Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels are two of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. Not only were they amazing in the ring, they were charismatic, exciting, and character-driven. Hart and Michaels were the two biggest stars in the company during the WWE's New Generation era in the early to mid 90s. However, instead of the two leading the roster side by side, they put themselves into a bitter feud involving betrayal, insults, and legitimate fights. Many fans are familiar with the stories of Bret and Shawn not liking each other, but many also have no idea that they were once friends.

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Bret Hart And Shawn Michaels Were Friends Before The Kliq Formed

The two wrestlers had a very similar rise to stardom in WWE. They both started out as tag team wrestlers, then would get progressively bigger and more popular than their partner, and break out as singles stars. This mirroring of careers wouldn't go unnoticed as Hart saw the potential Michaels would have. He saw The Rockers as good workers and good people. He also felt that the tag team division needed a young and smaller team like them.

They weren't the best of friends or anything during this time, but Bret Hart considered Shawn a better friend than most in the locker room. This could very well be because they were the two top singles stars in the company reigning as WWE and Intercontinental Champions, respectively. In the lead up to their WWE Title match at Survivor Series 1992, they had gotten along greatly, had a mutual respect for one another, and both felt that the other was a tremendous athlete. Unfortunately, as Michaels grew into a bigger role for the company, all that star power went to his head, and it didn't help that a toxic new friend group would transform him into someone completely different.

A Rift In Their Friendship Was Quickly Created Due To The Kliq's Backstage Influence

The Kliq was a backstage group of friends consisting of Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Triple H, and of course, Shawn Michaels. They were infamous for using their backstage influence to get what they wanted, give themselves better creative opportunities, and hold down certain talent that they didn't like. This would include Bret Hart, but it was never necessarily successful as Bret was still practically the face of the company at the time. However, Shawn's tainted mindset would be shown off during the Wrestlemania 12 Iron Man Match between the two.

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In the first ever Iron Man match, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels would go the entire hour time limit without a single fall. This led to a sudden death round where Michaels would finally put Bret down for good. However, when the match was over, according to Jim Ross, Shawn allegedly ordered Earl Hebner to tell Bret to, "get the f--k out of my ring." It was an attitude like this that led to the worst period of Bret and Shawn's relationship.

Bret Hart And Shawn Michaels Hated Each Other In 1997

Throughout the remainder of 1996, the animosity between Bret and Shawn built little by little as Shawn was legitimately becoming a pretty poor excuse of a human being, but it would reach its boiling point in 1997. When it was the revealed that plans for WrestleMania 13 were for Shawn Michaels to drop the title back to Bret Hart, Shawn famously "lost his smile." He claimed he suffered a knee injury which could've been career threatening and was forced to drop the title.

Shawn would come back not too long after Wrestlemania which gave Bret the opportunity to accuse Shawn on TV that he was faking it. He also insulted Shawn about being on the cover of Playgirl. This would lead to Shawn telling the audience that Bret was having "Sunny Days", referring to an alleged affair Bret was having with Sunny. That was the comment that made Bret snap, and would lead to a legitimate fight backstage between the two. It wasn't a bloody brawl that went way too far, but it was enough for Shawn to want to leave the company. What's really crazy about all this is that they weren't even feuding on-screen. Even after the verbal and physical shots thrown each other's way, the worst was still yet to come with the Montreal Screwjob seemingly putting the final nail in the coffin of Bret Hart's relationship with WWE and Shawn Michaels.

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The Two Made Amends In 2010 And Have Since Built A Very Good Modern Friendship

It may have taken over twelve years, but Bret Hart was finally willing to put the past behind him. Shawn had retired for four years due to a serious back injury and became a born-again Christian, and Bret suffered a stroke in 2002, so both had a new outlook on life. It also helped that Bret made up with Vince McMahon, and got inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. However, the two still weren't ready to fully bury the hatchet, but they were working on it. Bret would claim that the match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25 was the defining factor in his decision to renew his friendship with HBK. On the January 4th, 2010, episode of Raw, Bret Hart was the guest host. The very first thing that happened was Bret calling Shawn out to the ring. They apologized, shook hands, and hugged to finally put their real life rivalry to rest. They have stayed very good friends since that night, and Bret even wishes they never had any bitterness towards each other.

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Two grown men realizing the mistakes from their younger selves, recognizing each other, and reconciling may seem like a pretty crazy concept, especially in the world of wrestling, but they did it. It truly was a nice moment on that episode of Raw as it was real. It wasn't scripted, wasn't planned out months in advance, and wasn't just for show. It was genuine as it was becoming increasingly clear the burden had become too much to bear on both sides, and they were both ready to end the nonsense, the feud, and the hatred. Now if only Bret could do the same with Goldberg.