Welcome everyone to the first edition of WWI Fantasy Fights!   Every few weeks we'll present a dream matchup, pitting wrestling stars of yesterday and today against each other to determine who would emerge victorious.   The format will vary from column to column - sometimes it will be a "yesterday vs. today" matchup, sometimes two of today's stars who work for opposing promotions, sometimes a classic battle between two all-time greats.   In any case, we hope to entertain, intrigue, and capture the imagination of you, the reader.   In future installments you'll have the opportunity to affect the outcome as well.

Before we proceed I'd like to thank James Guttman and WorldWrestlingInsanity.com for giving me the opportunity to present what I feel will be a fun and unusual column.

In this installment we present a battle between two of the most superb athletes this industry has ever seen.   What would happen if two master technicians were to compete in the ultimate mat wrestling showdown?   Sit back and enjoy this clash of two ring generals: Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. Kurt Angle.

Bret Hart

Stands 6'1" tall....weighs 235 pounds....Has held nearly every major heavyweight title in each promotion he has wrestled for....Career highlights include 5-time WWF Champion; 2-time WCW Champion; multiple tag team title reigns, and WWF King of the Ring....Twice ranked #1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's PWI 500 (1993 & 1994)....Widely recognized as one of the finest technical wrestlers in history....Three best moves: Sharpshooter, backbreaker, side Russian legsweep....Biggest strength: technical prowess....Biggest weakness: frustration allows him to get roped into a brawl.

Kurt Angle

Stands 6'0" tall....weights 230 pounds....Has also held nearly every available championship in each promotion....Career highlights include 6-time WWE/World Champion; 2-time TNA World Champion; WWE King of the Ring; Olmpic Gold Medalist....Ranked #1 in PWI 500 in 2001....Also considered one of the best technical wrestlers of all-time....Three best moves: Anklelock, Olympic Slam, German suplex....Biggest strength: ring generalship....Biggest weakness: nagging injuries

What Next?

Kurt Angle stood atop the TNA mountain once again.   In a thrilling 37-minute war, he unseated Samoa Joe to reclaim the TNA Championship.   PPV rates had hit an all-time high for TNA due to the "last time ever" stipulation going into the match.   Angle and Joe would never be allowed to wrestle each other again.   TNA officials suddenly realized they had painted themselves into a corner.   Their two biggest draws had wrestled their last match just as TNA had finally turned the corner and begun to draw weekly numbers in the 3.0 range.   They had arrived as a legitimate competitor to WWE's wrestling empire, but now they had no marquee feud to keep the momentum going.   Still with a bona fide master of the game as their top star and a bevy of charismatic and athletic young talent, the world had already begun to see TNA as the hot brand in pro wrestling.

Kurt Angle remarked at a press conference the following Tuesday, "I have acheived every possible goal in this sport.   I have won every championship I've ever challenged for and beaten every major name in the past 20 years of wrestling.   You name a headliner, I've made him tap.   Austin, Rock, Michaels, Hogan, Flair; it reads like a who's-who of professional wrestling.   This past Sunday I proved once and for all that I am the greatest wrestler in TNA history, indeed wrestling history, by defeating the toughest man in the business, Samoa Joe.   I thank Joe for giving me everything he had and helping me give the fans the finest match they've ever seen.   Now to the future of TNA Wrestling: with Kurt Angle once again the face of the company, there's nothing stopping us from overtaking WWE and becoming the #1 promotion in this business.   WWE doesn't have anyone who can compete with Kurt Angle.   They can throw either one of their World Champs at me.   Triple H, beat him.   Edge, beat him too.   Their top contenders?   John Cena?   Undertaker?   HBK?   I've beaten all of 'em.   There isn't a wrestler in this world who can outclass me in that ring!"

Ratings Woes

On the other side of the fence, Monday Night RAW's ratings had dropped to alarmingly low levels just as quickly as TNA's had risen.   With stale matchups and uninteresting creative output, WWE had become the stagnant brand.   WWE fans, bored with seeing the same combinations of Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge and The Undertaker, had begun tuning out.   With the younger talent in the company not quite ready to step into headlining roles, Vince McMahon needed something big to keep WWE afloat long enough to groom his next crop of megastars.  

