Original subtitles

The pink and black attack.

Here it comes.

No superstar epitomizes excellence and

Sports Entertainment quite like Bret Hart.

The Excellence of Execution.

The Hitman's illustrious career ranks among

the most prolific and iconic in WWE history.

I've dedicated my whole life to become the best.

The technical mastery inside the squared

circle combined with a rock-solid connection

with the WWE universe-

Thank you, Bret.

Bret Hart truly was the best there is,

the best there was.

The best there ever will be.

Today, we look back at the very best,

Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Go get him, champ.

This is WWE's Greatest Moments.

If you smell--

Oh, my God.

What the hell are you doing?

Absolutely unbelievable.

Hulkamania is here.

Welcome, everyone,

to WWE's Greatest Moments.

I'm Michael Cole, and on this edition we're looking

at the very best of Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Bret's career kick-started up north in Calgary, Alberta,

Canada, inside the famous Hart Dungeon, learning the ways

of professional wrestling from his father,

the legendary Stu Hart.

Bret soon found fame in his father's promotion,

Stampede Wrestling, alongside his brothers-in-law,

Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith,

as well as Davey's cousin, The Dynamite Kid.

In 1985, these four athletes made the jump to WWE,

as Bret teamed with The Anvil to form the Hart Foundation.

Davey Boy and Dynamite Kid became the team known

as the British Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs, you're in trouble.

You're running against The Anvil and The Hitman.

Finally, poised for the spotlight,

this was their chance to show off for the world.

British Bulldogs,

Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith.

What a combo.

This is a true test for them.

I think it's fair to say that the Hart Foundation

gave the Bulldogs their greatest matches.

We're doing things that most tag teams could never do.

Such a high crossbody.

They had different skill sets.

They had different styles, but there was always something about

Bret and the way he moved.

He had a very different type of charisma.

Tag team specialists.

Quite a good team they are, the Harts.

Bret was the Porsche, my dad was the tank.

They complemented each other so well.

There goes the speedster, look at him go,

a hundred miles an hour.

Look at this action.

Uh-oh, look out.

Slingshot.

Wow.

Whoa.

There was some sort of quiet unspoken charisma

that Bret just oozed.

Suplex from the top turnbuckle.

Oh.

He dragged his own man and put him on top.

No, he got him.

The Hart Foundation took off

because they had such great chemistry.

But in 1987, the Hart Foundation had firmly

established themselves as top stars in the WWE

tag team division.

We're the best there was, the best-

Number one.

there is, the best there ever will be.

But Bret also had his eye on chasing

singles competition.

The Hitman would eventually get his big break against one of the

biggest superstars in WWE, "The Macho Man" Randy Savage.

You're not nobody until you beat somebody.

And in front of a nationally televised audience

at Saturday Night's Main Event, Bret Hart looked to secure

the largest victory of his WWE career.

This is going to be a sensational matchup,

The Hitman squaring off against the Macho Man.

You know, it's Saturday Night Main Event.

We really got excited about it.

Randy was really excited about working with me.

Bret Hart.

Oh, my.

Macho was kind of a polar opposite.

Bret was a fairly dry technical wrestler.

Macho, on the other hand, brought a certain showbiz

to the game.

Macho Man on the top rope,

running the ladder there, pointing down to Bret Hart.

I just loved working with Randy.

That he was high octane spitfire out there.

You know, this guy was gonna really, uh, tear up the track.

Macho Man's got a tough opponent here,

because Bret Hart, I believe, can match him hold for hold.

The guy's a mechanic in that ring.

Bret was more of a technician, and I remember

that being one of the best matches on the entire card,

if not the match that stole the show.

Randy Savage on the edge.

Suplex?

No, a slam coming up.

What?

Cradle.

Leg is hooked.

Two, yeah.

I don't believe it.

I can't believe it,

that "Macho Man" Savage won this.

Oh, that's unbelievable.

I think that was the coming out party.

You knew that he was going to be great,

and you saw him take the next step, and a huge step,

towards what would be a Hall-of-Fame caliber career.

Throughout the 1990s,

Bret Hart had become a certified main event caliber superstar,

winning multiple WWE championships

and quickly assuming a position as one

of Sports Entertainment's top talents.

