3. Bret Hart - Intercontinental Championship Match vs. British Bulldog - SummerSlam 1992
The British Bulldog defeated Bret Hart to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship. At least that's what the result of the SummerSlam 1992 reads. The truth of the matter is that, what should have been Bulldog's shining achievement, the greatest moment of his career, was very much the match that cemented Hart's claim as the best worker in the world. More importantly, it instilled in Vince McMahon the confidence to run with Hart as the face of his company by booking him to defeat the outgoing Ric Flair to capture the WWE title just two months after the monumental SummerSlam bout. The annual August extravaganza saw Hart carry Bulldog to a five-star classic, the very definition of an all-time great match. It was the single greatest example of a wrestler overcoming outside factors (such as a completely flustered Bulldog) to still deliver up to the expectations of both management and fans. While there are celebrated performers the likes of Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Ricky Steamboat, all of whom are present in some of the most critically acclaimed matches of all-time, it is difficult to find a match as great as the Hart-Bulldog war from SummerSlam that can be attributed to a single performer. On that night, with his future as a top star in WWE on the line, Hart broke through the political B.S. and proved all preconceptions about size versus ability in the pro wrestling industry to be incorrect. At least for a while.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
