The Part-Time Champ is back! I took semi-retirement over the past couple of months because a world with CoVid is exhausting and a wrestling event without an audience is awkward. Still, I miss wrestling in my life. I looked at my wonderful wrestling friends and asked them for their favourite matches for me to watch, no context needed. In typical PTC fashion, I haven’t researched this match ahead of time and obviously haven’t watched the programming leading up to it. That said, it would’ve been impossible to miss the historical impact of this legendary match. Also, my cousin David, who recommended this match (alongside my colleague Stephen) decided to text me all about it even though I protested it would hinder MY ART. 

Before I kick back to watch Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII, here’s what I know. This match is a BFD. It’s an hour-long Iron Man match between two people who had real beef, Montreal Screwjob and all that. Actually, I don’t know what year the Screwjob was, so maybe that hasn’t happened yet (fact check: it hasn’t.) No matter, it’s not like these two were braiding each other’s long wrestler hair before that night. The match has since gone down as a classic. It’s also a huge inspiration years later for a match I did watch in real-time: Sasha vs. Bayley’s Iron Woman match. I’ll probably watch that after, for science, and because I love those gals.

This match takes place in 1996, which is immediately apparent by that dope 90s theme music. David texts me, rather dramatically, “Shawn Michaels, in 1996 and 1997, was the greatest wrestler alive. There was never and will never be a better performer than Shawn Michaels at his peak.”  So that’s where we’re at, and that’s a lot of hype to live up to.

Despite not growing up as a wrestling fan, I admit I have my biases when it comes to some of this older stuff. Namely, Shawn Michaels is incredible, a once in a lifetime entertainer, exciting and engaging, and Bret Hart is well, he’s also here. He bores me if I’m honest, but I also don’t know if I’ve ever truly sat down and watched a match of his. If his genius is on the mat, this could change my mind.

Pre-Match

The first thing I notice is the way the pre-match videos are handled is completely different than what I’m used to. In WWE, it’s these elaborate culminations of the build, the big moments and promos stitched together to the soundtrack of hit music. In AEW and many sports today, it’s docu-style interviews with dramatic voice-overs. Here we have simple shots of the two earlier in the day. Shawn Michaels in the locker room, Bret Hart casually leaning against a wall. There’s not a lot of contexts and neither seems to have particular ill will towards the other.

During entrances, I am not surprised to see that Shawn Michaels is the coolest person on earth. I am, however, surprised that the referee, explains the rules of the match to both participants. I’m laughing because, in my head, you don’t need to explain the rules to these guys, they’ve read the script. It’s actually an interesting contrast and does give it a real-fight-feel we don’t often get these days.

Minutes to go: 60

Alright, I’m buckled in, I’ve got my wine, I’ve just realized that Vince McMahon is on commentary and it’s wild. My notes say “I can still hear you saying you would never break the chaaaain,” which means that wine is setting in, and there’s a lot of chain wrestling. I like chain wrestling, I do! I’m not so sure how I feel about the next 60 minutes of chain wrestling. 

Jerry Lawler is on commentary opposite McMahon and I can now confirm that he has been annoying for my entire life. Good to know. While he is insufferable, he does a good job of laying the seeds of the first fall. He insists the first one to win a decision will be the winner of the match. This is mirrored later in Bayley vs. Sasha’s 2015 Ironwoman, which yes I watched after this for science, and does sort of feel like a gender-bent remake of this match. I say that lovingly because I think a remake can be great if you take what was special and do something different with it. In both matches, so much reverence is given to momentum. In theory, you could pin your opponent once and just run out the clock. 

There are a lot of reversals, showing how evenly matched these two are. In 2015 this feels like it’s because they know each other so well. They’ve come up with the same NXT class, trained together, fought each other, and though it’s not advertised we know they were friends. In 1996, it’s about how very far apart yet always parallel Shawn and Bret have been. There may be some more deep emotion that I don’t feel because I don’t have the history, but the story on display is that they’re just both so good. Also, I’m starting to have a vague recollection that this thing goes 0-0 for a very long time.

Minutes to go: 45

Things are heating up a bit. The pacing is different than what I’m used to, partially out of necessity to endure 60 minutes in the ring. I think it also has to do with the way that matches feel then versus now. Matches move differently now. I find this outside of wrestling too, in movies from the ’90s and early 2000s, they’re paced much slower. Maybe we’re all just moving so fast these days and wrestling is one of the many ways we see that reflected. To say I’m bored is inaccurate, I just feel sluggish. I have to recalibrate to the pace of this match.

Minutes to go: 30

Halfway through, I can say I am definitely into this. I’m enjoying all of the sequences when we get them and doing alright about the pacing. Lawler keeps mentioning the first fall and how his prediction will prove true. We get it, Jerry. Aside from my annoyance, it brings up a good point, what if that first fall is the only fall? What if there are NO falls (oh just you wait), what happens then? It’s a good storytelling technique because I find myself giddy for that first fall. The delayed gratification a very new idea to me, but incredibly effective. 

We also start to get this sort of Chekov’s Sharpshooter. Commentary mentions it so often that it feels like once he does, this thing is over. I know how well regarded the Sharpshooter is, it’s still pretty well protected to this day and I’m sure back then it was iron-clad. If you put a Sharpshooter on the table at the beginning of a scene, that Sharpshooter has to go off, it’s just the rules. 