I earned being an Intercontinental Champion.

I earned being a World Wrestling-- Champion.

But in 1996, a newcomer looked to take Hart's

spot, the brash and brazen "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

If you put the letter S in front of Hitman,

you've had my exact opinion of Bret Hart.

Never one to back down from a challenge,

The Hitman took on the Texas Rattlesnake at Survivor Series

in what would become a clash for the ages.

If you like Holyfield and Tyson,

you're gonna love this.

My first high-profile match

was with Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Uh-oh, slugfest here developing.

I'd taken six months off.

When I came back, I wanted to come back and wrestle

the best wrestler in the company.

That was a hard thing for me to pull off.

How much ring rust does Bret Hart possess?

How long will it take for Bret to get in that groove?

I can't believe Bret Hart's on his feet.

The two of them brought out the very best

in each other.

Oh, no.

Look out.

Unbelievable.

Bret Hart had to rise to that occasion,

and for Steve Austin?

Nothing was going to stand in the way

of that rocket ride he was on.

Ends up with me going for my old finish,

the Million Dollar Dream.

Wait a minute,

there's the Million Dollar Dream.

He goes to the turnbuckle, kicks,

over we go, roll-up.

One.

Hey.

Unbelievable.

Austin didn't let go

of the Million Dollar Dream, and it cost him the victory.

He didn't beat me by physicality,

he beat me by outsmarting me.

I always loved that match with Stone Cold.

That was a real barn burner.

What a matchup, what a competitor,

and ladies and gentlemen, The Hitman is back.

widely recognized as one ret Has

of the greatest WWE champions of all time.

Taking on challengers of all shapes and sizes.

I'm gonna take on all challenges.

That means all of them.

And in July 1994, Bret Hart would put his

WWE title on the line against the underdog upstart,

the 1-2-3 Kid.

The 1-2-3 Kid in the biggest match of his life,

ladies and gentlemen.

The 1-2-3 Kid was really an up and comer

at this point, whereas Bret "The Hitman"

Hart was the-the top star in our game.

He's gonna wanna keep the 1-2-3 Kid to the mat,

and the 1-2-3 Kid is gonna try to keep it

to a high-flying type action.

It's one of the most beautiful matches I ever had.

It's not one of those old school wrestling matches

where you got a headlock on them for the whole match.

Kid's gonna take a chance.

High-risk offense.

Crossbody on the top.

I was already a huge Bret Hart fan.

Bret let me come up with everything.

Like, he put everything into place.

He wanted me to do all my stuff.

Watch this action.

Far side.

Oh, Hart caught him.

Bret with his technical skills,

he couldn't match the high-flying stuff,

but he could certainly outsmart the Kid.

Bret Hart stepped back.

He blocked the dropkick.

He's got the Sharpshooter.

He's got him.

He's got him.

He's got- He's got the Sharpshooter.

That was the greatest championship match

I have ever seen in my career.

I wasn't so much thinking about that I was having

a WWE Championship match

but that I was having a match with Bret Hart.

It was the greatest match of my career.

One of the greatest athletes.

One of the greatest matches ever.

It's a beautiful story,

and a beautiful match and I loved every bit of it.

It was my way of giving back.

In 1997, Bret formed a new incarnation

of the Hart Foundation, featuring his brother,

Owen, brothers-in-law, Jim Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith,

and family friend, Brian Pillman.

I've surrounded myself with the best

that the World Wrestling-- has to offer.

The group was bonded together with patriotic

pride for their home country of Canada.

Canada is the best there is, the best there was,

and the best there ever will be.

With Monday Night Raw emanating from Edmonton,

Alberta, Canada, The Hitman was out to prove just how superior

his country is to their American neighbors to the South.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Summer of '97, you have Bret Hart

and the Hart Foundation who are beloved, of course, in Canada,

and hated south of the border.

Americans think that they're always better than us.

They think they're better than everyone.

That whole time period was interesting because we were good

guys in Canada, and we were bad guys in the States.

Canada's a country where we still take care of the sick

and the old, where we still have health care.

Canada isn't riddled with racial prejudice and hatred.

