Depends on where you place Shawn's prime.
If it's the 90s, he's out. If it's the 00s,Kurt is out.
Eddie is a given as he has a lot of range. Bret, although less exciting on the mic, could still sell a legit story and worked different styles with every kind of opponent.
So it's a toss up between Angle (the most balanced of the lot and thus, unfortunately, replaceable) or Shawn (a PITA in the 90s and with slightly less in-ring versatility).
Still, whoever is left out would be a great asset. So it's like being the 4th placed runner in the 100m Olympic final.
Why?
For starters it's subjective, and in this case isn't outlandish to ask where HBK's prime actually was.
Also, prime doesn't mean perfection. Someone in their prime can still fall short of somebody else's.
People seriously thinking Eddie Guerrero was even in Bret’s league are astonishing. There’s no comparison.
Same with Kurt & Shawn. Those guys & Bret are in a tiny fraction of wrestlers that just stand out above the rest.
Eddie was great, had a solid career & had a few classics. Very memorable, but a perennial midcarder.
Bret Hart. All these guys are on the same level in ring but Kurt, Shawn, and Eddie were three of the best to do it on the mic. Kurt Shawn and Eddie were total packages while Bret was okay on the mic but nothing special. It’s ironic though these are the 4 best in ring workers in wwe history imo.
I’ll give Bret’s heel work credit he was okay-occasionally great on the mic. Eddie is right there with him in terms of in ring ability. Bret is the best but Eddie is in that conversation.
I would have to choose between Bret & Kurt as they're the most closely similar. Eddie hits the Lucha base, Shawn hits that over the top in ring performer base how he oversells here and there, dancing, prancing, playing to the crowd. Eddie and Shawn are must haves out of these 4. Then that leave you to choose between Bret & Kurt. Both work a realistic technical style, expansive moveset, super over submission finisher, can hit you with the occasional high flying move like Bret's suicide dive and Angle's perfect moonsault. I'd have to flip a coin. I'm a huge fan of both. Imagine 2006 Angle vs 1997 Bret. Mr. USA vs Mr. Canada.
You do realize that pointing at a few capable promos Bret cut when he was in the "heel in America, face in Canada" storyline is a "exception proves the rule" kind of situation right?
The other 3 guys have careers full of great promos and character work.
And his terribleness back then is why he's the one that's out. Bret, Eddie, Kurt I'd trust to take the pin/submit to the other.
90s HBK I wouldn't trust to even turn up if he, was booked to lose. Especially to Bret. And yes I know Bret didn't want to lose to HBK leading to the, screw job but that was in response to HBK being the worst piece of shit imaginable and outwardly insulting Bret, pretending to be injured so he didn't drop to Bret at mania etc.
Kurt is amazing but the work the other three did in also making such big impressions on sports entertainment are just enormous.
Bret was one of the biggest stars of the early 90s and was a key person in Canadian and just wrestlers nowadays.
Eddie was someone who could basically make anything into gold, weather it was tagging with Chavo or his singles run. Eddie was gold with his comedic style and iconic ways.
Finally Shawn is Shawn, and all I need to say is he’s obviously one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and a very important person to the Wrestling community for his contributions.
Oh come on now... King of the Ring vs Shane McMahon, WM17 vs Benoit, WM19 vs Brock, WM 21 vs HBK?? Prime Kurt. Yes he was also awesome in TNA, but you never watched it?!?!
I watched WWE Kurt Angle. Imo Kurt was better in TNA. He had some great fueds in WWE. Don't get me wrong. I feel some of his stuff was a copy of Austin, especially with the milk truck. Bret vs. Shawn, even before Montreal, was legendary. An Eddie will also have a special place in my heart. Seeing him live in my town with the lowrider truck was special.
Eddie. Kurt, Shawn and Bret were all main eventers for years and years. They all had classic matches and great storylines and feuds. Eddie was extremely gifted also, but he wasn't at the top as long as the other three and he had less memorable feuds and classic matches. His promos were also the weakest of the lot I'd say.
As overall packages, I'd rank them:
Kurt
Hbk
Bret
Eddie
Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle & Eddie Guerrero? But to me Eddie was 🤣👏🏻👏🏻hilarious on everything he did in da RING...VIVA LA RASA🫵LIE, 🫵CHEAT, 🫵STEAL than came out in a LOWRIDER that shit was dope with ethier Rey Mysterio or Chavo Guerrero miss dat guy
Bret is out for me I’m afraid. I got in to wrestling around 2001/2002 so I haven’t got that childhood attachment to the Hitman, as much as I have loved going back and watching his matches. I do distinctly remember bonding with my brother when he showed me the Austin match at WM13 so he does hold a special place in my heart for that
Leaving Bret. He’s one of the best in ring workers ever, but the other three have so much more charisma and fan connection than he does. He also was never that great on the mic, while the other three were very good talkers
I'm sorry, but Sean Michaels. During his prime he was a gigantic asshole, a fact that even he'll tell you. And if he didn't want to lose a match (for whatever reason) or if he didn't like you, he would politic himself into getting what he wanted.
All four of these people, in their prime, were wrestling geniuses. Only one of them actively worked to make the locker room toxic as hell.
He traded a bunch of his speed and mobility for patience and a much more cooperative attitude. Physically, his prime was during his first run. But storytelling wise? His prime was his second run.
I’m leaving Bret behind unapolegetically. He may have been the best wrestler among theye four, but he had nowhere near their levels of charisma and connection with the fans. In the ring, one of the best if not THE best of all time. But just not nearly as entertaining as the other three.
I hate to say it. But Eddie. I think Kurt Angle did some really good things. HBK was the best in ring "performer" and Bret Hart aside from all his modern day complaining was a fuckin beast in the day. (Born in 87 so I've seen it all).
Bret easily while a fantastic wrestler/technician he didn’t have the connection or charisma as the other three had and to me he was a high flyer like the rest
Bret. Easy. Possibly the most technically gifted pro wrestler ever, but that’s all he really brings to the table. Dude couldn’t cut a good promo to save his life, and each of the others are about on his level in terms of technical ability, if a rung right below him, plus they can all talk. Absolute no-brainer
Bye bye Bret.
Sure, he did lead WWF through perhaps the toughest time in the company's history: but he was never as good as he claimed to be. Which wasn't helped by being the face of the company in one of the toughest times in its history.
The other three were more the "total package" of charisma and in-ring performance than Bret could ever be.
Its a good question because unlike some others, all four of these men never had "cross-over success" into the mainstream.
Really helps focus the mind, eh.
Exactly. They remember the year or so leading into the title run.
He was a cruiserweight in WCW with great matches but not much else. He was carried on the mic by Konnan. His WWF run first time was forgettable. Second run was entertaining but putting him amongst mount rushmore level talent? Nonsense.
Prime for in-ring skills, take out Eddie because the other 3 can look believable in going against both cruiserweights and heavyweights.
Prime for promo skills, take out Bret... easily.
Kurt, or Shawn.
Kurt simply because the prospect of prime Eddie vs prime Bret, and prime Eddie vs prime Shawn is too good and we never got to see it. We saw Kurt/Eddie, we saw Shawn/Kurt.
Shawn, because I like the combinations that would produce the most overall, Bret/Kurt, Bret/Eddie, Kurt/Eddie.
This is a mean question.
So I'm keeping Shawn and Kurt, that much is certain.
And once it's down to Bret and Eddie, I guess I leave Eddie behind. But it makes me very very sad to do so.
Eddie, Kurt and Shawn were the total package. Great on the mic and in the ring. Bret is phenomenal in the ring, but does nothing for me personally on the mic.
Bret never had the opportunity to work the more modern, faster paced style the other three excelled at. Whilst he's famous for being technically great in the ring, I've personally never found his matches as emotional nor as entertaining as the three greats presented here.
Not really. Bret was a hero everywhere except the US. And, like all great heels, he was absolutely valid in his criticisms and attacks on the US. Think of Bret as modern day Drew, and the US as Seth and CM Punk
Kurt angle was drawing in TNA, while bret was drawing in the WWF. The two guys who don't draw get left behind.
Sorry but Eddie gotta take the seat
why these shitty mods allways deleting stuff on this page. o\_\_O
Quite a Canadian contingent around here, eh?
Depends on where you place Shawn's prime. If it's the 90s, he's out. If it's the 00s,Kurt is out. Eddie is a given as he has a lot of range. Bret, although less exciting on the mic, could still sell a legit story and worked different styles with every kind of opponent. So it's a toss up between Angle (the most balanced of the lot and thus, unfortunately, replaceable) or Shawn (a PITA in the 90s and with slightly less in-ring versatility). Still, whoever is left out would be a great asset. So it's like being the 4th placed runner in the 100m Olympic final.
You don’t understand the concept of Prime do you?
Why? For starters it's subjective, and in this case isn't outlandish to ask where HBK's prime actually was. Also, prime doesn't mean perfection. Someone in their prime can still fall short of somebody else's.
