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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 24, 2022 18:58:10 GMT -5
We all know the story; Bret Hart came into WCW following literally the hottest story in pro wrestling history…where WCW proceeded to completely crap the bed. From debuting him as a referee at the biggest show in the companies history, to being a pawn in the nWo breakup, to working the midcard, Bret’s time in WCW ended up being a complete waste despite working guys like Flair, Perfect, Savage, Sting, and DDP during his initial year.
But one thing I don’t see mentioned as much is Goldberg’s rise. Bret came in at a time Goldberg was starting to catch fire, and only continued to get over more as 1998 went on while Bret seemed to toil in the midcard. While Bret was playing lackey to Hogan and working the midcard, Goldberg was rising up the ranks until getting the Hogan match that seemed like a lock for Bret just 6 months earlier.
While politics where the biggest downfall for Bret’s WCW run, anyone think Goldberg’s rise took luster away from Bret’s initial few months in WCW? Does Bret fare better booking-wise if Goldberg didn’t catch on like he did?
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Post by The Brain on Mar 24, 2022 19:12:31 GMT -5
I feel no matter what,WCW was gonna screw up Bret.They just had no clue what they had in him.
If Goldberg never caught on I can see em getting the belt not long into his run but in the end you know it wouldve went back to Hogan in some BS way.Then it wouldve been all downhill for em.
Damn shame looking back as you look at how great he was in the WWF so you think WCW would be like damn we hit a goldmine getting him but nope.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Mar 24, 2022 21:08:14 GMT -5
Bret never fit with WCW, no matter what. He did make a good US Champion though in WCW. I also felt he would have made the perfect WCW TV Champion too in 1998, especially in matches with Benoit, Booker, Finlay, Jericho and others.
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Post by JokerFC on Mar 24, 2022 23:57:15 GMT -5
Nah.
For me Bret's run was f**ked before he started in WCW. From the underuse of him in his woeful introduction through turning heel and joining the nWo the entire thing was just awful. I also agree with Bischoff that he didnt get WWF Bret.....Hart was a wounded soul after the screwjob. Many have said his passion for the business was squashed that night & IMHO its shows in spades in WCW.
Its 50% Hart being burnt out & 50% Eric not using him right because of politics, lack of creativity etc etc. I think Goldbergs rise happened to be a lot bigger because Hart was a flop in WCW.
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Post by hbkjason on Mar 25, 2022 1:05:42 GMT -5
Bret coming in as a  ing referee spoiled it right from the start if you ask me! I know they had been building to Sting vs Hogan for a long time and that the whole Bischoff vs Zbysoko thing was prominently featured but they should have done more with Bret Hart when he first came in. I know they wanted to strike while things were hot, but in looking back as he was burnt out, perhaps giving him a bit of time off then bringing him in might have worked out best. |
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,631
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Mar 27, 2022 7:37:21 GMT -5
The rise of Goldberg was so sudden and unique it is hard to say whether his emergence hindered anybody especially Bret. Goldberg and the streak really didn't start gaining serious momentum with the fans until the spring of 1998 and by then Bret was already playing second fiddle to Hogan as one of his cronies.
I'm the biggest Bret fan there could ever be, but he was never the same after Montreal. He was down and defeated. Even if WCW booked him perfectly I just don't think Bret had that fire anymore despite the fact that he was still better in the ring than 99% of the entire industry at the time.
Of course, the awful way that he was booked only accelerated his decline and disconnect with the wrestling business in my opinion. In just his first year in WCW, he flipped between face/heel so many times where even his biggest fans just stopped caring. Seeing him as just another nWo lackey in the middle of the card while Goldberg was becoming the hottest star in the business galvanized how they really did have no clue what to do with him. When they finally got some steam behind him and ran the "I Quit" angle with the protective chest plate, he was dealt the ultimate blow when Owen passed away which is something that he was never able to recover from. Bret was broken from that point. The tribute match against Benoit on Nitro is on the very short list of highlights from his WCW run. He won the title and just when it seemed like things were getting on track he gets hurt against Goldberg and his career was over.
Just an equally perfect storm of bad timing, bad booking and bad luck.
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Post by Its Tiffy Time on Mar 27, 2022 7:42:24 GMT -5
he literally hurt bret.
