After the cartoon era cooled down and the WWF entered the 1990s, fans were starting to crave for something more. The wrestlers who had headlined in the 1980s were starting to wind down and the WWF, recognising the will of the fans, began to focus on the 'New Generation' of wrestlers like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Or so fans thought. Fans were given hope when Bret, a longtime favourite and an exceptionally good worker, beat the ageing Ric Flair for the WWF Title on an untelevised event in Saskatoon, Canada. It was a bold move by the company and a show of faith in the workhorse Hart. Bret defended the belt against Michaels, Razor Ramon, former champ Flair and even Papa Shango before diving into a programme with the gargantuan Yokozuna, culminating in a match between the two at WrestleMania IX. Hart lost a poor match at the super show when Yoko's manager Mr. Fuji threw salt in The Hitman's eyes. It was a weak way to lose the belt but it would get worse. Hulk Hogan, babyface to end all babyfaces came out but, instead of protesting the decision and trying to get Bret a rematch like a real good guy would do, he instead took a WWF Title match against the big Samoan himself. Hogan won the belt in 25 seconds as Bret waddled to the back, his eyes full of salt (and tears, probably). He would have to wait another year to get a shot at the belt, since Hogan refused to drop it to him and left the WWF to star in Mr. Nanny. WWF fans believed in Bret Hart but they were left shaking their heads and questioning that belief after the way his first WWF Title reign ended.
