Once upon a time when i worked for a pizza chain i had a disgruntled customer tell me "...should'a... could'a... would'as mean s**t..."
This sums up exactly how i feel about this match, as in my opinion it COULD have been one of if not the greatest "pro-wrestling" bout of all time.
Now it is very possible to go on and on and on about the great accomplishments that both of these exemplary athletes had in the world of "Pro-Wrestling" but considering the actual topic of this thread i will try to contain myself.
Bret Hart was a "made man" in WWF. He was the type of athlete that truely exemplified "paying dues" in the world of wrestling. He was a crucial factor in elevating main-event calibur talent, be it in the tag ranks or as a singles competitor, with his ability to make ANY match, on ANY stage, against ANY opponent a great story and meaningful. Mostly every match he was involved in always elevated him yet at the same time displayed the strengths of his opponent. If you look back at Brets "overall career" in the WWF he lost many very meaningful bouts and often put others over, however at the same time was always considered a threat to any title, because he was just head and shoulders above the rest of the wrestling community when it came to in ring ability throughout the 80's and 90's. Never a very vocal competitor in a world of many, many, MANY words he let his matches speak for themselves and they spoke volumes above the highest decibel level possibly spoken. The first REAL triple crown winner of the WWF when titles actually meant a great deal. Perhaps i am bias because, i am forever a believer that Bret Hart is the greatest to ever grace a "Pro-Wrestling" ring, but can anyone honestly think of another wrestler EVER that was able to speak so little, and still be able to captivate a WORLD WIDE... yes World Wide audience. I could go on and on and on...
However let me move on to who i believe to be the second greatest wrestling pro of all time. Kurt Angle. This guy is really something else. He completely turned wrestling inside out when he debuted in the WWF. He is an olympic gold medalist, as well as a two time D-1 champion. This guy was perfect to be the next great american hero in the faux world of pro wrestling. After many videos promoting his debut (sadly an art long lost since the extreme intrusion of the net... but i am guilty as well) he comes out at Survivor Series and immediately begins to talk about how great he is on his way to the ring! Really?!?! I loved it! I thought it was such a perfect "swerve" that wasn't directly in your face but made you ask... "..wait? what? who the hell is this guy?!?!" Then when he would enter the ring from that moment on you took him seriously. Even in his first match against Shawn Stasiak (really) you could see that this guy had "IT". His amateur background as well as Olympic gold meant nothing until he proved it in the world of the WWF and prove it he did! He went straight to "Euro-Continental" gold... to a FANTASTIC, absolutely fantastic feud/drama with Triple H and Stephanie Mcmahon, to WWf Heavyweight Champion. His ability to blend the "catch-as-catch-can" style with the edgier style WWF was going twords at the time was nothing short of extraordinary. It didn't hurt that he was able to work with such greats as Benoit, Triple H, The Rock, Austin, and Chris Jericho (a man quietly yet assuredly creeping into that greatest of all time spot, and rightfully so) Kurt Angle brought a legitimacy to the sport that was greatly appreciated and eventually aided in the collapse of WCW. (do not kid yourself... WWF was so great at this time when they actually showcased wrestling... The year 2000 was the most perfect blend of wrestling and story within the WWF and Kurt Angle was a big big part of that)
I feel i have gotten way away from the subject sort of but when i think of this match... these two greats... in their prime... i can't help but ramble on about how great wrestling is because of their contributions... So here we go... Kurt Angle vs. Bret Hart in and Ironman Match. Kurt Angle would win 3-2 in the world of WWF/E because, they would put on such a clinic that could never ever be topped by any other PURE match PERIOD! Bret Hart could afford the loss and still be considered an all time great as he often did... and Kurt Angle could take the win in the last seconds, costing Bret Hart no credibility and equally shooting these two great athletes to an even higher platform than they currently reside on... miles above the rest.
Poorly said? probably so...
However this is just one mans opinion... so take it for what its worth -T-Dub