SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Approx. 31:00 Min.*
Taped for WWF Prime Time Wrestling on October 12, 1992, this WWF World Championship showdown would take place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Defending his recently-regained WWF World Heavyweight Championship is “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, whose ringside crony is his ‘executive consultant,’ “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig. Challenging Flair is two-time ex-WWF Intercontinental Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart.
The commentators are Gorilla Monsoon and “Lord” Alfred Hayes.
Note: This running time includes entrances.
REVIEW:
Proceeding at a moderate pace, this Hart vs. Flair title match is not nearly as compelling as Flair vs. either Randy Savage or Ricky Steamboat, but this bout shines at the right moments. Besides Savage, Roddy Piper, and ultimately Curt Hennig, Hart was the other WWF notable whose game equaled, if not, surpassed Flair’s (even at 43-years-old).
Among his impressive 1992 career accolades, one the 35-year-old Hart truly deserves credit for is the WWF’s ‘Mr. Consistency.’ Case in point: his stellar Intercontinental Championship choreography that year, including a bloody pinfall title win against Piper and a Match-of-the-Year-caliber loss to The British Bulldog, ensuring that his opponent looked as good as he did.
In terms of Flair, even if the multi-time World Champion had passed his iconic Late ‘80s’ prime, Hart’s reliability and in-ring professionalism makes up the necessary difference. More specifically, during this era, the aging “Nature Boy” was still a superior performer, as compared to virtually all his peers in either the WWF or WCW.
Yet, this pivotal match confirmed that the rising Hart had eclipsed him (and, simultaneously, Randy Savage) as the WWF’s acknowledged MVP.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
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