10 Awesome WWE Survivor Series Matches You Totally Forgot About

3. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE Championship Match - 1992)

With the federal government focusing its attention on WWE and the allegations of steroid abuse running rampant, Vince McMahon felt the need to change the direction of his company in 1992. Gone were the meat heads that dominated the landscape of WWE for nearly a decade and in their place were smaller, more athletic and gifted in-ring performers. One such wrestler was Bret Hart, who earned the reputation as the best worker in the company thanks to outstanding bouts with Mr. Perfect, Roddy Piper and the British Bulldog. The WWE champion at the time, Ric Flair, was on his way out of the promotion and a new titleholder was needed. Sensing that he had the opportunity to not only take some of the heat off he and his promotion, but also give a new face to the company, McMahon booked Hart to take the strap from Flair in his home country of Canada. The event was not televised, meaning that fans would have no way of witnessing the switch until they tuned into that weekend's television. When they did, they were greeted with images of the Hitman carrying the gold and what felt very much like the dawn of a new age. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpJddNlGjxc At the same time that Hart was riding high, Shawn Michaels was stating his case for a run with the title at some point in the future. The new Intercontinental champion after defeating the British Bulldog on the final Saturday Night's Main Event, Michaels was rapidly becoming one of the industry's must-watch performers. When it was announced that for the WWE and Intercontinental champions would meet at the Survivor Series, many expected that the contest would take place on the undercard, with the previously advertised tag match pitting Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect against Flair and newcomer Razor Ramon would headline the show. That was not the case and, on November 25, 1992, Hart and Michaels would change wrestling history and, unbeknownst to anyone, set themselves on a collision course behind the scenes that would culminate in a much more memorable and notorious match five years later. Hart would win the 26-minute match with the Sharpshooter and celebrate his first successful championship defense. In defeat, Michaels proved himself every bit as capable of carrying a pay-per-view main event as Hart, something that would benefit him as he made the climb up the ranks in WWE.