STW #73: Bret Hart's 96/97
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- On this episode: The business was changing in 1996 and Bret Hart was at the center of it all for the World Wrestling Federation. Bill Watts is out and the decision is made to make Shawn Michaels "the guy." Soon after, Diesel and Razor leave for greener pastures creating a perfect storm for Bret Hart to the subject of the greatest bidding war in the history of the business. Bret stays loyal for less money but finds that this isn't the same WWF he left a year before. How did the Ultimate Warrior potentially change everything for Bret? What did Bret think of Shawn losing his smile? How did Vince convince Bret to become a heel? What was with the cursing on RAW before WrestleMania 13? Bret doubled down and the Hart Foundation's angle became the hottest in the company. While feuding on camera with Steve Austin, Bret's real issue was with Shawn Michaels. We address Sunny days, the wheelchair promo to end RAW, the fight before RAW, the "girly" magazine comments, and how "working the boys" turned into a shoot. What fault did Bret deserve in this? What single conversation could have caused the Montreal Screwjob? On one of the most historic nights of Mick Foley and Steve Austin's career, Bret learns his contract is about to be breached because Vince can't afford him. When did Vince regret giving Bret that contract? Did Vince change his mind and tell Bret he found the money? What did Bret's agent say? What did Bret ask Bischoff for? When Bret got the offer, how did Vince respond? Once the deal was done, how did word get out? What did Bret write in his column that week that directly contradicts what Bret wrote in his book? Why did Vince write an open letter to the fans before the Survivor Series? Who suggested the screwjob? What offer did Vince make to Bret for the night before that Bret turned down? Which of the boys tried to warn Bret? Who knew the night of? When did Earl see Bret again? We've heard Bret's account of punching Vince but what really happened in that room? Who tried to quit in protest? Who came up with "Bret Screwed Bret" for the interview with JR? Bret's final two years in the company saw him put on some of his best matches ever, he certainly give his strongest promos of his career during this time, and was involved in one of the hottest angles in company history. Does the screwjob tarnish all of that? Decide for yourself in our longest episode ever in what we believe is the best podcast there is, was, or ever will be!
Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard is an audio podcast that discusses topics, events, wrestlers and memorable moments through the lens of former WWE executive Bruce Prichard co-hosted by Conrad Thompson.
The show was launched in August 2016 on MLW Radio. The episodes typically range from 2 hours to 4 hours in length, and include discussions about previous WWE pay-per-views and former WWE wrestlers.
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8:52 episode starts
Thanks.
I love you.
"Thank You sir!!!"
I sat through the ads and rap thing....
Thanks brother
Few things about bret hart's personality:
1. He's a straight shooter. He says things as he sees it without any hesitation or fear.
2. Great mind for wrestling business.
3. Insecure of losing his top position or never being the guy.
4. Sucker for respect.
5. Takes himself too seriously often.
6. Very articulate in his thoughts.
7. Underrated sense of humor.
8. Not very selfish as other top guys were maybe to his own detriment.
9. Not political at all.
He wanted to get to the top by ability alone, rather than "playing the game" so to speak. He always considered himself as one of the boys and wouldn't get involved in backstage politics. Yeah he definitely took it all seriously but if you read into his background and upbringing you can understand why
ban_it
All parties involved in the Montreal Screwjob were political
I love to hear him go off on "dinosaurs" like Hogan when he couldn't let go of the past in '97 and it cost him. He is still a dinosaur today, constantly whining about anybody current.
Oh, and I agree with Flair. Bret was overrated. A slightly above average performer who did the same routine every night and was worse than a high school speech student on the mic. The original "vanilla midget".
I don't see how anyone can talk shit on Bret. I've recently been watching all his matches . Right now I'm in October 97, a month before he leaves and IMO he brutalized his opponents his last few years. What a lot of people don't remember is Vince thought it was funny when Flair brought the title to WWF that's why he screwed Bret , Vince was afraid it would come back around. Long story short , Bret Hart is a badass
Richard Klosterman definitely. Every Flair match is chop, chop, chop, flair flop, figure 4. Rinse and repeat. Bret’s ring work is much better than Flairs.
Austin were nervous about color because Vince had outlawed it. Austin was afraid he'd get fired because he was still new to the company and Bret said he would do it and protect him and take the heat from Vince. Austin and Bret have both confirmed this on Edge and Christian's podcast.
Love Brett for his work with Austin and being a man and knowing what was right and having his back because he had the "pull" to have his back.....I've heard Vince knew the whole time but they had to play it this way so other guys didn't do it
Greg, when did conrad or bruce doubt that?
The6FootPlusTree they didn’t but this guy wants you to know he’s an insider cuz he listens to all the podcasts. He’s like the “film nerds” in the movies that say shit like “Tom Cruise Top Gun 1987” but he exists in real life.
He “actually guys” guy who has to correct a point first cuz again...he’s an insider.
evilSWA - beyond pandora films don’t be a dick. What he said is true
Fun fact, Austin did something very similar with Chris Benoit in 2001 regarding the 10 German Suplexes. He allowed Benoit to go 10 consecutive and I believe McMahon didn’t know about it because they thought he would say no due to Austin’s neck injury.
