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When it comes to Wrestlemania, there are men whose careers count on bringing on epic performances of a lifetime.
At the same time, there are men whose careers are legendary to the point that whatever they do on the grandest stage is just icing on the cake.
This would perfectly describe Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Bret’s career is a who’s who of accomplishments, in which some of them just so happen to occur at WrestleMania.
From battle royals to submission-based quarrels, Bret has seemingly done just about everything there is at Wrestlemania. Let’s take a look back at some of his more major accomplishments.
His inaugural Wrestlemania contest was one in earnest, as Bret was one of the last men eliminated in the battle royal at Wrestlemania 2. Keep in mind this was during the Hart Foundation’s infancy, and the one hurling Bret (and Jim Neidhart for that matter) over the top was Andre the Giant.
Although a six-man tag at Wrestlemania III (Hart Foundation w/ Danny Davis vs. The British Bulldogs & Tito Santana) did have a good amount of heat to it, it would be a few years before the Hart Foundation had a meaningful match on the big show.
On a one-off singles appearance, Bret took part in a battle royal at Wrestlemania IV that would change the course of his history. After being eliminated by Bad News Brown, Bret jumped Brown from behind and destroyed his trophy. This would turn Bret Hart face, and Hitman would stay good for close to a decade.
Instead of the crooked viles of heel work in most of their prior matches, the Hart Foundation at Wrestlemania VII were fun-loving good guys pandering to the zeal of the crowd. It didn’t help them much against the Nasty Boys however, as Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags used their cheating to win the tag team championships.
On one hand, this was an end of an era as the Hart Foundation amicably split up shortly afterwards.
On the other hand, this was the start of a new era, as Bret would launch his singles career.
Wrestlemania VIII saw Bret Hart face off against Roddy Piper for the Intercontinental Championship. This match was so impressive that in an earlier entry, this was the 1992 pick for the best matches of the 1990s. Bret, in a move that even stifles contemporaries today, was able to nicely conceal a blade job three-quarters of the way through the bout. The finish was one of the neatest reversals in the history of Wrestlemania: Piper locked Bret in the his patented sleeper, and then Bret kicked off the turnbuckles, and hooked Piper into a pinning predicament thus becoming a two-time IC belt-holder.
Wrestlemania IX and X are inter-twined, as a story seemingly started and ended between those two events. Yokozuna faced Hart for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania IX. Yoko, who had Mr. Fuji as a pick in his corner, won the title after the manager Fuji threw salt in the Hitman’s eyes. Hulk Hogan seemingly came out to ‘avenge’ Hart, and won the title in a impromptu match. Yokozuna would win the title again at King of the Ring, the same event where Hart won the KOTR tournament.
Now between KOTR and Wrestlemania X, another major component would enter into the mix. Bret’s little brother Owen would tag with him and the rest of the Hart brothers at the Survivor Series. Owen was the only one eliminated, and it sparked some jealousy from the little nugget. After patching things up on paper, the feud re-ignited big time as Owen turned on Bret after Bret was ‘injured’ during a tag title match at the Royal Rumble. Jealously turned into righteousness, and Owen received the bout he wanted with Bret for Wrestlemania X.
More on that in a second.
Bret’s business wasn’t done at the Rumble, as he would take part in the Rumble match itself. He and Lex Luger simultaneously eliminated one another, and therefore each received a title bout for Wrestlemania X. A coin-toss on RAW further signified the two-match format for the big day.
In the opening contest of Wrestlemania X, Owen defeated Bret, the first of what would be many matches between the two. It was a great contest, easily the best opener in ‘Mania history. The other shocker about this match was that Owen pinned Bret clean as a sheet. With Bret as mega-huge at the time as he is, you’d almost think that a ‘cheap’ win would be the only way to go. In the long run, Owen benefitted big off the clean win.
In the main event of the show, Bret defeated Yokozuna (who had defeated Lex via DQ earlier) via pinfall after Yokozuna messed up (planned) a Bonzai Drop. Just like the Yoko/Luger match earlier with Mr. Perfect, this match had a special referee. Roddy Piper, whom Bret Hart had faced for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania VIII, made the call for this important match.
Speaking of Roddy, this wouldn’t be his last foray into representing Bret Hart at WrestleMania. Wrestlemania XI saw a match that was every bit as bad as Survivor Series 1994 was great. Bret Hart. Bob Backlund. Submissions only (well, it was really ‘I Quit’). Bret won, but in the long run it’s considered a match best served in the trash can.
Although XI wouldn’t mean much in the overall career of Bret Hart, XII sure would.
Bret would walk into WrestleMania XII as the WWE Champion. His opponent was Shawn Michaels, winner of the Royal Rumble for the second consecutive year. While most of the attention was on the Heartbreak Kid, Hart wasn’t exactly silent on the sidelines either. In the background, he was ready to prove he was the Iron Man about to paint a 60 minute masterpiece. Before the match, it was decided the match would go 0-0 in regulation with a forced overtime period. This would make a note of how tough either man was to beat. In what is the longest match in Wrestlemania history, Shawn defeated Bret in the second minute of overtime to clinch his first-ever WWE Championship. This would mark a sabbatical for Bret, whose stretch of in-ring time without a break was quickly approaching a decade.
While he was away, a new rival burst onto the scene.
Steve Austin entered WWE via a hot stint in ECW. While Austin’s early WWE days were nothing to write home about, one promo changed everything. After that King of the Ring promo, a newfound confidence arose in Austin. Confidence that allowed the rattlesnake to call out Bret Hart for a future challenge.
