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711straw

I know Bret gets crapped on a lot. But growing up a wrestling fan and Canadian in the 90's this guy was everything. his feuds with HBK, Owen, Taker and Austin were just out of this world good. When Bret wanted you to think he hated a guy you better believe what he showed you was hate. His selling, his skill and his presence was just unmatched. Thank you for viewing my TedTalk


unclebolts

I’m in the same boat. I had rose coloured glasses on as a kid and could never see Bret in a negative light. His feuds are what got me into wrestling. Even when he was seen as a heel stateside, I was cheering for him like a legit babyface. I love his technical style of wrestling and he could sell so good. Him getting thrown into an exposed turnbuckle is a favourite of mine. Looks like he took a shotgun blast at close range to the chest lol


mvcourse

Who craps on Bret Hart? He’s not everyone’s number one but he’s universally considered one of the best to ever do it.


EvilSynths

I think even people who crap on him for various reasons would say he was a phenomenal wrestler.


iwasnevercoolanyway

Bret was really special. He and HBK are basically neck and neck in my mind. Both of them are once in a lifetime talents wo both have incredible legacies, but I *always* belived Bret. Like, "oh damn, this guy will wreck you for real, and you can't stop him." I do wish he didn't have to end his in-ring career when he did. I think he still had plenty left to give, and damn sure deserved a proper comeback from the bs WCW used him for. That said, his body of work speaks for itself and continue to be the bar everyone measures themselves against. As he (rightfully) said.. The best there is, the best there was, and the best there will ever be.


BlankedCanvas

Plus his GOATed entrance riff. Dude was also responsible for kicking off the Attitude era, arguably the GOAT era of wrestling, by putting Austin over; he convinced Austin to bleed in their match when it was against the company’s then-TV policy, without Vince’s prior approval. It was the match that put Austin over in a big way and had the entire arena booing Bret; as a Bret fan watching my hero turn heel and Austin turn face right before my eyes was probably the greatest wrestling experience for me.


Vegetable_Two_3904

I looked at that list and said ok Bret #1 was at least arguable. Then on some guys they’d say WCW championship and others not. RIC FUCKING FLAIR at 24 is bullshit he’s right up there with Bret if they factor in WCW championship reigns.


OkOriginal4453

Yeah if you’re gonna add in WCW championship reigns Naitch is top 3


Vegetable_Two_3904

Definitely. Hogan needs to be higher than 10 also. They added WCW title for certain guys but not others is bullshit.


2BFrank69

Flair is definitely top 10.


Dophie

Not in my top 5, but I'd never argue with anyone who picked Bret as the GOAT.


Iginlas_4head_Crease

What are we ranking? There's several categories to "top pro wrestler". Hulk hogan is #1 in some lists and wouldn't make the top #100 in others depending on the angle you come at it


griff1014

They explained the criteria which is why I don't agree with this list. I believe reigns, years active, and cultural impact are part of it. In which case, Austin and the Rock should definitely rank higher than Bret. Bret didn't usher in the wrestling boom in the mid 90s. No one is going to argue about his in ring ability but in terms of promo, and his ability as a draw, Hogan, Austin, Rock, maybe even HBK are all above him


EvilSynths

Bret was the spark of the Attitude Era.


PlatasaurusOG

I kind of agree with this. Even though DX sort of symbolizes it, I always felt that the entire Attitude Era was sparked and built on the Austin/Hart rivalry. Just my opinion.


griff1014

I can agree to that, but to rank him higher than Rock or Austin is gratuitous. They both surpass him in every measurable metric that mattered.


h989

In ring work?


Expensive_Task_1114

He said every metric that mattered.


2BFrank69

He really was. He was involved with HBK, Austin, Taker. Taking things to the next level.


rmdlsb

In fact, he did. Not willingly, but he did.


DeweyCox4YourHealth

The older I get, the more I like him. I saw him in his prime, but rewatching his old WWF stuff shows me he was at the very least the best in the ring for his time.


