One Moment WWE Wants You To Forget From Every Year (1985 to 2026)
17. 2010 - Can't Miss Becomes Can't Hit
Bret Hart Vs Vince McMahon - the worked version of an all-time shoot tale - ended up as a generational disappointment. How?
Fans that cared deeply for 'The Hitman', the sense of injustice that had haunted him, or indeed about the innards of an industry that were put on display to the world that night in 1997 that had waited over 12 long - and in Bret's case, painful - years to see it, and WrestleMania 26 was as massive a stage as could have been erected for it. It was odd - the contest had so much more to it than anybody could have expected, yet simultaneously felt as though it couldn't have delivered any less.
'The Excellence Of Execution' couldn't take shots in the head, or really even bump, which worked against the two, but smart booking can get around anything. He still threw one of the best worked punches in the game, proving as much in his scintillating few minutes in the SummerSlam main event later that year.
Most people just wanted to see the Sports Entertainment version of the real story. Perennially awful and evil Mr McMahon gets chinned, just like he did in real life in the locker room after the Survivor Series, and then, rather than walking out and trying to tarnish the name of an all-time great, screams in agony thanks to one epic and cathartic Sharpshooter. Instead, the two served up confusingly-agented 10+ minute beatdown by Bret and the Hart Family that bordered on babyfacing a spiteful billionaire by the end. Per differing and conflicting reports, that bewilderingly might have even been the intent.