WWE Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart Review

Article written by Adam Black

This past week WWE released a home video release titled WWE Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart. This video was a first as we have WWE Hall of Fame Announcer Jim Ross conducting a sit down interview with the two wrestling legends. The two plus hour session covers the WWF/E careers of Michaels and Hart as they talk about their first interactions to the infamous Montreal Screwjob at the 1997 Survivor Series. Unlike Randy Orton’s kayfabe documentary this one was actually 100% real. I found the comments and emotions displayed by these two men were genuine. The Michaels/Hart feud was unique that in the world of a kayfabe sport like professional wrestling where the competitors probably go grab a beer after each match, these two at one point could not stand one another.

I learned that these two rivals were not that in the beginning. They were actually good friends. At this point I noticed the similarities the two performers had. Both started their tenure in the WWF as tag team wrestlers and neither performer had the chiseled physiques expected of wrestlers at that time. Once the two began embarking on their single wrestling careers they still viewed each other as friends while they shattered boundaries breaking the Big Boys Only glass ceiling. Only when Shawn began to challenge Bret for the WWF championship at Wrestlemania 12 did their relationship start to struggle. At the heart of the problems was one word: respect. Shawn wanted the pat on the back from Bret showing that he believed in him while Bret just wanted Shawn to respect him as a professional.

The problem was the two never showed their admiration for each other and as a result the relationship deteriorated to the point where jabs were exchanged behind and in front of the cameras. (Everyone remembers the “Sunny Days” comment.) A backstage verbal shot from Michaels led to the night of the Survivor Series where Bret (already set to leave the WWF for WCW) refused to drop the WWF championship to him. Vince McMahon felt that Bret would probably take his champions to WCW Nitro and drop into a trash can ala Madusa. Thus Shawn, along with Triple H and Vince, conspired the Montreal Screwjob where Bret was screwed out of the WWF championship in front of his fellow Canadians on live Pay Per View. This moment would live forever in the hearts of wrestling fans as storylines and reality collided.

It was odd to see Shawn describe how they set the whole thing up in front of Bret. JR even described it like a mob hit.

Fast forward all of these years we catch up on the two as they suffered their trials, tribulations and triumphs. Now the two understand their motivations from that time and also admit the wrong that they did to one another. Overall this set is a must own for wrestling nerds and especially HBK and Hitman fans alike.

Your Black Geek—Adam Black.

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE