Bret Vs Owen: Wrestlemania 10

[audiencewatching]

Hey,

Can someone explain to me why Bret had two matches at Wrestlemania 10 and why Owen went over?

Was Owen suppose to be in the title picture afterwards? Also its unprecedented for someone to have two matches at Mania, seems really strange.

My memories flaky at best so any helps great

[mrjl]

well, this probably belongs in rest of wrestling but I'll answer. Bret and Lex Luger fell out of the ring in the ROyal Rumble together so they were declared co-winners and both got a title shot. THey held a coin flip to determine who would wrestle the champ, Yokozuna, first and Luger won it. The point of the first match was so that both champ and challenger would have wrestled two matches so Yoko didn't have to face a fresh guy.

[DoubleDare]

Because at the Royal Rumble that year bret and lex eliminated each other at the same time.
And remember this is 1994 before wwf would have a triple threat match (97 would be the first time they would have one). So they figured to have the title match twice at wrestlemania x and they had a coin flip to decide who would face yokozuna first while the other one would face whoever won that match later in the night.
They held a coin flip to decide this, and decided whoever was chosen to face the champ at the end of the night would have another match so it would be fair since whoever the champ was would be wrestling twice.
I believe Lex would've faced crush if he didn't win the coin toss.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Nov 14, 2013 6:19:37 GMT -5 audiencewatching said:

Can someone explain to me why Bret had two matches at Wrestlemania 10 and why Owen went over?

Was Owen suppose to be in the title picture afterwards?

Owen was pushed into the title picture as his feud with Bret had been simmering since Survivor Series '93 and would run through until just after Royal Rumble '95. Going over at Mania legitimised him as a threat to Bret's reign, though things started getting muddled with the introduction of Neidhart and Bulldog.

[Mrs. Potato Dick]

Owen going over *made* him. He was seen as a legit threat not only to the World Title, but to anybody. If he could beat *Bret*...who couldn't he beat? And God bless Bret. Owen was in the match the entire time. It wasn't like a fluke pin after an ass whipping. It was an amazing back and forth match.

And, furthermore, it is still the single greatest opening match of a ppv of all time.

[Boo!]

I never liked the idea that the man who'd end the show as WWE champion - the man who you would seek to launch the 'new generation' on the back off - jerked the curtain by losing, clean, in the opening match to someone who up until that point had been almost literally nothing but a lower-mid carder.

In my view nepotism played a huge part. I think had Vince gone to Bret and said "we want to do an angle where in the opening match you lose to Doink" Bret would have, rightly, told him where to go.

As much as the match itself made sense in terms of the storylines to have the would-be-champ lose just undermined the position of the belt. Have it a double count our or a time-limit draw if you're that desperate to make Owen look like a million bucks but for god sake don't end the show with the WWE Champion having been beaten by someone so far down the card as Owen was, clean in the middle of the ring.

I also think it made Yokozuna look terrible. Bret was able to beat him having already wrestled 20 minute match that night. The guy who was supposedly the biggest monster in the company. Imagine if Hogan did that. Imagine if Hogan jobbed to his buddy in the opening match and then came out and then beat the then WWE champ clean to win the belt. The word 'apoplectic' wouldn't go far enough in describing people's rage.

As it was, because it was Bret who has always been a darling of the smarks, an entirely different logic is applied.

[Deleted]

The way Luger's reception was going - the new Hulk Hogan, he was not - it was rather clear that a Luger/Yoko main event was just not going to be good for the show/WWF/business. So they probably interjected Bret in for that proven name value, plus to get that win back for WM9.

But he had the broiling feud with Owen about to explode (and so it did, at the Rumble), and they could not just toss that.

So some wonderful maniac decided "Hey, why not have Bret wrestle Owen at WM10, AND then face Yoko in the main event?" Owen looks great for winning, Bret looks fine in losing but then you get anything that was lost all back when he beats Yoko for the belt to end the show, and then you've got your automatic and beliveable #1 contender in Owen.

Lex and Yoko took a hit (Yoko would weather it much better than Lex, who just fell right into the midcard from there), but whatevs......that was the business.

