Should Bret Hart thank Warrior?

[NDN Souljaa]

If the Ultimate Warrior's head was on straight, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that he would have gone down as one of the greatest champions in history. He was one of the first guys to cleanly pin Hulkie...and at Wrestlemania no less.
So with that said, most people know about the whole pay dispute around '91 and his overall...bizarre/assholeish personality along with creative/marketing/financial differences with the company that eventually led to his release in '92.

It was at around this time that a young Bret Hart was the IC champion and making a name of his own. But it seems to me that Bret eventually filled the missing void when there was a vacuum to get to the top after Hogan, Savage, Flair, etc left. And I think had Warrior still been with the company Bret would not have gotten the strap as quickly as he did and made as great of an impact on the wrestling world. The reason I say Warrior and not the other three i just mentioned was because Warrior was supposed to be THE GUY of the 90's for the WWE. much like the hulkster. alas, it didnt happen.

So my question to you all is this: Had Warrior been around longer, how would it have affected the career of Hart, and subsequently, because of Bret, other guys like Davey, Owen, Yokozuna, and even HBK?

 

[Miko]

It's a good question, I think there could be a much bigger picture here, how would wrestling look if Warrior had stuck around? I mean, the guy was as popular as Hogan during Hulkamania and was gonna be the hero of the 90's, long story short the guy could draw.

So when all those others left, maybe Warrior doesnt go, he stays in the WWF, maybe (big maybe) because of his presence the WWF doesnt get the shit kicked out of them for however many weeks it was. I mean it's an interesting thought.

But to answer your question Bret probably would've made it anyway, after all, Warrior would have been the man, but the man has to have a supporting cast and Bret would've been a great main player. Especially after all the other top names jumped ship.

 

[Mr. TM]

Personally, I think Bret Hart should be a little upset with Warrior. Warrior could have been that guy that helped Bret Hart do something with that poor heavyweight division of the time. Really, the guy had few options to feud with, no matter how hard he worked to make people look great.

 

[SAVE_YOURSELVES_111]

I've always said that who knows what kind of credibility Bret would've had...a victory over Warrior at WM9 would've been HUGE! Than Hogan at Summerslam, and somewhere down the line, they revamp Savage as a threat, and Bret beats him!

Basically, it's the symbolic new guard beating the old guard! The transition to the New Generation!

However, hindsight being 20/20, it's because Bret was able to main event and get good matches out of Yoko, make a star heel out of Jerry Lawler, etc. That his legacy is what it is. Because he could get good matches out of these guys, and make them into big time players in the WWF!

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I think if anything warrior leaving hurt bret more than it helped him. A win over warrior would of been big and like Save_yourselves_111 said, having him beat Hogan(which was supposed to happen) and then Savage would of done wonders for his career.

Besides I think Vince went in the direction he did because of his steroid scandal, even if the Warriors head was on straight I think vince still would of went in the direction he did go in (I mean look at warrior, that guy looks like a walking billboard for steroid abuse).

 

[Byks82]

I think it may have helped speed up Bret's progress a bit, but like deanerandterry said, Vince McMahon was dealing with the steroid allegations from the US government in 1992, and the WWF at the time was moving away from the overly muscular, roided up physiques like Warrior had, which opened the door for smaller guys like Hart, HBK, etc. Who's to say, but you might have seen Vince give Warrior a lesser role until the heat died down, and Hart get an increased role during this time. (However, Vince is also the guy that pushed Bobby Lashly after the Benoit incident/steroid allegations).

I think also that people would have soon gotten tired of watching the Warrior and his 30 second matches. The wrestling audience was changing during this time and wanted to see the more athletic, finesse wrestlers like the up and comers. We had just gone through the Hogan era, and it was time for a change. The "new WWF generation" was a breath of fresh air during this time. I'm not sure if Warrior staying around would have stopped any of this.

 

[The Brain]

Besides I think Vince went in the direction he did because of his steroid scandal, even if the Warriors head was on straight I think vince still would of went in the direction he did go in (I mean look at warrior, that guy looks like a walking billboard for steroid abuse).

I agree with this. I don't think Warrior would have made much difference in Bret's career. Bret actually won the world title while Warrior was still with the company. I don't know if Vince knew Warrior was on the way out when Bret got the title, but I remember Warrior was still around. The last Saturday Night's Main Event of that era featured Bret defending the title against Papa Shango and Warrior and Savage challenged Money Inc. I'm stating that event because it's the only way I remember Warrior was still around while Bret was champ.

