33 WWE WrestleMania Opening Matches Ranked From Worst To Best

2. Bret Hart Vs. Owen Hart - WrestleMania X

Triple H Daniel Bryan WrestleMania XXX
WWE.com

We've written this before, but Vince McMahon had shockingly little to do with the great characters that propped up his sports entertainment empire.

On this evidence, he had little to do with some of the greatest matches he promoted, too; initially unable to reconcile the idea of two brothers fighting, Bret and Owen Hart thankfully manifested it in a superb display of escalation in which Bret's sportsmanlike reluctance, driven by blood, soon unravelled as part of an incredible technical masterclass turned emotive fight.

Brother Vs. Brother, Babyface Vs. Heel, Excellence Vs. Excellence: this was perfectly wrestled and perfectly booked, given that the shocking result informed a maverick long-term storyline.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!