10 Wrestling Matches Everybody Gets Wrong

8. Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels - WWF WrestleMania XII

Finn Balor AJ Styles
WWE.com

This was one of the greatest main events in WrestleMania history, but to get it, you really have to pay attention, you know? The mat work is so intricate, so well-worked, and the standard of athleticism was just off the charts.

Bret Hart shares the above opinion, but it's not his best take (that would be his no-f*cks 'Triple H is a 4/10'). The famed Iron Man match, which does have its detractors, is excruciatingly dull. The last 10/15 minutes were very exciting, but the build didn't progress at all, so it didn't create that great swell of heat and drama needed to put it over as a classic.

Its greatest crime is that it barely made sense, which is unforgivable by Bret Hart's excellent, hermetic standards. Bret employed a staunchly defensive strategy throughout, which manifested as a series of punishingly boring holds, but it didn't mean anything because his objective to crawl to a draw resulted in impromptu sudden death overtime. He screwed himself, and thus, this wasn't an Iron Man match but wrestling's first ever 'Armbreaker Wank match'.

It's a match between two great wrestlers, but it isn't a great one.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!