(Almost) 5-Star Match Reviews: Bret Hart vs. The 1-2-3 Kid – WWF RAW, July 11, 1994

If there was ever a match that could be described as “chicken soup for the soul”, it’s this random televised singles match between Bret Hart and the 1-2-3 Kid.

As a Canadian Bret Hart’s name is still considered royalty up here even if much of his image has been somewhat shaken by years of alleged bitterness and criticism of the medium that made him famous. What cannot be shaken, though, is his reputation for being able to get a good match out of anyone, which has served as the cornerstone for his career and his post-retirement reputation. Then there’s Sean Waltman. a.k.a. X-PAX/Syxx-Pac/Lightning Kid/1-2-3 Kid, a midcarder who, like Bret, earned a reputation for being so good at his job that it became WWF’s unofficial mantra that, if you couldn’t have a good match with him, you weren’t a good wrestler at all. Strangely these two men only met one-on-one once but the sole match they did have was hailed as a classic when it first took place over thirty years ago. It was also considered arguably the best RAW match up to that point, so let’s see how well it holds up all these years later.

The Story

After starting his career as a jobber and getting his name changed week after week Sean Waltman was christened The 1-2-3 Kid following the upset of the decade when he beat Razor Ramon with a moonsault body block. In the weeks that followed he also scored victories over the likes of “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Nikolai Volkoff, the latter being in a #1 Contender’s match for the WWF Championship.

Fans latched onto Kid’s sudden and unexpected win streak as it led him to the biggest match of his life. Still, few fans, if any, actually expected this Kid, who still looked like he wasn’t even old enough to vote, to beat The Excellence of Execution. And yet many were impressed with Kid’s potential with Bret saying the following words during a Hall of Fame speech:

“I also see where the torch is being passed, say, from myself onto the younger guys and the not-so younger guys. I see Jeff Jarrett. I see The 1-2-3 Kid, I think is one of the greatest wrestlers pound-for-pound that I’ve ever come across in wrestling, period, and I personally look forward to following his career.”

But more important than this was that both men were given a staunch reminder of what they were fighting for, beyond the title, the pay, or their own pride and reputations. Per Bret’s 2007 Autobiography,

“I was about to take on The 1-2-3 Kid, who was pacing around nervously. It was a big match for him, but I also knew it was important to someone else, a ten-year-old names Jason, pale and thin, clutching a Hitman teddy bear under his arm. Even cancer couldn’t take away his smile as I draped the belt over his narrow shoulders. When I told him I’d dedicate my match to him, he excitedly coached me to beat Kid but not to beat him too bad. We posed for pictures, and I signed his shades. I’d been told that Jason wasn’t expected to see next week. When I said goodbye to him, he hugged me tight. Later I showed a Polaroid of him to The Kid, as an exercise in keeping our perspective.” – Bret Hart, 2007, page 355

The Match

This took place on July 11, 1994. It was rated ****1/2 out of five by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer.

They shake hands and it’s on. They lock-up and Kid lands an armdrag that makes Bret stop and go “okay then”. Kid wrestles into an armlock, Bret escapes via scoop slam, and Kid nips up. Kid wrestles into a hammerlock, Bret goes for a snapmare escape, but Kid floats over with the hold still intact. Bret fights to his feet, shoots Kid off the ropes, and drops him with a back elbow. Kid fights out of a chinlock and we get a dropdown/leapfrog sequence. Kid lands a double kick to send Bret across the ring and sends him back into the ropes. Bret catches Kid’s foot but Kid counters with a thrust kick, then hits a second one to send Bret to the floor.

We come back from commercial with Kid working Bret on the mat, having not missed anything according to Jim Ross. Bret tries to escape with a shoulder throw but Kid keeps it cinched in, countering Bret at every turn until Bret counters with a kneelift to the gut. Bret stomps Kid’s abdomen and lands a scoop slam/leg drop combo. He follows with several corner elbows, a coconut crash and some hard elbows to the back of Kid’s head. A swinging neckbreaker gets Bret a two-count so he applies another chinlock and then hits his elbow on the top of Kid’s head. Bret lands some hard strikes and launches kid across the ring into a corner with an exceptionally violent Irish whip. He shoots Kid off the ropes when suddenly Kid ducks a clothesline and hits a flying crossbody press out of nowhere for two. Bret cuts him off with an elbow and sends him into a corner. Kid attempts a sunset flip cover but Bret counters that with a pin of his own for two. Kid attempts another counter, this time a crucifix, but Bret counters this with a downward slam and covers. The ref counts three but Kid gets his foot on the ropes. Bret sees this before the ref and argues with the official as his own music plays. After a brief pause and some arguing between officials, it’s announced that, at Bret’s request, this match will resume.