As summarized from Austin’s profile, the two would have on-going feud stemming from the fall of 1996. By the time Wrestlemania 13 rolled around, this duel had reached its apex.
It was yet another Submissions Match. Unlike the Backlund disaster of a couple of years before, this one was primed on being a masterpiece. Instead of swapping holds, these two were trading punches. Both men gave each other everything they had. Hart even bladed Austin, which in turn would give the WWE Universe some of the most iconic imagery in WrestleMania history. Austin’s resilience gave the fans ammunition to root Steve on while making Bret look like a transitional villain. Austin valiantly tried to get out of Bret’s Sharpshooter, but passed out in a pool of his own blood trying to get out. This match not only turned out to be a classic, but it is also regarded by many as the best double-turn in professional wrestling history.
Later on in 1997, the Montreal Screwjob reared its ugly head and people feared Bret would NEVER return to the WWE.
Upon a phone call and a handshake, Bret went to Stamford, Connecticut to meet with Vince McMahon and make his DVD. In this blogger’s opinion, it’s the best WWE DVD ever put out.
In turn, this led into his 2006 Hall of Fame induction. Who inducted ‘The Hitman’? None other than Austin himself. It was very fitting because not only did their legendary match happen in the Rosemont Horizon, but also it was a wild turning point for both men in their respective careers. Austin and Hart were also friends outside the ring and that made the request easier to accept.
At the dawn of 2010, Bret Hart returned to WWE and RAW to make amends with Shawn Michaels. After he did, Bret was thrust into a feud with Vince McMahon. This culminated into a No Holds Barred match at WM XXVI, a match that will go down as one of the slowest-paced matches in history. Hart persuaded his family members to turn on Vince, and it led to making Vince tap in Bret’s Sharpshooter.
Overall, Bret’s Wrestlemania history is like icing on the proverbial cake. He may not have singularly put WrestleMania on the map. Hell, he’s not considered a ‘Showstopper’, or ‘Headliner’, or ‘Main Event’, or even ‘Immortal’. Not only was he the excellence in execution, but Bret’s matches were amongst the best there ever would be.
CONTESTS
Wrestlemania II: Andre the Giant won a 20-Man Battle Royal Featuring WWE Superstars and NFL Players, lastly eliminating Bret Hart. (9:53) NR
Wrestlemania III: The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart, w/ Jimmy Hart) & ‘Dangerous Danny Davis defeated The British Bulldogs (Tom Billington and Davey Boy Smith) & Tito Santana in a Six-Man Tag Match by pinfall. (8:52) **1/2
Wrestlemania IV: Bad News Brown won a 20-Man Battle Royal by defeating Bret Hart last. (10:40). NR. After Brown’s victory, Bret proceeded to destroy the trophy, and therefore he turned face.
Wrestlemania V: The Hart Foundation defeated The Honky Tonk Man & Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine w/ Jimmy Hart by pinfall. (7:37) **
Wrestlemania VI: The Hart Foundation defeated The Bolsheviks (Boris Zhukov and Nikolai Volkoff) by pinfall. (0:19) NR
Wrestlemania VII: The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) w/ Jimmy Hart defeated The Hart Foundation by pinfall to capture the WWE Tag Team Championships. (12:10) **3/4
Wrestlemania VIII: Bret Hart defeated Roddy Piper by a reversal out of a sleeper into a pinfall to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship. (13:51) ****1/4
Wrestlemania IX: Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) defeated Bret Hart by pinfall to capture the WWE Championship. (8:55) **1/2. After the match, Hulk Hogan came out to ‘avenge’ Hart, and in a impromptu match, defeated Yokozuna to become WWE Champion.
Wrestlemania X: Owen Hart defeated Bret Hart by pinfall. (20:21) *****
- Bret Hart defeated Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette) by pinfall to win the WWE Championship with Roddy Piper as special referee. (10:38) **1/2
Wrestlemania XI: Bret Hart defeated Bob Backlund in a “I Quit” Match after Roddy Piper determined that the sound Backlund made into the microphone was a submission. (9:34) *
Wrestlemania XII: Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart in a 60-minute Iron man match (1-0) to win the WWE Championship. This occurred in overtime. (1:01:56) ****1/2
Wrestlemania 13: Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin in a Submission Match after special guest referee Ken Shamrock deemed Steve Austin unable to compete due to blood loss. (22:05) ***** Launched Steve Austin into the stratosphere, and both men flipped roles post-match.
Wrestlemania 22: Bret Hart was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Steve Austin.
Wrestlemania XXVI: Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon by submission in a No Holds Barred Match with Bruce Hart as special referee. (11:09) *
Overall Record: 8-6 (5 pinfall victories, 2 submission victories, and one referee stoppage win. 2 battle royal losses, 4 pinfall losses.)
Overall Combined Length In-Ring: 3:27:56 (3 hours, 27 minutes, and 56 seconds. That’s about 13:12 a contest.)
I probably would have mentioned Bret heading to WCW and Goldberg botching that roundhouse kick to Bret's head to explain where the 9 years went between WM 13 and 22... Other than that, well-written as usual
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, it should have been mentioned. I did note about people thinking Bret would never return, and sure enough he did. That whole kick thing I could have easily wrote into a depressing side-step that would have also mentioned a stroke, his father dying, then leading into the DVD. If I did a career piece on Hitman, then oh yes it would be mentioned.
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