What If Bret Hart Never Left WWE? | Epic Rivalries and Iconic Storylines

[@kountrydiesel]

If bret hadn't left the wwe, then there wouldn't have been much of an attitude era to talk about. What made that era special was the austin-McMahon feud. The Mr. McMahon character was created from him screwing over bret. Shawn still wouldn't have been around because he would've still needed to take time off for his back. Bret was my favorite, and while it sucked what happened to him, it was the best thing for the company

[@embersstark7126]

True.

[@samuelwoods164]

I don’t know…. There would have been plenty of room for everyone to get over…. Especially when they started making smackdown, Attitude Era would have happened regardless because that’s the way things kinda were at the time, that kind of crash, trashy, naughty, absurd content was really popular and WWF were doing an extreme pushing the limits of what they could get away with because they were plugged into the zeitgeist of one of the most popular kind of TV that people were watching at the time and that’s why people were watching. People think the screw job kicked it off but it would have happened another way with Vince becoming an on screen heel and it work because Vince is a genuine heel and that’s why the character worked so well because that was genuinely him, if anything when you see him in interviews and when he used to commentate that was when he was playing s character. And I think there’s a chance if bret stayed Sean would have taken that $3m a year Bret was getting at Dubya and the reduced schedule may have allowed his spine to recover doing 150 nights instead of 300:…he would have fitted right in the NWO and been closer to established top guys unlike Bret who they didn’t give him many great storylines… or time to grow an feuds (but the metal plate taking Goldberg’s spear is one of the best moments in WCW history

[@garrettbot143]

Damnit man you completely stole the words outta my texting thumbs.! Spot on spot on!

[@Iceman-xe7jo]

Are you serious!!!???? Bret started the attitude era. It wasn’t Stone Cold. Hahahahaha He would have been a kick ass heel.

[@murraykelm5691]

Eventually age would have become a factor with Bret, he was already in his 40's when he left the WWF, don't think he would be able to perform at an elite level much longer.

[@nicholaswoodall3840]

if bret had stayed you could of had bret hart vs kurt angle at wrestlemania 16

[@randywatson6583]

With Austin injured.... WrestleMania 2000 main event could have been bret hart vs the rock....that would have been epic

[@ExplisitHipHop]

Yeah that would have been epic! PRo wrestler vs Ent wrestler.

[@dainethompson6531]

If Bret hadn't left the wwe then maybe Owen would still be alive.

[@treybrannon4964]

This was the first thing I thought as well.

[@ExplisitHipHop]

I guess God needed OWen.. things happen for a reason. This sacrifice helped us understand that the WWF hall of fame is BS and more people respect wrestling for the sacrifices these entertainers take .. back in the 80s all they said was fake fake fake fake fake ..since he died i get non wrestling fans saying woa wrestling is crazy how they work so hard to entertain people.

[@KingAceHernandez1291]

Imagine shawn michaels in wcw and joins the nwo in 98

[@ExplisitHipHop]

That would have made sense but Bishoff would have ruined HBK's wrestling epic matches .. he would mostly just do run ins and never stand out the way he did in the WWF.

[@joemixon1704]

Owen doesn't die

[@KINGMONKEY1989]

And how in the hell do you figure that out ?

[@seanneal5405]

@@KINGMONKEY1989 because he wouldn’t have been up there, they wanted to make a mockery of the hart family because of how Bret left.

[@alfrede.neumann5513]

@@KINGMONKEY1989 Because Brett NEVER lets him do the Blu Blazer gimmick like that.

[@ExplisitHipHop]

Hitman would have argued that this Blue Blazzer BS made no sense and coming down from the rafters is too risky.. i agree.

[@mryellow864]

Imagine WM14 being Austin VS Hart with Tyson enforcing. My goodness that would have been a more epic main event than what we got with HBK's ego and injuries almost destroying it. It would have been a great 3rd act to their rivalry. Bret would have been more than willing to do the honours for Austin.

[@ExplisitHipHop]

WEll that Tyson fast count made no sense ...... so i agree. To argue against what you and me are saying, Hitman was no Tyson.. they needed Tyson to get those eyeballs looking at the WWF product.

[@ExplisitHipHop]

In the end HBK didnt drop the ball though.. he was hurt and was a warrior for showing up when he was messed up.

[@jeremymarshall1713]

Bret stays, Shawn would of never gotten hurt. Heart foundation grows as well as DX a true war. I can see the two of them become two Conner stones. WCW would have been done much sooner. However this affects The Rock, Austin, and HHH and other rising stars. WWE roaster would have been too much for anyone to challenge.

[@gqsmoove87]

More importantly than all that OWEN WOULD HAVE NEVER DIED

[@tankosaurus]

@@gqsmoove87 Owen doesn't die, Brett doesn't get kicked in the head by Goldberg, and possibly Owen and Stone Cold don't have their match that broke Austin's neck. All three have extended careers.

[@gqsmoove87]

@@tankosaurus one problem Austin happened in the summer of 97

[@ExplisitHipHop]

WCW was gonna beat WWF regardless... WWE was boring and WCW had Hall, Nash coming in.. people were tired of the WWF and wanted something NEW and they got it ..then WCW got tired and boring the way WWF was boring .. it all worked out in the end.

[@ExplisitHipHop]

You dont know that for sure.. wrestling is a risky business...people get hurt all the time. Hitman wasn't GOD to stop people from getting hurt. That was a match between Taker and HBK not Hitman vs HBK. That casket back drop was deadly!

