Every Dog Has His Day
As the match reached its crescendo, two athletes working back and forth to gain an advantage were getting close to exhaustion point. One referee had already been knocked outside to the ground, his body lying prone while another had rushed to the ring to proceed over events. The speed and agility of Shawn Michaels was matched in kind by the power and technical prowess of the British Bulldog. The crowd was on its feet, soaking in the sight of the two men battling it out so much that they didn’t notice Earl Hebner, the first referee, try to rise to his feet only to crack his head on the edge of the ring, falling back down with a slight concussion.
The match ended with a crushing German Suplex on Shawn Michaels that hands Bulldog not only the victory but also the WWF Championship. As the crowd voiced its dissent, Bulldog triumphantly held the title belt high over his head, celebrating his victory over his opponent. Michaels was quick to protest the result as the song Rule Britannia throughout the stadium but for naught, the Championship had changed hands without a doubt. Drunk on victory, Bulldog shoved the referee out of his way to flaunt his newly won Championship in Michael’s face. Furious at seemingly being cheated, Michaels launched an attack on the Bulldog, leaping at him and started to beat down with furious strikes.
The bell rang out at this blatant attack and the referee managed to pull Michaels off, creating another argument as the ex-Champion. Taking this chance while Michaels was distracted, Bulldog managed to get up; belt in hand as he gave wrapped it round his arm and gave Michaels a devastating blow to the back of the head with the golden plate of the belt. The sheer shock of the strike knocked Michaels to the ground senseless while Bulldog retreated up the ramp, holding the belt in celebration. The pay-per-view ended with the referee calling for medics to aid an obviously badly injured Shawn Michaels.
Monday Night Raw: May 29th, 1996:
The night’s proceedings opened in a low mood as the announcement was heard that due to head injuries sustained during his bout against the British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels has had to take a leave of absence from the WWF for the foreseeable future. This is followed by none other than the Champion himself walking down the ramp to the ring with a microphone in hand. After waiting for some moments for the jeers and boos to subside, Bulldog rose the microphone to his mouth and started talking.
“Last night, you all saw the well deserved victory of WWF’s greatest athlete!” The jeers that answered this statement put some doubt to its validity. Ignoring the outburst from the crowd, Bulldog went on “Not only did you witness the start of a new era in the World Wrestling Federation but you also now have an unbeatable, indomitable and indestructible Champion! I shall show you Yanks what you’ve been missing, a true British athlete to lead the WWF into a Golden Age of-!”
Whatever the Golden Age would be, it would go unknown as a pounding music was heard and from Gorilla position, descended Ahmed Johnson. The crowd erupted into cheers at seeing the approaching behemoth as he headed towards the ring, his face showing his determination. Pausing only to round the ring to grab a microphone, Johnson stepped up onto apron before going through the ropes and standing face to face with Bulldog.
“A new Champion, well now that is something.” Johnson said, his deep voice reverberating throughout the arena “You know something Bulldog, the Championship is something every man backstage aims for, including me. I’ve struggled; fought and bled to crawl to the top of the company, done everything I could to become the best. And now, some jumped up limey chump like you gets to become Champion without facing the better man? I don’t think so, I want my match with you Bulldog, I want my shot and I want that title.”
Amongst the crowd, this challenge was greeted with enthusiasm. Michaels had fallen; someone anew should rise up to challenge his successor. Bulldog on the other hand, looked less than pleased at the man facing him “Now hold on just a moment.” He said incredulously “You come down here, uninvited, to demand a title shot against me? Who do you think you’re talking too? I’m both a Tag-Team and Intercontinental Champion; I was headlining Summerslam when you were a nobody! You’ve never won a title or even a match of someone of my calibre. So just tell me, why should I give my first title defence to you?”
There was a pause as Ahmed didn’t answer, letting the audience give their thoughts on this tirade, mostly negative. Raising the microphone to his mouth, Ahmed gave his response “You think you can talk to me like that punk? I’ve worked just as hard as you have, put down just as many opponents as you have. I’ve never had the same opportunities you’ve had but I suppose that’s because I’ve never shacked up with a big man’s sister.”
