The British Bulldogs © vs The Hart Foundation
WWF Tag Team Title Match
01/26/1987
Having won the WWF World Heavyweight Tag Team Titles from the Dream Team at Wrestlemania 2 in one of the big highlights of an otherwise mediocre show, the British Bulldogs’ first title reign was approaching a full year as 1987 dawned. A perfect blend of power and speed, there seemed as if there was nothing that was going to stop them from making it the full 365 with the belts around their waist.
The hard hitting style of Dynamite Kid, both in and out of the ring, ended up forcing Vince McMahon’s hand. During a match against Don Muraco and Bob Orton Jr. in December 1986, a seemingly innocent step over a drop down manoeuvre would see Kid injure his back, an injury that would eventually lead to his retirement and contribute to long term health issues in the future.
If Kid’s autobiography is to be believed, McMahon wanted the Bulldogs to drop the belts to The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. Kid refused, instead insisting that he would only lose the titles to one team – the Hart Foundation. Whilst Kid’s relative power to be able to force this through is debatable, his desire to give the Hart Foundation the rub in losing made a lot of sense. Jim Neidhart and Bret Hart had not only worked with Kid in Stampede, but the two teams had been around the horn against each other during 1986 with a number of good to great matches.
What was clear was Kid’s inability to do anything of note in the ring due to his injury. The match had to be booked in a manner that minimised his involvement, whilst also putting the Foundation over by allowing them to win the belts in the middle of the ring rather than by forfeit. A decision was made. By the end of the contest, not only would we have new WWF tag team champions, but a new heel would be born out of the ashes of the Bulldogs’ title reign: ‘Dangerous’ Danny Davis.
In an initial melee involving Matilda the dog before the match officially began, Jimmy Hart used the confusion to waffle Kid over the back of the head with his megaphone. This allowed Kid to stay face down at ringside; his title lost without even stepping into the ring. Unaware of the situation surrounding his partner, Davey Boy Smith would initially take the fight to both members of the Foundation, with Neidhart dumped with a bodyslam and a beautiful vertical suplex executed perfectly to plant Hart into the canvas.
As Hart and Neidhart were introduced head first to each other by Smith, the commentary team asked the pertinent question – where was the referee? Having noticed Kid’s incapacitation, David spent the majority of the match ordering him to get up and head to his corner. When David eventually stepped into the ring, McMahon on commentary would exclaim that the referee was allowing two men in the ring. At no point did the official seem to even try and send either Hart or Neidhart onto the apron.
This didn’t seem to faze Smith, as he once again used his opponents against themselves by whipping Neidhart into Hart in the corner. After sending Hart to the ringside floor with a dropkick, Smith would plant Neidhart with the running powerslam, seemingly to defeat the Foundation by himself.
If questions could be raised about Davis’ performance so far, his decision to step out of the ring and check on Kid one more time whilst Smith made the cover showed that he was clearly on the Foundation’s side. Smith would use Davis’ hair to attempt to drag him back into the ring, only for this to finally allow Hart and Neidhart to take control. Flagrant double teaming was subsequently ignored, the Hart Attack was nailed, and we had new WWF Tag Team Champions.
For his transgressions, Davis was stripped of his refereeing duties, only to then join Jimmy Hart and the Hart Foundation that same evening. As for Hart and Neidhart, this would be their first WWF title run of two; the first of ten title reigns for Bret in particular.
