Retro Wednesday: The Overlooked Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels Title Matches

Many of us remember the valiant year that Shawn Michaels had in 1996. On his quest of winning his first WWE Championship, he won the Royal Rumble match to defeat Bret Hart in arguably the greatest Ironman match in pro wrestling history. It was certainly a well-deserved achievement, as Michaels worked hard for a dozen years to achieve his "boyhood dream."

However, this was not Michaels' first attempt at winning the WWE Championship defended by the same person. Four years earlier, Michaels shocked the pro wrestling world by turning on his Rockers tag team partner, Marty Jannetty. The level of shock made him one of the most hated wrestlers in the WWE, but also propelled him into main event status.

At Survivor Series of the same year, Michaels had an opportunity to become WWE Champion, competing against Bret Hart for the title. Earlier in the year, he competed against Bret Hart for an opportunity to win the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match, but was unsuccessful.

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Ladder Match) by FanVidRipp3r

Now, with the Intercontinental Championship in hand after defeating the British Bulldog, Michaels was looking to achieve a feat only achieved a couple of years back by the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 6, holding both the WWE and Intercontinental Championship. In a hard-fought match that lasted nearly 30 minutes, Hart successfully defended his title.

Although it would take him four more years to become champion, Michaels was certainly put on the main event map with the lesser-publicized 1992 feud with Bret Hart, and the two continued to build one of the most controversial rivalries in wrestling history.

Classic feud. Classic match.