The Bret/Austin 96-97 feud is legendary. Leagues above anything else.
As a 10 year old watching in 96/97, I've never believed any other storyline since. Bret was a master at making you believe.
Shamsi I was 10 in 97 as well and man those were the days! We’ll never see anything like it in our lives man
@@joemazza2583 Never ever dude
Surely that's not better than the Baron Corbin and Seth Rollins feud? Or the Lacey And Beckyy
You actually felt like Bret and Austin hated each other
92 Bret Hart vs 2001 Kurt Angle ? Id buy a ticket to see that.
Nah, 1987 Jake Roberts vs 2010 Randy Orton. The Snake vs The Viper. The DDT vs the RKO. Man that's a license to print money.
Jeffrey Doe Randy Orton is irrelevant
@@BishopM1 Ah, perhaps you didn't notice i said '2010' Randy Orton when he first became the Viper. I feel he was at his best then.
96 Razor Ramon vs the 🌎
Jeffrey Doe his Legend Killer gimmick was the only interesting part of Randy’s career
I love how Conrad gets his digs in cause Bruce is so biased with HBK....I wish you would straight call his ass out more but the fact that Bruce said Shawn's title reighn was more successful and you kept saying "no it really wasn't" then laid out the facts was fucking awesome
That's why he lost his smile because the business was so poor. To me, Shawn was the Roman Reigns as champ. Nobody bought it and it turned me off but Vince kept shoving it down people's throat.
at1212 b Exactly. You said it perfectly, bubba. A to the Z.
@@at1212b Shawn lost his smile because he was screwing everyone over. Of course works no fun when everyone hates you for fucking them over.
Regardless, he's the GOAT and better than your favorite 'rassler
@@davidvaughn9 Bret>Shawn
its insane how easy it is to listen to u guys and 3-4 hours fly by . hello from Dundalk Ireland
You two gentlemen are the absolute best!
The topics you cover and the insights you offer are nothing short of revelations in fandom; thank you! I was brought in by your amazing Bret “The Hitman” Hart coverage because he is my all time favorite superstar. .. but now, it’s your show that is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be! Thank you Conrad and Bruce!
Sincerely,
Kirk Watanabe
Devout 80’s & 90’s WWF fan
Bret was a helluva performer
I met Bret at his speaking tour in the UK and he was awesome. He was interested to hear me say about Warrior shooting on Hogan in the hour-long thing, and then had some interesting things to say about Hogan! His stories were superb and whether he tells it like it is or not, he really is a legend.
Wat did he say about hogan?
Hey Ben.. Dish on what hitman said about "hull hogun"
Bret was done wrong. His loyalty, hard work and dedication should have warranted Vince compensating that Survivor Series match for the way Shawn handled himself towards Bret. I’m not saying Bret was entitled to his way, but it shouldn’t have even gotten to that point to begin with. And I’m a big HBK fan, I met him at a signing event after Summer Slam 02, but I think Bret was right in this situation.
Bret knew what he was doing. It was a work. Bret will probably take this work to the grave.
He wasn't loyal. He should of found a way to stay with WWF but he was too busy listening to offers from WCW. Then he goes there and his career was destroyed. If he had stayed with Vince he would of had a much better career, but as it stands, he wasn't the best there ever was because he quit on the WWF that made him who he was.
Lmao it was a stroke of luck he was ever champion. Never drew a jeff jarrett dime.
He and Shawn kept the company from going out of business before Austin took over. Was he a big draw? No but he kept the company alive when it literally had nothing to offer besides Mantar and the bloody Goon.
Sure was. It was tragic
I remember when I first saw Bret go against Mr perfect at summer slam I was hooked. He was and still is my favorite wrestler
One of my favourite ever matches to this day.
Greg Wray same here. He wss my favorite growing up. Now teddy hart is a favorite of mine.
Greg Wray I began watching in 1983 and was a Hulkamaniac, but when that torch got passed the Hit man became my favorite...
He's a GREAT wrestler. Top 3 of all time in my eyes. I hate when people discount someone's greatness because they didn't draw like Hogan. Unless your Vince mcmahon what the fuck do you care? It's such bulls hit to say this guy was a lousy champion and ahh this guy didn't draw like it's all down to the champion. Business goes up and down. Just because Hulk drew more than Bret doesn't make him better! The Fucking spice girl movie made 10 times what the Shaw shank redemption did at the box office, so that's a better film? I started watching wrestling in 1989. In England we had wcw on Saturday mornings and wwe was on cable which very few people had at that time so I was a HUGE sting fan. At 5 and 6 years old I thought it was all legit lol a few years later after finding out it was "fake" I pretty much soured on wrestling and didn't watch. Bret Hart was huge over here in the UK. I'd say more over than Hulk and probably neck and neck with taker. I didn't watch though until I kept hearing about this ladder match over and over. I'd say "it's fake why would I watch wrestling" my friend MADE me watch it " you have to see this match" I watched wrestlemania 10 and the match was the best thing I'd ever seen and so was the bret Owen match. I realised that day that wrestling although not "real" was an art. These guys were artists creating drama suspense and excitement and after watching wrestling for 30 years and going back and watching everything from before I was born and after really studying the business and the art I've NEVER seen anyone past or present better than Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Both of them as artists were on another level. I've never seen anyone even come close tbh.
