Bret Hart- General Thread discussion

[Platypus Palsy]

I've never really been a big fan of Bret Hart (or really a fan at all I could say) but it'll be popular with everyone else. I'd rather see The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin host. It could definitely create some interesting things like a feud with Mr. McMahon or DX or both. If he's used the way I'd like (which probably won't happen) then this could be really a great opportunity for the WWE and my eyes/entertainment part of my brain.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

This single handedly makes me watch RAW over TNA if Bret Hart is hosting on January 4th. I'd love to see him as a guest host and see what they have him do. They could use him much differently than the way the current hosts are used. Every week follows the same formula, but with Hart you open up a huge number of possibilities.

As for him wrestling, I don't know if he's in the shape to do that anymore. If he's not then I would prefer to not see him in the ring. And I have zero interest in seeing Hart or anyone else wrestle Vince McMahon. You can only use that story so many times, though I'm sure I'm in the minority and lots of people would be interested in seeing it.

The big question is does this matter? Most of the fans today weren't even born when Bret left WWE. I'm curious to see if it'll bring in older fans. One things for sure though, if Bret Hart is hosting RAW on the 4th, then the fans who were going to watch Hogan in TNA will probably at the very least be doing some flipping now.

 

[futo25]

Personally, as much as I love Bret and as excited as I am to see him back, I'll still be tuning in to impact Jan. 4th (though I will DVR Raw of course)

Just so you know, TNA is going to replay the January 4th edition of Impact 3 days later on Thursday! I personally am going to watch WWE Monday Night Raw because WWE is not going to replay the same show 3 days later. Also its not like i've not seen Hogan in a wrestling ring over a decade and after 12 years Hogan is making his return to pro-wrestling. I personally will choose WWE Monday Night Raw if Bret Hart makes his return, and i can catch TNA 3 days later on Thursday when they will air the encore show.

 

[hlhbk]

Another really big thing about this is we might get to see the return of heel HBK. I am interested in seeing how the general WWE fan responds to the hitman. Most of these fans are to young to even remember Bret for the great performer he was, so it will be interesting to see if the crowd outside of smark places like Chicago and NY care. Obviously Canada will care.

That being said you have DX who is always cheered even when they do heel actions, and you have the Hitman who if the majority of people remember what he meant to wrestling will never boo the hitman. So who do you make heel?

I think that HBK has shown that he can do the feel role if WWE wanted him to. He did it when he first came back, he did it during the Hogan fued, and he did it during the Undertaker fued last year. IMO all of his promos during that time were gold. Anyone remember the promo in 2005 at Montreal?

Could we actually see DX turn heel and go back to the rebal attitudes?

 

[thelcon21]

With all the guest hosting and questions with what will happen with Bret Hart over the next 3 months aside. I really hope with Bret being under contract through Wrestlemania it means they're going to put Owen Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Its long over due already.

 

[LongHessa]

At this moment it think the WWE is the most interesting its been in a long time. Drew is IC champ, Sheamus is WWE champ, Shawn just challenged Taker to a WM rematch, and now the biggest comeback in wrestling history. This cannot be underestimated, this news is HUGE. Bret Hart is coming back home to where he has always belonged. I've already told four friends that havent watched the WWE in years that Bret was coming back and there watching on Jan 4th because of this. You know what the best part is, for years HOgan and Flair have ridiculously said Bret couldnt draw, i'd like to see there faces now. We'll see who draw on Jan 4, or Wrestlemania. WWE has thumped TNA bigtime here, not even Hogan can match this. Even fans who don't like Bret have to be somewhat be excited for this, imagine as a fan the compelling storylines that could unfold from this.

 

[MrBungle19]

This news is fantastic, but to address the above post:

Owen Hart not being in the WWE Hall of Fame is due to the fact that his wife Martha will not allow it, as she still holds the WWE responsible for his death, and I believe as part of the wrongful death lawsuit that she won back in the early 2000's she owns Owen's (not sure of the correct terminology here, I'm not a lawyer, please correct me if I'm wrong) intellectual property.

That is why he's not already in the HOF, that's why he's not a legend in any WWE video games. Martha doesn't allow it. Bret Hart returning to the WWE doesn't change any of that, so don't expect Owen to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame anytime soon.

But yeah, still awesome news none the less. I'll be watching RAW again in the new year for the first time since Jericho was champ last year.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

This is one of the biggest news stories in professional wrestling history in my opinion. The question here is will Bret be wrestling? I mean, it's pretty much a given that he's going to be doing something at least SLIGHTLY physical, in terms with storyline confrontations between both Vince and Shawn Michaels.

I haven't followed Hart's wrestling career in depth, and Wikipedia says the last time he actually wrestled in a ring was May 2000. It would be almost 10 years since he's done anything with wrestling, outside of signing autographs and cutting promos and what not. Is he going to be up for it?

