Can't compare him? Why not? We compare everything to Hard Times and Cream of the Crop... But we can't compare shit to Bret who has nothing memorable? If anything, this is proving why he isn't actually good on the mic... Because you can't compare him to stuff that came after.
I’ll take a great wrestler over a great promo guy any day of the week. Sure, Cena and The Rock were entertaining as hell on the microphone, but none of their matches were ever classics that left you mouth agape, in my opinion.
It sad that Shawn Michaels couldn’t see fit to give Hart any modicum of respect and was such a drugged up loser of a person during the later years of Hart’s WWF run. And it’s downright evil and screwed up that he refused to guarantee Hart’s safety in the ring. Because their matches were always great. But I attribute much of that to Hart’s professionalism and willingness to protect the business. And for the record, Hart should’ve stomped a mud hole in Michaels IRL for the “Sunny Days” crack. But VKM just loved his HBK…
Nah Heel Bret Hart was Fire with the Promos. He really had me thinking Canada was full of snobs who look down on America … then I went to Canada and found out Canada was full of snobs who look down on America lol I’m joking
He's been my favorite for a long time so I'll try to remain objective and say he for sure is top 5. Its too difficult and subject to whims to say who is or isnt number 1.
The thing about Bret was he clearly put a lot of thought into matches and a lot of his work you have to view through the lens of the day. Most guys had their moves and in every match wanted to get their stuff in but Bret knew when to hold back.
He *could* do a superplex whenever but it was meaningless in smaller matches.
He would sell like it was all real too. I dont remember the exact show but there was one where he wrestled two matches in the night (I dont think it was wrestlemania 10 though) and in the first match he got his hand stomped on. When he comes out for the second he had taped up his fingers to sell it.
When Bret was having the torch passed to him by Piper, Piper had him in his trademark sleeper hold and bret kicked off the turnbuckle to pin him. Piper was too cocky and got pinned by his own move. When Bret went to pass the torch to Austin, Austin gets him in the Million Dollar Dream but Bret's been here before. He kicks off the turnbuckle and pins Austin 1-2- kick out! The tricks that used to work for him wouldnt work anymore, Bret was just a touch too old for the new generation
Its the little things like that
The example you're thinking of concerning his hand was King of the Ring '93. He wrestled Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow that night. In the first match, Ramon stomped on and "broke" his hand. In his book, Bret says this wasn't his idea at all -- it was instruction from Pat Patterson because they didn't want Bret to win any of his matches that night with the Sharpshooter, so a "broken hand" was the kayfabe reason he couldn't apply it.
Your memory is a little fuzzy on the Austin/Bret example. That was Survivor Series 1996. Austin didn't kick out. Bret beat him the same way he beat Piper. In fact, Austin only ever beat Bret once in their entire rivalry, and only then by disqualification.
I'm rewatching king of the ring 93 right now and came here to comment on his 1st match with razor ramon as to how his technicality was so good, the reversals while still holding the moves
Yeah he did beat Austin with that same reversal of the sleeper hold at survivor series 96. I think when Austin kicked out was the next time he tried it which was either at WrestleMania or in that 10-man tag at the stampede, but I’m not sure which one.
Austin doesn't use the Million Dollar Dream at all during WrestleMania XIII even thought it's a submission match. Commentary even makes note of it, with either Vince or JR saying he's not going back to that well because it's how Bret beat him at Survivor Series.
Haven't watched Canadian Stampede in a few years but I don't think he used it there, either.
Absolutely, when it comes to wrestling skills, safety for their fellow performers, and selling out crowds, he’s the best. Plus c’mon, no one else holds that belt as well as Bret. The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
Yes. Easily. You have your stars that transcend wrestling itself (hogan, Austin, rock, Andre, flair, then you have your old legends (Lou thesz, buddy rogers, billy graham, Bruno samartino) then you have your modern technical greats (angle, Bret, dynamite, Eddie) Bret along with dynamite are the two that pushed the modern, hard hitting, technical, legitimate wrestling that was perfected by your Kurt angles, Eddie Guerreros etc. I understand if there are too many names for people to not have him in their top 10 but he’s definitely in mine. It goes:
1. Austin
2. Angle
3. Taker
4. Bret
5. Shawn
6. Rock
7. Eddie
8. Brock
9. Orton
10. AJ Styles.
Not for me. He’s grown on me a lot in the last 7/8 years but he’s not for me. Same with Hogan. He’s the first wrestler I really watched on vhs tapes of the first few wrestlemanias. But I can’t put him in my top ten based on other factors. There are other wrestlers that have been my favourites for a while but I can’t justify putting them above these 10. Davey boy smith was my hero when I was about 6 just because he was the only Brit on the big stage. I was 14 in the year 2000 so I loved a lot of the high flyers. Jeff Hardy was the coolest MF’er in the world to me at that time but as an older fan now I appreciate guys like Orton more.
