lose his friendship. Bret seems to understand this, but at the same time, he wants to win back the title, and if he has to beat Piper to do it, so be it.

The ending to this promo is fantastic by Piper.

So, here we are at Wrestlemania. First of all, we get a pre match promo with Mene Gene along with both Piper and Bret. I love how this starts out with Piper joking around with Bret, then all of a sudden, it's gets real serious.

“Why do it here, when I can have a million people watch me rip your head off” - Piper

Then as Piper turns away, Bret does the fake punch thing, to call back to that above interview on Challenge, to when Piper did that to Bret, Piper fires right back though and pulls out his belt wrapped around his fists. I fucking love Piper's “Bye, bye. Bye, bye” to Bret too. Fuck Piper has been gold so far and we haven't even got into the match yet.

This thing is oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon.

First of all, forgot how huge the Hoosier Dome looked in a wide shot.

The Hitman is out first, looking as cool as ever. Not only is my all time favourite, but he just so happens to have one of my all time favourite themes, too. Piper comes out with a 'mean as fuck' look on his face. Oh he means business, alright.

“I've never liked bag pipe music, it stinks” - Heenan

LOL

They get in each other's faces as the ref lays out the rules.

Piper, physically, looks fantastic here btw. In maybe the best shape of his career.

In this shot, there is a big four horseman banner in the crowd lol.

They both lock up to get this started, and both struggle for control, before Piper wins out and gives Bret an arm drag. Again, they both lock up and struggle for control, but it's Bret this time who wins out and gives Piper the arm drag. Tit for tat to start this.

Lock up again and Piper takes Bret down to the mat with a single leg takedown hold. Bret is struggling to break the hold, so he just makes his way over to the ropes and dumps Piper through the middle rope and onto the outside. Piper is PISSED at this and storms back into the ring, gets in Bret's face, they have a little shove until

PIPER SPITS RIGHT AT BRET

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

Piper raises his hands and they go for a test of strength. Piper quickly breaks out of this with an armbar, which Bret reverses and starts hitting at Piper's midriff. Piper shoves his hand in Bret's face and gives him a stiff chop to the throat. Bret just won't let go of the arm of Piper, as Piper starts waling away at Bret with wild punches and big slaps. This doesn't work, and Bret outs Piper's other arm into an armbar.

Piper again tries to break the hold by grabbing Bret's head and ramming it into the turnbuckle, but Bret just won't fucking let go. So Piper goes back to chopping the fuck out of him. Piper starts running around the ring, but Bret is hanging on tight and he plants Piper face first into the mat.

Down on the mat now and Bret has still got Piper's arm locked in. Both back up now and Piper whips Bret off the ropes, misses with a clothesline and Bret nails him with a sweet dropkick. Bret seems really hurt though and is clutching at shoulder in pain. Then out of nowhere, he rolls Piper up for a pin attempt

Oh Bret, you little scamp.

Both get up at the same time and Piper looks at the ref like “WHAT THE FUCK” and slaps Bret hard in the face. Both kicking off now as Bret shoves him and they start jawing at each other. Piper whips Bret off the ropes, but Bret comes flying at him with a cross body and, eventually, they both go over the top rope and onto the outside. Bret though was hanging onto the top rope and it was more Piper's momentum in what threw him over. Piper straight up though and gets back into the ring. Bret gingerly makes it to his feet and Piper, rather sarcastically, sits on the middle rope and holds them open for Bret.

So Bret obliges, without ever taking his eyes off Piper though. Piper then goes into his back of heel tricks, as Bret is trying to seemingly tie his boot, Piper nails him with a sucker punch to the face.

Oh, Roddy.

Piper now starts kicking the shit out of Bret, kicking his head and stomping at him. He rams Bret's head off the turnbuckle for good measure, too. He nails Bret with a very closed fist and hits him with a running bulldog.

