Were you for Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels?

[CM Steel]

For years wrestling fans has always asked who was the man between Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock. But what about the two guys who came before the infamous attitude era. Bret "the Hitman" Hart and "the Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. This rivalry goes back manys years to when both guys were in tag teams (Rockers, Hart Fondation).

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were two of a kind in their era. Their one-on-one rivalry was the closest thing wrestling had to equal the rap beef with Tupac & Biggie! Real-Life backstage fights, real-life sex scandal (Sunny), people taking sides (USA, Canada), mogul beefs (McMahon,Turner/Bischoff). It was all outta control at that time in wrestling.

Then upon Bret Hart's final days in the WWF/E, comes the infamous Montreal screwjob at Survivor Series 1997. With Shawn Michaels final attitude era days ending at Wrestlemania 14 due to a back injury. But all in all who were you for growing up as a wrestling fan Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels?

Ted Dibiase Jr. said in an interview that he was a tweener when it came to the two legends growing backstage with his father the Million Dollar man Ted Dibiase Sr.

 

[Romantic_Rebel267]

I started to get into wrestling in the early 90's. This was a very different time. With ECW, WCW and WWF doing everything to gain viewers. I was a diehard WWF fan. I rarely watch WCW or ECW. When the attitude era happened I was sold as a fan. Nothing could have topped what was happening in the WWF. I believe the last match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart started the attitude area. I have more memories of Shawn Michaels. So, in my opinion Shawn Michaels is my favorite. However, I have to give credit to Bret Hart as well. He was a great performer as a wrestler and character.

 

[Bone For Tuna]

I prefer Shawn, which as a Canadian wrestling fan is probably the worst crime I could admit to.

Both were tremendous wrestlers, the best of the best but no pun intended, Shawn had attitude. I thought he was a lot better on the mic than Bret and just more charismatic and exciting in general. DX back in the day was awesome and will always been awesome and Michaels matches with Taker, Mankind and Austin right around the time I got into wrestling were all super awesome and coo. He really helped kick start the Attitude era and then much to the surprise of everybody, came back in '02 and put in another solid years, maybe the best years of his career.

 

[relentless1]

i am canadian, i was bret hart all the way, he was the all around better wrestler and he was always superior to hbk mao e mano

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I could never pick between the two. Both are in my top 5 faves of all time. Grew up watching both of them. Loved how cocky Shawn was and I also loved when Bret was doing the whole Canada vs USA storyline. Shawn was great on the mic and I thought that Bret was underrated on it. Both could carry a match like it was nothing.

Got to see Shawn a lot here in Vegas with the AWA. Despite what was said about him he was always nice to the fans when I was around. Bret was always a good guy when I met him too.

 

[HBsam31]

I would say I favored Bret until about late 94 early 95. I was ecstatic when Bret beat Flair to win his first WWF championship, but as Shawn emerged more as a singles star I started going over to his side and I never looked back. I loved the cockiness, and the excitement he brought to the ring. He has been my favorite ever since.

 

[Nada]

HBK

Bret was a one dimensional character, much like a Ultimate Warrior or Bill Goldberg, except Bret did not excel in charisma or body look, he was just a really damn good wrestler, one of the greatest. But everything else was below average, his promo ability was often cringe worthy.

His hottest 2 feuds had little to really do with him, USA vs Canada and Brother vs Brother.

HBK meanwhile is as multi dimensional as they come, he was a fantastic sports entertainer, a great wrestler, one of the best promo guys, tons of charisma. You cannot pick one area and say "HBK sucked at this!" because he was good to great at everything. He also had tons of great feuds and manged to pull great matches out of anyone, the man could litterally wrestle a pillow at Wrestlemania and have a great match with it

The only negative that can be said of HBK i that he was a jerk in the mid-late 90s where he apparently did drugs (cocaine) and refused to job. But then again Hogan, Austin and even Bret pulled the same stunt.

 

[legendkiller1979]

Bret all the way. In the ring they were both amazing. Outside the ring Bret was a much better person. Bret was nothing buy a professional and Shawn Michaels was a complete jerk through the start of his rise to the top.

One thing I liked more about Bret was the fact that he didn't have to act like an obnoxious jackass to get over. Bret was just Bret and people loved him for it. I wonder if Shawn were around today if he would get over like he did. The PG era wouldn't allow him to do near the stuff that he did that people liked. That's what made Bret so special.
All he had to do was be himself and he became a legend because of it.