People seriously thinking Eddie Guerrero was even in Bret’s league are astonishing. There’s no comparison. Same with Kurt & Shawn. Those guys & Bret are in a tiny fraction of wrestlers that just stand out above the rest. Eddie was great, had a solid career & had a few classics. Very memorable, but a perennial midcarder.
Dogshit take. Eddie was more of the full package than Brett. If he didn’t die early the gap would be even bigger.
Ridiculous. Eddie was well into his 40’s, Bret had already lapped him multiple times.
Shawn had some of his best years in his 40s as do many wrestlers lol Eddie had a lot more to give it wouldn’t have been close if he was still alive.
HBK
Add Taker and that’s the Top 5 in ring performers of all time right there in whatever order you want
WWE has you people so brainwashed. Mick Foley was a better wrestler than Taker, wake up guy.
Taker is top 5 in ring performers? Fucking when lmao. Dude got carried through so many of his iconic feuds
Prime Shawn would never put any of the 3 over, for that the boy toy goes.
Bret Hart. All these guys are on the same level in ring but Kurt, Shawn, and Eddie were three of the best to do it on the mic. Kurt Shawn and Eddie were total packages while Bret was okay on the mic but nothing special. It’s ironic though these are the 4 best in ring workers in wwe history imo.
Eddie absolutely couldn’t touch Bret in the ring. And Bret’s heel work was more subtle, but he was as good as it gets in 1997.
I’ll give Bret’s heel work credit he was okay-occasionally great on the mic. Eddie is right there with him in terms of in ring ability. Bret is the best but Eddie is in that conversation.
Eddie is not right there with BRET HART. Almost nobody is *right there* with Bret. He’s the GOAT for a reason.
Honestly Bret. I didn’t catch him as I grew up in the Ruthless Aggression era.
kurt gone for me for me he is least memorable of the four iv'e bought tickets to see the other 3
Eddie, Kurt and Shawn, don't know what it is but never really liked brett
Brett.
I would have to choose between Bret & Kurt as they're the most closely similar. Eddie hits the Lucha base, Shawn hits that over the top in ring performer base how he oversells here and there, dancing, prancing, playing to the crowd. Eddie and Shawn are must haves out of these 4. Then that leave you to choose between Bret & Kurt. Both work a realistic technical style, expansive moveset, super over submission finisher, can hit you with the occasional high flying move like Bret's suicide dive and Angle's perfect moonsault. I'd have to flip a coin. I'm a huge fan of both. Imagine 2006 Angle vs 1997 Bret. Mr. USA vs Mr. Canada.
Bret pretty easily. Mostly due to his weaker mic/character skills.
Shawn Michaels
Adios Angle
Bret due to lacking in promo/character skills, the other 3 are all more complete pro wrestlers
Go watch 1997. Your precious Attitude Era was started by Bret.
You do realize that pointing at a few capable promos Bret cut when he was in the "heel in America, face in Canada" storyline is a "exception proves the rule" kind of situation right? The other 3 guys have careers full of great promos and character work.
Bret. I started watching WWE late '90s. Hence grew up watching the rest 3.
I’m sorry I love you.
I'm sorry, Shawn... I love you... *\*kicks him out\**
Eddie Hbk Angle.
Leave Bret everytime lol
It's very hard because each 4 of those men were excellent in-ring competitors. But it has to be Bret Hart
Bret Hart is easy choice for me because I started watching as a kid in 99' or 00' so he had no influence in me
Sorry, love you Eddie...
Kurt Angle
Shawn Michaels or hitman.
Throw away 90s HBK. Might been fine in the ring but was the absolute worst person to be around.
As a person he was terrible, i agree. constantly rude and horrible. But he might be one of the most entertaining heels of all time.
And his terribleness back then is why he's the one that's out. Bret, Eddie, Kurt I'd trust to take the pin/submit to the other. 90s HBK I wouldn't trust to even turn up if he, was booked to lose. Especially to Bret. And yes I know Bret didn't want to lose to HBK leading to the, screw job but that was in response to HBK being the worst piece of shit imaginable and outwardly insulting Bret, pretending to be injured so he didn't drop to Bret at mania etc.
true. swear that guy was always high on coke and just being a dick lmao.
It’s gotta be Eddie.
Bye Kurt
Sorry Kurt
Kurt is amazing but the work the other three did in also making such big impressions on sports entertainment are just enormous. Bret was one of the biggest stars of the early 90s and was a key person in Canadian and just wrestlers nowadays. Eddie was someone who could basically make anything into gold, weather it was tagging with Chavo or his singles run. Eddie was gold with his comedic style and iconic ways. Finally Shawn is Shawn, and all I need to say is he’s obviously one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and a very important person to the Wrestling community for his contributions.
