The Lost Matches

Decided to convert all my old VHS tapes to dvd. Came across a tape wrapped in plastic. The senders name (69DX420NWO316) was written on the plastic covering while the tape itself was labeled "The Lost Matches." A wrestling tape I ordered but never watched? How can this be? I popped it in the VCR. This is what I saw...

*At the end of this 6-7 day posting spree I will explain the inspiration for this project. There is a method to my madness.
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*The following segment has no commentary, but I was able to fill in the details by going to that noted wrestling resource PartsUnknown.net

-Footage of Bret Hart defeating Adam Bomb with a crucifix pin out of a Meltdown at an October 93 WWF house show in Dayton.

-Footage of Bret Hart making Kwang submit to the Sharpshooter at a February 93 WWF Dayton house show. Post-match saw Bomb attack Bret. Kwang and the dastardly duo's manager Harvey Wippleman joined in the beatdown leading to....

The June 94 Dayton house show being headlined by Bret and a Mystery Partner vs. Harvey's goon squad of Bomb & Kwang nearly one year to the day Bret after won KOTR in Dayton. One week before the show Bret dropped the bombshell on the syndicated Dayton edition of Superstars. His mystery partner would be...

A returning Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart! Whoa! The Hart Foundation are reuniting after 3 years apart! Ticket sales, which were painfully slow, doubled in the week following this bombshell announcement. 

Hart Foundation vs. Adam Bomb & Reno Riggins (sub for Kwang) w/ Harvey Wippleman- Dayton, OH House Show 6/18/94

Harvey has some bad news. Kwang was unable to make it to the cesspool that is Dayton, Ohio. So Wippleman scoured the locker room to find a partner worthy of Bomb's talents and has discovered just the man for the job...

A nondescript wrestler who seems vaguely familiar, though none of the 3,800 people assembled in the 10,000 seat Nutter Center can actually name him, wanders out. Harvey introduces Reno Riggins as Kwang's replacement. Harvey offers to become Riggins' full time manager if he and Bomb are victorious. Adam Bomb looks none too pleased about being saddled with a jobber for his partner.

History is made as the Hart Foundation enter to a thunderous pop for their first match in three years. Bret is of course the WWF Champion.

Bomb & Bret start off the proceedings. Bret keeps Bomb off balance early with dodges, armdrags, and armbars. Bomb turns the tide a few minutes in by reversing an irish whip causing Bret to hit the turnbuckles hard chest first in a neutral corner. Bomb controls the next few minutes with clubbering, slams, clotheslines, and even a slingshot clothesline for a nearfall. Bomb refuses to tag out. He seems to have Bret's number, though Hart is able to escape Bomb's attempted Meltdown and Atom Smasher. Crowd gets more and more into it with "Let's Go Bret" and "We Want Anvil" chants. And go Bret does around the 7 minute mark after slipping out of a Meltdown attempt and running Bomb chest first into his own corner where the hapless Riggins tags in. But Riggins is too slow to capitalize on the wounded "Hitman" as Bret rolls to his own corner for the hot tag. 

Anvil is a house afire. The big rhino is fresh as a daisy with years worth of pent up frustration he takes out on poor Reno Riggins. The self-proclaimed Master of the Renoplex eats clubbing forearms, shoulderblocks, and a big bodyslam. Never the sharpest tool in the shed, Anvil's threw Riggins into his own corner with the big slam where Bomb was able to tag back in. Anvil is all "just bring it"...

And bring it Bomb does! He wins a test of strength and a slugfest before putting Neidhart on his keister with an unexpected dropkick right in the kisser. A befuddled Anvil gives Bomb a 'wtf' look before backpedaling on his own behind to tag in The Hitman.

Bret & Bomb get into a slugfest won by Adam. Man, Adam Bomb looks like a real beast here. Bret takes another beating. Yet, ever the ring general, Hart uses his cunning to position Bomb in his own corner. The gamble pays off when doofus Reno Riggins again tags himself in much to Bomb's consternation. Now Bret is licking his chops like the proverbial cat who caught the canary. Sure enough Bret goes through the wimpy with his five moves of doom. Tag to Anvil. An amused Neidhart give the groggy Riggins a free shot. Reno goes into a series of contrived do-si-does. "Now you're gonna see a Renoplex!" he shouts. We do not see a Renoplex. Because Neidhart is just too heavy for the wimp. Reno can't even get one of his feet off the ground. Anvil cackles maniacally before flooring the jobber with one clothesline. Anvil has tired of playing around. Now we go to school...

With a series of vintage Hart Foundation double teams while Bomb furiously stomps up and down the apron like a bull seeing red. He yells at Riggins. He even yells at Harvey. But he's powerless to do anything about it. Anvil taunts him. Then a Hart Attack mercifully ends Reno Riggins' night. The Hart Foundation's return is a success as they are victorious around the 16 minute mark.

Hart Foundation celebrate with their fans at ringside while an irate Adam Bomb takes his frustrations out on poor Reno Riggins with an Atom Smasher and a Meltdown to an unexpected smattering of cheers and chants in his favor.

Why It's Important- Anvil's first WWF match in over two years, Hart Foundation's first match in over three, and the penultimate outing for the legendary team in traditional Australian Rules tag matches.

The Aftermath- Anvil would turn on Bret by siding with his brother Owen the next night at KOTR and Bomb would turn babyface shortly after while poor Reno Riggins never did make it beyond jobber status. 

I love how my podunk adopted city was both the capital of the touring house show and random small PPV's.

Assuming these all took place at the classic Hara Arena which was sadly demolished right after I graduated.

They pulled up to the address listed after "WRESTLING TONIGHT! ROYAL RUMBLE!" in the ad he saw in that morning's paper. It was immediately upon seeing that blurb in The Sun that our protagonist decided to round up The Boys and coax his father into taking them. The old man, who was not a wrestling fan, ultimately acquiesced after Our Hero cut a deal with him. The Old Man drove the fivesome in his cherry red Dodge Caravan. There was The Hero, his brother, cousin, and friend. The four youths were all very excited for the show since they had been to fewer than 5 wrestling shows between them despite 3 of the 4 considering themselves hardcore wrestling fans.

The venue was not far from their neighborhood, but it was hard to find simply because it didn't look like a traditional pro wrestling venue. They had in fact driven by it thrice. It was small. Very small. The building looked like an old store. Perhaps a defunct Mom & Pop shop. It wasn't much bigger than your average classroom. It was lined with windows on all 4 sides. Our protagonists could see inside. Ring in the middle. Two rows of chairs on all four sides of the ring. Can't imagine you could fit more than 60 people in there even accounting for standing room. Half that amount were already inside while an easy two dozen more were slowly filing in after buying their tickets at the door. Our Hero would have counted the chairs had Bubba Ray Dudley and Matt Sydal not already been in the ring. Bubba was wearing his classic tie dye shirt. Three members of our Caravan crew squeed with glee at the two living, breathing, bah gawd pro wrestlers separated by just a few yards and a windowpane.

"Kick his keister, Bubba!" Our Hero ejaculated. "Yeah! Put him on his can!" chimed an old man standing in line a few feet in front of our crew. This popped the crowd. A "Put Him On His Can" chant broke out among the excited line dwellers who then roared when Bubba did in fact put Sydal on his can with a shoulder block. Oh yeah. It was going to be a good night. A very fun night indeed...