Brett Hart...A true Waste Of Talent!
The industry of professional wrestling is constantly surrounded by controversy. Whether it be an athlete's contract dispute, supposed injury, or legal troubles, many of these issues are often blown out of proportion and descend to the ranks of blatant bullshit. However, many of these issues are often legit and visible to even the part time fans. That being said, no athlete has been the center of controversy like Bret "The Hitman" Hart. His dispute with Vince McMahon was widely publicized, resulting in a National Film Board of Canada documentary and spawned interest and awareness into the back stage happenings common to the world of professional wrestling. Given the present state of his career, allow me to tell you why Bret Hart should retire!
Should they have done what they did? No!
Did Bret screw Bret? The answer to that question depends greatly upon personal opinion. However, Bret Hart proved himself somewhat of a hypocrite. In the early 90's, Bret was engaged in a behind the scenes battle with Hogan. He felt it was Hogan's turn to pass on the legacy and responsibility of the WWF over to him, a title he rightfully deserved.
Brett wanted Hogan to pass the torch, so why wouldn't he?
So, for a period of three to four years Bret Hart was the WWF, engaging in memorable feuds with Micheals, The Undertaker, and single handedly made Stone Cold what he is today. Once his time was up, Bret felt similar to the way Hogan did when Bret wanted to steal his thunder. What Bret Hart wanted to do was simply unrealistic and could never happen. Do I justify the actions of McMahon? No. There were many rumors regarding how Bret Hart would appear on Nitro the following night with the WWF belt, a risk the WWF and McMahon could not afford to take. Should they have done what they did? No. Nonetheless, it was Bret's turn to pass on the legacy to the likes of Stone Cold, HBK, Triple H, etc...a move he was unprepared to make.
Bishoff...Why Misuse This Talent?
So off Bret went to the land of retired superstars where he was supposed to have an immediate impact. Why didn't this happen? The answer is Eric Bishoff, his mismanagement of Bret Hart was astounding. There was talk of Bret becoming a member of the Horsemen, but nothing developed. So on he fought, periodically jobbing to the likes of Booker T and other half-ass mid-carders. All of a sudden, WCW announced a Nitro was coming to the new Air Canada Center on the 29th of March. Finally, Bret would get that long awaited push. He was supposed to fight Hogan and win, thus becoming WCW champ at home. After a while, this idea was scraped. Thus, Bret appears on Nitro on March 21st and sooks to the crowd how nobody likes him and how he doesn't get the recognition he deserves, a trademark of true mid-carders like Bob Holly and Jeff Jarrett. This is what The Hitman has been reduced to. For myself (a Hitman diehard) this scene broke my heart. Apparently, Bret will now fight Goldberg in Toronto, with
the story line ending with Brett getting injured, thus allowing him to get a surgery he has needed for quite some time...Pathetic!
I hope Bishoff never does this to Brett...but it wouldn't surprise me!
What, you may wonder, should Bret hart do? In my opinion he should come on the Nitro in Canada, thank the fans for all their support, and announce his retirement. He will never return to the WWF and no other organization can afford him. He is still the best technical wrestler in the industry, however WCW has no intentions to develop this superstar. When you have wrestlers as bookers, what more can you expect? The only way for Bret to save his career now is to announce his retirement before he joins the ranks of Hogan and Flair. But remember, he is "the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be", and has become the victim of an unfortunate dispute with McMahon. I don't know if Bret screwed Bret or if McMahon screwed Bret, but I do know the only one who is screwed now is Bret.
Column Author/Editor:
Gordon Payne