Felt very much like it was Canada

versus the USA.

There was this love-hate thing going on

that was really special.

And I remember thinking,

"This is really cool, like this has never been done before."

This is such a proud moment as a Canadian,

and I'll tell you what, no lies detected.

Nobody is more proud of being Canadian than I am.

King of the Ring tournament te

was used as a launching point for several WWE careers.

From "Stone Cold" Steve Austin-

Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass.

Triple H-

The 1997 King of the Ring.

to Brock Lesnar.

Oh.

The F5.

And it's over.

Lesnar's the King of the Ring.

But perhaps no King of the Ring tournament held

the anticipation like 1993's memorable contest.

Bret Hart would have to win three consecutive matches

against some of WWE's greatest superstars

in search of becoming in-ring royalty.

An incredible task was ahead of The Hitman.

What a night it's going to be,

ladies and gentlemen.

This is a once-

in-a-lifetime opportunity, and boy,

you better take advantage of it.

He got hammered-

What a tremendous clothesline.

Whoa.

What a slam.

You can tell at the King of the Ring, I have more

confidence than I ever did.

And if anything, I'm gonna prove myself today with three

different wrestlers.

I'm gonna beat all three of them.

He countered it.

He countered the suplex.

Bret Hart's really gifted.

That was big for him.

Hitman versus Mr. Perfect.

The Perfectplex versus The Sharpshooter.

Former Intercontinental Champions putting

their bodies on the line.

Bret and Mr. Perfect were going

back and forth.

It was very competitive.

That's it.

Cover.

One, two-- A counter.

It's countered.

And yes.

It will be Bret Hart meeting Bam Bam Bigelow.

He's got three wildly different opponents.

It was almost just like the real Bret Hart showcase.

Look at this move.

Oh, my.

He's nuts.

The Hitman up on Bigelow's shoulders.

Can he got him in a--

Where's he going?

He got him in a victory roll.

He's got the feet hooked.

Oh.

And he wins it.

I don't believe it.

I'm not gonna say it's Bret Hart's greatest moment,

because God, how do you count them all?

But it was definitely one of them.

The King of the Ring.

"The Hitman" was on a roll in the summer of 1997.

Backed by the Hart Foundation, Bret emerged as the number one

contender to the WWE Championship,

which was dominantly held by "The Phenom" The Undertaker.

I will be the World Wrestling-- Champion.

You will rest in peace.

Hart and Undertaker were headed for a

collision course at Summerslam, but "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn

Michaels demanded inclusion in the match.

I will be the special referee.

And Bret immediately questioned

Michaels' ability to remain impartial.

Would Hart overcome the odds

and secure another championship?

The following contest is for the

World Wrestling-- Championship.

The Summerslam match with Undertaker,

it's really one of my greatest matches, for sure.

Bret was a no-nonsense kind of wrestler.

So I ended up dropping The Undertaker guard a little bit,

and incorporating more athleticism into it.

And what a seesaw match this has been.

It was hard.

It was such hard work.

But it was such a beautiful match.

You know Bret "The Hitman" Hart wants to

blast Shawn Michaels so bad.

Two guys like Bret and I,

we were competing with one another.

The animosity builds until it gets

to the point where Bret spits the

golf ball-sized loogie right in Shawn's face.

And then Shawn swung a chair, but Bret ducked.

Undertaker was on the receiving end of it.

Oh God.

Shawn ended up helping Bret win the title.

He certainly didn't want to,

but that's what worked out.

Whenever I think back to great moments in my

career, the ending at SummerSlam is always one

that makes me really smile.

I can't believe this.

At Survivor Series 1997,

Bret Hart departed WWE in controversial fashion.

McMahon said ring the bell.

Michaels has become the WWE Champion.

Bret was told he was going to win that night,

but was screwed out of his title

by Vince McMahon and his nemesis, Shawn Michaels.

Nobody knows better than I do

what it's like to get screwed over.

But the WWE Universe never gave up hope

that "The Hitman" would one day come back home

and the two superstars could finally make peace.

Making his first appearance on Raw

in over 12 years, Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Oh, my God.

This is amazing.

When I think back to that time period,

I don't know where I found the courage to do that.