Mr Rickson who are you arguing with and have heat with??!
In celebration of Brets birthday yesterday, I decided to listen to this again, Bret may have heat with some people, but i was a fan, I still am a fan, and always will be a fan.
Chris Terry Awesome bro!
Same man.
Is ur name Mark by any chance.
It's brets real name im pretty sure too.
@@joshlewispersonal Lol I like Bret but I always would get a kick out of Kevin Nash calling him the “$400K Champion”, meaning Bret was happy only getting $400,000 a year just as long as he could beat everyone in the ring with the sharpshooter. I admire his passion for the business but he did take himself way too seriously
So your the fan that is.
The fan that was.
And a fan you always will be.
Shawn would have never been champion if he wasn't sleeping with vince mcmahon....
I'd say he's on the Mt. Rushmore of in-ring workers.
Shawn gives up the title (5th time) with a phony injury before WM - Bruce: "eh what are ya gonna do.
Bret doesn't want to drop the title to Shawn at SS but will drop it to others - Bruce: "THAT SELFISH BASTARD!!"
Shawn Michaels is a drug addict that alienated the entire roster BRUCE - Bret would show up later than other wrestlers!! (But never miss a show)
A bit of a double standard.
Well he is a selfish bastard so their is that
This is what I cant stand about Bruce.
@@HereIsWisdom1318One of the many things I can't stand about Bruce. JR too. They are company men to the absolute core. There's a very weird and excessive amount of bullshit that Vince allowed Shawn to get away with, and it seems like Vince liked him a lot, so therefore JR and Bruce do too. They pull double standards constantly with UW, Cornette does too. They prop up and support and openly praise some wrestlers/WWE staff members that were pieces of shit, but UW is someone they absolutely tear the fuck apart at every chance.
Seems like Bruce is criticizing Bret for wanting to “beat everyone” in 96, but isn’t that exactly what they did with Hogan before? I really don’t see anything wrong with wanting to beat everyone if you’re the champ. It’s not like they immediately jobbed Austin out to Undertaker right after Mania 14.
Bret, whether you're a fan of his or not, was difficult in 96-97. That's the reality. Shawn, much like he has always said, admits even then and now, he wasn't the most agreeable person nor an easy person to deal with. While Bret, on the other hand, feigned being the "good guy" yet was just as much a diva, if not more.
@@RealAlphaDrum p
Not even close to the same thing. Tell me you don't need me to explain it.
@@RealAlphaDrum I think if Vince had really given Bret some proper runs with good feuds while he was on top he would've been ready to step back a little bit in 95-96. 97 he was white hot as a hell and deserves that title run, but he might not have been so protective of himself had the company done more for him when he was on top the prior times.
@@Thor-Orion i don't know, it seems there was no pleasing Bret and he was always bitter because of Hogan. That's on Bret, not anyone else. I just think he is a bitter person in general. It's not just about HBK, and Bret has a history of being a sour person. Bret was a star, and he was good, but he wasn't content with that, he wanted to be the only star. Don't let his false humility trick you.
It was Bret's idea to work with Austin, not Vince's, like Bruce says. Austin has said multiple times Bret handpicked him to make his return.
2 things:
1) can't expect him to remember every little detail.
2) maybe that's what he was told by vince. people forget, Bruce has said many times, the podcast is about WWF from his perspective, and not necessarily all true. he's only telling how he saw things happen, or heard about things happening.
Austin being in WWF period is a credit to Bret namedropping him to Vince any chance he got. He did the same for Benoit.
Ze TheGame you thinking Kurt Angle is bigger than Bret was is childish
Ze TheGame dude your comparing WWF in 96 to wwe today bro .. What are you talking about your probably 15 bro learn about the WWF back then before u talk wrestlers had power back then today there just little bitches
I'm so glad that Conrad calls Bruce out about saying that business was good when Michael's had the title
Chris Terry yes that's why I'm glad conrad brings it up...
@Chris Terry Is it fair to say people didn't really buy into Shawn's character? No one doubted he did outstanding ring work but the "Boyhood Dream" shtick seemed to wear out quickly.
@Dale Harris Agree completely. Character wise, Shawn never succeeded as a pure babyface, and that "Boyhood Dream" stuff didn't do him any favors. While he was fantastic in the ring, 1996 was the worst year of Shawn's career in terms of his wrestling character. He just wasn't believable without that "cocky punk" attitude that made him so hot as a WWF heel.
@@daleharris3809 It was ok at first, but I swear Vince and JR mentioned approximately 245,000,000,000 a night, so it did wear out very quickly.
Sure as shit didnt go well with Bret had the title
After listening to this, I think Bruce is even more obsessed with Shawn than Sunny is. :D
I've thought for awhile now Bruce was secretly attracted to Shawn
An orgy between him shawn pat and Vince on a bear skin rug
@@ConsDad Wouldn't shock me a bit if that actually happened.
