Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels Late 97

[Lil' Bitch 0]

So Bret's the heel with his anti-USA attitude and Shawn turned heel by attacking the Undertaker and being an egomaniac and then after Bad Blood, they were against each other heading into SSeries for the title.

 

Bret was face by default because SSeries was in Canada. My question though is had the 97 SSeries been held elsewhere, was Shawn supposed to be the face? Just weird seeing two heels attacking each other, its hard to get into the match.

[Guest Staravenger]

I was cheering Hart at the time because of Shawn playing more of an antagonist, and because I hated Shawns guts.

[Papacita 0]

Yeah, I think most people sided with the Harts in the DX feud due. Stuff like the vandalism of the Nation's locker room and things of that nature just made him come off as more of a heel, although the Harts never did turn in the States.

 

And personally, I loved the fact that they both went into the match as heels. Made it seem more realistic without them telling you who to root for.

[JoeDirt 0]

You have to remember that at the time it was all about SHADES OF GRAY~!

 

I agree though, if the feud had played out fully as planned, it would have been interesting to see crowd reactions.

[Guest HitmanHart]

It was played up as a neutral bout, but since the actual match was going to be in Canada, Bret was the favorite.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

The plan, according to documentary Wrestling With Shadows, was that HBK was supposed to take over Hart's heel duties, thus, the feud with The Undertaker. Hart just never caught back on as a face.

 

[cue_meanie 0]

Never caught back on!?!?!?! He never actually turned back, what with the screwjob and leaving before any of the plans had a chance to be implemented.

[Guest JMA]

One of my favorite moments during this feud was when the Hart Foundation interrupted a segment involving DX. Hart basically claimed that he was right the entire time about Shawn Michaels. When the fans started to applaud his comments, he simply said, "Please, spare me your cheers."

 

Despite the Hart Foundation's anti-American stance, they were STILL liked more by the fans than Shawn Michaels and DX. It's amazing, but true.

[Guest Staravenger]

I guess that could be filed as "shoot comments that aren't supose to be shoot comments".

[geniusMoment 0]

Actually DX had caught on in the states and were begining to get the "they are so bad they are cool" type of heel reaction by Survivor Series. It was just starting but anyone could see, much like with the NWO, it was building. If Austin was not so hot as a face they would have been cheered by fans going into Wrestlemania.

[Guest bigm350]

The original DX was always one of my favorite stables. HBK was awesome as his normal, arrogant, prick self and HHH was great too. Much better than that lame ass DX v2 with HHH, X-Pac, Gunn, Road Dogg, and Chyna.

[Shanghai Kid 0]

Actually DX had caught on in the states and were begining to get the "they are so bad they are cool" type of heel reaction by Survivor Series. It was just starting but anyone could see, much like with the NWO, it was building. If Austin was not so hot as a face they would have been cheered by fans going into Wrestlemania.

Yeah DX had a HUGE cult following by the time Royal Rumble rolled around.

 

I always liked the original DX better than any variation. HBK and HHH had the chemistry on point back then.

[JN News 0]

I always felt that the Hart Foundation was the WWF's answer to The Horsemen. They stood for wrestling tradition, while DX (Vince's answer to the nWo) stood against it.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Despite the Hart Foundation's anti-American stance, they were STILL liked more by the fans than Shawn Michaels and DX. It's amazing, but true.

I think that may stem from the fact that The Hart Foundation truly came across as believing what they said, and you could really believe that they were standing up for something they felt was right. And that is something that Americans can relate to, even if it was an anti-American heel. With DX, before they had that "cool heel" vibe going, they came across more as a group just doing what they did purely to annoy, which came across as much more of a heel persona, and that is why Shawn would have been booed a lot more outside of the US if the feud had gone on past Montreal. The reaction would have changed eventually though, with DX being the prototypical "cool heels", and The Hart Foundation being seen as "old timers", simply for their more traditional heel persona.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Never caught back on!?!?!?! He never actually turned back, what with the screwjob and leaving before any of the plans had a chance to be implemented.

I think thats referencing

 

A) Shawn taking ALL the heel heat for "turning" on Undertaker at Summer Slam, in other words, stealing all the spotlight from Bret, which caused HBK to turn heel, start D-X, ect. The Champ was no longer in the limelight

 

B) Bret stated in the documentary that he thought Bret's turning on the US made him forever an "unmarketable" face in the US, or the WWF wanted to ruin his chances of succeeding as a face if he should go south. Last line of the piece (and this was finished I guess sometime before he started fulltime in WCW) says how the WWF had "killed the "Hitman" character" And while I blame the shoddy booking in WCW for all the face-heel turns by Bret, the point is Bret Hart felt he could no longer reach the heights of popularity as a face again thanks to the "Anti-US" push

 

Steve

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Actually DX had caught on in the states and were begining to get the "they are so bad they are cool" type of heel reaction by Survivor Series. It was just starting but anyone could see, much like with the NWO, it was building. If Austin was not so hot as a face they would have been cheered by fans going into Wrestlemania.

Sadly the nWo STAYED heels, even as the Wolfpac they kind of remained tweeners where they'd face heels and faces (i.e. DDP never joined the Wolfpac)

 

But there is late 90's-early 00's WCW booking for ya

 

Steve

[Guest krazykat72]

B) Bret stated in the documentary that he thought Bret's turning on the US made him forever an "unmarketable" face in the US, or the WWF wanted to ruin his chances of succeeding as a face if he should go south. Last line of the piece (and this was finished I guess sometime before he started fulltime in WCW) says how the WWF had "killed the "Hitman" character" And while I blame the shoddy booking in WCW for all the face-heel turns by Bret, the point is Bret Hart felt he could no longer reach the heights of popularity as a face again thanks to the "Anti-US" push

 

Steve

I like Bret, but please, it was a pro wrestling heel turn, period. He'd have been fine if WCW hadn't screwed it up.

 

-Paul Jacobi-