100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)

Select quarters of the wrestling community ignore the best aspects of Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania XII. This writer has done it himself in the past! Was it the greatest wrestling match ever? No, not even close. Could it have greatly benefitted from some more falls to help break up the 60 minutes and keep people invested? No doubt, but this 'Iron Man' was a gruelling display of athletic prowess and passion from two of the hungriest (and most competitive) workers in the entire industry.

For highlights, check out some of the slick exchanges earlier on. Then, look to Howard Finkel boldly declaring that "there must be a winner" after the hour had expired. Onscreen WWF President and announcing legend Gorilla Monsoon sent the match into overtime as a flustered Hart went to leave with his belt, then Michaels cracked him with a well-placed superkick to cement his first top title win.

Vince McMahon's cry of, "The boyhood dream has come true" will live forever, and it was replayed over and over annually as part of the 'Mania hype train. Rightly so. Hart vs. Michaels in 1996 might've even been higher here had they included a few more pins or submissions to put some numbers on the board.

Choosing to go 0-0 for 60 minutes was a choice, one that didn't suit a lot of folks. The finishing stretch was thrilling, however, and the overtime loss sent Bret spiralling towards his eventual 1997 heel turn nicely. He had every reason to be a disgruntled, trusty veteran who felt like the unwilling bridesmaid in a promotion that was only too happy to put up with HBK's erratic behaviour. 

WrestleMania XII's 'Iron Man' is a piece of WWE history worth coveting.