10 Greatest Long Term WWE Storylines Ever
8. Bret Hart Vs. Jerry Lawler
Bret Hart had drawn Jerry Lawler's ire by winning the 1993 King of the Ring tournament. As the self-styled real king of professional wrestling, Lawler brutally attacked the impostor in a white-hot angle during the coronation ceremony. Their subsequent match at SummerSlam was one of wrestling's greatest ever short-round classics. The feud was scheduled to resume at that year's Survivor Series event - but Jerry Lawler's legal troubles forced the WWF to postpone it until 1995.
Lawler's consummate chickensh*t heel act propelled the feud to greatness - his patent fear of Hart compelled him to draft in the likes of Doink The Clown, Hakushi and Isaac Yankem DDS to act as his proxy. This sustained his heat, reinforced Hart's heroism, built anticipation for their eventual clash, and made enterprising and logical use of a parade of midcard talents.
The rivalry might have dragged on a little too long, but its epic duration worked because Lawler, in particular, made it work. By constantly pecking and pecking at Hart and, hilariously, his family on commentary, Lawler had given him storyline cause to lash out at him with the same conviction two years later.
The bloated length was also rewarding because it legitimised the WWF in an era otherwise compromised by its cartoonish, DayGlo aesthetic. The recurrent nature of the rivalry made it all the more real. Hart and Lawler didn't return their swords to the sheath because the cameras stopped rolling, or because they were preoccupied with new opponents. The hatred was always there, bubbling under the surface.