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  NoDQ.com > Columns > New NoDQ column - Bret Hart's Impact in WWE
Posted by Steven Pascaec on 02/07/2010 at 12:35 PM

This is my debut column here on NoDQ.com! Contact me with feedback by clicking on my name above! I hope you enjoy...

Twelve years ago Bret "Hitman" Hart left WWE in a swirl of controversy, anger and disgust. "The Montreal Screwjob" as it has become known in the world of wrestling, to this day, is one of the biggest hot button issues. Constantly argued on forums, videos and books. Though this kind of action, this screwjob, had been common place during the age of territories, this was the first time that generation of wrestling fans had witnessed anything like it. During an age when the realism of wrestling itself was being switched out for sports entertainment, one of the realest incidents anyone has seen took place.

Fans of the Hitman have always stood by him taking the side that Vince, and to a degree, Shawn, screwed Bret. Fans of Shawn's and detractors of Bret's take issue with this and cite that old statement we've heard so much; "Bret didn't want to do whats right for the business." Whatever side you may find yourself on, one fact remains clear, this has been one of the most compelling stories, growing more heated every year. Imagine my surprise, an adamant fan of Bret who was not only hurt, but heart broken that November, when it was announced that the Hitman was coming back to WWE.

The storyline seemed to write itself here. Bret Hart would return, possibly for revenge, possibly for peace but ultimately, to finally bury the Montreal Screwjob once and for all. There is a certain irony that something that developed as a shoot could finish as a work (though there are those who believe the screwjob itself was the most ingenious work in the history of the business.) What an amazing time to be a fan of wrestling.

Whether you love him or you hate him, Bret Hart did so much for this business during a time when viewership was down and fans were ashamed to admit that they were watching every Monday night. During a time when WWE was being run by guys like Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart was working midcard matches with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart as one half ot the Hart Foundation. Later he'd go on into singles, and perform some of the most memorable matches in history against men like Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig, or Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Perhaps the pain and disgust of that night in November eminates not from a place of wrestling fandom, but from a personal, visceral place each one of us has inside of our hearts. To see a man who had been there for so long, leave in such a dark way, was a galvanizing event. One must consider before passing judgment on the accolades of the Hitman that without him, Stone Cold Steve Austin wouldn't have put on the best match of his career at Wrestlemani 13. People point out that Shawn Michael's mastered the Ladder Match again Scott Hall at Wrestlemania 10 but overlook the fact that he performed in his first against Bret Hart two years earlier. Bret Hart was the first ever King of the Ring and brought legitimacy to the crown which would later be worn by such wrestlers as Owen Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H and others.

Whether you were a fan of the Excellence of Execution or not, I defy you to question or discard his major contributions to this business. Whether you agree that he was a Canadian hero or just a man who bought into his gimmick too much, you can't deny his lasting impact and place in the history of this business. It was Bret Hart who opened the door for Vince McMahon to walk though and become an on air character we'd all grow to despise and cheer as he received the first of many Stone Cold Stunners. So now we find ourselves sitting there on Monday Night's waiting to see what happens, in a time when wrestling has taken a step backward. While everyone is discussing the rebirth of the Monday Night Wars, which seems like an insult to the original considering the quality of competition, I am watching to see the Hitman finally get the send off he has been deserving for twelve years.

So here we are, waiting to see how the Hitman reacts to Batista jumping him and Vince McMahon spitting in his face. Waiting to see the Pink and Black attack finally cross the legs and lock that Sharpshooter on the Chairman of WWE and pull on his legs until he passes out. This is the culmination of such an emotional issue that I, and many others, have been waiting so long to see. We're not expecting this to finally fix the Montreal Screwjob, and we're not waiting for a work to replace a shoot. That controversy will always burn in the minds of those who witnessed it, whatever side of the spectrum you fall on. We're waiting to see a man be granted the honor and respect he so strongly deserves. We're waiting for this because in a time where wrestling seems to not mean what it once did we can, even if only for a moment, flashback to one of the wildest times in it's history, and relieve everything we used to feel for a man who embodied so much of what we cheered for. Call me a mark, if you will, but I will take the conclusion to this story over another rebirth of the nWo and another return of Hulk Hogan any day of the week.

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