5. Bret Hart vs. Diesel - No DQ Match For WWE Championship (Survivor Series 1995)
An underlying story that no one talks about from the New Generation period in WWE was who actually led it. Bret was the first man chosen to lead the WWE after the original wrestling boom unceremoniously ended, but the WWE was constantly searching for his replacement. They always came back to Bret because he was the most reliable man for the job. Kevin Nash, with his seven foot frame and natural charisma, was the WWEs second attempt to supplant Bret (Lex Luger was the first). Diesel gained a ton of traction as 1994 came to an end, showing himself capable in matches involving fellow members of the infamous Kliq. Bret overcame the Lex Express and regained the top spot in the company at WrestleMania X, but they ushered him out of the way by Survivor Series 1994. A few nights later, they gave Diesel the ball in one of the great early examples of pushing a wrestler as a babyface when he was not ready for it. Bret was integrally involved in helping Diesel as the new face of the WWE, carrying him to an outstanding match at the 1995 Royal Rumble. By Survivor Series 1995, the WWE realized that Diesel was not what they wanted him to be. In a memorable, innovative WWE main-event, Bret defeated Diesel in the third match in a 2-year PPV series dating back to King of the Ring 1994. Bret always had a knack for dramatically outlasting his challengers to being The Man in the WWE, perhaps never more famously than he did at the 95 Survivor Series against Big Daddy Cool.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
