10 WrestleMania Main Events (That Happened Before WrestleMania)

4. Bret Hart Vs Shawn Michaels

In 1996 at WrestleMania 12, the defining match of a generation took place. Shawn Michaels challenged the man often referred to as the greatest technical wrestler of all-time, Bret Hart for the WWE Championship in a 60 Minute ironman match. Both men were in their athletic primes, and this contest would serve as the tipping point that would morph their friendly rivalry into something much deeper. Upon suffering defeat, Bret Hart would disappear from TV until Survivor Series. Meanwhile, Shawn carried the WWE Championship that summer as fans clamored for a rematch. Bret and Shawn were finally on the same level, but it wasn€™t always that way. Earlier in their careers, before they main-evented WrestleMania 12, they met in the main event of the 1992 Survivor Series in a match for the WWE Championship. At the time, Shawn and Bret were newly crowned, World and Intercontinental champions respectively. It was Bret€™s first major title defense. Although Shawn wasn€™t ready to be the world champion yet, he was a solid opponent considering the €œBum-Of-The-Month€ guys Bret had previously engaged with. Shawn€™s pre-match promo was dripping of Ric Flair€™s influence.