By Dan Kemp
What is there to say that hasn’t already been said about the volatile relationship between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart? Anybody who’s been watching professional wrestling for the past 15 years (or anyone with even a passing interest in what goes on in and out of the ring) should already know at least a little bit about their storied rivalry. Even before the infamous Montreal Screwjob, Michaels and Hart had many great matches, always trying to outdo each other. In fact, their historic matches and constant one-upping helped keep the then-World Wrestling Federation afloat when World Championship Wrestling came to the frontline and began winning in the Monday night television ratings in the ’90s.
Apparently there is still quite a bit to discuss on this matter, as evidenced by the new WWE DVD release WWE Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart. In this DVD, Jim Ross sits down with the two WWE Hall of Famers and starts off by taking a look at the humble beginnings of each man’s career. There is a nice video montage for each of them, which, if you’ve seen any of WWE’s previous Michaels or Hart releases, is really nothing new. Both men talk about how they broke into the business, who trained them, where they started, etc.
Soon enough, the interview begins to cover when Michaels and Hart crossed paths in the late 1980s. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart) was already a fairly dominant tag team in the WWF when the Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) made their WWF debut. Hart mentions how impressed he was with what he and Neidhart saw in the young Michaels and Jannetty, and how the Hart Foundation was pushing to face them in the ring. It’s clear that there was a mutual respect between Hart and Michaels from the beginning.
Eventually, the interview leads in the direction that we’ve all been waiting for; the beginning of the rivalry between Michaels and Hart. You’ll be surprised to find out a couple things regarding the events of the mid ’90s, where much of their hatred and disrespect came to fruition. Both men speak candidly about what was happening behind the scenes at the time, and for the first time you’ll be able to see just how bad things truly were between the two men.
Without giving too much away, the interview does end on a high note, as we travel to the present day and see Michaels and Hart reunited. There’s some backstage footage of the two meeting on the night of Hart’s return to Raw in January of 2010. After nearly 15 years, the two legends have patched things up and are moving forward as friends.
Along with the riveting interview, there’s also a slew of matches and in-ring segments on the other two discs in this package. On the second disc, you’ll see some early tag matches between the Hart Foundation and the Rockers, along with several high profile singles matches between Michaels and Hart. If you’re a longtime wrestling fan, you’ve likely already seen most of these matches, but that doesn’t take away from their amazing quality. These two men are two of wrestling’s all-time greats, and they prove it in each of these matches.
The third disc is bit of a letdown. Aside from the iron man title match between the two at WrestleMania XII, the only things on here are the Hall of Fame induction speeches by both men and their in-ring reunion from January 2010. It’s all quality stuff, but, again, stuff we’ve seen before.
Overall, this is a great addition to any wrestling fan’s collection. The quality of WWE’s DVD releases has always been top notch, and this one is no exception. You’ll learn something new about Michaels and Hart, you’ll see some classic matches, and most importantly, you’ll feel the real emotion that both of these men felt during the interview. It’s really something to see that peace has been made between these two WWE Hall of Famers despite the in-ring rivalries, backstage politics and other controversy that came between them for some many years.
For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.