I really hope we'll see a Steamboat-type return, instead of a Hogan-esque punch-and-kick kind of thing.

 

[X]

This is obviously absolutely amazing news here. Like everyone else who's ever seen the man wrestle, I'm a Hart mark, and seeing him on WWE television would be fucking amazing enough, but having him involved in a full-on storyline with even a possible return to in-ring action? Are you kidding me? Excuse me while I clean the jizz off of my computer screen.

I was under the impression that Bret would absolutely never wrestle again, but if he's willing to do the tried and true hardcore match with Vince McMahon at WM type of deal than shit go for it if he thinks he can.

Oh man I CAN NOT wait to hear his music start sometime soon and know that it's not just McMahon fucking with us, but actually the fucking Hitman.

 

[avi01]

Yes!This fantastic news...no wait, this is beyond fantastic. Actually the best wrestling related news I`ve heard since dunno when. I am a huge Bret Hart fan and cannot wait to see what they have in store for this. Haven`t watched Raw in a while but will certainly tune in. He can`t wrestle obviously but his presence and history with wwe itself is enough to get me excited.
If he host on January 4th, I certainly think TNA won`t do anything good rating wise...they`ll never rival that. I was actually going to watch TNA but now, I`ll watch the single greatest comeback in history of sports entertainment.
Even if he won`t wrestle...a promo with vince=gold. Can`t wait for his music to hit. I just wished we had JR in there instead of Cole to do the commentary. Best wrestling news ever.

 

[Ytoojae]

I know that WWE is waiting for RAW or something for it to be announced... But as much as I want to believe it and I know I've posted in this thread before it is something that I'll believe when I see it.

How many times have we had very plausible Bret Hart comeback rumors that ended up being nonsense?

Too many times. I can't wait but at the same time, I'm not counting the eggs before they've hatched.

This news isn't on WWE.com or anywhere official.

 

[The_Killswitch]

I really believe this is one of the greatest things Vince Mcmahon couldve done for the wrestling business and us the fans.
Bret is well knowen with fans from the past,present and today.
If Bret is under utilised with his work ethic and understanding of the business then that will be Vince and creatives downfall ,but if they choose the correct spark for Bret then its their uprise.
Lets hope all goes well with Bret and Im hopingl ike many others hes around much longer then the speculated four months.

 

[alok]

I really like the idea of Bret hosting raw. I'd think that he should make a match between the Undertaker and HBK on the 4th January match and then it should lead to the feud between the hitman and HBK to the wrestlemania (if Bret has one more match in him.) This would be a great feud as this will be the 3rd year in a raw when HBK will be headlining wrestlemania with a legend and deliver another great match.

By the way, I hope that this shuts the hell up of Hogun, Dixi and TNA for that matter for GOOD..

 

[BRANTIT]

Well i do have to say that this is amazing news on the return of Bret "The Hitman" Hart returning to the wwe after a long 12 years, i can personally say that i have never thought id see the day, and until jan 4th i still won't. this is legit there is a few other sites on this right now and i do have to believe it!!! as for people saying that its not on wwe.com it doesnt have to be, coming from bret himself he said that he doesn't want to comment on it at all!!!!

As for the role he will be playing will probably be him coming out as the new RAW GM since he has a contract until 2 weeks after Wrestlemania 26.

The role itself will have to do with HBK for sure, seeing as he left the WWF back in '97 where he left off, but I really don't think he will be at wrestling capability unless he has had this in mind for awhile now, and getting ready as much as he can. id love to see HBK vs The Hitman!!! but that probably won't happen.

This will probably have to do with a DX and The Hart Dynasty feud, unless bret only being on raw and the hart dynasty being on smackdown stops it in anyway.

But of course this will be an amazing show to watch and ill have my tv set tuned on to see how it all goes down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jonathanephillips]

I think the notion for WWE to bring back Bret "HITMAN" Hart in any capacity is sheer genious. Bret will be the highest rated RAW in quite some time! However, if WWE were aiming to simply crush TNA Impact on 1/4 featuring Hogan why not bring The Rock to host Raw on 1/4 and have Bret Hart debut on this same show possibly minutes before Hogan appears on the live impact? Noone will flip the channel... After expressing his hatred for Vince, HBK, HHH, & DX all together, and how the Hart Dynasty is being held down by WWE management b/c of their ties to Hart's family name or something along these lines, he can announce that he will be hosting RAW the following week which will make the build of a great storyline, and means another week of huge ratings... I hope something like this happens, even without the Rock it would be good.