Vince was tired of being seen as the establishment in pro wrestling.   He had been resting on his laurels since the demise of WCW, and there was nothing keeping him passionate about his brainchild.   Without a challenge, Vince McMahon had become complacent.   He had tried to create competition within his own company, but everyone knew that the RAW vs. Smackdown and WWE vs. ECW rivalries were a sham.   WWE had simply lost its edge, and so had Vince.   He needed to shake his current public image of "Grandpa Vince" and show the wrestling world that he was still the evil genius who introduced the Attitude Era and brought Ted Turner's WCW empire crumbling down.

The course of action was clear then.   He would take TNA head-on.   He would challenge them to a series of matches and demonstrate WWE's athletic superiority.   The WWE-TNA collision would present brand-new fresh matchups that would not only cement Vince's headliners in the pantheon of all-time greats, but would also help establish his younger talent as THE next generation of superstars.   Vince picked up the phone and called his press agent.

The Challenge

Vince publicly issued the challenge to TNA: an 8-week series of matches that would headline RAW, Smackdown, and TNA Impact, with the final all-out showdown to take place at Summerslam.   No titles would be up for grabs, but the winning company would be able to boast undisputed brand superiority.   Summerslam would be a joint WWE/TNA production, and each company would take half the profits.   To help boost the buy-rate, both companies would cancel all PPV events leading up to Summerslam.   TNA President Dixie Carter accepted without hesitation.

The Best There Is....

Bret Hart was enjoying retirement.   After a long and successful career that included 7 World Championships and countless all-time great matches, Bret had decided that nothing was left to prove.   He had gotten out of the business while still in peak form, and on good terms with both Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff.   After working with Vince to break his WWE contract and sign his WCW contract, Bret wrestled one last match against Shawn Michaels in Montreal (which he won by pinfall) and surrendered the WWE Title the following night on RAW.  

Bret's WCW run would last only one year, as he was able to handily defeat the nearly the entire WCW roster.   This cemented Bret Hart as the greatest in the world, but ultimately hurt WCW's ratings as it showed the world that WWE had the superior talent all along.   Bret opted to get out of the way, retiring as WCW Champion, and let WCW go about creating new stars to compete with WWE's red hot Attitude Era.   Unfortunately creating new stars was not Eric Bischoff's strong suit, and well.....you know the rest.  

After several movie roles and a wildly successful cop drama called Miranda Rights, Bret Hart had become very content outside the squared circle.   He still conducted sparring sessions in the basement of his mansion, which he opened to any and all active and former pro wrestlers; Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, and Bryan Danielson were all frequent visitors.   This kept him in top fighting shape and also kept him from ever missing the sport he had walked away from.   As long as he could still grapple from time to time, he didn't need pro wrestling as a career.   Right?

WWE vs. TNA

In the early weeks of the challenge, which Vince and Dixie dubbed The Ring Wars, TNA got off to a dominant start.   The challenge began on RAW, where the main event was John Cena vs. Samoa Joe.   Joe trounced the Dr. of Thuganomics in a brutal 12-minute matchup, dislocating Cena's shoulder with a Muscle Buster.   TNA Impact was no better for Team WWE, as AJ Styles rolled up the returning Rey Mysterio for the three.   On Friday Night Smackdown, Jay Lethal reversed MVP's Playmaker into a Texas Cloverleaf, forcing the WWE star to tap.   Randy Orton was able to defeat Booker T on RAW the following week, but WWE lost the other two matches that week as Christian Cage defeated Mr. Kennedy, and Rhino annihilated Matt Hardy.  

Week three saw the gauntlet thrown down as Triple H challenged Kurt Angle to a match on RAW. Hunter dominated the early minutes but Angle countered with technique and won a classic 25-minute bout with the anklelock.   Hunter suffered a fractured ankle as a result, but the bigger problem for WWE was that their top dog had just been bested by the TNA Champion.   WWE was 1 for 7 thus far.   They managed to take the other two matches that week - Batista overpowered Abyss and CM Punk scored a major upset over Sting - but Vince knew he was in trouble.

