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I recently finished watching Ryan Murphy's mind-blowing show Feud: Bette vs. Joan. This is an anthology show that documents famous rivalries from history. The first season detailed the toxic friendship and feud between Hollywood actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in the 1950s.
The show got me thinking, Ryan Murphy already has plans for a second season set to stir up the conflict between Prince Charles and Princess Diana and hopes to raise more feuds for future seasons. What perfect place to find feud worthy real-life stories with cinematic potential, then feuds from WWE?
Indeed and what perfect feud but the pinnacle of sports entertainment reality blending with larger than life personas like Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart. It's an intense on and off screen rivalry that transcended the industry.
So here I am to pitch to Ryan Murphy and the world, the idea for Feud Season 3 (or any future season).
Prologue
This one is for those not in the know and maybe Ryan Murphy because I'm not sure if he is a wrestling fan or not.
The Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels feud begin in all earnest with each man's individual personas and ideologies (at that time), to be honest, that is how great rivalries are born.
Bret Hart trained in the legendary halls of his families Hart Dungeon, becoming a respected and traditional wrestler in the mould of golden greats in Canada. He would become a well-renowned technician earning the name 'the Excellence of Execution', eventually joining the then WWF in its tag team ranks along with brother-in-law Jim Neidhart.
On the other end was Shawn Michaels, a showman through and through; Michaels was inspired by the styling and profiling likes of Ric Flair. He trained in Mexico and brought his heartthrob looks, to the WWF alongside with Marty Jannetty, forming the Rockers.
One was a hard working skilled fighter born and bred in the business and wary of its values. The other was a talented and charismatic outsider bringing something never before seen to the audiences. Both men were deemed too small to succeed in a land of giants, yet they did in-spite of themselves and each other.
Rise against all odds
Continuing on with the history lesson, Bret and Michaels rarely met in the ring as part of their respective tag teams. At the time, the Rockers were known for partying too hard and fast, earning the reputation of mavericks. Bret despite his lineage and ability was overlooked due to size.
Despite all this, it is said the two were friends or at least on friendly terms. As times slowly changed and the 90's steroid scandal plus talent exodus took a toll on WWE, Vince McMahon decided to change his outlook. Bret had gone from tag team action to singles glory in the mid-card, he was built for the future of the company.
On the other hand, no one could deny Michaels' talent and he began to rise high. In 1992, the Rockers broke up in an infamous talk show segment that brought to fore Michaels cool and cocky attitude. Most wrestlers are told to bring their own personal selves to the ring dialled up, of course, HBK did the same but no one knew he was as arrogant as he seemed. They would find out soon enough.
On a path to collision
Shawn Michaels grew even more arrogant and erratic as he tasted success. The bright young star gained notoriety as a backstage influence, on his way towards singles glory. He formed the Kliq, a group of degenerates (pun intended) taking over backstage.
Meanwhile, Bret had established his credentials as the main event talent, soaring high on his ability and ethics. He was already wary of Michaels, having faced him in the first ever un-televised WWE ladder match that, apparently, he had introduced to the company.
Bret would lose his status once Hogan returned to the fold, proving to himself that Vince McMahon never truly believed in him. This bitterness ate into Hart, especially during his second rise at the top when contemporary Michaels would have McMahon's favour. Wrestlemania IX wouldn't be the last time Vince's backstage politics screwed Bret.
Backstage heat boils over in the ring
En-route to their high profile match at Wrestlemania 12, things truly got tense between Hart and Michaels. Bret Hart detested Michaels founding of the Kliq with friends Diesel, Razor Ramon, Sean Waltman and Triple H. Their backstage influence kept them at the top, even though Hart was world champion going in.
Michaels, meanwhile, believed ironically that Hart was breaking wrestling/kayfabe tradition by bringing in family matters into the ring, with his all too personal feuds against his brothers and brother-in-law.
Both clashed in an epic if somewhat dry iron man match with HBK coming out on top and achieving his boyhood dream. A year later it was expected of Michaels to do the deed and put over Bret in a re-match. Instead, the notorious show-stopper pretended to be injured and could not compete. So, at Wrestlemania 13, Bret decided to steal Shawn's own show with a thrilling match against a rowdy man known as 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.
When Shawn Bret screwed Bret
The final year of Bret Hart in WWE was interesting and tumultuous, to say the least. A refreshing heel turn at the onset of the attitude era brought with it fresh angles to his rivalries specifically with Austin, but more importantly with Shawn Michaels.
Michaels by now would lose his boys Diesel and Ramon to the ever-growing power of WCW. He still had Triple H to back him up and so the backstage Kliq became the on-screen Degeneration X. A furthering of ideas and instances brought Shawn and Bret clashing head on for the title at Survivor Series 1997.
