10 Uncredited Architects Behind WWE’s Gigantic Success

5. Bret Hart

Jim Cornette
WWE.com

Bret Hart bridged the gap between the Golden Age and Attitude Era. He reined supreme atop the company during a lull period, and his lasting legacy is of a great wrestler who simply didn't possess the star power to blitz the box office.

There's some truth in that. Numbers don't lie. Harder to calculate is just how many WWF fans Bret retained as a result of his progressive and intelligent body of in-ring work. The New Generation was watched by less people than any other period in company history, but a sound argument can be made that the very best matches WWE promoted took place between 1994 and 1997. Younger fans who stuck around and suffered through the worst of it were rewarded by the work of Hart, Shawn Michaels et al. and began to appreciate wrestling as both art form and life-long obsession.

Those aged thirty and over cherish Hart's contributions. His advanced storytelling matured the product in parallel with the ageing fanbase. WWE is aware of the shrunken audience and appeals directly to it in 2017. Without Hart, there's a good chance it would be even smaller.

Hart is too often perceived as a custodian. It's a reductive assessment.

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!