alternate history- Bret Hart in the attitude era

[Captain2]

So just thinking about this subject a bit earlier and I was considering if the WWF had kept the Hitman for the duration of his new contract after he re-signed, what could have been done with him?

My thought was a kind of hybrid between angle and steven richards. A wholesome dolt who is horrified at pretty much everything going on around him.

Thoughts?

[HMARK Center]

I think there's a good chance that had Bret stuck around he wouldn't have been a very long while away from being turned face again, but somewhat differently from what he was in the mid-90's.

Part of Bret's appeal to the male side of the audience, and why for a time it seemed like he got more guy fans on his side and HBK got more women and kids, was that Bret was the wholesome good guy who still had an in-ring style that actually looked like he was hurting people (when he wasn't selling like death for somebody else, of course). Given his pedigree as the son of Stu Hart, it wouldn't have been a stretch to "Attitude Era" him by emphasizing Bret lived up to the "Hitman" moniker with his in-ring style.

I can't think of a specific direction to go with that off the top of my head, but to put it simpler, it's easier to turn a heel who's motivation is "I didn't turn my back on the world, the world turned its back on me!" back into a face, since it's easy to write a storyline wherein he has a reason to act nobly.

[RowdyRobbyPiper]

How about Bret as the Corporate Champ?

[thecrusherwi]

I'm not even sure who he would work with. 98 especially was sure thin in the main event scene. For most of the year, it was combinations of Austin, Undertaker, Kane, and Mick Foley as your main events and co main events. Bret had already worked quite a bit with Undertaker and Austin. Where do you fit him in that dynamic? Rock and Triple H were not ready for the big time until at least the fall of 98. What does Bret do in the mean time? Or do you stick Bret in the mid card? I'm sure he'd have liked that.

Although, the butterfly effect of no Montreal likely means that, Bret and Davey Boy stay and if it changes the Casket Match at Royal Rumble 98, Michaels doesn't get hurt. So then you have all of them still around too. The answer might just be that the entire company stays kinda stale. The exodus of Bret and Shawn in quick succession forced them use newer guys and new characters in the main events. It made 98 instantly look much different than any New Generation year. Maybe Bret leaving was for the best.

[Fearless The Tank]

I always wondered how would things have been had Dynamite Kid still been in WWE in 97 with the Hart Foundation and into the Attitude Era.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Bret/Austin IV at Summerslam 1998 would've been a classic.

[CM Parish]

Wouldn't it mean no Mr McMahon and no feud with Austin meaning the WWF would probably go out of business?

[celticjobber]

May 5, 2013 3:56:32 GMT -5 CM Parish said:

Wouldn't it mean no Mr McMahon and no feud with Austin meaning the WWF would probably go out of business?

WWF business was already picking up during the summer of 1997 with the Canada vs. US feud. I think things would've worked out fine.

And Vince had already been stunned by Austin atleast once or twice, even before Bret got screwed. So he still could've turned and became Mr. McMahon.

[Deleted]

May 5, 2013 3:56:32 GMT -5 CM Parish said:

Wouldn't it mean no Mr McMahon and no feud with Austin meaning the WWF would probably go out of business?

The way WCW was runned without the backing of most TBS executives if was doomed to fail regardless. I think Bret may have fit well in the attitude era. Like he realized the changing audience WWE was having demanding more bad ass real fighters characters and may have played off Mick Foleys anti hardcore character to anti trash and good clean wholesome rasslin! Like f*** Mick Foley and his garbage wrestling. I'm going to out wrestle him and be a hypocrite and beat the shit out of that piece of shit with a chair

Edit: Cranky old man essentially he could play. Like f*** you Val Venis porn is trash and doesn't belong in the wrestling ring I'm going to beat you up! Hell he can out stage a young hotshot heel based on a tirade back in my day we had honor and you have no honor so I'm going to beat the piss out of you to show you what honor is!

[Deleted]

I think Bret Hart takes himself too seriously to play any interesting self-aware character he could have done in the Attitude era.

[Deleted]

May 5, 2013 3:56:32 GMT -5 CM Parish said:

Wouldn't it mean no Mr McMahon and no feud with Austin meaning the WWF would probably go out of business?

In some ways, they were going in that direction anyway

[Deleted]

He would have probably been the exact same character. Bret was good enough that he didn't need to change anything to be super over in any era.

[RowdyRobbyPiper]

The guy got over with Neidhart during the Hogan era with a cowardly loudmouthed manager and pink tights. He got over during the New Generation as the clean cut hero then he got over pre-Attitude-era as the rejected hero. Bret was never better than he was in 1997. The attitude era would have had plenty for Bret to work with.

[4real]

I just couldn't imagine him as a face in that era. I think he might have been a Kurt Angle type character just without the goofy aspect. I'm thinking he would have faced Austin for the title after Wrestlemania XIV and Foley would have never got his chance.

And I would have had him try to suck up to Vince as much as possible. It's funny imagining that now but that's most likely what could have happened.

[Deleted]

It's not the most flattering comparison, but he probably would have been presented very much like Chris Benoit - a no-nonsense technical wrestler who gets over as a face (especially with the men) simply by virtue of being a flat-out ass-kicker.

[Hit Girl]

Personally I felt Bret made an outstanding heel. It's a shame he seems to think otherwise about it. He would have been fine as a self-righteous heel during the Attitude Era who believed that he was actually a wholesome role model. He would have done it with a more sinister edge than Angle did.

[SMF]

If Bret didn't go to WCW, I wound have had to find another quote for him to sign on my DVD and people would still be doubting El Dandy! 

[doinkmark]

The pay-per-view after Survivor Series 97 was DX themed, so most likely Bret still would've dropped the belt to Shawn there, Austin would've beaten Shawn, and all that could've gone as normal except Bret would've been around to challenge Austin afterward. The Hart Foundation would've gone back to the midcard for a bit, probably settling business with the Nation and other midcard babyfaces in tag team matches. Eventually The Hart Foundation would break up and we could get Bret vs Owen and/or Bulldog stealing the show again in the middle of cards and occassionally in the main event. I believe Neidhart wss on his way out already, wasn't he? Bret could've definitely had enough to do in the Attitude Era IMO. They found a way to reinvent Undertaker during it. They'd find something for Bret too. Then, when Kurt Angle came in, we'd have seen some great matches.