Even for men WCW did have wrestle frequently, there weren't often a whole load of plans. That was certainly the case with Bret 'Hitman' Hart, who had become wrestling's hottest free agent following the incendiary events of the WWF's 1997 Survivor Series. Screwed over by Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels, Hart should have entered WCW with something to prove, but he was scarcely given anything of any real note to do. Bret's first major appearance for WCW was as Special Guest Referee in bout between Eric Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko for control of the company. That's right, the so-called hottest name in the entire industry was a bit-part player on WCW's biggest show of the year, later getting involved in a confusing finish to the heavily-hyped Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting main event. Reading Bret's autobiography reveals something else of interest, the fact that WCW top brass had pretty much nothing for him after he made his debut. Instead of immediately becoming part of the ongoing nWo vs. WCW saga, Hart had a tepid match with Ric Flair at Souled Out in January, 1998, and didn't even have a bout at SuperBrawl VIII the next month. It's fascinating to think that WCW had nothing for Bret Hart, but according to the man himself, they didn't have any booking plans for him outside of random wrestling matches.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
