Bret Hart's ascension from tag team wrestler to top guy in WWE may not have happened had it not been for his sly use of a razor blade to add color to his Intercontinental Championship match with Roddy Piper at WrestleMania VIII. Or, maybe, it may not have happened without the combination of that blade and Pipers backstage antics during a pre-match interview with Gene Okerlund. Hart vs. Piper, after all, had very little build-up. One was a legend, the other a popular former IC Champion; with all the changes made to the card that year, WWE must have thought that was enough. Piper did not share that view and neither did Bret. So, Roddy unleashed a compelling promo just before they headed to the ring. Hart, full of cunning and professionalism, hid his blade from view of the cameras and expertly cut a wound above his eye during the match that looked genuinely accidental. The rest is history. In 2-minutes of backstage time and 13-minutes of in-ring time, Bret Hart and Roddy Piper defined what it means to have an epic match that was not intended to be so. The Hitman parlayed the success from that match into a glorious career, surpassing even Piper on the list of all-time greats. What started as a game of one-upmanship devolved into a clash between hungry upstart on the precipice of stardom and crafty veteran holding on like a madman to his glory days. Then it broke down into a personal fight and ended with a resourceful climax and a show of mutual respect. It would take most wrestlers triple the time to tell a similar story.
"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.
