10 Wrestlers Who Changed WWE’s In-Ring Style

8. Bret Hart

Punk Bryan MITB
WWE.com

The biggest misconception surrounding Bret Hart is that he didn't draw a dime.

Numbers, as the cliché goes, do not lie. That he didn't rival the box office success of Hulk Hogan is indisputable. But while Hart could not recapture the mainstream presence the WWF dominated in the late eighties, his evolution of the in-ring style helped secure its long-term future. Those who stuck with the WWF throughout its (mostly) dire Occupational Era did so because Hart's incredible work elevated wrestling from fad to art form.

Hart didn't miraculously recover from ungodly punishment - he doled it out, adopting the body-part-targeting psychology synonymous with the NWA in order to allow those fans who knew wrestling was "fake" to believe in it, nonetheless. If Hogan had wrestled Diesel in the mid-nineties, he would have dispatched him within ten minutes after suffering for eight. Hart didn't - at Survivor Series 1995, he chopped down Diesel's leg with surgical precision in a methodical and believable approach. He even bit the seven-footer, surrendering his valiant persona for the purposes of immersion.

Hart didn't draw a dime - but he drew countless fans to a lifetime of wrestling fandom.

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!