Happy Canada Day: The Top Canadian Moments in Wrestling
Anyway, the best possible way to celebrate this event is by mentioning some of my favourite (with a "u") Canadian moments in wrestling history. Now, this is big moments that have prominently featured Canada, not just moments that involved Canadian wrestlers.
I even tried to include some that don't involve Bret Hart at all.
Honourable Mention (with a "u"):
Brock Lesnar wins the Universal Title
Yes, he's Canadian now! We count that.
Honourable Mention (with a "u") Number Two:
The Mountie's Theme Song
This theme itself is great, in a terrible way, but even better is that the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) took legal action against Rougeau to prevent him from using the Mountie gimmick in Canada, which led to the Quebecers using a version of this theme called "We're Not The Mounties."
Okay, now onto the actual list.
Edge versus John Cena in Toronto
This TLC match was a big moment for Edge, a big moment for the Toronto crowd, and a damn good match at that. It probably features Canada much less than any other moment in this list, but it's certainly a big moment in Canadian wrestling history.
Lance Storm Wins All The Titles
Not only did Storm win the WCW United States, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore titles at the same time, but he gave them new Canadian names: the Canadian Heavyweight Championship, the 100 kg and Under Championship, and Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title (S.H.I.T.) Yeah, that title was definitely shit.
"Who's your daddy, Montreal?"
This is heel Shawn Michaels at his best. I don't even need to type anything else here. Just watch it.
Trish Stratus Retires
Trish Stratus retired from full-time competition after winning the Women's Title in Toronto. And she did it with the Sharpshooter. This was the same PPV as the Cena/Edge match mentioned above, so Canada got a lot of love on this show.
Rock versus Hogan
Neither of these competitors are Canadian, but the Canadian crowd definitely had an impact on the match, cheering Hogan and throwing the entire match (and the nWo angle) off course.
Bret Hart Tricks Goldberg
Bret Hart cut a pretty good promo on Goldberg, flattered the Canadian crowd, got a cheap pop out of wearing a Leafs jersey. Then he let Goldberg spear him only to reveal a steel plate underneath his jersey. It was a pretty clever segment, to be honest.
The Hart Foundation's Canada/US Feud
I'm going to write an entire post one day on why the Bret Hart vs Steve Austin feud (and by extension the Hart Foundation vs the USA feud) was the greatest feud in wrestling history, but I'll just say a little bit about it here.
This was an incredible angle that got so many different wrestlers over. And not just that, it made shows feel important. Raw was held in the US one week and Canadian the next, and each show had a completely different feel, with different people being cheered and booed depending on the venue. That in itself made each episode interesting and worth watching.
Which brings me to...
Canadian Stampede
This was the greatest moment in Canadian wrestling history. Period.
The entire In Your House: Canadian Stampede pay-per-view was great, and one of the best non-"big four" pay-per-views in history. But that moment right there, where the entire Hart family celebrates in front of the Calgary crowd, is the greatest Canadian wrestling moment ever.
It's even more memorable when you consider that Owen Hart, British Bulldog, and Brian Pillman are no longer with us (not to mention Stu and Helen Hart). Plus, a young Natalya even made an appearance.
Is there anything I missed?
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