10 WWE Stars Whose Best Match Came Against Bret Hart

Next up, a match that wasn’t necessarily a technical masterclass, but a cracking piece of storytelling nonetheless.

At SummerSlam 1993, Jerry Lawler and Bret Hart had been scheduled to face off to decide who was the Undisputed King of the World Wrestling Federation. But at the 11th hour, Lawler bailed, citing a knee injury from a recent car crash as the reason for his withdrawal.

And so Lawler was replaced in the match by Doink, who would actually then be disqualified thanks to Lawler’s interference. Those shenanigans prompted Jack Tunney to demand that the clearly-malingering Lawler compete in his scheduled match or else he’d be banned from the WWF.

Forced to oblige, Lawler spent the ensuing few minutes being bashed around the ring by Bret, before he’d soon find himself in the Sharpshooter. It wasn’t long before Lawler was tapping out, but here’s your major twist: with Bret refusing to relinquish the hold for more than three minutes, the referee decided to reverse the decision and retroactively disqualify The Hitman!

Bret’s quest for revenge had cost him the match, and with it the title of Undisputed King of the World Wrestling Federation. For all the drama and the thought behind it, there was no way I could leave this one out. Lawler's finest hour in Vince McMahon's company.