DVD Review - Bret Hart "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be"

(Just a little something to break up the monotony of constant "XX Days Until 8IE" posts, you understand....)

I was really worried that WWE would screw this one up somehow, which is why I avoided buying it. In fact, I HAVEN'T bought it yet (which has got to be a first for me and my rapidly-expanding DVD collection); but my brother was kind enough to lend me his copy.

That said: this is kind of an anomaly in WWE's series of DVDs, in so much as you see right from the cover who had "creative control" of this one. It says "WWE and Bret "Hitman" Hart present...." as opposed to just WWE. A little thing, to be sure, but you better believe that was a big deal to him. Also you have the introduction by Vince McMahon, which I'd say was pretty classy, except that I'd bet it was one of Bret's terms for doing this.

The DVD story, however, is fantastic. A great look at somehow whose entire wrestling legacy really has been tarnished over the past decade. It's not just Montreal and Owen, though: Bret SHOULD be used as an example of WWE's greatest stars, whenever they do a compilation video or whatnot. Sometimes they do, but his appearance is not always a given, as it should be.

You get the impression watching this that Bret (a) is still very much bitter over a lot of the things that happened to him and (b) he's fiercely proud of said legacy. In fact, you rarely see him crack a smile or "break character" in telling his life story. Hey, I can't say I blame the guy, I'm just saying its VERY apparent that Bret won't rest until he's been immortalized. Fortunately, the DVD and his recent HOF induction go quite far in preserving that.

There's some tremendous Stampede footage, plus stories of his early WWF days, and then of course his prime WWF years. The Screwjob issue is definitely covered, but not nearly as trashy as WWE has been doing for years. And his WCW years are pretty much ignored, but hey, that's what WCW did, too. Of course, the trademark potshot at Eric Bischoff is here, but what WWE DVD would be complete without one?

The matches are tremendous. I've only watched about a half-dozen thus far, though I had seen some of the other ones quite recently. The British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation match from MSG is one that still stands up to this day for tag teams to aspire too. Same with Ricky Steamboat vs. a young Bret -- these two told an amazing story in there. I remembered fondly some of the others, such as Bret's two legendary Mr. Perfect matches, and of course the Davey Boy Smith match at Wembley Stadium. There's also the submission match with Steve Austin, which was groundbreaking stuff at the time. I would have liked to see some guest commentaries on these, given how Bret is so proud of his matches, but I realize that's asking a lot.

The "other" bonuses were kind of ehhh -- Bret crying as he realizes how many dozens of his old friends are dead, that kind of thing, but you're really buying this for the matches, and all of them (from what I've seen so far or remember) are just fantastic.

It's not my favorite WWE DVD (offhand, the ECW, Hogan, Flair, Foley and Road Warriors ones probably outrank this), but it's definitely worth tracking down. If only to lend me your copy when you're finished with it....