That iconic night is remembered more for its final moments than the great match that preceded it. Bret Hart was on his way to WCW but refused to put over Michaels in Canada. Fearing for his reputation, Vince McMahon did the unthinkable having the bell rung despite Bret never tapping out.
Bret was livid backstage, he even punched Vince McMahon. Michaels feigned knowing anything, though most now agree he was in on the plan discussed in a backstage meeting and supposedly suggested by none other than Triple H.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
In many ways, the rivalry peaked at its most beautiful and tragic moment with the Screwjob. Bret would hang his boots in the WCW after a painful injury at the hands of Goldberg. Michaels would continue for a few months before a back injury put him out, which some say, was divine retribution.
Though Michaels returned to the ring a changed man, the specter of the incident hung over him until a faithful night on RAW in 2010. Bret Hart returned to the company and shook Michaels' hands, making amends for the past.
The beauty of this rivalry was that it broke the notions and rules of professional wrestling. Till then, despite any backstage tensions or politics, WWF was a place where people honored the televised scripted realities. Bret and HBK's misgivings of one another spilled out into the ring and beyond.
Since then the WWE and professional wrestling have never been the same again.
A perfect recipe for a feud
Such televised drama deserves the Ryan Murphy treatment then. The Michaels and Hart feud can be layered to feature both the in-ring action that is mostly scripted in the wild world of WWE and the reality-breaking backstage tensions that mutated the industry.
Now that WWE are comfortable in allowing kayfabe to be a thing of the past, the show would get an instant green-light from them. After all, WWE loves its mainstream publicity. Bret and Michaels and those around them have been vocal about what transpired between them on not just that night, but everything that came before.
This would be a show that lights up the new season of Feud especially with its host of the character specifically the lead duo and the provocateur in between; Vince McMahon. More importantly, Murphy can set the show as an interview-based edition much like WWE does, detailing and going into flashbacks of the rise of these young guns and their eventual fallout.
PS: Just imagine a heart touching and powerful phone call scene between Hart and Michaels at the climax of the series, as they reconcile long before the in-ring moment in 2010.
Fan Casting the Roles Pt. 1
Speaking of characters, it'd be just as fun to imagine who would take up the roles of the real-life personalities in this epic series. The first season of Feud featured pitch-perfect casting with Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis. You'd need equal heavyweights to portray these WWE legends.
Here's a look at the Shawn Michaels and team side of casting for this amazing show. As can be seen above, the perfect player to portray Shawn Michaels would be none other than current Oscar nominee (and future winner) Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is a master at portraying characters with a certain cocksure charm and insecure arrogance mixed with a wild side. To be honest, I hate suggesting this one, since Rockwell is my favourite actor and my dream is to direct him in a Shawn Michaels bio-pic.
He's the perfect fit for Shawn Michaels and even slightly looks the part. Joining him on the table would be the likes of Triple H, Vince McMahon and Earl Hebner to name a few. The perfect fit for Vince (on a TV schedule) would be none other than Eric Roberts. Nikolaj Colster-Waldau would make a convincing Triple H, with some nose prosthetic. Despite maybe his schedule, Tommy Lee Jones fits as Earl Hebner.
Fan Casting the Roles Pt. 2
On the other end of the spectrum is the Bret Hart side of the story and here is where things get interesting. Despite his younger age to contemporary Sam Rockwell and heritage, to me, Oscar Isaac would make the perfect Bret Hart.
Bret requires an actor dedicated to moulding himself into the background while also sparkling with subtle charisma and Isaac is a perfect fit. Oscar Isaac's credentials speak for themselves and though he's a superstar actor now; I'm sure a meaty role like Bret's would call him to television.
Along with him would be young brother Owen Hart, portrayed by Alexander Ludwig would be top class. There's also the controversial role of Sunny, once a lover of both Shawn and Bret. Talula Riley embodies a similar look and style as the sprightly Sunny for the feature, just with a hint of darkness. Of course, we cannot leave out Stone Cold Steve Austin, and a manic Ben Foster is a perfect fit.
Make this happen, Please!!!
In conclusion, a season of the acclaimed Feud on the Hart and Michaels rivalry would be a perfect fit. It could bring WWE once more to the mainstream while providing for riveting content during the golden period of television in America.
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels despite their successes will always remain synonymous with each other. Yet to be honest beyond wrestling fandom, not much is known about their tragic and also hopeful friendship/feud. With a show like this, they would find themselves in the pantheon of pop culture.
If Ryan Murphy or anyone associated with him or the show is reading this, please make it happen. If not, I'll find my way to Hollywood and do it myself. This was fun to dream off, it'll be equally fun to make and be a part of.
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