Shining a Spotlight 10.25.12: The Hitman’s Rise

An anniversary has passed by that many of us have missed. An event that had major implications for the WWF and its fandom and would reshape wrestling in the ‘90’s in a major way. It’s shifted in perception a bit over time but still a standout moment of a major star coming into his own and proving a new wave was coming for wrestling of the time.

It was twenty years ago last week that Bret Hart first won the WWF championship.

I know, it makes you feel old reading that. To many fans, it feels almost yesterday that they saw it announced on TV (no IWC back then) and a huge surprise. At the time WWF was centered around Ric Flair as champion with Randy Savage the former titleholder and the Ultimate Warrior seemingly ready to challenge Flair next. To learn that Bret, a man who was far from the muscle-bound, larger than life character the WWF main event scene had revolved around for years, was now the champion threw a lot of people. But it ended up being just the move WWF needed at a rough time and raised the profile of “real” wrestling as well. And it was all due to the rare time of Vince McMahon taking a risk on a guy few others had confidence in.

The Rise of Bret

So much has been written and said about Bret Hart in the last several years, not all of it good, that’s it’s quite easy to forget how great he was and how important he was to Vince. There’s no real need to go over his early career, that’s been well-documented enough. What is worth noting is how Bret took off so well when WWF finally pulled the trigger on him going solo in 1991. Yes, he was great in the ring and good on the mic, very popular with fans but still didn’t expect to take off as massively well as he did. Fans responded to him, his amazing work in the ring but also his attitude, tough and not giving up, keeping things fair but able to fight nasty when needed, a good mix that got him over big.

It’s been easy to criticize Bret over the last several years over how he got too wrapped up in making it all real, treating it as serious athletics, not just a job and performance. Even uber-mark Scott Keith has acknowledged that Bret’s one of those guys who bought into his own character and it ended up wreaking havoc with his personal life. That intensity and ego was shown as 1992 began when Vince wanted Bret to drop the IC title to the cartoonish Mountie just before the Royal Rumble. Bret agreed only under the condition that they put out the story that Bret had a severe flu and was wrestling against doctor’s orders, a bit of ego-soothing that some guys in the back complained about. It did end up giving us the classic Bret vs Piper match at Wrestlemania, the two having a fantastic bout with Bret regaining the title. He would then have a good feud with the newly heel Shawn Michaels, Shawn showing his stuff well as they battled, including the first-ever WWF ladder matches. They were set to have it out at SummerSlam but with the show at Wembley Stadium, Vince decided instead to have Bret and Davey Boy Smith have the main event. It was a match Bret carried to a sensational affair but paid off big with Davey Boy winning.

Bret was worried after that, worried about falling into the mid-card background. Bulldog was already being set against various challengers, including Michaels. The main event scene had revolved totally around Flair and Savage, Flair regaining the title in early September while the Warrior seemed all set to get the belt as well. In his book, Bret writes about how he knew the score well. During Hogan’s heyday, Bret hadn’t really been a fan of the guy but he grew up in wrestling so he knew the big belt didn’t go to the best worker, it went to the biggest draw and Hogan was clearly it and everyone knew it. He understood he wasn’t as lively or big-as-life as those guys, he just settled for doing his best to make his bouts on the show memorable. At the time, it was regarded that while the big belt went to the biggest star, the IC belt went to the best worker (the Honky Tonk Man notwithstanding) and Bret was proud to have that belt, feeling a bit lost without it. Despite the contract he’d just re-signed, WCW was still an option as Bret was worried he might have gone as far as he could in WWF.

As it turned out, he was very wrong and the company was the better for that.

The Switch

Vince McMahon, by his own admission, is pretty much a bastard. True, not as bad as a lot of promoters/owners in wrestling history but still a greedy scumbag for the most part who considers himself above everyone else. However, as odd as it sounds, Vince is capable of showing some heart, as with his program to offer free rehab to wrestlers, even those who don’t work for WWE currently. Most importantly, Vince admires loyalty for the most part. He appreciates a guy who puts in work for him constantly and continues with it. That was a key in the decision although there were other factors to consider.

As most know, in 1992, WWF was involved in some very ugly media affairs. The federal investigation into steroid use was in full swing and Vince was taking flak for it, doubled by accusations of sexual misconduct in the company. It was the steroids that no doubt played a part in the decision. After all, when you’ve got the media and feds on your case about guys juicing up, putting someone like Warrior as champ would be a terrible move. Picking someone else was a bit tricky. Reportedly Pat Patterson was pushing for Rick Martel, a former AWA champ and claims they were considering Tito Santana as well to get the Latino audience higher. But Vince had his mind set on Bret. Despite all their issues, Vince had a respect for Stu Hart, knowing anyone trained by the guy was well worth pushing. More importantly, Vince was smart enough to see how fans responded to Bret, the man, of course, huge in Canada. One advantage WWF always had over WCW was that neither Crockett or Turner were ever able to crack the Great White North, that was Vince’s base and with Bret, he’d be able to solidify that control majorly. And, as noted, Vince had to admire Bret’s loyalty and drive.