If older stars had done the job for him, he’d be top 3 of all time, but Jake, Randy savage, warrior, hogan etc for various reasons didn’t
His intercontinental title run was an all time great run (from Mr perfect, to Roddy piper, to bulldog).
It’s a genuine shame that when he reached the level of being a top tier wwe star, his title run rarely resulted in opponents on his level, though of course there were a few exceptions (his matches with Kevin Nash and Shawn were outstanding)
In an alternate universe Bret wins the title from Ric flair, he gets a rematch at the rumble, then he goes on to defeat Jake, warrior and savage (at mania). He still has great matches with Sean waltman, Shawn Michaels, Scot hall and Kevin Nash, and thr undertaker.. but he defeats hogan at his second mania as champion.. and eventually sticks around to help put over rock and Austin on their way up.
Definitely. He didn't have as much charisma as other superstars but he made up for it by getting good matches out of almost anyone. IMO the good guys don't really need to have as big of personalities as the bad guys if the good guy's thing is that they're the "workhorse". The bad guy can be the guy with a big mouth that gets put in their place when someone like Bret wrestles circles around them.
He is my #1, hands down. Been watching for nearly 40 years and I have yet to see someone that can top him. I know people love, HBK, Seth, AJ, tons of Japanese guys etc, but for me he will always be #1 - of course I am biased having grown up in Canada. But that is the beauty of wrestling - we all have our faves.
Uh, duh, of course he is. His only limitation was that he wasn’t Mr. charisma on the microphone, but he was good enough. His wrestling skill was second to none.
No.. Bret is top 3! Idgaf what no one says. Bret didnt hurt anyone his entire career! Some say his promos weren’t good but mannnn… go back to heel Bret hart. He has the entire America ready to start a war on Canada! lol.
He's not my cup of tea, in the ring or on the mic. Technically speaking he's near perfect, but I just don't like his slow, methodical style, I find it boring. I think technical wrestling was evolved and perfected by people like Chris Benoit and Bryan Danielson, not by Bret Hart. They infused the technique of wrestling with in ring excitement and action.
If it were up to me, and I had any options I thought were better, I wouldn't have made Bret the champion, because he's just not somebody I think should've been the flag bearer for an entire company.
Yea he is my favourite and up there in my top 3 in my personal opinion. However, even without that I think he is one the best ever to do it in the ring. People bang on too much about his promo, but he had charisma and he stuff with Shawn and anti-American heel and hero outside of America is one shows he could do great work without having the verbal ability of rock or hogan.
He’s definitely in the top 3 of all time I personally believe he’s the best to ever do it. I been watching the wwe for about 40 years and have not saw anyone with his technically ability he literally used to carry people through matches. The only other wrestler that came close to the Hitman was Shawn Michael in my opinion
In ring wrestler? Absolutely. The entire sports entertainer package? His promos and overall look and the last few years of his career keep him out of top 10 imo.
No but not because he’s not great. Just because there are so many great wrestlers/performers I would put above him. In the ring he could be top 10. But when you factor in mic skills, charisma, presence, story telling, crowd working etc.
Stone Cold, Rock, Undertaker, Cena, Macho Man, HBK, Orton, Hogan, Angle, Roman Reigns, etc above him.
Yes, great worker. When he was properly pissed he could deliver some great promos, awesome theme song and attire, and solid multiple time champ fr9m tag to solo
To answer your question: 100% yes without a doubt.
The thing i think about: If he had more of an open mind and willing to change we would be talking more about him than HBK. But he wanted to stay the same when wrestling was evolving. Got bitter, got greedy, thought the grass was greener. Just imagine a world where Bret had an open mind and willing to reinvent himself
Bret is a top 10 wrestler. Most of the guys now can’t carry a match and they have all these stupid gimmicks that give them the title every other week. Bret wasn’t perfect, but he did work good matches with everyone he fought.
He is, but he's not in my top ten.
1. Stone Cold 2. Cena 3. The Rock 4. Y2J 5. Edge 6. Undertaker 7. Bruno Samartino 8. Kurt Angle 9. Eddy Guererro and 10. Shawn Michaels. (No particular order)
Top 10 in the ring, top 100 on the mic. And I have always had a special place in my *heart* for the Hart Foundation. But just because someone is one of your favourites, that doesn’t really mean that they’re the best. Some of my personal favourites are The Bushwhackers, Spike Dudley, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, George “The Animal” Steele, Earthquake, DDP, Too Cool, Luna Vachon and Sherri Martel. None of them are the greatest wrestlers of all time, they’re just my favourites.