I think we all remember HBK losing his smile in an effort to avoid dropping the title to Bret. I will never blame Bret for not wanting to drop the title back to Shawn as he was leaving the company. I'm so afraid this is going to turn into a Montreal debate and I don't want that. I'm just saying that if it was anyone else besides HBK, the whole incident could have been avoided.

Bret's return in January of 2010 was so great. It was so great to see Bret back in the WWE but it was also great to see Bret and Shawn bury the hatchet. I was able to let of some of my dislike for Shawn that night.

 

[thebromm]

I could not vot in your poll. I am with Ted DiBiase on tis one as I am and was a tweener as well. During those days I loved both Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Throughout their careers I loved both and for very different reasons. I loved Bret for his mat technician skills and his ability to have a great match with anyone. As for Shawn Michaels, I loved all of his work. That man is why I am a wrestling fan. Night in and night out top notch 5 star performances. I hate when people refer to him as argueably the best in-ring performer. No, he WAS the best. Period. Shawn Michaels could go toe to toe with any man on the roster. Big, small, jobber, main eventer, it just didn't matter. Shawn stepped up to the plate. He did it better than anyone until the day he retired. Wrestling has for the most part always been fake, as we all should know by now. In November 1997 it became real. Very real. And I have to tell you as a fan of both men, it was hard on me as a fan. I never wanted Bret to leave WWE and he was. The screwjob was a huge deal. For better or for worse. It spawned the character Mr. McMahon and kicked off the Attitude Era in a very big way. Shawn's career ended a little over 4 months later. At least we all thought so, including him.

Bret's career would continue, largely uneventful in WCW until he retired due to injury in 2000. Then in 2002, HBK returned. He expected it to be a short-term deal. He stayed for 8 more years. It was 8 more years of fantastic matches and memorable moments. Fast forward to January 4, 2010. As a fan of both Bret and Shawn, it was perhaps the most surreal moment in wrestling history for me. 2 guys I looked up to growing up. 2 guys with a bitter hatred for each other. 1 guy who had left and vowed never to return. 1 guy who was retired for 4 years. A moment no fan thought would ever happen. Bret "The Hitman" Hart returned to Monday Night Raw! What's more, he called out his arch nemesis Shawn Michaels. These two men, after a bitter 12 year off-screen rivalry buried the hatchet. They finally let Montreal rest in peace. They kicked off a new-found friendship that I hope, for their sake, they keep until one of them is in the grave. They shook hands, and embraced. It was a very real moment in a very fake world. Younger fans and newer fans wouldn't appreciate this moment like those who watched during those years. Or like those who were huge fans of both Bret and Shawn. As a fan and as a person, to me, it was great to see one of the ugliest moments in wrestling history finally put to bed. It was great, as a fan, to see these two have closure over the incident and make peace. I'm fairly certain that both men lead happier lives now that the Montreal fiasco has been put to rest and both men came together to move on from it and to finally take that weight off both of their shoulders.

 

[Pedigree1]

I preferred Bret. Bret was a supreme technician one of the best in ring technicians ever to step foot in a ring! I was well a younger man with the Bret and Shawn Michaels feud and i absolutely loved it. Think about it. You had everything.

Real backstage fights,real hatred towards one another,USA vs Canada! Throw in Sunny and a cocky Shawn Michaels who at the time was about as obnoxious as you could get.
I didnt care for SM at the time cause he was a total jackass,a guy who refused to job. So its bret for me and im not even canadian

 

[Wald]

More of a Bret Hart fan. I liked Shawn a lot up until his babyface turn in 1996, after that I thought his character went down the toilet. Even the heel turn and work with DX didn't do much for me, although granted by that stage I flat out hated him for Montreal.

Bret on the other hand became my favourite wrestler around 1991. I loved the Hart Foundation too, Demolition were my favourite tag team but the Foundation ran them close. Once Bret broke out and won the IC title though I was an out and out mark for the guy.

On in-ring talent I think Bret trumps Shawn marginally, I think Shawn is the more athletic of the two but I think Bret put together matches like no other. He was just a better storyteller in the ring. On the mic both have highs and lows, I think Bret is a lot better than most give him credit for and I think Shawn actually wasn't as great back in the 90s as a lot say. That said Shawn is and was better on the mic.