 

[Slam Master]

Warrior was there when Bret took the belt from Flair in 1992. He was released shortly after that because Warrior and the Bulldog received shipments of steroids from a company in England that was made public. At that time Vince was cracking down on steroids because of the scandal and bad publicity. He wasn't taking chances with anyone. Davey ended up in WCW after that and I don't know what Warrior did. Sure Warrior had the asshole personality but he would've been there had it not been for the steroids. You can't stop talent, and Bret was a talented worker who payed his dues.

 

[byrnside]

I don't agree either, not only the steroids thing, but also.. The 90s would've chewed up the Warrior and spit him out regardless. The cartoon era of wresting died in the 90s, did it not? Bret Hart only has to thank Bret Hart for becoming world champion. MAYBE he would've been delayed a bit, but other than that, I don't think so.

 

[NDN Souljaa]

Bret actually won the world title while Warrior was still with the company.

yeah but Warrior was a complete shell of his former self in his second stint with the WWE, donning his ridiculous muscle suit, so he wasnt anywhere close to the Warrior of 1990. He brought it onto himself with his steroid (maybe more) abuse.
Im saying had Warrior not brought all this nonsense on to himself, Bret may not have had the success he did. backstage stuff + steroids included. Indeed Hart wouldve won the belt but considering Hart is two years older than Warrior and was already 35 when he beat Flair in '92, you would have to assume he would have been around 36 or 37 by the time the title went around his waist. That would mean his time as champion wouldve been greatly reduced cuz you had the HBK and Diesel coming up (again not sure how this whole thing wouldve affected their careers).

Sure Warrior had the asshole personality but he would've been there had it not been for the steroids. You can't stop talent, and Bret was a talented worker who payed his dues.

Not sure about those statements. Even though Vince was very patient with his workers and their egos, the one thing that really pissed him off was the holdout at Summerslam. So it wasnt solely steroids. Yeah he had to make an example out of him cuz of drugs but he wouldve forgave him. He was supposed to be their franchise player ala Sting. But what he did at Summerslam is something you just dont do. Not saying any of us know a whole lot about the wrestling fraternity, but one has to assume that its a "code" that you just dont break.
As far as his talent and paying his dues go...one can make the assumption that Dean Malenko and William Regal are almost on par in terms of being as technically proficient with Hart, as well as having paid their dues. Yet they havent been world champion or main eventers. So unfortunately you can stop talent.

I think if anything warrior leaving hurt bret more than it helped him. A win over warrior would of been big and like Save_yourselves_111 said, having him beat Hogan(which was supposed to happen) and then Savage would of done wonders for his career.

Yeah but in Hart's book it said something about Hogan refusing to job to Hart (dont exactly remember, if someone could shed some light, thatd be dandy) and i dont think Warrior was going to job to Hart either. I just never got the vibe that Warrior wouldve put business in front of his career/ego. I cant comment about Savage, but I cant see a win over him being as big as the other two at that time.

The 90s would've chewed up the Warrior and spit him out regardless. The cartoon era of wresting died in the 90s, did it not? Bret Hart only has to thank Bret Hart for becoming world champion. MAYBE he would've been delayed a bit, but other than that, I don't think so.

Thats basically what im saying. im sure he would have eventually become champion but he wouldve been delayed. But BECAUSE of the delay how would it have affected him? Would he have been considered "too old" for Vince? The 'New' generation was coming up fast, so would he have been a transitional champion? or just been a real good worker like Regal and Malenko?
As far as cartoonish stuff go...yeah i guess. But i mean till 1994 or so I think you could pull it off. After all you had a whole Luger/Davey Boy Allied Powers team that looked like mascots for Captain America

 

[The Brain]

yeah but Warrior was a complete shell of his former self in his second stint with the WWE, donning his ridiculous muscle suit, so he wasnt anywhere close to the Warrior of 1990. He brought it onto himself with his steroid (maybe more) abuse.
Im saying had Warrior not brought all this nonsense on to himself, Bret may not have had the success he did. backstage stuff + steroids included. Indeed Hart wouldve won the belt but considering Hart is two years older than Warrior and was already 35 when he beat Flair in '92, you would have to assume he would have been around 36 or 37 by the time the title went around his waist. That would mean his time as champion wouldve been greatly reduced cuz you had the HBK and Diesel coming up (again not sure how this whole thing wouldve affected their careers).

