Without Bret Hart and Vince McMahon being at odds over Vince's direction for the company or McMahon's ability to pay the sum of Hart's contract, the impetus for Hart being screwed and the Attitude Era starting would not exist. As well, Bret Hart's reason for his angst directly was linked to the post-steroid era early 90s where Bret was the "company guy," and defended the championship through some not-so-great years financially for McMahon. Hart's matches with everyone from his brother Owen to Shawn Michaels and also even putting over Steve Austin defined a time where WWE was searching for what was next, Hart's matches oftentimes being the only true draw on underwhelming cards. Maybe in making this list, Bret Hart can finally receive some the praise he truly deserves as a guy that McMahon literally owes much of his success to as WWE's chairman.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
