WWE Calgary, Round 3, Match 1: #1 Bret Hart vs. #17 Antonio Inoki

[Shocky]

The following match takes place int he WWE Region, under Basic WWE Rules, From Calgary, Al.

#1. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

vs.

#17. Antonio Inoki

 

[klunderbunker]

Hokey smoke what a match. I really don't like the fact that Inoki is a 17 seed. That's way too low for him. I think I'm going to have to go with him though. Both men are legends of the business, but there's onet hing that Inoki had that Hart didn't: drawing power. Inoki is a huge draw everywhere he goes and has carried his company more than once. Hart's time on top is one of the worst time for ratings in company history. Both are equal in the ring and have more titles than they know what to do with, but the drawing power for Inoki carries it for me.

 

[Gelgarin]

Inoki has a more impressive victims list of American wrestlers than Hart.

Inoki make Andre the Giant tap out on multiple occasions. Inoki defeated Hulk Hogan, clean, in a pretty conclusive manner. Inoki defeated Lou Thesz. Inoki made Vader tap out. Inoki made guys like Scott Hall and Bam Bam look like total armatures.

Inoki had outperformed, out wrestled and outdrawn each and every one of the best Japan had to offer. In the entire history of puroresu, only one man has Had Inoki's number, and that was Giant Baba... and Bert Hart isn't Giant Baba.

I can't devote this match the time it deserves, I'm burned out, but Inoki wins this one.

 

[SavageTaker]

I'm voting for Antonio Inoki here.

There's only 2 disadvantages that Antonio has in this match that i can see, those being that They are in Bret's backyard and in Bret's home country. Other than those 2 i don't see any other disadvantages.

As great as Bret Hart was, he wasnt as great as Inoki. Inoki has a great background in wrestling and a pretty good one in MMA, so that's a plus.So his experiences in MMA will also help him defeat hart.

Unfortunately for Hart, Antonio was way more influential and was a way bigger draw. Not that bret couldn't have been a draw, he just wasn't a draw when they most needed him to be, and that's not really his fault.

So overall i think bret will put up a great battle but ultimately the Japanese legend will take him down and win this match to move on to round 4.

 

[Tastycles]

Inoki has won championships in the USA, so before anyone goes down that alley, lets shoot it down there. He also managed to do something Bret Hart couldn't, and that is beat Bob Backlund. Bob Backlund was well into his forties when he beat Hart, but he was in his prime and the midst of a seven year title reign when Inoki beat him.

Inoki's long and succesful MMA career shouldn't necessariky put him over, but it should suggest that he has the mat skills to go toe to toe with Hart.

Hart's prime was most definitely 1992-97, and if we look at that time, he wasn't really beating the big names of the era. In his first reign as champion, he beat Papa Shango, a young HBK and Razor Ramon. The megastar of the era, Hulk Hogan, was not faced. He was then dominated by Yokozuna, and lost the championship.

I don't want to go into an exhaustive history of Bret Hart, but he won the title back, because Yokozuna fucked up, but in 1994, his only significant win bar the Royal Rumble win was against Owen in a cage, who had beat him at WrestleMania. In 1995, he was feuding with people like Hakushi, Isaac Yankem and Jean-Pierre Lafitte.

My point is this, Hart was great and all, but he never really got the big win in his WWE career, he thrived in an era with no megastars, but without becoming a megastar himself. Then he went to WCW, where there was megastars but never really picked up serious momentum.

On the other hand, Inoki beat just about all of the big names in global wrestling that were around. I'd probably rather watch Hart, but I think Inoki nwould win a match between the two.

 

[DhA]

ITT Bret Hart gets seriously underrated. He's beaten perhaps the best of all time in Stone Cold Steve Austin and Ric Flair, and the sharpshooter can be applied on anyone. No one ever broke it I don't think. What makes you think Inoki would?

 

[Fizzy]

ITT Bret Hart gets seriously underrated. He's beaten perhaps the best of all time in Stone Cold Steve Austin and Ric Flair, and the sharpshooter can be applied on anyone. No one ever broke it I don't think. What makes you think Inoki would?

Because Inoki was better than the rest. Read others arguments. Inoki beat Hulk Hogan. He beat everybody there was to beat around his time. Hell half his time he devoted to MMA, and learning submissions, and how to break, and avoid them. He beat Bob Backlund in his prime during his huge title reign. Something that Hart could not do even when Bob was in his later stage of his career. He is a hell of a legend. He deserves much more recognition than he gets, and that's why i'm voting for him here.

 

[Shocky]

I'm not sure Inoki could take Bret Hart, in my opinion, if it broke down to an MMA style fight. Bret Hart was damn good, and if you watch any of his amateur wrestling stuff on the DVD, and his early matches, the guy could flat out go on the mat. Let's not forget the Old Hart Family dungeon, and Bret being trained by one of the best hookers in the business in Stu Hart. I think as far as amateur backgrounds go, you end up at a push, in my opinion.

As far as popularity and influence, I'm saying it's a push as well. Bret might not have drawn well in America (arguable), but the guy is godly in Canada, and a damn fine draw in Europe. Bret Hart was truly a superstar that the world outside of America was in love with.

I've not decided yet, but I'm easily leaning with Bret in this one. I just feel anything that Inoki has done, Bret could do better.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

This is as even as they get. Bret is God in Canada. Inoki is God in Japan. Inoki's taken down some of the all time greats and in convincing fashion. We're talking Hogan, Flair, Andre the Giant, Great Muta, Vader, and many, many others.

Bret's list is impressive as well with names such as Austin, Piper, HBK, Owen hart, Vader, and Benoit.

And although this match is in Calgary...Alberta, Canada...I have to give this match to Inoki. Inoki is just a flat out legendary force who nearly brought Muhammad Ali to his knees with kicks to his legs. It will be a great match and it'll be a battle of who can keep their composure and honestly, Bret's shown he can lose his cool in pressure situations, whereas Inoki would thrive under the pressure.

I give the nod to Inoki.

 

[NSL]

I'm glad to see Shocky bring up Bret's training at the Dungeon. That reason, is the reason I am voting for Bret Hart. Inoki could turn it into a shoot fight, but Bret's training and toughness would show, and we'd just end up with a hell of a mat wrestling display. Inoki was great, but it wasn't a lie when Bret was called the "excellence of execution", or "the best there is, best there was, and best there ever will be". He flat-out knew how to wrestle. And, wrestling (according to Sly), is not reason enough alone to draw a crowd, so that's why the fans weren't there.

It'd go an easy 30-40 minutes, but Bret would win this with a Sharpshooter in the center of the ring.

 

[Theo Mays]

Inoki is great and there is no doubt about that. Hart is just as great in my mind. I think Bret could and will win this match. It will be a doozy and one of the best matches this tourney will see. Hart gets the sharpshooter locked in, center of the ring and Inoki taps. In an epic duel, worthy of being a finals match, Hart gets the W.