Classic Match #4: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels - WM XII

(Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, Wrestlemania XII)

WWE Characters the Blog continues its countdown of 5 Classic WWE Matches. One of the most infamous incidents in WWE history involved the two competitors in our #4 classic match. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels fought in a classic Summerslam match, which saw Michaels defeat the Hitman, and an angry Bret spit in Vince McMahon's face for how he lost the match. Dubbed the "Montreal Screwjob", it continues to be mentioned in WWE history. At match #4, Bret Hart fought Shawn Michaels for the WWE title at Wrestlemania 12.

The on-screen WWF president of the times was Rowdy Roddy Piper, and he announced the blockbuster match on an episode of Raw. Bret Hart had retained his WWF title against Diesel at the WWF In Your House PPV, while Shawn Michaels had won the Royal Rumble in 1996, giving him the title spot. Michaels went on to defeat Bret's late great brother, Owen Hart to keep his title shot. Building up to the event, HBK had suffered numerous setbacks the prior year. He lost his match at Wrestlemania XI, was jumped by thugs in a Syracuse, NY nightclub, had to forfeit the intercontinental title to Dean Douglas, and was betrayed by good friend, Diesel.

On March 31, 1996 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA, Bret put his WWF title on the line against Shawn Michaels in one of WWE's most brutal contests, the "Iron Man Match". The rules were simple, whoever scored the most decisions (pinfalls or submissions) in that time limit was declared the winner. In his corner, Shawn Michaels had Jose Lothario, his mentor, manager and friend. The Iron Man match lasted the full one-hour time limit with neither man scoring any decisions. Commissioner Gorilla Monsoon ordered the match to go into overtime, and Shawn Michaels scored a pinfall 2 minutes in to win the match and the WWF title! The grueling nature of the match with both men putting it on the line up to the alloted time, makes this a true classic match!

View the final 10 minutes of the match on Youtube!

See the complete Top 10 WWE Matches list by AskMen!