10 Iconic Wrestling Storylines Summed Up In A Single Frame

7. Bret Hart Vs. Owen Hart

Bret Owen
WWE Network

Watch the last frame of the GIF.

It isn't just a reaction to a heel move. It isn't just a means of building heat. There is a lifetime - and a metafictional story just as rich - contained within it.

The Bret Vs. Owen Hart conflict was incredible and relatable human drama. Bret, the WWF Champion-calibre star, willingly reverted back to the tag ranks to give his brother an "in" to championship glory. The gold didn't materialise; Owen, feeling patronised, also felt that Bret was motivated by selfishness. In a storytelling masterclass of a chapter, in a damn tome of a wrestling feud, Bret couldn't make the tag to brother Owen in their quest against the Quebecers at the 1994 Royal Rumble. Owen inferred that he wouldn't, and the sequence was arranged with such immense craft that the mystery was interpretative.

In WrestleMania X's classic opener, following a gorgeous flexing exchange of handspring elbow counters, Owen scraped Bret's head. Bret with, a point of the finger, all but called Owen a little bastard.

In that moment of phenomenal, pure in-ring storytelling, the hallowed, big-time ground of Madison Square Garden was Stu Hart's dungeon. It was the most nuanced feud the WWF had ever promoted between two men, but they were also, drenching the thing in pathos, two little boys navigating what was "fair" for the first time.

If only Owen was to know that luminaries such as Heidenreich, Deuce, and Kenzo Suzuki would capture the gold he believed Bret had selfishly deprived him of.

Would have saved a lot of heartbreak.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!