10 Reasons Bret Hart Was Better Than Shawn Michaels

Somewhere in the world, an angry Shawn Michaels fan has just spat on his computer screen... Somewhere else, another fan just smashed his fist into the monitor... The other readers, those that haven€™t already caused wanton property damage, or inflicted grievous bodily harm upon themselves by punching a monitor (or trying to stick their head through it), are waiting to savage me personally in the €˜comments€™ section. Their needle-like fingers are no doubt poised viciously over the keys, like swords of Damocles ready to drop poison words upon the object of their hatred (me). As their dark brains concoct a particularly nasty brand of venom for the heretic who would dare to even suggest such a thing, I have only this to say in my defence. I am that heretic and this is my opinion: Bret €˜The Hitman€™ Hart was a better wrestler than Shawn Michaels. There it is. As a reader, you now have two choices, Get angry and start a flame war. Shut up and read my reasoning. It is entirely up to you. Some amongst you may be wondering why this opinion would be so controversial. Indeed, it is only an opinion and, as the saying goes, opinions are like a*seholes (in that, y€™know, everybody has one). So, why the disclaimer? Well, in order to respond to this, quite understandable, query, the respective legacies of the two legendary WWE superstars in question must be looked at through the lens of recent events. Bret Hart was persona non grata in WWE for many years, his 14-year tenure with the company ended under an ignominious cloud with the events now known as the €˜Montreal Screwjob€™ (the last time that incident will be mentioned in this piece, I assure you). When Hart finally did return to the company that made his name, a severe stroke had greatly limited his physical presence and ability to absorb punishment. In addition, a serious concussion meant that he really couldn€™t do very much in the ring. His performances were, for the most part, a peace offering to the man himself, as well as a nostalgia event for older fans. By way of comparison, when Shawn Michaels came out of retirement in the early 2000€™s, he was rejuvenated, in God-like form and clearly in the best shape of his career. His matches against The Undertaker, Ric Flair and Chris Jericho are solid gold wrestling classics, of any era. In addition, Michaels was given the benefit of having the WWE marketing machine fully behind him. He was named by the company as its greatest ever star, honoured with a beautiful retirement storyline and has made numerous reappearances that have given him a veritable ton of exposure to today€™s WWE €˜Universe€™, something that Bret Hart hasn€™t enjoyed to nearly the same extent. Now, before we go any further, make no mistake, nothing about this article is intended to trash Shawn Michaels in any way, he is an undisputed WWE legend. In fact, I count myself as a Shawn Michaels fan. The only opinion being offered here is that, after looking at each man€™s respective prime, it is Hart that emerges as the superior talent. You may now return to planning your vicious comments about my parentage and/or ethnic background. However, before you think about hurting someone over this trifle of a wrestling article, remember: even God has a sense of humor. Just look at the Platypus. Thank you and enjoy the show...