Sorry I didn't realize you meant if Warrior never left after SummerSlam 91. My bad. I understand what you're saying, but I think it would have worked about the same. The timing was just right for Bret. I think he was really impressing Vince with his matches during the IC title runs. Warrior had a decent title run in 1990, but was sloppy in the ring. If you're over with the crowd you can get away with not being great in the ring, but I don't think Warrior's title reign was looked at as a success. I don't think his popularity made up for his weaknesses. He's no Hogan. In my opinion it was the match at SummerSlam 92 that shot Bret to the world title. I always thought that was kind of an audition for Bret. He had already proven himself in the ring, but this was his first main event match. Although it was an IC title match this was passable for a main event because the Bulldog was the opponent in England. I think after this match Vince realized he wanted Bret as his main event guy all the time. Warrior was kind of a fad. He was popular for a couple years, but his mystique started to wear off as fans discovered his weaknesses.

 

[OWEN-ing It All]

Bret still would've been a star. He had a presence inside the ring and out that few possess. He may not have been a 5x champion though. But he still would've been a legend.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Didn't matter. Bret would still have gotten his shot. Business went down when Warrior became champion. Not that he couldn't draw, but he couldn't be the main star of a company for any lengthy period of time. Hogan was obviously the best ever at this, but Bret also could do this, as could Flair, Rock, Austin, Sammartino, etc. Warrior wasn't that type of guy.

 

[Hulkster84]

Here's an even better question for you..just off the topic. What would have happened if Hogan vs Flair took place at Wrestlemania?
Would Hogan have hung around longer? Refeuded wuth the Warrior and beaten him to make the scorecard even? Would WCW even exist as we came to know it? Bret would have taken a backseat to Hogan for sure. WWE would have reached new heights again. The potential answers to this one question are so crazy because wrestling as we know it could have been totally different today!

Anyway.. to answer your question I think Bret would have taken a backseat to the Warrior simply because Warrior was big enough to carry the company on his own, even though he wasn't as big as Hogan. Bret may have not gotten into the title picture until the Warrior stepped down. Warrior and Hogan would only really ever face heels, so Warrior would have feuded with the big heels at the time, and maybe they would have turned Bret heel and had him face the Warrior, and surely Warrior would have won because he was much bigger than Bret. Its amazing how the industry would be different if one small thing along the timeline was changed..

 

[axle124]

Well you can do the what ifs with any one. What if the rock, angle, lesnar or scsa(injury) never left, would there be a jeff hardy, cm punk, edge, or even orton. Point is wrestling is full of what ifs. The warrior would have been the hogan of the 90's, but another question is what if sting would have came over around 91 instead of luger. Bret would have not been the guy to suffer from these predictiments though. The guys we would not know would be hbk, diesel, stone cold steve austin, and the rock. Stone cold would have never been given the ball, the rock would have never even got on screen, hbk would be a great intercontiental champ at best. There would be no jericho, eddie guerro,kane, or big show. Warrior vs undertaker vs hart vs sting would have dominated the 90's. So maybe we should be thinking the warrior for being a jerk lol.

 

[reddevil69]

If the Ultimate Warrior's head was on straight, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that he would have gone down as one of the greatest champions in history. He was one of the first guys to cleanly pin Hulkie...and at Wrestlemania no less.
So with that said, most people know about the whole pay dispute around '91 and his overall...bizarre/assholeish personality along with creative/marketing/financial differences with the company that eventually led to his release in '92.

It was at around this time that a young Bret Hart was the IC champion and making a name of his own. But it seems to me that Bret eventually filled the missing void when there was a vacuum to get to the top after Hogan, Savage, Flair, etc left. And I think had Warrior still been with the company Bret would not have gotten the strap as quickly as he did and made as great of an impact on the wrestling world. The reason I say Warrior and not the other three i just mentioned was because Warrior was supposed to be THE GUY of the 90's for the WWE. much like the hulkster. alas, it didnt happen.

So my question to you all is this: Had Warrior been around longer, how would it have affected the career of Hart, and subsequently, because of Bret, other guys like Davey, Owen, Yokozuna, and even HBK?

no I don't think it would have mattered. Savage and Flair were on top for most of 1992 and Bret's matches were clearly stealing the house every night that is why Vince started to eye him as a possible champion. Guys like Bret and Shawn were winning fans every week with their work-rate and that is what the general audience was shifting towards.Even Undertaker displayed uncharacteristic agility and work-rate that was never presented by a "big man".Warrior on his best day, with a clear head could not have anywhere close to the caliber of matches that those guys were having and Bret was clearly the leader of the charge in 1992.