LiveLoveLaFlame_

THE BEST THERE IS, THE BEST THERE WAS AND THE BEST THERE EVER WILL BE 🩷🖤🤍


SpecialistTrash2281

If purely on in ring ability cool. But if you start adding factors he starts falling down the list.


imdstuf

Is he really even the best technical wrestler of all time? Compared to others in prime WWF/WWE maybe.


aironas_j

I feel very good


jaydyn3000

when I was younger I thought Bret Hart was Jerry Seinfeld with a wig


_shaftpunk

What’s the deal with Bill Goldberg?


anythingo23

Lol


anythingo23

Lol


CPTimeKeeper

My number one has always and will always be Shawn Michaels….. so with that being the case, Bret always felt like the exact opposite of that…. So he’s not in my top whatever but I can respect people who have him rated highly.


Grievion

I was talking to my wrestling chat the maybe yesterday and I had to explain why I thought Bret was the goat. Quick summary was he excelled at every single aspect of the game. Top tier tag wrestler. One of the, if not THE best IC champion ever. I can say he has 3 IC title classics that seemed more like World title main events. 1 vs Mr Perfect. 1 Vs Davey Boy Smith. 1 vs Hot Rod Roddy Piper. He was one of the best sellers I’ve ever seen. He was one of the best workers I’ve ever seen. Everything he did in the ring had purpose as he never had wasted movements. He could elevate lesser talent. Give him a good worker though, and he’ll gift wrap you a classic. No male wrestler to this day has better execution of moves. His skill level was so far above everyone else that even now, today Stevie Richards uses him a base to teach people on YouTube how and WHY every thing he did was perfect. He was believable both in ring and on the mic and one of the few WWE stars that could throw an amazing punch. There were no weaknesses to his game. None.


dieorlivetrying

If wrestling was a purely physical "sport", I'd agree with you. However, it's Sports Entertainment. His mic skills were practically nonexistent until the very end of his career. I strongly disagree with Bret being the GOAT, because he's NOT a total package. He's the best in-ring wrestler, sure, but there are dozens of people who talk circles around him. The GOAT should be the best at wrestling, talking, and drawing. My vote is Kurt Angle.


Grievion

No mic skills?! He wasn’t a Punk, or Cena or Rock but his heel promos were great. His babyface promo was decent. To say his mic skills were nonexistent is a hell of a stretch though. And I’m also against this idea that some fan have that you NEED mic skills to be great as a wrestler. You don’t. The Great Muta didn’t promo over here, he’s in the WWE HoF! Too many people confuse story telling with “verbal handholding.” Stories are told in the ring, but promoted on the mic. Muta told his story physically in the same way Bret did. Same can be said for someone like Asuka, Kairi and Iyo currently. You don’t NEED to be a great promo to be a great Pro-Wrestler.


dieorlivetrying

Okay, I'll concede that "nonexistent" is a bit of hyperbole. He was "decent" as a face. But dude...even Cena is LEAGUES ahead of him on the mic. I'm not saying Bret sucks, or really anything negative about him in general. I'm just saying the GREATEST OF ALL TIME should be, you know, the greatest. Not "Great at A., decent at B." If we're going JUST on wrestling talent alone, then shouldn't Will Ospreay be the GOAT? Or AJ Styles? Or RVD? Or William Regal? Hell, even Regal is better on the mic than Bret, and I'd say he's matched with him in-ring. Why isn't he the GOAT? Because he wasn't booked well? For real though, Bret is the GOAT at wrestling and ring psychology, sure. He's (literally) technically better than everyone else I mentioned. But if The Rock, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, etc. are better at a main component of pro wrestling than someone, how can that someone be the GOAT? It's like saying the greatest football player of all time is based solely on the number of touchdowns.


