The greatest in-ring talent of all time.

People like Dynamite Kid and Dean Malenko might have done more aerial/mat spots over the course of a match, but nobody could tell a physical story over 20+ minutes like Bret Hart. His catalogue of classic, influential matches – from his late 70s wars with Dynamite, to his last great performances with Chris Benoit and Booker T in 1999 – is virtually unrivaled.

Unlike fellow main event stars such as Ric Flair, the Undertaker and Triple H, Bret was also a legend in tag team competition, mastering another facet of the art form as half of the Hart Foundation. Even if he'd never had his iconic WWF singles run, he'd have been a surefire Hall of Famer based on his work with the Foundation alone.

Funny, the only rival to Bret's in-ring catalogue is that of his on and off-screen nemesis, Shawn Michaels. Even still, I give Bret the nod for his crisper, more credible offense, as well as being absolutely instrumental in Michaels' rise. Per Shawn himself, it was Bret who kicked down a door to allow smaller, more physical performers to reach the top. Bret then gave Shawn his first classic singles match in the main event of Survivor Series 1992. A few years later, at WrestleMania 12, Bret delivered Shawn his first world title, and WM main event, in the influential Iron Man match. Heck, Shawn's successful D-Generation X stable was launched as an antidote to Bret's "wrestling traditionalist" values, and was even named after Bret's go-to insult for Michaels and cohorts ("degenerates").

Bret = GOAT!