The Forgotten Dream Match Between Bret Hart & Mick Foley, Explained
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Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Mankind were among the cast of talent that represented WWE in 1997 when the company started taking a gritty tone to its programming. Despite getting featured as the top acts of WWE's early stages of the Attitude Era, some people may not remember the two going one-on-one in the match in 1997. However, this may surprise some fans, but Bret Hart and Mankind wrestled a singles match on a random January 1997 episode of WWE Shotgun Saturday Night, a few months before Hart turned heel.
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Bret Hart's Attitude Transition In 1997
When one thinks of the superstar who represented WWE's New Generation Era throughout the 1990s, Bret Hart comes to mind. Someone who won the WWE Championship five times, holding a record for most title reigns with the Winged-Eagle belt, Hart went on to become among the best WWE superstars in history.
Furthermore, although Hart departed from WWE around the time the company started its "Attitude" campaign in late 1997, he was an integral part of WWE in 1997. After turning heel at WrestleMania 13 when he defeated "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a classic Submission match, Bret Hart showcased a new aggressive attitude that fits right in with the rest of the edgy talent of the Attitude Era.
Hart may be among the all-time best in professional wrestling, but even he had to adjust his character as the times were changing in the late 1990s. And because he changed his persona to something more gritty, Attitude Era fans could buy into him facing the likes of Steve Austin, The Undertaker, and even the hardcore legend himself, Mick Foley.
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The Potential Of A Bret Hart Vs. Mick Foley Feud
Because Bret Hart was at the top of the food chain in the main-event scene in 1997, it's a shame that Hart and Mick Foley never had a program after Hart turned heel in 1997 and became part of the newly-reformed Hart Foundation faction. Mick Foley, whether as Mankind or any of his other wacky personas, could've been a great beloved challenger for a top heel like Bret Hart.
Hart and Foley may have wrestled completely different styles, but that's what mad a potential rivalry between them appealing. Bret Hart's technical in-ring style and Mankind's hardcore in-ring style could've been a "dream match" for many fans, especially as Hart could have delivered a quality match with practically anyone.
Bret Hart Takes On Mankind On WWE Shotgun Saturday Night
While a feud between Bret Hart and Mick Foley never happened, it's worth noting that the two did, in fact, wrestle in a televised singles match in WWE. However, the singles match was only a few months before Bret Hart turned heel at WrestleMania 13, while Mick Foley had only been in the company less than a year.
On a January 1997 episode of WWE Shotgun Saturday Night, Hart and Mankind wrestled in the opening contest, in what was the first episode after the Royal Rumble. In that match, which took place at a New York City nightclub, Bret Hart was still his usual babyface persona while Mankind was in his early stage as the psychotic heel from when he first debuted in mid-1996.
As the match started with Bret Hart giving a beating to Mankind from outside the ring, the two wrestled for almost ten minutes in a back-and-forth bout, which featured Hart and Mankind doing a lot of brawling at ringside. At the very end of the match, Hart looked to be getting the upper hand on Mankind. As he locked in his Sharpshooter submission unto Mankind, looking as if Bret Hart was about to win, Owen Hart, who was on commentary talking trash the whole time, stormed the ring to attack Bret for a No Contest finish.
RELATED: 10 Funniest Things Mick Foley Ever Said In His WWE CareerContinuing their on-screen animosity, Bret and Owen went on to brawl outside the ring, where they ended up behind the curtain. After that, Bret Hart and Mankind went their separate ways, with Mankind continuing his association with Paul Bearer and Bret Hart chasing after the WWE Championship leading up to WrestleMania 13, though he eventually reunited with Owen Hart a few months later.
