Top 3 opening matches in WWE WrestleMania history

Daniel Bryan punching The King of Kings!
Daniel Bryan punching The King of Kings!

#1 Bret Hart vs Owen Hart, WrestleMania X

Owen with figure four leg lock on Bret!
Owen with figure four leg lock on Bret!

The setup for this one was so simple - younger brother Owen gets jealous of older brother Bret and turns on him after a tag team match, challenges him to a match to settle who the better man is, Bret reluctantly accepts, and voila! - instant classic.

Both guys end up going a little dirty here and there, but for the most part, this one is a mat wrestling clinic, the likes of which you'd never see in the WWE today - unfortunately. If you think watching guys trade headlocks and armbars for twenty minutes are all this style of pure wrestling can offer, you don't know much about pro wrestling or the Harts.

The psychology on display here is awesome, as Owen spends most of his time on offense working over Bret's leg to set him up for the Sharpshooter, and Bret busts out a couple moves we don't get to see from him too often - including a Pescado - to keep up with his little brother.

The finish is brilliant and comes totally out of nowhere - Bret attempts a victory roll on Owen out of the corner, but Owen blocks the roll halfway through and sits down, pinning Bret instead.

No need to feel too bad for Bret though - he wins the WWF title from Yokozuna later in this show and has a classic rematch with Owen for the title in a steel cage at SummerSlam '94.

Owen went on to have entertaining feuds with Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin, but unfortunately never held the WWF title before he was killed in an accident before a pay-per-view match in May 1999.

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