We return from another commercial with Bret in control along with a shot of what the TV audience missed, that being Kid attempting a sudden roll-up for two. Back in the present Bret lands a butterfly suplex for two of his own and applies another chinlock. Kid fights out, blocks a hiptoss, and turns it into a backslide pin for two. Bret hits first with another elbow to the back of the head plus a leg drop for yet another two-count. Bret DDT’s Kid for two once more and goes for his second-rope elbow drop but Kid gets a foot up and catches Bret under the chin. Bret gets up first and kicks Kid’s ribs. Bret attempts another clothesline. Kid ducks and lands a spinkick followed by another kick barrage in a corner. Big dropkick in another corner. Top-rope backflip crossbody press. Two-count. Kid with a powerbomb/top-rope leg drop combo. Two-count. Kid clotheslines Bret to the floor and goes to the top rope. He dives with a corkscrew kick of sorts and grazes Bret on his way down. Undeterred Kid attempts a senton in the ring but misses. Bret goes for the sharpshooter. Kid gets a ropebreak before it’s applied. Bret elbows Kid and attempts a superplex. Kid counters with a midair press and goes for a cover. One, two, Bret kicks out. Kid attempts to capitalize with a running corner kick but Bret sidesteps causing Kid to collide with the corner and take a hard landing to the mat. Bret follows with a running bulldog sand goes to the top rope. Kid gets up and throws him from the top rope. Kid tries another diving dropkick. Bret moves out of the way enough to catch Kid’s feet on landing. Bret locks in the sharpshooter. Kid taps almost instantly. Bret wins!

Winner and STILL WWF Champion after 17:35: Bret Hart

Post-match Bret pats Kid’s shoulder respectfully as both Jim Ross and Randy Savage give both men a standing ovation from ringside. Both commentators call that one of the greatest matches ever and sound genuinely impressed with what they’ve just witnessed.

You can watch the full match here or here.

Review

To me this is the WWF equivalent of what AJPW had on offer at the same time: a once-and-done in-ring classic that can be enjoyed on its own without need for wider context or explanation. Whether you’re a first-time viewer or a seasoned expert this match hits just right. Unlike those All Japan classics, however, this one is much lighter on risk and impact yet reaches similar heights of greatness. The crowd was loud and engaged more or less from start to finish. Jim Ross and Randy Savage did an amazing job setting the scene for the match and calling the action as it happened. The in-ring wrestling was simple but meaningful. The story of 1-2-3 Kid facing down a monumental challenge but still giving it his all is something everyone could understand and appreciate.

At the same time, some people might not like this match as much because of the babyface versus babyface dynamic supposedly serving as some sort of handicap. That wasn’t entirely the case here: while the audience didn’t react as strongly or as passionately as they likely would’ve under a pure good-versus-evil situation, they still reacted to the story as intended. Kid was a plucky underdog in the biggest match of his life against an opponent who was simply on another level. Bret didn’t need to wrestle heel or play an outward villain; instead, he out-wrestled his opponent while treating this match as a purely professional contest. Clearly-defined and presented heroes and villains weren’t needed here because the experience gap between champion and challenger, along with Kid’s heart and will to win by any means necessary, were more than good enough to hook viewers in.

As for the “botch” with the early cover I’m not sure if that was intentional or not. Regardless, Bret demanding the match continue out of respect for his opponent – and by extension the title and the audience – was a masterstroke of babyface behaviour. He could’ve easily resigned himself to the supreme authority of the referee’s decision as many WWE wrestlers have in the decades since but instead, he chose to demand the match continue to both give Kid more of a fighting chance and give the audience their money’s worth.

Final Rating: ****3/4

This is a comfort match through and through, the kind of match you can turn on and watch whenever you feel like watching something older (and better) than what’s currently on offer. It’s an easy time investment yet gives the viewer plenty of action underpinned by a straightforward story of competitive spirit and the will to win. It had some repetitive moments and might come across as a bit oversimplified by 2026 standards and yet there’s something to be said of wrestlers who could do more with less and still deliver on what was promised.

It’s no wonder Bret Hart was – and still is – so beloved by wrestling fans the world over (and I’m not just saying this as a Canadian): he really was able to have a great match without needing any bells and whistles in presentation. Though this is FAR from Bret’s best work in 1994 or in general, the fact that he was able to pull off something this good in his one and only singles match with Sean Waltman speaks volumes to the talent he possessed at the time.

Thanks for reading.