From Tag Team To Top Guy: Bret Hart's Ascension To The WrestleMania Main Event
7. Truly The Excellence Of Execution
Bret Hart is revered as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions in WWE history, and likewise one of the greatest World Champions that the market leader has ever seen. And a key part of that, was the sheer match quality of so many of the Hitman's bouts.
When Hart's ascension as a singles star started, WWE audiences were conditioned to seeing plodding main events featuring Hulk Hogan against a lumbering monstrous heel. Granted, the Hulkster would have stellar bouts with Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, but more often than not the big matches of the day saw Hogan against an Andre the Giant, a King Kong Bundy, an Earthquake, a One Man Gang, a Kamala, a Sgt. Slaughter, or a zombified Undertaker.
With such main events playing to the generic formula of being laborious contests that saw Hulk get beaten down and overcome the odds on his way to victory, Bret Hart was quietly wowing lower down the card.
The crisp, technical style brought by the Hitman saw him bring the best out of anyone he tangled with as the '80s rolled into the '90s and Hart rolled from tag team standout to singles breakout.
SummerSlam '91, barely six months removed from the Hart Foundation's split after WrestleMania VII, saw the Excellence of Execution put on an absolute clinic with Mr. Perfect, but that wasn't the first great Bret Hart singles match in the WWF. Even when still part of the Hart Foundation, Bret put on great one-on-one contests with Ricky Steamboat, Davey Boy Smith, Dynamite Kid, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, and many more.
When in and around the IC Title picture, Curt Hennig was just one of many who the Hitman delivered wrestling gold with, as the journey from Intercontinental Champion to World Champion contender had Hart steal the show with names like Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper, Rick Martel and famously once again with Davey Boy at SummerSlam '92.
Of course, the level of match quality would only continue to grow for Bret as he cemented himself in the main event picture of the World Wrestling Federation.