[@dannystaton5386]

Greetings from South Carolina

[@greyjedi6430]

Bret rules

[@mj-gb6tr]

1. What's with the messed up artwork with bad spelling and images that don't resemble Bret at all? 2. You forgot the main 'what if?' : Owen likely doesn't die, Bret doesn't get concussed, doesn't have his stroke, can wrestle into his 50s.

[@tankosaurus]

Having Brett there as a regular opponent For Stone Cold may have meant the match between Stone Cold and Owen didn't happen... meaning not only do we get an extended Brett and Owen career, but Steve as well.

[@Istvantastic]

Talk for 15 minutes without saying anything of substance. I can tell you love Bret, so do I! I was hoping you'd develop hypothetical storylines and alternate wrestling outcomes. Instead you just said obvious things only. My 2 cents. Still appreciate your work!

[@ronaldnelson6692]

Bret probably would have been the one who ended the Undertaker's streak if he stayed.

[@ocsjc13]

Lol stop😂

[@ronaldnelson6692]

@@ocsjc13 He would have been the only one believable if he did. Better than the one who did considering they both would have been in their prime not old and broken like when Lesner did it.

[@ExplisitHipHop]

That would have made way more sense.. i agree.

[@McMahonHater]

The Attitude Era was garbage.

[@AnthonyEdwards-l2l]

Congrats on the worst opinion ever 😂

[@McMahonHater]

@@AnthonyEdwards-l2lthe era where "heroes" beat up on women, and old women get put threw tables. Sorry, shit matches wrestled by hacks doesn't interest me.

[@clintgrimsley]

​@@McMahonHater😂😂

[@ExplisitHipHop]

I love honesty... so you agree Vince as WWE Champ, a Rumble winner and ECW world champ was stupid too right?

[@ExplisitHipHop]

Please tell me you also hate Shane Mcmahon getting into a wrestling ring. He might have guts but him out wrestling and out punching people like Undertaker made no sense ..

[@joehiggs4349]

They pushed him as hard as they could. The fans just didn’t care that much. At least HBK, another weak champion, was so hated people liked seeing him beaten so he could have stayed around to put the champions over. Brett was a hero people yawned at. Nothing left in that tank.

[@christerry1611]

Bret was 40 at the time. It's not like he was geriatric ffs.

[@joehiggs4349]

@@christerry1611 Bret was a fantastic mid-card performer for years. He was one of the guys who brought credibility to the show because of his skill and athleticism. Guys like that need to be in every show to support the compelling characters who sell the tickets and the merchandise. That way the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief is satisfied - the fights look “real” enough. This is because some of the big guys who sell the tickets with presence and charisma don’t actually contribute much in that regard. It’s okay if enough of the others have it but if everyone just waved their arms and growled the show would lack credibility. The problem with Bret was that he wanted to be one of those top attraction guys and never was, not really. Because of his name, his great work, and his tireless dedication Vince gave him what he wanted when they were in trouble for steroids and chose athleticism over deflated bodybuilders or steroid-disqualified big guys. As could have been predicted given that he lacked charisma and physical presence, he struggled to sell tickets and merchandise and didn’t pull TV ratings. He was a hyped-up mid-carder. Bret campaigned with his small, super-loyal group of Canadian fans to be kept at the top, and that has continued into his retirement with the campaign for his legacy. He wanted top billing and lots of money and just wasn’t worth it. Bischoff gave it to him since he didn’t know what he was doing, had Turner’s blank checkbook, and just signed everyone who was ever s top guy at WWF, but he found out there wasn’t an obvious way to use him to push ratings too. If Bret would have been happy to fall back he had plenty left in the tank. It was his production tank that was dry given his demand to be a top guy. That is what I mean.

[@enzothunder2996]

Naw he just needed a good revamp ...like crow sting. If WcW was smart they would of done that . He'll make him into their stone Cold

[@joehiggs4349]

@@enzothunder2996 Stone Cold was one of the funniest, sharpest talkers of all time and had a character that you couldn’t take your eyes off of. No amount of magic could make Bret into Austin. Bret was exceptionally bland and uninteresting.

[@jham7411]

Bret Hart's departure from WWE was inevitable, WCW or no WCW. He was more than vocal and angry about the direction of the company. WWE still would have ran with Stone Cold and The Rock and Bret Hart would be relegated to Intercontinental title status, if he didn't quit first. Or, he would have been placed in Legends status like The Undertaker eventually moved into, having 1 or 2 matches a year at the big shows for big matches only to put over their future champions like Triple H, Kurt Angle, Guerrero, Lesnar, etc. Ultimately, IMO, there was no room at all for a Bret Hart in WWE's Attitude Era.

[@ExplisitHipHop]

The company is bigger then any 1 wrestler .. as most will say and im sure you agree.. so yeah the way wrestling was going, they didnt want a traditional wrestler around to fight creative .. great observation pal.

[@aa-ig2lj]

Brett was getting old age and wear and tear on his body would of caught up with him soon than what it would have than him being in wcw. He just didn't seem to be suited for the attitude era.

[@ExplisitHipHop]

He was healthy before Goldberg bashed his brain in.. He was able to compete with Austin at Wrestlemania .... Austin had braces on both of his knees AND had a horrible neck injury and the WWF still put him in the main events and made it work.. its wrestling not UFC... plus Hogan was past his prime for a long time and they still beat WWF in ratings with an overrated, well past his prime world champ..

[@ExplisitHipHop]

Austin wasnt a attitude ERA guy if you watch his WCW stuff ... He was a long haired guy with a Ric Flair robe ... you can make it work if you have the mind to make it work...Vince made it work..you work with what you got.. PAul E took guys and made them stars.. anything is possible in wrestling if you think outside of the box.