Breaking Point 1998
The night after SummerSlam, seven WWE Superstars (Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Edge, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena) stood in the ring on RAW. Vince McMahon said that at Breaking Point, each man would face a WWE Legend. Orton, HHH, and Cena would participate in the night's main events. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Mr. Perfect, Hulk Hogan, Sgt. Slaughter, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and Bret "The Hitman" Hart all signed on to compete. In the end, these were the matches picked at random by a lottery machine.
Shawn Michaels vs. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
The Undertaker vs. Mr. Perfect
Edge vs. Hulk Hogan
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Randy Orton vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts (Submissions Count Anywhere Match)
Triple H vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage ("I Quit" Match)
John Cena vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart (Submission Match)
After the commercial break, Cena cut a promo on Hart, saying that he respects The Hitman more than anyone else, but there will be no limits at Breaking Point. And that if Hart wants some, he'll get some. The next week, the WWE Legends showed up to size up their opponents at Breaking Point. Hart said that Cena is a tremendous athlete, and that he accomplished everything through his own hard work and initiative. But the five-time WWE Champion said that he'll give it his all at Breaking Point, and Cena knows that in the end, he'll tap out to the Sharpshooter. Cena cut an emotional promo, claiming that when the Legends look at the way WWE is running today, they'll say that The Champ could've hung with them. And at Breaking Point, he'll win or lose nothing. Except respect. Cena said he will lock in the STFU, and Hart will receive the biggest fight of his life. And he will tap. The two nearly came to blows, but the other Legends stopped it. Over the next few days, the WWE Champion began to feel doubt. Maybe The Excellence of Execution was right. Will he tap out to the Sharpshooter? The next week, the seven Superstars faced the seven Legends in a 14-man elimination tag-team match. Orton and Cena were against Hart. The Viper stole the victory after Cena hit the FU. Orton pushed him off and pinned Hart himself. After the match, The Chain Gang Commander hit The Legend Killer with an FU and helped The Hitman up. Hart, who couldn't tell if Cena was Orton, struck him with his forearm. An enraged Champ hit Hart with a right hand, and the two were now brawling. Security broke it up. The next week was dress rehearsal. Cena faced Hart in the night's main event. The submission-themed matches wouldn't happen until Sunday. However, an underconfident Cena froze up and forfeited the match. He unceremniously walked out as Jim Ross asked if The Chain Gang Commander would even survive in six days. Cena, filled with doubt, showed up on SmackDown! to a chorus of boos and apologized to the fans. He said that he didn't believe in himself anymore and that Hart deserves to win at Breaking Point. That is, when sixteen-time world champion Ric Flair came out. 'Naitch is Cena's godfather. Flair said that Cena is a man of honor and he has never backed down from a fight before. The Nature Boy claimed that Hart has a lot of mystique and aura, but he is not Flair. Flair went on to state he is wrestling God, and that no godchild of his will be intimidated. Later that night, Cena faced Bret's brother, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, in the main event. In the end, The Champ made Neidhart tap out to the STFU. Hart looked on from the stage as the two exchanged stares. At Breaking Point, John Cena and Bret "The Hitman" Hart will do everything to make the other tap out. Will camouflauge prevail with the STFU? Or will The Champ be blinded by Hart's legend and fall victim to the Sharpshooter?
