Bret Hart's Star Power in Germany

Bret "The Hitman" Hart revealed to Inside the Ropes just how instrumental he was to the WWE's success in Germany. He was such a megastar there that when he departed for WCW in 1997, the country essentially became a lost market for the WWE (then WWF).

The loss of his star power severely impacted the company's foothold, and as Bret recounted, it took the WWE a significant amount of time to rebuild its presence. Vince McMahon later confirmed this to Hart after Bret returned to the WWE in 2010, acknowledging the long-term damage to the German territory caused by his departure. The company is big in Germany again now, but only after a long struggle to recover.