10 Reasons Bret Hart Was Better Than Shawn Michaels

7. He Was A More Credible WWE Champion...

Shawn Michaels was utter crap in a legitimate fight. That much is very true and, in fact, quite undeniable. Numerous instances abound where €˜The Heartbreak Kid€™ demonstrated that whilst he may have been a prodigious lover, he was, most definitely, not a fighter. Although he was a classic underdog babyface, with good looks, incredible athleticism and an arsenal of perfectly timed supermoves guaranteed to pop any crowd, Michaels never felt like a tough guy, regardless of who he was facing. Hart, on the other hand, despite also being a consistent underdog based on his size, never once felt like a weak champion. In fact, Hart, by virtue of his superior wrestling ability and unstoppable finishing move, usually felt like the odds-on favourite, even when he engaged in €˜David vs. Goliath€™ matches with far larger foes. The psychology of these matches was simple; Hart would go low, take the opponent€™s legs out from under them and apply the Sharpshooter. Job done. Although €˜The Hitman€™ never went out of his way to come off as a tough guy (he wore pink fer chrissakes!), it was understood that he was definitely the sort of man that hit first and asked questions later, both in the ring and out of it. By way of proof, consider this; generations of genuinely tough wrestlers have been rendered as pitiful toadies and simpering sycophants at the feet of the great and powerful Vince McMahon, but how many, besides Bret, have actually knocked him on his ass!? In fact, during one backstage encounter, Bret beat Shawn Michaels€™ ass like a Salvation Army drum. In still another, he shouted down Ric Flair at a time when nobody dared question €˜The Man€™. The point is that when Bret wore the belt, he wore it with legitimacy. Bret Hart€™s character had been sold so well, (based on his real-life no nonsense stance) that it was entirely plausible that €˜The Hitman€™ could take Diesel down in a street fight, or slap Yoko into a torturous, punishing hold for the victory. Could he in real life? It doesn€™t really matter. The fans believed him €“ and that€™s the only thing that counts.