10 WWE Classics That Never Should Have Worked
2. Bret Hart Vs. The 1-2-3 Kid
Sean Waltman seemed embarrassed to imply that his 1994 clash with Bret Hart was the best in Monday Night Raw history. Much like most of his wrestling takes on Twitter, though he was bang right. As smaller, athletic babyfaces working against each other, it was a extreme rarity for the era.
Starting as beloved babyfaces, both switched up their offence without compromising the core values of their respective characters. Bret's acts found from frustration at his own over-confidence, the Kid's from a place of unexpected and polished control. Proficiently perfect from bell-to-bell, the match took on greater gravitas when Bret rejected an earlier tainted victory after spying The Kid landing a foot on the ropes.
Kid read (perhaps not incorrectly) Bret's contrition as cockiness, and the barrage of kicks and high flying moves that followed had the Champion reeling. The 'Excellence Of Execution' literally caught Kid mid-assault in the match-winning Sharpshooter. Equal parts beauty and brutality but all contextualised by the quest for Title supremacy, it's the quintessential wrestling match and remains the greatest contest to grace McMahon's Monday wrestling renegade.