40 Years Of Fascinating WWE WrestleMania Facts (Part 1)

3. 'Mania VIII - Bret Hart Fooled EVERYBODY

Ultimate Warrior Sabotage
WWE.com

Bret Hart lived the gimmick of the Best There Is, The Best There Ever Was, And The Best There Ever Will Be.

Staunchly (and rightly) proud of his in-ring artistry and safety record, he was fond of both putting himself over and, at times, burying others to accomplish that end. He thought Ric Flair was sorely overrated, citing his relentless chopping and familiar match layouts. At WrestleMania VIII at least, he was the better worker.

He retained the Intercontinental title against Roddy Piper in an excellent match unique for that era in the undercard, a witty battle of the bastards, during which he bladed himself with perfect sleight of hand. Despite being cut on the forehead, tellingly, Vince McMahon couldn't tell. He could tell that Ric Flair did it in his match against Randy Savage, and fined him in accordance with policy at the time.

"Flair burst into tears in a fit of jealousy, but then again he cried every day" Bret may have written in his book.

Bret considered that some achievement, evidence that he was better than the other wrestler considered the best - and it wasn't just Vince who got worked. Dave Meltzer was none the wiser either.

Meltzer wrote in the April 13 92 WON that Bret's blading "may have been accidental".

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!