[The Ichi]

To this day I have no idea why Bob freaking Backlund was the one to beat Bret for the belt and not Owen. I wouldn't have even cared if Owen lost to Diesel in 8 seconds afterwards, he deserved to take the belt off Bret.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Nov 14, 2013 9:11:33 GMT -5 Boo! said:

I never liked the idea that the man who'd end the show as WWE champion - the man who you would seek to launch the 'new generation' on the back off - jerked the curtain by losing, clean, in the opening match to someone who up until that point had been almost literally nothing but a lower-mid carder.

In my view nepotism played a huge part. I think had Vince gone to Bret and said "we want to do an angle where in the opening match you lose to Doink" Bret would have, rightly, told him where to go.

As much as the match itself made sense in terms of the storylines to have the would-be-champ lose just undermined the position of the belt. Have it a double count our or a time-limit draw if you're that desperate to make Owen look like a million bucks but for god sake don't end the show with the WWE Champion having been beaten by someone so far down the card as Owen was, clean in the middle of the ring.

I also think it made Yokozuna look terrible. Bret was able to beat him having already wrestled 20 minute match that night. The guy who was supposedly the biggest monster in the company. Imagine if Hogan did that. Imagine if Hogan jobbed to his buddy in the opening match and then came out and then beat the then WWE champ clean to win the belt. The word 'apoplectic' wouldn't go far enough in describing people's rage.


As it was, because it was Bret who has always been a darling of the smarks, an entirely different logic is applied.

Falling down to lose his title after a near year long reign made him look worse than Owen beating Bret did.

[jason1980s]

The WrestleMania X rope fall was pretty bad but not near as bad as struggling for a minute to break off the whole rope structure at Summerslam 96.

[Hit Girl]

WWE were thinking ahead by letting Owen go over. They made him look like a serious player

[ricardob]

Lo

[Boo!]

Nov 14, 2013 17:04:33 GMT -5 Hit Girl said:

WWE were thinking ahead by letting Owen go over. They made him look like a serious player

But why?

Was anyone seriously under the impression Owen was 'world champion' material? It just made the belt look weak and only happened because it was Bret's brother.As I said if Hogan did that for one of his brown-nosers I bet $100 that nearly 20 years later nobody would be saying "it made sense because it made Brutus look like a serious player"

[rnrk supports BLM]

Nov 14, 2013 9:11:33 GMT -5 Boo! said:

I never liked the idea that the man who'd end the show as WWE champion - the man who you would seek to launch the 'new generation' on the back off - jerked the curtain by losing, clean, in the opening match to someone who up until that point had been almost literally nothing but a lower-mid carder.

Watching it as a kid at the time, I thought it was phenomenal, because it closed the show with a big, triumphant, arc-ending climax where Yokozuna is finally dethroned while also getting me pumped up for the upcoming Bret/Owen feud.

And I don't think Yoko came out looking bad, considering he'd just gotten his ass kicked by Luger and his metal-plated elbow earlier in the night (heck, he had less time to recover than Bret, who only lost via rollup) and only retained on a technicality.

[Boo!]

Nov 14, 2013 18:59:49 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

Nov 14, 2013 9:11:33 GMT -5 Boo! said:

I never liked the idea that the man who'd end the show as WWE champion - the man who you would seek to launch the 'new generation' on the back off - jerked the curtain by losing, clean, in the opening match to someone who up until that point had been almost literally nothing but a lower-mid carder.

Watching it as a kid at the time, I thought it was phenomenal, because it closed the show with a big, triumphant, arc-ending climax where Yokozuna is finally dethroned while also getting me pumped up for the upcoming Bret/Owen feud.

And I don't think Yoko came out looking bad, considering he'd just gotten his ass kicked by Luger and his metal-plated elbow earlier in the night (heck, he had less time to recover than Bret, who only lost via rollup) and only retained on a technicality.

The problem was that people did end the night thinking "wow this means Owen could probably be the next world champion"

With respect to Owen - that was hardly a 'plus' for most people. I doubt he was someone for whom there had ever been series appetite to see in that spot. I don't think he'd even had a major PPV singles match before that date.

