Earlier this year I set out to write a list of the greatest matches of Bret Hart’s career. After watching well over 200 matches I have put together a list I am comfortable with that will be a nice tribute to my favourite wrestler. Note that multi men matches were generally ignored, unless Bret was a huge part of it.

Part 1 (100-76)

Part 2 (75-51)

Part 3 (50-26)

25.

Bret Hart

vs

Ricky Steamboat

Date: March 8, 1986

Promotion: WWF

Show: Prime Time Wrestling (July 28, 1986)

Location: Boston Gardens in Boston, MA

Note: Appears on “The Hart Foundation” & “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Was, The Best There Is, and The Best There Ever Will Be”.

The rumoured match for WrestleMania II and if this was any indication that would had been a classic. The only thing that keeps this from being even higher is that Bret was really lacking singles finishers at the time, so that aspect of near falls was not there.

24.

The Hart Foundation

vs

The British Bulldogs

Date: January 18, 1986

Promotion: WWF

Location: Capital Centre in Landover, MD

The best of the Hart Foundation and British Bulldogs matches and it’s weirdly on a house show in Maryland that never made a comp or Prime Time Television. It was a twenty minute match that actually had a pinfall finish, which is rare for their feud. Hot paced action here.

23.

Bret Hart

vs

Roddy Piper

Date: April 5, 1992

Promotion: WWF

Show: WrestleMania VIII

Location: Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, IN

Note: Bret Hart won the WWF Intercontinental Title. Appears on “Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story”.

This is a Bret Hart babyface vs babyface match where he isn’t the one who works subtle heel. It’s still a classic though, and the finish is something that will be used by Bret, then passed on to Steve Austin for years to come.

22.

Bret Hart

vs

Randy Savage

Date: November 11, 1987

Promotion: WWF

Show: Saturday Night’s Main Event (November 28, 1987)

Location: Coliseum in Seattle, WA

Note: Appears on “Best of Saturday Night’s Main Event”.

I LOVE this match. Bret destroys the Macho Man’s leg, and Savage is the master of selling a leg injury. Even though it’s one of the biggest stars in the company against a tag team wrestler it still feels like an even fight, due to Bret having his cronies with him. Highly dramatic and the best match in Saturday Night’s Main Event history.

21.

Bret Hart

vs

Diesel

Date: June 19, 1994

Promotion: WWF

Show: King of the Ring

Location: Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MD

Note: Bret Hart retains the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Appears on “Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection”.

The first match in the series between these two and a great match to start it off. What is more shocking is that Diesel had just started his singles career, yet this is a classic. Bret can work any big monster to an awesome match, except Sid in 1996.

20.

Bret Hart

vs

Steve Austin



Date: April 20, 1997

Promotion: WWF

Show: In Your House: Revenge of the Taker

Location: War Memorial in Rochester, NY

Note: Appears on “The Best of In Your House”.

Bret is super injured and is about to get surgery, and this match was originally Sid vs Bret, and it has a fuck finish. With all of that being said, this match fucking rules and if it wasn’t over shadowed by two classics between these two it would be considered a classic too.

19.

Bret Hart

vs

Owen Hart

Date: September 28, 1994

Promotion: WWF

Show: Action Zone (October 23, 1994)

Location: Westchester County Civic Center in White Plains, NY

Note: Bret Hart retained the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Appears on “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Was, The Best There Is, and The Best There Ever Will Be”.

I completely forgot about this match until this project and was blown away by the first main event of the very first Action Zone. This is the WrestleMania X match with hate and deserves to get more praise than it does.

18.

Bret Hart

vs

Mr. Perfect

Date: August 26, 1991

Promotion: WWF

Show: The SummerSlam

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

Note: Bret Hart won the WWF Intercontinental Title. Appears on “SummerSlam’s Greatest Hits”, “SummerSlam: The Greatest Hits”, “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Was, The Best There Is, and The Best There Ever Will Be”, “The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect”, & “History of the Intercontinental Championship”.

Although Perfect’s back is completely messed up here, they work a great match that most people remember fondly. Perfect gutted it out and it felt more like a coming out showcase party for Bret. The finish is one of my favourites with the Sharpshooter out of nowhere.

17.

Bret Hart

vs

Ric Flair

Date: January 24, 1998

Promotion: WCW

Show: Souled Out

Location: Hara Arena in Dayton, OH

Note: Bret Hart’s first WCW match.

We’ve talked about these two not liking each other, but here is another great match between them. Feels slightly out of place as it feels like an old school contest between two vets in 1998 WCW. A great way for Bret to debut in WCW and if they stayed in this vein WCW would had been in a lot better shape.