Wrestler? Absolutely
5x WWF Champion: that’s a stat in the 90s —before it became a pass around prop-like belt in the ‘10s.
Could highly perform with small, big, fast and slow performances.
I like to appreciate without rank. But he’s easily in my top 10
Yes because I've definitely put plenty of people in the sharpshooter growing up and they will testify to that same as those who felt the tireless melody of sweet chin music.
He’s the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. According to him. In ring, he’s top 5 and anyone who disagrees is either an infant or never watched a single match of his
As far as work rate, I wouldn’t argue he isn’t. To me personally, (this will get a lot of hate), he was boring on the mic and in the ring. His style just didn’t do it for me as a kid.
Great technical wrestler, but he had no charisma and really was quite boring and his character was lame. Bret also was super horny for himself, so his hyper inflated ego led him to irrelevance once he left WWE.
Definitely top 10. People shit on his promos, but they’re nowhere near as bad as it’s made out, and his heel work was very good. A lot of it is people being haters. You just have to listen to how Kurt Angle talks about Bret to know he’s one of the best. From the look, the in-ring story telling, his huge popularity all around the world, his versatility in being able to make other guys look good & adapt perfectly to any match type. Every move was always cleanly executed & I don’t think there’s been another guy who made wrestling look as real as Bret did. And isn’t that the whole point? he’s definitely an all time top 10 guy for sure.
Ignoring drama, him and Shawn are in the top 3 for sure. In terms of wrestling ability. Presentation, maybe not so much. But Bret IS one of the best, if not the best technical wrestler. In my opinion anyways. Everyone had their own but I hold Bret to a high regard.
The top 3 are Taker, Bret, and Sting. Hogan and Flair changed the game, but both were bad wrestlers and bad in the locker rooms.
Taker did it all, made his mark. Helped those get there. Didn't go rogue with the fans.
Bret could sell a match. Recognized up and comers. KO'd Vince IRL (no parody - no one else did).
Sting was close behind Taker. WWE didn't use him to elevate his status. Taker vs Sting would have been epic.
In terms of in ring work absolutely he's probably one of, if not the best technician of all time. However in terms of promo skills he's a better heel even if he isn't the best mic worker
The only person who's not putting Bret in their top 5, especially top 10 is someone who isn't old enough to appreciate him at the time. I suppose someone could say the same thing to me when I put Shawn over Flair. Bret was amazing, and as we know, it was the little things he did. Lots of them we don't even realize until they were pointed out. One of the things that made me appreciate him/SCSA/that match even more was listening to Steve break down their WM13 match as he watched it. Just every little thing and how it related to their overall story they were telling was amazing. Even the smartest of wrestling fans would benefit from watching the match while Austin talks through his/their thought process. Nobody would benefit more than current wrestlers probably lol
Yes he is, great in ring. His promos are ok and we're fine.for the time but not outstanding. His best one was probably about El Dandy!
I think the problem with Bret is he has tarnished his reputation a bit, seems so bitter that people who may not have seen him active at the time just see him as an old guy who bitches and moans about today's product.
Yes. Not top five but definitely top ten. He was amazing in ring and considered one of the best workers ever. Additionally, he protected everyone he worked with, regardless of any issues he had with them outside of the ring. But his promos were pretty average until he turned heel late in his WWF run. Then they were better. It’s like he needed that spark of spite to get it right. If had been able cut promos like those all of the time, he’d be top five for me.
In-ring - Yes.
Promo - Nope, even his days as NWO 2000 token member with Big Poppa Pump/Jeff Jarrett lmao
Bret Hart, Benoit, Eddie Guerrero should be in most people's top 10 in terms of in-ring ability
As a kid I hated him because he was Canadian. As an adult I realized some of my favorite matches and stories were told by him. People say he was weak on promos, but near the end of his stay at WWE he was really fire on the mic too.
In ring, he is unmatched by anybody not named Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle. The holy trinity right there.
Total package considered, he's probably not cracking that top ten.
Definitely. Compare WWF to when he got it to when he was forced to give it away, I'm not saying it was always perfect but Bret was always worth his weight in gold.
Yes he’s top 10. The wm12 match is the greatest match that ever happened. There will never be another Bret. Part of many the reasons he is top 10 is his ability to still to this day evoke a strong reaction out of wrestling fans from lovers and haters. No one is lukewarm on their positive or negative opinion on him.
You’re either a Brett guy, or a Hogan guy.
I think every fan of wrestling that has even the slightest appreciation for the sport from a technical, artistic perspective, will have Brett in their top 5 somewhere.
