The Pink and Black Playback

We watched it so you don't have to, the year 2000 supernatural drama TV series, The Immortal. It's a paint-by-numbers affair mixing the worst bits from shows LIke Buffy and The Highlander.

Bret appears in two episodes as "Randle" a demon that hunts down other demons at the bequest of his boss, who we can only assume is Satan because the show never tells us.

Part of this project is understanding that not every match is a 30-minute classic, so today we're bringing you 3 quick matches from 1992, two of them even made it to TV.
First, we have the tag match no one asked for, Bret and Ultimate Warrior vs Kamala and Papa Shango, then Virgil challenges for the title and finally, Bret takes on the man, the myth, the mullet, Barry Horowitz.
If you still have room for more rambling we grind our gears about Seth Rollins and the confusingly named "World Heavyweight Championship" to close the show.

On this episode, Bret defends the belt against heel Diesel in a pretty good cage match with a garbage finish. We also discuss Wrestlemania 39 and Vinny Mac's preternatural ability to avoid all consequences for his actions. After that, we review our visit to the Bret Hart themed bar in Calgary. Spoiler alert, it was very pink.

First up, Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker vs. Vader at In Your House: Final Four for the WWF title. What a line-up, it's hard to imagine this match not being an all-timer, but a weird gimmick and rushed storytelling can do the impossible.

After that, we watched Hart Foundation vs Strike Force at a WWF house show in Houston Texas on Dec 11, 1987. Our heels, finally wearing pick regularly continue their feud with the whitest of white meat tag teams.

Then, we finish the show with some rambling about how great Sami Zayn has been and we go over some of the changes to Austin Theory's presentation.

On today's episode, we watch Hart Foundation vs the Moondogs on the November 22, 1986 episode of The Wrestling Challenge and Bret vs 1-2-3 Kid for the WWF Championship on the  July 11, 1994 episode of RAW.

We are finally on the other side of the "TV Cowboy Bret" era of this show and in the promised land of season 3 of your favourite trash tier Bret Hart Retrospective, ain't you lucky?

Today we learn about the Moondogs (for some reason) followed by what Sean Waltman considers one of his all-time best matches, which we tend to agree with.

Finally, we fantasy book about who we want to face Steve Austin if he does come back for another match and we give a little praise to the new VICE TV docuseries Tales From the Territories.  

*Note: We found some conflicting info regarding episode numbers. According to IMDB the episode we call 16 is  17 and what we call 17 is 18.

Well, we did it, we finished this dismal piece of cowboy fiction. No one made us do this, but damn it, when we commit, we commit.

We've got a gang out for revenge, a gang out to rip off Oliver Stone, and an impressively boring final episode where everyone just sort of fucks off out of town.
On the positive side of things, our 4th or 5th favourite member of the Hart clan shows up, Smith Hart! Yes, in a brief cameo he appears as a background tough guy.  We're still broken hearted it wasn't Bruce, though. We also name a bunch of better pieces of cowboy media we'd rather watch.

Next episode we get to go back to complaining about 30-year-old wrestling matches, HUZZAH!

pew pew pew!

We are back at it again with the further adventures of Luther Root. The town of Curtis Wells has seen better days. Can a gritty soft reboot save this syndicated western? 

No, but can Luther Root get any actual screen time? 

Also, no.

On this episode, we check out Bret and Diesel's first PPV scuffle. This is the KotR where Jam-up guy, Art Donovan shows up on commentary and it's somehow even worse than you've heard.

Then we run down the live taping of RAW and Main Event when WWE stopped in Edmonton last month. See, we don't just sit around and yell about wrestling in Young's condo, sometimes we go out and yell at marks in person.

It's the return of chubby-faced young Bret in this all tag team episode of the Pink and Black Playback. when men were men, the tights were tight, and the bees were also men.
We try to recall anything at all about the original twin magic team, The Killer Bees. After that Dillon loses it when his two fathers Bret Hart and Arn Anderson face off in a SummerSlam classic.
Stick around for some news about Bret's Canada Walk of Fame induction and our plans to cover the September 26th taping of Raw which we will be attending live.

Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn’t even seem to be livin’… ’til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all your poundin’ and your hollerin’ those sharks come in and… they rip you to pieces.

But first, we talk about the classic Wrestlemania 12 Iron Man Match between Bret and Shawn.

Thanks for tuning in, marks!

1999 was a hell of a year, and maybe not in the best of ways for Bret Hart or his fans.

Today we look back at a key moment in the life and career of Bret Hart, specifically the last leg of his WCW run. First, we explore his blink-and-you'll-miss-it tag team title win with Goldberg. Then we witness the fateful kick that ended Bret's career at Starrcade 99 not even two weeks later.

Afterwards, Dillon puts on the tinfoil hat and tells what's going on inside AEW's locker room, and the boys sneak in a rant about Woodstock 99 and the related Netflix documentary.


Come for the poorly thought-out wrestling commentary. Stay for the Shakespearean references.

Howdy, Owlcoot!

During his time off between the iron man match with Shawn and his remarkable 1996 run in the fed Bret Hart appeared in a syndicated western TV show produced in Alberta. Today we examine episodes 17 and 21 of the first season of Lonesome Dove: The Series and meet trapper, stalker, and owner of a sweet jacket, Luther Root. You'll learn cowboy slang and hear about Young's recent run-in with credit card fraud along the way.

Boy, aren't you lucky?

PS: we are moving to an every other Monday/Tuesday upload schedule. Expect our next episode to arrive in your feed on August 29 or 30. 

We got another instant classic for you on the back half of our two-part Vinny Mac retrospective. come and poo-poo the old man with us.

First up we have Vince McMahon vs Shane McMahon and a cavalcade of goofballs including a very boob-ily Trish, a very referee-ily Mick, and a very Zombie-ily Linda.

After that we Have Vince and Shane McMahon vs Shawan Micheals and God, they don't use his indie name but I'm pretty sure it's Yahweh of the Abrahamic traditions. This kid can work, strap a rocket to his back and push him to the moon.

Then, just for fun, Dillon goes over some of Vince's greatest (meaning worst) hits during his battle with the territories.

Don't worry, we'll be back next time with our regularly scheduled Bret coverage.

Welcome to our first Vince McMahon spectacular! It's just a regular episode but we spend as much of it as possible going off on Vincent Kennedy McMahon.

First, we watch Bret Vs, Vince, at Wrestlemania 26 (not 23 like the intro might have you believe) and what might be the last Bruce Hart payday in the fed. a sad day, indeed. After that, we check out the best WWE match since Bret and Stone Cold did their double turn. John Cena Vs. CM Punk at MitB 2011.
Then, if that's not enough, we crap all over VKM for 20 minutes cus it's damn fun.

So much gold on today's episode.

First, we check out Bret vs. DIesel at Survivor Series 95 for the WWF Heavyweight strap and then Bret vs. Lex Luger for the WCW United States Champion.

Stick around after that where Dillon whines about nuance and we find out if Buff Daddy is really the stuff (spoiler: he is not).

Hey Marks, just a quick update for you all. Due to my work schedule blowing up this month we have to miss a week of the podcast.

We will be back on our Bullshit Monday, July 25th.

After all that Hulk Hogan in No Holds Barred, we needed an all-Bret palette cleanser so today we bring you a classic, a dud, and the start of Young's read-along of Bret's Bible. Don't say we never did anything for you.

Marvel at how Mick Foley and Bret Hart can barely make a 10 minutes match work, bear witness to one of the best Roddy Piper promos during his WWF days, and make sure you're taking notes as Young goes over the first 3 chapters of Bret's autobiography Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling because it WILL be on the test. (There's no test).