The verbal low blow made Bulldog react alright, his face screwed up in fury as he stepped forward to respond only for Ahmed to interrupt “So yeah punk, I might not have had the gold round my waist like you. But I’ve dragged myself up from the bottom, I’ve never ridden on someone’s back to get where I am and if you think you’re as good as someone who’s actually worked to get where he is without relying on another man’s influence and name, give me my shot.”
With the crowd chanting for Bulldog to accept, clamouring for a match between the two, the Champion shifted the belt, holding it in his hands and staring at it, as if weighing up its value. He then brought it up and struck Ahmed right between the eyes, sending the man crashing down to the canvas. As the crowd reacted violently to this attack, Bulldog leant over Ahmed and spoke into the microphone “You’ve got your match sonny Jim. Just don’t expect to walk away from it!”
Flinging the microphone on top of his new rival, Bulldog proceeded to leave the ring with the crowd giving its vehement disapproval of his actions. There was some hope at the acceptance of the challenge, but for now the WWF would have to put up with a truly arrogant Champion until King of the Ring.
Excerpt From ‘The Rise and Rise of the WWF’ (2003):
“... Idea which was to provide the WWF with its saving grace as the late 1990’s dawned came from an unexpected source. Davey boy, while not known for being the sharpest knife in the drawer, was the one who cooked up the idea of being an anti-American heel, and played it up quite well in his reign as Champion. The question would be brought up as to why Anthony Norris, a relatively junior mid-carder was given such a push and would be answered, there were no other possibilities.”
“The kayfabe excuse of Michaels being concussed was to cover his real incident of being suspended after hurling abuse at Earl Hebner for his screw up, almost physically assaulting him if Mark Calloway hadn’t stepped in. Feeling he had been screwed over somewhat, Michaels let his frustrations out on a nearby glass window, almost severing major arteries. Rushed to the hospital, Michaels was told he’d be out of action for some months, leaving the WWF almost rudderless without a major face. Until Smith suggested the future storyline, July was coming up so why not a patriotic endeavour with him and the Hart Foundation being a new heel stable? There were suggestions that Smith came up with the idea as it was born from the desperation of a man who was about to lose his job. The tricky part was bringing Bret Hart back to the WWF with both pleading from Smith and his brother Owen, along with a long term contract that guaranteed multiple main events throughout the year and a healthy amount of money, Bret was eventually persuaded in time to reappear for the run up to King of the Ring.”
“With Bret Hart back as a main challenger and heel, build up was needed for the angle, McMahon gave the push to Anthony Norris as he was one of the few faces left that were physically on par with Smith and prepared to build it up as a powerhouse vs. powerhouse match. In the meantime, the shift of Vader and Steve Austin to faces began as the need for a way to oppose the faction as a credible force. Knowing Norris’ push would have to end before he could be built up again, it was decided that Allen White would become the main face and get a title run, something that some felt was long overdue.”
Monday Night Raw, June 17th, 1996:
After several weeks, Bulldog had earned himself the spot of the most hated man in the WWF. Not only had he proudly boasted of him ‘ending’ the career of Shawn Michaels and stating his athleticism rose above that of the poor showing of the American wrestlers, but had also ambushed Ahmed Johnson at every opportunity he could, battering the challenger with fists, tables and chairs to weaken him before the title bout. To cap it all off, a mere week before this match, he had no showed a Tag-Team bout with Owen Hart, citing that as WWF Champion, he was above such matches, leaving Owen to a beating at the hands of the Godwinns. As he entered the ring for the main event of Monday Night Raw in a non-title match against Marc Mero, the crowd screamed abuse at Bulldog for his actions. Something that was to only grow as the match with Mero went on, Bulldog taking every opportunity to stretch the rules to breaking point with a rake in the eyes, choking against the rope and even a low blow as the referee was distracted. Finishing it all off with a Running Powerslam, the victory went to Bulldog.
Rule Britannia rang out once more in victory throughout the arena, a triumphant Bulldog holding his title aloft, smug amongst the shouts of displeasure from the crowd. That vanished however as the chords of his own music were cut off and the opening notes of another competitor were heard, Bret Hart. The crowd were surprised as both Bret and his brother Owen walked down to the ring, looking focused at their brother-in-law. When they reached the ring and the music died down, Bret was the first to speak “So this is your reign as Champion is it?” He asked “For the last few weeks, you’ve been the most arrogant, cheating low down punk I’ve ever seen!”