Also, Bret was not a big, screaming, sweaty wrestler with a walrus moustache or paint on his face, or a dated bleached hairdo...he was a guy that girls were attracted to and guys could still like because he was rugged and not a pretty boy. Bret and Shawn were wrestlers that looked like rock stars. I think it was made crystal clear after Summerslam 1992 that Bret was "the man". Warrior did not leave until November, three months later and Vince put the strap on Bret a month and a half before that so I don't think it had anything to do with Warrior's business acumen, Vince simply saw the tide changing and went with the best weapon in his arsenal.

 

[JBK2008]

If Warrior had stayed in the WWE, I think it would've only stalled Bret for a year tops. The guy could put on a hell of a match and besides every top superstar needs a group of people to feud with on a regular basis and Bret would've been the first choice IMO. Yes Warrior at the time could draw, but the culture was changing and he would've eventually been eaten up and the fans would've ended up turning to Bret anyway.

I don't think Bret should thank Warrior for leaving, but I have no doubt that Warrior leaving may have pushed Bret up to the top faster.

 

[Dropkicked]

Warrior was garbage and couldn't wrestle. Like Byrnside said - he got by during the cartoonish days of wrestling. Bret would have been a star regardless. They began grooming him well before Warrior's screw up.

I am honestly suprised that Undertaker has made it this long with the gimmick. He was the only one that made it out of the Cartoon era with the same gimmick. Bret Hart really began the new era in wrestling after the cartoon gimmicks.

Bottomline, let's all be thankful that the Warrior didn't hang around and that Bret hHart set the standard for the 90's era.

 

[ssvegita77]

Im saying had Warrior not brought all this nonsense on to himself, Bret may not have had the success he did. backstage stuff + steroids included. Indeed Hart wouldve won the belt but considering Hart is two years older than Warrior and was already 35 when he beat Flair in '92, you would have to assume he would have been around 36 or 37 by the time the title went around his waist. That would mean his time as champion wouldve been greatly reduced cuz you had the HBK and Diesel coming up (again not sure how this whole thing wouldve affected their careers).



Yeah but in Hart's book it said something about Hogan refusing to job to Hart (dont exactly remember, if someone could shed some light, thatd be dandy) and i dont think Warrior was going to job to Hart either. I just never got the vibe that Warrior wouldve put business in front of his career/ego. I cant comment about Savage, but I cant see a win over him being as big as the other two at that time.

Yea, I agree with this. I'm not saying that Bret should thank the warrior but his self destructive antics left Bret as a stable guy to carry the ball. Look at the Warrior folk's, backstage stuff/steroid scandal aside he was Vince's wet dream. I think had Warrior been a normal human being, Bret's push would have been severly delayed.

Flair was leaving, Savage was being relegated to the announce table, Hogan & Vince were rocky at best. It was gonna be Taker, Warrior, Shango, Sid (If you could have tied him down), Luger would be in soon enough to fit perfectly into this scene (this is not a compliment, btw), Yokozuna too. Warrior would have been the center piece of this main event picture....Thank God he's such an egomaniacal prick.

I think the new generation would have simply been the best IC title scene that we would have ever known.

 

[tsull2121]

Just a point here before I get into this... I had the pleasure and honor of meeting BOTH Bret Hart and The Ultimate Warrior.. tho separated by a number of years.

I met The Ultimate Warrior (along with Demolition, Tito Santana, and Dick Worhele.. if you remember that ref from "back in the day") backstage at the (then) Brendan Byrne Arena. My brother's friend was the guy at ringside who handed the announcers in the ring their microphones, and he got us backstage after the last match of ht enight which was a 6-man tag featuring Demolition and I believe Mr Fuji against The Ultimate Warrior and Tito Santana.

We were SUPPOSED to meet the wrestlers BEFORE the show but we got there late (my brothers friend said The Warrior was actually waiting by the ring for us to show since he was told that I was a big fan of his) so we were only able to meet the participants in the last match. Warrior came out and signed an autograph for me, and when I asked if I could get a picture with him he said that "I wish I could.. but they got a rule about me taking pictures without the make-up on." (tito santana had his kid hold his budweisre can while he signed my autograph lol... and demolition gladly singed but said fuji wouldnt because according to ax "he's a real dick")

So in my personal experience Warrior was VERY coherent and not the babbling madman he turned out to be, and even very PLEASANT to talk to.. not to mention he waited for me before the show for 20 minutes and didnt put up a fuss afterwards either.

