10 Wrestlers Who Foreshadowed Everything

9. Bret Hart

CM Punk WWE 2K
WWE.com

Bret Hart knew most things about most things when it came to wrestling, and he'd been keen to work with Steve Austin for years before his golden opportunity finally came along.

A loud advocate for bringing the former 'Stunning' WCW midcarder (and, by then, ECW firebrand) in, 'The Hitman's breadth of understanding made it apparent to him just how awesome the matches could be between the two. And when the timing worked out for them to actually face, a series of excellently executed promos resulted in a feud that could very credibly claim to be the best there is, was and ever will be in the organisation's entire history.

Calling Stone Cold Steve Austin "the best wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation" upon his return from a 1996 post-WrestleMania sabbatical was as much to have a sly pop at WWE Champion (and god-tier workhouse at the time) Shawn Michaels as it was elevate that year's King Of The Ring, but their contests only got the line of thinking even more over.

By the time Austin transitioned into a summer 1997 programme with Bret's brother Owen, he was already a made man.

In this post: 
CM Punk
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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