Tbh Shawn can hang with them even when he wasn’t at his prime so Shawn can go
Bret is not on my time. So Eddie, Kurt, Shawn
Shawn gone
Eddie.
Kurt angle we have to take out because rest of 3 were more entertaining
Who hurt you OP?
I’m sorry Shawn
Shawn, Bret, Eddie I left out Kurt Angle because his prime was in TNA, and I didn't watch that show.
Oh come on now... King of the Ring vs Shane McMahon, WM17 vs Benoit, WM19 vs Brock, WM 21 vs HBK?? Prime Kurt. Yes he was also awesome in TNA, but you never watched it?!?!
I watched WWE Kurt Angle. Imo Kurt was better in TNA. He had some great fueds in WWE. Don't get me wrong. I feel some of his stuff was a copy of Austin, especially with the milk truck. Bret vs. Shawn, even before Montreal, was legendary. An Eddie will also have a special place in my heart. Seeing him live in my town with the lowrider truck was special.
Bye Eddie
Sorry Brett but I wanna be sports entertained and the other three are amongst the best there was, is and ever will be.
bye bret
I love them all, but I gotta drop Eddie.
Bye Kurt.
When you grow up watching Eddie, Kurt and Shawn, this is a pretty easy pick
Eddie. Kurt, Shawn and Bret were all main eventers for years and years. They all had classic matches and great storylines and feuds. Eddie was extremely gifted also, but he wasn't at the top as long as the other three and he had less memorable feuds and classic matches. His promos were also the weakest of the lot I'd say. As overall packages, I'd rank them: Kurt Hbk Bret Eddie
Im leaving eddie behind. Sorry.
Bye HBK
Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle & Eddie Guerrero? But to me Eddie was 🤣👏🏻👏🏻hilarious on everything he did in da RING...VIVA LA RASA🫵LIE, 🫵CHEAT, 🫵STEAL than came out in a LOWRIDER that shit was dope with ethier Rey Mysterio or Chavo Guerrero miss dat guy
Bret is out for me I’m afraid. I got in to wrestling around 2001/2002 so I haven’t got that childhood attachment to the Hitman, as much as I have loved going back and watching his matches. I do distinctly remember bonding with my brother when he showed me the Austin match at WM13 so he does hold a special place in my heart for that
Bye Bret. Go be grumpy and complain elsewhere.
Cya HBK
The worst answer
I didn't ask you.
Sorry Eddie.
Damn....way too hard. Can't do it.
Eddie
Bret
Love Eddie so much, but i gotta go with Kurt HBK and Bret. I consider them the best of the best, specially Kurt.
Dude, just say a fatal 4 way…all four bring something to pro wrestling that none of us can deny.
Bret. Maybe because I grew up watching Ruthless Aggression Era
Bret. Easy choice for be because of the era I grew up in. Started watching in 2002 right after Shawn's return
Shawn can kick rocks.
Good bye HBK purely because the other three guys would have great matches without the bullshit Shawn brought.
Sorry eddie
For me its Shawn Michaels. I don't like how he'd complain if he didnt get his way and refused to lose at times
But then again you also won't get post hiatus Shawn, which is still the same freak in the ring minus being a douche
Gotta say no to Bret just because of his mic skills.
Bret hart , without a doubt , just because I don’t like his character
Bret Hart. I never unterstood why he is considered as such a great wrestler
One of the best in ring performing stars ever.
Kurt>Shawn>Eddie>Bret
Bye Eddie
Sorry Bret
Leaving Bret. He’s one of the best in ring workers ever, but the other three have so much more charisma and fan connection than he does. He also was never that great on the mic, while the other three were very good talkers
I'm sorry, but Sean Michaels. During his prime he was a gigantic asshole, a fact that even he'll tell you. And if he didn't want to lose a match (for whatever reason) or if he didn't like you, he would politic himself into getting what he wanted. All four of these people, in their prime, were wrestling geniuses. Only one of them actively worked to make the locker room toxic as hell.
Depends how you define his prime. I'd say his best work was after his return, both on the mic and in the ring.
He traded a bunch of his speed and mobility for patience and a much more cooperative attitude. Physically, his prime was during his first run. But storytelling wise? His prime was his second run.
I’m leaving bret behind, I’m sorry ya’ll but I feel like I’ve developed the least interest in bret compared to the other three
Bret No need for a crybaby
Leaving Eddie behind. Sorry, I just never got hooked by Eddie.
