WOOOOOOW. I was going through the Feedbag archive file and I found THIS gem. Prepare to sit back and be amazed. You might want to get some popcorn.
Edit: I cleaned up the formatting and bolded the parts that were from other people.
Keith Klassics: Whining About Bret Hart Circa-Montreal 1997
The Netcop Rant, Bret Hart edition.
Ever wake up one morning and find out your cat died that night?
That's what I felt like Monday. You're just cruising along in your life,
reasonably happy, and then, bam, it's like a gigantic slap in the face.
Of course, I'm referring to Bret Hart.
I just don't know what to think. I feel betrayed, saddened, hurt, and
mostly just shocked that he would do this to the fans who have supported
him the most vociferously throughout the past year: The Canadian fans.
I understand money concerns, I understand not liking the current direction
of the WWF, but this was a man who stood in the Edmonton Coliseum and
asked his fans to let him be their hero. And for once, I believed him.
For a moment, it transcended the financial aspect, the business aspect,
and the storyline, and he just reached out to his fans and asked for
belief.
And at that moment, I felt horribly guilty for losing faith in him from
Survior Series 96 until the heel turn on RAW, and I felt like personally
apologizing to him for not giving back all the love and devotion that he
gave to each and every Canadian fan who took the time to cheer for him.
I know given the kayfabe-breaking antics of the nWo and DX it probably
sounds dumb to believe in heroes anymore, but if ever there was a Canadian
athlete who had the conviction to do what was right and the principles to
back it up, it was Bret. Even if America didn't always appreciate him, we
always did. And now I doubt that I'll ever see him wrestle live again.
I won't even get into the whole WWF fan thing. They'll survive, they
always do. Maybe Vince needed the money to sign someone big. Maybe it'll
be a wakeup call that turns them around, who knows. I'm still a Bret Hart
fan, and as long as he doesn't join the nWo I'll always cheer him on.
Just not as loudly now, I guess. And I think most Canadian fans feel the
same way. I hope the money and ego contests are worth it, Bret. I hope
this is what truly makes you happy, because you've broken the hearts of 25
million other people today, and heroes aren't supposed to do that.
At least, not mine.
As always, I remain the net.cop.
Ken Smith (ksmith@mounet.com) wrote:
: Sounds to me like your anger is misplaced. Instead of being angry with
: Bret, you should be angry with Vince McMahon for transforming the WWF
: into a federation in which Bret Hart, and basically any respectable
: athlete, would be embarrassed to work - a federation in which an
: egomaniac prima-donna like Shawn Michaels, not Vince McMahon, calls the
: shots.
@#%$ that. Bret Hart has used his power to manipulate, veto, and overturn
many of the WWF's major booking decisions because it didn't fit into his
image of what wrestling should be. I can accept that, but when he throws
around his power behind the scenes as much as he does and then walks away,
claiming that it's not to his liking anymore, THAT'S where the hypocrisy
comes in.
Did Vince hold a gun to his head to make him turn heel? Doubtful. If he
can influence managerial changes (ie Cloudy) then something as major as a
total heel turn would have to be approved by him.
I love that Bret is trying to change the sport for what he feels is the
greater good. I also love that Shawn Michaels is pissing off America at
the rate he is, because it'll either a) Make him the biggest heel in
history or b) Cause him to self-destruct by Wrestlemania. I'd bet on b),
and if Bret wasn't so concerned about family values and short term change,
then maybe he'd have the patience to wait until he shot himself in the
foot (or groin, if we're lucky).
In short, bite me, Bret.
--
R. Brownstein (rbphilly@u.washington.edu) wrote:
: First, you don't know if Hart refused to job the title to anyone (i.e.
: Austin or Shamrock). As a professional, Hart would probably have lost to
: anyone but Michaels.
That last sentence is self-contradicting. As a professional, he should
job to whoever the @#%$ Vince tells him to job to. Bret Hart is paid to
follow the orders of the WWF, not decide who he jobs to like Hulk Hogan
does.
: Secondly, what ever happened to the good old phantom
: house show title change? They must have footage of Hart jobbing at an old
: show show to Austin or The Undertaker. Make the claim the match took
: place at an arena show, then show old footage of Hart jobbing to someone.
