Eric Bischoff SHOOTS On Why Montreal Screwjob Didn't Matter!
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- In this clip Eric Bischoff talks exclusively to Inside The Ropes about the time Bret Hart came to WCW and explains his thought process on why to bring in Bret and also why Bret's reaction to the Montreal Screwjob didn't matter as much as it did to Bret!
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Long story short. Eric had no idea how to use Bret.
Exactly and htf do you not know how to use Bret
They failed to capitalize on the hottest commodity in wrestling at the time (Bret Hart after SS97).
In spite of huge public backlash, the WWF was able to capitalize on it by creating the Evil Mr. McMahon character.
If bret drew in WWF i got your point . But he didnt so No bret was not over in wcw cuz bret Sucks
@@Aizenborgman then you feel the same way if Eric bischoff had Kurt Angle and couldn't book him correctly? Cause Kurt wasn't a draw either. Regardless of whether someone is a draw or not superstars like Bret and Kurt are literally the easiest to book and the fact that bischoff didn't know what to do with Bret, which was use him as a workhorse and because Brets style was perfect for it, to get the champion over because he was a legitimate threat to whoever was the champion regardless of heel or face, and the fact that I knew that but he didn't is the same reason why I literally laugh anytime bitchoff says anything about aew booking. Coming from the idiot who couldn't even figure out how to use Bret properly he doesn't have any room to talk about someone else's horrible booking
Bret didn't draw a dime. Sorry
The Montreal Screwjob was one of the biggest events in wrestling history and Bischoff didn’t care about it? What an idiotic missed layup.
It was in no way big. The only person it affected was Hart, and that was even ridiculous. If you're leaving a company, and your boss tells you that you need to drop the title on your last match for the company, then you drop the belt.
@@jamesmace9453Unless Bret Hart had creative control in his last 30 days. Also Bret was only leaving because of Vince not wanting to honor the contract he gave Bret.
So this was all on Vince
@thecedex obviously he didn't have creative control. Which isn't surprising, considering control was given to a rare few back then, like Hulk Hogan. The fact reason he was leaving has no impact on the fact that he was leaving and refusing to drop the belt. Like WWE was going to allow that. We all.saw how that went with Alundra Blayze.
@@thecedexBret did have creative control
It didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Within 12 months Stone Cold Steve Austin was the hottest commodity in wrestling. Bischoff saying that was more about Bret not being able to put it behind him and focusing on what was in front of him.
WWF made a bigger deal about Bret going to WCW than WCW did.
Coming off the Screw Job… Let’s have Bret Hart just walk out in the middle of a random Nitro, in jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket… smiling at the camera & the fans.. “It took a long time to get here.”
WTF 🤦♂️.
@@DavidM563 looool right 🫣
I'm 41 going on 42 and grew up in Toronto. He *was* a hero to Canadian fans. It was a big deal.
Only if you are a Pink Wimp!
I’m a 40 year old Californian, he was hero here too. He carried the mid 90s
Not just Canada bro but the world💯🐐
"shortly after" owen died. Owen died 1.5 years later
When you lived like they did a year and a half feels like a month
My friend told me Owen was set up because of the screw job
Bret didnt want to drop the title to Shawn. He's on record saying he would have dropped it to anyone else.
yeah but at the time, Bret's excuse was the Canadian Hero thing. He should have just said Let me drop it to anyone else.
@@ZamboniZone He did. He even said he would drop the belt to Brooklyn Brawler the next day in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
@benatkinson5671 he said he would drop it on Monday. Which didn't work because he would be under contract with WCW by then. And WWF was barely surviving at that time. And the reason he gave Vince was the Canada thing.
Bret still had 30 days after his contract ended to stay in wwe. I know there are plenty of videos on here that describe it.
@arkansasstorm Remember the women's title? Medusa took it with her to Wcw and then dropped it in the trash on TV. All Eric had to do was announce we've signed the wwf world champion. That alone would have been devastating. Vince couldn't risk that
They were given the hottest commodity in wrestling with a built in angle that they "other guys" couldn't beat him so they had to cheat - and they did NOTHING with it.
Bret the hottest commodity in wrestling? The guy wasn't even a draw and don't use the whole overseas nonsense because they weren't selling out shows with Bret being on the card too
@@bigolebothe’s a top 5 wrestler of all time
@@bigolebot At that point in time, he had all eyes on him. It wasn't just the wrestling world either. The screwjob was making the nightly news. Not anyone else in WWF or WCW. At that point in time, he absolutely was the hottest babyface on the planet. To pretend otherwise Is just showing ignorance of the situation and circumstances.