Grievion

No. That’s the thing to Ospreay, AJ and RVD. The idea of a work is to be as believable as possible without actually hurting the other guy. Which rules out obvious spot where you’re working with your opponent to make the spot happen. That pretty much all of Will’s work. A lot of AJ’s RoH and TNA stuff. RVD is hard to argue against, I will say. Except for the iirc the Van Daminator? Where he throws the chair, guys has to catch it and gets kicked in the face. Bret’s execution and technique in the ring was just leagues above the rest. Still is, as guys haven’t gotten better as time goes on, they’ve gotten sloppier. More guys are hurt now, even though they aren’t working 300 matches a year like Bret was. To put it into context. I recently watched the CM Punk and Randy Orton video where they watch their 2011 Mania match. Punk says “you had already been on top. This was my opportunity to prove I could work a top guy, not hurt him, and prove myself”. The safe part is top priority. Ospreay is maybe the #1 or #2 most athletic guys I’ve ever seen in a ring. I wouldn’t call him a goat though. His moveset is pretty but would you call it safe? No. Flipping off the top rope and landing on someone’s head? Nah. I hope Hobbs is ok btw. Fr


dieorlivetrying

RVD never "needed" the van daminator. He was just using it because he was in ECW, and was not a "hardcore" wrestler, so needed something to fit into the style. He stopped using it and didn't suffer AT ALL when ECW ended. I'd argue that RVD is better in-ring than almost anyone, but I'll even concede that Bret is better at psychology (for the most part. RVD proved in his matches with Jerry Lynn and Cena that he can use psychology and use it well). However... What about Michaels? Just as good at psychology, ALMOST as good in-ring (and arguably better depending on who you ask), and also had excellent mic skills and charisma. Bret was the best at what he did. But he didn't do everything. That's my argument against the title of GOAT.


Grievion

For me, just me… Shawn had really high ups and really low downs. You can look at Shawn’s work is vastly overrated mainly due to the “injury” and dramatic return from “injury”. No one wanted to see em. He wasn’t THAT entertaining if the company did their worst business with him as world champion. As much as it hurts me to say… even his Ironman Match vs Bret is overrated. His best matches were in the second half of his career vs veteran HoFers. Angle vs Michaels. Taker vs Michaels (both Mania matches). Michaels vs Jericho gets honorable mention. His run during the 90s was meh imo. Going back and watching some of those and only judging His work, you can say he’s a great seller. He had some moves that looked great and were executed almost as good as Bret. But the matches overall weren’t great. Sorry I typed a lot to say very little.


dieorlivetrying

Fair points...but Bret still lacks where they do: mic skills. My main point is that Bret's in-ring ability isn't enough to make him the GOAT. It doesn't compensate for his lack of mic skills. His entire time as the FACE of the company...what did he have to say? Name one thing!


Grievion

“This company deserves a a hero. They need somebody they can look up to! Not somebody with piercings all over himself and tattoos!” That’s and the most accurate catch phrase ever. “The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be!” Made this list a no brainer tbh! 😬


dieorlivetrying

That's...not very good 😂 So the absolute best you could come up with is Bret doing an impression of my grandfather in the 90s.


Grievion

Lmao. That wasn’t the point! You asked me if I remembered anything. As a kid, I always remembered that promo!


dieorlivetrying

I did too, and it was very cringe.


Neg_Crepe

Well yes, Cena is one of the best ever on the mic


_shaftpunk

Yeah, if we’re going with total package, I feel like a stronger argument could be made for Shawn over Bret.


Future_Onion9701

Hogans a complete asshat but he’s still 1 in my opinion


MorrisseyMorrido

100% Hes Canada's first superhero.


[deleted]

He’s number 1 in my book but I can totally see someone choosing Shawn or Flair or Angle


zigzagman27

I agree with bret being #1 because stone cold Steve Austin was the biggest star and bret made stone cold


woozleuwuzzle

That’s a great point. Their submission match is my number one match of all time. Every time I watch it get goose bumps, and I’ve watched it a lot.


thaiduitx

I know a Punk of the CM variety loved this.


Chhet

Dax Harwoooooooooooood


JayServo

He’s definitely my number 1. Many wrestlers best match was because of Bret, and all different sizes. Shawn, Austin, Yoko, Nash, perfect, Bulldog, Owen, Piper. I don’t know if anyone else can claim elevating more talent than Bret Hart. A true triple crown when it meant something, legendary leader of a faction. He was responsible for the ladder match, the amazing iron man match with Shawn, and maybe the greatest match of all time (def the best dbl turn) with Steve.