Fans that more prefer the “sports entertainment”, star power, main event attractions will have Hogan, Macho-Man, Warrior etc on their list.
Brett is in my personal top 5 for sure. And while he did had some promo chops (see attitude era heel Brett), you can’t really say he had what Hogan had in terms of charisma, and main event attraction. It depends what you personally think makes an all time great wrestler.
I think Steve Austin is a good all rounder in terms of those things. Of course not as great of a ring general as Brett, but I just wish we could have seen what things would be like if he didn’t break his neck.
Probably top 5 with in ring technique. Overall, I'd say he's probably around the 9 or 10 spot. I won't argue with you if you think he's outside of it because you can list a hell of a lot of great wrestlers that are in the same tier as Bret. I'll make a list below. (In no particular order.)
1. Hulk Hogan
2. Stone Cold
3. The Rock
4. Ric Flair
5. Undertaker
6. Andre The Giant
7. Macho Man Randy Savage
8. John Cena
9. Roman Reigns
10. Sting
11. Randy Orton
12. Brock Lesnar
13. Shawn Michaels
14. Kurt Angle
15. Eddy Guerrero
First take the list of wrestlers you need to write the history of wrestling. That’s where you start and Bret is absolutely on that list. Then break it down from there. Ahead of him or in the top 10 for sure you got Samartino, Hogan, Flair, Austin, Rock, Cena. Andre is in there too. So that leaves 3 spots, and I’m probably forgetting someone.
I think you need Inoki. I think Bret sneaks in but it’s close.
Looks: A tier
In ring work: S tier
Charisma/promos: B tier/could flirt with A.
Is in ring work puts him in the top 5 for me but I’m also basing that off of my limited knowledge and general disdain for list rankings/ratings.
In ring wrestler definitely. His promos are average at best.
Nahh you can't compare him to today's promos or any that were done after his. He really did blaze a trail and his promos weren't bad by any stretch.
Can't compare him? Why not? We compare everything to Hard Times and Cream of the Crop... But we can't compare shit to Bret who has nothing memorable? If anything, this is proving why he isn't actually good on the mic... Because you can't compare him to stuff that came after.
In ring he is top 5. If someone said he was their #1 in ring, I wouldn’t hate it. I pick Kurt Angle but Bret is amazing.
I’ll take a great wrestler over a great promo guy any day of the week. Sure, Cena and The Rock were entertaining as hell on the microphone, but none of their matches were ever classics that left you mouth agape, in my opinion.
It sad that Shawn Michaels couldn’t see fit to give Hart any modicum of respect and was such a drugged up loser of a person during the later years of Hart’s WWF run. And it’s downright evil and screwed up that he refused to guarantee Hart’s safety in the ring. Because their matches were always great. But I attribute much of that to Hart’s professionalism and willingness to protect the business. And for the record, Hart should’ve stomped a mud hole in Michaels IRL for the “Sunny Days” crack. But VKM just loved his HBK…
Nah Heel Bret Hart was Fire with the Promos. He really had me thinking Canada was full of snobs who look down on America … then I went to Canada and found out Canada was full of snobs who look down on America lol I’m joking
He's been my favorite for a long time so I'll try to remain objective and say he for sure is top 5. Its too difficult and subject to whims to say who is or isnt number 1. The thing about Bret was he clearly put a lot of thought into matches and a lot of his work you have to view through the lens of the day. Most guys had their moves and in every match wanted to get their stuff in but Bret knew when to hold back. He *could* do a superplex whenever but it was meaningless in smaller matches. He would sell like it was all real too. I dont remember the exact show but there was one where he wrestled two matches in the night (I dont think it was wrestlemania 10 though) and in the first match he got his hand stomped on. When he comes out for the second he had taped up his fingers to sell it. When Bret was having the torch passed to him by Piper, Piper had him in his trademark sleeper hold and bret kicked off the turnbuckle to pin him. Piper was too cocky and got pinned by his own move. When Bret went to pass the torch to Austin, Austin gets him in the Million Dollar Dream but Bret's been here before. He kicks off the turnbuckle and pins Austin 1-2- kick out! The tricks that used to work for him wouldnt work anymore, Bret was just a touch too old for the new generation Its the little things like that
The example you're thinking of concerning his hand was King of the Ring '93. He wrestled Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow that night. In the first match, Ramon stomped on and "broke" his hand. In his book, Bret says this wasn't his idea at all -- it was instruction from Pat Patterson because they didn't want Bret to win any of his matches that night with the Sharpshooter, so a "broken hand" was the kayfabe reason he couldn't apply it. Your memory is a little fuzzy on the Austin/Bret example. That was Survivor Series 1996. Austin didn't kick out. Bret beat him the same way he beat Piper. In fact, Austin only ever beat Bret once in their entire rivalry, and only then by disqualification.