Exactly what I always say when dumbass bischoff says anything about aew horrible booking. I literally go coming from the guy that had a layup with Brett Hart and had his head so far up Hogan's ass he couldn't even do that right he has no room to be talking. Personally I think Eric is jealous of how successful aew is after five years and he barely made it five years if that running WCW
@@lorgin2003Bret could have made them so much money at that time all they had to do was take the ball and run with it bret was 💩 hot but there was too many egos in wcw I do think Bret was butt hurt and pissed off then Owen dying I think Bret was done at that point
Bischoff criticizes Hart for asserting himself as a Canadian Hero, but then discusses the importance of wrestlers asserting themselves.
That's what he does. He's a idiot and is just pissed off because Tony Khan is doing better after the first five years of running aew than Eric's tenure over WCW
I agree with Eric, Brett took it too far but when you talk about asserting yourself as a wrestler, you do have to assert yourself for the business, but Brett was not a true Canadian hero. He was a pro wrestler that the fans loved but he was not a soldier but I guess he considered himself on that same level.
Bret’s disdain for Shawn had more to with it than anything else.
Actually…….
Despite bret's ego and bull💩 about not wanting to drop the title I think he probably would have dropped it to anyone else but him Shawn was a gigantic grade A insufferable prick I don't know how anyone worked with him at the time with a lot of difficulty I would imagine
@@brianshields7485 Bret would have dropped the belt to Shawn had HBK not disrespected him months before.
I enjoyed this video, and I respect Bischoff's views in it, but I just have to point out one contradiction: at one point, they all have a laugh about Bret Hart considering himself a Canadian hero, but then say without irony that when Owen died, an Air Canada pilot was notified of his death so that he could relay it to Bret. They don't do that for just anybody. They did that because Bret was a Canadian hero. Also, while Bret did not want to lose the belt in Canada, he did also offer to lose the belt the next night in Ottawa which is also in Canada, as long as it was to anyone other than Shawn Michaels. He even offered to drop the belt to the Brooklyn Brawler. It wasn't about losing the belt in Canada. It was about losing the belt to Shawn Michaels.
You beat me to this comment Eric just doesn't want people to know he was a terrible booker
even after all these years, Bischoff still can not get it right. Bret never said he will not drop the belt ini Montreal because he is a "Canadian hero". Bret said he would not drop it to Michaels. We all now know by now that Bret went to Michaels when he found out they were going to be working SS.97 and said I have no problem putting your over and that you can trust be to be a professinal in the ring and then Michaels said back I just want you to know that I am no willing to do the same; and THAT is why Bret changed his mind and said the hell with him, I am not putting him over now. Then Bret said to Vince that he would put over UT, Austin, or Shamrock in Montreal and Vince said no and that is why we got the screwjob finish. Bret did not even have to show up for the PPV because he had already full filled the days required on his contract, he was over by like 20 days. This never had anything to do with Bret saying he would not lose to in Montreal because he is "Canadian hero".
Shawn never said that to Bret, wrestlers were telling him that’s Shawn was saying but he never said that directly to his face and if Shawn did he would have spoke about it and he’s never confirmed that he told Bret that. Eric is 100% correct
@@Zonedout420 There where no wrestlers telling Bret that Shawn was saying that. I would love for you to provide proof of this but you won’t be able to because it never happened that way. Why would you say that when there is direct proof and witnesses that completely contradict you. Both Jim Neidhart and Ken Shamrock overheard the whole conversation and Bret and Shawn are both on many different video documentary sources discussing this very topic such as their rivalry interview with JR produced by the WWE back in 2011 and with the most recent being at the 25:00 mark on A and E’s wrestling rivals series season 2, Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels. There’s your proof. You and Bischoff are 100% wrong.
Wwe Rivals season 2
@@Zonedout420 That’s what I said….what’s your point…..
@@kranix9166 you’re exactly like Bret a cry baby
Bret is highly respected in Canada he is in the Canadian Hall of Fame.
It's something people constantly hears from wrestling nerds, Canadians and Hart himself. You have absolutely no idea how much a non Canadian person don't care about that.
And from the perspective of a people running the US promotions on the US channels, Canada was just a side gig.
But fine, maybe he was a Canuck hero. What does it changes in this almost hostage situation?