[mrjl]

Nov 14, 2013 18:46:02 GMT -5 Boo! said:

Nov 14, 2013 17:04:33 GMT -5 Hit Girl said:

WWE were thinking ahead by letting Owen go over. They made him look like a serious player

But why?

Was anyone seriously under the impression Owen was 'world champion' material? It just made the belt look weak and only happened because it was Bret's brother.As I said if Hogan did that for one of his brown-nosers I bet $100 that nearly 20 years later nobody would be saying "it made sense because it made Brutus look like a serious player"

I was never under the impression Owen wasn't world title material

[rnrk supports BLM]

Nov 14, 2013 19:03:54 GMT -5 Boo! said:

Nov 14, 2013 18:59:49 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

Watching it as a kid at the time, I thought it was phenomenal, because it closed the show with a big, triumphant, arc-ending climax where Yokozuna is finally dethroned while also getting me pumped up for the upcoming Bret/Owen feud.

And I don't think Yoko came out looking bad, considering he'd just gotten his ass kicked by Luger and his metal-plated elbow earlier in the night (heck, he had less time to recover than Bret, who only lost via rollup) and only retained on a technicality.

The problem was that people did end the night thinking "wow this means Owen could probably be the next world champion"

With respect to Owen - that was hardly a 'plus' for most people. I doubt he was someone for whom there had ever been series appetite to see in that spot. I don't think he'd even had a major PPV singles match before that date.

How is it not a plus? You've got a ready-made main event feud between your new top babyface and a guy who you want to see get his ass kicked but who looks like he has a real shot at being able to beat the champ.

[Boo!]

Nov 14, 2013 19:05:23 GMT -5 mrjl said:

Nov 14, 2013 18:46:02 GMT -5 Boo! said:

But why?

Was anyone seriously under the impression Owen was 'world champion' material? It just made the belt look weak and only happened because it was Bret's brother.As I said if Hogan did that for one of his brown-nosers I bet $100 that nearly 20 years later nobody would be saying "it made sense because it made Brutus look like a serious player"

I was never under the impression Owen wasn't world title material

So the guy who had never been in any main event, major feud or even singles match at a PPV before (other than a 3 minute match to Skinner at WM8, excluding matches wrestled under another gimmick) you thought he could have been world champion?

The leeway that's being taken because it's Bret and Owen is extraordinary. Replace the name 'Bret' with 'Hogan' and 'Owen' with 'insert-Hoga-ass-kisser-here' it's almost inconceivable that anyone would view the outcome of WM10 as a complete outrage.

[Boo!]

Nov 14, 2013 19:06:27 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

Nov 14, 2013 19:03:54 GMT -5 Boo! said:

The problem was that people did end the night thinking "wow this means Owen could probably be the next world champion"

With respect to Owen - that was hardly a 'plus' for most people. I doubt he was someone for whom there had ever been series appetite to see in that spot. I don't think he'd even had a major PPV singles match before that date.

How is it not a plus? You've got a ready-made main event feud between your new top babyface and a guy who you want to see get his ass kicked but who looks like he has a real shot at being able to beat the champ.

Because it was Owen Hart. A guy who before the feud with Bret was in balloon pants dancing with Koko B Ware. It's not as if they took a guy who had risen through the card, had some notable midcard feuds and as reward for that promoted him to the main event.

[rnrk supports BLM]

Nov 14, 2013 19:11:53 GMT -5 Boo! said:

Nov 14, 2013 19:06:27 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

How is it not a plus? You've got a ready-made main event feud between your new top babyface and a guy who you want to see get his ass kicked but who looks like he has a real shot at being able to beat the champ.

Because it was Owen Hart. A guy who before the feud with Bret was in balloon pants dancing with Koko B Ware. It's not as if they took a guy who had risen through the card, had some notable midcard feuds and as reward for that promoted him to the main event.

How old were you at the time? How much wrestling had you watched? I'm not talking as a smark who liked Owen and/or Bret's "workrate", I'm talking as a 10 year old who was part of the target audience at the time. It worked. They got their desired reaction out of me. I was pumped to see Bret vs. Owen for the title over the year, and Bret was hardly my favorite wrestler at the time, not by a long shot.