HOLY FUCK, BRET IS DAMN BUSTED OPEN

JUICE TIME AT THE HOOSIER DOME

Piper goes for the cover, but Bret kicks out. Piper bites him and sends him crashing, back first, into the turnbuckle. Piper now on the assault, as he slaps Bret and hits with with a vicious high knee, before going for another cover, but again getting a 2 count. Piper nails Bret with another closed fist and whips him into the ropes. Bret reverses this into a sunset flip and gets a 2 count. Piper is pissed at this, and starts stiffing Bret with some boxing style jabs to the open wound on Bret's head.

Another 2 count pin follows.

Bret is a BLOODY MESS here as Piper again starts punching his head, but Bret starts to fight back, nailing Piper with a swift punch of his own and hits Piper with a running forearm, sending Piper flying out the ring.

Bret just about manages to get back to his feet as Piper re-enters the ring. They hit each other with clotheslines and now they are both down on the mat.

Crowd are hot now, as Piper goes for a risky move and climbs to the top turnbuckle. Just as he makes it up there, Bret gets up and hits him plum in the midriff, planting Piper right on the ropes.

Playing possum again, eh Hitman

Bret grabs Piper's hair and and sends his head crashing to the mat. He hits him with an inverted atomic drop and a snap suplex. He covers Piper, but again, can only get a 2 count.

Man, this has been some match.

He hits Piper with a neckbreaker and again, goes for the cover, but again, can only get another 2 count.

I know I have said it already, but BRET and STUFFED PIG spring to mind here.

Bret really giving it to Piper now, as he nails a backbreaker. Bret attempts to apply the SHARPSHOOTER, but Piper does everything he can to grab Bret's leg and stop this from happening. He succeeds, but Bret nails him with an elbow. Piper flat on his back now, as Bret climbs to the middle tutnbuckle and and goes to elbow Piper again, but Piper gets his foot up and hits Bret plum in the face with his boot.

This has been a proper back and forth classic.

They are both on their knees and both start hitting each other with big rights.

Both back on their feet, Bret headbutts Piper, puts him in a headlock, but Piper pushes Bret out of it and STRAIGHT INTO THE REFEREE

REF BUMP ~!

He hits Bret with a (sloppy) clothesline and this sends Bret out the ring via the middle ropes. Piper goes after him and whacks Bret's head off the steel steps and dumps him straight back into the ring. Piper then goes over and

GRABS THE STEEL RING BELL

WTF???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fans are screaming here. Piper stands over Bret's bloody body with the ring bell in hand.

NO RODDY, NO

Bret is on his knees in desperation here as Piper continues to tease whacking Bret over the head. Piper starts looking around and into the crowd.

THAT'S IT RODDY, YOU DON'T REALLY WANT TO DO THIS, SON.

“Use it, use it. You know that old saying; What the hell, use the bell” - Heenan

“Hit him, give it to me, I'll hit him” - Heenan

LOL

Piper finally comes to his senses and throws the bell out the ring.

Bret gets up and Piper gives him a big right hand, Bret tries to retaliate back, but misses and Piper puts him into a sleeper hold. Bret manages to plant his feet onto the turnbuckle and pushes himself onto Piper and into a PIN ATTEMPT

Ref just about gets back up to count. 1,2.....................................3

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BRET HART IS YOUR NEW WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION.

Crowd are on their feet. What a moment.

The ref gets the belt, but Piper snatches it straight off him. Fuck sake Piper, don't start this again. He puts it onto Bret, holds out his hand, and lifts Bret up.

THIS IS FUCKING EMOTION

This whole match is an emotional roller-coaster. The storytelling and psychology is seriously off the charts here. Piper looked fantastic and I loved the way he slipped into de-facto heel mode for this match to make the dynamic between them even better. Bret getting bloodied up was also such an excellent idea and it totally worked within the context of the match. These two just meshed so well and it came across as two guys going back and forth for, in their minds, the most important championship title belt.

A seminal moment for Bret to take this forward and be the next singles star and credit to Piper for giving it all he could to properly put him over. Both of them came out of this looking great though. It's still a great match that ranks in the one of greatest in the company's history. Both on the quality of the match and the performers and what it set out to achieve.

HIGHLY Recommended.