The BEST Wrestling Moment Every Year (1989 - 2026)

33. 1994 | A New Level

Bret Hart didn’t just raise the in-ring standard of the WWF through his technical artistry and willingness to do far more in the way of movement than his muscled predecessors. The layers of sophistication he introduced to in-ring storytelling are still mined to this day. Shawn Michaels is credited (or blamed) for the infestation of melodrama, but it was Bret and Roddy Piper who first played with the inner conflict device at WrestleMania 8. Bret also pioneered the familial strain with which the Bloodline erupted in the build towards WrestleMania 10. 

Bret Vs. Owen Hart was a masterclass removed entirely from the Hulk Hogan Monster of the Week formula. Both brothers had a fair point. Bret was the protective older sibling who knew his way around. He knew that the bad guys in the WWF would stop at nothing to get the job done. 

He wanted to break Owen in gently, and he wanted to spare Owen the same agony he felt when the Quebecers and their manager Johnny Polo hatched a plan to injure his knee. Owen was a petulant brat, but he had a point, too. Bret was a touch condescending towards him, and did he really want to save Owen? Or was the man who called himself “the best there ever will be” a bit of a glory hog?

Owen’s ambition and fury erupted in the post-match scene of the brother’s unsuccessful attempt to win the World Tag Team titles at Royal Rumble 1994; in a shocking and unprecedented scene, Owen viciously attacked his own flesh and blood to set-up one of the best and most torturous matches in company history.