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BRET VS. BULLDOG AT SUMMERSLAM 1992 - EXCLUSIVE CHAPTER FROM 'DYNAMITE AND DAVEY: THE EXPLOSIVE LIVES OF THE BRITISH BULLDOGS'

In honor of the upcoming 30th anniversary of Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith at Summerslam 1992, PWInsider.com is proud to present the chapter devoted to that bout in Steven Bell's excellent book Dynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of the British Bulldogs, which you can order now by clicking here.

CHAPTER 30: AND WE’RE OFF TO WEMBLEY 

‘Hart versus Bulldog was a near-classic match, probably the best WWF singles match on a major show since Savage- Steamboat in 1987 ... 41⁄2 stars.’ Dave Meltzer 

May 1992 

‘I can promise you, nobody will be able to follow us,’ Bret insisted to Vince as they discussed the idea of a brother-in-law versus brother-in- law match in front of 80,000 people. He sold him on his and Davey’s kinship, on the stellar all-babyface match they had put on for just a few hundred people in Regina nearly a decade earlier, and on their in-ring chemistry. Vince imagined the scene Bret had laid out and his eyes widened. 

‘I’ve even got the finish in my head ...’ Bret said mischievously. 

‘I don’t wanna know, Hitman!’ Vince replied, stopping Bret in his tracks. ‘Surprise me!’ 

It was on. Bret Hart versus Davey Boy Smith for the Intercontinental title at a sold-out Wembley Stadium would main-event SummerSlam – even over the WWF title match between Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. 

Davey returned to the ring on 1 June, winning a 40-man Battle Royal to relaunch himself back to the lofty position on the roster he had previously held. But he wasn’t quite in the same peak physical condition he had been. His matches were short as he won nightly, mostly working with Repo Man, yet he was gassed out by the end of them. 

‘Another one, Bret?’ asked Davey in a Massachusetts hotel bar following a long day of TV tapings on 20 July. 

‘No. Early nights for me from now until Wembley,’ replied Bret. ‘I can’t stop thinking about it. 80,000 people; the main event in an open-air stadium.’ 

‘Yeah, I know,’ Davey looked more nervous than excited. ‘Another one, please,’ he said to the waiter. He then winced as he stepped from his stool to get out his wallet, and put his hand down toward his knee. 

‘You okay, man?’ Bret asked. 

‘Yeah. Blew the knee a little today,’ Davey said as he popped a series of Demerol through their foil sleeve and chucked them back with the remainder of his beer. He’d beaten Iron Mike Sharpe in under three minutes earlier in the day. 

‘Well, you take it easy, Davey. Goodnight,’ Bret said. 

Davey tossed, turned and sweated out his toxins in bed, before waking up screaming in the early hours of the morning. The painkilling effect of the drugs had worn off, his knee was swollen and agonising. He couldn’t continue with the tour and was sent home to Florida. 

The verdict was that Davey should be able to wrestle by the time SummerSlam came around in five weeks’ time, but not before, as he would be running the risk of the injury recurring. At best, he was going to be ring rusty for the biggest match of his life. 

Over the next few weeks, the WWF filmed and ran various vignettes with Diana, Stu and Helen, who all spoke of a family being torn apart by Bret and Davey’s wrestling competitiveness. 

‘It’s a house divided. We’re falling apart,’ a tearful Helen said. 

Diana spoke of the split loyalties she felt between her beloved brother and her husband. They all spoke of their desire for it to be settled, and that the Intercontinental title paled into insignificance when compared to family harmony. The seeds of a story where art met reality were being planted for the fans, and anticipation grew and grew. 

Davey, Bret and the other WWF superstars arrived at the hotel in London as hordes of fans spilled out chanting ‘Hitman! Hitman!’ and ‘Bulldog! Bulldog!’ 

WWF fanfare had taken over London, and Davey was mobbed as he took his family sightseeing. 

He was still nursing his knee, which had developed a flesh-eating staph infection, through a long recovery and his lower back still required the copious amounts of strong painkillers he took daily. He hadn’t wrestled in almost six weeks. 

Finally, at the entrance rehearsal the day before the biggest matches of their lives, Bret and Davey got together and planned out their magnum opus. 

SummerSlam

29 August 1992
Wembley Stadium
London
Intercontinental Championship
The British Bulldog v Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart Official attendance: 80,355

The joyous fans had snapped up every ticket in a matter of hours of them going on sale so that they could get a rare in-the-flesh glimpse of the larger-than-life superstars from a world far away. But they had been somewhat taken for granted with a poor and predictable first two hours of the show, which had opened with the stadium bathed in glorious sunshine. They had played along with glee as the sun began to set over the iconic twin towers of the stadium and the Macho Man and the Ultimate Warrior title match ended in a disqualification melee involving Ric Flair and Mr Perfect. As darkness began to set in, they watched on as the Undertaker ominously took his long walk out to the ring, accompanied by Paul Bearer and a giant black hearse, before his short match against the ‘Ugandan Giant’, Kamala – which once again ended in a disqualification and a melee. 