I think a match for Bret isn't in the cards... However the GREATEST thing Bret can do in his 4 months with the company is develop 2 new main event superstars by managing the Hart Dynasty, and with a huge buildup leading them into wrestlemania to face Vince McMahon's team... DX, who all three members screwed Bret 12 years ago this could be a great match and bring closure to Bret vs. McMahon and establishing Tyson Kidd (who I really think can be a bret hart type someday), David Hart Smith and Natalya Neidhart at serious main event status by defeating DX in a main event at wrestlemania. I hope the creative big wheels at WWE don't waste this opportunity and do something great with a Bret Hart return which for years everyone wanted to see, but never thought they would. IMO if WWE shoots for a DX/Hart Dynasty storyline like this when Bret appears it would be a sure ratings grabber, and open a new generation to the Hart name through the Hart Dynasty who can be a great team like the Hart Foundation of a new generation.

 

[Dragonslayer]

WOW. Just that. WOW. I mean, there's been a lot of speculation about Bret Hart and Vince finally really burying the hatchet, especially in the past couple of months, when it was repeatedly reported that Bret was "open to talks" again.

Now I'm really thrilled to see it apparently happening for real; I guess especially for someone of my generation, this is really everything coming full circle. Bret Hart was THE main man of WWF/E when I was growing up and watching it for the first time, and it would be really great to see him back.

As stated before, I really want to see him in a manager-capacity though, most probably doing something with the Hart Dynasty. They could use the rub, and a feud with DX or such could be pretty cool. I really don't think Bret should wrestle a match again himself; simply for fear of his health. He should be glad that the stroke he suffered didn't affect him any more than it has (which I think is quite mildly, given the circumstance - he could be in much worse shape), but shouldn't put that on the line for that "one more match", no matter against whom it would be. He is 52 years old now, which is too old for pretty much anyone to still wrestle a decent match, even for Bret Hart (and even if he had not suffered the stroke), and the only thing it would do is tarnish his legacy of always being one of the absolute best inside the ring.

Now I'm definitely hyped for Jan 4th - this should really be a night to remember, with TNA going live for the first time and WWE (possibly) bringing back The Hitman... And maybe, just maybe... the sh*t is really on again

 

[donp71883]

If WWE really did sink Bret Hart to a short term contract, here's what I'd like to see...

The Hart Dynasty has their title match against DX next week on smackdown , and get screwed (Ala JeriShow this past monday) They show up on Monday night unannounced, beat down DX and announce that they've talked to Mr. McMahon, and have signed "Uncle Bret" to be the guest host of Raw Jan. 4, and that as part of the deal, the Dynasty is moving to Monday nights (I doubt they'd do anything with Bret on Smackdown, since the spoilers for the show are released Tuesday night or Wednesday morning...they'd want the suprise) Bret Hart comes in and makes a match, with the stipulation that if DX doesn't take the match seriously, they forfiet the titles and are both fired. Match goes down, with HBK barely squeaking out a win for his team...end show with a staredown between a beaten down HBK in the ring, and pissed off Bret Hart standing on the ramp, camera on Bret as we see him mouth the words "See you next week" Then bring Bret as an onscreen mentor, or manager for the Dynasty, leading up to a match at Wrestlemania between DX and Hart Dynasty for the belts. I believe that with Bret backing them, and a good solid 4 month feud with DX, Hart Dynasty would gain enough momentum, and become credible enough to carry the tag belts, and maybe even bring back some prestige to them (I'll pause for gasps here...I know, unbelievable right?) The few weeks that Bret signed for after WM, could be used to build a new feud for Dynasty, and to explain that "Uncle Bret" sees enough in them that they don't need his help anymore, and write the character off

 

[ted sheckler]

WOW its really exciting to hear its confirmed. Never thought we'd see the day. In a kinda bittersweet way Im happy he's back but it also makes me think what a waste of time the last 10 years plus have been. Im sad to think about what could have been had Bret gotten over the whole thing a lot earlier. But hey.. What can you say the guy is a legend and he's one of the top 5 maybe even top three in ring performers ever and he's FINALLY back!!

Now there are rumors that his contract might be for one final match... IF..and its a huge IF.. Bret were able to actually go.. And If Bret and Shawn could patch things up I don't know anyone on the roster could help Bret deliver a more epic match than his number one rival..in storyline and real life. That may be a complete dream that'll never happen being that Bret said he could never trust Shawn again but a boy can dream can't he

 

[Trill Co$by]

As a Bret Hart mark, I literally had to go get a new pair of pants. I've been a Bret Hart fan ever since I was a little kid. He was my first "hero" growing up, and even to this day I idolize him.

As for him returning to the ring, I'd rather it be if he were to be an authority figure. Maybe go to Smackdown and help Hart Dynasty, or maybe even be the guest host that does a trade and brings them over to Raw as we all know DX won't go to Smackdown. And who knows, maybe sometime during that rivalry, we'll see Bret help Tyson and DH get the win. We could even possibly see him help Natalya into the Diva's title picture.

