10 Wrestling Matches Everybody Gets Wrong
7. Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels - WWF Survivor Series 1997
The match is irrelevant and was completely overshadowed by the finish, the most controversial ever. Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart in a disgraceful scene, and whether it was avoidable or not is the only thing that matters.
This was - by some distance - the best match Hart and Shawn Michaels ever had. Their experimental 1992 Ladder match has dated where Shawn's masterclass with Razor Ramon has endured, and their 'Mania XII slog was, as mentioned, a 2019 RAW ad break stretched out over 40 minutes before it got vaguely good.
This was different.
The real shoot tension informed a far more compelling dynamic than the rigid unwillingness to go full technical pelt. This was a captivating, wild, unhinged brawl that could not be contained, months and years of simmering hatred unravelling held together by impeccable professionalism. At first, obviously. The production element was superb, too; the WWF framed the last-minute backstage preparations with palpable, career-defining tension, and the presence of management personnel put it over as a match too volatile to leave to its own devices.
The Unsanctioned gimmick never feels credible, but this sort of barely-sanctioned match deserves some praise as a spectacle.