There are some title changes that actually change the course of wrestling history. The likes of Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and even modern-day stars like Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes have seen the wrestling business evolve and alter due to the success of their title reigns. With that said, WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett believes that one title win truly modified the business perpetually, and on his “My World” podcast, he recalled his father, the late Jerry Jarrett, telling him why Bret Hart winning the WWE Championship was a paradigm shift for the industry.
“My dad really checked out this as a pivotal moment in that the Hogan era, so far as the large guy, it was over,” Jarrett said. “So he shared that with me and he’s the one who put the bug in me…he’s like ‘Son, Bret’s the champion, and a wrestling champion at that, and he doesn’t do over-the-top promos.” Jarrett openly talked about how he felt like he would not stand a probability in WWE given his size, and while he is not the shortest man on this planet, he wasn’t as muscular as someone like Hulk Hogan or The Ultimate Warrior. Bret Hart was leaner and more athletic than his peers on the time, making his WWE Championship win over Ric Flair in 1992 a “flag in the bottom” moment.
Nevertheless, Jarrett can be aware that the Steroid Trial that nearly saw Vince McMahon go to prison for distributing steroids to his wrestlers modified the best way WWE operated. The corporate needed to go in a wildly different direction to take the warmth off of themselves, and moving to stars like Hart and Shawn Michaels within the foremost event slot, combined with having a former in-ring talent like Pat Patterson ready of power on the time, Jarrett knew the business had to vary.
Please credit “My World” when using quotes from this text, and provides a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.