10 Times Wrestling Ruined What You Loved

5. Bret Hart's Wellbeing

Bret Hart WrestleMania 8
WWE.com

For a good while, at least.

Now ensured of his rightful place as an elite tier, industry-defining and altering professional wrestling giant, Bret Hart's in-ring legacy was - for a considerable amount of time - simply not people's primary concern.

'The Excellence Of Execution' endured more than any one person should be forced to between 1997 and 2005. The events of Montreal and tragic passing of brother Owen left deep emotional scars after a lifetime in the business that had partially caused both. Hart was then infamously and cruelly forced out of it entirely - his retirement following 1999 match with Goldberg was compounded a stroke suffered while riding his bike in 2002.

Many couldn't nor wouldn't recover. That he survived these brutally difficult times remains a testament to the mental strength of 'The Hitman', is one of the many many reasons people loe him so much, and is in keeping with the strong and prideful persona he has allowed the world to witness for much of his personal and professional life.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett