When people talk about the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Bret Hart's name comes up every single time. 'The Hitman' was WWE's top star in arguably the toughest period in company history, carrying the company alongside Shawn Michaels during the infamous steroid scandal in the mid 1990s.
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Bret Hart had some of the best matches in wrestling history during WWE's New Generation Era. Regardless of the opponent, 'The Excellence of Execution' always found a way to bring out the best in them, with many wrestlers having had their best matches against Hart. Here are Bret Hart's ten best WWE matches, ranked.
To learn more about how we rank wrestling matches on TheSportster, please check out our match ranking criteria guide here.
UPDATE: 2024/07/09 20:00 EST BY Tomás Cunha
When one thinks of the greatest technical wrestlers in WWE history, Bret Hart's name quickly comes to mind. Very few wrestlers could ever do what The Hitman was capable of in his prime. But if one thinks Bret's matches were all about just the moves, they'd be wrong. Bret Hart brought incredible psychology, storytelling and intensity to his performances every single night, and he could have a great match against just about anyone. Bret Hart had an incredible career filled with epic encounters, so it's only normal some epic encounters won't make this list. Regardless, here are Bret Hart's definitive 13 best WWE matches.
15 Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels - WWE Championship (Survivor Series 1992)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10
Storytelling | 1.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 1.75/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.29
Late 1992 marked the beginning of a new era for WWE. After Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior fought over the WWE Title at SummerSlam, the next PPV featured a title match between future top stars Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Bret had been champion for over a month, while HBK had just captured the Intercontinental Title.
While fans usually think of another Survivor Series encounter between the two legends, this was by far the better match. Hart and Michaels delivered a fresh title match that was easily one of the best pay-per-views bouts over the WWE Championship up until that point. Five years before the infamous Montreal Screwjob, Michaels was the one tapping out to the Sharpshooter in 1992.
14 Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels - Iron Man Match, WWE Championship (WrestleMania 12)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10
Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.03
After years of big men dominating WWE's main event scene, names such as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels changed the game during the New Generation Era. The two men made history at WrestleMania 12, competing in a 60-minute Iron Man Match over the WWE Championship.
Michaels, who had won the Royal Rumble Match for the second consecutive year, finally realized his dream by winning in sudden death overtime. Michaels and Hart proved they were two of the very best ever that night, delivering a true classic for over an hour.
13 Bret Hart Vs. Ric Flair - WWE Championship (House Show, October 12, 1992)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: N/A
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.75
After being one of WWE's most consistent stars for nearly a decade, during which time he enjoyed two reigns as WWE Tag Team Champion and two reigns as Intercontinental Champion, Bret Hart finally reached the top of the mountain in October 1992. At a house show in Hart's home country of Canada, The Hitman became WWE Champion after beating Ric Flair in a great match.
While the match did take place at a live event, it eventually aired on television. Flair and Hart put on a wrestling clinic in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The match ended with The Hitman forcing Flair to submit to the Sharpshooter, becoming WWE Champion for the very first time in his career.
12 Bret Hart Vs. The British Bulldog - WWE Championship (In Your House 5: Season's Beatings 1995)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.82
When people talk about Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog, their iconic battle at SummerSlam 1992 comes to mind immediately. However, that wasn't the only great match the pair had. In December 1995, The Hitman and Davey Boy Smith tore the house down (no pun intended) at In Your House 5 in a WWE Championship match.
In a great little detail, Bulldog even wore the same tights with which he won the Intercontinental Title from Bret three years earlier. And while Davey Boy did try his best, Hart got his revenge as he picked up a crafty victory over his brother-in-law to retain the gold.
11 Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker - WWE Championship (One Night Only 1997)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: N/R
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.15
Some of Bret Hart's last great matches in his WWE career took place against The Undertaker. In fact, Undertaker even spoke highly about their battle at One Night Only on his Six Feet Under podcast. Furthermore, The Deadman credits Bret Hart for improve his in-ring skills during that time (via Inside The Ropes).
After a fantastic match at SummerSlam that ended with Hart capturing his final WWE Championship in controversial fashion, the two followed that up with an even better match at One Night Only. This is a true hidden gem despite the DQ ending, and a high recommendation to watch from us.
10 Bret Hart Vs. Roddy Piper - WWE Intercontinental Championship (WrestleMania 8)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 1.75/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 3.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.43
Face vs. face matches are hard to do because they force the crowd to choose a side. That was not a problem for Hart and the legendary Roddy Piper, who put the Intercontinental Championship on the line against 'The Hitman' at WrestleMania 8. The two legends did a brilliant job of manipulating the crowd with their teases of Piper turning heel.
The referee got knocked down and Piper grabbed the ring bell, with the crowd literally screaming against it! Piper dropped it and chose to apply a sleeper instead. Bret was able to roll through into a pinning predicament, which allowed him to capture the Intercontinental Title for the second (and last) time.
9 Bret Hart Vs. Diesel - No DQ Match, WWE Championship (Survivor Series 1995)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 3.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.98
We mentioned in the intro that many of Bret Hart's former opponents had their best matches against him - Kevin Nash himself said his personal favorite match happened against 'The Hitman' at Survivor Series 1995. This match saw Nash, then known as Diesel, losing the WWE Championship after a one-year reign.
Their no disqualification match was amazing and innovative, as it featured the first ever table spot on a WWE pay-per-view. Those who might think Bret carried Nash would be wrong, as the big man did his part very well and sold his injured leg brilliantly. Hart cleverly surprised Diesel with a quick inside cradle and captured the gold, while Diesel turned heel by attacking Hart afterwards.
