Bret "Hitman" Hart VS. Kurt Angle
The first ever installment of Fantasy Warfare pits two of the greatest technical wrestlers to ever step foot in a wrestling ring together. Bret Hart, who in his prime was as good as any man who has ever laced up the boots, won five WWE World Championships, two Intercontinental Championships, and two Tag Team Championships. Some of his most notable accomplishments include winning the WWE Triple Crown, defeating Ric Flair for the WWE World Title in October of 1992, winning the 1993 King of the Ring by beating Razor Ramon, Mr.Perfect, and Bam Bam Bigelow, co-winning the 1994 Royal Rumble with Lex Luger, upsetting Yokozuna for his second World Title reign at WrestleMania 10 in March of 1994, and defeating The Undertaker for his fifth WWE World Championship at the 1997 SummerSlam in August of that year. His outstanding technical ability helped him to defeat such crafty and talented technical villans as Mr.Perfect, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, Shawn Michaels, and his younger brother, Owen. He also defeated the top brawlers and strongmen the sport had to offer in The Undertaker, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Steve Austin, Davey Boy Smith, and Bam Bam Bigelow. And if that's not enough, he's been able to survive the mindgames of such noted lunatics as Psycho Sid, Mankind, and Goldust. When he was the WWE's top star from 1992-1997, there was nobody in the WWE that Bret Hart couldn't and didn't beat.
Kurt Angle is no slouch either. In just a little over three years, Kurt has won the WWE's World, Intercontinental, European, and Tag Team Titles while dazzling the fans with his tremendous combination of speed, technical ability, agility, and offensive arsenal. From the moment I first saw Kurt Angle wrestle on television, I knew that he had that special something about him that would make him a huge superstar in this sport. He has unbelievable charisma to make even the poorest of wrestlers look good in a match, and you need no further proof than the way he carried Hulk Hogan in their King of the Ring match in 2002; a match Angle won by submission. Some of Angle's noted accomplishments include defeating The Rock, Steve Austin, and The Big Show for his WWE World Title reigns, as well as winning the 2000 King of the Ring. He's beaten the likes of Triple H, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Kane, and many more in his brief WWE stint. He is the only man who could outwrestle Bret on a technical standpoint in my opinion, and I think he may have the edge on Bret in terms of brawling and pulling out all the stops to win a match. He's snatched victory from the jaws of defeat numerous times, and has been able to end matches at the quickest instant.
If these two met when Bret was in his prime, I think it would have had potential to be one of the greatest matches the world had ever seen. Bret would definately have the fan support, but having the fans' backing has never really mattered to Kurt. I think the beginning stages of the match would consist of these two guys trading off simple moves like arm-drags and headlocks to feel each other out and see what the other man had, and at around the 10-12 minute mark, I'd anticipate one of them to really turn up the juice. Bret's known for being a good finisher and ender in his matches, but his middle parts are when he's at his weakest. Angle is totally the opposite, as he usually struggles early on, then proceeds to kick the tar out of his opponent in the middles stages just before sealing the victory on most occassions. With that in mind, Bret would have to administer a lot of solid punishment to Angle to get him rattled early on, and then try to withstand whatever Angle had left in his tank. Angle is in tremendous shape and is in the best cardiovascular condition I've ever seen in wrestling, so I think he could hold up pretty well to an offensive attack from the "Hitman." I also think he has a higher pain threshold than Bret, which means that he could even the tide with Hart after hitting only a few suplexes in the middle of the match.
Seeing as both of these guys are strong down the finish, I think it'd be a matter of whoever made the first mistake would end up losing the match. It may sound like an "old school" way of thinking, but it's the truth. Both of these guys can slap on their finishing moves at the drop of a pin, or get in a quick roll-up from behind for the 1-2-3. I think Angle would be at a disadvantage because he is more of a risk taker than Bret. I see Kurt getting a little flustered at the fact that he couldn't put Bret away down the stretch, and then trying to go all out with some sort of jaw-dropping move to end it. Bret has a knact for playing oppossum in his career, and in my mind, I see him rolling out of the way just in the nick of time of an Angle moonsault, grabbing Kurt's feet, and clamping on the Sharpshooter to gain the submission win. Another way I see the match ending for Bret's favor is for Angle to attempt an Angle Slam, only to have Bret slide down his back and catch him in a craddle to get a stunning and quick pin. Either way, I just don't see Bret making the big mistake that would allow Kurt Angle to gain a victory. Bret Hart only lost two matches cleanly that I can think of in big match situations; one being to the British Bulldog at the 1992 SummerSlam and the other being to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 12 back in 1996. It'd be one for the ages, but I think Bret Hart walks out as the victor after this epic battle.
FANTASY WINNER: Bret Hart
