Why Bret The Hitman Hart Is The Best Ever

Hart would defeat Diesel at Survivor Series 1995 to once again become WWF Champion, and reclaim his rightful place atop WWF. Bret would enter WrestleMania XII as the champion and face Shawn Michaels in a the first ever 60 minute Iron Man Match, it’s one of the most iconic matches in the history of wrestling. Shawn Michaels defeated Hart that night, and it was mutually agreed to that Bret would get his win back the following year at WrestleMania 13, in what would’ve been a highly anticipated rematch. The WrestleMania rematch never happened, Micheals had no interest in dropping the title back to Bret, and chose to vacate the title rather than lose to him. That disrespect was not forgotten by Hart, and it would lead to massive friction between McMahon’s two biggest stars. Michaels’ refusal to stick to the agreed plan would turn out to be a silver lining for Hart and WWF. Without the rematch to keep him occupied, Hart would face an up and coming superstar named Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13, The Hitman would help elevate Austin to a new level that night. Austin had all the potential in the world, but it was Hart who helped give him the finishing touches that he would need to change the wrestling world during the Attitude Era. Austin and Hart executed the most famous and successful double turns in wrestling history that night. Well respected wrestling critic Dave Meltzer gave their match 5 stars and Pro Wrestling Insider named the bout its Match of the Year for 1997. Hart and Austin would continue to feud past WrestleMania, and when Austin’s feud with Bret extended to The Hart Foundation, they would be awarded Pro Wrestling Insider’s Feud of the Year for 1997.