10 Wrestlers We Had To Love Before We Could Hate

8. Bret Hart

Bret too? You better believe it.

Fans had booed him as part of a tag-team with Jim Neidhart in the '80s, but there was no genuine reason behind that other than the fact they were managed by established heel Jimmy Hart. The proper heat didn't come until the 'Hitman' had first become a heroic blue eye who stood up for hard work and fair play.

Throughout the '90s, Bret emerged as a Hogan successor who offered up something different to the ear-cupping pageantry of Hulk's prime. His matches were athletic displays that gripped fans for their content, not just the story surrounding them. That changed when Hart bit back at America, disowned his American fans and declared Canada superior.

When he then reformed a new version of The Hart Foundation, Bret was public enemy number one to the US fanbase. That couldn't have hoped to be such a successful idea had Hart not been such a cherished champion for years first.