50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
45. Bret Hart Was Nearly A ‘Cowboy’ First
Bret super-fans might not want to admit it, but the 'Hitman' of 1984 likely had more in common with workmanlike NWA wrestlers over on the other channel than he did with WWF heavy hitters like Hulk Hogan. Hart just wanted to wrestle and show what he could do bell to bell, so imagine his outright horror when fed top brass told him they wanted him to play a cowboy gimmick and literally become 'Cowboy' Bret(t) Hart.
Saddle up and ride out of town immediately. That was going to be Bret's immediate response, but he had something else in mind, and it was so typically dry of him: "In Calgary, if you called yourself a cowboy then you better be one”. Simple as that. Hart also said he couldn’t ride a horse and only wanted to be a wrestler who got over for his skills. Knowing the era, it’s somewhat remarkable that Vince McMahon didn’t discard him right then and there for knocking back one of his seemingly dumb gimmicks.
It’s a good thing he didn’t, obviously, because Bret went on to become one of his linchpin stars of the 90s. He was over in the 80s too, albeit as a tag team wrestler alongside Jim Neidhart in The Hart Foundation instead of as a standalone success. Being in a double act and splitting the spotlight was one hundred times better than pretending to be a cowboy in Bret's mind, at least.
Hart did work some matches as that character, but it wasn't long before he'd talked everyone down backstage, fought his corner and managed to become something more realistic. 'Hitman' wasn't literal, but it was infinitely cooler.