Let me begin by saying I KNOW pro wrestling is pre-determined (some folks at #LWOS don’t like us using the “F” word). So when the topic of dream matches come up, I know it’s impossible to look at them the way you would look at two boxers or two hockey teams.
However, pro wrestling is itself a world of pop culture fantasy. It’s entertainment. A living, breathing comic book. And if it’s acceptable to ask and analyze “Who would win in a fight between Superman and The Hulk?”(The answer is Superman for the record) then I can hypothesize about the pro wrestling dream match ups that we may never see.
The question of who is the greatest tag team in wrestling has been and will continue to be much debated throughout history. I can’t be the only person who put together various “ultimate” tag team tournaments on paper with action figures, or in video games! It was with this idea in mind I found myself thinking: Who would win in a match between The British Bulldogs and The Hardy Boyz?
I’ll do my best to analyze the data I have at my disposal, throw in a dash of subjective opinion and determine who I would put my money on if I was a betting man. First, lets look at The British Bulldogs.
The British Bulldogs
From Leeds, England and weighing in at a combined 480 lbs., The British Bulldogs were one of the duos involved in the WWF Tag Team renaissance of the 1980s. Because of this, their quality of opposition cannot be understated enough and will be one of the first things we examine.
The British Bulldogs had a variety of teams to compete against in their heyday, including powerhouses such as Demolition and The Powers of Pain, aerialists like The Killer Bees and their greatest rivals, The Hart Foundation. This means the Bulldogs have experience against a number of different styles, making them adaptable in the ring.
Without question the Bulldogs’ greatest asset in any fight was their tenacity. Their name was quite appropriate as Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid could often outlast their opponents, ensuring victory through attrition. Dynamite especially would take great amounts of punishment and continue to fight through the pain until making a tag to freight train Davey Boy, which would usually lead to the duo pulling off one of their spectacular double team maneuvers (still impressive to see today) for the victory.
England’s finest were not without their flaws however. While the Bulldogs had great intensity in the ring that made them both intimidating and dangerous, it was also the cause of their downfall on many occasions. The Bulldogs would often get so focused on hurting their opponents that they would get tunnel vision, allowing their opponents to gain an advantage.
What also often lead to their other downfall is a susceptibility to trickery. The Bulldogs were often able to hold their own against fellow fan favorite teams, but against notorious rule breakers, Dynamite and Davey Boy had a tendency to get outsmarted, if not by their formidable foes inside the ring, than by their devious managers. Many would say “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart was the edge Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart had over the Bulldogs in their classic encounters, and they would be correct.
The Hardy Boyz
Brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy from Cameron, North Carolina were part of their OWN WWF Tag Team renaissance during the “Attitude” era. However, their opposition was quite different than that of their fantasy opponents.
There were plenty of behemoths for The Hardys to face. The Dudley Boyz and The Acolytes for example ensured the Hardys had to become tough as nails to survive the tag team ranks, but they also had the advantage of facing competition very similar in style with the young and fast daredevils Edge and Christian. Throw in a list of formidable former tag team champions such as The New Age Outlaws and MNM, and The Hardy Boyz have proven they can hang with the best.
What made the Hardy Boyz different (and dangerous) was the ways in which they would be willing to sacrifice themselves in order to win. They would oftentimes blindside opponents with innovative offense that would come seemingly out of nowhere. Wrestling the Hardys was a lot like fighting a tornado. They would come sailing towards you at a blistering pace, and could hit you with so much, so fast, you wouldn’t realize what had happened to you until the bell had rung and you were looking at the lights.
That being said, they call it “high risk” for a reason and The Hardy’s greatest asset was also their biggest detriment. On the times when Matt and Jeff would crash and burn for their exciting offense, they were rarely able to come back to win. No better example of this is their series of ladder and TLC matches with The Dudleys and the duo of Edge and Christian. In every one of these matches, the Hardys were their own worst enemies, taking themselves out of the match, allowing their penultimate rivals, Edge and Christian, to pick up the victory.
Analysis
The interesting thing about this match up is that on paper these two teams seem like complete opposites but in reality they were very similar in style, which makes a winner even harder to call in this situation.
The British Bulldogs were not often in a situation where they were the bigger team, but against the Hardys they would have a size advantage. Although unfamiliar territory, Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid have never let an opportunity slip past them, and would try to muscle Matt and Jeff around.
The Hardys however were often in the ring with violent comparative giants. This would give them a slight experience advantage in knowing how to handle a team trying to out power them. The boys from North Carolina would likely try to disorient the Bulldogs with their speed in an attempt to get the better of Dynamite Kid’s temper.
Although I think this would be a good strategy, Dynamite is tough as nails, and would likely be able to handle whatever offense could be thrown at him just long enough to tag in the much more level headed Smith. From there, the Hardys would panic and try to pull out all the stops against England’s favorite sons. This would lead to their ultimate downfall as The Bulldogs would only need to capitalize on one big mistake from the young high flyers to finally put away Team Extreme.
Winners: The British Bulldogs
When I first thought of this dream match, my gut reaction was to bet on The Hardy Boyz, but after watching some matches it was clear that both teams tenacity was going to make this a much closer contest. For me, the deciding factor comes down to era of experience. The Bulldogs were used to going out for much longer periods of time, where as The Hardy Boyz kamikaze style had built them up tolerance… But not patience. They were sprinters in a marathon against long distance runners.
Of course, this is the analysis of just one person. Maybe you think I’m crazy for believing the Bulldogs would come out on top. Perhaps there are other attributes you think I overlooked leading to a different outcome. Or maybe you agree that Davey and Dynamite would win… but that my analysis missed the mark. Well, feel free to sound off with your own analysis and your picks for the victor using #bulldogsover or #hardyzover.
Feel free to comment below, and follow me on twitter @AdamContant and the site @lastwordonsport. Also follow @AaronWrotkowski @DeHaanoffate @LWOSCarlucci and @CrimsonSkorpion on the Last Word on Sports Wrestling team.
