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This three disc set from World Wrestling Entertainment provides a comprehensive look at the wrestling career of one of the top performers of his time, Bret Hart. Bret worked closely with the WWE on the project, and the result is a fair and honest portrayal of the man and his accomplishments. The documentary portion of disc one contains lots of rare and exciting footage of Bret's early career in Stampede Wrestling, including clips of a young Bret in action against both the Dynamite Kid and Bad News Allen (later known as Bad News Brown in the WWF). Discs two and three contain some of the greatest matches in the Hitman's wrestling career, as selected by "The Hitman" himself. The bouts encompass Bret's career as one-half of the Hart Foundation tag team all the way to his final days as a competitor in WCW. Of particular interest are a fantastic early WWF match against Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (their only one-on-one match together), and the WCW tribute match dedicated to brother Owen where Bret faced Chris Benoit (a match not likely to ever surface in a WWE release again due to the circumstances surrounding Benoit). Overall, I would rate this DVD collection as one of the best the WWE has produced. The match selection is second to none in it's variety and quality, and the documentary is far more balanced and honest than most the WWE has produced (particularly the Ultimate Warrior feature, done without Warrior's approval, which amounted to a high-profile smear campaign). Fans who have been burned by lackluster WWE DVD features in the past need not worry about the quality and content of this collection.Read full review
This is a great DVD for all WWE fans. Whether you're a Bret Hart fan or not, whether you've seen him wrestle or not; this DVD is a great release. The first part of the three disc set is the biography of Bret Hart. The story is told by Bret himself, so you'll get some great details and great stories. He'll tell you about growing up, family, getting into wrestling, how his career progressed, the famed Survivor Series screw job and beyond. His personal insights shed a lot of light and another side to many stories and events over his amazing career. Plus, you'll get to see a lot of old pictures and footage from Bret's life and wrestling career. The extras are mainly matches, but what else do you need? The matches vary from some high profile ones you may have seen before, to matches never aired before in the US - like a match between him and Bam Bam Bigelow from Spain! Some of the matches even cover his early days when he broke into the business in the Hart Foundation. The set is lengthy and chocked full of great material. All WWE fans should get this set for a great time.Read full review
You know what? I miss Bret Hart. These days, as I watch Raw frequently out of the corner of my eye, I remember a time when I would actually plant my butt squarely in front of the television to watch Bret Hart, as the man captured my attention with some of the most realistic matches ever. Unlike the typical variety of laughable pro wrestling moves, Bret's techniques looked as though they might actually work and that there was real logic behind the succession of holds. Boy was I stoked when this DVD set was announced! Finally, we could have the tribute to Bret that we've been waiting for. Three discs long, this set is a tribute one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Having participated in the production himself, Bret made sure that we got some good matches, and in that he succeeded. What's here is absolute gold. There are matches against the likes of the Bulldogs, the Killer Bees, Mr. Perfect, Ricky Steamboat, Chris Benoit, Steve Austin, and late brother, Owen Hart. Bret's legacy can be seen as high-point-after-high-point. It's what I love about this DVD set so much. Thankfully, the Iron Man Match is only present in clips. Not only would it have required its own dedicated disc to show in its entirety, it also happens to be one of the most overrated matches, in the opinion of this reviewer. I'm not saying that there aren't high spots, but the match is simply way too long. (And the ending is bullshit!) Some matches are tragically missing. Among them are Bret's two major battles against Ric Flair, first for the WWF Championship in 1992 and again at WCW Souled Out in 1998. I also wish that they would have included at least one of the matches with Bob Backlund, as well as the 1994 cage match with Owen. And finally, although I prefer NOT to have copeous amounts of Shawn Michaels in a Bret Hart collection, Bret's 1992 matches against Shawn were worthy enough to be included, in my opinion. I would strongly urge WWE to consider releasing some of these matches on a bonus disc, should they ever consider a re-release of this set. Still, the absense of these matches hardly deminish the overall luster of this set. The matches were hand-picked by Bret, and with good reason. You won't be doing much, if any, skipping around here, unlike other wrestling sets. This DVD collection was executed so well, that I can only give it one rating: EXCELLENT!Read full review
Watching the DVD compendium, to the very mention of the name, Bret “The Hit Man” Hart, brought back a lot of childhood memories. From his signature catch phrases such as “The Excellence of Execution,” and “The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be” (Lifted from “The Natural” (1984) movie line) to his metallic visor, leather jacket, and even images of “Monday Night Raw” being the only Brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (Known then as the “World Wrestling Federation” (WWF)) out on television every week. Probably my greatest Bret Hart memory would be an episode of Raw wherein Bret stepped into the ring as his estranged younger brother, the late Owen “The Rocket” Hart and his ex-brother-in-law The British Bulldog (the late Davey Boy Smith) were about to come to blows. Bret took it upon himself to patch his relationship with the two men by focusing on the importance of family and his “It’s us against America” stand. This lead to the birth of the new Hart Foundation which also included another brother-in-law and former Tag Team partner, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart as well as the only American in the group, “the Canadian sympathizer,” the late Brian “The Loose Cannon” Pillman. During this period in the history of the WWE, recognizable names such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Degeneration X, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin rose to prominence as “faces.” But it was the new Hart Foundation, led by an aggressive, vindictive, and sadistic (by way of an illegal ring post figure-four leglock that Hart would apply on his opponent entangled legs during matches) Bret Hart that I believe carried the show as “heels.” America hated them! But Canada and Europe sure adored the new Hart Foundation! In the end, despite 23 years in the wrestling business (Stampede Wrestling, WWE, WCW, and various other international productions), I believe that Bret Hart’s career ended prematurely (due to a post-concussion syndrome brought about in 99’ by a Bill Goldberg Mule Kick to the head). I guess I am still waiting for that magical moment wherein the electric guitar intro of Jimmy Hart’s and JJ Maguire’s famed “Hitman” theme would be blazing over the arena’s PA and out of the shadows would be Bret Hart, clad in his familiar Pink and Black, ready to take on all comers for one final match. Cheers Bret! Best of luck in your new life and thanks for the memories! Most, if not all of the aforementioned events are chronicled to some degree in Bret Hart’s 2005 compendium, “Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be.” Kindly vote for this review if you found it useful. Your vote counts! Thanks!Read full review
For anyone that’s a pro wrestling fan, this is a great piece to add to your collection. You get to see how Bret Hart became the Hitman and one of the best pound for pound in ring technicians of all time. From his feuds with his brother Owen Hart to his legendary rival with the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels and the infamous Montreal Incident that impacted the world of professional wrestling and sports entertainment around the globe. I highly recommend this set to all fans and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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