Ranking the 5 best WrestleMania matches of Bret Hart

When we name some of the greatest technical wrestlers to ever grace the wrestling ring, one name that will find itself at the top of almost every list is Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Born and brought up in one of the most respected and revered wrestling families, Bret was destined for greatness from the very beginning, although he wasn’t handed anything on a silver platter.Bret started wrestling for the Canadian Stampede promotion and was soon called up by Vince McMahon to the then WWF. He broke through the ranks, quickly ascending the food chain in the organization. Although Bret started his career in the tag team division, he went solo and won the prestigious WWE Intercontinental title, and soon started challenging for the WWE title.In this article, we rank the top five matches of Bret Hart at WrestleMania.

#5 The Hart Foundation vs. The Nasty Boys

This was during the pre – solo period for Bret, as The Hart Foundation went into WrestleMania 7 as the tag team champions. The Nasty Boys were your typical bullies with Jimmy Hart managing the duo. This was also the period when Bret was being groomed for a singles career, as after WrestleMania 7, Bret faced Mr. Perfect at SummerSlam for the Intercontinental championship.

The match in itself wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and the Nasty Boys weren’t really known for their technicality or their in-ring prowess. The pace and the storytelling of the match was decent with Bret being the central point for most of the important spots. In the end, The Hart Foundation hit their finisher, but thanks to Jimmy’s distraction, they lost the match and the tag team titles.

As I had mentioned, Bret would move on to singles career and would later defeat Mr. Perfect to win his first singles title after an amazing match.

#4 Bret Hart vs. Roddy Rowdy Piper

At WrestleMania 8, Bret faced Roddy Piper with the WWE Intercontinental title on the line. Going into the bout, both Bret and Roddy were friends, although Piper was a heel for the better part of his career. The match was very well booked, with both friends trying to do the right thing by playing fair. The pace of the match was also well controlled, with both the babyfaces trying to one – up each other.

There was a point during the match when they inadvertently knocked out the referee and Piper thought about using the ring-bell to get the cheap victory. Piper then threw the ring bell down, signifying the respect he had for Bret as a friend. In the end, Bret countered a sleeper hold into a pin-fall predicament to win the match, and the Intercontinental title.

It was a simple case of a veteran putting the youngster over, with Piper placing the title on Bret’s shoulder. They had good chemistry, and the fans cheered as Piper passed the proverbial baton to Bret. It also helped in elevating Bret’s career, as he would go on to win his first WWE title later that year.

#3 Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

Bret and Shawn never liked each other, although going into WrestleMania 12, their rivalry hadn’t escalated as much behind the scenes. Some would argue that it was after the conclusion of this match that their personal rivalry boiled over. Going into the match, everyone expected Shawn to win the WWE title from Bret, as it was time for him to cement himself as a legitimate main eventer, while Bret was rumored to take some time off after WrestleMania.

The match itself could’ve been booked better, as it was a 60 minute Iron Man match, with the stipulation being the winner of the most number of pinfalls or submissions in the one hour period would be declared the winner. Bret and Shawn worked very well together but at the end of 60 minutes, neither man was able to gain a pinfall victory. As the 60th minute neared, Bret had Shawn trapped in the Sharpshooter, but Shawn managed to hang on as the clock ran out.

It went to sudden death, as Shawn was finally able to put Bret down after two superkicks. After the match, Shawn allegedly told Bret to “get the f*ck out of the ring”, and this was considered to be the trigger point of their personal rivalry.

#2 Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

In what is undoubtedly the best opening match in WrestleMania, or for that matter PPV history, both brothers collided to kick off WrestleMania 10. Bret was also scheduled to take on Yokozuna for the WWE title in the main event but this match was about sibling rivalry, as Owen was jealous of his brother’s success, and wanted to prove to the world that he was the more talented Hart.

Bret didn’t want to go against his brother, but with Owen’s persistence, both the brothers put on a wrestling clinic at WrestleMania. The story was fairly simple, with Owen trying to out – wrestle his brother. It wasn’t a brawl, but a technical masterpiece, as both the superstars had their moments during the course of the bout. Owen would flaunt his small victories while Bret looked focused on winning their battle.

In the end, Bret landed a boot and climbed on Owen’s shoulders for a victory roll, but Owen managed to pin Bret’s shoulders down for the three count and the victory. The fans didn’t expect Owen to win but it was so very well booked that this match played off into their match later that year at SummerSlam. It would’ve ended up at the top of the list, if it wasn’t for the one match that arguably changed the WWE forever.

#1 Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

Steve Austin was the rebel, who didn’t like following the rules. He would do whatever it takes to finish at the top while Bret Hart respected the business and always sided by fair play and honesty.

Steve would take shots at Bret and at WrestleMania 13, both men went for glory, as Bret wanted to make an example out of Austin, while Austin wanted to attain superstardom at the expense of Bret Hart. In the end, however, both men managed to do more than just that, and rewrite the course of history.

The psychology behind the match was simple, and both men started brawling everywhere. Back inside the ring, they dished out punishment but neither man was ready to quit. Bret was the aggressive veteran who wanted to teach Austin a thing or two about respect, while Austin was the youngster who had a lot of heart and would do anything to win the match. During the bout, Austin was busted open as he bled profusely, which added to the turning of the tide in the end.

Towards the end, Bret locked Austin in the Sharpshooter while Austin refused to give up. Austin tried valiantly to get out of the hold, but Bret locked it in deep. Austin then passed out because of the pain, but Bret refused to let go, and tried to attack Austin but was stopped by Ken Shamrock. The crowd started booing Bret, and because of the heart and fight Austin showed, the crowd started cheering him.

This match would be the beginning of the Stone Cold era in the WWE, as the crowd chose Austin as the next face of the WWE. The match had great significance in a historical point of view, but the execution of the double turn and the match itself was amazing, and is deservedly ranked as Bret’s best match at WrestleMania.