The WWE landscape wasn't that strong when Raw started in January of 1993. Their top draw Hulk Hogan wasn't a full timer anymore and a year later he left the company. They needed others to step up. That group was eventually called the "New Generation" led by Bret Hart. He was in WWE for a while until he ascended to the top in 1992 and then in 1993 he really became "the man" in the company. There were a lot of great Bret Hart moments on Raw over the years, but it was his run in 1997 that was probably his best. That's when he turned heel because he felt like there were too many forces working against him and he didn't like that fans were chanting for a guy like Steve Austin either. It's that Austin feud that really showed how incredible Bret was even as a heel. If this was about the best wrestlers in WWE history he might be higher up, but when you only count the history of Raw he really only made his presence felt for about five years as an active wrestler (1993 to 1997) and when he made his return in 2010 as well. That pop that Bret received on the January 4, 2010 edition of Raw was a memorable one as the fans showed appreciation for a man that was gone from WWE for far too long.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