 

[crippler]

I was for Bret Hart as a wrestler always respected Shawn's ability in the ring however never really liked his character. Bret Hart was always a favorite of mine from his heel Hart Foundation days Even though Shawn vs Bret were some amazing matches they were never close to being as good as the Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect matches Bret and Mr. Perfect were the best 2 technical wrestlers from that era. Shawn was good but not in the top 2 but what gets Shawn up there is his amazing mic skills I think only the Rock was better than Shawn with the mic.

 

[Jaystrong322]

Shawn, much like Flair is a flopper, they both sell well. For my money, there hasn't been a better story teller in my lifetime than Bret Hart. He was a great as a heel tag team and a strong babyface in the early 90's. Bret left WWE in his prime and he was having his best matches in 1997. His character really turned a corner when the Attitude Era kicked off. I was always more drawn to Bret's charisma over Shawn's. Nothing against HBK but I really think people overrate him because the WWE built this image that he is the best ever. If you look back to 1997 when Bret shoves down Vince inside the cage on Raw and cuts that promo where he seemingly flips out and flies off the handle, we were witnessing Bret's true potential on the mic.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I would say Bret overall, but it's complicated... I started out in 86 loving the Bulldogs, and the Hitman had the cool image with the glasses etc... then the Rockers came and they were my team basically until they split but once Shawn went solo, I really took a dislike to him. I think it was mainly due to my early "smart" knowledge of him being an ass, that he was not dropping belts but forfeiting them and his leaving/injury that miraculously healed 4 years later was the final straw for me.

Bret lost face with me firstly during the Diesel run, he was letting Vince basicaly ruin his character even then... I think had Bret had a bit more self belief he could have avoided the Jean Pierre LaFitte crapola and forced the Hakushi debut match to Mania. Then he started to whine a bit, and while I liked the Hart Foundation stable, Bret was my least favourite by then, I was more invested in Davey, Owen and Pillman. When the screwjob finally happened, I fell more on Vince's side than either mans... he did what he had to do and in my eyes, Wrestling With Shadows bore that out. Bret wasn't doing the right thing for the business, but himself. Putting yourself first is fine, with the "last 30 days" clause, Bret should still have jobbed out to Owen or Davey and let them become the faces who battled DX once he'd left, hell did Bret even have to wrestle in Canada? No, he could have dropped it to Owen the RAW before thanks to DX and Owen could have valiantly dropped it to Shawn when Austin took him out. To me that's the one thing that taint's Bret's legacy and ruins both those guys careers, Davey and Owen both coulda, shoulda been champ...and Bret could have used that creative control to make sure one of them was. He didn't... but as Bret gave us Summerslam 92, he wins...just.

 

[GameOver]

tough one they are both amazing in the own right but Bret Hart and Randy Savage paved the way for Shawn and smaller guys who could fly and be technical

Bret - supreme technician and a great story teller in ring not to mention didn't take liberties with other people's lives in the ring but he wasn't good on the mic for most of his career.

Shawn - noone outperformed him in any match, he gave 100% whether it was a house show or Wrestlemania and his matches were more versatile and he could talk the talk and back it up in ring.

all i can say is the answer should be Bret Hart I grew up watching Bret til The Rockers debuted around WrestleMania 5 and Bret certainly deserved his "best there is, best there was" moniker but HBK had more memorable moments, lasted considerably longer and was the better man if i had to chose between watching a match involving one or the other i'd go with HBK he was far more entertaining overall.

 

[donfryeismyhero]

There wouldn't of been an Attitude Era without Bret or Shawn. Too great wrestlers who were very believable. I loved both guys but when they were actually involved in a storyline against each other, I always took HBK's side. He's my favorite of all time. Despite size, he was the total package. He could cut a promo & outwrestle anyone no matter the style.

 

[RJJ]

Bret Hart. He was the man, always been, even after the supposedly "passing the torch" thing took place. Simply put Bret was the man, where he goes the WWE go. They centered the whole show around him. As good as shawn was, he was never a go to guy. WWE hit Rock bottom with shawn as its champion. Hell, if it wasn't for bret, Shawn would've never been champion. Bret paved the way to all the small guys, including shawn. Before DX, there was nothing going for shawn to be honest. He would randomly get involved in the Austin-Bret program, to keep himself in the main storyline(Atleast that's my opinion, he looked completley out of place during those times)

IMO, the Attitude Era started the moment Bret snapped on live TV. At the time, it was hard to tell what was real and what was scripted. He reformed the Hart Foundation, and boom!! things started to really get interesting.
He made Austin in on his way out, the soon to be face of the company.