16.

The Hart Foundation

vs

The Killer Bees

Date: February 17, 1986

Promotion: WWF

Location: Madison Sqaure Garden in New York, NY

Note: Appears on “Best of the WWF, Vol. 8” & “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Was, The Best There Is, and The Best There Ever Will Be”.

The best Hart Foundation match in history and I think the Killer Bees might be the Harts best opponents. They get all the time they want in front of a hot crowd. A great tag match that everybody should watch.

15.

Bret Hart

vs

Davey Boy Smith



Date: August 29, 1992

Promotion: WWF

Show: The SummerSlam

Location: Wembley Stadium in London, England

Note: Davey Boy Smith won the WWF Intercontinental Title. Appears on “1992 Year in Review”, “The Best of the WWF: SummerSlam”, “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Was, The Best There Is, and The Best There Ever Will Be”, “Best of Confidential, Vol. 1”, “History of the Intercontinental Title”, & “Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology”.

Bret’s first pay-per-view main event, even though he’s the Intercontinental Champion. Bret works the subtle heel which is one of my favourite versions of Bret. Famously Bulldog blows up very early on here and Bret works his magic to make this a classic.

14.

Bret & Owen Hart

vs

The Steiner Brothers

Date: January 11, 1994

Promotion: WWF

Location: Civic Center in Florence, SC

Note: Appears on “Wrestlefest ’94” & “Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology”.

As great as the Owen and Bret feud was, its kind of a shame they didn’t go longer with The Hart Brothers as a tag team. This also felt like The Steiners unleashed where they work like they are in Japan or WCW with vicious suplexes and a Steiner Driver.

13.

Bret Hart

vs

Vader

vs

Steve Austin

vs

The Undertaker

Date: February 16, 1997

Promotion: WWF

Show: In Your House: Final Four

Location: UTC Arena in Chattanooga, TN

Gimmick: Final Four Match

Note: Bret Hart won the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Appears on “The Best of In Your House.”

A match I have always loved that I feel never gets it’s due. These four go to war in a super hot crowd with a vicious contest. Bret and Austin try to kill each other. Vader almost dies from blood. Undertaker is more intense than usual. I think the thing that drags it out of the top ten is the over the top rope finishes.

Bonus List:

Top 5 Opponents

5. Diesel (An all-time great trilogy of WWF Title matches, too bad their final match was a letdown).

4. Ric Flair (A surprisingly great opponent that spanned two titles and two companies).

3. Shawn Michaels (I’m not a big fan of Shawn, but six of their singles matches made the list, plus a few tags).

2. Owen Hart (Two matches in the top 25 plus three more singles and a few tags, Bret certainly worked great with his brother).

1. Steve Austin (With two matches in the top 10, plus two more single matches on the list this is THE Bret opponent).

12.

Bret Hart

vs

Diesel

Date: January 22, 1995

Promotion: WWF

Show: Royal Rumble

Location: Sundome in Tampa, FL

Note: Diesel retains the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Appears on “Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 90s”.

The second Diesel vs Bret World Title pay-per-view match and it builds on the first one. Here Diesel is the Champion and it’s a monster who is dominate versus the veteran Bret. A completely different feel than the King of the Ring match. Shitty finish aside, this is a great match.

11.

Bret Hart

vs

Terry Funk



Date: September 11, 1997

Show: Terry Funk’s WrestleFest: 50 Years of Funk

Location: Tri-State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Amarillo, TX

Gimmick: No DQ

The WWF World Champion goes to Terry Funk’s hometown on his retirement night and allows Funk to be as great as he’s always been. Bret works full heel and puts over Funk huge. Luckily it’s now on the WWE Network, so watch it.

10.

Bret Hart

vs

Chris Benoit

Date: October 4, 1999

Promotion: WCW

Show: Monday Nitro

Location: Kemper Arena in Kansas City, MO

Gimmick: Harley Race was the special referee.

Note: This match was dedicated to Owen Hart. Also appears on “Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story”, & “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be”, & “The Best of In Your House”.

I really didn’t want to include a Chris Benoit match, but this tribute to Owen is a true old school throw back.

9.

Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, & Brian Pillman

vs

Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, & Legion of Doom

Date: July 6, 1997

Promotion: WWF

Show: In Your House “Canadian Stampede”

Location: Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta

Note: Also appears on “Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon”, Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology”, “The Best of In Your House”, & “Owen: Hart of Gold”.

The hottest crowd in wrestling history as Bret Hart returns home the conquering hero. The story telling is great and it’s a perfect send off for the Hart Family in the WWF.

