“They Spent More Money on Mike Tyson”- Bret Hart Details the Bitter Truth of His WWE Departure

Bret Hart has had a lot of eyes turn towards him over the past few months. He is a man of immense wrestling knowledge and reveals a lot of interesting content from time to time.

It is no secret that he has a bit of a strained relationship with Vince McMahon. Hart has not fully forgiven the WWE Chairman for the events that unfolded over 3 decades ago at Montreal.

In a recent interview with Fightful, the former WWF Champion revealed how Vince McMahon declined his contract over wage issues but went on to rope in Mike Tyson the following year for a larger sum.

“Vince did what he did out of petty reasons. They screwed me out of a twenty-year contract. They spent more money on Mike Tyson the next year, paying him for fifteen minutes of refereeing, as opposed to what they would have paid me for twenty years of work,” explained Hart.

“I’ll never understand the reasoning or the logic of what they did or how anyone can justify, and, I think, the loss of what they would have gained. All the different guys that would have benefited from working and teaching and passing on what I knew to the next generation. All that was lost,” Hart admitted.

Bret Hart suffered a career-ending injury two years after leaving WWE

‘The Hitman’ went on to leave WWE for WCW. His in-ring career, unfortunately, lasted only 2 years after that. In 1999 at WCW’s Starrcade, Hart suffered a concussion in a match against Goldberg.

The injury would put him out of wrestling for good. His stroke in 2002 ensured that he would never get back into the ring again. It really is interesting to think about how things could have gone differently if Vince McMahon penned the contract.

Hart’s undeniable influence could have made a mark on the new generation of Superstars. Imagine Bret Hart in the Attitude Era along with Stone Cold and The Rock. 

Unfortunately, few can fathom what was in McMahon’s mind and Hart really has a point here. Bret Hart’s continuance in WWE will go down as a big ‘what could have been’.