On today's episode, It's movie day and we watch the late 80s fever dream, No Hold's Barred. Famously rewritten by Hogan and VInce McMahon over 72 hours in a Florida hotel, this collection of nonsense, attempted sexual assault, child-focused charity work, Goth Girl Bill Eadie and dookie jokes actually made twice what it cost to produce (according to a citation less Wikipedia entry). Strap in, Jock Ass!

Don't worry, Marks, we'll be back to reviewing Bret content next week.

Oh, hi Marks.

On today's episode, we watch Bret defend his Intercontinental title against Davey Boy Smith in one of the biggest matches of either man's career. We also checked out another British icon in WIll Osprey Vs Nick Wayne from GCW's I Never Liked You event on June 19, 2022. We were not disappointed.
After that, we grind some gears about Vinny Mac allegedly paying more than he did for WCW to keep an employee he slept with quiet. Then, Now, Forever, Together, eh Vince? 

On this episode we watch Bert Hart lose the Stampede title to Bad News Allen. After that, we check out the (In)famous survivor series 93 match where Bret, Owen, Keith and (the man himself) Bruce take on Shawn Michaels and 3 jobbers dressed as Power Rangers.

After that, Young grinds gears about Jeff Hardy's recent troubles and then Dillon pleads with our #1 fan Tony Khan to surprise him.

On this episode:

Welcome to the last episode of Pink and Black Playback Season One! Don't worry, we'll be back in a few weeks ready to review and ramble about Bret Hart's truly astonishing wrestling career.

This week we watched the two key matches in the Bret vs. Owen feud, Wrestlemania X and Summerslam 94.

PLUS: We highlight some of the new aspects we will be bringing to the show when we return.

On today's episode, we watch the fed documentary on Bret Hart's career released by WWE in 2005. it's expansive and covers parts of brets career you rarely see like his time in stampede and NJPW.  

Also, Sasha Banks, Naomi, and how marks are so worried about being swerved that they think everything is a work. Unless of course it's Brian Danielson getting his boot stuck between the ring and the ramp, in that case it's a horrible injury that will ruin the man's life.

Bret Hart VS Tiger Mask for the WWF Junior Heavy Weight Championship in NJPW on July 30, 1982

Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship on WWF Wrestling Challenge July 21, 1992

PLUS:

A Bret-free Bret Watch and Rick Flair is back in the ring for some reason.

On this episode:

Bret Hart Vs. Rick "The Model" Martel WWF MSG House Show March 19, 1990

and

Bret Hart Vs. Tiger Mask for the WWF Jr. Heavyweight Championship NJPW February 5, 1982

PLUS:

We catch up with the Tammy "Sunny" Sytch's recent troubles and find out why Buff Bagwell is still the stuff.

On this episode:

Bret Hart Vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat WWF House Show Boston Garden March 8, 1987

and

Bret Hart Vs. Rocky Maivia WWF Raw March 31, 1997

On this episode:

Dax Harwood Vs. Cash Wheeler on Dynamite April 27, 2022

Bret Hart Vs. Macho Man Randy Savage Saturday Night Main Event November 28, 1987

On this episode we watch the 1997 documentary Wrestling with Shadows which famously details Bret Hart's final days in the WWF. 

On today's episode:

WrestleFest September 11, 1997 Bret Hart vs Terry Funk

WWF House Show July 20, 1992  Randy Savage and Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels

On this episode:

Nitro July 20, 1998 Bret Hart Vs. Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Championship.

and

Wrestlemania IX Bret Hart Vs. Yokozuna for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. 

On this episode:

Bret Hart Vs. Tom Prichard on Raw February 21, 1994

Hart Foundation Vs. The Rockers on Saturday Night Main Event April 28, 1990

On this episode:

SummerSlam 90 (Aug. 27, 1990) with Hart Foundation vs. Demolition

SummerSlam 91 (Aug. 26, 1991) Bret Hart vs. Mr.Perfect