9. Bret Hitman Hart - WWF Champion (03/07/97 09/11/97)
The Hitmans 5th (and final) WWF title reign will forever be overshadowed by the way it ended. Now, myself and every other wrestling correspondent that ever lived have analyzed the events known as The Montreal Screwjob to death. Books have been written, films have been made and numerous interviews have been given. There is even a small contingent of fans that genuinely believe, despite all evidence to the contrary, that The Screwjob itself was a work. So, whatever your thoughts on it may or may not be, we arent going to go there this time out... The point is that, the 1997 model Hitman was absolutely at the peak of his powers. He had fully transitioned from flawless technician and respected mid carder to being THE bona-fide star of any WWF show. The Hitman was now a great all-rounder, beloved entertainer, respected in-ring worker and bankable drawing card. Hart had stepped out of the shadow of Hogan; he had beaten Ric Flair at his own game and he had enough experience at the Main Event level to qualify as a locker room general. In addition, despite the fact that it was obviously thrust upon him to lower his market value within the wrestling industry, Bret Hart embraced his newfound US-hating heel character with zeal and guts. Attacking the USA breathed new life into the Hitman character and gave Bret Hart a new angle to play up. As any longtime fan knows, the most beloved heroes will always make the most hated heels. Bret Harts heel work was actually very polished as well, both in the ring and on the mic - and he was able to polarize fans in the same way that John Cena does today. His inflammatory, US hating promos led fans to get extra hot in the same way that old school fans used to when somebody cheated the hometown hero. Dont believe me? Re-watch the crowd interviews from Wrestling With Shadows. Those guys are almost ready to riot. A feud with the masked Patriot character (an instance of a very good wrestler saddled with a crap gimmick) unravelled his momentum a bit, but even still, by the time of the Screwjob, Bret Hart was the hottest heel in the business and his title run up to that point should be considered as some of the best work of his career.
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