@@justinfortner7411 fuck em all. Sick bastards
@@ConsDad lmao 😂
Bret should be running the show in the position HHH is. He knew how to run the company
Brets concussion from Goldberg really cost Bret a lot of money
McMahon put that on the table, his counter offer to wcw’s was a 20+ year deal. Basically he could have stayed indefinitely. He would have been used for helping talent and operations behind the scenes. Possibly taking pats old job. Looking back on it , Bret say’s he should have taken the deal.
Was Bret’s own words
NO DOUBT!!!!!! He ABSOLUTELY lost a lot of good years over being bitter. He was the best their is,was and EVER will be and THAT'S the bottom line be cause dus tin said so
@@_sabathia_5929 ummm McMahon backed outta that contact basically.
Can we get bret hart 93/94.Years
I'd love to have Bret Hart 1991/1992 years as well, covering his runs as WWF Intercontinental champion.
@@Dizzy1980 It would be awesome to hear how Bret reacted when he was told he was chosen to beat Ric Flair for the World title after being on the lower card wrestling Skinner just the month before
@Regina Reece Bret does talk about that on the Bret/Shawn rilvary DVD. He stated that he was not told until the morning of, and that he didn't believe it until it happened.
Bret left because it was all centered around Shawn, Bret wanted balanced equality in storylines. Bret didn’t worry about money.
Bret's wife gave DX hell too. All Hunter did was drop his head in shame
Love love loveeeeeeee how Conrad calls out Bruce for being a total kiss ass towards Vince, Shawn and Hunter...... I usually love Bruce, but his hate for Hitman pisses me off. Wah wah.
Brett has such a huge ego when it comes to wrestling tho
Dude, wrestling is a business. Bret definitely took his character too serious.
@@CobraCraig88 dude, if you don't have a huge ego, you are not gonn get anywhere in the company
@@CobraCraig88 Let me get this straight. Wrestling is a "business'", but Bret is "too serious" soooo would you suggest he not be serious when it comes to business and let himself get screwed over? Hogan didn't do business that way which is how he kept his spot. Austin was serious about keeping his spot and his character which made him walk out.
@@Nicky2Chains Humble guys don't get anywhere in the business. Hogan had an ego, HHH, Shawn, Hall & Nash, Austin and Cena had egos and they were successful. Austin had an ego that caused him to walk out. Top guys have huge egos. Undertaker was a top guy but never pushed to the THEE top guy which is why people mostly say good things about him. If he wanted that spot he would have had to be more of an A-hole.
We need a Bret Hart 1992 1993 and 1994
Vince said " it's the first time I ever had to lie to talent" hmmm, wonder if Vince said that to Wendy Richter in 1985?
She had no talent
She could have kept the belt, she just had to out hook moolah... she was in no way shape or form keeping that belt... lol
I guess you could argue he never said "I'm not bringing Moolah in to shoot on you."
With all the crap that has come out against Moolah, I wish somebody like Chyna or Madusa had tied her in knots and embarrassed her.
@@jonathanlindsey790 Moolah would have kicked Chyna and Madusa's asses. They weren't legitimate shooters. Chyna was a bodybuilder and Madusa was a former Nurse before entering Pro Wrestling. She worked in Japan but that doesn't mean she was legit. The women in Moolah's era knew legitimate holds because that how it was back then. The only woman that could beat Moolah's ass today without question would be Nattie Neidhart since she has actual Freestyle Wrestling/MMA training. Nattie could probably bench and squat Moolah's body weight while sleeping and eating a sandwich at the same time.
facts are shawn michaels run as champion in 96 in terms of money and ratings were down. next year when Bret was champion and Hart Foundation were on tv it was a better draw and better money maker
I wish Bruce never had an agenda when doing these podcasts. It's like he knew/knows he was getting a job back in WWE, so he didn't wanna burn bridges. ESPECIALLY when he defended HHH over the Booker t comments
Yes!! Still pisses me off when I think about it. He has no sense when it comes to HHH in particular lmao
Great show, Bret Hart was the best those days. I miss the 90s
I do too
Yup if I had a time machine I’d go back, the world just gets worse with every year that goes by now.
1996 to 1999 WWF..Bret..HBK.. Undertaker..Stone Cold..Rock.. Mankind.. Triple H..Kane..Owen Hart..and great tag Edge and Christian..Hardy Boys..and the damn Dudley Boys..great times.
1:45:42 - I remember Sid doing that when I watched it as a kid. LMAO!!!
sid really should have been the best of all time. had the look, said cool - but at the same time -hilariously stupid stuff and he was good enough in the ring
again and again and again. Bret was the WWF's top star.
Hogan, Michael's, Austin, Rock, Undertaker, The Game. I still haven't gotten to Bret yet, but I remember him passing out sunglasses to kids.
He was their true MVP. Talk about a guy who had to put up with so much nonsense back then. No wonder he can come across at times as a bit resentful.
@@troll-fx2zc good thing your opinion doesn't matter
@@jamiephillips3947 Bret was the best wrestler that wore pink.