Minutes to go: 20

When David presents this match, he says he’s “curious how it holds up with someone who’s used to today’s more indy style.” This actually surprises me, because indy wrestling is something that I don’t associate my fandom with as much. But actually, it’s not the wrestling that I struggle with. I’ve adjusted alright to the slow burn style, and I’ve greatly enjoyed watching two icons at the top of their game methodically work through their moves.

What I don’t get here that I miss has much more to do with emotion. From the jump, this didn’t feel particularly personal. The promo at the start of the show basically presented it as Shawn wants to be champ, Bret wants to stay champ. Which like…yeah. Okay, sure. 

For all the talk about how much these two hated each other, I don’t feel that here. A few things could be at play. One, it could be early still in their rocky working relationship. After all, this is, in fact, a year before the Screwjob. I stand by the fact that I don’t believe they were ever friends, the narrative is that they’ve always hated each other.

It could also be that it’s so widely known that they don’t have to make that a part of the match. This could also have to do with the fact this was before wrestling got real nuts, so maybe the dramatics are less played up than I’m used to. Maybe we just tell stories in the ring differently than we did then. I might just be missing all of that context because I’m not in 1996. 

So whether this a me-problem or a them-problem, I am itching for more theatrics. I was a theatre nerd before I was a wrestling nerd and there’s a reason there’s a decent crossover of the two. I just love storytelling. That’s why I watch wrestling, not because I enjoy fights all that much. In contrast to the 2015 remake I keep bringing up, this story is subtle to the point I’m not sure what it is. I mean, you have Sasha Banks stealing a 7-year old girl’s headband from the crowd. You get a sense that they need to prove something to each other. There is a fire there that has absolutely nothing to do with wrestling. While I know it’s much more heavy-handed and that’s not for everyone, it’s the wrestling that I love. You could take the belt out of the equation and the story would still work. I’m not so sure you could say that for 1996.

Minutes to go: 5

Okay, now I’m glued to the screen. The build-up to the first, and probably only fall, has been slow but I’m not complaining because I am very much invested in it. I love how for a moment, it seems like Shawn is down and out but one good defensive move and he’s back in it. Also, I love a good dropkick. He’s up on the top rope, and like my cousin said, this is the sort of wrestling I’m used to, so naturally I’m here for it. A minute ago I thought there was no way he’d come back, now I think there’s no way he could lose this.

Minutes to go: 1

The thing that blows me away the most about this finish is the timing. They cut it so very close and it’s essential that they fit in all of the last-ditch efforts and all of those kick-outs. If the timing wasn’t perfect, it could’ve fallen apart. 

Chekov’s Sharpshooter returns, in the form of a top rope kick that will end things one way or another. It does, with Bret catching Shawn and locking it in. The story of the match up to this point has been clear: they’re so well matched that the only way to finish it is like this right here. 

Minutes to go: 0.5

The seconds are ticking down and you can’t tell if Shawn recognises how close he is, how he just has to endure a few more seconds, or if he even cares. It’s a testament to how well he’s selling. We know he wants this title so badly so to even consider he would let it slip away like this is amazing.

As the crowd counts down to zero and the bell rings, no tap in sight, I have to say that the finish of this match is pure magic. The last minute might be the greatest single minute in all of wrestling, past, present, and future. Uh oh, does that make me a smark? Ew.

Minutes to go: -1 

But wait there’s more! I’m kind of with Lawler here, but don’t tell anyone. Champion’s advantage should apply to this 0-0 tie because Bret lasted the 60 minutes without losing. Gorilla Monsoon, who is also here, declares that there must be a winner and so it will go into sudden death. The first to gain pinfall or submission or submission will win. Sounds a lot like we just ended up at a normal match but okay. 

What’s interesting to me is to think about how unprecedented this must have been. Not just that it’s the only time that an Ironman match has gone into overtime (thank you, Stephen, for the fun fact!) but also the idea of ending the 60 minutes in a tie. Today, we would wave this off as a gimmick. We would see it as WWE having written themselves into a corner, desperately trying to wiggle out of it and keep everyone looking strong. Yawn. But then? It must have been groundbreaking, truly groundbreaking.

I’ll take back a little bit what I said about a lack of emotional crux because now we do get some meat to that. Bret Hart is so busy arguing with everyone over this decision that he fails to capitalize on Shawn at his most vulnerable following the Sharpshooter. If he had just gotten into the ring and pinned him, it would be done. But Bret is so in his feelings that he can’t abide with this disrespect and injustice. That is what costs him this match and his Championship, not Sweet Chin Music. Though, Sweet Chin Music is phenomenal and also really helps. I love how he just falls to cover Bret because you really can’t tell if that’s staged or if he just is that exhausted.

So HBK is the World Champion, the Hitman is pissed, and wrestling as we know it will never be the same. I was lowkey hoping that like with Sasha and Bayley, they would be presented with flowers by Gorilla Monsoon and Roddy Piper. Bret Hart would cry tears of pride and joy and also a pang of sorrow, looking at Shawn with love and respect in his eyes. But it’s 1996, so we just get Shawn cradling the belt like a literal baby before the referee puts it around his waist. It’s 1996, so we also wear championships around our waists. 

I had a lot of fun watching this Part-Time Champ Rewind for you. This is going to be a fun journey, so if you want to participate, drop me a line in this form and tell me what match you’d like me to cover next. Big thanks to David and Stephen for suggesting this match. Stephen actually sent me a list with a match from every year starting in 1994 so you’ll see him pop up again soon. The Part-Time Champ will return to normal programming once it is safe and reasonable to reintroduce crowds into wrestling.