[NeanderCarl]

Originally Posted by Disturbed316 ROFL @ the people saying Bret wasn't a draw. Thats like saying Warrior isn't a crazy homophobe.

I'm almost sure that, on a comparitive time scale of how long he held the belt in total, Bret Hart overall is the lowest drawing WWE Champion of all-time, with Diesel and Shawn Michaels also near him on that list.

Also, WCW's ratings took a dip around the time Bret was breaking out into the main event/World title scene in 1999.

I'm not knocking him, I enjoyed his work, but facts are facts, and although I might not have the exact figures (looking them up is too much effort, but if anybody else can be bothered, then go for it!), it is widely regarded that whenever Bret Hart was featured in a prominant position in a big time wrestling company, the ratings, buy rates and gates never set the world on fire (except for maybe in Canada, where he was legitimately a major star).


Anyway... my original point has become warped along the way. I wasn't moaning that Bret Hart wasn't going to "come out and wave" at WrestleMania. It was more the point that a lot of fans may have purchased the PPV or bought live tickets, under the impression that, as in previous years, the Hall of Fame crew would come out, and that Bret Hart would be among them.

I wasn't ragging on him because it means so much to me to see him wave his hands about and force a smile. I was disappointed in him for choosing not to show up on the PPV, therefore disappointing the many fans who had hoped to see him, maybe for the first time ever, maybe for the only time ever.

As I said before, Bret is almost a God in Canada, so I hear. How many Canadians went out of their way to make it to the show on Sunday, only to find out he won't be there?

In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the intrigue and controversy attached to any Bret Hart appearance at a WWE show makes him more of a draw in 2006 than he ever was when he was active!