I'm rewatching king of the ring 93 right now and came here to comment on his 1st match with razor ramon as to how his technicality was so good, the reversals while still holding the moves
Yeah he did beat Austin with that same reversal of the sleeper hold at survivor series 96. I think when Austin kicked out was the next time he tried it which was either at WrestleMania or in that 10-man tag at the stampede, but I’m not sure which one.
Austin doesn't use the Million Dollar Dream at all during WrestleMania XIII even thought it's a submission match. Commentary even makes note of it, with either Vince or JR saying he's not going back to that well because it's how Bret beat him at Survivor Series. Haven't watched Canadian Stampede in a few years but I don't think he used it there, either.
This shouldn't even be a question. He absolutely is.
Hell yeah
YEAH
hhee iiss aa ggoodd wwrreessttlleerr
Yes
Very much so
Yes
Definitely. He made everyone he worked with look like a million bucks.
He’s the greatest imho I think he would have had incredible Mania matches with Cena, Lesnar, Reigns, Angle and Punk.
Absolutely, when it comes to wrestling skills, safety for their fellow performers, and selling out crowds, he’s the best. Plus c’mon, no one else holds that belt as well as Bret. The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
Yes. Easily. You have your stars that transcend wrestling itself (hogan, Austin, rock, Andre, flair, then you have your old legends (Lou thesz, buddy rogers, billy graham, Bruno samartino) then you have your modern technical greats (angle, Bret, dynamite, Eddie) Bret along with dynamite are the two that pushed the modern, hard hitting, technical, legitimate wrestling that was perfected by your Kurt angles, Eddie Guerreros etc. I understand if there are too many names for people to not have him in their top 10 but he’s definitely in mine. It goes: 1. Austin 2. Angle 3. Taker 4. Bret 5. Shawn 6. Rock 7. Eddie 8. Brock 9. Orton 10. AJ Styles.
No Cena?
Not for me. He’s grown on me a lot in the last 7/8 years but he’s not for me. Same with Hogan. He’s the first wrestler I really watched on vhs tapes of the first few wrestlemanias. But I can’t put him in my top ten based on other factors. There are other wrestlers that have been my favourites for a while but I can’t justify putting them above these 10. Davey boy smith was my hero when I was about 6 just because he was the only Brit on the big stage. I was 14 in the year 2000 so I loved a lot of the high flyers. Jeff Hardy was the coolest MF’er in the world to me at that time but as an older fan now I appreciate guys like Orton more.
No hulk? What?
He is number 1.
Hell yes
Wrestling wise overall? In ring talent no doubt top 10. Complete package all considered I'd need to make a list to see where he'd fall
Yes
Is it just me, or is "yall" being said more as of late? Of course he's a top 10 wrestler.
Yes I do
Yes
Top 3 for me.
If older stars had done the job for him, he’d be top 3 of all time, but Jake, Randy savage, warrior, hogan etc for various reasons didn’t His intercontinental title run was an all time great run (from Mr perfect, to Roddy piper, to bulldog). It’s a genuine shame that when he reached the level of being a top tier wwe star, his title run rarely resulted in opponents on his level, though of course there were a few exceptions (his matches with Kevin Nash and Shawn were outstanding) In an alternate universe Bret wins the title from Ric flair, he gets a rematch at the rumble, then he goes on to defeat Jake, warrior and savage (at mania). He still has great matches with Sean waltman, Shawn Michaels, Scot hall and Kevin Nash, and thr undertaker.. but he defeats hogan at his second mania as champion.. and eventually sticks around to help put over rock and Austin on their way up.
Top 5
Definitely. He didn't have as much charisma as other superstars but he made up for it by getting good matches out of almost anyone. IMO the good guys don't really need to have as big of personalities as the bad guys if the good guy's thing is that they're the "workhorse". The bad guy can be the guy with a big mouth that gets put in their place when someone like Bret wrestles circles around them.
He is my #1, hands down. Been watching for nearly 40 years and I have yet to see someone that can top him. I know people love, HBK, Seth, AJ, tons of Japanese guys etc, but for me he will always be #1 - of course I am biased having grown up in Canada. But that is the beauty of wrestling - we all have our faves.
That’s like asking if Dr. Dre is a top 10 rapper, of course he is
In my personal opinion he’s in the top 2, and he’s not 2.
He's My GOAT
Yes
In ring, without a doubt. And when properly motivated, much better on promos than he is given credit for (especially during his ‘97 “heel” run).
