WWE: Bret Hart’s 5 best matches at Survivor Series

1997: Survivor Series vs Shawn Michaels

By now, fans know what happened with this finish of this match. It has been documented to death, reborn, and documented to death again. There isn’t much meat left on the bone to intelligently discuss how the match ended. Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon, and others screwed over Bret Hart in the middle of ring.

What gets lost in the post-match discussion is how exciting this match was. Both HBK and The Hitman were adding another classic match to their rivalry before it became one of the more legendary moments in professional wrestling history. They were both were at their prime at the same time in the ring and on the microphone.

This was a stark contrast to their match at the 1992 Survivor Series. They were showing everyone who watched, that they had fulfilled the potential they showed in their 1992 encounter. In 1997, they found the way that they were trying to find in 1992.

The match wasn’t as long as their previous matches, but the action was fast paced and believable. Both men traded offense inside and outside of the ring. The story, they were in the midst of telling, was how important winning the WWE Championship was. This match was one of the first matches that crowd knew going into it, this was the last match that Bret Hart would have in the WWE. The crowd in Montreal added to an electric match between HBK and The Hitman.

The previous two Survivor Series events, Bret Hart would cement the characters of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Diesel. After this Survivor Series match, he would help launch the career of Vince McMahon/Mr. McMahon and help change professional wrestling forever.