The best opening match in WrestleMania (and arguably company) history was laden with pathos and grit between the grappling as the Bret and Owen Hart put on a mat masterclass ahead of the former's grand ascension at the end of the night.
'The Hitman' naturally did everything in his power to establish his younger sibling as superior than him on the 'Grandest Stage', but took well to the task of readying him for a run against him after this had concluded.
Owen and Bret were decades ahead of their time here, and box office receipts in the months that followed sadly proved it. Fans weren't turning out in droves to watch them, though young wrestlers were imbibing every inch of it. Matches such as these (and just about Bret and Owen were anywhere near at the time) were for the purists - if only there had been enough of them to pay the bills.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
