10 Best Heel Turns Of The WWE Attitude Era
4. Bret Hart (1997)
It can be argued that this actually predated the Attitude Era. Though true from a technical standpoint, it would remain highly unjust not to mention the Hitman's 1997 heel turn. This event was one of the brightest sparks to ignite the forthcoming years of WWE.
The opening segments of the Stone Cold vs Bret Hart feud were fairly generic. Everyone was used to Bret being the hero of the day, and Steve Austin, with his unsavoury foul-mouthed antics, reeked of villainy. Things however turned complicated leading up to their WrestleMania 13 match. The go-home episode of Raw featured a mind-blowing pipebomb from Bret, where he cussed at the crowd and the industry in equal measure, and not before shoving Vince McMahon to the mat.
The deal was sealed at the WrestleMania match. Austin refused to quit, Bret lost his cool, snapped, and the rest was history. All of a sudden WWE had jaded the characteristics of its key superstars, and this initial example is still one of the strongest.
Amazing work from the Hitman alone.