Bret Hart dogging it on PPV
By Scott Keith on 3 March 2018
Hey, Scott. I'm a lifelong Bret Hart mark, but in re-watching his Royal Rumble '95 match against Undertaker, it's kind of shocking how lazily the match was worked. I know you've reviewed it before, but it really does feel like a house show match with almost zero stand-out spots or major bumps, long boring rest holds and a really flat finish of Bret casually running into a Tombstone.
Why would Bret Hart phone it in on a major event, let alone one of the big ones like Royal Rumble? Were either of these guys battling the flu at the time or something? Was Bret putting in the minimal effort because he was upset about the story of Undertaker having him beat before Diesel caused the DQ? I just don't get it. It seems uncharacteristic of a guy like Bret who prided himself on being the best worker in the business.
Yes, if I recall correctly, that's exactly what his deal was with that one. There was also a cage match with Diesel in early 96 where he was booked like a complete afterthought to Undertaker, and he didn't bother to show up for that one, either. Bret could be the greatest, but if he wasn't into the match or the storyline, look out below.