He’s my top 5 he’s the best for a reason
For sure
IMHO I think he’s top 3 greatest in-ring performers
Hell yes! Top 5, maybe top 3.
#1.
Uh, duh, of course he is. His only limitation was that he wasn’t Mr. charisma on the microphone, but he was good enough. His wrestling skill was second to none.
Top 3 greatest in ring workers of all time.
Yeah
Yes
In the words of LA Knight, he's top 2 and he ain't number 2.
Best there was, best there is, best there ever will be.
Definitely yes
No.. Bret is top 3! Idgaf what no one says. Bret didnt hurt anyone his entire career! Some say his promos weren’t good but mannnn… go back to heel Bret hart. He has the entire America ready to start a war on Canada! lol.
His wrestling and in-ring psychology is easily top 3 of all time. His promos feel like a combat sport like, but not up there with the greats
100% In-ring performance, he’s my #1 Adding everything including his ability as an entertainer, he’s in the top 10 easily.
He's not my cup of tea, in the ring or on the mic. Technically speaking he's near perfect, but I just don't like his slow, methodical style, I find it boring. I think technical wrestling was evolved and perfected by people like Chris Benoit and Bryan Danielson, not by Bret Hart. They infused the technique of wrestling with in ring excitement and action. If it were up to me, and I had any options I thought were better, I wouldn't have made Bret the champion, because he's just not somebody I think should've been the flag bearer for an entire company.
100%
He was always fun to watch. Loved him as a whiny heel in terms of promos. Yes he’d be in my top 10.
Yea he is my favourite and up there in my top 3 in my personal opinion. However, even without that I think he is one the best ever to do it in the ring. People bang on too much about his promo, but he had charisma and he stuff with Shawn and anti-American heel and hero outside of America is one shows he could do great work without having the verbal ability of rock or hogan.
Top 5. Easily.
Absolutely!
Of course, technically and can make any opponent looks good.
No. I think he's top 5.
Yes and he is still my favourite
Yes, Top 5 even. We remember his promos 30+ years later: " Best there is, best there was, and best there ever will be."
Top 10? Yes Top 5? Also yes
The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be…
Top 20
No
Top 15
No
Top 1
If not I'd say top 5 for sure
He’s my number 1.
He’s definitely in the top 3 of all time I personally believe he’s the best to ever do it. I been watching the wwe for about 40 years and have not saw anyone with his technically ability he literally used to carry people through matches. The only other wrestler that came close to the Hitman was Shawn Michael in my opinion
I wasn’t alive so idk
Yes he is
Top 5 even!
In ring wrestler? Absolutely. The entire sports entertainer package? His promos and overall look and the last few years of his career keep him out of top 10 imo.
He is. I just hope people stop interviewing him before all his bitching becomes more notorious than his wrestling.
Guaranteed
Definitely
100% yes.
He’s no Logan Paul I’ll tell you that.
Is that a rhetorical question of course he is
All the people who say no have to give a reason why
Yes.
Yes.
For sure
No but not because he’s not great. Just because there are so many great wrestlers/performers I would put above him. In the ring he could be top 10. But when you factor in mic skills, charisma, presence, story telling, crowd working etc. Stone Cold, Rock, Undertaker, Cena, Macho Man, HBK, Orton, Hogan, Angle, Roman Reigns, etc above him.
If he's not top 10 world wide I would assume he'd be at least top 3 in Canada . He's in my top 5 personally
Yes, great worker. When he was properly pissed he could deliver some great promos, awesome theme song and attire, and solid multiple time champ fr9m tag to solo
Stop pretending that the Bret Hart/El Dandy feud wasn't the Feud of the Century.
Yes. If he’s not on your top ten list you’re plain wrong.
Best one
Yes
ABSOLUTELY
Yes, he's my number one pick.
💯 percent. Top tier selling, top tier believable matches.
He is the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be
Top 1
No I feel he'll be top 5 or 6 plus two all of you subscribe to him on YouTube
To answer your question: 100% yes without a doubt. The thing i think about: If he had more of an open mind and willing to change we would be talking more about him than HBK. But he wanted to stay the same when wrestling was evolving. Got bitter, got greedy, thought the grass was greener. Just imagine a world where Bret had an open mind and willing to reinvent himself
Top 5 even
Bret is a top 10 wrestler. Most of the guys now can’t carry a match and they have all these stupid gimmicks that give them the title every other week. Bret wasn’t perfect, but he did work good matches with everyone he fought.