Don't get me wrong, I've been wanting Bret to get back in the ring stroke or no stroke. I mean let's not forget that Ric Flair's had strokes too, one of which was in a ring. It's just that Bret has so much ring rust on him that it would take forever to mold back to his perfection. Not to mention, only ones who could do him any justice are HHH, HBK, Taker, Jericho, and maybe Orton... the others, they'd just weigh him down and it would be terrible.

 

[ThegameBigB1222]

When Vinny Mac wants to do something he does it, and Vince wants to crush TNA and take them off the map. He also wants to shut Hogan up and to wake Hogan up and let him know he is not the draw he use to be, and Bret Hart being on Raw the same night he makes his TNA debut is certainaly going to do that. Monday Night Raw is going to draw huge that night, if they get under a 6.0 rating I am going to be shocked.

From a Wrestling standpoint, who doesnt see a great developed story line here. Will Bret Wrestle, I am not sure about that, but who knows maybe he will restore some prestigue to wrestling in general, maybe we will not have to sit through any more horrible guest host that dont know a damn thing about wrestling and have the greatest GM in Bret Hart, no more "Summer Fests" no more "Kofi Johnston" no BS and get back to Wrestling and developed Wrestling storylines.

 

[pop-143]

the thought of bret hart coming back is great bret vs vince a wrestlemania 26 would be cool. what is cooler , bret beating vince at wrestlemania , or vince screwing bret one more time with a fast count or a sharpshooter and a bell ring

 

[Uncle Phatso]

I find it cool, but really he only needs one more match. I don't need to see one of my childhood idols messing up his legacy because he's to old to be in the match. It would be awsome to see him host the jan 4th show and maybe do somthing at WM but really after that he could just work behind the scene's. But thats wwe for you if you can make them money they will pay you just enough so you'll come back lol.

 

[Baller]

I personally think Bret Hart back to WWE will overall be a bad thing.

He will probably be the guest host of Raw on January 4th which isn't going to be the overall problem. Bret Hart is going to ruin Wrestlemania 26. Shawn Michaels just challenged Undertaker to a match at WM26 and he is going to try to beat the Undertaker's undefeated streak, but right when he is about to beat him Hart will interfere in this match returning the screwjob.

Hart will ultimately ruin one of the greatest matches of all time, and Hart shouldve only signed a one time deal for guest hosting Raw.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I think this is inspired thinking on WWE's part.......on several levels.

First of all, if the company's initial goal is to clean TNA's clock on January 4, they can't do better than to have Bret as host. As someone said earlier in this thread, many people don't remember Bret as a WWE performer. But many of those who do remember are the same fans who remember Hogan and now have a choice as to what they want to see on 1/4. Personally, I can say I'll be watching WWE on that night.....specifically to see what Bret Hart brings to the table. I'm much more interested in seeing what Bret will do than watching Hogan's same, tired routines.

Second, it's smart to sign Bret to a short term contract; it protects the performer and the company. If Bret likes the scenarios the writers come up with, he might be amenable to sticking around after Wrestlemania. Similarly, the company gets to gauge what kind of effect Bret has on TV ratings, merchandise sales, etc. If they think his impact is negligible, they needn't keep him around after WM. The good thing is that a 4-month contract will force the creative team to do the best they can with Bret's on-air character. There isn't a 2 or 3 year contract that enables them to take their time. This works for both Bret and WWE; either they please him and he pleases them......or it's over.


Two other thoughts:

--While we speculate on why Bret is doing this, don't forget to consider the obvious one......he needs money. If that's the only reason he's coming aboard, I have no problem with it. I think he'll give us our money's worth. And if he spends time complaining about Montreal (with the company's approval, of course), I think it could give an edge to WWE programming that we used to see in the Attitude Era.

--I'm surprised to read that people are hoping he'll wrestle. They might tease us with storylines suggesting he will..... they might even put him in his pink and blue outfit and have him stand in the ring, ready to rumble. But in the end, his niece and nephew would probably run in and disrupt the confrontation before it begins. Bret isn't here to wrestle. I'm sure he'll deliver a few shots here and there......I mean, even Bob Barker got a couple of chops in on Chavo, didn't he?

I think this is great and I'm truly looking forward to it.

 

[KKarvox]

I'd much rather see Bret Hart and HBK go at it one last time than Vince and Bret. I also think it would be better than Taker HBK II, and wouldn't be as expected. They could easily work it. Have HBK come out to challenge the Undertaker at the episode Hart's hosting, and instead Hart challenges HBK to one last match. I think HBK vs Taker last year was just too good to follow up with a rematch. Another way to swerve it is to have Bret screw HBK out of the Tag-Titles against the Hart Dynasty to start the fued.