100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
4. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
The fact that Bruce Hart pitched this for himself rather than his brother Owen is a spooky thought. Bret, who held the most sway amongst the Hart clan with WWF boss Vince McMahon, convinced the company that it should be the 'Rocket' instead of Brucey. Gee, all those spots at SummerSlam and Survivor Series 1993 for nothing!
Nobody other than Bruce was gutted, and Bret knew that Owen would take his chance to show the federation what he could do. The result was a technical classic with some needle between sour siblings. Their simple story (little bro is jealous of big bro despite big bro doing everything in his power to look out for him) acted as the glue holding everything together, then talent took over.
Going in, Bret was told to wrestle his younger brother in the opener so that Lex Luger working two matches wouldn't seem unfair. For context, both Hart and Luger had co-won the '94 Royal Rumble by tumbling out of the ring at the exact same time. That would be McMahon's way of determining who was most popular with fans. Spoiler alert: It was Bret.
Lex faced Yokozuna in a WWF Title match, with the winner then meeting Bret in the main event. Meanwhile, the 'Hitman' put on quite the show with Owen in the opening slot. Owen's focus on his brother's already-injured leg made perfect sense, and the sudden pin finish made O look smarter than B (which came in handy later that year).
Many people still consider this to be the finest WrestleMania opener of all time.