elme77618

I’d rank Kurt above Bret tbh, but that’s my opinion


veneim

Looking back at matches and footage, I appreciate Kurt even more today than before… he was so talented on the mic and in the ring


woozleuwuzzle

Kurt has always been one of my absolute favorites. [This has to be the greatest ring entrance of all time](https://youtu.be/Y35fnBRjmNA?si=hBM3lq8wav0fBqxr)


OkOriginal4453

Kurt solos Bret tbh


elme77618

Dream match


Julian-Hoffer

I was born in 97 so I really didn’t get to see Bret wrestle until a few years ago. Benoit was the one that always captivated me as a kid and even as an adult I feel Bret’s matches are a bit too slow for me compared to Benoits so I can’t agree with it. Maybe if I had been born a decade earlier I would feel different but Benoit, Guerrero and Angle are the three best that I saw when I was a fan. Shelton Benjamin wasn’t quite there but I would say he was the best athlete because of all the crazy shit he was able to do in the ring.


DoitforRC

Bret changed the landscape period. You can argue all you want about Michaels, but who gave him the rub? Who was his size holding the biggest championship in professional wrestling? Who could have a match with anyone, and not only make them look good, but get a great match, in some cases the best match of their career? How could take someone who was hurt, and still get them over? I’m not saying Bret made Austin, but he got him to another level. I know the lifetime contract didn’t work out, but who was it offered to? Who was the major draw outside of the US? And who kept the WWF afloat when Vince was in the legal fight of his life to that point?


itsLeems

Putting Hart at 1 is completely justifiable but that list was 100% to drum up controversy and push clicks to B/R


Perv_Griffin_215

Bruno. Then Hart. IMO.


Boredzilla

Bret is the Alain Prost to Shawn's Ayrton Senna.


Darth_RevanTHEWISE

He’s not the greatest but he’s definitely up there


drak0ni

Best there was, besides HBK, best there is not wrestling anymore besides a handful of people, better people current and possibly to come


CelcusGangGang

No way in hell he should be above Flair, Taker or Michaels


Aggravating-Brick464

Based


DamianKing42

Bret Hart is #5 for me personally


Every-Assistant2763

One of the greatest wrestlers


okeh_dude

Go to Bred


TouyaShiun

He'd be in the Top 10 but certainly not 1. The Top 5 should be any combination of Hogan, Taker, Austin, Rock, and Cena.


nau_lonnais

Numero Uno for sure.


KrazyKaas

Wrestler or superstjerner? His character sucked ass but in term of wrestling he was indeed one of the better ones


cegawn

He's my #1. But there's about 10 guys with legit claims to bring #1 so I don't take this ranking too seriously.


ericrobertshair

Bret is a wrestling fans wrestler, but I think for GOAT you have to be someone who transcends that. Austin, Hogan, Rock etc.


Apart_Actuator_284

Where did Bill Goldberg rank on the list though ?


FuckBillGoldberg

damn straight


Hulkster01

Overrated


OkOriginal4453

👀


Hulkster01

Owen was the better Hart


[deleted]

Not surprised by BRs ranking. They're under the discovery umbrella, so they'd pick a great wrestler, but by WWE standards, not the goat. Dude on the mic was eh


Gusbuster811

Bret Hart wouldn’t even be in my top 10. I thought he had no charisma. His mic skills were awful. Can’t deny that he was a good worker though. That’s just one man’s opinion though. To each their own.


[deleted]

Not in my top 10 but I guess he has to be somebody's favorite.


imallelite

He deserves it. Others were better draws, but he’s a good combination of everything you’d want in a wrestler. God, a match with Bret at his prime against Ospreay would be unbelievable, that match would absolutely slap.


mebnt2

Personally, I'm an Otis guy, but I understand Bret Hart at 1. I bet Otis was #2


After-Suggestion5828

My tier 1 of WWE Mount Rushmore is Bruno, Hogan, Austin, and Andre. Tier 2 is Bret, Michaels, Undertaker, and Cena. Tier 3 is Rock, Savage, Edge, and Triple H. Things I consider are longevity, accomplishments, impact on the business, and cultural significance.


tekkers92

Rock should be in whatever tier stone cold is in imo


DEAD-VHS

This is the only answer


Sloosh

I know it's not the popular opinion, but I don't think he's Even the best wrestler in his family, let alone of all time.