Then He Got an Idea.....

In a post-match interview that week, Kurt Angle said, "WWE put their absolute best against me, and I beat him decisively.   I made Triple H tap out, and if any titles had been on the line I would be the Undisputed World Champion right now.   Make no mistake, I am the best there is!"  

In the grand scheme of things it had been kind of a throwaway comment, but as Vince watched the tape of that interview it sparked something.   TNA's Champion had thus far proved himself unbeatable, but there was one man Kurt Angle had never faced, who before retiring had proven himself just as impossible to defeat.  

Vince's phone rang, nearly causing Vince to jump out of his chair.

"Hello, Vince?"

"....Bret??"

"I've been watching your show.   Does Angle ever shut his fat mouth?"

"What kind of shape have you been keeping yourself in?"

Hart and Soul

The signing was kept a surprise, even to the other wrestlers.   But on week four of the challenge, Vince McMahon stood in the center of the ring and announced, "WWE has just signed a new member to the roster.   Making his return to the ring next week against one of TNA's superstars will be none other than.....BRET "THE HITMAN" HART!!!"   As the crowd erupted, Vince pointed to the Titantron, where Bret's face appeared via satellite.  

"Thank you Vince.   It's been a while since I was in a WWE ring, but I felt the time was right to make a return, especially in light of certain TNA wrestlers trying to make a claim of being the best there is in wrestling today.   I'm talkin' about you, Kurt Angle.   You go around saying you've beaten every other wrestler on the planet, well you're forgetting about one guy, and that's The Excellence of Execution!   If you've got the guts to meet me in the ring, I'll be at the Ring Wars finals.....at Summerslam!   I've kept myself in tip-top physical condition and could probably go out there tomorrow and become the WWE or TNA Champion if I wanted to.   So until Summerslam I'll be taking on whomever TNA wants to put in the ring with me.   But I'm saving you for last Kurt!   See you at Summerslam!"

The announcement galvanized the WWE locker room.   WWE went 2 for 3 that week, putting them at 5 and 7 overall.

Evening the Odds

Bret Hart's debut match was against Kevin Nash.   Bret showed almost no ring rust and disposed of Nash in a mere 4 minutes, making him tap to the Sharpshooter.   Later that week Angle put Umaga through a table, and into the hospital, with an Olympic Slam.

WWE closed the gap in the last four weeks, as TNA struggled to get over the shock of Bret's return.   In the following weeks, Hart beat Christopher Daniels and James Storm, and Angle defeated Jeff Hardy and Kane.   It was agreed by Vince and Dixie that each man would have week 8 off to rest up for Summerslam.  

As the PPV spectacular neared, the lineup was solidified.   There would be 9 matches on the card, and after the smoke cleared, whichever company had won the most matches would clearly have the bragging rights.   This would be the World Series, the Superbowl, and the NBA Finals all rolled into one incredible night of pro wrestling, headlined by the greatest technical matchup in the history of the sport.

Summerslam

The event was held at Chicago's historic Wrigley Field, before a crowd of 52,000.   After the 8th week of the challenge, TNA was ahead 13 to 11, so the 6-sided TNA ring was used.   Ringside commentary was provided by Jim Ross, Mike Tenay, and Tazz.   Before the festivities got underway, Justin Timberlake sang the national anthem.

Hardy Boyz vs. Motor City Machine Guns: In the thrilling opener, the Hardy Boyz narrowly defeated the Machine Guns to give WWE the first win.

Abyss vs. Randy Orton: Abyss cracked two of Orton's ribs with a Black Hole Slam and pinned him.

Chris Jericho vs. Christopher Daniels: Jericho and Daniels had an intense, aerial showdown that ended with an Angel's Wings to give Daniels the upset victory.

John Cena vs. Sting: Cena and Sting fought for 18 minutes until Cena countered a Scorpion Deathlock attempt with an inside cradle to score the win.

