12 Wrestling Rivalries That Were Too Real To Be Fake

In the history of wrestling, there's no on-screen, off-screen feud as notorious as Bret Hart versus Shawn Michaels. What started as a mutual respect and friendly rivalry between two contemporaries turned into a war so heated that it ended with Hart leaving the company under the worst of circumstances.

Michaels was a rising star in the early and mid '90s, but he was a headache to deal with backstage. He (and his Kliq) dominated the company with political maneuvering and shady dealings. At WrestleMania XII, Michaels defeated Hart for the WWE Championship in a classic match, but reportedly told "The Hitman" to "get the f*ck out of [his] ring" immediately thereafter.

In 1997, Michaels refused to return the favor and job to Hart, and later in the year, he made a comment on TV that insinuated Hart was cheating on his wife. That led to a backstage fistfight between the two, and Michaels left the company briefly.

Later that year, Bret was leaving WWE for WCW, but he was still WWE Champion. He refused to lose the belt to Shawn in Montreal, so Vince McMahon said that he could leave as champion. In reality, Vince, Shawn, and Triple H conspired to double-cross Bret, robbing him of the belt.

At the Survivor Series, Shawn locked Bret in the Sharpshooter, and despite the fact that Bret didn't tap out, Vince called for the bell. Shawn was declared the new champion, and Bret left the company in a rage.

Still, there are happy endings - in 2010, Shawn and Bret finally made amends. They've been friends ever since.