5 Best Bret Hart Matches As A Face (& 5 Best As A Heel)
Bret Hart had one of the most talked-about and storied careers of any superstar in history. From his days in WWE in the Hart Foundation, to joining the nWo in WCW - Bret's wrestling journey was long and distinguished.
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Bret was one of the most popular superstars in wrestling history. He was adored in his native Canada, but also through the United States and Europe. For most of his career he was a face, but his heel turn in 1997 showed how versatile he was as a wrestling personality. He proved in this era that he was every bit as good as a heel as he was as a face. Just as he could make a lot of people love him, he could also make a lot of people hate him.
10 Heel: Bret Hart Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin At In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker
After their classic encounter at WrestleMania 13, Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin faced off again at In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker. This match rounded off an excellent trilogy of matches between the two.
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The match ended in a disqualification after Hart Foundation members stormed the ring to attack Austin. Nonetheless, this was a fantastic match and contributed considerably to establishing Bret as WWE's top heel.
9 Face: Bret Hart Vs Diesel At Survivor Series 1995
Bret Hart vs Diesel at Survivor Series 1995 is one of those underrated gems. The match put an end to Diesel's year-long title reign and put Bret back on top as the main man.
Bret showed again in this match why he was one of the best, showing some innovative offence which included tying Diesel up to the ring post with a cable. This match was essentially face vs face, but Diesel turned heel after Bret surprised him with a small package to win the WWE Title from him.
8 Heel: The Hart Foundation vs The British Bulldogs At Saturday Night's Main Event XI 1987
At Saturday Night Main Event XI, two iconic WWE tag teams from the '80s went head to head as The Hart Foundation took on The British Bulldogs in a 2-out-of-3-falls match. The Bulldogs and the Harts wrestled pretty regularly in this era, and they were two of the finest teams around at the time.
The Hart Foundation used some heel antics to gain the upper hand, but it was the Bulldogs who emerged victorious winning the match in two straight falls. Bret is perhaps best remembered for his work as a singles wrestler, but this early period in his career proved he possessed great chemistry as a tag team competitor alongside his partner Jim Neidhart.
7 Face: Bret Hart Vs Mr. Perfect At SummerSlam 1991
Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect from SummerSlam 1991 is the match that helped elevate Bret into superstardom. Bret becoming Intercontinental champion was the first indication that WWE had full faith in him.
This was a great match between two tremendous in-ring workers. A methodically paced match with crisp manoeuvrers and great psychology made for a great encounter. Bret kicking out of the Perfect Plex and making Perfect tap out to the sharpshooter were big moments in Bret's illustrious career.
6 Heel: Bret Hart Vs Shawn Michaels At Survivor Series 1997
The Survivor Series 1997 match for the WWE title which saw Bret Hart defend against Shawn Michaels is best remembered for the screwjob finish. Despite this finish, however, these two had a great match in what turned out to be Bret's final match in WWE until 2010.
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Bret was unquestionably a heel at this time but in Canada, he was a fan favorite. This match was held in Montreal, Quebec so the crowd was very much in Bret's favor during this contest. Although the finish to the match left a sour taste, Bret and Michaels always had great chemistry in the ring and this contest exemplified that fact.
5 Face:Bret Hart Vs Owen Hart at WrestleMania X
Bret Hart faced his brother Owen Hart in the opening bout at WrestleMania X. This was one of the all-time classic WrestleMania matches. As a pure wrestling contest, there is a good argument for saying this was one of the best matches in WWE history.
Owen Hart got the shock win over his brother after countering a victory roll to hold Bret's shoulders down for the 3 count. Both men came out of this match looking great and Bret would go on to win the WWE title later in the night.
4 Heel: Bret Hart Vs Team Austin At In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
The 10-man tag from In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede 1997 pitted the Hart Foundation against Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and The Legion of Doom. A partisan crowd in Calgary was firmly on the side of the Canadians, who were meant to be the heels at the time.
A full-blooded match with an electric atmosphere was won by the Hart Foundation after Owen Hart rolled up Autin to score the pinfall. This was one of the more chaotic matches involving Bret, but it had all the intensity and drama of a great wrestling match.
3 Face: Bret Hart Vs Shawn Michaels At WrestleMania XII
The Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels for the WWE Title was a match for the ages. A 60-minute contest which ended 0-0 was eventually won by Shawn Michaels in overtime.
This was a real wrestling clinic, a back-and-forth match which had the fans hooked from start to finish. Bret and Michaels in this period were both in their prime, and whilst they both didn't see eye to eye, they were capable of having great matches together.
2 Heel: Bret Hart Vs Undertaker At SummerSlam 1997
SummerSlam 1997 saw Bret Hart challenge Undertaker for the WWE Title. Shawn Michaels was the special guest referee in this match that saw Bret reclaim his WWE Championship in controversial fashion.
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Bret and Undertaker having great chemistry in the ring made this an enjoyable wrestling contest, and Michaels as the guest referee made for some tremendous drama. The finale of this match saw Bret spit in Michaels' face, HBK then swang for Hart with a steel chair, but he ducked and hit Taker inadvertently. Michaels reluctantly made the count and Bret was declared the winner.
1 Face: Bret Hart Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin At WrestleMania 13
The submission match between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 is one of those must-see encounters from the WWE archives. A wrestling clinic that was not only a great match but told an even better story and developed both superstars characters in the process.
What was most interesting about this match is that Bret turned heel at the end and Austin turned face. Bret refusing to let go of the Sharpshooter after Austin had passed out from the pain and the bell had already sounded cemented his status as a villain.
