Make a Change - Bret Hart

[IrishCanadian25]

If you could rewrite history and change one moment in Bret Hart's career, what would it be and why?

1. Broadcast the first WWF Championship on PPV or Live TV. There are some - myself included - who feel that Hart's huge submission victory over Ric Flair in Saskatoon being taped for Colisseum Home Video was, shall we say, anti-climactic. Hart's first title regin got an uphill start because his major defining moment had been seen by a limited number of people.

2. Hart vs Hogan at Summerslam According to Bret, originally, Hogan was to drop the title to Hart at Summerslam. There is some confusion / controversy as to why it never happened, with Bret upset at Hogan and feeling Hogan didn't want to put Hart over.

3. Don't Screw Bret in the First Place. Why strain the relationship at all? If Bret doesn't get dicked over at Survivor Series, maybe he comes back to the WWE immediately following the Invasion. Maybe he's PART of the invasion.

4. The Goldberg Kick. Get in there and stop the kick from giving Bret what would ultimately be a career ending concussion. Maybe he'd still be ring-worthy.

5. No HOF / No 1/4 Return. Keep Bret away entirely.

These are your choices, or you may "write-in" one. Which moment in Bret's career would you change if you could, and why? What would it have changed?

 

[Jetspete]

this is easy, Bret defeats Yokozuna at Wrestlemania 9. This wouldve been a validation win, much like Cena's win over Umaga validated him as champ. But Fuji interfered and Hart wouldnt get a real title shot for a year. The summer of 1993 was plagued by the underwhelming yoko v luger feud, and a countout victory at summerslam. Meanwhile Hart was stuck with Lawler in a great feud (but beneath what Bret was becoming as a main eventer).

And to make matters worse, when hart won the belt back at WM 10, it was such a weak finish that Hart lost some credibility (yoko falls and gets pinned cuz of it??).

as for what would it have changed, well Hart couldve feuded with Hogan, or Lawler, or other heels. But instead of building the main events for the year around Luger, you wouldve been building it around Hart

 

[Ferbian]

i would've changed the goldberg kick.. because i would've loved to see bret hart wrestle a match or something upon this return he's making.. a proper match.. not something like against vince mcmahon which has been such a talk because its basicly what he would've been able to handle..

 

[hatehabsforever]

If you could rewrite history and change one moment in Bret Hart's career, what would it be and why?

1. Broadcast the first WWF Championship on PPV or Live TV. There are some - myself included - who feel that Hart's huge submission victory over Ric Flair in Saskatoon being taped for Colisseum Home Video was, shall we say, anti-climactic. Hart's first title regin got an uphill start because his major defining moment had been seen by a limited number of people.

2. Hart vs Hogan at Summerslam According to Bret, originally, Hogan was to drop the title to Hart at Summerslam. There is some confusion / controversy as to why it never happened, with Bret upset at Hogan and feeling Hogan didn't want to put Hart over.

3. Don't Screw Bret in the First Place. Why strain the relationship at all? If Bret doesn't get dicked over at Survivor Series, maybe he comes back to the WWE immediately following the Invasion. Maybe he's PART of the invasion.

4. The Goldberg Kick. Get in there and stop the kick from giving Bret what would ultimately be a career ending concussion. Maybe he'd still be ring-worthy.

5. No HOF / No 1/4 Return. Keep Bret away entirely.

These are your choices, or you may "write-in" one. Which moment in Bret's career would you change if you could, and why? What would it have changed?

This is an easy one, it's the Goldberg kick and the ensuing concussion. Because it shortened the career of the Excellence of Execution. He could still be wrestling today if not for his health troubles caused by Goldberg. Who knows how else his career may have played out, but assuming nothing else major happened, and the Screwjob went down as it did, Bret's return last night could have been more meaningful as he could return to full-time in-ring competition, which is obviously not a possibility now.

I wouldn't change the Screwjob because it changed wrestling forever. Produced the evil Mr.McMahon. Which allowed the skyrocketing career of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Which ushered in the Attitude Era. Which killed WCW. Which gave the WWE a monopoly for years. Which has allowed an upstart promotion like TNA to come along and attempt another David versus Goliath challenge. Which will allow the WWE to flex its muscles again and quell another uprising, which could make for some compelling television in the process.

 

[ted sheckler]

I would have changed the Montreal Screwjob.. Not in the way that most of Bret fans would have. I would have had Bret go out at Survivor Series and put on an absolute clinic with Shawn.. A "holy shit this is the best thing I've ever seen in my life type match" and then at the end drop the belt to Shawn.

My second choice would have been for Bret to stay with WWF when Vince told him he didn't have to breach his contract after all. Bret wouldn't have been the top dog in the company anymore but he would have had a role similar to what HBK has been doing since his return. This would have provided many more classic matches from Bret in the Attitude era.