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 27, 2022 8:09:02 GMT -5
That’s not the question of the post. |
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Post by CM Tusk on Mar 28, 2022 4:02:47 GMT -5
Nah I think it was his foot
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Warriah'
Main Eventer
Joined on: Dec 22, 2019 19:46:02 GMT -5
Posts: 3,151
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Post by Warriah' on Mar 28, 2022 10:31:07 GMT -5
What WCW SHOULD have done with Bret was have him lead his own faction to face off against the NWO. They already had Neidhart and Bulldog coming in fresh with him. Recreate some of the magic they had with the Harts in the WWF in 97. And it could have lead pretty naturally into war games.
Benoit and Jericho could have benefitted from joining.
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 28, 2022 11:40:54 GMT -5
What WCW SHOULD have done with Bret was have him lead his own faction to face off against the NWO. They already had Neidhart and Bulldog coming in fresh with him. Recreate some of the magic they had with the Harts in the WWF in 97. And it could have lead pretty naturally into war games. Benoit and Jericho could have benefitted from joining. I always felt the same thing. Have a segment following Starrcade where the nWo is surrounding Sting. Before they can pounce, Bret’s music hits and him, Bulldog, and Neidhart rush the ring to help Sting fight them back. We get Sting and the Hart Foundation going against the nWo for a bit before the nWo starts to splinter into two groups (without involving the world title). This way Sting’s run isn’t botched and we’re building to an eventual Sting/Bret showdown. Hell, have the 4 Horsemen join the fray and you can tease fans with both groups fighting over Benoit and Jericho to join them. |
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Warriah'
Main Eventer
Joined on: Dec 22, 2019 19:46:02 GMT -5
Posts: 3,151
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Post by Warriah' on Mar 28, 2022 13:14:46 GMT -5
What WCW SHOULD have done with Bret was have him lead his own faction to face off against the NWO. They already had Neidhart and Bulldog coming in fresh with him. Recreate some of the magic they had with the Harts in the WWF in 97. And it could have lead pretty naturally into war games. Benoit and Jericho could have benefitted from joining. I always felt the same thing. Have a segment following Starrcade where the nWo is surrounding Sting. Before they can pounce, Bret’s music hits and him, Bulldog, and Neidhart rush the ring to help Sting fight them back. We get Sting and the Hart Foundation going against the nWo for a bit before the nWo starts to splinter into two groups (without involving the world title). This way Sting’s run isn’t botched and we’re building to an eventual Sting/Bret showdown. Hell, have the 4 Horsemen join the fray and you can tease fans with both groups fighting over Benoit and Jericho to join them. I'm pretty sure Bret only appeared on screen with Bulldog and Neidhart once, maybe twice. During a couple run ins. They didn't even do 6 man tags. It was just so weird. I'm sure Hogan, Nash and Hall wouldn't have liked the idea of Bret coming in with a new faction and becoming the hottest thing in WCW as they did the WWF, but still, there was money in it for everyone. |
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 28, 2022 15:40:59 GMT -5
I always felt the same thing. Have a segment following Starrcade where the nWo is surrounding Sting. Before they can pounce, Bret’s music hits and him, Bulldog, and Neidhart rush the ring to help Sting fight them back. We get Sting and the Hart Foundation going against the nWo for a bit before the nWo starts to splinter into two groups (without involving the world title). This way Sting’s run isn’t botched and we’re building to an eventual Sting/Bret showdown. Hell, have the 4 Horsemen join the fray and you can tease fans with both groups fighting over Benoit and Jericho to join them. I'm pretty sure Bret only appeared on screen with Bulldog and Neidhart once, maybe twice. During a couple run ins. They didn't even do 6 man tags. It was just so weird. I'm sure Hogan, Nash and Hall wouldn't have liked the idea of Bret coming in with a new faction and becoming the hottest thing in WCW as they did the WWF, but still, there was money in it for everyone. For sure on the politics from the nWo guys killing any chance of this, but Hogan, Hall, and Nash against Bret, Bulldog, and Neidhart (or replace Jim with Benoit) coming off the screw job with a proper build would have printed money. Instead, we got Bret becoming Hogan’s lackey and Bulldog eventually feuding with Alex Wright. |
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Post by Kill Em' All on Mar 30, 2022 2:48:00 GMT -5
I think some stars are hurt by time
I think Bret hit natural expiration in 1998 bc so much new was in the industry and maybe if Bret was booked right that would be different
It’s like Austin in 2002; so much new is going on it phased him out naturally in way I don’t see Bret no different
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Post by HandsomeHollywood on Mar 30, 2022 10:29:22 GMT -5
Nah, only bad booking and bad presentation hurt Bret.
I mean, unless the expressed goal was to put Bret on top, but I don't think that's what WCW ever intended.
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