Every WWE Championship And The Match That Defined It

8. WWF Championship (1988-1998) - Bret Hart Vs Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1997)

Finn Balor Seth Rollins
WWE.com

Though the Montreal Screwjob only defined a small part of two iconic careers, it was the very importance of the title and the spot that helped trigger such an odd and unfortunate set of circumstances in the first place. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were driven by desire to be booked as the best because they both believed they were. By 1997, and in spite of WCW's commercial dominance, the WWF Championship was vindication of the fact because they'd made it that way.

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Contributor

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