Background: On the first day of an international tour, Bret Hart found himself taking on Andre the Giant – a match requested by the legendary star.
WWF in Milan
Milan, Italy
April 1989
Andre the Giant vs. Bret Hart
As expected, Andre the Giant easily shoved Bret Hart into the corner and tried to squash him. Hart used a stick & move approach, but got way too close to the Giant. Dropping his big backside across his opponent’s chest, Andre knocked the wind out of “The Hitman” while antagonizing the crowd. The latter gave Hart the chance to recover and dropkick Andre into the ropes that caused the big man to get tied up. Prone to lefts & rights, Andre was being beaten down for the first time. Eventually Hart’s attacks helped Andre free himself and the Giant began choking his offensive opponent. It what should’ve crushed an average man’s head and back, Hart somehow survived the sleeper hold and bear hug respectively. Getting a knee up when Andre let go & charged, Hart had the chance to start firing off strikes again. Head-butt from Andre stopped Hart’s onslaught, as did a follow up choke slam. Unable to avoid what came next, Hart was pinned by the avalanche elbow drop.
Winner: Andre the Giant (7:31)
Is It A Classic: This was during Andre’s latter years where he wasn’t the agile giant anymore (even using the top rope as a way to get around the ring). Andre actually gave Hart – a primarily tag team wrestler at the time – a lot of offense and turned this into a very competitive match. Not a classic, but a lot more even of a bout than expected featuring two of the all-time greats.
