Why Bret Hart Was The Most Influential Star Of The '90s (& Why Shawn Michaels Was)

Professional Wrestling was at its peak in the 1990s when the product had more edgy content and awe-inspiring storylines. The rise of WCW pushed WWE to raise the bar back then, especially considering that World Championship Wrestling won the Monday Night Wars for over a year.

Professional Wrestling was at its peak in the 1990s when the product had more edgy content and awe-inspiring storylines. The rise of WCW pushed WWE to raise the bar back then, especially considering that World Championship Wrestling won the Monday Night Wars for over a year.

RELATED: Bret Hart's 10 Best WWE Championship Matches, Ranked

Unlike WCW, WWE relied on new talented stars, not already established names of the business. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were the two biggest stars of the business in the 90s, and the two men headlined numerous pay-per-views, including the Show of Shows. They also had real-life beef, which encouraged them to outshine each other.

10 Bret Hart: A Five-Time WWE Champion

While Bret Hart was a notable tag team specialist as a member of The Hart Foundation in the 80s, his rise as a singles competitor began in the 90s. From the very beginning of the decade, he started getting a singles push and eventually got the main event spot.

Bret Hart dominated WWE in the 1990s, and he won the WWE Championship five times. Besides WrestleMania, he main-evented many big shows as the holder of the title.

9 Shawn Michaels: First Grand Slam Champion In WWE

Shawn Michaels won every active WWE title in the 90s. Winning all titles in WWE, The Heartbreak kid became the first man to be a Grand Slam Champion,

Michaels won the Intercontinental Championship in 1992. Two years later, he became Tag Team Champion, and he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 1996. Following his WWE Championship win, he also claimed the European Title in 1997, thus making him the first-ever Grand Slam Champion.

8 Bret Hart: Success In WCW

While Bret Hart became popular because of WWE, he was also among many stars who switched companies. The former WWE Champion had arrived in WCW in the later stage of 1997.

Even though Bret's WCW run wasn't as good as WWE in the 90s, he still won all the accolades in the company. He won the WCW United States Championship four times, the World Title twice, and the Tag Title Once. Hence, Bret's success in two major promotions in the 90s set him apart from Shawn Michaels.

7 Shawn Michaels: Best Young Talent In The 90s

While Bret Hart was certainly the face of WWE for the first half of the 1990s, he wasn't very young. When he left for WCW, he was almost 40-years-old.

RELATED: 5 Longest (& 5 Shortest) Title Reigns Of Shawn Michaels' Career

Shawn Michales, on the other hand, was eight years younger than Bret Hart, making him more energetic and influential for that generation. Throughout his WWE career in the 1990s, HBK was in his 20s and early 30s.

6 Bret Hart: The Catchphrase

Catchphrases certainly make wrestling characters popular and enable them to connect with the audience. When Bret Hart was in his heyday, his popular catchphrase helped him to get over it, making him the leading name of the company.

Bret Hart's hubristic catchphrase, which was "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be", suited him perfectly, considering he wasn't all talk, but he proved his merit whenever he stepped into the ring.

5 Shawn Michaels: The Success With DX

DX was one of the greatest factions not just in the 90s but also in the history of WWE. The rebellious group of young and upcoming talents didn't take long to get over after officially forming it in 1997.

Initially, Michaels was the leader of DX, as they had a stupendous feud with The Hart Foundation, which was led by his arch-rival, Bret Hart. DX's popularity was a reason for WWE's victory over WCW. Michaels didn't have a long stint with DX in the 90s, but he was certainly the most influential.

4 Bret Hart: Helped To Make Stone Cold Steve Austin A Star

Stone Cold Steve Austin, the biggest star of the Attitude Era, signed for WWE in 1995, but his rise to the top commenced in 1996. In the early days of Stone Cold's career, Bret Hart helped to elevate a young rookie like Stone Cold, and they had a remarkable feud.

After winning 1996 King of the Ring, Austin started taking shots at Hart, and they eventually began a rivalry. Austin's match with Hart at WrestleMania 13 was arguably one of the most important matches of his career. Although Austin lost, his valor and performance made him a star that night.

3 Shawn Michaels: The Best Wrestler Of 90s

Shawn Michaels is regarded as one the best wrestlers ever to grace the WWE ring. With that being said, it's not wrong to say that he is the greatest in-ring performer to emerge in the 90s.

RELATED: Why Bret Hart Is The Best Submission Wrestler In WWE (& Why It's Kurt Angle)h

While there were certainly some great wrestlers in that era, including Bret Hart, nobody was good enough to show-up the Heartbreak Kid in the squared circle. It was a reason he won the 'Match of Year' award for four consecutive years from 1993 to 1996.

2 Bret Hart: Stood Up For Himself After Montreal Screwjob

The Montreal Screwjob was one of the most controversial things to happen in WWE, with or without Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. The two men faced each other at the 1997 Survivor Series, which turned out to be the final match of the former in WWE in the 90s, as he was leaving for WCW. Although Hart wasn't originally supposed to lose the match or the WWE Championship, Vince McMahon gave the match an unscripted ending.

After the infamous Montreal Screwjob, Hart was in a rage, and he even attacked Vince McMahon backstage. He earned respect from fans afterward despite getting betrayed due to the screwjob.

1 Shawn Michaels: Was Loyal To WWE & And Was An Exceptional Heel

WWE was facing an uphill task to keep their top stars in the early and mid-90s, especially after the rise of WCW because they were offering bigger paychecks. From Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Diesel to even Bret Hart, a majority of such stars failed to show loyalty to WWE.

However, Shawn Michaels never jumped ship. HBK remained a top star of Vince McMahon's company throughout the 90s. He was also one of the most hated heels in that period, especially after The Montreal Screwjob.

NEXT: Shawn Michaels's 10 Best World Title Matches, Ranked

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