@@troll-fx2zc shawn Michael's doesnt even make my top 10. Shawn Michaels is the top poutty face wrestler ☹☹☹☹
Whoever wrote the description for this video should get a Pulitzer prize
Lol... Hell yeah
What I take away from this is that the two best workers in the business at the time worked each other into a shoot. I am sure they both felt that they were being professional towards the each other, however the courteousy was not returned. I've heard Nash talk about working the boys was the real goal. These two guys did that to each other perfectly. 20+ years removed from those days, how far the WWE has fallen. It was this feud that sold me WWE's superiority over WCW. And Damn, Shawn was and still is the best heel ever and the proof is here in the comments. He was such a lightning rod. And though Bret was screwed (which sucked), it did lead to the best period of wrestling ever with Austin and the Rock and DX; essentially proving screwing Bret was best for business.
Hart was the MVP of 97 for sure
Bret Hart vs Steve Austin best matches ever
All of them?
I would love to hear more Bret Hart episodes, guys!
Hitman vs. Stone Cold at Mania 14 would've been the biggest and best match in the history of wrestling.
Would’ve??
@@HereIsWisdom1318 Yes, the past conditional form of the verb "To Will".
@@panagenesis2695 Yea, but it either is or isnt, and in assuming this is your opinion. But anyway how can it “would’ve been the biggest and best...”
What prevents it from being one or the other?
@@HereIsWisdom1318 "Is or isn't" are present definite tenses of the verb "To Be". How can it "be" if it was not in the first place? Therefore, it is prevented from being the ideal match from never having happened, which is why use the conditional tense. I also use the inclusive conjuction "and", not "or", as "biggest" AND "best" match ever are not mutually exclusively concepts.
I was at the raw with the bret vs sid in the cage. Syracuse. One of my best childhood memories and my first ever wrestling show.
Bret thought of his own legacy more than just a business. I loved that about him.
I think the WM rematch with Shawn was in Bret s head. Wrestling Shawn did not draw. Why would Vince agree to a rematch about 9 months before WM. Just so Bret could get his win back!
me too...it can't just be a business to fans because then there is no use following it
"I had firmly placed the torch in that little monsters hands"🤣🤣🤣
Oh his book is great. So many hilarious lines.
I seen wrestling with shadows after watching that ot makes vince McMahon and bruce prichard and HHH look all like liars and will screw you over and defend each other no matter what
You've butchered the english language but we'll said
Stu Hart owned a wrestling company. If Stu's top guy refused to drop the title to Bret in Stampeed Wrestling what should Stu do allow him to go to the competition or take the title? Bret screwed Bret.
A documentary that paints the main subject in a positive light and gives one side of a controversial story? Shock
I love when people call out others for grammatical errors, and then proceed to make one themselves. Lmao.
I'm pretty sure it was autocorrect
Random..but being from Sacramento,Cali...I love how Bruce always shows love to the old Arco Arena..I always knew that building was magic! Love the podcast fellas!! 👍🍄
Also, why does Jim Ross say "Its widely believed this could be Bret Harts last Match in the WWF if he loses" or something similar. That wasnt even apart of the storyline at that point. I refuse to believe JR and the King didnt know what was going on.
Would not surprise me one bit.
Vince has already leaked that Bret was going to WCW. It shows this on Wrestling With Shadows
I think the dirtsheets were talking
29:56-Bruce is liar man! I was a Bret Hart fan, and the video packages of Shawn and Bret were NOT comparable. These packages show Bret in the weakest light!
Bret the HitGOAT Hart.
I like too eat mountain oysters!
I was always on Vince's side since the screwjob happened. But over the years, you hear things, have a chance to hear both sides of the story in intricate detail, and then realize maybe Bret wasn't in the wrong afterall. According to Bret, he wanted to stay in the wwe. Vince was telling Bret he had to put Shawn over 3 straight times? That sounds like Vince was purposely trying to get rid of Bret. The narraritive has always been Bret didn't want to put Shawn over because it was his home country, but that doesn't seem to be the case. It was an after thought, and something that didn't make sense from a creative standpoint had Bret stayed. The reason he didn't want to put Shawn over was because Shawn was a dick and hated Bret so badly that he vowed that he'd NEVER put Bret over. I don't blame Bret for a second.
It was a work. Biggest work in history. The last one wrestling will ever experience due to the internet/social media.
It definitely was the case that Brett didn't want to put Shawn over in Montreal, he thought it would kill the Hitman character ('cause he was a heel in America, the US fans kinda hated him but he was still a "Hero" in Canada), he talking about it in the Wrestling With Shadows documentary. He did have creative control though so it was definitely his right to say "No", another strange angle to this whole thing is why he never sued WWE for breach of contract over the clause which said he has creative control.
It definitly wasn't a work. Hart and WWE went to court over it. Do you think, McMahona and Hart decided to kayfabe legal expenses and prison time for a fake lawsuit?
He did sue WWE over it... because it was a blatent breach of contract, that was also caught on audio.
They didn't go to court over it. Bret could have sued because he had creative control but didn't. The Hart family went to court over Owen, not the screwjob.
This is without a doubt still the best STW Episode ever.