You were not abused or held back, you got the main title 5 times, they blindly put you in position you were objectively not cut to be in, now you are walking away... give it back. Who cares where?
People who laid down for him never whined about having to lose to a foreigner on the USA soil.
@@OdaVenom [in South Park narrator voice] Bret Hart: a hero to Canada, and therefore, the world. 😂
And I'm 100 percent sure to Canadians Bret is a Canadian hero
@@OdaVenom Bret was only trying to preserve his legacy. People so often like to pick and choose who should be allowed to have any creative control over their own careers. Eric Bishof was not in the room when these guys had these conversations. I just think maybe he should be a little more considerate of a legend in the business. When specifically talking about a topic that really didn't involve him. I'm referring to the screwjob
@@williamvankleijr3839 what, the only guy who ever gave hell to McMahon isn't a legend?
You weren't there too, yet it seems you know enough to take Bret's side.
Creative control is a clause in a contract, if you don't have one in yours than you should've negotiate a better contract. Or maybe you just wasn't good enough to have that in the first place.
Yes, maybe Hart loosing to Michaels in the Canada had it's significance for a WWF.
Who cares?
You are leaving it and will return in Canada in a few months as a member of another company, for sure "beating" someone, who wouldn't mind putting you over at his own expense.
Again, explain that to me, why Undertaker or Diesel didn't said "I'm not loosing title to that effeminate canuck in the USA", and why it's OK for Hart to do that?
Eric, you TRIED to recreate the Montreal Screwjob at Starccade 1997. Clearly you cared.
💯💯
Clicked on this to say: if there’s one opinion on the MSJ that I don’t need it’s Eric.
He acts like kayfab wasn't more important in the late 90's 🤷🏼
Brett is a big baby tho
@Lola_the_Cavapoo why? Because he doesn't roll over and cuck? When a man dedicates his life to entertaining professional wrestling fans and then has his career ended by a guy who dedicated his life to football but did wrestling as a second career, but has never offered any kind of money to pay for his negligence that robbed a man of his LIVELYHOOD! Goldberg looked great and realistic because he worked extremely STIFF.
I’m still not sure how he gets it wrong still about the screw job. Also why didn’t the interviewer correct him? For those who still don’t know like these two guys on the video clearly….
Bret didn’t refuse to lose to Shawn because it was in Canada, he’d lost in Canada before. He refused to lose to Shawn because Shawn had disrespected him backstage and said he’d never do the same for Bret. It was a respect thing. So Bret used his 30 days of creative control to refuse to lose to Shawn. That’s why Vince LIED to Bret.
There were ways out of this, Bret said he’d lose to Austin, Shamrock or Taker instead, but Vince didn’t want that. It had to be Shawn. Which is weird. But yeah, come on guys. Get with it.
That's what Bret has always said, all the way back to the day after it happened. However, everyone else involved has said it was the Canada angle that Bret didn't like.
Eric is a dick he knows the story he just tells this version to make himself look as bad as he did under utilizing the hottest babyface at that moment
I agree with what you said. You are absolutely correct. That being said. Vince was the boss tho. He should of got he belt off of Bret before SS if necessary. Bret was leaving, drop the belt to whoever the boss says to, whether you like it or not. That is what you're being paid for. To be told what to do in the ring by the booker/boss. Ego and power moves by everyone involved.
@@aspect1200 that would also be correct of you, but Vince gave bret creative control his final 30 days, that was put into brets contract, to protect the Bret hart character on exit. So Vince doesn’t have a say otherwise he’s going against the contract.
@GoingWithDan not disagreeing. It looks like vince Out Creative controlled him with the screw job. Bret overreacted. Smashing things with tears in his eyes. Dude looked like he wanted to kill himself. Loved it. Made for good tv. That was a better ending than anything they thought of. Better than Shawn going over clean. Better than Bret going over. We are still talking about it today.
It was the “official” launch of Mr McMahon..
I like Bischoff and i loved WCW in 1996 & 1997 because of the nWo storyline so i am not having a personal dig at him. But the more he talks about Bret Hart the more he shows that he doesn't really have a clue when it comes to any wrestler or storyline outside of Hogan and his nWo creation. It was proven with the hideous treatment in booking with everybody outside of Hogan, Hall & Nash. Bret could have carried WCW along with Sting in the fight against the nWo in 1998 but Bischoff just did not have a clue outside of his one great nWo idea
Bret couldn't carry WWF though, everyone keeps acting like he was this huge draw when both companies did better without him
The whole NWO invasion angle wasn't even his creation, either. He stole that from NJPW, I believe.
