10 WWE Stars Who Flopped In WCW
It has been 22 years since Bret Hart's career was effectively ended...
It's been 23 years since WCW Starrcade 1999, an event that, sadly, is best remembered as the night Bret Hart's in-ring career practically ended.
Defending the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Goldberg in the main event, The Hitman was kicked in the head with undue force, sparking the concussion issues that would keep him out of the squared circle going forward (minus a few house show matches before the extent of his injury woes were known).
It was a depressing end to what had been a torrid stint for the Pink and Black Attack, who had come into the company in late '97 with all the momentum and support in the world, only for that to drain away as he became 'just another guy on the roster'.
Bret was not alone in that regard, as many people coming to Ted Turner's organisation from WWE had suffered similar fates in the past (and would later, too).
People like to talk about WCW stars failing when they jumped to WWE, but the reverse was often true.
10. Bret Hart
Bret always envisioned himself working with Vince McMahon, who he viewed as something of a father figure, for his entire career.
A WWE megastar, Hart left the company in the most controversial way possible and was coming into Eric Bischoff's organisation with incredible buzz, as tales of him punching out Vince McMahon following the Montreal Screwjob made the rounds.
The Hitman - who always said he was worried that WCW wouldn't know what to do with them - debuted at Starrcade 1997. Not in a match or as a surprise, but as the special guest referee for Bischoff's match with Larry Zbyszko.
It was a weak first appearance and things didn't really improve much from there.
Yes, Bret won some titles and had his share of decent matches and rivalries, but it was staggering to see how quickly he blended in as just another well-paid face in the crowd.
There was an accusation towards Bret that he turned up as damaged goods (emotionally) following the Survivor Series 1997 fallout, and that he wasn't the same dynamic he performer he had been in his prime.
But the Pink and Black Attack showed that he was still game, when he was given something good to do. The two biggest highlights from his WCW run were probably the Owen Hart tribute match he had with Chris Benoit and the chest plate protector angle he did with Goldberg.
It just wasn't enough, really.
Written by Lewis Howse
Features journalist for Cultaholic.com and script writer for the Cultaholic YouTube Channel.