Vince should’ve booked Bret in a Triple Threat match with Taker & HBK at Survivor Series. It would have made PERFECT sense, as the winner of the Badd Blood Hell in a Cell match was supposed to get a title shot at Survivor Series. HBK won that match so he deserved the title shot but since Taker only lost that match due to Kane’s interference he also deserved a title shot. During the match Bret arms get stuck in the ropes the same way it happened at the UK One Night Only PPV in September 97. HBK uses this opportunity to hit Sweet Chin Music on Taker for the win. You could even have Taker put his foot on the rope right before the three count but the referee misses it to extend their rivalry into the Royal Rumble casket match. Taker wasn’t even BOOKED in a match at Survivor Series which makes it even worse that Vince didn’t book this match. If Bret had left the WWF on good terms he would’ve probably come back in 2001 in a non-wrestling role after his WCW contract expired.
Ibremeber Bret always taking care of Shawn in the ring. The ironman match Shawn overshot a dive from the top rope to outside the ring...Bret reached out and pulled him in, if he didn't Shawn gets mangled on the guardrail
Good observation
Bret was the best. Super believable and didn’t hurt guys.
@@troywright359 Its not a good observation; its clear as day.
I will say, the hatred has to he the greatest work in HISTORY, or Bret AND Shawn are such fckn pro’s that they prevented each other’s serious injuries!
Just listened to this and you can tell by Bruce's tone he is kissing up to Vince, shawn and Hunter when given criticism
Stop whining
@@billieboybuddha4238 how am I whining. I just gave an opinion 😏
@@kev247365 People always assume people are kissing Vince's ass when they agree with him, or to Shawn's when they like him. That's too easy for me. Not everything Vince does turns into gold, but its ridiculous that people make it look like he's some kind of idiot. The guy is a genius and I respect him, doesnt mean once is suckin up to him. And Shawn, love or hate him, but he was amazing
@@billieboybuddha4238 agree with what you are saying however all I said was you can tell Bruce is sucking up to him which he is and does
This show can be so good sometimes. This episode is a fine example. Even with the ads.
Bruce has a clear anti Bret bias because he licks wwe and Shawn Michaels balls.
Stu Hart impressions worth the price of admission
“STRETCH EM!!!”
Bret was and is still the best if bret never went to wcw he would have put Austin over and actually even though he won all the matches they had he still put Austin over the real problem was that Shawn wouldn't lose to bret it made sense for bret and Shawn to have the rematch and bret wins
Shawn was better than bret
I think the WM rematch with Shawn was in Bret s head. Wrestling Shawn did not draw. Why would Vince agree to a rematch about 9 months before WM. Just so Bret could get his win back!
I had to put my hands over my face laughing so hard at “IDONT KNOW SHIT CRYBABY”!!!!!😆😆😆😆
Maybe Bret showed up late because he knew his worth and wouldn’t do Blockbuster Video signings without getting paid.
What the fuck are those record scratch noises? Blew my headphones out like 4 times
Don't believe the Undertaker/'everything isn't about you' story. The only source is Nash, which speaks volumes, plus by 1996 Bret was the established locker-room veteran/leader, there's no way Undertaker would act like that towards him.
Yeah, I always thought that was horseshit. Surprised Taker wasn't asked about it by now, where I'm confident he'll shoot it down. Him and Bret were really good friends.
Matthew Singh-Dosanjh Agreed. And if Taker was going to be mad at anyone for being about themselves, it would be Nash and his merry bunch of assholes in The Kliq.
Taker respected Bret and was upset that Vince screwed Bret in Montreal.
Bret hart is the greatest
When you are 6'10 and 300 lbs. You can say whatever you want to anyone. Especially if you feel you are being fucked around. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if its true. Taker has always been a general in the locker room.
how did Bret get the Simpsons in 97? his manager was aggressive. they just asked for him. Bret was the hottest thing at the time.........
But he didn’t draw 🙄
I'm new to this channel and have been watching several episodes. It seems like every time Conrad asks Bruce as tough question he "doesn't know" anything or "has no idea."
I did enjoy Sid's line about "I don't know shit crybaby!
Sid promos are just slightly less entertaining than Scott Steiner.
Sid was so awesome.
I met Bret in the Summer of 1997 outside an arena of a WWF House show, he signed my Hitman shades, I was 16 at the time, now I'm 42, I am now two years older than what Bret was then...scary
I really hope they do more episodes on Bret's other years in the WWF. His tag team days with Neidhart from The 80's to 91. Solo run from 91 - 93. Then finally his 94/95 run.
Bret also had nearly a year long singles run from Summer 1988-Mania 5 (89). Didn’t generate that much buzz or major feuds besides Bad News Brown & The Hart Foundation was reformed but Hitman began to show what he could do on his own.
This might be my favorite episode of the podcast. This is most interesting period of the WWF and the transition to the Attitude era. 1997 probably being the best year ever of the wrestling business as a whole. Bret is such an interesting guy too. He is one of the best to ever do it and because of it he takes himself way too seriously and his rivalry with Shawn is one of the greatest in company history. It’s such a fascinating era in the WWF
You took the words out of my mouth…it’s probably just nostalgia but I was too young to fully appreciate the Hogan era so this and the attitude era were “my shit” as they say.