Immediately after that match, the broadcast cut to backstage reporter Sean Mooney, who stood beside a tanned and glistening British Bulldog, draped in a sequined Union Jack cape which sparkled into the camera. He smiled the smile of a nervous man trying his best to portray a confident one as he rubbed his palms together and spoke of this night being a dream, and the dream was going to come true when he would end it as the Intercontinental champion and having brought peace to his warring family. 

Then it cut to Gene Okerlund with Bret, who spoke with genuine passion about how he had introduced Davey to Diana, of the help he had given Davey in getting his career to where it was, how Davey was ungrateful for that and how he was going to turn the British Bulldog’s dream into a nightmare. 

It was then back to Mooney, this time at ringside with Diana, who spoke emotionally of the healthy competitiveness that Bret and Davey had always held, but now she was scared that they were going to destroy each other and the family. 

The floodlights provided the only illumination as ‘Rule Britannia’ suddenly chimed and the stadium erupted. 

Walking ten paces ahead of Davey was then-British, European, Commonwealth and soon-to-be-world heavyweight boxing king Lennox Lewis, who waved a giant Union Jack high into the air. Davey stopped halfway down the long walkway and looked around, soaking in the sensational scene and emotionally-charged reception. Suddenly, he appeared steely-eyed as he shouted and gestured appreciatively. 

Finally back where he belonged – in the ring – Davey’s transformation back to a confident wrestling superstar was complete as he spread his arms wide to fully reveal the ultra-patriotic cape and took in a huge breath. They worshipped him. A tsunami of giant foam fingers, Bulldog signs and camera flashes crashed over him. ‘Rule Britannia’ had to restart, so long was Davey’s introduction as he now strode with confidence and climbed the turnbuckles to salute the masses with his outstretched cape. 

The unmistakable guitar riff echoed into the night sky, signalling the arrival of the Hitman. The crowd erupted into cheers once more for Bret, who had quickly become the most popular wrestling star in the world. But they soon corrected themselves, realising that, even if it was just for that one night, Bret Hart was the pantomime villain, intent on preventing their local hero from achieving his dream. 

When the music stopped it was simply replaced with the constant reverberations and air-horns of a stadium that felt like a living, breathing giant. The crowd excitement reached fever pitch as Bret and Davey went nose-to-nose. The camera continued to cut to a petrified- looking Diana to remind viewers of what was at stake. 

The match got underway with some basic stuff, but the crowd really popped the first time Davey performed a gymnastic routine to counter a hold that even Dynamite would’ve been proud of, with a smooth flip and a handstand to achieve his own leverage. 

The match built, layer upon layer, every move and routine executed perfectly. Davey’s counters caused the crowd to erupt, with the boos for Bret slowly getting louder. When Bret ducked and sent a diving Davey Boy flailing to the outside in a heap, Bret began a constant onslaught. Minute piled upon minute as the crowd desperately willed Davey to make a comeback – they were utterly transfixed. 

Davey instigated his comeback in spectacular fashion, pressing Bret above his head but stumbling backwards and crotching him on the ropes, before going through his own impressive attacking repertoire, culminating in the running powerslam. ‘ONE, TWO’ – the crowd yelled along with the count, assuming it was over – but Bret kicked out and Davey slumped helplessly, looking resigned to the fact he might not be able to beat his brother-in-law if his patented powerslam couldn’t end it. 

They continued, trading suplexes and clotheslines until they were strewn across the ring in exhaustion. Bret cleverly entwined their legs, and when he began to turn over on to his front, the crowd realised what was happening, and suddenly, the sharpshooter was locked in, right in the middle of the ring. No one had ever escaped. The crowd screamed at Davey to make it to the ropes. 

‘This is unbelievable!’ referee Joey Morella – son of the legendary Gorilla Monsoon – yelled at Bret and Davey as he leant in supposedly to ask Davey if he was ready to quit. 

The fans exploded once again as Davey finally made it to the ropes and the hold was broken. The camera then cut to a tearful Diana. Bret raised Davey to his feet, whispering, ‘Let’s go home,’ into his ear. He attempted to whip him across the ring, but Davey reversed and it was Bret who bounced from the ropes before diving over a crouched Davey in a sunset flip attempt, but the local hero hooked his ankles and sat down into an impossible pinning position. One. Two. Three. 

‘Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this bout, and the new Intercontinental champion, the British Bulldog!’ yelled Howard Finkel as the overhead cameras swept across the crowd, creating unique celebratory scenes that would last a lifetime as 80,000 sets of limbs flailed uncontrollably. 

‘I can’t believe it!’ boomed Vince McMahon on commentary. ‘One of the greatest wrestling matches of all time has just taken place!’ 

A dejected Bret sat solemnly in the ring, whilst Davey stood staring at his new belt in disbelief, before walking over to his friend and brother-in-law and offering out his hand. Bret climbed to his feet and turned his back, extracting more of the desired pantomime boos from the crowd that were so desperate to see the family reunited. He looked back and realised that they were right, before walking back over to Davey and shaking his hand and the pair warmly embraced. Diana joined them in the ring and the show ended with the three of them hugging tightly as fireworks filled the London skyline, ‘Rule Britannia’ played loudly and not a dry eye remained. 

That evening, the WWF set a merchandise record that would stand for decades, selling almost $1.5 million worth of mostly British Bulldog products. 

As a complete spectacle, the match is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. 

 

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