The ‘Hitman’ squared off against Ric Flair for the WWF World Heavyweight title … and it wasn’t even televised! Find out the strange history behind this classic match.
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Bret Hart will come face to face with Ric Flair at WWE Payback on May 1, when Natalya (Hart’s niece) squares up with WWE Women’s champion Charlotte (Flair’s daughter).

With the nostalgia in the air between the legendary wrestling families, we decided to rewind to the Hitman’s legendary first WWE World Heavyweight championship win, which came against the Nature Boy back on Oct. 12, 1992 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for our Throwback Thursday match.

Having already dominated as a two-time tag team champion and two-time Intercontinental champion, only one thing was left for Hart to win the World Wrestling Federation’s biggest prize of them all.

Interestingly enough, this Hart vs. Flair matchup from Saskatoon, where Bret’s dad Stu Hart was born and raised, was not televised. However, thanks to the WWE Network and the ample vault that the company has built up on YouTube, we’re able to enjoy it today.

Early into the match, Mr. Perfect, who was ringside managing Flair, can be heard saying, “He doesn’t have a chance,” referring to Hart. The match started out slowly, with each ring legend and current WWE Hall of Famer showing off his technical expertise at the other’s expense.

As the match continued, Flair seemingly took control. However, that would soon change when the Hitman tried to roll up Flair, pulling on his tights and exposing his backside, with the late Gorilla Monsoon commenting, “Look at this … we’ve just became X-rated.” Moments later, Hart actually slapped the Figure Four Leglock, Flair’s finisher, on the Nature Boy, right smack-dab in the middle of the ring.

Flair battled back enough to get the Figure Four on the Hitman, nearly getting a submission. The one mistake Flair made was ascending the top rope, to which Hart rose off the ring apron and launched the Nature Boy hard onto the mat. Moments later, Hart dropped Flair with a superplex, before locking in the Sharpshooter and getting Flair to tap out seconds later.

“We’ve seen history made!” Monsoon yelled. “It’s pandemonium here in Saskatoon!”

What a classic match! Nearly 24 years later, this match still holds weight against some of the WWE action we see today. That’s a testament to two of the best to ever step foot in the squared circle.