It’s a well documented fact that Bret Hart is the best worker ever to have ever graced the WWE ring. Almost all the Hitman matches used to be that one long act that always had the most sweetest of finishes. The more recent testimony of the respect he gained was when Bret Hart featured in The Undertaker’s favorite wrestlers and opponents list.
For this article, I’m taking it as a given that you have watched every little gem that has come from the Bret The Hitman Hart factory, or have you?
Well, here are some rare Bret Hart matches that either have been forgotten or never got the credit and fanfare they deserved. Not all of them are instant classics, but they surely are worth your while.
Bret Hart vs The Undertaker, One Night Only ’97
Another classic that has got its own little fan following, but is not nearly as popular as Bret Hart vs Undertaker at Summer Slam earlier that year. Personally, this bout at One Night Only was a far superior one. I got bored midway in their SummerSlam match with Bret Hart trying hard to sell his Heel act. But this seesaw battle had the crowd divided. Blows for blows, hold break after hold break (Hart reversing Undertaker’s Old School move of climbing the turnbuckle to break opponent’s arm was my favourite). This also was Bret Hart’s last great match in WWE, or for that matter, his last great match ever.
Triple Threat: Bret Hart vs Sycho Sid vs Shawn Michaels
I have zero recollection of this match. Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid fought a Triple Threat match for the World Wrestling Federation Championship, which was with Shawn Michaels at the time. I believe this match took somewhere between January and March of 1997. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth your 19 minutes, it is!
Bret Hart vs Triple HHH or Hunter Hearst Hemsley, Mar 04, ’96
No, this is not the match with Shawn Michaels and Chyna at ringside to help Triple H. This one was held more than a year prior when Triple H was still going around as Hunter Hearst Hemsley. And unlike its more popular successor, this match had a proper finish, we did get a winner at the end.
Bret Hart vs Mankind
This one should have its price set in Gold, but I’m going to give it away for free! So we know how amazing both workers were at their craft, but there is a great chance you have never seen Bret The Hitman Hart and Mankind have a go at each other. Well, here is your treat.
Bret Hart vs British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, In Your House ’95
Not as rare as the other matches in this list, but Bret Hart vs British Bulldog at In Your House is most definitely one of the two most underrated Bret Hart matches ever (the other being the next on the list). Bret Hart covered in his own blood is a sight you rarely got to see, but so intense was this bout against British Bulldog that Bret Hart found fighting blood and blows between his legs to defend his title and, in the process, play up one of his greatest ever matches.
Bret Hart vs Steve Austin, South Africa
Lost in the books. This was the first ever time Bret Hart and Steve Austin squared off against each other. That said, their legendary rivalry between Steve Austin and Bret Hart had not yet started. This bout happened right after Bret Hart’s Iron Man match against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 12. The Hitman was on a sabbatical, but he was called in for WWE’s tour to South Africa for this very interesting match-up.
Bret Hart vs Jean Pierre Lafitte
1995 was not particularly a great year for WWE. With Diesel headlining the main events as champion and ordinary wrestlers ruling the roost – not to mention Kliq’s politics destroying the company -people were losing interest. But where there is a lone bright spot, there is ‘Bret The Hitman’ hart. Bret had a slew of amazing matches in 1995, and his bout with Jean Pierre Lafitte was one of them.
*****
Bret Hart raised the bar every time he stepped into the ring. Whether it was against a 5-star athlete or a greenhorn, you could take it for granted that the other guy would come off great for hanging in there with the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
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