Again, that's my opinion. Nothing will change the fact that these two are two of the greatest to ever step in a wrestling ring.

 

[Saeros]

For years wrestling fans has always asked who was the man between Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock. But what about the two guys who came before the infamous attitude era. Bret "the Hitman" Hart and "the Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. This rivalry goes back manys years to when both guys were in tag teams (Rockers, Hart Fondation).

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were two of a kind in their era. Their one-on-one rivalry was the closest thing wrestling had to equal the rap beef with Tupac & Biggie! Real-Life backstage fights, real-life sex scandal (Sunny), people taking sides (USA, Canada), mogul beefs (McMahon,Turner/Bischoff). It was all outta control at that time in wrestling.

Then upon Bret Hart's final days in the WWF/E, comes the infamous Montreal screwjob at Survivor Series 1997. With Shawn Michaels final attitude era days ending at Wrestlemania 14 due to a back injury. But all in all who were you for growing up as a wrestling fan Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels?

Ted Dibiase Jr. said in an interview that he was a tweener when it came to the two legends growing backstage with his father the Million Dollar man Ted Dibiase Sr.

Im not sure i really understand the question. Most people have replied as to who their favourite was whereas i read the title differently.
Is that the actual question thats being asked here or was it whos side were we on after the Montreal screwjob happened?

 

[CM Steel]

Im not sure i really understand the question. Most people have replied as to who their favourite was whereas i read the title differently.
Is that the actual question thats being asked here or was it whos side were we on after the Montreal screwjob happened?

No I was asking in the question simply "Who were you for" as in before the Montreal screwjon. As to like the actual rivalry they had leading up to the screwjob years in the making. I know that this thread question is like asking "who was the better action star Schwarzenegger or Stallone?".

But personally I just got tired of seeing all these "Who was better Stone Cold or the Rock?" threads, like I had already said in the beginning of this thread.

So that's answer's your question Saeros.

 

[UltimateHitman]

Let me just start by saying, even as a kid, I appreciated respect, dedication, integrity, professionalism, confidence over obnoxious cockiness.

With that, you can probably tell that I'm a Bret guy. I was vehemently against Michaels when I learned he was a ******** behind the scenes, and especially after the screw job.

Don't get me wrong, I can acknowledge Michaels' skill and charisma. I was actually a fan of his as well before I found out all that I did. So technically you could say I was a fan of the character at the time, not necessarily the man behind it.

Even after Bret's return and his and Michaels' subsequent meeting inside the ring to "bury the hatchet", I thought Michaels was still too proud and stubborn to actually admit any wrongdoing given his wording of certain things.

It's lessened here in recent years, and especially after I watched the Bret/Shawn Greatest Rivalries dvd. Michaels, to me, in that dvd, was very respectful and seemed to also be watching what he sad out of, I feel, genuine regret for how things went down in the long run.

But the point I'm trying to get at is that I was, and still am, a "Bret Hart guy".

 

[123NewChamp]

Easy Question and Easy Response. I started watching Wrestling right before Wrestlemania 12. And for somehow I instantly became a fan of Shawn Michaels. Heck he is my favorite wrestler of all time. But looking at it then, and watching replays on youtube going back to 1996, I beleive Bret Hart (who is no doubt my close 2nd favorite wrestler by the way.) Was always seen as more superior to Shawn because of his great technical in ring ability and his positive laid back backstage influence in the locker room. But at the same time WWE had high Hopes for HBK, and sees him as the future of the business. Honestly, I was so Scared for HBK because of how the Announcers, and wrestling world saw him as a wrestler of his caliber. I was praying hard for Shawn to win and he won. But no doubt these 2 guys were the best in their era and have revolutionized wrestling completely. This may be another debate but wrestling wise The rivalry and wrestling ability of Stone Cold and The Rock, and Cena Orton can't compare to that of HBK and Bret Hart. Goodness Gracious an Iron Man Match that went over an hour without a single pinfall. These two guys put the Wrestle in Wrestling. But HBK was no doubt my pick and my favorite wrestler. Although I thought Bret was gonna beat him I stuck by HBK side. #Loyalfan.

