Problem with Hart is that his whole persona didn't fit the whole new "Attitude" Era and he got jealous when The Texas Rattlesnake and The Rock PWND him in popularity. Bret had problems carrying PPV's when he was the main event in the period that WCW started to become popular. He was always family oriented, but boring in a way to the older fans who were sick of the same old predictable shit.

He also couldnt accept the fact that his whole gimmick died out fast and there was no new way to reinvent his character simiiar to the way Sting did successfully with his.

Come to think of it, he should have just copied Sting's act and become his tag team partner or something. He could have said Owens death turned him to the darkside and gone around throwing pink paint on opponents to taunt them or something. He would have become interesting then.

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Uh... Bret's issues stemmed from them hyping HBK in 1996, not Austin. He's got nothing but good things to say about Austin. And Austin got a lot of credibility because he was the anti-hero to Bret's newly turned heel persona in 1997.

Bret didnt think that Shawns "Sexy Boy Playgirl" stage behavior was appropriate for a younger audience and he failed to realize that the brand of wrestling people wanted was now different. Shawn was backstage boning Sunny and doing alot of backstage politicking that constituted Hart thinking he was being put down by managment being the good employee, while Shawn was getting away with murder.

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I won't say Bret was the best on the mic, but he was the main heel in the entire company until the screwjob. Rock didn't really take off until after this, so the comparison is kind of apples/oranges.

The Montreal Screwjob was done because McMahon realized that Hart was a prima dona and was keeping the company down by refusing to drop the belt. He sucked as the type of heel he was and was demanding prime time matches while not delivering in the ratings. McMahon's hands were tied because Hart was an enigma to many fans and respected,but wasn't making the company money like he had previously done in years past.
HBK was more willing to change with the times(DX and Attitude,teaming with the unknown HHH and turning him into a superstar by assocation) and was being more flexible with what McMahon wanted to do for the future. The result is that HBK is still with the company today and a bigger legend than Hart I hate to say,

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As far as carrying PPVs when WCW took off... they didn't truly take off until 1996 with the nWo's formation, during which time Bret was on a hiatus and not even actively competing. Your weak main events came in the form of Diesel v. whoever while he was champ (save Survivor Series 1995), and HBK as champ v. whoever. As I recall, they never had Bret drop the belt because he wasn't drawing, but they did for Nash and HBK.

Diesel had no depth to his character tll he went to the WCW as Kevin Nash. "Diesel" couldnt carry the company and McMahon started to tinker around with different champs until he realized he needed to basically redo the face of the company. Hart was given his fair shot and didn't deliver like McMahon wanted. HBK and then eventually Stone Cold and the Rock would do much more the for the growth of the company than the stagnant Hart character.

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His gimmick didn't "die out", either... the entire point of the Hitman was that he represented tradition and what was right in the wrestling business. He maybe takes it a little too serious as far as actually living that persona goes, but it's an extension of who he really is, which is what makes gimmicks click and work.

Yes, his gimmick did die out because he didn't want to develope it further past what it had always been. He would be fine being the "Excellence of Execution" doing the same old shit for 20 more years if somebody would let him. Hogan started to get that way in 91.

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Sting turning into the Crow and getting paid to hang out in the rafters and maybe DDT someone for 2 years and then magically turning into Red Crow and being all happy and shit

I was tuned into the Monday Night Wars every Monday for a period of 3 years and Sting was probably the 3rd most popular character in WCW behind Hogan and Goldberg. Hart as Stings tag partner with both in the Crow makeup would have worked. Hart and Sting both had fans who loved them no matter and they both represented the good guys who had been fucked over in some ways because they were the 2nd gen heroes of wrestling fighting to stay alive.

Bouya wrote:

I was considering replying to all this, but then I saw "Hart as Stings tag partner with both in the Crow makeup would have worked. " And then I thought, never mind.

What is your reasoning for it not working?