I had to go back and rewatch the iron man match on dailymotion and you can see Shawn immediately say something to Hebner (I assume it was something along the lines of “get them out of my ring”) hebner told BOTH Bret and Jose to get out even though the pinfall had literally just happened…Bret was still selling the super kick and Jose I guess, was expected to be there with Shawn. The funny thing is if Bret immediately got up and walked out, he’d be accused of “no selling “ lol…you can’t win in that scenario and I think that certainly didn’t help the heat between the two
Bret vs Steve is what EVERYONE THINKS as soon as you say WrestleMania 13........ Best match EVER in ALL TIME.......bc of the heel turn the pass out ...... JUST beautiful
Man if Bret and Shawn got along and hall and Nash stayed. Maybe the Monday bight wars would have been different but shit the WWF would have been fucking great
I feel like the main issue with Bret and Shawn no one ever talks about is the generational gap in between the 2 Bret was 40 Shawn was only 32 and at that time he wasn’t just mature enough to be put in that role as champion case in point after all this stuff blows over the company is carried over the next few years on the backs of undertaker and Steve Austin older mature guys who respected the business
Stone Cold is 7 months older than HBK, Undertaker is like 4 months older. Probably was a gap in maturity but not in age at the time.
In the future say just wasn't not wasnt just, not trying to be a grammer dickhead but it sounds better
At WrestleMania XII, Bret Hart was 38 at the time, born 7/2/57. Shawn was 30 at the time, born 7/22/65. But yes, there was a generation gap.
8 years can make a drastic difference in someone's personality. Shawn was 30 at WrestleMania XII and arguably the most difficult bastard in wrestling at the time. 8 years later, Shawn was a born again Christian and a totally different human being.
Bret is a genuine guy unlike hbk, hhh, vince and other lying scumbags. Everything about the Hitman was real and the fans know that.
3:31:27 Conrad giving us a women's perspective on two men arguing. Thanks Connie. 👌
So basically he had already fulfilled his contracted days by the time it got to survivor series. He could have just not showed up and he wouldn't have been in breach of his contract because technically he'd already honoured it. I know what I would have done lol
Bret was contracted into December. He wasn’t able to appear on WCw till
Mid December. Survivor Series was held a couple weeks earlier than normal usually it was don on or before thanksgiving it was on the 9th of November that year. I’m fact his first appearance on WCw was the 15th of Dec and reading Bret’s book he could have possibly done one more PPV.
Bischoff on his podcast with Conman he says the reason Bret was a ref in startcade is because he had 30 days he couldn’t compete against WWF and I believe that was due to still being under contract with WWF. The reason he didn’t have a match for Starrcade is they couldn’t contractually bring him in to get any sort of an angle started. The only reason the belt had to come off him is fear of Boschoff announcing they signed the current WWF Champion. The next night in Nitro they didn’t announce it just came out with Canadian flags.
bruce seriously must of been on the bear carpet with shawn and vince, i remember he actually said what shawn did was honorable, about screwing bret, that he did it for the boys lol, bruce is such a politician, but the shawn praise is very strange, if he prasies shawn that much in spite of him being a complete unprofessional scumbag junkie, then bret hart should be king in bruce's eyes, but oddly it doesn't work that way with him
Tag team match 96 Razor & 96 HBK ( VS. ) 96 Hitman and 92 Mr perfect. My dream tag team fight
"God damn! We need a stimulation for this match!" 🤣
In this episode Bruce said WM13 wasn’t supposed to be Shawn vs Bret II saying “that’s what Bret wanted!”, but he also says in this SAME EPISODE that it was. Also in other episodes he said it was. He says whatever fits his current narrative and whatever Vince would want him to say. It’s annoying and unnecessary. He acts like he doesn’t know what a transitioning champion is, he’s so disingenuous.
Shawn was sleeping with Vince. Hence he had all the leverage. Period
Your a steroid user
Vince got off when he wore those ringlet costumes
Bret SHOULD have beaten everyone in the Survivor Series 1995 - WM 12 time period. It would have ultimately made Shawn look like gold!
Doc Hogan don’t think logical man
プライベート旅行かな？パラセーリング楽しそう！
ゆうかちゃんがとても楽しそうにしているのが嬉しい♪
たまにはこうして息抜きしてくださいね❤
Yeah good point actually. Can understand them wanting to keep Taker strong for Mania. But then the finish at the rumble was weak. Part of the problem was there was no rumble between the two until the following summer.
I think he did
@@borednow5838 Im not sure why Taker needed to look strong for Mania though. He was not a champion or in a main event nor did "the streak" exist in 1996.
Warrior vs Hogan was a disaster? I'm sorry but sometimes it seems like Conrad hates wrestling.
Thank you for this episode, I guess there's always 3 ways of the story each parties side and the truth side...such a wonderful, interesting and in away sad story...thank you Bruce, Conrad and Bret
Can we get bret hart 93-95 plz and thx you
It's a career that deserves a few episode breakdown. I'd like a Hart Foundation episode
I feel if bret never jumped ship to wcw then he might have went down in history as one of the best heals ever . He was a heal only for a short while here but really knew what he was doing... him programed with hbk , austin , taker , and the rock eventually woulda been awesome !!
Austin Ryan so true! 100% agree
I agree, and I’ll take it a step further and say Bret is still a “heel”. He likes heat and provoking emotion,as serious as ppl take him I think its still a major work to Bret.
He was a guy who liked being a baby face. He didnt like being a heel, despite being an awesome, natural heel.
Agreed, Bret was a natural heel.