The crowd popped at this, voicing their approval of such an accusation while Owen started to speak to the shocked Bulldog “And that’s not all Davey. Remember Diana? Your wife? Our sister? When the Hell did you last speak to her since you won that damn belt? You think you can just get away with ignoring Diana just because you’re the Champion? No one does that to a member of the Hart family Davey! After all we’ve been through, after all the Hart family has done for you, you do not get to treat our sister like that!”
Taken aback by Owen’s outburst and Bret’s own condemnation, Bulldog tried his best to defend himself “I’m the WWF Champion! Who do you-?”
His words were cut short however as Bret got right into his face, a snarl etched across his mouth “A Champion? You? The Davey Boy I once knew wouldn’t have called you a Champion. The Davey Boy I knew worked his way up, inch by inch, working the best tag team matches this industry ever saw! Where’s that Champion now Davey? Where’s the Champion who put on the best matches with Dynamite Kid? Where’s the Champion who once put away guys twice his size? Where’s the Champion who gave me the best damn match of my career at Summerslam and took my Intercontinental title? I don’t see him here Davey! All I see is an arrogant little limey who can’t even beat another man in a fair match anymore! If you’re half the Champion you think you are, you’ll agree to fight Ahmed fairly. And I’ll be there to make sure it happens!”
Smith paused at this demand as the crowd lapped it up, wanting the Bulldog to agree, to finally see him defend his belt in a fair fight. He raised his microphone and gave his answer “You two want to be there? Fine! You can have a shot Bret for old time’s sake! I want you and Ahmed this Sunday in a Triple Threat match!” The crowd erupted into cheers at this announcement, a superb way to welcome back Bret indeed. Smith then raised a finger at Bret, glaring at his brother-in-law “And after I beat the both of you, no one will be able to call me anything but the true WWF Championship. Not Ahmed, not you or the rest of the damn Hart Family! This Sunday Bret, bring everything you have!”
The crowd roared its appreciation of the idea, a match like the classic both wrestlers had enjoyed back in Summerslam. Merely nodding his assent at the suggestion, Bret turned to leave, not seeing Bulldog bring his belt up to strike him across the head with it. Acting quickly, Owen shoved his brother aside as the belt came close; earning himself a shot to the skull that sent him to the mat. Rather than risk facing the wrath of Bret, Bulldog continued his movements to the ring edge and slid out, belt still in hand as he walked up the aisle to the entrance, taunting Bret with the gold as he retreated. Bret glared at his brother-in-law as he crouched over Owen, checking on his condition. As Raw ended, it seemed that the title match at King of the Ring had just gotten even more personal...
King of the Ring, June 23rd, 1996:
The pay-per-view that promised to put a seal on the split between the Hart Foundation with Davey Boy not only having to contend with Ahmed Johnson but Bret and Owen Hart keeping a keen eye in Johnson’s corner. The title match was only one match in the event that people wanted to see however, the run up in the King of the Ring Tournament had brought Steve Austin to the fore with his brazen attitude and rough style of wrestling. Vader was another key favourite with his almost insane frenzies and sheer strength that pushed him to key victories.
The Tournament throughout was a highlight with the semi-finals being a brutal match between the big Van Vader and Justin Bradshaw starting things off. The following match was a good show of Vader’s strength and tenacity over Bradshaw’s knowledge of how to break the rules. Vader dominated the match throughout, working Bradshaw over with slams, Irish whips and clotheslines that struck the cowboy hard to the mat. Just as the match seemed as if it was to finish with a Vader Bomb, a timely interference by Uncle Zebekiah saved the day. Running up to the apron, Zebekiah kept the referee distracted long enough to miss the count and bring Vader to the edge to strike down the unruly manager. With both Vader and the referee dealing with Zebekiah, it gave enough time for Bradshaw to slip out and grab his trademark branding iron, striking Vader across the head with it to bring the big man down. With the referee finally turning round, the three count was gained along with a tainted victory.