LAX vs. MVP & Carlito: TNA Tag Champs battled the WWE Tag Champs for 15 minutes before Carlito hit the Backstabber on Homicide for the 3-count.

Edge vs. Christian Cage: The former partners had a long-awaited return match that ended with Edge spearing Cage through the ropes and sliding back into the ring just before Cage was counted out.

Shawn Michaels vs. AJ Styles: Michaels and Styles nearly stole the show with a breathtaking exchange of aerial and mat wrestling.   The match went 26 minutes before Michaels dodged a Pele kick from Styles and countered with a superkick for the win.

Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk: Punk was greeted by his hometown crowd with a standing ovation.   After 34 minutes of brutal action which saw Punk withstand two Muscle Busters and counter his way out of the Coquina Clutch, he finally succumbed to a lightning-fast powerslam to give Joe the duke.

After 8 matches WWE had evened the score.   The main event would decide brand superiority.   Win or lose, Vince knew that he had orchestrated a truly monumental event and established stars like Punk, MVP, Kennedy, and Carlito as budding superstars.   Now it was just time to win the big one.

Pre-Match Thoughts: Angle

This is the one missing piece of the puzzle.   Before me tonight stands the one man I have never beaten, and he will fall like all the rest.   TNA will be the #1 wrestling company in the world, and after I cripple Bret Hart tonight I will be officially known as the best wrestler of all-time.  

Pre-Match Thoughts: Hart

Kurt Angle has never faced anything like what I will throw at him tonight.   I will match him hold-for-hold, minute-for-minute, and I will withstand everything he has to offer.   I have never tapped out in my life, and I will not start tonight.

The Match

As the ring introductions were made by Howard Finkel, Bret Hart and Kurt Angle stood face to face, expressionless.   Referees Mike Chioda and Rudy Charles simultaneously called for the opening bell.  

The two combatants stood, unmoving, for a full 30 seconds as the crowd noise swelled to a roar.   They each took a step back and lunged sharply at each other, locking up.   The audience exploded as the two wrestlers jockeyed for position.   Angle suddenly yanked Hart to the canvas with an armdrag that sent a gasp through the crowd.   Bret spun on the mat and got to his knees.   Angle roared victoriously and jabbed himself in the head.   Bret slowly got back to his feet.  

They locked up again and this time Bret took Angle down with a side headlock.   Angle rolled Bret on his back and got a two-count.   Bret rolled back on top, holding on to the headlock.   Angle struggled back to his feet and sent Hart into the ropes.   Bret came back with a quick shoulderblock that took Angle down.   Bret bounced off the ropes again and Angle stood up, ducked a clothesline, and jarred Bret with an overhead beel throw.   Bret got to his knees and paused to compose himself.

Angle crouched in a grappling stance and barked insults at Bret.   Bret stood up as Angle came toward him.   Angle got right in Bret's face, and Bret shoved him away.   Angle slapped Hart across the face.   Bret stood fuming for a second and dove on top of Angle, laying into him with six stiff punches to the head.   Angle pushed Bret off him and rolled out of the ring.   The camera's picked up the jagged gash above Angle's left eye.   Angle wiped the blood away and climbed back into the ring.

The wrestlers locked up again and this time Angle kneed Hart in the stomach.   Bret doubled over and Angle suplexed him hard to the mat.   Then Angle applied a vice-like front facelock.   Bret struggled to break the hold as his blood supply was slowly cut off.   Bret climbed to his feet and cracked Angle's tailbone with an inverted atomic drop.   Angle barely felt it because of the adrenaline, and cut Bret down with a diving clothesline.

The match wore on with each man taking turns countering the other's offense.   Neither man could gain a clear advantage for more than a matter of seconds.   Ross, Tenay, and Tazz had difficulty keeping up with the action as the momentum swung back and forth.   It became a stupendous display of chain wrestling.