Wonder how Bret would have fit in during the 98 to 00 era. For sure Owen never goes back to the blue blazer so he is still alive. Maybe he still turns on the harts and goes all nugget in the nation. But Bret wouldn't have stood for it. He would a stuck up for Owen and said your too good to be the joke of the WWF. Imagine Bret and the rock at a mania... Or the survivor series with all those stables from that era. Mannnnn would have been gold
Is it just me or does the Bruce as Bret pic look a bit like Sean Waltman?
It looks like Pee Wee Herman
That weird attraction between Vince and shawn is not fatherly love.
I feel like Bret and Shawn never had their best matches. We never got the payoff.
It's a shame that we never got to see the Survivor Series match play out as designed. According to Bret, they were just getting started when the screwjob happened and all the amazing high spots were still coming. He even feels like it could have been the definitive match between them, which says a lot when you consider how highly he regards the Iron Man.
As far as I'm concerned, their Survivor Series 1992 match was their best one. I agree, they could've gone further but never did, despite the notoriety of WrestleMania XII and Survivor Series 1997.
Love conrad proving Bruce wrong
it's all bullshit. Bret had creative control and worked beyond his contract. He said he would drop the belt to whoever whenever just not to Shawn in Canada and they fucked him over. Even after Vince renigged on his offer and basically made him go. Money aside. Bret didn't wanna leave.
I get that this is an older video, but why would Vince tell Brett to go talk to WCW while Brett has the title?.
Why would they not take the title off him and then tell him to go talk to WCW then you probably wouldn't have had the whole issue with the "screw job", I don't get it.
Great point. I always thought it was strange that they even ended up in that position in the first place.
DX did have a gay vibe when it was just HBK, HHH and Chyna. For 1 example 2 men playing strip poker with a woman built like a man was just weird. One of my favorite Bret Hart promos is when he called them homos and said HBK barebacked his way to main events lol
They really shit on Bret and his attitude in early 1996, but he wasn't entirely wrong.
I got into wrestling right around that time. First PPV I watched live was the 1996 Royal Rumble. I as only a kid, and a mark at that, and I remember thinking Bret looked weak because Undertaker and Diesel were both able to basically finish him off in the middle of the ring. It seemed like Bret only won those matches because Diesel/Undertaker interfered in each other's title matches and were able to stop the other from winning.
Bret wasn't just looking out for himself - he wanted the title to mean more so that the match with Shawn would have seemed more significant. Instead, they basically made 'Taker look like the most over guy in the company despite the fact that he was going to spend the next few months losing mid-card matches to Goldust and Mankind.
Kind of odd booking, honestly. The year before, at the '95 Rumble, they did a better job of protecting Bret and Diesel at the same time with the way they ended that match. That showed that the company knew how to protect a champion and challenger in a major title match at the Royal Rumble. For some reason, they just couldn't be bothered to give Bret that courtesy in '96.
Epic dusty shoot intro
This was such a pleasure to watch. IMO, The Hitman is the GOAT and no one comes close, no one.
This is the best wrestlig storyline ever. They made great money from this. Even still today were talking about it
They need to cover more years on Bret.
Massive Bret Hart hate from Conrad and Prichard.
Conrad has stated he isn’t the biggest Bret fan but he gives a ton of props to Bret here. He even says brets run from survivor series 96 to survivor series 97 holds up vs. anyone else’s best year run
Shawn is Vince’s boy, talking shit about Shawn equals talking shit about Vince. Bruce’s logic.
Drinking game: Every time you hear "rumor&innuendo" and "heresay"...and every time Bruce says whatever Bret says was wrong/lie/etc
I like the Jr version better
Razor Ramon was is one of my top 10 all time. But if he would have went to WCW back then by himself, he either would’ve been world champion plus the NWO would’ve never been.
One of the only reasons that made wrestling real was watching Bret wrestle. I was 12 when seeing the screw job and was blown away. Most underrated move by Bret was his headbutt . He made it so realistic . Always holding his head in pain after delivering it to his opponent.
Bret the "the hitman" Hart is my favorite wrestler of all time. I still to this day feel like Vince and HBK had a very weird relationship not a father and son relationship but more of a lovers relationship. I wish Bret would have jumped to WCW when they first contacted him. When Bret finally got to WCW he was white hot but WCW didn't know how to handle it and blew the opportunity. Shawn Michaels is one of the most overrated wrestler of all time. Now I'm not saying HBK shouldn't of never been champion but not the top guy not when you have undertaker, Sid and Vader. Austin and Bret's feud was great and helped Austin not only get over but also made Steve the top guy who would eventually would save the WWF from Extinction.
WestWick88 True, Bret helped get Stone Cold over.
WCW didn't know how to handle Bret is only half the truth. The other half is Bret not giving a shit bout anything after the Montreal Screwjob. He admitted that he came, received his instructions, did what he was asked to do, did it, went home, and collected his check.
He had no ideas on his own and was just worried about not repeating the same mistake again, which is taking his character too seriously.
I don’t think anything happened but I truly believe Vince has a giant crush on Shawn. He would fawn over Shawn and make little girl in love eyes at Shawn
Listening Brother Love rapping "It's all about the Benjamins" was pretty good.