I think before he turned face, I probably preferred HBK. His IC title run was pretty good. But that might have been the entire time.
HBK could wrestle with a stuffed penguin and put on a good match. It really never mattered who his partner was, he would find a way to make it work. In my view, Bret Hart needed to face a good wrestler to put on a good match. Although Hart himself was excellent, he was not good at making his opponent look good.
I think HBK is a reprehensible human being. Even with his holier than thou born again schtick, he comes across as the same prick he has always been. I hated him when I met up and despise his personality completely.
Bret Hart is a better man than HBK from what I know, but nowhere near the caliber of performer HBK was. But if they wrestled, I would choose to root for the better man and thus Bret Hart.
I would say Bret was better at making his opponent look good but the different styles they had Shawn got more attention. Bret mad his opponent look good, Shawn could do that but made himself look better.
Vince used Brett as a gatekeeper even in the mid 80's behind the scenes. He wrestled a musclehead and made him look great and Vince got all excited. Turns out Brett carried him. Brett also carried Bulldog Summerslam 1992 (he was off his nut on drugs).
Another example of Wrestlemania 1997, Austin bleeding like a pig. That wasn't Austins idea it was Bretts.
Bret's the better technical wrestler, great ring general and was safe to be in the ring with. Shawn better performer but in ring also apparently liked to potato people. Brett was basically a better ring general, arguably ring psycology when you compare both of them at the same time (90's).
Bret was injured/retired once HBK came back and did even better than the 1st time around.
Ima old enough to remember The Rockers and Hart Foundation lol. Took a break and came back, no Hogan, Brett was on top and Michaels was becoming the next big thing.
Back then HBK was the vanilla midget. 1994/95 though damn.
