10 Times WWE Fans Were Outraged At WrestleMania

8. The Totally Inexplicable Bret Hart/Vince McMahon Double Turn

Mania Outrage Thumb
WWE.com

This disaster was akin to running back the bible and turning Satan babyface.

Something so catastrophic has no right to not be funny, but this wasn't. WWE convinced Bret Hart to return after years of acrimonious exile to work a programme with former nemesis Vince McMahon, the first act of which was fantastic. McMahon was merciless and perversely amusing in his taunts, bringing both the entertainment and the heat in one awesome, ball-smashing promo. The feud degenerated into unnecessary, tacked-on, scheming drama from there in a clumsy attempt to dovetail the story into the WWE Championship programme, and at WrestleMania itself, a glorified angle somehow turned into a long, gruelling, cruel match with a dynamic more f*cked than NXT UK.

Bret Hart relentlessly battered McMahon - who had been decimated by the entire Hart Family - with a tire iron, for several minutes, in pro wrestling's version of Homer The Clown Vs. The Krusty Burglar.

This was less a wrestling match, more inadvertent, sobering commentary in the ills of vigilante justice. It was Bret's second double-turn on the Grandest Stage, and fans registered their disgust with a subdued, put-off hush.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!