Sure, it was a phantom house show in between the Survivor Series and RAW
the next day. Right.
: When Vince lured Rick Rude from the NWA in 1986, Rude and Manny Fernandez
: were still NWA tag champs. On TBS footage of old match with the
: Rock'n'Roll Express beating Rude & Fernandez was shown... The WWF has
: already had either Money Inc. or the Natural Disasters "win" the WWF tag
: belts from the LOD.
Money Inc. actually did win the tag titles from the LOD. Ted Dibiase
pinned Hawk. The Rude title change was phantom, though, true.
It can be done quite easily, with so few people
: actually knowing the real truth. Hell, pro wrestling is all illusion
: anyway.
Not today. There's too much information floating around to make up a
title change anymore.
: Your point that Vince had no other choice is off base. Bret Hart,
: unlike Hulk Hogan or Shawn Michaels, has always done his job. If Hart,
: Michaels & McMahon settled on a DQ finish, McMaon should have kept his
: word.
But what if MacMahon didn't want a DQ finish to begin with? What if he
wanted to put the belt on Michaels? Why should Vince cater to the wishes
of a guy who he has essentially let go the week before? Is Bret Hart so
dumb that he thought Vince would let him keep his title until the day he
signed with WCW? That's suicide and Bret should know it. He's been in
the game for 20 years, his father is one of the most legendary promoters
ever, he knows how the game works and he knows what happens in those sorts
of situations. You either job *yesterday* or you give up the title
voluntarily. Since neither was looking to happen before Nitro went on the
air, Vince did the only thing he could.
: Now, Vince has a more unrealistic looking title change then if Hart
: fled with the belt and the WWF had to invent a title switch. Trust and
: respect is always a two way street, and Vince's lack of respect for Bret
: Hart is only going to make his other loyal employees question Vince's word
: in the future..... Few headliners have been as loyal to his company then
: Bret Hart. What are Steve Austin, Owen, Michaels, Ken Shamrock, etc. to
: think the next time Vince makes them promises?
:
Tough @#%$ for them. That's why Vince is the owner and they're just the
wrestlers. When they start doing the booking they'll have a say, but
until then I agree with Vince: Show 'em who's the boss.
--
RYAN (rberesh@caninet.com) wrote:
: If McMahon does not know Bret Harts loyaty after 15+ years in the WWF
: and turning down a higher paying job in WCW a year ago than McMahon must
: have a guilty conscience about something he did. McMahon does not trust
: others because he cannot be trusted himself
Who cares if he can be trusted? He's the owner. He pays the bills and
the paycheques, and loyalty means @#%$ in the wrestling business. Guys
have sworn up and down never to trust WCW again after one stint with
them, only to sign a year later when big contracts are waved in front of
their face.
Eric Bischoff pulled exactly the same power-tripping @#%$ with Marc Mero
last year, and it wasn't that big of a deal then for some reason.
Point being, Vince is the boss, and if he has to clean house on the whole
@#%$ WWF to get his @#%$ back in line enough to run things the way he
wants it with no meddling from his EMPLOYEES, then so be it. Fire the lot
of 'em and sign a bunch of indy wrestlers who can do twice the spots for
half the money. I love Owen Hart and hope he gets the push of a lifetime
out of this, but if signs with WCW over this then he's an idiot, because
he'd get buried after a token push to appease Bret.
I don't see why everyone is feeling so sorry for Bret over this. Awww,
poor guy only get 2.5 million dollars a year now, that's awful.
And lack of respect? Shawn Michaels got squashed for three years as part
of the Rockers, then spent another year as a preening idiot JTTS before
finally hitting paydirt with his big buddy Diesel. He spent months as
Bret's personal jobbing boy while waiting for his shot at the top.
Wrestling is not about respect, it's about money and finding the right
gimmick. I admire Bret for craving respect and having strong enough
principles to stand up for that ideal, but if he thinks he'll find it in
WCW he's nuts.
Rant over.
--
skeith@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca, but my friends call me skeith.
Best-selling author of "Our Penises, Our Selves" and other men's books.
"Scott-Land! (tm)" is www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/~skeith
"Your brush with greatness is over." - Brian Pillman, 1962 - 1997.