 

[rjdonuts]

gOLDBERG kick. bret was finally getting the momentum he deserved in wcw, and then he had to hang it up. a true real life wrestling tragedy.

 

[Super Hans]

its gotta be goin over hogan,i fee he never had that"career defining win for the title" against someone to carry the torch,from the previous era.

 

[Dre Guevara]

of the 5 incidents that IC25 posted, I would change only 2....maybe 3....okay f*ck it, 4.

1-the title win over Flair, I remember waking up that weekend 2 catch the WWF & seeing Mean Gene announce "LADIES & GENTLEMEN, THE NEW WWF CHAMPION" honestly, I was waiting 4 the Ultimate Warrior 2 come running out with the belt, but when I heard the music & saw Bret walk out with the belt, 2 me it was a shock, but @ the same time, I was glad he won it. I would ALSO change the fact that match should've been aired on TV, PPV or even Saturday Night's Main Event.

2-Hitman vs The Hulkster: I was waiting 4 this encounter 2 happen, in my honest opinion, I think Hogan didn't want 2 drop the belt 2 Bret because he knew that Bret was a much better wrestler than he was, either way, I think it would've been a great match that would've been on Bret's DVD. I feel that we as the fans were robbed of seeing a symbolic passing of the torch with this match.

3-Shawn Michaels losing his "smile" translated as Shawn didn't want 2 put Bret over @ WM 13 so he forfeited the title instead of returning the favor. still trying 2 figure out how HBK miraculously recovered from his "injury".

4-Montreal 97: Bret & HBK title match ends in a schmaz like Bret suggested, then the following week, Bret either drops the title on American soil or hands the belt over 2 McMahon after giving his farewell speech.

 

[WWF Wrestling Fan]

The match between Goldberg and Hart. If it was not for Bill Goldberg Bret Hart might still be wrestling now or just retired from wrestling everyone keeps say Vince Screwed Bret yeah he did but in another way Goldberg Screwed Bret and just like Vince said Bret will have to look in the mirror no Goldberg has to and say i cost someone the career in wrestling. On a side note If I was '' The Hit Man'' I would have sued Bill Goldberg for lost wedges and damages and has to pay for his hospital bills Bret even said the kick might have caused his stroke.

 

[SexandWrestling]

I would have to say the kick by Goldberg. If that didn't happen, Bret would have continued to wrestle after the close of WCW and, most likely, would have headed over to TNA. I'm sure Bret would have came back to the E eventually and his life would be totally different today. Instead of seeing a man that we all respected 12 years later looking beat up by life, we would have seen the Hitman still in his prime wrestling better than damn near everybody on the planet! I'll never forgive that piece of shit Goldberg for taking away the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be! I just hope he still has it in the ring when it comes time for Wrestlemania against Vince McMahon.

 

[Super Crazy]

2. Hart vs Hogan at Summerslam According to Bret, originally, Hogan was to drop the title to Hart at Summerslam. There is some confusion / controversy as to why it never happened, with Bret upset at Hogan and feeling Hogan didn't want to put Hart over.

I'm going to have to go with this. I have to say that if this match were to happen maybe so many people would not shit on Bret. I don't mean shit on his career and what not, but more so, the time period after which Hogan left. Many people feel that this was one of the worst time for the WWE and that some of the blame rests solely on Hart's shoulders due to him being the champion.

What I'm saying here is that if Hogan put Bret over and passed the torch to him, maybe he would have been more well received as champion and the man down the road. Hogan has the ability to put anyone over, make just about anyone look good, and if he did this for Bret, I feel things might have been different in the long run.

 

[theHeadliner]

This is one of those butterfly effect questions. All of those are valid changes that would have drastic effects. If Hogan tapped out to Bret Hart's sharpshooter for the belt with his popularity what it already was, he could have became a real mega-star. Vince might not driven him out of his contract if he was put to that level. Vince felt Bret was a liability towards the end because he was 40, was against the "attitude" production, and felt he was supposed to be champ. The other obvious option is never getting the career ending concussion kick by Goldberg. He would have been in better shape and capable of still being the Excellence of Execution. That's how I will always remember Bret Hart.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Which moment in Bret's career would you change if you could, and why? What would it have changed?

The Goldberg Kick. As much as I'd want to change the screwjob because of the issues surrounding it, I would rather change it to where the Goldberg Kick never happened because then Bret could have come back to WWE at some point still being able to work a match and his WCW career would also have been a lot better. I always felt that Bret deserved better than to have his career end that way.

