Wrestlemania Rewind: Bret Hart vs Owen Hart at Wrestlemania X

#3 The Match

When Owen’s theme hit, the fans showered him with boos, and who can blame them? Something that helped Owen to gain more heat was he walked out with a Hitman shades on and once he got to the ring, he ripped them into pieces. When the Hitman’s theme song played, the crowd jumped to their feet and welcomed Bret to his first match at WrestleMania.

One of the most arduous tasks in wrestling is opening the show at WrestleMania. There’s always a great deal of pressure when you’re the first performer the crowd sees, when its WrestleMania that pressure is multiplied by a thousand. Blood brothers Bret and Owen Hart were given that exact task at the tenth anniversary show and did not disappoint. They took center stage and put on a clinic. From bell to bell the match was virtually flawless, and on any other night easily would’ve been the best match.

Starting off in the early going with Owen countering his brother's every attempt at asserting himself, this one very quickly ascended into the all-time classic fans still rave about some 20 years later. With McMahon and Lawler divided over which brother was 'ahead on points,' Bret eventually got the better of his brother with a stiff clothesline to the outside. The Hitman continued with a couple of nearfalls and a series of arm-bars. It wasn't long before Owen regained the advantage, abandoning the technical wrestling approach employed in the early moments and attacking his older sibling on the outside. Back and forth they went, each man taking turns to punish the other in a thrilling contest well deserving of its five-star status. Towards the climax, Bret dove over the top rope onto Owen, yet damaged his knee in the process. Back inside the ring, The Rocket took advantage by kicking Bret's leg out of his leg again and working over the injured knee, but still the resilient Hitman battled on. Eventually making a comeback, The Hitman took control, shooting his brother face-first into the corner and dropping a leg for a two count. A bulldog and a piledriver followed, yet when Hart attempted a victory roll from the top rope, the younger Hart countered, pinning the former champion's shoulders to the mat for a three count.

This is one of the greatest WrestleMania matches ever, and is definitely the best WrestleMania opener ever. Hell, it is one of the greatest matches ever. The hype for this match was very high, as were the expectations, and the two brothers delivered big time. What makes this match even more memorable is that Owen won in a huge upset. I don’t think anyone in their right mind expected him to beat Bret that night, as Owen was not even seen as being in Bret’s class at the time. The Harts put on a clinic in mat wrestling, selling and psychology and would have single handedly made this show awesome. Anyway, this is a must see for wrestling fans and is the match that Made Owen a star and poured more fuel into the searing Hart Family fire. This match is the absolute definition of pure wrestling.