@@ben7932 bret sting ddp and goldberg would definitely against 98 wcw vs nwo feud countering rising attitude era
Of course, it mattered, and it gave birth to Mr McMahon, which gave us the Austin/McMahon rivalry, which was one of the main things that got WWF ratings over WCW.
Bret was hardly ever on thunder so Eric is a bare faced lier
There’s times I think Eric had moments of brilliance with WCW and Nitro and everything that happened with them beating WWF for 83 weeks in a row. But there’s other times I think he’s totally ignorant. He says that Montreal didn’t matter but it was a big event in pro wrestling and the beginning of the turnaround for WWF against WCW. Montreal created the Mr. McMahon character that opened up the door for Austin vs McMahon. If pro wrestling history were a series of dominoes that fell each time a big event happened, Montreal was the first domino that fell that would eventually swing the momentum back to the WWF. WCW made very many mistakes based on how oblivious Bischoff was at times. Bret Hart was a big name and probably the hot topic wrestler after Montreal. And how did Eric use that? He didn’t. He let Hogan talk him into using Bret as his lackey to avoid what should’ve happened with Hogan vs Bret. This is one of the many reasons WCW is no longer around.
Spot on!
Didn’t matter, and yet, still talking about it 27 years on…
He meant it doesn't matter as in it didn't effect Bret Harts career and image like Bret thought it would.
I'm Canadian, not Eric... Bret IS a Canadian hero! It mattered! Eric not understanding that just shows how useless he always was.
Bret actually was a Canadian hero. At his height of wwe he was probably the most famous Canadian! He had a point
Bret Hart VS Hulk Hogan. That was the match people wanted to see. They could have even did a 1 year build for it like they did with Sting and Hogan and have Hogan and Bret face off at Starrcade 98.
I'd have rather seen Hart revive the idea that the nwo was an invasion from the wwe (even if they were barred from explicitly saying so), and he was there to stop it, take revenge on Shawn's friends, and take out anyone else who had screwed him over in the past. Hogan would get his eventually, but primarily focus on dismantling the nwo to get a clean shot at Hall and Nash to start.
And pray they don't recruit El Dandy.
Are we forgetting that there had been ZERO onscreen static between Bret and Hulk in WWF? On what basis did anyone see that match as a big deal in 1998? Their 1993 backstage drama wasn't going to sell a single ticket.
Ummmm Bret didn't want to lose the title to Shawn Michaels because Shawn Michaels told him he wouldn't do a losing job to him prior. Bischoff left some stuff out of this.
So he didnt want to drop the title because HBk hurts hid feeling?
Bret is, was, and always will be a Canadian hero. An American hero too.
"Bret thought he was a hero in Canada! Can you believe that?"
"Air Canada relayed a special message to the pilot to inform Bret what happened."
My question for Brett is what criticism does he own in his career? Not much. In every criticism there are elements of truth. How insecure can Brett really be?! All he does is throw shade towards others where his ideas can’t be challenged. I never r truly realize how delicate he is. I really empathize with what happened with Owen. That pain never leaves but own up to some of your mistakes man.
I really like the host , looks so annoyed but is also really smiley and loving it too all at the same time, if that somehow makes sense 😂
The Montreal Screwjob enhanced the Mr McMahon villain character which became an important character thereafter in his feud with Austin and helped WWE ratings in the last couple of years in the Monday Night wars
If you wanted to get over as a heel, you sided with Vince. If you wanted to get over as a face, you would beat up Vince.
Every time i hear that doesn't work for me brother i reminder hogan losing to yokozuna and dropped the title. Bret cries dropping the belt in Canada doesn't work for me
Eric: Bret thought he was a Canadian Hero.(Mocks it)
Also Eric: I had to meet him tp tell him about Owen. Turns out Air Canada called the pilot to tell him.
Aw man, Bret always said Eric was totally clueless. This little shoot really shows it to be true.