As for Bret, I met him in a nearby shopping mall where he was signing autographs right after appearing in WCW for the first time. I went up to him and the only thing I had for him to sign was my copy of the WWF Magazine that had him and Bart Simpson on the cover. WHen I handed it to him he laughed and rolled his eyes and said "I don't believe you actually still have this thing."

He signed it for me and handed it back, then shook my hand and thanked me for coming to see him. On my way out I turned back to him and said "By the way Bret.. Vince really screwed you over big time." He sort of shrugged his shoulders and said "Yeah, I know. Thanks again though."

So Bret and The Ultimate Warrior both showed to me at least, that they arent what they seem to be in the ring or whatnot.... but as for whether or not Bret would have had the success he did if the Warrior was still around... he absolutely would have.

While Warrior steamrolled his way thru the WWF and gained two reigns as I-C Champ and dethroned Hogan for the title (which by the way.. Andre the Giant back in the early 80's had NUMEROUS pinfall victories over Hogan before he beat the Iron Shiek for the title, so warrior wasnt "one of the few clean victories over hogan" as someone stated previously) Bret WORKED his way up to the World Title.

Warrior, nine times out of ten, was either winded or pretty much "blew his load" on his entrance alone and has been reported as being a TERRIBLE worker and had almost no clue what to do in the ring... a DEFINITE contrast to Bret.

So yeh, Bret would have eventually gotten to where he ended up whether or not the Warrior was around

 

[FlairFan2003]

A lot of things contributed to Hart's rise to world champion. The biggest was the federal steroid investigationand WWE's desire for wrestler's who either had serious drug problems (jannety, von erich) or who might be tied directly to the fed investigation (Hogan, Piper) to quietly move on. Hart was also helped indirectly by Savage's marital problems which lead him to want a reduced role in the ring and not be a reliable main event star by the end of the year. Ultimately Vince decided it was time to move in an entirely new direction, away from the whole Hulkamania 80's thing. Brett benefited.

Now Hart had proven to be very popular as a singles wrestler after his face turn and subsequently leaving the Hart Foundation Tag Team. He wasn't Hogan like popular but he was very over with fans. He was one of the best worker's the company had as well. People forget that Hart challenged Flair for the title on a European Tour right after Flair regained the belt from Savage. The matches were considered very good and drew good crowds so there was reason to think he could continue that momentum in the US.

Warrior didn't help himself with a series o lackluster performances against the Papa Shango character right after WM. Fans never took Shango seriously however. Warrior's match with Savage at Summer Slam wasn't exactly a abrn burner either but Savage clearly was going through the motions at this point, depressed about the Liz break up. Still, it was Warrior, not Hart, that was booked against Flair in a main event fued right after the European Tour ended and it looked like Warrior was being groomed for a possible title switch at Survivor Series (back then there were only 4 PPV a year, not monthly shows like there is now). His back stage problems with Vince over money and his reputation as careless in the ring (which was blamed for Flair's injury that precipitated the early title switch in Oct) really did him in, and he had nobody to blame but himself.

Still, life is about opportunity and Hart had worked hard to position himself as a viable main event star. I think it was only a matter of time before Warrior would have failed even if he got the huge Survivor Series set up from Flair and become champ and Hart would have been there waiting.

Of course, would Vince have had as much success nationalizinghis company if Hogan had stayed in the AWA, which he seemed content to do until a dispute with Verne Gagne over money ? If Flair had taken Vince's offer in 1985would he have had as much success, missing out on Jim Crockett Promotions most profitable era, which he was largely responsible for ? Would either Warrior or Hart gotten the title in 92 if Savage didn't have his personal problems ? Would it all have been a moot point if there was no steroid investigation, Hogan wanted to stay, and Vince booked an all out feud with Hogan and Flair over the belt that would have included a WM main event ?

 

[FlairFan2003]

A lot of things contributed to Hart's rise to world champion. The biggest was the federal steroid investigationand WWE's desire for wrestler's who either had serious drug problems (jannety, von erich) or who might be tied directly to the fed investigation (Hogan, Piper) to quietly move on. Hart was also helped indirectly by Savage's marital problems which lead him to want a reduced role in the ring and not be a reliable main event star by the end of the year. Ultimately Vince decided it was time to move in an entirely new direction, away from the whole Hulkamania 80's thing. Brett benefited.

