Bret Hart made a name for himself as a remarkable tag team wrestler alongside his brother-in-law Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart as The Hart Foundation. The two won two WWE Tag Team titles together but it was abundantly clear that Bret was going to be the bigger star of the tandem.

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Nevertheless, Bret proved his worth as a fine singles competitor, and his first batch of matches on pay-per-view were actually some of the greatest matches in his career. You see Bret transition from an Intercontinental Champion and a WWE Champion, he put on some iconic matches with some of his greatest rivals.

10 Bret Hart Vs. Skinner (This Tuesday In Texas)

Bret v Skinner

This Tuesday In Texas is memorable for The Undertaker's WWE Championship rematch with Hulk Hogan. However, this event is also notable for being Bret Hart's first Intercontinental Championship title defense on pay-per-view against Skinner in December 1991.

Skinner worked on The Hitman's shoulder but Bret retaliated by using a lot of submissions holds to wear down Skinner. Nevertheless, Hart passed his first test with flying colors by forcing Skinner to submit to his patented Sharpshooter in a competitive match.

9 Bret Hart Vs. Yokozuna (WrestleMania IX)

Bret v Yoko

Bret Hart headlined WrestleMania for the first time in his career when he defended the WWE Championship against the 1993 Royal Rumble winner Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX. The Excellence of Execution had the crowd backing Hart to overcome the destructive Yokozuna.

Moreover, as Hart recalls in the first episode of WWE Icons featuring Yokozuna, he said that the match had two parts. He said part A was good but part B was poor due to Yokozuna getting tired, and ready to call an audible by finishing the match early. Nevertheless, Hart tried his best but it was not a great match with Yokozuna defeating Hart for his first WWE Championship.

8 Bret Hart Vs. Razor Ramon (King Of The Ring 1993)

Bret v Razor

Reeling from losing the WWE Championship to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX, Bret Hart was looking to bounce back at the inaugural King of the Ring pay-per-view event in 1993. The Hitman began his quest to become King of the Ring in a quality quarterfinal match with Razor Ramon.

The Bad Guy dominated the early exchanges of the match but Bret fought back with some blistering right hands to Razor. The crowd went berserk, willing Hart on. Moreover, Ramon was going for The Razor's Edge but Bret countered it with a small package. Razor narrowly kicked out but Hart prevailed after countering Ramon's back suplex attempt, advancing to the semifinals.

7 Bret Hart Vs. Roddy Piper (WrestleMania VIII)

Bret v Piper WM 8

Bret Hart surprisingly dropped the Intercontinental Championship to The Mountie, days before the 1992 Royal Rumble. However, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper dethroned The Mountie at the 1992 Royal Rumble for the biggest title victory in his WWE career. Piper headed into WrestleMania VIII against The Hitman in one of the greatest Intercontinental Title matches ever.

RELATED: Hot Rod: 10 Best Matches Of Roddy Piper's Career, Ranked

Adding a little bit of drama to this match, Bret was bleeding profusely but that did not stop him from putting on a clinic. Piper was going to hit Bret with the ring bell but he had second thoughts. The Hitman took advantage of Piper's indecisiveness by rolling up Piper to regain the Intercontinental Championship in arguably the greatest match in Hot Rod's career.

6 Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect (King Of The Ring 1993)

Bret v Perfect KOTR 93

Every time Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect clashed it was magical. Both were magnificent in-ring technicians, and the two former two-time Intercontinental Champions clashed in the semifinals of the 1993 King of the Ring tournament. Waiting in the wings was Bam Bam Bigelow, who would be refreshed as he received a bye to the final.

Bret and Perfect tried to emulate their SummerSlam 1991 encounter, whilst it was not a better contest, this one was still great to watch. Perfect was going for his patented Perfect Plex but Bret countered it expertly with both going over the top rope with Hart performing a suplex. Nevertheless, The Hitman booked his spot in the 1993 King of the Ring final, after reversing Perfect's small package, edging one step closer to glory.

