If Bret Hart didnt go to WCW?

[quink987]

hey guys as history has it Bret Hart was screwed at SS 97 because he was leaving to go to WCW. Im a big Bret Hart fan always have been and always will be, Bret wasted the 3 years of his career which resulted in him get injuryed for good, my question is what do you think would of happened if bret never left?

according to rumors Bret was going to be the guy who dropped the title to Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 14 instead of Shawn, Which would of been awesome to see the rematch from WM 13, because in that match it made Austin then to hand over the torch the year after would of been an even greater moment and maybe we would of seen a few more HBK vs Bret Hart matches towards the build up.

I think brets career would of been more amazing if he stayed and the possible matches Bret would of had in the WWE at that time guys like The Rock when he was fan favourite, the Dream Match of Kurt Angle vs Bret Hart, various feuds with HHH(the game gimmick), Chris Jericho, Brock Lesner and so on.

but on a negitive note I dont really think Bret Harts Gimmick would of lasted in the Attitude era because as good as he is he isnt the best at being a heel.

so what do you guys think?

 

[Mustang Sally]

but on a negitive note I dont really think Bret Harts Gimmick would of lasted in the Attitude era because as good as he is he isnt the best at being a heel.

Your point is well taken, but I don't agree that he wasn't a good heel. He was right there at the start of the Attitude Era and I think he helped define it. Bret was the first guy I saw saying "bullshit" on USA TV.....and his whole routine with crying about how he'd been mistreated seemed to lead the way in the company's new direction. He was just so damn good at it. It's ironic that the guy who didn't like what he was being told to do because of his "family values" was the one who led the way into the earthy behavior that the whole company adopted.

Had he stayed, as a face or heel, he would have remained at the top of WWE's hierarchy. His matches against Stone Cold,The Rock and Kurt Angle would have been classics because Bret had the style to make any match-up look good.

Instead, WCW took him, overpaid him..... then misused him. Sad.

 

[Richard]

Well if Bret Hart hadn't gone to WCW then we would have seen him around more and he would have had a longer career because he wouldn't have gotten kicked in the head by Goldberg which injured him and forced him to retire if I'm right?

We could have seen some interesting feuds aswell, if Bret was never going to WCW and stayed in WWF, then who knows, we could have seen some cool feuds with guys who were in WWF after he had left. Kurt Angle sticks out as a big guy who could have had an amazing feud with him. The olympic gold medalist vs the excellence of execution. Definately a major, major Triple H feud would most certainly have been on the cards. The Rock could have had a good go with Hart too.

 

[tjfjr4488]

If bret would have stayed i beleive the entire wwe would have been different maybe even better. Austin might not been has big as he was also if if bret stayed and the rumor were true about a austin hart WM14 matvh then the hbk undertaker casket match at RR would have never happened and hbk would have never gotten his back injured that cost him 4 years so we would have had HBK, austin, hart, rock, owen, taker, kane, big show,triple H and so on for the attitude era which would of changed everything

 

[quink987]

If bret would have stayed i beleive the entire wwe would have been different maybe even better. Austin might not been has big as he was also if if bret stayed and the rumor were true about a austin hart WM14 matvh then the hbk undertaker casket match at RR would have never happened and hbk would have never gotten his back injured that cost him 4 years so we would have had HBK, austin, hart, rock, owen, taker, kane, big show,triple H and so on for the attitude era which would of changed everything

I Totally agree with you its mad how things could of been different for example we would of got the HBK vs The Rock Dream Match, Owen would proberly still be alive today the possabilities are endless.

 

[Dimice121976]

as much as I agree with all of this, I think if Brett had stayed I think HBK would of left. At that point in 1997, it was becoming clear that they both couldn't exist in the WWE. now as much as we could of gained with Brett staying we would of lost just as much if not more if HBK had left.

