10 Wrestling Matches So Brutal Promoters STOPPED Them Early

8. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1997)

Most people only remember the final Montreal Screwjob moment of the famous Survivor Series match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart but what often is left out of conversation is how thrilling the match was before it suddenly ended, with it standing as one of Shawn and Bret’s finest matches together.

The match, too, was a brutal affair, resembling more a fight than a wrestling match, which was fitting given the real-life heat and rivalry between the two. It featured spots where they beat the holy hell out of each other fighting through the crowd, trading suplexes on the concrete ramp, using weapons and Shawn choking Bret with the Quebec flag.

The match was supposed to end with Bret winning by disqualification following ref bumps and interference from The Hart Foundation and D-Generation X. But as it’s well documented WWE never reached that finish, due to the ferocious competition in the Monday Night Wars with Vince McMahon not being able to risk having Bret show up on WCW TV with the WWF Championship. So McMahon ordered the match to come to a screeching halt, screaming at the ringside time keeper Mark Yeaton “Ring the f****** bell!” and the rest is history.