8 Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect - WWE Intercontinental Championship (SummerSlam 1991)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.80
While Bret's second Intercontinental Title win against Roddy Piper was a storytelling masterpiece, his first was a technical wrestling masterpiece. Just a few months after going solo, 'The Excellence of Execution' earned a title shot against Mr. Perfect, who'd established himself as one of the greatest champions of all time.
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Unfortunately, Perfect went into this match with a crippled back, but that didn't stop Curt Hennig from having one of the best IC Title matches in WWE history. After a back-and-forth contest that even saw Hart kick out of the Perfect-Plex, Bret found a unique way to apply the Sharpshooter on the mat and forced Perfect to give up.
7 The Hart Foundation Vs. Austin, Shamrock, Goldust & LOD (In Your House: Canadian Stampede 1997)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.88
As you'll see throughout this article, Bret Hart had arguably the greatest feud of his career against 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. That feud had many twists and turns, but it all culminated with a ten-man tag team match at Canadian Stampede 1997, right before Hart would challenge The Undertaker for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
This unbelievable match stands among the very best multi-man tag matches of any kind in wrestling history. While it wasn't technically out of this world, the atmosphere was off the charts with the camera literally shaking due to the crowd reaction! The Canadian fans loved The Hart Foundation, and went bananas when Owen picked up the win over Austin.
6 Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect (King Of The Ring 1993)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.5/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.65
Without a doubt, the most impressive performance of Bret Hart's career was at King of the Ring 1993. At that event, Hart wrestled three completely different matches against completely different opponents - Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow. While all the matches were fantastic, the best was his semi-final clash against Perfect.
Fans remembered their classic contest at SummerSlam 1991, so expectations were very high. With Perfect healthier and on top of his game, they were able to top that bout and delivered the greatest match in King of the Ring history. Much like the match with Piper, Perfect teased going back to his evil ways here and there, creating a fun dynamic that kept the crowd alive. Bret outsmarted Perfect and went on to win the whole tournament.
5 Bret Hart Vs. Steve Austin (Survivor Series 1996)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.75/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.04
From the best match in King of the Ring history to the best match in Survivor Series history - if it's not clear by now, Bret Hart was extremely talented. Speaking of talent, Bret Hart saw a lot of potential in the young Steve Austin, personally asking to work with Austin in Hart's first televised match since WrestleMania 12.
Bret convinced Vince McMahon to sign Austin about a year earlier, and by the end of their match at Survivor Series 1996, it was clear 'The Texas Rattlesnake' was going to be a massive star in WWE. Their barnburner impressed everyone watching and left people wanting more. Little did we know they'd somehow top this classic!
4 Bret Hart Vs. Owen Hart - Steel Cage Match, WWE Championship (SummerSlam 1994)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.75/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.17
For some reason, sibling rivalries rarely work in WWE. For example, look at Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy - their feud never really clicked. The best brother vs. brother feud in WWE history was Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, by far. The feud worked because everyone (that has a brother, at least) could easily understand the story being told.
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The brothers had many notable matches, but the biggest one happened at SummerSlam 1994. There, the Harts clashed over the WWE Championship inside a steel cage. They spent the entire match finding creative ways to escape the cage, with the other one trying everything to prevent it. This classic is easily the best steel cage match in WWE history.
3 Bret Hart Vs. The British Bulldog - WWE Intercontinental Championship (SummerSlam 1992)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.75/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.07
By the summer of 1992, it was more than obvious Bret Hart was ready for a main event run. More determined than ever, 'The Hitman' wanted to create a match for the ages at SummerSlam 1992, where he'd drop the Intercontinental Championship to his brother-in-law, The British Bulldog. Needless to say, they surpassed all expectations.
The fans at Wembley Stadium loved every single second of this all-time classic, reacting to every spot in a big way. The psychology was amazing, with Bret becoming more hated with each move he did, despite not doing anything technically illegal. He just got more aggresive with time, which the British fans didn't like. In the end, Bulldog caught Bret on a sunset flip attempt and pinned him to become champion.
2 Bret Hart Vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania 10)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 10/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.48
Their biggest match might've been at SummerSlam, but their best encounter happened in the opener of WrestleMania 10 earlier that year. Bret was going to challenge the winner of Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna for the WWE Championship in the main event, while Owen had recently turned heel and wanted to establish himself as a top guy.
WrestleMania 10 helped accomplish just that, with Owen picking up a crafty win over his older brother after they had the best WrestleMania opener of all time. Despite the loss, Bret came back to win the belt from Yokozuna in the main event, still leaving Owen in his "shadow" even after the biggest win of his career. This was storytelling at its finest and allowed the feud to continue organically.
1 Bret Hart Vs. Steve Austin - Submission Match (WrestleMania 13)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 10/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer's Rating: 5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.64
All these years later, Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 is still considered by many wrestling fans as the absolute greatest wrestling match of all time. People had already seen what they were able to do at Survivor Series, but their Submission Match at 'Mania 13 was beyond historic.
Both men threw everything at each other in this intense matchup, with Ken Shamrock serving as the special guest referee. After a ringpost figure four, shots with the ring bell and a chair and much more, Austin passed out in a pool of his own blood while in the Sharpshooter. This was the best double-turn of all time and Stone Cold became the biggest face in WWE after this classic.