5 Bret Hart Vs. The British Bulldog (SummerSlam 1992)

Bret Hart v British Bulldog SummerSlam 1992

Excluding the WrestleMania VI encounter between Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior for the WWE Championship and Intercontinental Title. SummerSlam 1992 was the first time that the Intercontinental Championship was on the line in the main event, which was a significant achievement.

Bret Hart defended his title against his brother-in-law The British Bulldog. Over 80,000 fans filled out Wembley Stadium in London, England to witness their hometown hero Bulldog try to overcome Hart, who was undoubtedly the superstar of 1992. This was an outstanding Intercontinental Title match, which Hart deserves a lot of credit for carrying this match as Bulldog their plans for the match. Nevertheless, Bulldog defeated Hart for the biggest win in his WWE career. A heartfelt moment at the end of the show saw Diana Hart Smith, the wife of Bulldog and sister of Bret, celebrate in unison together.

4 Bret Hart Vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (King Of The Ring 1993)

Hart v Bigelow 1993

Bret Hart was the MVP of the 1993 King of the Ring tournament, after overcoming two difficult opponents in the form of Razor Ramon and Mr. Perfect. Hart's adversary in the final was Bam Bam Bigelow. Bigelow benefitted from Tatanka and Lex Luger's quarterfinal clash going 15 minutes with the time limit expiring, booting both men out of the tournament in the process.

RELATED: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) King Of The Ring Finals Matches

Luna Vachon came down to ringside, and she nailed Bret in the back with a steel chair. The referee restarted the match and Bigelow looked like a formidable threat in this clash. The Hitman tried to execute his Sharpshooter on Bigelow but it was to no avail. Ultimately, Bret won the 1993 King of the Ring tournament after he got on Bigelow's shoulders and won with a victory roll.

3 Bret Hart Vs. Razor Ramon (Royal Rumble 1993)

Bret v Razor

This is an underrated gem of a WWE Championship match featuring Bret Hart and Razor Ramon at the 1993 Royal Rumble. The Hitman was three months in his WWE Title reign, and The Bad Guy was fairly new to WWE but he was ready to step up to the plate in a high stakes title match.

Ramon imposed himself as a legitimate threat to Hart's WWE Championship with a dominating presence. Bret's in-ring technical skills were there for all to see but Ramon came close to victory. Ultimately, The Hitman passed another stern test by forcing Ramon to submit to the Sharpshooter.

2 Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1992)

Bret v Michaels Survivor Series 1992

When fans think about Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels' encounters, they fondly remember their WrestleMania XII and the controversial 1997 Survivor Series clash. However, Michaels and Hart locked horns at the 1992 Survivor Series with Bret defending the WWE Championship against HBK, who was the reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion.

Hart and Michaels made history as the first two to close out Survivor Series in a singles match. The Excellence of Execution was the more seasoned pro of the two but Michaels held his own and proved that he belonged in the upper echelons of WWE. Bret claimed the bragging rights here with Michaels succumbing to Hart's Sharpshooter.

1 Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect (SummerSlam 1991)

Bret v Perfect SS 91

It doesn't get any bigger for Bret Hart than his first singles pay-per-view match coming at SummerSlam 1991 against Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental Championship. Perfect is arguably the greatest Intercontinental Champion to never win the WWE Title but he did a phenomenal job as a heel Intercontinental Champion, holding the title with pride.

This was a proper wrestling match at the highest order with both men being exceptional in-ring technicians. Bret kicked out of Perfect's Perfect Plex, which was a huge moment, and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, who formerly managed Perfect, on commentary was shocked. Perfect's new manager Coach intervened by standing on the apron with Bret locking Perfect in the Sharpshooter. Nonetheless, Bret's ascension as a singles star was complete, when he defeated Perfect for his first Intercontinental Championship with his patented Sharpshooter.

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