From Tag Team To Top Guy: Bret Hart's Ascension To The WrestleMania Main Event

A commentator can be so important in getting a wrestler over with the audience. Case in point, just look at how big a role Jim Ross' dulcet tones played in complementing the actions of, say, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin or Mick Foley. Heck, listen to the sheer disgust JR had in his voice to emphasise the villainous actions of a Triple H or a Vince McMahon.

While several commentators of the time made Bret Hart feel like the real deal, nobody did more for the Hitman than the legendary Gorilla Monsoon.

For those Hart Foundation days and Bret's early singles career, Monsoon was so often on the call, and so often Gorilla was paired with Bobby Heenan or Jesse Ventura. While Heenan and Ventura would heel it up and show their disdain for the heroes of the time, Monsoon carried a certain gravitas to him when it came to getting behind a babyface.

In calling Bret Hart matches, Gorilla forever put over the technical prowess, the quickness, and the overall in-ring smarts of Bret. Helping emphasise just how smooth the Calgary native was, it was Monsoon who would always use the Excellence of Execution moniker to describe Hart.

Whether Bret was in the Hart Foundation or just starting to branch out alone, Gorilla Monsoon always made Bret Hart feel like a big deal, a true ring general, and someone who could out-wrestle anyone on the roster. And because Monsoon believed it, that made the audience believe it.