2. Bret Hart, Business Turns South On His Watch
We have detailed how the likes of Shawn Michaels and Undertaker struggled in 96 and 97 ... well all that was coming off the disastrous run of Bret Hart in 1992, 1994 and 1995. He was the transition guy from the cartoon era to a more realistic athletic era, and fans just didn't get on board for the ride. Attendances, PPV buys and merchandise all took a nosedive with Hart leading the company. Try as McMahon did to get Hart over, fans just didn't buy into the normal looking guy carrying the championship. Everyone was conditioned to big guys like Hogan and Warrior, resulting in a mass turn off when Bret Hart became Champion. Despite his athletic ability, many people just couldn't take him seriously as champion in the WWF "the land of the giants". In saying that, Bret was a solid draw overseas, but the US market is king - he posted a drop in year on year PPV buys domestically. When Hulk Hogan came back in as champion things recovered for a short while. The indication was clear, bigger guys sell, smaller guys don't. Bret sees things differently. He is the first man to stand up and say how hot a performer he was, blaming everything from creative to Shawn Michaels for his failings in the WWF. Regarding his ability to draw, Bret has stated that business fell off a cliff after his reign transitioned to Shawn Michaels. What Bret needs to consider is this, the baton he handed Michaels was so weak that HBK was already in a losing race. WCW and Hogan were way more in tune with the mass audience than Hart and the WWF.