Bret Hart was known for having technical masterpieces in the ring that helped progress the wrestling product. The in-ring skills of Hart led to him introducing a new style with outstanding submissions and captivating reverse holds. WWE and WCW each had Bret on their roster in the 1990s with many great matches to his name.
However, it gets overlooked that Hart has been involved in his fair share of gimmick matches. Some get remembered like the iconic WrestleMania 13 submission match vs Steve Austin or the legendary cage match vs Owen Hart. Others flew under the radar due to not being in a bad spot or not being remembered for the legend’s presence. Bret had the following gimmick matches that most fans forget about.
10/10 Bret Hart & Davey Boy Smith Vs The Patriot & Vader (Flag Match)
Bret Hart actually competed in two flag matches for WWE, but the one that stands out took place at the In Your House: Badd Blood PPV. The Hart Foundation’s anti-American ways inspired the concept when WWE wanted a co-main event behind the infamous Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker Hell in a Cell main event.
Davey Boy Smith teamed with his brother-in-law Bret to defeat The Patriot and Vader in the flag match. The Patriot feuding with Bret as a secondary program for the legend sparked this unique gimmick match to further the Canada vs United States tension.
9/10 Bret Hart Vs Sycho Sid (Cage Match)
WWE booked a huge match on free television in 1997 when Bret Hart challenged Sycho Sid for the WWE Championship on Raw. The company scrambled to build their WrestleMania 13 card after Shawn Michaels retired a few weeks before.
Hart dropped the title to Sid on a previous Raw and set up this rematch in a cage. Steve Austin actually tried to help Bret win, so he could become champ before their WM 13 match, but Sid prevailed when his rival Undertaker came out to even the strange odds for the same reason.
8/10 Bret Hart Vs Shawn Michaels (Ladder Match)
WWE Coliseum Video used to release some never before seen matches on VHS tapes in the 1990s. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels having the first ladder match in company history made a best of Bret release to give fans a chance to watch.
The legendary rivals had an underrated bout for the Intercontinental Championship on a house show that made its way to the VHS release and is now on Peacock. Bret retained the belt by defeating Michaels in an underrated bout from their history as opponents.
7/10 Bret Hart Vs Owen Hart (No Holds Barred Match)
The rivalry between Bret Hart and Owen Hart actually culminated on Raw in a No Holds Barred match that rarely gets talked about. Everyone remembers Owen winning the classic WrestleMania 10 opener and Bret retaining the WWE Championship in a cage match at SummerSlam 1994.
However, there was a need for Bret to get revenge after Owen cost him the WWE Championship when dropping it to Bob Backlund. Bret won a No Holds Barred match on Raw in March of 1995 that fans would have likely preferred over Bret facing Backlund at WrestleMania 11 that same month.
6/10 Bret Hart Vs Bob Backlund (I Quit Match)
The WrestleMania 11 match in question between Bret Hart and Bob Backlund had an overlooked stipulation. WWE used the “I Quit” match to have Hart defeat Backlund on the biggest stage, but it felt like a waste of Bret on that card.
Hart went on to call this the worst PPV match of his WWE career and felt he was being used poorly at the time. WWE prioritized Bam Bam Bigelow vs Lawrence Taylor and Diesel vs Shawn Michaels as the main events to make Bret’s lackluster bout with Backlund a forgotten match from his career.
5/10 Bret Hart Vs Scott Hall Vs Sid Vicious Vs Goldberg (Texas Tornado Ladder Match)
WCW was in the business of creating absurd match stipulations in the final years when Bret Hart joined the roster. The Texas Tornado Ladder Match was advertised as a huge Nitro attraction when Bret faced Scott Hall, Sid Vicious and Goldberg for the United States Championship.
Hart went into this match as champ, but WCW wanted to take the belt off him without a pinfall defeat. Hall won the ladder match to become United States Champion. Bret won the WCW Championship a few weeks later after this ridiculous stipulation led to a lackluster ladder match.
4/10 Bret Hart Vs Isaac Yankem (Cage Match)
WWE tried to make Kane a fixture on the roster with the horrible Isaac Yankem character in the New Generation Era. Yankem was introduced as the evil dentist of Jerry Lawler handpicked to take down Bret Hart due to his massive size.
There was even a big Raw match booked for Bret to face Yankem inside of a steel cage with the story of Lawler wanting him trapped with a monster. Hart carried his opponent to a solid match that is rarely talked about today.
3/10 Bret Hart & John Cena Vs Edge & Chris Jericho (Lumberjack Match)
The WWE return of Bret Hart in 2010 led to him having a few more matches with the company working around his physical limitations. One overlooked match that looks fascinating on paper saw Bret teaming with John Cena to face Chris Jericho and Edge.
WWE added the lumberjack match stipulation as part of the bells and whistles to avoid putting Hart in harm’s way. The match ended in a no contest to advance the story of all four wrestlers having to get on the same page before facing Nexus in a huge team match.
2/10 NWO Hollywood Vs NWO Wolfpac Vs WCW (War Games)
Few fans will instantly remember that Bret Hart took part in a War Games match for WCW. Fall Brawl 1998 featured the most confusing version of the match with three teams of nWo Hollywood vs nWo Wolfpac vs WCW with nine total wrestlers.
Bret teamed with Hulk Hogan and Stevie Ray representing Hollywood, but the match was won by Team WCW. Diamond Dallas Page getting the winning pin is all most fans remember since it won him a WCW Championship match, despite being a team bout.
Bret Hart spent a lot of time feuding with Jerry Lawler in between WWE Championship reigns when the company needed to find a long program for him. Lawler mocking the Hart family and making Bret’s life miserable culminated with one of WWE’s worst stipulation matches ever.
The Kiss my Foot match featured the loser having to kiss the feet of the winner in humiliating fashion. Lawler spent weeks making his feet as disgusting as possible only for Bret to win and force him to kiss his own gross feet as the ultimate punishment.
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