Unfortunately, we have to end off on a bad note for Bret Hart week, as we look back at his horrible time spent in WCW. When Bret first arrived, you'd think it would be a big deal. It would be something epic for WCW, but Bret never quite fit in with the company. It was odd to say the least that he wasn't a good fit. I mean, the possibilities were endless and a ton of dream feuds could have been able to go. So what went wrong? Let's take a look.
The first true appearance for Bret was at Starrcade 1997 as he ended up being involved in the horrible yet controversial decision of Hogan vs Sting. That truly set things off on the wrong foot and left a bad taste in the mouth of WCW fans right on the heels of the Montreal Screwjob. Bret would flounder in WCW because of poor timing and terrible booking, as he merely collected a big check from WCW and had no momentum as he came in and he would never quite gain momentum.
Bret would be a part of WCW and fight against the NWO briefly, having a mini feud with former WWF rival Mr. Perfect (Curt Hennig) and a match with the man he won his first WWF Title from, Ric Flair. After that, Bret would have no direction until he turned heel and decided to help Hulk Hogan win the WCW title again and became an associate of the NWO. Now, the smart fans suspected this was the way for WCW to finally give us that big Hogan vs Bret feud and draw money off them both. It made sense and it would equal big dollars I'm sure for the company. However, it never happened and only one true match took place that ended in nonsense. The WCW never gave us a Savage vs Bret feud either, another missed opportunity. The same could be said for Bret vs Eddie, Bret vs Rey, Bret vs Jericho and more of those types of feuds. WCW had no idea what to do with Bret and it showed very much in the way they went about marketing him and placing him in feuds.
As 1998 went on, Bret would win the US Title, but he was above that belt. He was intended to elevate it I believe, along with Sting and DDP, who he feuded with during this time, but it still didn't necessarily work for him. Bret and Sting would have what I call Bret's most noteworthy WCW feud, but it didn't really stick out aside from Bret murdering Sting damn near at Halloween Havoc. Bret and Sting would feud off and on his entire time in WCW and it would end up as his most recognized rivalry in the company.
After winning the US Title a few more times, it was evident that Bret really didn't fit in WCW and that his time was seemingly over. Usually in WCW, when you are beyond your prime and washed up, you become a huge Main event player and get paid big dollars. Bret was getting the big money, but the money didn't equal anything significant for him otherwise. His most prized WCW moment???? It took place in Toronto as he wore a chest plate and had Goldberg spear him and get knocked out. Bret's biggest moment came in a segment in which he outsmarted Goldberg. Take that into consideration when thinking about how bad Bret's WCW run really was.
The best dance partner Bret had in the ring was Chris Benoit in WCW. They would put on great matches, including the Owen Hart memorial match, which was absolutely amazing and then Benoit would be the man that Bret would defeat in the tournament finals to win the WCW Title. Benoit remains his best opponent in WCW even though they didn't really have a big feud. After this, Bret would go on to be in the NWO 2000, which was pretty stupid, and he would suffer a severe concussion at the hands of Goldberg that would ultimately end his career.
Unfortunately, after his career ended, Bret would see a decline in health as a result of the concussion and complications with it, but regardless, his time in WCW was very insignificant to his ultimate legacy. So was it really that bad? Yes, it was. WCW wasted their money and wasted Bret's time. A huge misstep.
-True
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