10 Wrestlers Audiences Weren't Ready For

6. Bret Hart

Bray Wyatt
WWE.com

Bret Hart didn't draw in North America as a World Heavyweight Champion.

Bret Hart didn't draw in North America as a World Heavyweight Champion, and it hurts enough to type let alone imagine how that could possibly be the case.

All-too-often defined by what he wasn't in his early years on top rather than what he was, Hart was a dynamic, believable and credible pro wrestling machine but he wasn't Hulk Hogan. He was an affable, sometimes low-voiced sporting star in a cartoon world and he wasn't Hulk Hogan. He was close-but-no-cigar at WrestleMania IX against Yokozuna, but he wasn't a winner like Hulk Hogan.

He was Bret f*cking Hart and he wasn't Hulk Hogan and fans of the 'Excellence Of Execution' loved that about hims specifically. There just wasn't enough of those people.

WWE's popularity diminished as Hogan's star faded and Hart bravely took the reins off the back of unreal business done in some of the company's European hotspots. As a stark contrast to the America biggerfasterstronger bullishness of 'The Hulkster', Bret resonated with fans that felt a little frozen out by

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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