3. Hart Failure
The above image is taken from one of Bret Hart's acting appearances, which grappling fans should be grateful for. The fact of the matter is, when Hart first signed to the WWF in 1984, officials wanted to give him a cowboy gimmick, and have him literally ride to the ring of a trusty steed, bull-rope in hand, a whoopin' and a hollerin'. Turning down the character, Hart nonetheless did appear as 'Cowboy' Bret Hart a handful of times, which is hard to fathom nowadays, given the history of the man's career and the legacy he left on the pro wrestling landscape. It wasnt only Vince McMahon who saw money in the Canadian playing a cowboy, however, and Hart even made appearances under the nickname in the UK, most notably wrestling on World Of Sport under the guise of rancher. Imagine how different WWF/WWE history would be if Bret Hart hadn't spoken up, telling anyone who would listen that he couldn't possibly do the gimmick justice, mainly because well, he wasn't a cowboy, and knew little about them. No pun intended, but Bret's heart must have skipped a few beats when he realised this was what the big time writers had in store for him.