Bret Hart.

[Mr Lawrence]

Bret never really got the loudest ovations in America when he wrestled in his prime. His comeback pops have been ok, but nothing out of this world. Yet i would bet me house on it, that when he is announced at the 02 arena in London this April, the rafters will "literally be shaking" when he is announced. I dare say the same will happen if he goes anywhere else in Europe aswell. Canada - no brainer. Why dont the Yanks likehim as much as everywhere else?

[Dillkid]

Is it something against Canadians?

[Divorced Dad]

Is it something against Canadians?

 

Not when countless other Canadians have gotten big pops in America.

[Doctor Whos Next]

My guess? He was the first babyface champion that didn't fit into the Hulk Hogan mould. Plus, a lot of people might remember him as a "tag team" guy, which he was, less than 2 years before his first world title run.

[Magnum]

I may be wrong, but could it have something to do with the fact that Bret's rise to the top coincided with the WWF's initial expansion into the European and British markets? I mean, the period around 1992-93 was IIRC a relatively bad time for the WWF as far as business in the US was concerned, but as a kid growing up over here I remember it as a boom period, when wrestling was all over the mainstream media with the Slam Jam single breaking the UK top 5 and wrestlers all over breakfast TV. Although we all knew of them from old VHS tapes, Hogan, Warrior and the like were only around fleetingly when the WWF became really big in this country, whereas Bret was around the top of the cards right from the start of the period when regular UK tours started.

[Happ Hazzard]

Bret stood out while still in a tag team though, mostly through being a great worker, but he also had help through Monsoon and McMahon on commentary putting him over as "the excellence of execution", and "the best technical wrestler in the WWF" etc. I think it was just the contrast between the super-charismatic Hogan, Savage, Warrior etc and the more down to earth Hitman. Ironically it was probably him being more of a real person that helped his popularitiy in the rest of the world.

[Dillkid]

I think it's becuase he wasn't as big a star as Hogan

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Bret never really got the loudest ovations in America when he wrestled in his prime. His comeback pops have been ok, but nothing out of this world. Yet i would bet me house on it, that when he is announced at the 02 arena in London this April, the rafters will "literally be shaking" when he is announced. I dare say the same will happen if he goes anywhere else in Europe aswell. Canada - no brainer. Why dont the Yanks likehim as much as everywhere else?

I dont agree that he never got the loudest ovations. He always got loud ovations in the United States up until 1996 when he started planting the seeds for a heel turn, and even in late 1997 the fans were begging for him to turn face when he was in his feud with Shawn Michaels. He wrestled 90% of his WWF career in the United States and the reason he's such a well remembered character is because of his exposure to the US audience and his following in that country. The reason he's probably more well liked in Canada, Europea and elsewhere is because he was always the lead attraction on all the big money making tours in the mid-90s. Sure the fans are way more passionate and alot of his diehard fans come from Canada and Europe, but in the United States he's a well remembered and popular figure (the Hall of Fame drew a big number in 2006 thanks to his involvment and his book outsold Hogan, Michaels and Batista's books without the big TV push). People must have short memories of how much the fans were into him in the 90s. Business might not have been as strong as in previous years, but the fans loved the Hitman.

[Enter Raven]

I think the short answer "it's been too long". Every decent return in memorable history has been after short-moderate abscences. Michaels, Hogan, Piper, Foley, and more often than not they maintain personalities in and around the industry even if not an active competitor. It's been over 12 years since Bret was in WWF/E, and nearly 10 years since he's been on regular televised wrestling. I think a lot of people would be disappointed at the response someone like Warrior would get if they returned now. There's a new generation of fans and they don't particularly know nor care who Bret Hart is unless they have a WWEClassics.com subscription.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I think the short answer "it's been too long". Every decent return in memorable history has been after short-moderate abscences. Michaels, Hogan, Piper, Foley, and more often than not they maintain personalities in and around the industry even if not an active competitor. It's been over 12 years since Bret was in WWF/E, and nearly 10 years since he's been on regular televised wrestling. I think a lot of people would be disappointed at the response someone like Warrior would get if they returned now. There's a new generation of fans and they don't particularly know nor care who Bret Hart is unless they have a WWEClassics.com subscription.