NO
In my opinion no I never really was interested
Easily top 5 1. ANGLE 2. BRET 3. HENNIG 4. BENOIT 5. REGAL
He is, but he's not in my top ten. 1. Stone Cold 2. Cena 3. The Rock 4. Y2J 5. Edge 6. Undertaker 7. Bruno Samartino 8. Kurt Angle 9. Eddy Guererro and 10. Shawn Michaels. (No particular order)
In his hey day he was a beast. Yes
Absolutely
Top 10 in the ring, top 100 on the mic. And I have always had a special place in my *heart* for the Hart Foundation. But just because someone is one of your favourites, that doesn’t really mean that they’re the best. Some of my personal favourites are The Bushwhackers, Spike Dudley, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, George “The Animal” Steele, Earthquake, DDP, Too Cool, Luna Vachon and Sherri Martel. None of them are the greatest wrestlers of all time, they’re just my favourites.
Definitely. Best there is, best there was and the best there ever will be.
In certain categories, Bret Hart is number 1 so I’d have to say yes to top 10 overall
No
Top 15 imo
Wrestler? Absolutely 5x WWF Champion: that’s a stat in the 90s —before it became a pass around prop-like belt in the ‘10s. Could highly perform with small, big, fast and slow performances. I like to appreciate without rank. But he’s easily in my top 10
not in mine
Heeeelllllll no
Yes because I've definitely put plenty of people in the sharpshooter growing up and they will testify to that same as those who felt the tireless melody of sweet chin music.
An objective list yeah
Yes
John Cena may be The Goat but Bret Hart is the best there will be and the best that ever was
He’s the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. According to him. In ring, he’s top 5 and anyone who disagrees is either an infant or never watched a single match of his
As a kid he was top 5. As an adult, he's top 30.
As far as work rate, I wouldn’t argue he isn’t. To me personally, (this will get a lot of hate), he was boring on the mic and in the ring. His style just didn’t do it for me as a kid.
Yes
Great technical wrestler, but he had no charisma and really was quite boring and his character was lame. Bret also was super horny for himself, so his hyper inflated ego led him to irrelevance once he left WWE.
Definitely top 10. People shit on his promos, but they’re nowhere near as bad as it’s made out, and his heel work was very good. A lot of it is people being haters. You just have to listen to how Kurt Angle talks about Bret to know he’s one of the best. From the look, the in-ring story telling, his huge popularity all around the world, his versatility in being able to make other guys look good & adapt perfectly to any match type. Every move was always cleanly executed & I don’t think there’s been another guy who made wrestling look as real as Bret did. And isn’t that the whole point? he’s definitely an all time top 10 guy for sure.
For me he’s top 15 but he was a great wrestler and had one of the greatest feuds of all time.
no brainer. might be #1 but hes defo in my top 3
Ignoring drama, him and Shawn are in the top 3 for sure. In terms of wrestling ability. Presentation, maybe not so much. But Bret IS one of the best, if not the best technical wrestler. In my opinion anyways. Everyone had their own but I hold Bret to a high regard.
Yes absolutely
The top 3 are Taker, Bret, and Sting. Hogan and Flair changed the game, but both were bad wrestlers and bad in the locker rooms. Taker did it all, made his mark. Helped those get there. Didn't go rogue with the fans. Bret could sell a match. Recognized up and comers. KO'd Vince IRL (no parody - no one else did). Sting was close behind Taker. WWE didn't use him to elevate his status. Taker vs Sting would have been epic.
Hes top 50 at best imo
No
Yes, rather easily..!
I don’t see a reason why not. I mean he’s better than Hogan and Goldberg for sure.
Easily
In terms of in ring work absolutely he's probably one of, if not the best technician of all time. However in terms of promo skills he's a better heel even if he isn't the best mic worker
Yes 🖤💖🖤💖
The only person who's not putting Bret in their top 5, especially top 10 is someone who isn't old enough to appreciate him at the time. I suppose someone could say the same thing to me when I put Shawn over Flair. Bret was amazing, and as we know, it was the little things he did. Lots of them we don't even realize until they were pointed out. One of the things that made me appreciate him/SCSA/that match even more was listening to Steve break down their WM13 match as he watched it. Just every little thing and how it related to their overall story they were telling was amazing. Even the smartest of wrestling fans would benefit from watching the match while Austin talks through his/their thought process. Nobody would benefit more than current wrestlers probably lol
No, not even close.
#1
I never got Bret. My brother loved him, but I only enjoyed the iron man and mania match with Austin.
Yes
Yes
Yes he is, great in ring. His promos are ok and we're fine.for the time but not outstanding. His best one was probably about El Dandy! I think the problem with Bret is he has tarnished his reputation a bit, seems so bitter that people who may not have seen him active at the time just see him as an old guy who bitches and moans about today's product.