At the twenty-minute mark, Hart countered an Angle top-rope body press with a crushing backbreaker.   Bret followed the move by climbing to the second rope and nearly knocking Angle out with a diving elbowsmash.   Bret covered Angle but only got 2.   Bret pulled Angle to his feet and executed a side Russian legsweep.   Angle inadvertently bit his lip upon impact, and blood trickled from his mouth.   Bret went for another cover and Angle spit blood in his face.   Angle got up and lunged at Bret with a spear.   Both men lay prone for several moments.  

They slowly climbed to their feet and took turns punching each other.   An Angle right hook cut Bret's left ear.   Bret's right cross swelled up Angle's left cheek.  With each shot the crowd grew louder.   After a full minute of brawling, both men's faces were a battered mess.   Angle absorbed a left jab and dove at Bret with a headbutt, breaking Bret's nose.   Bret stumbled into the ropes, bounced off, and cracked Angle's jaw with a right forearm.   Both men teetered across the ring and fell through the ropes, landing on the floor in a heap.

The two referees began the ten-count.   Angle and Hart each pulled themselves up.   Bret motioned to Angle that the match shouldn't continue out on the floor, but rather in the ring.   Angle nodded in agreement, and both men slid back in.

Almost as if restarting the match, the two men sized each other up again and locked up.   They resumed the scientific match that had started 25 minutes prior.   A Hart waistlock suplex was countered by an armbar.   An Angle leg lace was countered by head scissor.   Between the two of them they had gone through more holds and counterholds than most wrestlers use in a lifetime.

At thirty-three minutes, Angle whipped Hart into the ropes.   Hart ricocheted off the ropes and caught Angle with a crucifix pin.   Angle kicked out at two and Hart rolled him up in a small package.   Angle kicked out again, stood up, and went for a dropkick.   Hart caught Angle's legs and applied the Sharpshooter.   The crowd stood up immediately.   Angle screamed as the pressure of the hold twisted his lower spine.   Hart leaned back further as Angle tried to inch his way toward the ropes.   Angle reached for the bottom strand but came up four inches short.   Bret stood up and pulled Angle back to the middle of the ring.   Angle reached back and yanked Hart's free leg.   Hart fell forward and Angle slapped on the anklelock.   Hart clutched at his leg as Angle wrenched away.   Bret rolled on his back and kicked Angle down.   Angle maintained the hold and rolled through.   Bret reached for the ropes.   Angle yelled, "Tap, you son of a bitch!   TAP!!!"   Bret crawled toward the ropes and Angle pulled him back.   Bret kicked him off again, but Angle kept the anklelock.   Bret pushed himself up from the mat, tucked his head, and rolled forward.   Countering the roll, Angle dropped to his knees while holding the ankle, the force of which splintered Bret's fibula.   Bret yelped in pain and kicked Angle in the chin with his free leg, lifting Angle three feet in the air.   Angle landed on the mat with a thud, his jaw broken in two places, and Bret fell on top of him for the pin.

Aftermath

The buyrate for Summerslam smashed all previous records, making both companies millions.   The fallout from the event made pro wrestling a hot commodity once again.   Ratings for WWE's shows and Impact shot up three full points within weeks.   WWE Champion Triple H returned to action and lost the Title to WWE's hottest new star, CM Punk, who would go on to become one of the company's biggest draws in years.  

Bret Hart appeared on RAW the following night and announced that he was again retiring, having wrestled what he called "the ultimate shoot."   He thanked "the fans, Vince McMahon, and especially Kurt Angle, for reminding me why I love this business."   Bret resumed his acting career, eventually winning an Emmy for his role in Miranda Rights.

Kurt Angle recovered from his injuries and went back to defending the TNA Title.   He would remain Champion for two full years until TNA decided, amid a ratings downturn, that they were out of contenders and found a contractual loophole allowing Angle to defend against Samoa Joe.   Joe regained the Championship in another classic, after which Angle also retired.

Both WWE and TNA came out of The Ring Wars stronger and more successful companies, and prospered for decades to come.

Thanks for reading - look for the next edition featuring Ric Flair vs. Bryan Danielson!   Hit me on email ( Fights@WorldWrestlingInsanity.com) or on the Insanity Forums (jbastard75) and let me know what you thought, and how you think the next match should go!