8.

Bret Hart

vs

Davey Boy Smith

Date: December 17, 1995

Promotion: WWF

Show: In Your House

Note: Bret Hart retains the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Also appears on “Monday Night Raw (January 8, 1996)”, “Winter Combat”, “Confirmed Hits”, “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be”, & “The Best of In Your House”.

Some people claim the SummerSlam match is better, but this one blows it away for me. You have the hate and blood in this one that makes it feel extra special. Plus it includes one of my favourite troupes, Bret doing something he thinks is cool for the first time, this one being the la magistral cradle.

7.

Bret Hart

vs

The Undertaker

Date: September 20, 1997

Promotion: WWF

Show: One Night Only

Location: NEC Arena in Birmingham, England

Note: Bret Hart retains the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Also appears on “Tombstone: The History of The Undertaker” & “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be”.

We take the SummerSlam main event to England, drop Shawn and ramp up the intensity for this CLASSIC. They took everything from the really good SummerSlam match and improved upon it with a better pace and a WAY hotter crowd.

6.

Bret Hart

vs

Mr. Perfect



Date: June 13, 1993

Promotion: WWF

Show: King of the Ring

Location: Nutter Center in Dayton, OH

Gimmick: King of the Ring: Semi-Finals

Note: Also appears on “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be”.

Much like the Davey Boy Smith match, Bret waits a few years from their SummerSlam classic and beats on a better version. Instead of the underdog Bret overcoming here we have two vets going at it with Bret playing the subtle heel. An amazing story with a great sports contest feel.

5.

Bret Hart

vs

1-2-3 Kid

Date: July 1, 1994

Promotion: WWF

Show: Monday Night Raw (July 11, 1994)

Location: Fernwood Resort in Bushkill, PA

Note: Bret Hart retains the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Also appears on “Raw Hits”, “The Best of Raw: 15th Anniversary”, & “The Best of Raw: Seasons 1 & 2”.

If you ever wondered what Bret as NWA World Champion in the 1980’s would had looked like you can find out by watching this match. The touring champion comes to town to take on the local under dog babyface and makes him look like a million bucks. Best match in the history of Raw.

4.

Bret Hart

vs

Diesel

Date: November 19, 1995

Promotion: WWF

Show: Survivor Series

Location: USAir Arena in Landover, MD

Gimmick: No Holds Barred

Note: Bret Hart won the WWF World Heavyweight Title. Also appears on “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be”.

One of the most Steven matches in wrestling history. Bret decides it’s No Holds Barred and works it like a No Holds Barred match. He doesn’t break when Diesel gets to the ropes, he ties him up and actually looks at the rules of the match like a real person, not a wrestler. Not to mention Bret bringing a table spot to the WWF in 1995 and doing perhaps the best most logical version of it ever.

3.

Bret Hart

vs

Steve Austin



Date: March 23, 1997

Promotion: WWF

Show: WrestleMania XIII

Location: Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, IL

Gimmick: Submission Match

Note: Voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Wrestler Observer Newsletter’s Match of the Year. Also appears on “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be”, & “Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time”.

I probably don’t need to tell you anything about this match for you to picture it, it’s probably one of the most famous matches in WWF history. It’s bloody, it’s violent, it’s got a double turn down to perfection, and it’s a perfect way to end the initial stage of this all time feud.

2.

Bret Hart

vs

Owen Hart



Date: March 20, 1994

Promotion: WWF

Show: WrestleMania X

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY

Note: Also appears on “1994 Year in Review”, “The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be”, Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 90s”, and “Owen: Hart of Gold”.

I think everybody knows this match very well. The best opener in WWE pay-per-view history. The best sibling rivalry feud ever and the match is just about perfect. Maybe if you don’t have a sibling you may not get the story as well, but regardless it rules. The whole lay out to make Owen a star with the perfect and shocking finish. Great ***** wrestling.

1.

Bret Hart

vs

Steve Austin



Date: November 17, 1996

Promotion: WWF

Show: Survivor Series

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY

Note: Also appears on “The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin”

I have talked a lot about this match in the past and it’s my favourite match of all time. What I love about this is that it feels like a love letter to old school wrestling and the end of an era. Jim Ross tells the story perfectly, Austin knows Bret and uses his moves through out the match. One of my all-time favourite wrestling moments is Bret Hart’s come back in this match where he wins a first fight after losing one earlier. The emotion here is priceless.

I hope you enjoyed this four-part list. Please leave feedback at Pro Wrestling Only or to me on Twitter.