I just was so nervous about how it would be perceived.

It's been 12 long years.

The time that he had away from WWE,

I know it was really hard on him.

12 years of things that I've wanted

to get off my chest.

Shawn Michaels, come out here.

And there's Shawn Michaels.

I didn't speak to Bret nor see him

for easily more than a decade.

Apparently, hell has frozen over.

Carrying that burden for both of us

in different ways was heavy.

I would love to be able to put that behind us.

You're not the only one that wants to bury the hatchet.

It was like a big giant weight carrying

around all that anger and grief.

Both got tired of fighting each other and having this ill will.

If you wanna bury the hatchet, let's bury it right now.

The best thing I ever did

was make peace with it.

I don't know about you, but I've got some

goose bumps going up and down my spine right now.

often recognized as one of the

greatest in-ring performers in WWE history.

With his incredible athletic ability backed by a genius

wrestling mind, Bret could simply do it all.

I'm ready to take on anybody, anytime, anywhere.

But "The Hitman's" technical abilities

may have been rivaled by one, Mr. Perfect.

A superstar who prides himself on being absolutely,

well, perfect.

You're close to perfect, Bret Hart,

but you're not Mr. Perfect.

Naturally, these two wrestling greats would look

to prove themselves as the superior competitor.

At SummerSlam 1991, The Hitman and The Perfect One would clash

for the prestigious Intercontinental Championship.

All the marbles at stake here.

Jam packed here in The Garden.

The match that Bret Hart had with Mr.

Perfect in 1991 was incredible.

It was a match that had everybody talking.

Perfect's got not only his title on the line

but his reputation.

You can only think about one thing,

that's your opponent.

Both of these guys in tip-top physical condition.

He was one of those kind of guys that was a natural.

He was as good a wrestler as there ever was.

Perfect in a whole lot of trouble,

but The Hitman gaining confidence.

I don't even think there was a more perfect

opponent for Bret that night to overcome.

It looks like he's looking for a way out.

Hart wants it bad, Perfect wants to keep it.

Oh, no.

Has he got the fingers locked?

No, he kicked out.

Nice block there, that move.

Oh, he's got that hold half applied on the canvas.

The Sharpshooter.

He's got it.

He's got it.

No.

No.

Yes.

We've got a new champion.

Everyone going crazy here.

That match stands out because it really

launches Bret into the singles stratosphere.

The new Intercontinental Champion.

I thought it stole the show that day.

We had the best matches.

This place is going bananas.

We've now reached our number one moment.

Five-time WWE Champion, Bret Hart, may be considered one of

the greatest technicians inside the squared circle,

but becoming a champion doesn't happen over night.

I fought and crawled my way to the top.

In 1992, The Hitman had slowly been climbing

the ranks of the WWE ladder for years.

We'reall going to find out that

I'm going straight to the top.

Hart was certain that his time as champion was

on the horizon, yet standing in his way of achieving his goal

was perhaps the greatest champion of all time.

Ric Flair rules the World Wrestling--.

Bret "The Hitman" Hart will not hold that title.

The two would battle it out with the title on

the line in front of a wild Canadian crowd.

If anybody has a chance,

The Hitman does.

I had a great time working with Bret.

That was a great match, I thought.

Every time Flair steps into the ring,

he is in 100% physical condition.

What I found when I wrestled Ric Flair,

that I really had to find a different gear to stay

up with him, to keep up with him.

It's been a blistering pace set by both men,

challenger and champion.

Bret, in the eyes of the fans, he was the best

there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.

He's got him turned over.

Oh, he gave up.

We've seen history made.

He does have a gift.

He can make people feel it.

A man who has devoted his entire life

to this moment.

I never expected any of this to happen.

As a kid, when I was probably about 12,

that I dreamed about being champion.

This is the greatest moment of my whole life.

The biggest dreams can still come true.

Bret Hart's excellence simply

cannot be disputed.

With a career story as any in WWE history,

Bret Hart will forever remain a legend in the squared circle.

There's no denying that he truly is the best there is,

the best there was and the best there ever will be.

That'll do it for this edition of WWE's Greatest Moments.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at the best of the

legendary "Hitman" Bret Hart.