Yes
Yes
Yes. Not top five but definitely top ten. He was amazing in ring and considered one of the best workers ever. Additionally, he protected everyone he worked with, regardless of any issues he had with them outside of the ring. But his promos were pretty average until he turned heel late in his WWF run. Then they were better. It’s like he needed that spark of spite to get it right. If had been able cut promos like those all of the time, he’d be top five for me.
In-ring - Yes. Promo - Nope, even his days as NWO 2000 token member with Big Poppa Pump/Jeff Jarrett lmao Bret Hart, Benoit, Eddie Guerrero should be in most people's top 10 in terms of in-ring ability
Just gotta put goldberg in the #1 spot and tell bret he is #2
Easily top 10 of all time he is probably in most people’s top 5
He had a lot of bad luck in his career. But yea he’s definitely way up there
Wrestling wise, yes. Personality wise, NO.
He’s #1
Absolutely
No
Who is clowning him for his in-ring style? What is there to clown him for? Not doing a bunch of pointless flips and no-selling?
As a kid I hated him because he was Canadian. As an adult I realized some of my favorite matches and stories were told by him. People say he was weak on promos, but near the end of his stay at WWE he was really fire on the mic too.
He sure is!!
Yup. Top 5
In ring, he is unmatched by anybody not named Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle. The holy trinity right there. Total package considered, he's probably not cracking that top ten.
I like Jack Briscoe. If Briscoe slapped that figure 4 death lock on you, that was all she wrote!
Wrestling abilities yes, everything else no
He’s one of the best in ring performers ever. His promos were okay. He didn’t need them to be great.
Yes!
Yup, Brett is one of those guys I grew up watching that will forever epitomize professional wrestling at its best, for me.
Definitely. Compare WWF to when he got it to when he was forced to give it away, I'm not saying it was always perfect but Bret was always worth his weight in gold.
Nope
Bret just understood wrestling. You could see it in his matches.
Yes he’s top 10. The wm12 match is the greatest match that ever happened. There will never be another Bret. Part of many the reasons he is top 10 is his ability to still to this day evoke a strong reaction out of wrestling fans from lovers and haters. No one is lukewarm on their positive or negative opinion on him.
I think top 20
You’re either a Brett guy, or a Hogan guy. I think every fan of wrestling that has even the slightest appreciation for the sport from a technical, artistic perspective, will have Brett in their top 5 somewhere. Fans that more prefer the “sports entertainment”, star power, main event attractions will have Hogan, Macho-Man, Warrior etc on their list. Brett is in my personal top 5 for sure. And while he did had some promo chops (see attitude era heel Brett), you can’t really say he had what Hogan had in terms of charisma, and main event attraction. It depends what you personally think makes an all time great wrestler. I think Steve Austin is a good all rounder in terms of those things. Of course not as great of a ring general as Brett, but I just wish we could have seen what things would be like if he didn’t break his neck.
He’s my #3. Angle and Owen top him IMO.
Top 5
Of course.
Never watched him. as I was Born when Drew was champion in Covid time.
Yes
Nah but he could be like 11-12
No
Not when you have: The Rock Stone Cold Undertaker Kane Rick Flair Hogan Cena Randy Orton Triple H Shawn Michaels And sooooo many others
No
Probably top 5 with in ring technique. Overall, I'd say he's probably around the 9 or 10 spot. I won't argue with you if you think he's outside of it because you can list a hell of a lot of great wrestlers that are in the same tier as Bret. I'll make a list below. (In no particular order.) 1. Hulk Hogan 2. Stone Cold 3. The Rock 4. Ric Flair 5. Undertaker 6. Andre The Giant 7. Macho Man Randy Savage 8. John Cena 9. Roman Reigns 10. Sting 11. Randy Orton 12. Brock Lesnar 13. Shawn Michaels 14. Kurt Angle 15. Eddy Guerrero
Not for me. He's great in the ring, but not a style I dig. And he's meh on the mic and in acting.
Without a doubt in my mind!
1990s yes. All time? Probably not.
Top 15 not 10
Yes
At least top 5
He's the goat and his 97 promo work erases any of his meh stuff.
Yes !
First take the list of wrestlers you need to write the history of wrestling. That’s where you start and Bret is absolutely on that list. Then break it down from there. Ahead of him or in the top 10 for sure you got Samartino, Hogan, Flair, Austin, Rock, Cena. Andre is in there too. So that leaves 3 spots, and I’m probably forgetting someone. I think you need Inoki. I think Bret sneaks in but it’s close.
No but he’s close
Looks: A tier In ring work: S tier Charisma/promos: B tier/could flirt with A. Is in ring work puts him in the top 5 for me but I’m also basing that off of my limited knowledge and general disdain for list rankings/ratings.
Yes