The second semi-final match was between Steve Austin, a man rising up and wanting to make a name for himself against a former WWF Champion, Yokozuna. Despite the overwhelming size and weight advantage the Sumo man enjoyed, he met his match in the form of Austin’s sheer belligerence in a fight. Every time the Texan was knocked down, he got back up again to carry on the fight, only to be stopped with a tremendous body splash into the turnbuckle by Yokozuna that sent Austin to the ground, his ribs seemingly crushed. Despite protests from the referee, Austin insisted on continuing the match, fighting on despite Yokozuna taking every advantage he could in wrecking Austin’s ribs with punches, strikes and even a full body count that came within a hair’s breadth of getting a three count. Frustrated, Yokozuna picked up his erstwhile opponent to deal further damage only to receive a surprise kick to the gut and Stone Cold Stunner for his troubles. Still clutching his ribs in agony, Austin nevertheless managed to make the pin over his opponent, gaining the spot in the finals.
Other matches followed with the Smokin’ Gunns earning a hard won victory against the Godwinns and Mankind managing to knock out the Undertaker with his Mandible Claw, cementing the Deadman’s need for vengeance. The final match before the Tournament final was to crown a new Intercontinental Champion in the form of Owen Hart. A match against Goldust had tested the younger Hart brother to his utmost, pounding away on the smaller man with impunity as he defended his title. As he grabbed Owen Hart by the neck in a reverse chinlock, it appeared that everything was over. That is, until Owen twisted around, facing downwards and scooped up his opponent’s legs, sending him to the mat before locking on with the Sharpshooter, causing the larger man to quickly tap out, giving the well earned victory to Owen.
The Final of the King of the Ring Tournament saw a beaten and battered Austin, bandages still round his ribs after refusing to see them be taken care of. In his match against Bradshaw, the Texan was brutalised in every manner possible as his opponent took every opportunity to strike at the weakness before him, laying out a string of rib breakers, shots to the ribs and abdominal stretches that only worsened Austin’s condition. But he fought back though; with everything he could manage Austin clawed his way to bring Bradshaw’s attacks to a standstill and even brought his opponent down to his back with a quick kick and clothesline combo. Bradshaw once more attacked the ribs however to weaken Austin and brought him to his knees. Rather than pressing his advantage however, Bradshaw raised Austin to his feet to seal the deal on his victory. Pausing to play to the crowd, Bradshaw then lunged forwards with a clothesline... Only to miss as Austin ducked, twisted around and then planted a kick and Stone Cold Stunner on his opponent, giving him the three count.
With Bradshaw left in the ring, Austin went to the Throne, refusing to be helped despite every step betraying his agony from his ribs. After finally reaching the gilded chair, Austin motioned for a microphone so he could speak to the audience “Take that piece of crap from out my ring!” He started, pointing at Bradshaw who was being harangued by Uncle Zebekiah for his loss over an opponent with such a disadvantage “A Texan boy like him should know better than to mess around with a rattlesnake like me. Here’s a tip for ya boy, when you’ve got someone down, don’t be dumb enough to help them back up again!”
Taking a few moments to get his breath back, Austin continued “Now there’s only one more thing before I head to the back and grab some beers, and that’s that no good little piece of limey garbage we’ve got as Champion!” This was enough to swing the crowd more to Austin’s favour, his refusal to submit and victory over Bradshaw had warmed them up considerably and this was setting the cherry on the cake “Now I ain’t what you call traditional Champ material. Hell, the suits in the back are probably crapping themselves now that Stone Cold’s got this tournament under wraps. But I’m damn sure that I can do a better job of it that Bulldog. And if Ahmed can’t put him away tonight, you can bet everything you’ve got that I’ll be right after him, gunning for that belt of his!”
Now with the Tournament out of the way, there was only the title bout left, a Triple Threat match between British Bulldog, Ahmed Johnson and Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. Both the Champion and the first contender made it to the ring before Owen Hart came down to the ring, quickly talking to Howard Finkel who announced that Bret Hart could not be found in the arena and as such, the match would go on as a single match until events changed. With this bombshell, Bulldog took no time in taking the fight to Ahmed Johnson, getting in a sneak attack just after the announcement to gain an advantage. Owen took his place at ringside, making sure his brother-in-law would put in a fair fight against his opponent.
Bulldog kept up the pressure after his initial assault, giving blow after blow onto Ahmed’s body, following up with numerous power moves such as suplexes, slams and several back body drop. Despite this though, every time a cover was made, the count only went up to a two before Johnson kicked out. Getting frustrated, Bulldog went for the early finish by hoisting Johnson on top of his shoulder and setting up for the Running Powerslam. This proved to be too soon however as Johnson quickly wriggled out of it and delivered a powerful forearm to Bulldog’s back, sending him to the floor and turning the tables.
