From @StevieHoudini: What would the WWE have looked like in 1998 with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels?
It's an interesting question because a lot of the reason 1998 was such a huge year of growth for WWE was due to the fact that a lot of their younger talent got a chance to show what they can do. It was a year where Steve Austin was established as a top guy while others like Triple H, The Rock, Mankind and Kane were all on their way up. Michaels was only there for three months and Hart was gone after Survivor Series as we all know. If Hart and Michaels were there, they would have had some of the spotlight because of the stars that they were. It would have stunted the growth of some of the other guys, no question about it. However, Hart and Michaels are also two of the best wrestlers ever from any generation so their roles would have been to make everybody around them better. It wasn't a bad year for in-ring matches, but if they were there it would have definitely helped. What I would have liked in 1998 was some closure to the Austin/Hart rivalry because Austin was never put over Hart the right way. That's my favorite feud ever, but they didn't get to end it properly. A recent feature column I wrote in late April was about WWE's important year in 1997 that covered a lot of the reasons why it was a big year for them. In 1998, they really benefited from all of the great things they did one year earlier.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
