Things could have – and should have – been so different for The Hart Dynasty during these early stages of their WWE careers. Rumours pertaining to a “new Hart Foundation” being added to the main roster were circulating for months beforehand and folk were generally excited by the prospect. They had every right to be of course – The Hart family and its affiliates have produced some of the greatest performers the business has ever known over the decades. And Mark Henry.
The Hart Dynasty could have been the kick-start needed to reinvigorate WWE’s ailing tag team division. Sadly, within the space of just a few months, the duo has pretty much become just more characterless nobodies on the roster.
Before I go any further, I need to stress that I believe both DH Smith and Tyson Kidd to both be very capable performers indeed, and any negativity that exists within this column is aimed at the mishandling of the duo – and certainly not their wrestling prowess. You dig?
Unlike a plethora of young talent breaking into the modern era of wrestling, both Kidd and Smith refreshingly have mountains of training already sitting tidily on their CV. Trained in Stu’s Dungeon? Check. Wrestled extensively in Japan (the most respected place to learn one’s trade amongst grapplers)? Check. Affiliations with second generation performers? Check .Young and eager? Check…
So what’s gone wrong? Why didn’t the pair receive a spot similar to that of Rhodes and DiBiase? Unfortunately, I have no answer.
I’m well aware that The Hart Dynasty have long careers ahead of them and so to get frustrated when their WWE careers are literally just a few months old seem a tad nonsensical – but I’m of the belief that regardless of age and profile, if you have talent you should be on the air. And they do have the talent. Plus, a lot of the time, I just enjoy whinging.
Of course, the lack of a meaningful tag division has harmed the TV time devoted to the duo. You can count every genuine tag team on WWE on one hand at the moment. (Please note: I don’t count random pairings, such as Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu, as genuine tag teams. And neither should you. Narf.)
I was all fine and dandy with it when the Harts got a title match against DX recently, but did anyone really believe they stood a chance of dethroning HHH and HBK, given that there was practically no build up for the match and it wasn’t even on PPV? No sirree. No sirree, Bob.
So as being a tag team doesn’t seem to be working for the pair, splitting them up would seem to be a logical conclusion, right? Nope. This may sound a bit backwards at first but, bear with me, I believe the Hart Dynasty group should be expanded upon. When your group has 4 or 5 guys (and/or gals) you’re not just limited to tag matches. Singles matches with your buddies at ringside, 6-man tags and 8-man tags all become viable match ups. Think of the Hart Foudation of the Attitude era or, Hell, even The Spirit Squad.
If Teddy Hart can sort out his sucky attitude that has seen him kicked out of so many wrestling locker-rooms in the past (by the sound of things, this is a big ask) then they have a fourth (along with Nattie), highly-talented, natural member ready and waiting. And as a mouthpiece for the stable… well, isn’t it obvious? Once Bret and Vince’s storyline has culminated at Wrestlemania – assuming The Hitman wants to hang around, why not have him head the group? What better way to make an audience sit up and take notice of young talent than by affiliating them with a one of the most respected WWE legends of all time? And whilst Bret clearly has no future as an actual in-ring performer, I think he has proven on recent RAW outings that he 100% still has it on the mic. And then some.
Or if The Hitman’s reprise in WWE does prove to be only temporary, another high profile performer who ticks all the right boxes is Chris Jericho. The Canadian graduate of Stu’s dungeon has always seemed a natural choice as a stable leader to me, so if The Hart Dynasty are to continue to exist as a heel faction, there’s your man.
Right now, it seems a feud is being oiled between The Hart Dynasty and the bizarre pairing of The Great Khali and Matt Hardy (poor Matt Hardy – he really is the Mr Bean of WWE, just rolling from one mishap to the next and putting up with it). Whilst I don’t envy anyone who has to work a bout with The Great Khali, at least it looks like the Hart duo will be getting regular TV time in the near future to play out the feud. It’s not ideal, but hey, at least it’s exposure.
Due to their Hart family affiliation, I don’t see the Hart Dynasty ever being in danger of losing their jobs (assuming Smith doesn’t violate that wellness policy again of course), but they need to be established as genuine contenders pretty damn soon – because the jabroni tag is a very difficult tag to shake off once attached.
Oh, and one last thing, surely I can’t be the only one who thinks “The Hart Dynasty” is a craptastic name!? I get that they couldn’t be called the Hart Foundation again and WWE wanted a name with similar connotations – but “Dynasty” is such a fatuous word. Off the top of my head right now: The Hart Corp, The Hart Lineage, The Hart Generation, The Hart Congress, The Harty Boys… All a mild improvement on the Hart Dynasty, right? Okay, maybe not that last one…
