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#17 - Bret Hart Nominated by: ZeroSignal

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A wrestler whose longevity and durability seems to fly under the radar in the scope of the rest of his career achievements, Bret Hart is almost universally recognized as being one of the finest technical wrestlers and one of the steadiest main event talents in wrestling history. A second generation wrestler who seemed destined for greatness from the moment he stepped into the ring, Hart became the most consistent wrestler in North America during the 1990s.

The match is recognized as one of the best in Hart's career and in the histories of both SummerSlam and the Intercontinental Championship. At the time the Intercontinental Championship was considered the "workers" belt; while limited in-ring performers such as Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior carried the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, the Intercontinental Championship was recognized as being the championship that the superior wrestlers, like Henning, Savage and Steamboat carried. Holding the Intercontinental Championship made you arguably the second most important champion in wrestling and often went on second-to-last on major shows; a far cry from the curtain-jerking status it has today.

What a lot of people forget about Hart was that he wasn't necessarily a young wrestler when he first captured the world title; he was 35 years and had already been wrestling for around 15 years. Most fans only really remember Hart's career from his reigns as Intercontinental Champion on, but he had accomplished so much before that, including being a tremendous tag team wrestler and anchoring one of the more prominent wrestling territories in the industry. Hart may have only had a five or six year run as a top guy in wrestling, but his resume is much thicker than that.

I think the singularly greatest feud of the 1990s is Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin. As a heel, Bret Hart found a voice that rang similarly to Superman in the same era. Superman, disillusioned at the brand of justice Americans clamored for, grew distance and judgmental. Bret Hart, too, didn't believe that heroes should cross certain lines. If you read Kingdom Come, Bret and Austin come across like Superman and Magog. Austin considers Bret archaic just like Magog thinks Superman's time has passed. This feud just proved to be remarkably well-established, with themes that really lit up the crowds wherever Bret went. Austin really became a superstar as a result of his interactions with Bret, and that's a testament to just how great Bret was on the stick and in the ring.

Of course, I'm probably expected to talk about the Montreal Screwjob and the the soulless Bret Hart that sort of floated like a ghost through WCW afterwards, but I prefer not to think about that era. I certainly don't blame Bret for losing his love for wrestling at the time, especially coupled with the death of his brother. I'd rather remember that, in 1997, Bret Hart was truly the best there was.
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