 

[KevynParis]

I think it's pretty obvious a great many of us feel like Bret STAYING where he started his career would have been a WIN for all parties involved! I was crushed when he went to WCW and honestly felt the man DESERVED to be screwed. He is lucky WWE still regards him as the legend that he is - but considering how WWE cares so greatly for it's homegrown talents, IMAGINE how much MORE epic Bret's name would have been by NOW!

You guys are so right! I feel a lil pang of frustration that we weren't able to see Bret v Angle. WHAT a great feud that could have been...

 

[BTLion1990]

Lets look at this from a different view. What happened when Bret got screwed? Anyone know? Well you probably do know this, but I'll remind you all. VINCE MCMAHON became one of the biggest heels of all time, instrumental in The Rock and Stone Cold becoming major stars, as well as many others, as he was at the point of many major storylines, either with stars with or against him. So if Bret would have stayed, would Vince have became this heel, that helped usher in the attitude era? I'm not too sure. I'm glad it happened with Bret leaving, not from his stand point, but from the stand point of every wrestling fan who saw real life betrayals, and the greatest era and popularity in the history of wrestling.

 

[ganappagoli]

This may not be completely relevant to the thread.. but do you guys think.. in comarison to HBK/SCSA/Rock/HH/Undertaker where does Bret Hart stand... Till 97 he was definitely over all these may be except Undertaker.. HBK was almost there... There are other threads going on comparing HBK to Orton/HHH but what do you feel in comparision of Bret to HBK would happen. Can any one create a thread for that comparison?

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

While I think we would still have seen Stone Cold becoming a major force in the WWE, the wheels were already in motion for his push to mega stardom, the big change I can see would have been with Vince.

The Montreal screwjob led to the on-screen Vince McMahon heel character, and without screwing Bret, Vince may never have become the heel we all know and love/hate. He may still have become a heel to feud with Austin but the likelyhood of this happening is alot less.

To the people saying HBK would have left to join Nash and Hall in WCW? He ended u retiring fairly soon afterwards anyway and I do believe that Shawn and Bret could have co-existed until the time HBK called it a day due to injury. They had managed to work for the same company for years so I do not think a few more months would have been an issue.

As for Bret's career in the WWE? I still think he would have remained a big name, and probably ended up feuding with guys like Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle (which I would have LOVED to see) and probably Triple H, playing off the animosity with Michaels.

Bret would therefore not have suffered the career-ending concussion caused by Goldberg in WCW. He would probably be in much better physical condition than he is today and could have had a well-deserved final match at a Wrestlemania where he could have handed the torch to his successor, maybe someone like Angle.

The most important factor if Bret had remained with the WWE is that Owen Hart would still be with us. Bret has said numerous times he would have insisted that Owen DID NOT do that stupid stunt coming from the ceiling. If we are looking at the biggest benefits which would have come from Bret remaining in the WWE, then it has to be:


Bret would have not suffered the concussion in WCW which ended his career
and
Owen would not have done the fatal stunt.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

Hmm...Bret dropping the title to Austin? Yes, I think I can see that. In fact, I know I can. It would have been great for business and it would have really put Austin over more than when he wrestled Shawn Michaels. I'm not sure what the politics were backstage during that time, especially the months leading up to Survior Series and even WrestleMania, meaning, I'm not sure if it were discussed between the three (and McMahon) that Austin was going to be the new face of the company and that Bret should be the one doing the duty. If it were, and I'm only assuming, and Shawn protested this (which, for Michaels, wouldn't have been surprising), then this would give a new wrinkle to the Shawn Michaels-Bret Hart-Vince McMahon Survior Series fiasco. I think also, if this were the case, then Austin was the odd man out, so to speak, and probably could have cared less, so long as he got his title victory in '98.

