How would Bret's career have gone if he stayed in WWF?

[Lucky Millionaire]

He probably would've turned into a babyface again in a feud with Kurt Angle

I can also agree with this

I think had he stayed he would've ridden out the Attitude Era as a heel but say around 2001 and after he would've turned back face especially if later characters like Angle, Guerrero, and Y2J are heels.

Some good scenarios in here but I strongly disagree with the upper midcarder. This is Bret Hart. He would not have been top top dog forever but he would have stayed in the main event scene.

I didn't mean upper midcarder as an insult but in terms of priority he'd be 4th at best behind Austin, Rock, and HHH. I look at him in the Attitude era as the guy who could mix it up with the Taka Michinokus and Tajiris as well as the Austins and Rocks and no one would bat an eye.

 

[showtime]

IMO I think had Bret stayed WM14 would've been Bret/Austin 2 for the WWF title. After WM13 I'm confident that the would be THE money main event and proper changing of the guard. After WM14 I could see him and the Hart Foundation either having no affiliation with Vince against Austin or sides with Vince if he plays up the formerly traditional family friendly WWF/I've lost control of the WWF and the inmates are running the asylum aspect. I think in WWF he would've been an upper midcarder who can main event PPVs from time to time. Keeping everything the same I see Bret working as a heel against the biggest stars of the era (Austin, Rock, HHH, Foley).

Nahhh Bret vs Austin at WM 13 drew the worst WM buyrate of all time no way were they gonna run that shyt back the next year. HBK vs Austin drew way more then that shyt. Bret wasn't a draw in WWF or WCW

 

[Chris Cool]

Mid card. Him and hbk would've been in the way if they stayed.

 

[patscorpio]

for sure he would have returned the job to austin

 

[Peter Parker]

So I think 97-98 he would've been in the main event mostly, feuding with Austin, Foley, Rocky, Shamrock, DX, etc. Probably after 99 though I'm thinking upper mid-card at best, Vince had a thing up until like maybe Taker/Shawn of being done with people after they got to a certain age being in the main event but Mid card Bret would've been fire, we would've gotten more of the classic shyt of him with Benoit, we would've gotten to see him vs Angle, him vs old man Shawn(who was much better than 97 Shawn) and a sleeper that I think had the potential to be great Bret vs Lesnar.

What I'm really curious of is how he would've done with the unfiltered McMahon/Russo/Ferrara fukkery, you gotta remember WCW had standards and practices @ Turner that kept them from doing all the wild shyt WWF was doing at the time(abortion angles, rape angles, spousal abuse, drug addiction, etc), so when Russo was in WCW he was handcuffed a bit in terms of the more racy shyt he would put on TV. I could only imagine the absolute fukkery they would've had Bret involved in lol

 

[dbp]

Character wise he might've struggled to fit in around 98-00. I do think he'd fare very well from 2001-05/06 era.

 

[Stop_It_5]

Nahhh Bret vs Austin at WM 13 drew the worst WM buyrate of all time no way were they gonna run that shyt back the next year. HBK vs Austin drew way more then that shyt. Bret wasn't a draw in WWF or WCW

Pinning the WM13 buy rate on Bret & Austin when they weren't a title match or the main event

Of course 14 drew more, Tyson was one of the hottest names in the world and Vince had him in the middle of every piece of promo

 

[AKM-95]

I think if Bret stays HHH doesn't get his 99-00 run and he becomes super Babyface and probably becomes a bigger player in 01 and onward I can't see HHH out politicing Bret, Austin, and Ricky while also boxing Foley, taker, and Angle out of the scene as well.The real question is what happens to Jericho and the radicals? Do they still jump ship with there crowded roster or do they wait there turn.

 

[El Guapo]

We might've gotten Bret vs. Owen, but with Owen as the face. Let's go with the Bret drops the title to Austin at 'Mania scenario. The Hart Foundation probably breaks up with Bret blaming Owen for his loss

 

[showtime]

Pinning the WM13 buy rate on Bret & Austin when they weren't a title match or the main event

Of course 14 drew more, Tyson was one of the hottest names in the world and Vince had him in the middle of every piece of promo

Every Mania drew more


You clearly didn't watch wrestling at that time then because Bret vs Austin was booked as the main event more then Sid vs Taker was. Austin won the rumble and him and Bret was the main storyline heading into Mania. Bret was in a world title match the week before Mania which could've made Austin vs Bret for the title. Bret vs Austin was the most promoted match for WM 13 and it drew the worse WM buyrate of all-time. HBK vs Bret at WM 12 outdrew Bret vs Austin at WM13.

Bret wasn't a draw ever

 

[White City Black]

Y’all pose a great question with some cool scenarios. Realistically I would have to sit and think about it because WWF was buck wild once the Attitude Era really settled in and became a thing.

Even if he stayed the whole time and really did ride out most of that 20 year contract (including having an agent role or whatever), I can’t see him not butting heads at times with Vince creatively in terms of the raunchiness of the “Era” or how he’d go about putting some of the matches together psychology wise.

 

[Cartier Murphy]

Mid card. Him and hbk would've been in the way if they stayed.

Yeah that’s why I think he would’ve been in that space had he stayed. Vince had no problem putting him on the back burner during his prime in favor of Luger, Diesel, and HBK, he definitely would’ve done it again for a Bret who was already nearing the end of his career. Occasional main event definitely but no way he stays in the main event picture with Austin, Rock, Mankind etc. all primed to takeover

 

[Toe Jay Simpson]

He would have had one more title run then I think he would have been used to pass the torch on to an incoming Kurt Angle before taking on a backstage role. I don’t think Bret transitions into the Ruthless Aggression era. He probably doesn’t even participate in the Invasion.

 

[Hitman's Shades]

As my username suggests, Bret is one of my favorites, but if he stays, do we get the heel Mr. McMahon character that was central to the huge mega stardom of Austin? Vince McMahon was the lead heel of WWF/WWE because of screwing Bret, it all started there (I know he was heel in USWA but not counting that). If Bret stays, is he ever screwed in Montreal and is the Mr. McMahon character created? If so, is he still going to do the heel in US/face in Canada gimmick, and does the continuation of that hurt Austin's rise once he gets the belt? I don't know, but interesting to think about. Would Rocky have been elevated to main event as fast as he was if Bret is there still as a capable main eventer? And of course, would Owen still be alive....

 

[InstantKlassik]

One of the biggest what if's of my fandom



Some good scenarios being brought up in here. I like the Bret/Shamrock at Wrestlemania 14 idea