 

[xBANEx]

Bret.

I never really liked HBK and some people tend to give me funny looks over it. I mean I acknowledge he's one of the 'all time greats' and all that but never really cared for him. Plus I'm a sucker for submission guys

 

[keegamer80]

Well this is a good question. First of I have been watching since 1984. I seen both come up from tag teams. The hart foundation was actually a great heel team. The rockers were fun and entertaining. I always considered shawn and marty rip offs of the rock and roll express. I watched both wwf and nwa. I remember bret and shawn have the first ladder match. To the best of my knowledge it was a coliseum home video exclusive. I rented it and loved it. I always enjoyed watching shawn and bret. In the ring and on the mic. One thing that did annoy me was bret. He always stated how he was a role model and shawn should be ashamed of himself. I knew of wcw's offer in 96 that bret turned down! He actually mentioned it when he returned to raw in ft wayne indiana. It was after he had lost to shawn at mania. Fast forward a year and survivor series was approaching. By this time I was subscribing to the torch and visiting this website. The news was out that bret was leaving. As a wwf faithful I sided with shawn. Also I was in utter disbelief that bret would go to wcw. I still to this day believe that bret screwed himself. He wasn't willing to drop the title to hbk in canada. I didn't agree with that at all. He should have done what was asked of him. Many may not agree. Some of you may have never watched back then. Basically bret didn't want to put shawn over. I was very sad to see bret leave. He was an amazing talent who had to retire because of a no talent austin wannabe. He just had an ego that led to his departure from the world wrestling federation. I won't say shawn didn't get on my nerves either. His lack of respect was appalling. In the end I would pick gold on hbk. He was more universal and entertaining than bret. At least in my opinion. Sorry for rambling everyone.

 

[Just Do It]

I was a kid, so I liked who was ever being pushed frankly.

1992 - 1995 loved Bret.

Shawn turns face.

1995 onwards loved Bret and Shawn.

Still though, Bret was my favourite growing up. Couldn't appreciate how great his matches were from an informed point of view - but they must have been great, and Bret must have been great at his job as I was always rooting for the Hitman.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Let me just start by saying, even as a kid, I appreciated respect, dedication, integrity, professionalism, confidence over obnoxious cockiness.

With that, you can probably tell that I'm a Bret guy. I was vehemently against Michaels when I learned he was a ******** behind the scenes, and especially after the screw job.

Don't get me wrong, I can acknowledge Michaels' skill and charisma. I was actually a fan of his as well before I found out all that I did. So technically you could say I was a fan of the character at the time, not necessarily the man behind it.

Even after Bret's return and his and Michaels' subsequent meeting inside the ring to "bury the hatchet", I thought Michaels was still too proud and stubborn to actually admit any wrongdoing given his wording of certain things.

It's lessened here in recent years, and especially after I watched the Bret/Shawn Greatest Rivalries dvd. Michaels, to me, in that dvd, was very respectful and seemed to also be watching what he sad out of, I feel, genuine regret for how things went down in the long run.

But the point I'm trying to get at is that I was, and still am, a "Bret Hart guy".

This kind of makes sense to me and is why I lost some respect for Bret more than Shawn more recently. Shawn is what he is, a reformed man (although many dispute this) who was made the scapegoat for what happened that night. Shawn refused to job to Bret in the circumstances, that was wrong but he was just the guy Vince wanted Bret to pass the belt to... he didn't actively "screw" Bret that night, he was the guy the other side of the ring from him. It was Bret refusing to lose to Shawn that caused the issue and the telling moment is when Patterson is telling Shawn to "celebrate you idiot". Shawn worded things how he saw them, he's not gonna say "Bret, I should go to hell for wronging you" cos really HE didn't, Vince did, Shawn was just the guy who got the poisoned chalice to drink from on the night.

That being said, Shawn did stoke the fire along the way and those were the things he did apologise for, the Sunny Days stuff (bear in mind Shawn had just split with Sunny himself too, so there was more to it than an allegation of Bret just cheating on his wife, it was with HIS ex...) and that was the stuff he should have apologised for.

Now if you believe other people like Helms or Honky Tonk Man, Shawn hasn't changed at all and is still as bad as ever... but at the end of the day if he commited a sin at SS97 he has atoned for it, so thats the end of it.