10 Wrestlers Who Can HONESTLY Be Labelled A Genius

3. Bret Hart

Bret Hart WWF Champion
WWE.com

The 'Hitman' helped change the WWE audience from fad-followers to lifer hardcores with his shot of technical artistry and captivating in-ring storytelling.

Under Hart's reign as a headliner, the WWF changed from cartoonish theatrics to narratives teeming with depth and emotion. His fanbase was far smaller, but he hooked them for life: the average age of a RAW viewer in 2019 skews 50+.

Hart showed that depth throughout the exceptional 1993 King Of The Ring tournament, in which the worked injury he suffered in the first match informed the dramatic heft of the semi and the final, both of which required a different facet of his game - guile and grit - to overcome. Hart was so phenomenal on the night that he captivated an audience raised on pomp, circumstance, smoke and mirrors for a combined 47 minutes and 32 seconds of pure in-ring action.

A layered masterclass of emotion and science versus brother Owen at WrestleMania X; the most complex and ambitious in media res heel turn ever, three years later; the ability to adapt cartoon gimmicks into live action minor masterpieces (Hakushi, Jean-Pierre Lafitte): Hart was so good that he sold magic f*cking beans to Vince McMahon in the form of Tom Magee.

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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!