Now Hart had proven to be very popular as a singles wrestler after his face turn and subsequently leaving the Hart Foundation Tag Team. He wasn't Hogan like popular but he was very over with fans. He was one of the best worker's the company had as well. People forget that Hart challenged Flair for the title on a European Tour right after Flair regained the belt from Savage. The matches were considered very good and drew good crowds so there was reason to think he could continue that momentum in the US.

Warrior didn't help himself with a series o lackluster performances against the Papa Shango character right after WM. Fans never took Shango seriously however. Warrior's match with Savage at Summer Slam wasn't exactly a abrn burner either but Savage clearly was going through the motions at this point, depressed about the Liz break up. Still, it was Warrior, not Hart, that was booked against Flair in a main event fued right after the European Tour ended and it looked like Warrior was being groomed for a possible title switch at Survivor Series (back then there were only 4 PPV a year, not monthly shows like there is now). His back stage problems with Vince over money and his reputation as careless in the ring (which was blamed for Flair's injury that precipitated the early title switch in Oct) really did him in, and he had nobody to blame but himself.

Still, life is about opportunity and Hart had worked hard to position himself as a viable main event star. I think it was only a matter of time before Warrior would have failed even if he got the huge Survivor Series set up from Flair and become champ and Hart would have been there waiting.

Of course, would Vince have had as much success nationalizing his company if Hogan had stayed in the AWA, which he seemed content to do until a dispute with Verne Gagne over money ? If Flair had taken Vince's offer in 1985would he have had as much success, missing out on Jim Crockett Promotions most profitable era, which he was largely responsible for ? Would either Warrior or Hart gotten the title in 92 if Savage didn't have his personal problems ? Would it all have been a moot point if there was no steroid investigation, Hogan wanted to stay, and Vince booked an all out feud with Hogan and Flair over the belt that would have included a WM main event ?

 

[thomasj316]

ok, bret does not need to thank warrior, cause he won the belt for one reason, he was being made into a main eventer. read his book. vince wanted fresh faces that he could put into main event if needed be. thats why he seperated the hart foundation, he saw bret as a main eventer, just like shawn. people were tired of the same old same old, so throwing bret into the mix with ppl like warrior,hogan,savage,flair was good for business. warrior was unstable, flair was on his way out and savage was goin thru his problems. so vince thought bret was a safe bet kinda like how cena is a safe bet. but hogan tells vince that bret wont draw so they take the belt from him and put it on hogan and they was gonna do a bret-hogan title match at summerslam '93, but hogan left so never happened. just like hogan did to shawn, shawn was gonna get his rematch and beat hogan but he took the easy way out once again. anyway bret has nobody to thank but himself, and vince for believing in him.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Bret thanking the Warrior? For what? Being a money hungry jackass...

There is a philosophy that says be grateful and always say thank you for what you get... but there is one that also says "never knock a gift horse in the mouth"... You also NEVER hold up Vince for money...

Warrior was damaged goods the moment he showed up at WM 8 looking like any other wrestler... Shango was clearly not roided and he looked puny next to him...

Now had Davey not been busted, I really don't think Bret would have had it so easy... I think Davey would have got the belt first, then perhaps DiBiase. They really did drop the ball in not giving him the chance to feud with DiBiase.

The only sad part of Bret's rise was the lack of a real feud to win the belt with... DiBiase or Davey would have provided that...

 

[reddevil69]

Warrior was garbage and couldn't wrestle. Like Byrnside said - he got by during the cartoonish days of wrestling. Bret would have been a star regardless. They began grooming him well before Warrior's screw up.

I am honestly suprised that Undertaker has made it this long with the gimmick. He was the only one that made it out of the Cartoon era with the same gimmick. Bret Hart really began the new era in wrestling after the cartoon gimmicks.

Bottomline, let's all be thankful that the Warrior didn't hang around and that Bret hHart set the standard for the 90's era.

Undertaker has lasted as long as he has because he can actually wrestle and he adapted his work rate and ring style as the product changed over the years. I don't see how a guy with his size and dimensions being as athletic as he is comes as a suprise to anyone that he's made it this far.He is the only guy of his stature to do the things he's done, no one ever before him or since up to now have come close to being as good a big man performer. Taker is unique and in a class by himself, that is why he's endured. Warrior was just another jacked up muscle head who couldn't wrestle so he slapped paint on his face and acted like a madman which Vince was able to edit, package and market for a short period of time, just like all the glam rock bands that dressed like chicks in the 80's, the shelf life was five years tops and it wore off just as quick as it caught on.