Why Bret Hart Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin Transformed The Wrestling Business

5. Bret Hart Turns Heel

Bret Hart Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE Network

A full-bodied heel turn exquisitely crafted, Bret Hart's post-match beatdown of Steve Austin allowed fans to cave to their better instincts and boo the fallen idol in a manner they hadn't known they wanted to for months.

Hart's demeanour had tilted as early as December, when his frustrations boiled over following a cheap loss to Sycho Sid in his first attempt to regain the WWE Championship he still felt had been taken from him unfairly.

Regardless of the justifications, a complaining 'Hitman' was new ground for the character and for Vince McMahon, who traditionally didn't care for his heels to have that powerful a cause. 12 months earlier, Bret had lost to Shawn Michaels and in a cynical bite of reality, 'HBK' told the referee to 'get him the f*ck out of the ring' before even celebrating his win.

Hart's physical manifestation of that same bile a year later as he kicked away at a prone Austin rather than cherish his glory was a similar mood swing used for creative good.

Embracing his evil side, Hart's new character simultaneously ended and restarted his rivalry with 'The Rattlesnake', drastically altering 1997's booking plans in a way that would help craft the biggest star in the industry since Hulk Hogan.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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