2) Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. The British Bulldog for the WWE Championship (WWE In Your House 5: Season Beatings)
When fans think about Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog, they will immediately bring up WWE SummerSlam 1992 for good reason. The two brothers-in-law had a technical wrestling masterpiece that peaked at just the right time in front of a hot London crowd at Wembley Stadium. However, it wasn't the only great showdown they had with this bout at the first WWE pay-per-view in the month of December.
Bret Hart defeated Diesel to win the WWE Championship for the fifth time at Survivor Series 1995. Prior to this, the British Bulldog turned heel on Diesel and had inserted himself into the title picture. With Bulldog as top contender, this set up a SummerSlam 1992 rematch, but this time for the richest prize in the business at In Your House 5: Season Beatings.
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Bret and Bulldog once again delivered an excellent encounter. However, it was different in many ways. This time, the babyface-heel dynamic was there and added to the atmosphere with the fans clearly in Hart's corner. On the floor, Bret was busted open, and he bled heavily. That didn't stop him from pulling out the win to retain the WWE Championship, though.
The mix of blood, technical wrestling brilliance and the real-life aspect of Diana Hart at ringside made this everything fans could ask for. Bret Hart wanted another contest with his brother-in-law and this found a way to deliver one of the best pay-per-view main events of 1995 for WWE.
1) Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship (WWE TLC 2018)
Daniel Bryan shocked the wrestling world when he announced his in-ring return to WWE at WrestleMania 34. His comeback got off to a rough start with a lackluster Big Cass rivalry, a short-lived Team Hell No reunion and an underwhelming feud with The Miz. Bryan appeared to change around his fortunes by going for WWE Champion AJ Styles.
The desire to become champion changed Bryan though. The leader of the Yes Movement hit Styles with a low blow and a running knee to win the WWE Championship. Following an incredible match with Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, Daniel Bryan had to contend with AJ Styles once again at TLC 2018.
Two of the most gifted competitors to ever grace the squared circle put on an absolute clinic. It had crisp mat work, smooth sequences, impeccable selling, tremendous callbacks to their previous meetings and great nearfalls. It flowed because of how well these two superstars were working with one another.
Styles looked on the brink of victory when he set up for the Phenomenal Forearm. Bryan moves the ref in the way, but AJ doesn't hit him. He instead cradles Daniel Bryan, but the champion gets Styles in a small package for the win. This worked extremely well with Bryan and Styles producing a fantastic championship battle that was the greatest WWE pay-per-view match in December.