Bret Hart has always laid claim to the title of the best professional wrestler of all time. His work in WWE is a showcase of the technical wizardry he can perform against names like Mr. Perfect, Steve Austin, and Shawn Michaels. Bret Hart was given the incredibly hard task of being the face of the WWE after the height of the Golden Era with Hulk Hogan at the top of the promotion.
While the New Generation Era isn't looked back on with the most fondness, Bret Hart is the sole exception to that and was a major reason the WWE stayed afloat and has now inspired countless names to start their career after growing up and watching The Hitman perform. Looking back on Bret's career, here are the best spots from both his work in WWE and WCW.
10 Sharpshooter On Diesel
Bret Hart's most famous maneuver, his finisher the Sharpshooter, is a move that no one can do as well as he did. Even with it being a somewhat complicated submission move, Hart could apply it to anyone and make it look amazing when he did.
His opponent for a few matches was Diesel who stood taller than Bret and was bigger in every way. Despite this, Bret still locked in the Sharpshooter and made it look like a challenge due to Diesel's legs being so massive.
9 Steel Plate With Goldberg
Bret's career in World Championship Wrestling is looked back on greatly due to him just generally being fed up with the industry at that point and injuries, but his feud with Goldberg did provide one moment that fans look back on often.
Goldberg and Bret Hart stood face to face on Nitro with Hart antagonizing Goldberg to hit him. Goldberg did his signature Spear before laying unconscious on the mat. Hart revealed he was wearing a solid steel plate on his abdomen causing Goldberg to knock himself out.
8 Sharpshooter On Yokozuna
For many of the same reasons as mentioned earlier, Bret fighting a man the size of Yokozuna normally seemed like a quick victory for the much bigger opponent. Bret's will to win, and his constant amazing performances kept him in the fight and even locked in victory most of the time.
During his feud with Yokozuna, Hart would apply his signature move, and even with Yokozuna's size making Diesel look thin, Hart was able to hold the move perfectly and make it look painful for his competition.
7 Escaping The Steel Cage At SummerSlam 1994
Bret was so good in the ring that he could make small moments like escaping a cage look good. SummerSlam 1994 saw the two brothers face off against each other in a Steel Cage match with the WWE Championship on the line. Owen was the heel and constantly tried to escape the cage after any little move while Bret tried to fight back and put on a show.
Owen got the cage door open and tried to crawl out from the ring to escape and win before getting grabbed by Bret and pulled back in. Bret realized he needed to play similar games as Owen and leaped over his brother before getting stopped himself. The two traded this spot a few times before realizing it wasn't going to work. Bret eventually got the win when Owen's foot got stuck in the cage, and Bret leaped for the win.
6 Corner Figure Four Leglock
Another move that Bret Hart performed quite often was the Figure Four Leglock. Now typically stars like Hart or Ric Flair would do this move inside the ring to try and ensure a victory via tapout, Hart sometimes used the move in a more illegal way to ensure the damage was done.
Hart wrapped his opponent's legs around the ring post and Bret hung from their legs outside the ring applying pressure around the metal pole. The move often resulted in Hart often getting counted down before having to let go and return to the ring.
5 Kicking Mr. Perfect's Leg
Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect had two of the best matches of the New Generation Era when they faced off against each other at SummerSlam 1991 and King of the Ring 1993. The SummerSlam match featured many of the spots the two repeated in the sequel years later.
One moment saw Bret focusing on doing damage to Perfect's leg to lock in the Sharpshooter. Perfect was walking around the ring holding on to the ropes while Bret started to kick Perfect in the legs hard enough for him to do a flip on his way down.
4 SummerSlam 1992 Finish
Once again leave it to Bret Hart to show that one of his best spots doesn't involve him hitting a move or getting the victory. SummerSlam 1992 is a showing of Bret's in-ring work ethic as he carried The British Bulldog to a good match despite the shape Bulldog was in due to backstage antics.
Davey Boy was locked in the Sharpshooter but pulled himself to the ropes and became the first man to escape the move. Hart attempted a Sunset Flip, but Bulldog reversed and flipped forward, rolling Hart up for the pinfall victory.
3 Rolling Up Bam Bam Bigelow
The finals of the King of the Ring 1993 tournament saw a tired Bret Hart go through Razor Ramon and Mr. Perfect before needing to square off against the monster that was Bam Bam Bigelow. Bam Bam was the fresher of the two men as he had a much shorter match against Jim Duggan and received a bye after the Lex Luger and Tatanka match ended via a draw.
During the whole event, Bret showed off why he was the best in the ring that night and his match with Bam Bam was the ultimate showcase for the babyface performer. The finish saw a worn-out Bret climb up Bigelow's shoulders and flip him over for a roll-up and the pinfall.
2 Ducking Shawn Michaels' Chair Shot At SummerSlam 1997
SummerSlam 1997 saw Bret Hart being the heel during a match against The Undertaker with the WWE Championship on the line. Hart's longtime rival Shawn Michaels was the special guest referee for the contest and saw a major role in the finish of the match.
Hart used dirty tactics such as illegal chair shots to try and keep The Undertaker down before Michaels notice the weapon laying in the ring. HBK then pulled Hart off Undertaker with Bret getting angry and spitting in Michaels' face. Shawn then tried to hit Hart with the chair himself, but Hart ducked down and let The Undertaker get hit instead leaving him open for the pin.
1 WrestleMania 13 Sharpshooter
Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 is easily one of both men's best matches and featured the historical double turn for the competitors at the end of the match. After a grueling bout, Hart locked Austin in his Sharpshooter submission to secure the victory.
Austin however didn't tap out and instead lay there covered in blood refusing to tap before passing out from the pain. Hart started getting booed as he wouldn't let go of the move. The night solidified Austin as a top star and turned Hart heel for his actions.
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