Chris Jericho or Bret Hart, Who Is the Greatest Canadian Wrestler of All Time?

Canada has produced a plethora of fantastic wrestlers over the years, but with all apologies to Edge and Chris Benoit, the discussion of the greatest comes down to Chris Jericho or Bret Hart.

Both Edge and Benoit's careers ended prematurely, easing them out of the conversation.

Hart ranks among the best in many categories.  Technically proficient, a great in-ring storyteller, Hart produced at a high level throughout his career.    

Chris Jericho's career began with him as the centerpiece of the WCW Cruiserweight division and as he grew and developed, he ended up being the first ever Undisputed Champion and one of the finest heels we've ever seen.

Putting their careers side by side, who comes out the winner? 

Let’s break it down by category.

Mic Work

Bret will never be known as a great promo guy, but over the years he became more comfortable on the mic.  He played the good-hearted face well and when asked to be the anti-American heel did that quite well also.

Jericho, even in his early days, was extremely funny and captivating with a microphone in his hand.  Before the cruiserweight battle royal at Slamboree 1998, he introduced the participants with comedic deftness.    

As a heel, though, is where he truly shined, mastering the quiet, verbose and condescending promo.  Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded him the Best on Interviews award three times, in 2003, 2008 and 2009 as well the Best on Interviews of the Decade award for 2000-2009.

Armed with a litany of catchphrases and a surplus of charisma, few guys are more compelling before the bell rings than Jericho. 

Winner: Chris Jericho

Marketability, Draw Power

Bret Hart was called upon to main event three WrestleManias. Jericho only had that honor once.  And for the most part people believe his match vs. Triple H WrestleMania 18 should not have been the main event, instead giving way to the Rock vs. Hogan matchup.

The Hitman was involved in the main event for countless pay-per-views between 1992 and 1996.  Jericho, on the other hand, was just as often on the midcard as he was the main event. 

A part of this has to be attributed to how many times he left the company to be a rock star and other pursuits.  WWE didn't want to depend on him as much as they did Bret. 

And in terms of merchandise sales, Jericho had some fun shirts, for sure, but has never been the shirt-selling machine that his peers, Rock and Austin were.

Bret couldn't compete with Hulk Hogan on that front either, but his merchandise seemed to sell well.  He had the added bonus of selling his trademark pink sunglasses that many a kid in the early '90s rocked. 

Winner: Bret Hart

Showmanship/Entertainment

As skilled as Bret was in the ring, one common criticism is that his matches were boring.

While I wouldn't go that far, I can see where people are coming from.  Bret told a great story in the ring, but unlike Jericho, didn't play up the showmanship side of things.

His gimmick pretty much remained the same; his moves rarely varied. 

Jericho, on the other hand, injected a spectacle into every match and every promo which got fans to latch onto him.  From pinning a guy with his foot and flexing to his classic "Ask him!" routine, Jericho constantly added nuances to his game.

Sure his feats of athleticism and toughness impressed, but his beaming personality and undeniable star power shined every time he was on camera. 

Winner: Chris Jericho

In-Ring Ability

Bret Hart's technical ability is no secret.  His collegiate background and his father's influence aided him in being one of the best grapplers of all time. 

You never watched a Bret Hart match and thought of it as a show or theater as much as you thought of it as a sporting event. 

Bret is also surprisingly skilled in the high-flying area too.  Fans don't think of him that way, but he utilized an enzuigiri, plancha and suicide dive. 

Still Jericho wins the high-flying category between them hands down.  His inventive offense features a ton of springboard moves, missile dropkicks and of course the majestic Lionsault.

Y2J is technically sound as well, but is no match for the Excellence of Execution in that category.  He's not as consistently crisp as Bret. 

Winner: Bret Hart

Classic Matches

Bret Hart fans would be quick to point out his Iron Man match at WrestleMania 12 with Shawn Michaels.  Jericholics would retort by pulling out the video of Jericho vs. Michaels at Wrestlemania XIX.

Both men clearly have a number of all-time classics on their resume. 

Bret was a part of three battles that won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year award. These were against British Bulldog at Summerslam 1992, the aforementioned Iron Man match with HBK and of course his Submission match against Stone Cold at Wrestlemania 13.

That same bout was awarded the coveted five-star status and Match of the Year from Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  Bret also earned a five-star rating for his cage match with his brother Owen at Summerslam 1994. 

His match vs. Owen at WrestleMania 10, along with many of his meetings with Mr. Perfect and a number of others have to go down as some of the best we've ever seen.

Jericho has won fewer awards, only garnering a Match of the Year award for his work with Shawn Michaels at No Mercy 2008. 

That doesn't mean Jericho hasn't produced his fair share of classics. 

At the 2001 Royal Rumble, he and Chris Benoit put together a masterpiece of a ladder match.  He and Benoit also had a jaw-droppingly good battle in Japan that is one of my personal favorites. 

In the end, I have to go with Bret here.  While incredibly close side by side, Bret's resume looks slightly better.  Some consider Hart vs. Austin at WrestleMania 13 the greatest match of all time. 

Jericho's greatest hits include a lot of gimmick matches that weren't around when Bret wrestled.  Had the Hitman wrestled in TLC and Elimination Chamber matches who knows what he could have done.

But without any of that, Bret still put together classic after classic. 

As much as I like Jericho, if forced to decide I'd rather see Hart vs. Michaels at WrestleMania 12 than Jericho and Michaels.  Stuck with choosing between Benoit vs. Jericho or Owen vs. Bret, the brothers win out, just barely. 

Winner: Bret Hart

Overall

Jericho is the better entertainer, Bret the better wrestler. 

Bret had a long, sustained career.  Before being the No. 1 guy at the No. 1 wrestling company, he was a part of one of the best tag teams of all time. 

Jericho adapted and developed his persona over the years, keeping fans enthralled throughout. 

Both men's career retrospective DVDs are must-haves. 

Bret Hart unfortunately was misused by WCW in his later years and had his career cut short by an errant boot from Goldberg.  Chris Jericho's career is not quite over. 

Objectively, it's hard not to go with Bret Hart as the greatest Canadian wrestler ever.  But speaking from the heart, I go with Jericho. 

In an earlier article about the best wrestlers from around the world, I argued that Jericho was better than Bret and as expected, some folks had a few contrary things to say.

Even with Bret being better in the categories I mentioned on previous slides, I've always been more drawn to Jericho.  He's more captivating on the mic and even when he's goofing around pulls me in like no other wrestler. 

In the end, I suppose it depends on whether a perfectly executed Russian legsweep appeals to you more than a one-handed bulldog. Flawlessness in the ring has more weight to you than perfection on the mic. 

Bret Hart vs. Chris Jericho is one of the greatest wrestling debates.  And whatever side you choose, I'm with you.