Here was a feud I was always hoping would take off in 1997 or 1998 (before Montreal obviously) and was one I think could have been an absolute classic had it taken place. I think at one stage it was set in works, but Bret leaving for WCW obviously put an end to that idea.
For those who don't know, Ken Shamrock was a major talent acquisition for the WWF in 1997 from UFC. He had held the UFC Heavyweight title and though the company wasn't anywhere near as big as it is today he joined the WWF with a legitimate kayfabe claim to being able to match the Excellence of Execution in the ring. That was no easy task to instill in fan's eyes, as Bret had been touted as the premier submission wrestler in the world on WWF screens for about 6 ton 7 years by that stage.
Nevertheless I remember Shamrock being announced as the special referee for the Austin vs Hitman match at Wrestlemania 13 as being built that Shamrock would be able to take down either Austin or Bret if needs be. Great claim to make of a debuting superstar. The end of that fight is well documented as Bret putting over Austin in a big way and as the greatest double turn in wrestling history. But what's often forgotten about is the seed that was planted during Bret's post-match attack on Austin, when Shamrock took Bret down and squared up to him:
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The crowd goes pretty wild there at the prospect of Shamrock and Hart getting it on and I'm convinced there would have been money in a feud between the two.
The obvious reason not to do one at this stage is one of timing. Shamrock is debuting as legitimate tough guy, losing his first feud or PPV match, even to a guy like Bret Hart, would have been disastrous for him. Similarly Bret turned full heel the next night on Raw and had feuds with Austin, HBK and Undertaker in the pipeline, he simply would not have been able to put over Shamrock in a PPV match.
Shamrock floated around the edges of the Hart Foundation vs the US feud and we did get to see them wrestle on Raw in October of 1997, with both Bret and HBK making Shamrock look strong in the process
[YOUTUBE]zA9xh4mOp0U[/YOUTUBE]
Timing could have been right in 1998 for a Bret Hart vs Ken Shamrock feud had Montreal not happened, it's one I've always wondered about because Shamrock never really reached the heights it looked like he might in 1997. Working with, and being put over by, Bret Hart could have been just what he needed to move him from the midcard to the upper card
For those who don't know, Ken Shamrock was a major talent acquisition for the WWF in 1997 from UFC. He had held the UFC Heavyweight title and though the company wasn't anywhere near as big as it is today he joined the WWF with a legitimate kayfabe claim to being able to match the Excellence of Execution in the ring. That was no easy task to instill in fan's eyes, as Bret had been touted as the premier submission wrestler in the world on WWF screens for about 6 ton 7 years by that stage.
Nevertheless I remember Shamrock being announced as the special referee for the Austin vs Hitman match at Wrestlemania 13 as being built that Shamrock would be able to take down either Austin or Bret if needs be. Great claim to make of a debuting superstar. The end of that fight is well documented as Bret putting over Austin in a big way and as the greatest double turn in wrestling history. But what's often forgotten about is the seed that was planted during Bret's post-match attack on Austin, when Shamrock took Bret down and squared up to him:
[YOUTUBE]-ZkK55HFUDU[/YOUTUBE]
The crowd goes pretty wild there at the prospect of Shamrock and Hart getting it on and I'm convinced there would have been money in a feud between the two.
The obvious reason not to do one at this stage is one of timing. Shamrock is debuting as legitimate tough guy, losing his first feud or PPV match, even to a guy like Bret Hart, would have been disastrous for him. Similarly Bret turned full heel the next night on Raw and had feuds with Austin, HBK and Undertaker in the pipeline, he simply would not have been able to put over Shamrock in a PPV match.
Shamrock floated around the edges of the Hart Foundation vs the US feud and we did get to see them wrestle on Raw in October of 1997, with both Bret and HBK making Shamrock look strong in the process
[YOUTUBE]zA9xh4mOp0U[/YOUTUBE]
Timing could have been right in 1998 for a Bret Hart vs Ken Shamrock feud had Montreal not happened, it's one I've always wondered about because Shamrock never really reached the heights it looked like he might in 1997. Working with, and being put over by, Bret Hart could have been just what he needed to move him from the midcard to the upper card