What are you basing this on? Pops dont generate business. Otherwise Kofi Kingstone would be the champion and John Cena would be pissing in his pants at the thought of his PPV money being shared. Bret's been involved at alot of top angles since his return and even the one glaring shite angle (the car accident one) was done to set up that brilliant segment last week. Viewing figures, merchandise sales and feedback from the sheets and casual fans has been very good. They've even cancelled a proposed Bret Hart DVD, because his last DVD's sales have spiked since his return. Far better than when Piper rolls back into town. When you say it's been "to long", I dont get what your talking about. Hogan's return bombed in 2002 in every aspect apart from merchandise and one WrestleMania buyrate that would have done good business anyway, Steve Austin's return in 2003 died on its arse when the buyrate to WrestleMania 19 came in, Piper never does anything for business other than a brief pop and Flair's only used as a cashcow they sell a DVD or two off. WWE's business has probably never been better since 2001, so it's best he came back during a period where people might actually buy his shit, and actually watch him.

[freaky]

I think it's becuase he wasn't as big a star as Hogan

Sympathy support? Seriously?

 

You're just guesing, aren't you? A bit of advice - and this is something that's already been said to you - if you don't know the answer or don't have evidence to back up your theory, keep quiet.

 

As for the pop at the O2 - I hope that Mr Lawrence is right. British wrestling fans have longer memories than their American counterparts so the nostalgia for Bret might be there. However, Bret Hart hasn't been part of a WWF/E show in the UK for 12 and a half years and a decent number of the fans who will go to Raw in the O2 will either have not been born when Bret Hart left the WWF or will be newer fans who will only know him from his current run since January.

[Segaboyno]

In late 1997 the fans were begging for [Hart] to turn face when he was in his feud with Shawn Michaels.

 

That's purely because Michaels was outperforming Hart in their respective heel roles.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

In late 1997 the fans were begging for [Hart] to turn face when he was in his feud with Shawn Michaels.

 

That's purely because Michaels was outperforming Hart in their respective heel roles.

You do no it's a work, and when they are feuding they arent playing the same character? They didnt compete to see who was "the beta heelz!11". The Survivor Series was going to be held in Canada, so Bret played the face without turning face leading into it. Get off the "he did better" train. I reckon The Nation and DX jumping the Hart Foudation and Steve Austin helping Bret Hart win matches doesnt exactly screem "BRET'S A HEEL" does it?

 

I disgree over who was performing better with his said role, but obviously a man who makes videos of Shawn Michaels gyrating his pelvis to James Bond love songs isnt going to see the bigger picture anyway.

[Segaboyno]

Seemed to be a heel/heel feud to me, with Hart being cheered on at the PPV due to the hometown bias.

 

Which is fine, but to state that the crowd were "begging for Hart to turn face" - when the event was held in Montreal - is slightly farcical.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Seemed to be a heel/heel feud to me, with Hart being cheered on at the PPV due to the hometown bias.

 

Which is fine, but to state that the crowd were "begging for Hart to turn face" - when the event was held in Montreal - is slightly farcical.

But every show up until the card was held in the United States. How can you say it was "heel vs heel" when one group was spray painting cheap heat shit like "Malcome X go home" on The Nations locker room and trying to fit the Harts as racists. All the cheap heat tactics from DX were designed for the fans to cheer for Bret. And two weeks before the PPV when Hart got hold of Michaels after a match with Owen Hart and Rick Rude had to drag him out (as the fans cheered) it was totally set up as a heel vs face feud. Bret's character was standing up against two factions (Nation and DX) and not backing down against the odds when he was outnumbered and the other was running from the man he was set to face at the PPV. It's a classic heel vs face setup. It's plane as day. And the fact that they had 4 weeks of TV in the US leading into a match held in Canada was smart booking because you wanted the US fans to be backing Hart leading into Survivor Series.