10. Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart - WWF Intercontinental Championship (1991)
Mr. Perfect dropping the Intercontinental Championship to Bret Hart was one of the greatest examples of intestinal fortitude in wrestling lore. Perfect was mightily struggling with a back injury, at the time, to the point that he had settled on post-match retirement. However, it did not stop him from one of his top performances. He made Bret look like a star at a time when the Hitman needed something to kick start his singles run. You have to ask yourself if Bret would have been able to step up to the next level if it were not for being so strongly put over by a guy like Perfect who the fans had come to respectfully dislike enough that it mattered when he lost. When many fans think of Perfect, they think of this match. When WWE announced him for the 2007 Hall of Fame, yours truly immediately thought of this match. It was also Perfect vs. Bret that started the trend of Summerslam being the showcase for the Intercontinental title. Some of the greatest IC title bouts of all-time took place at the Summer Classic and it began with this match.
"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.
