10 Wrestling Stories That Blurred Reality

4. Bret Hart Goes Anti-American (1997)

Obviously, Bret Hart didn't actually despite the good old USA or think that the country was a toilet he was ashamed to work in. The Canadian hero had earned millions of dollars off the back of entertaining American fans, and he'd grown fond of the place despite his heritage further north.

Even so, Hart was sour on the way pro wrestling fans at large were changing, and he knew that the United States (as the WWF's hub) was at the centre of that evolution. So, jumping at the chance to revitalise his character and turn heel for the first time in years, Bret told the US to cram it and embarked on a wonderful run as villain to Americans and babyface everywhere else.

The gimmick let Hart vent his frustrations about how fans were increasingly becoming bloodthirsty brats but massaged his ego by allowing him to play Superman internationally and at home in Canada. If you've never seen much of Hart pre-'Montreal Screwjob' in '97, then you're missing out.

It was some of the best work his career, and that's down to splashes of reality.