 

[wolvdog316]

It's the kick from Goldberg and in my opinion that should be the only option anyone would pick. All the others affected him in a business standpoint. I think he made a pretty good name for himself without a Hogan job, or without that huge first title win, or with the screwjob. He got over the screwjob, got over the no job from Hogan, got over the VHS title win. He won't ever get over the kick to his skull

The kick from Goldberg crippled the man. Strokes, seizures, probably tons of doctor visits, medicine....not to mention it ended his career. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. Health before business

 

[D-Man]

I think I'm in agreement with most of you when I say I would change the career-ending kick by Goldberg for obvious reasons. Bret Hart would have been SUCH a driving force in catapulting new talent. Bret was putting wrestlers over from back when he was in the Hart Foundation. Granted, his reign over the WWE in the mid 90's wasn't much of a ratings grabber, but it was also a huge rebuilding period for the WWE. Bret took the mediocrity that he was stuck working with and turned the majority of the stars into future main eventers and hall of famers. Just imagine how well he would've done a decade later after the fall of WCW and being forced to get back onto the WWE's payroll.

While the Montreal Screwjob is another piece of history that people wish to rewrite, I wouldn't change a thing about it. It has become an infamous and controversial issue that has stayed fresh in everyone's minds for the past 12 years. In some ways, the Screwjob has kept professional wrestling fresh in the minds of people who no longer watch the sport. I'm sure that many of those former fans came out of the woodwork just to see Bret show his face last Monday on Raw. None of that would've been possible if the Montreal incident never occurred.

 

[Shocky]

Hogan vs. Hart at Summerslam. Easily.

This is possibly the biggest thing that hurt the WWE for years after Hogan's departure. Bret Hart was a big star over seas, but he just quite couldn't get to that next level here stateside for whatever reason. Getting the rub from Hogan would have been the torch being passed.

Hart was the guy after Hogan regardless. Bret Hart had the unenviable task of trying to be the torch bearer, following in the footsteps of Hogan. Considering that this situation almost never works (as in coaching or any sport, you don't want to be the guy to follow the guy, you want to be the guy to follow the guy to follow the guy <Steve Austin>).

If Bret Hart beat Hogan, he may have been seen as a more credible champion, as I believe a lot of the credibility Hart has earned has come retrospectavely.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

Theres two which i think would have garnered the most impact for Brets career, I didn't include the montreal screwjob or the 1/4 incident because IMO they are industry defining moments and if overturned the WWE may not even have been in existance, remember one of the biggest events in WWE history was Austin vs Mcmahon, without the screwjob this feud would have never single handedly saved the WWE, and also think of the rub others got from austin, he may never have been a big star if it wasn't for the incident in question, so i would rather leave that be.

these are my two choices:

1. Broadcast the first WWF Championship on PPV or Live TV.

This moment showed that the WWE didn't have much faith in Hart as a champion, victories like this seem well fruitless, If i had the chance to change this I would have had Hart go over Flair on PPV, make a proper build and bring the rivalry to a climax with a proper payoff, why cheapen the win with a one time affair with no backstory to it??.




4. The Goldberg Kick. The fact is Goldberg was and still is green, he never should have been allowed to wrestle in the first place, its like putting a guy with no health and safety to work as a chef in a restaurant, the guys going to burn the place down, you cant just allow someone to come in who has no idea what hes doing.

Goldberg couldnt protect anyone he wrestled and inturn ended Brets career, was it worth it? no because Hart could have had a long career ahead of him.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I would definitely have to say that I would have at least put Bret Hart's first title win on TV or PPV. That is a special moment that should always be featured for any wrestler to win a title. To be honest, I think it set the tone for Bret's whole career in the WWF. Definitely would've put this on TV though, it's actually very disrespectful to not only Bret Hart, or the fans, but also the title, because back then it meant something.

 

[TechWrestFan79]

After watching “Wrestling with Shadows” for the first time the other day, it got me thinking that John Cena and Bret Hart are more alike than first thought. Both wrestlers played the role of hero who finds a way to succeed while projecting wholesome ideals for their fans. When Hart was supplanted by Shawn Michaels, Shawn was the up and coming anti-hero with tremendous momentum and crowd support. Because the then WWF had the role of underdog within its war with WCW, the marketing machine decided to go into a different direction. With Hart being booed and losing steam, the WWF threw its went to Shawn Michaels then ultimately Stone Cold Steve Austin. However with John Cena, when faced with the same situation with Randy Orton in the role of Shawn Michaels, the WWE steadfastly stayed with Cena.

I think if the WWE had supported Bret the way they support Cena today, Bret could have gone on to put on great matches with HBK but as the victor. Bret would have never been injured by Goldberg and would not have had to retire prematurely. With Bret as a top star in the WWE, wrestling may have kept its focus on the actual wrestling rather than its mainstream/entertainment approach seen today. If nothing else, if history could be rewritten, wrestling fans could finally see the dream match of Bret versus Kurt Angle.