Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels Complete History | Wrestling Timelines

September 20, 1997 - One Night Only

British Bulldog Bret Owen Hart One Night Only Ending
WWE

Bret finds himself in a strange, unsettling, and ironic position: he is the World champion, but he no longer belongs in the WWF’s world.

Shawn is now an informal member of the booking committee, and uses this creative control to dethrone European champion Davey Boy Smith at the UK pay-per-view One Night Only - which, incidentally, is an excellent show. The British Bulldog vows to win in Birmingham, England, as a promise to his sister, Tracey, who is dying of cancer. He isn’t going into business for himself - he had been told he was going over - but he hasn’t reckoned with Shawn, nor the lengths he will stoop to heat up his D-Generation X act. Shawn does nothing with the European title, and will even drop it to Hunter in a deliberate farce of a match in December, in which the two men exaggeratedly pretend to come to blows. The idea, which seems naive, since Michaels brashly walks around telling Vince that he won’t do a job for anybody ever anymore, is for Smith to win it back in Manchester in 1998. That will not happen.

September 22, 1997 - Heading South

Eric Bischoff
WWE

Vince tells Bret that he can’t afford his deal, presently, and will pay him all the money owed at the back end of the contract. Bret is furious and suspicious. Vince also urges Bret to negotiate with WCW, framing it as a favour. Vince won’t release anybody - which he says he needs to do, to keep the company afloat, before paying Mike Tyson a fortune and offering the Ultimate Warrior a vast sum to return in December - so that Bret can feel like a real “get” and strengthen his negotiating position.

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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!