Every WWE Five Star Match Ranked From Worst To Best

Steve Austin Vs. Bret Hart remains the greatest match WWE ever promoted. Fought between two genius workers at their physical peaks, two performers with incredible chemistry at the precipice of career-defining character realignments, this consummately told the story of a company in change, much less two of its key players.

Bret Hart was a relic of his own time; steadfast and straight-faced, the politicised WWF environment corroded loyalty to his employer and principles alike.

Steve Austin was the changing face of the company; a clinical badass intent on making it his own with absolutely zero regard for its history of noble champions - Hart in particular.

What put this over as a masterpiece, beyond of course its famous, once-in-a-lifetime double-turn match structure so perfectly performed, beyond the shocking and much-imitated arena-wide brawl that sent the Chicagoans bonkers, was the sheer realism of it all. Hart, tasked with playing the villain, did so with enough subtlety to condense a months-long premise into 22 minutes. He didn't pitch this theatrically. He held onto holds that bit too long. He infused his trademark limb work with a deviant zeal. He respected the audience enough to infer the narrative. Infer it they did, at precisely the exact iconic moment. He was as much mathematician as pro wrestler on the night.

Watch it again. Watch the blood stream down Steve Austin's face. Watch the spittle fly from his mouth. Watch his eyes clenched in abject agony. All worked, obviously, but you'd never let yourself believe it.

With Austin Vs. Hart, wrestling never felt so real.