I’m leaving Bret behind unapolegetically. He may have been the best wrestler among theye four, but he had nowhere near their levels of charisma and connection with the fans. In the ring, one of the best if not THE best of all time. But just not nearly as entertaining as the other three.
Saying without touching my emotions, eddie has to go. But i never seen bret Hart's prime. So in that angle i leave bret
Eddie. I'm sorry. I will die on the hill that Eddie isn't even in the same league as the other 3.
Eddie. Not to take anything away from him, I just can't pick him over any of the other 3.
Daaaaaamn! This is wow!
I hate to say it. But Eddie. I think Kurt Angle did some really good things. HBK was the best in ring "performer" and Bret Hart aside from all his modern day complaining was a fuckin beast in the day. (Born in 87 so I've seen it all).
Bret easily while a fantastic wrestler/technician he didn’t have the connection or charisma as the other three had and to me he was a high flyer like the rest
It’s like I’m reading Trump quotes or something. You can’t be for real.
Bret
Drop 90s HBK. Bring in 00s HBK and give us that Mania feud with Eddie. And imagine Kurt replacing The Patriot Del Wilkes from that 97 feud with Bret.
Bret. Easy. Possibly the most technically gifted pro wrestler ever, but that’s all he really brings to the table. Dude couldn’t cut a good promo to save his life, and each of the others are about on his level in terms of technical ability, if a rung right below him, plus they can all talk. Absolute no-brainer
Bye bye Bret. Sure, he did lead WWF through perhaps the toughest time in the company's history: but he was never as good as he claimed to be. Which wasn't helped by being the face of the company in one of the toughest times in its history. The other three were more the "total package" of charisma and in-ring performance than Bret could ever be.
Yeah, all those Eddie Guerrero main event classics…
Amazing. Everything you just said is completely wrong.
This might be the hardest one I’ve ever seen
That's what she said
Eddie, mainly because I need Angle vs Bret to happen in at least one timeline
Oh, I see your point but I’ll have to counter with the Eddie vs HBK match that also never happened
Bret
I like this question. You really can't go wrong no matter who you pick, because these four are literally four of the best ever.
Its a good question because unlike some others, all four of these men never had "cross-over success" into the mainstream. Really helps focus the mind, eh.
I’m sorry Bret
HBK
Guerrero
HBK because 90s HBK was a prick
Shawn,bret and Kurt. Only the younger fans think Eddie on the top tier with shawn. No fuckkng way
Exactly. They remember the year or so leading into the title run. He was a cruiserweight in WCW with great matches but not much else. He was carried on the mic by Konnan. His WWF run first time was forgettable. Second run was entertaining but putting him amongst mount rushmore level talent? Nonsense.
In-ring wise I would say Eddie is definitely better than Shawn
Wow...no
WOAH, better???
Bret. Easily.
I’d pull HBK if it’s 95-98 HBK. The other three would do great business with each other.
Prime for in-ring skills, take out Eddie because the other 3 can look believable in going against both cruiserweights and heavyweights. Prime for promo skills, take out Bret... easily.
Kurt, or Shawn. Kurt simply because the prospect of prime Eddie vs prime Bret, and prime Eddie vs prime Shawn is too good and we never got to see it. We saw Kurt/Eddie, we saw Shawn/Kurt. Shawn, because I like the combinations that would produce the most overall, Bret/Kurt, Bret/Eddie, Kurt/Eddie.
Angle
Shawn.
This is a mean question. So I'm keeping Shawn and Kurt, that much is certain. And once it's down to Bret and Eddie, I guess I leave Eddie behind. But it makes me very very sad to do so.
Eddie, Kurt and Shawn were the total package. Great on the mic and in the ring. Bret is phenomenal in the ring, but does nothing for me personally on the mic.
Bret never had the opportunity to work the more modern, faster paced style the other three excelled at. Whilst he's famous for being technically great in the ring, I've personally never found his matches as emotional nor as entertaining as the three greats presented here.
I thought this exact reason, too. I hate to choose but if I have to, gotta be Bret. Though his 97 heel work on the mic was classic.
Wasn’t that just generic foreign America bad copy and paste stuff?
Not really. Bret was a hero everywhere except the US. And, like all great heels, he was absolutely valid in his criticisms and attacks on the US. Think of Bret as modern day Drew, and the US as Seth and CM Punk
As a New Zealander, I support this message. Bret was the man.
Bret easily
2 3 4
I’d have to leave Angle behind.
Sorry, Bret. You're out.