It was completely out of the blue as Bret was handling a Canadian run when he got a call to show up at an unscheduled TV taping at the Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon on October 12th. Bret figured he’d be put up against Flair just to fill out the arena, nothing major. Vince came to him, talked of all Bret had done in the last eight years and there was nothing else to be done. Just as Bret wondered if he was getting fired, Vince dropped the bomb that he was being put over Flair that very night. Bret was stunned, not expecting this at all. Sure, one thing to think you’re the best in the company and deserving of the big belt, quite another for the boss to tell you it’s happening. Bret and Flair met, Flair letting him know it was okay and was happy that it was Bret he was dropping the belt to, the two quickly working out the match.

The fans were firmly on Bret’s side, of course, but most figured it was just a match for WWF’s home video tapes, not a major change for the company. Bret and Flair mixed it up great in the ring, the tide switching back and forth, each giving their all. Bret would injure his ankle during the match but fought through it and at one point, even broke a finger, snapping it back into place (with the cameras catching Curt Hennig on the outside wincing as he saw it). The crowd was hyped as Bret made a big comeback, even pulling a Lawler by yanking down the straps of his suit and pound on Flair. He soon managed to hit a suplex off the top rope and then slap on the Sharpshooter. Perfect leapt onto the apron to distract the ref, fans no doubt figuring this would give Flair the chance to escape and cheat out a win. Instead, the ref forced Perfect back down, turning as Flair began nodding his head and signaled for the bell.

The crowd erupted into shocked cheers as the word was official and Bret was the new champion. Seeing the Canadian hero take it, by submission, in his home country was just wonderful as Bret celebrated, obviously loving this. A nice bit was the cameras catching a shot of an adorable little girl who Bret had given his glasses to before the match, pumping her tiny fist for the new champ. It was a huge moment but the effects were just beginning.

Reactions

Remember, this was 1992. The Internet as we knew it did not exist, you couldn’t get instant news out the way we take for granted today. There were the “dirt sheet” newsletters but they weren’t that widely popular or up to date. Indeed, some in the crowd that night might well have speculated that (as happened a lot during Flair’s reigns as NWA champion), this was just a one-night thing, Flair would get the belt back a few days later and it wouldn’t be official.

But instead, that weekend’s WWF shows featured it as their opening. RAW was still months away, you had two weekend shows, Wrestling Superstars and Wrestling Challenge, basically the same matches with different commentary teams. Each show opened with footage of Gene Okerlund interviewing Bret, who gave a true heartfelt speech on how it felt being the champion at last and following your dreams. A fun bit was each show had a Flair ally moaning about this. Perfect was shown with McMahon, yelling “Saskatoon, who ever heard of Saskatoon?!” and claiming Flair had been deathly ill. Bobby Heenan was even better, yelling at Gorilla Monsoon to shut up and also up in arms over where the title change had taken place. “Couldn’t be New York, no. Chicago, no. But Saskatoon?!” So from the start, WWF was making it clear this wasn’t a fluke, Bret was the champ and big plans for him were underway. Sure, Savage and Flair and Warrior had screen time but the champ was the center of WWF then so Bret being on top meant fan attention was shifting from the older stars to a fresher face, which sparked interest a lot more.

For the fans, it was pretty jarring. Again, no IWC back then so the reactions weren’t the same as they might be today but even those who admired Bret were amazed WWF was giving him the main spot. His ring skills couldn’t be denied but being the champ requires a lot more than just that, Bret’s star power and charisma not seen on the level or Flair or Savage or Warrior. However, it didn’t take long before fans responded well, realizing Bret really was a great pick for that situation. I remember tuning in to watch and realizing just how fitting the belt looked on Bret, really matching him perfectly and he lived up to that. It helped that Bret made it clear he would be taking on all comers. Indeed, one of his first defenses was against Virgil, the idea of this midcard face getting a shot at the big belt a great touch and made Bret look more like a fighting champion. He would have rematches with Flair, including a 60-minute Iron Man house match that Bret would later cite as one of his favorite bouts ever. While some of his challenges weren’t really top-notch (the Berserker?), WWF wisely put him and Shawn against each other at the Survivor Series. With Bulldog not quite working out as IC champ, Shawn ended up winning the belt on a Saturday Night’s Main Event special, so the Survivor bout would be champ vs champ and the two guys eager for it. Bret had magnetism that fans responded to and turned out to be a good merchandise mover too, his sunglasses and stylized pink-and-black shirts quick sellers so fans could enjoy showing support for a guy whose pops soon equaled any of the more flamboyant stars around.

More importantly, this title change brought a feeling that something different was happening with WWF. The main event wasn’t centered around some muscleman like Hogan or Warrior but rather a brilliant worker with good attitude more inclined to technical bouts. Sure, Vince would try to go back to the old ways with Yokozuna and a brief dalliance with Hogan the next year. Bret’s career would see ups and downs over time, many pretty bad as his personal life would take some hits as well. But for a few weeks in 1992, WWF felt truly fresh and different, a totally unique vibe as fans flocked to a champion who wasn’t the same as the company was used to. He’s had numerous reigns since but it’s clear the first time was still possibly the best for Bret, a validation of his time in WWF and proving you didn’t need to be some super-character to be the big guy in the company. For this time, seeing Bret as champion made WWF a hell of a lot more fun to watch, something that wrestling fans could enjoy seeing a bit more of today.

For this week, the spotlight is off.