WWE Raw Gallery: 25 Years Of Iconic Monday Nights

22. 1996 - The Best There Ever Will Be?

The Rock CM Punk
WWE Network

Dateline: 21st October, 1996

Vince McMahon sold tremendous relief at the broadcast booth as Bret Hart returned to television to confirm he'd be with WWE 'forever'. He'd quickly curse his haste.

'The Hitman' contract saga was in many ways what defined McMahon's 1996, as it would prove to the following year too. It was against Hart's better emotional judgment to take Eric Bischoff's sizeable offer as Kevin Nash and Scott Hall had earlier in the year, but turning back the cash took a knock-back of all rational sense.

His measured, suspenseful promo was loaded with truths from his summer of uncertainty, and a single bullet for topline replacement Shawn Michaels when he referred to Stone Cold Steve Austin as 'the best wrestler' in the company. The segment would foreshadow his transcendent feuds with both.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 almost 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 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL 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