Why was Bret Hart so popular?

[DM1982]

Back when I was a kid I was a huge Bret Hart fan. I watched from the end of his Hart Foundation tag team days up until his departure from WWF. Thinking back on it, I can't really tell you why I was a fan. He didn't really have good mic skills or an entertaining personality. He didn't have the "it" factor that guys like Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, The Rock etc had.

He just walked out there in his purple get up to some decent entrance music, put some glasses on a kid in the front row, shook his shoulder pad tassels around on his leather jacket, said a couple of normal every day lines on the mic, laid an ass whooping on guys with some pretty solid technical wrestling skills and then walked out and that was it.

After I watched Wrestling with Shadows I remember thinking I respect the hell out of Bret as a man and a father, but I'd never want to hang out with him. He sort of reminded me of a good Christian who does all the right things but they're sort of annoying and off putting to where you just don't really want to be around them.

As a kid he was one of my favorites but now I can't really explain why.

(All of the above)

Sooooo.......

Does that answer your question fella?

 

[D.R.H.]

Nope. Just a 90's kid who grew up watching wrestling. From what I remember, in the early-mid 90's, there Hogan/Warrior/Bret/Taker marks. By the late 90's, it was NWO/SCSA/Rock/etc. I don't remember Shawn ever having serious appeal to marks during his first run. He always worked better as a heel IMO.

His first big heel run was what made everyone fans of his and started the not as great face turn/run. Plenty of people marked out to HBK during his IC run days. I still think you're lying and are secretly Canadian.

 

[gspieler]

His first big heel run was what made everyone fans of his and started the not as great face turn/run. Plenty of people marked out to HBK during his IC run days. I still think you're lying and are secretly Canadian.

 

[KONG-D'SNT-TAP]

Bret Hart seemed like a guy who was better suited for the NWA, in regards to his in ring workmanship.

He wasn't really a flashy guy, in the ring or on the mic but something about him was awesome. Hart will always be one of my favorite guys to watch.

 

[Darth Nevets]

Bret and Shawn will eternally be at odds because they both greatly desire attributes of the other.

Bret wants to be the freewheelin' fun guy to the point nearly every page of his book contains adultery and at one point involves doing lines with Piper and Vince. Yet he's much better at analyzing matches, noting details, freaking poetry, and references to A Day in the Life and The English Patient (and not the movie).

Shawn wants to be a serious tough guy, a man's man. This is why he has fights he can't win (against servicemen) and is such a fervent religious man (he is pure Job at points in Jericho's third book).

Bret loves family but has varying levels of contempt for most of them much like Shawn and his friends.

 

[cabear]

what else did he need to do?