This past Monday, WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart announced he had prostate cancer and the sports and entertainment world stood still. An outpouring of support from Bret’s former peers and current superstars, among others, expressed their support for ‘The Hitman’.
A career spanning more than 30 years, beginning in Stampede Wrestling in 1978 and debuting in the WWF in the 1980s, Hart would find his first success as a tag team wrestler with Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart as part of The Hart Foundation. Winning the WWF Tag Team Titles on multiple occasions, Bret would then move into singles competition and embark on what would become a Hall Of Fame career. As a singles competitor he would enter into legendary feuds with his brother Owen Hart, Mr. Perfect, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, and probably his greatest rival in Shawn Michaels. He would depart the WWF in 1997 and head to World Championship Wrestling after the now infamous ‘Montreal Screwjob’ at Survivor Series in Montreal. After a lackluster run in WCW, Bret would retire from active competition in 1999, reconcile with the WWE in 2005 and be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Hart’s entire career could be considered a highlight reel, here are some of the bright spots of the man known as ‘The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be’
Bret Hart Vs. Mr Perfect for the Intercontinental Title – SummerSlam 1991
photo: WWE
Hart’s first Intercontinental Championship would come during his feud with Mr. Perfect. This match was part of a feud between the two superstars that was ongoing for the better part of two years. Almost every confrontation between Hart and Perfect could be considered a 5 star effort. Mr. Perfect had held the IC Title for the better part of a year going into his match, ducking Hart’s requests for a title match. Hart would triumph and claim his first singles title in a match that is widely considered one of the best of the decade.
Bret Hart Vs. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin – Survivor Series 1996
photo: WWE
This match is widely regarded as the one that made ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin a bonafide superstar. Billed as a #1 Contenders match, in which the winner would go on to face then WWF Champion Shawn Michaels. Bret Hart was currently playing the ‘bad guy’ role as the clean cut veteran butting heads with the disrespectful Texas Rattlesnake, who had been calling out ‘The Hitman’ in the weeks leading up to the event. During the match, Austin would incur a cut on the forehead, which would be openly gushing blood, when he was put into the Sharpshooter by Hart and would pass out, giving Hart a hard fought victory and a title match.
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart – WrestleMania X, March 1994
photo: WWE
A family affair in 1994 as Bret would take on younger brother Owen at WrestleMania. Previously working as a tag team within a reformed Hart Foundation, Owen would turn on his sibling to get out from under the spotlight of big brother Bret. Both men turned in a fantastic performance and would face each other a number of times throughout their respective careers in WWF.
Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels – Iron Man Match for the WWF Championship – WrestleMania 12
photo: WWE
The match by which almost all ‘main event’ matches are measured against. Hart, the current WWF Champion against Shawn Michaels, seeking his first championship title. A 60 minute Iron Man match to determine a winner. Bret Hart would not win this match, but his strength was always his performance. No matter what happened, Hart would give 110 percent and perform flawlessly, win or lose. The crowd knew it, felt it, and would support Bret no matter where the storyline went.
You can show your support on social media using #GetWellHitman and these matches are available on the WWE Network, available on most streaming platforms.
Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite match or moment from Bret Hart