What followed for the next several minutes was a brutal beat down as Johnson let out weeks of frustration on his opponent. There was no defence against the beating Johnson gave Bulldog, pounding away at his body and throwing him around the ring like a rag doll. After receiving a devastating pounding, Bulldog was thrown into the corner, managing to find enough energy to rake Johnson in his eyes to get a moment’s breather, waiting for Johnson to face him before Bulldog broke into a run with the aim of bringing his foe down with a clothesline. Johnson was too quick however and ducked, leading to Bulldog to smash into the referee, sending the official careening out onto the floor.
As Bulldog turned to receive a Pear River Plunge for his troubles, the crowd erupted into cheers as Bret Hart came down the ramp, running to get to the ring in time. Seemingly not noticing the man rushing down the aisle, Johnson had gotten to his feet and leant over the ropes, telling Owen Hart to throw the referee back in the ring so he could pin the Champion. Without waiting for a reply, Johnson turned to see Bret arriving in the ring, slipping under the bottom ropes before quickly getting up. Both the challengers stared at one another for a few moments, racking up the tension in the arena before Hart pointed down to Bulldog who was still recovering, shouting loud enough for the front row and cameras to hear him “You can have the title! I want him!”
Nodding, Johnson then turned back to face Bulldog once more, not seeing Bret reaching into his tights and pulling out a pair of brass knuckles. Just as Johnson pulled the Champion up to his feet, Bret unleashed his assault with a devastating blow to the back of Johnson’s head, making the larger man crumble from the assault. Owen leapt to action as he picked up the recovering referee and threw him into the ring to make a full three count, Bret rising to his feet as the new WWF Champion. As soon as his music started ringing out, Owen slipped into ring, embracing his elder brother at his victory. The crowd was silent for a moment, processing this turn of events before the booing started the moment Bulldog stepped in front of the new Champion and also embraced him, laughing all the way.
Taking a microphone that Owen had brought into the ring, Bulldog turned to the crowd and spoke “I told you! I told you all I’d show you an indestructible Champion and I have done! Bret Hart is the man to show you what a true Champion is!” Handing the microphone over to Bret, Bulldog then went over to Johnson, stomping down on the prone form as Bret spoke.
“I know what you’re all thinking right now. And to be honest, I don’t care what you people think anymore! How many years did I spend working my way up, gaining Championship after Championship and beating everyone only to be screwed out of my title by some lousy male stripper?!” Motioning for Bulldog to stop on his beat down of Johnson, Bret clapped him on the shoulder as he got close “And I just want to thank you Davey for putting that joke out of commission for now. I’ll see to it he’s finished off if he ever shows his punk face again!”
The crowd continued to hurl down abuse at the new Champion while Bulldog and Owen quickly set to work on Ahmed Johnson to prevent him from getting back off, confirming it with throwing the challenger over the top ropes to the hard ground below. This was ignored largely by Bret Hart who carried on regardless “And the worst thing, the utmost insult was the fact that you... people cheered for the man who made a mockery of this Championship! While talented men, men like my, my brother and Davey boy were held back or pushed aside because weren’t what was wanted, a no good pretty boy! And it’s all your fault! You fat, stupid Americans ignored the talented, the best in favour of brawlers and pretty boys! The WWF is full of dead weight, men who don’t deserve to be in our presence! Well no more! From now on, the Hart Foundation is back and we will demolish everyone who isn’t up to the challenge! The WWF is our turf now and nothing will stop us from seeing to it that everyone that stands in our way is destroyed! From now on, you Yanks will see what true wrestling is!”
Throwing the microphone down to the ground, Bret and the rest of the newly created Hart Foundation left the ring, ignoring Johnson lying on the ground as they went off into a new direction for the WWF, one with a lot of knocks along the way.
Not sure if this would count as Bulldog proving his chops as such, backstage it was well known it was only a screw up that got him the title and a further screw up that allowed him to keep hold of it longer than a night. But yeah, there will be a few major changes in the Wrestling World. Not to spoil too much but you can expect a rematch of two former WCW wrestlers in 1997 for the Championship, something I'm sure everyone will be both ears for. 