10 Wrestling Rivals Who Seriously Can’t Stand Each Other
10. Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart
A necessary inclusion on a list like this but a story told thousands and thousands of times over, the real-life beef between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart changed the face of the industry in 1997.
Two of the biggest stars to ever rise to prominence on Vince McMahon's watch clashed regularly onscreen and off. It came to a head at Survivor Series '97, where Bret Hart, the WWF Champion, was due to defend the company's top prize against Michaels before jumping ship to competitors WCW. When Bret argued against dropping the title to 'HBK' in his home country, McMahon and the WWF hierarchy decided that if he wasn't going to do business to their liking, they would do business for him, concocting the Montreal Screwjob.
Finagled out of the belt on his own territory and made to look a clown, a furious Hart traced "WCW" in the air, launched mouthfuls of spit at the perpetrators, and trashed the backstage area. The rift created was so deep that Bret didn't feel ready to return to the company until January 2010, when he and McMahon ran a poorly-received feud designed to ceremonially lay their issues to rest.
It's a story that will never die - and continues to inspire dozens and dozens of conspiracy theories 25 years later.