Now, if Bret Hart had stayed, dropped the title to Austin and began a program with him into, let's say, the summer of '98, then it would have delayed The Attitude Era because it all stemmed from Vince's hatred of Austin, not Austin's hatred of Hart. Sure, they had history, but it was breif and most people felt it ended properly. It would have delayed a lot of things, such as the rise of the Nation of Domination, and probably we wouldn't have seen the inclusion of other members of DX. We might have seen a few 3-way matches involving Austin, Hart & Michaels, but The Undertaker's involvement heading into Summerslam '98 and even into the fall of '98 wouldn't have happened because Hart still would've been there. The Rock's push would have been massively delayed, and it may not have even happened, because remember, The Rock won the WWF title at Survior Series '98 with basically the same finish as the previous Survior Series. This means, both he & Mick Foley would have never feuded, traded the titles and thus Austin wouldn't have been fired, rehired, fired, etc etc, until WrestleMania XV.

The point being is that Bret Hart staying would have caused a minor chain reaction to events that would have probably killed the WWF. Hart's departure (along with Shawn Michaels) ushered in the new wave of WWF stars and of course, the infamous attitude era. I know people want to grumble about Bret Hart's usage in WCW, but that's WCW's fault, NOT the WWF/E's and certainly not Bret Hart. Hart could have retired or just walked away for a few years (ala Shawn Michaels), instead he choose to take the money and sign with WCW and watch the pieces fall apart. Bret Hart staying would have killed the WWF quite like the demise of WCW because ultimately, things would have stayed the same, Bret Hart & Austin would have had some epic feuds, but the rise of everyone else would have been delayed or otherwise prevented, including the Mr. McMahon character due to Austin being pre-occupied with Bret Hart.

Also: Think about this: If Bret Hart stays, would the company even be called WWE? Seriously, think about it. The WWF was forced to change its name to WWE due to the over the top excessive violence, suggestive nudity, language, etc etc. Bret Hart stays, No Attitude Era=No WWE. Even if the WWF survived WCW, then the company as a whole would have kept their name, more than likely, and would have probably been the #2 company. I think Bret Hart NEEDED to leave and it all worked out (well at least on a small scale, it did). Anyone agree?

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I think it would've been great if he had stayed with WWE, but incredibly problematic. On one hand if he had stayed, he could've put over Austin in a much better and more effective manner than HBK would've and he wouldn't need to be threatened by Taker to do so. Bret made each and every person look competent in the ring no matter how experienced or inexperienced they were. The matches he could have against the Rock, Test, Edge, among others and just the possibility to see him work with Angle would be enough to have some fans salivating or foaming at the mouth. If he stayed he could greatly help those who are coming up with their in ring work.

On the other hand, Bret was very much against the decision to increase the sexuality, profanity into the product, which helped the company turn the tide against WCW. So as much as I hate the many things that happened after he left especially the amount of lies spread about him, the concussion that ended his career and the death of Owen, I have no idea as how he could have remained there with the things going on there at the time.

 

[theHeadliner]

Shawn was a way hotter heel at the time of WM14. Bret's angle died down and DX, with Shawn acting like a complete asshole, took off. I still think it would have been Shawn vs Austin. Vince laid down the future for Bret to him right before he decided to sign the WCW contract and all his matches involved putting Shawn over on PPVs until finally he would have wen over Shawn on RAW way later. The Canada angle wasn't in anymore and DX was it. They would have had to find some new direction for Bret, and the stuff he said about America he couldn't exactly take back and it would have been really hard or really hard to believe that he could just turn babyface again with all the anti-U.S. stuff he said. Vince kind of sabotaged his character. I wish he didn't go to WCW, but I don't know how they would have got around the other stuff.

 

[The Crock]

It would have changed the climate of wrestling for good. Him leaving is what led to Vince McMahon turning heel, he capitalized on the Montreal Screwjob and became one of the best heels of all time. The memorable Mr. McMahon character might have shown up, but in a much smaller capacity, maybe. As for Bret Hart himself, he probably would have been a solid main eventer for many years to come, then would have wound down into that midcard "legend" phase that Ric Flair went through, then retired. His career would have been longer, but I don't see him being a huge superstar as a result either.