5 Best King of the Ring matches of all time

1) Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. Mr. Perfect – King of the Ring 1993

The aforementioned performance of Bret "The Hitman" Hart in the 1993 King of the Ring tournament was the stuff of legend. He kicked things off with a rock-solid affair against Razor Ramon. Hart overcame Ramon's strength and used his excellent mat wrestling to defeat Razor. The crowd was firmly in Bret's corner and he was in top form from the very beginning.

His King of the Ring semifinal opponent, Mr. Perfect, defeated Mr. Hughes via disqualification when he struck him with the Undertaker's urn. The two men cut a dual interview backstage ahead of their clash and addressed the history with one another. Bret Hart defeated Mr. Perfect to win his first Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1991 and this would be the long-awaited rematch.

Things were different this time around as Perfect didn't have the same severely injured back that he did in their previous meeting. He was 100% and looking to avenge this loss and move on to the King of the Ring Finals. However, Bret did come in a little banged up with his hand taped after Razor stomped and hurt it in the quarterfinals.

The two men opened with a slow start and a smooth wrestling sequence that set the tone for this King of the Ring semifinal bout. Bobby Heenan pointed out how crisp Bret and Perfect were. Bret utilized a headlock takeover to ground his opponent, but Perfect used chops, knees to the gut, and a beautiful dropkick to gain control.

Mr. Perfect came into this battle as a babyface but did everything he could to get the win. After holding the ropes for Bret to re-enter the ring, he nailed a cheap shot and started driving Bret's face into the ring apron, drawing boos from the crowd. Perfect hit a missile dropkick, but Hart got his foot on the bottom rope to survive and continue the King of the Ring semifinals.

Bret targeted Perfect's leg to regain control after a Figure Four Leglock. Perfect's selling of his leg was impeccable and showed how good he was at subtle detail in contests. Bret got the Sharpshooter locked in, but he attacked the injured hand Bret to break the hold. Perfect went for the Perfect-Plex, but Hart reversed and hit a suplex to the outside.

This led to a countout tease with Bret getting up first and putting Perfect back in the ring. However, Perfect played possum and pulled Hart in for a great near fall before Bret reversed it into an inside cradle of his own for the three counts. This was an outstanding technical wrestling masterclass that showed the greatness of both competitors.

Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect were better known for their SummerSlam 1991 clash, but this King of the Ring semifinal contest may just be even better. Both men were at full health and made every move matter in this bout. That's why Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect from 1993 is the best King of the Ring match of all time.