Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart
A rivalry that would blur the line between story and reality, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart both found themselves at the top of the WWF in the mid-90's, and unfortunately like Hogan and Warrior before them, out of the ring issues would taint how this rivalry ended. Two complete opposites, Michaels was a show off, a cocky, charismatic degenerate who was mainly out for the attention of the opposite sex. By stark contrast, Hart was a purist. He stood for morality, family values and a may the best man win attitude. One thing both men had in common though, was their incredible ability in the ring, and when the two met in the squared circle, quality was always a guarantee. When the two men first met for the WWF Championship in an Iron Man match at Wrestlemania XII, it was an instant classic. Both men were billed as faces at the time, with Michaels chasing his boyhood dream of becoming the Champion. HBK won the contest, but this was only to be the beginning of this storied rivalry. Over the following year, many well documented events occurred both inside and outside of the ring during this rivalry, including the WWF beginning to usher in a new kind of product. At Wrestlemania XIII, Hart began his heel turn after a classic encounter with Stone Cold Steve Austin, whilst Michaels was off TV after 'losing his smile'. It was at this time personal issues really began to boil between the two, as Hart believed Michaels was faking his injury so that he didn't need to lose to Hart at Wrestlemania XIII. Michaels took umbrage to this, however the two did continue their professional, scripted feud in spite of personal differences. Both men then went on to be part of their own stables, D-Generation X and the Hart Foundation, respectively. Once again, fans had the choice of who they favoured, as at this point, both stables had heel tendencies. It was a very interesting time in the WWF when both top Superstars were both portraying the 'bad' character, but with the company headed towards the Attitude era, this was laying the groundwork for a grittier WWF product. The feud would end (at least on Television) at Survivor Series 97, as a result of the infamous Montreal Screwjob. This would cement HBK as the top heel, as Hart went on to leave the company and head for WCW. Fans knew this was not part of the script, and even when the truth came out, viewers would still debate who they thought was right of the two. A more traditional top, single face feel would return to the WWF when Michaels lost to Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania XIV, until the balance came full circle back to two top faces a few years later...