10 Dumbest Decisions By WWE Champions

3. Bret Hart - Keeping His Monday Night Raw Match Against Sycho Sid

Bret Hart was the literal and perfect opposite of a dumb professional wrestler, but a choice that looked prideful on the surface was in fact a tell that Stone Cold Steve Austin had gotten under his skin to such a degree that he could no longer focus like the 'Hitman' of old.

Crafting yet another elegant chapter in the story of his phenomenal and era-defining 1997 heel turn, WWE booked Austin to beat the sh*t out of 'The Hitman' before he could make it to the ring for his defence against Sycho Sid on the February 17th edition of the show.

A second attempt to get the match going went even worse for the Champion, with Austin striking violently backstage. It was at this point that 'The Best There Is, Best There Was and Best There Ever Will Be' should have known it wasn't his night, but he stubbornly went out there one final time to defend the title in his weakened state.

Austin's steel chair assault in the bout's closing moments cruelly terminated Hart's latest reign at just one day, further continuing his emotional downward spiral. It took him until August to pull himself away from 'The Rattlesnake' long enough to get that belt back.