Majority of my life I always thought Bret (my goat by the way) was screwed , but now that I’m older and all these guys have spoke on it, I believe it was a work, why? Bc all of them claim to have suggested all scenarios for the finish , but nobody thought to put Taker in the match last minute and have HBK pin Taker , Bret doesn’t get pinned and HBK still leaves with the title , Undertaker’s Hot 97 interview made me have this change of heart….Taker was already in their mix, from Summerslam to that IYH where he fought HBK after, it made much sense to drastically add him based on the difficulties with the finish, the fact that nobody thought to even throw it out there doesn’t make sense and is telling ….ive even heard them say Austin was a thought lol which mean they purposely didn’t mention him, no way he’s not a thought ….so yea I do believe now this whole thing was a work …to keep Bret’s momentum up going into WCW , they just fumbled it on that side , think about it the Screwjob made Bret the hottest topic in wrestling ….
I’ve always thought this too…the whole screwjob itself seems like a work
It’s interesting to hear this perspective. I’m a huge Bret Hart fan so it’s easy for me to trash what Bischoff says here, but I’ve heard other wrestlers say that Bret wasn’t the same. Completely understandable, but his lack of interest after what he went through is at least a factor in the whole failing in WCW thing.
However, not capitalising on the Montreal screw job thing is ridiculous. It was sat there ready to be exploited.
He was there for about a year and a half before Owen died.
Eric is trying to blame Bret because WCW didnt know how to use him, also few months later after owen died, bret/goldberg incident happened
Erick is a really good communicator. He should host his own podcast.
He didn’t want to drop it because Shawn told him he wouldn’t do it for him if it was the other way around. So Bret said F this guy, I’m not losing to Shawn.
He was a Canadian hero dude? Actors and comedians can be heroes too. What’s hard to understand about that?
It had more to do with the backstage politics between Shawn and Bret than it had to do with losing in Canada. Bret told Vince that he would drop the belt to Austin or Undertaker the next night on Raw IN CANADA. I honestly believe that Bret just wanted to believe in his heart that Vince would have his back over Shawns. Especially since there was much more respect for Bret from the locker room than there was for Shawn. But Vince had to keep the company in mind first before anything else. He didn't pick Shawn over Bret, he just knew that Shawn was a big enough douche to do the job. Evidence proves this because Shawn did not keep the belt for long. I think Vince was just afraid that if Bret worked a losing angle with Austin or Undertaker he might do something to make them look bad. Imagine how pissed everyone would be at Vince and how low the morale would be if he never did the screwjob. Plus, ironically the screwjob is what helped and saved the WWF.
WCW should have went hard in the paint on that story line. Claim Bret is still the WWE champ or as much as they can without getting sued and then put the belt on him as fast as possible.
Things did matter back then and brets fans love him in Canada if more wrestlers cared, if it still mattered wrestling would mean more today. Bret wasn't a big deal in Canada but they somehow got a hold of the pilot of air CANADA in 99, no 📲 to let him know his brother died let THAT sink in.And it's funny hearing Bishoff say that it doesn't matter, "that doesn't work for me brother".
I'm glad that Bischoff admitted that he didn't have a plan for Bret and he is spot on about how Bret was basically a shell of himself in WCW from the beginning and that is how it came off on the screen. I watched WCW every week back then. His promos were weaker and I saw the difference with his effort in his matches as well. To me, those two things are ones where the responsibility rests on the wrestler. To give a point of reference, Flair was basically buried many times during the nWo Era but I can never say that his promos weren't good or that he didn't deliver in his matches. As a wrestling fan, I have always enjoyed Bret Hart in WWF. But he didn't bring it in WCW.
Bret's problem was that he was the Ultimate Mark, because he actually believed all those wins were his in the first place. Second reason Bret is the Ultimate Mark, he was the son of a promoter. He knew the unwritten rules about leaving one promotion for another. Most top talent leaving one promotion for another would do favors for their soon to be ex-boss by LOSING the leftover matches to the staying talent to push them over. It's good business. Sadly, Bischoff had an expensive basket case on his hands with Hart while dealing with his own top talent and the cutthroats at Turner.
Bret and Vince were both in the wrong for the screwjob. You people always pretend only one is at fault. Who's belt is it? Who does the belt belong to? It belongs to the company. Which Vince owned. So in other words it's Vince's belt. It's his company. If the boss tells you to drop that title to a guy you can't stand, thats what you do. No but or if you do it or you quit. Simple really. Bret refused. I don't care if he couldn't stand Shawn back in the day. By the way I don't blame him one bit. Even Shawn is on record admitting he was a piece of shit. But that still doesn't mean Bret was in the right.
You do what you are told to do or you walk out and quit.
At the same time Vince was in the wrong for pretending to go along with a finish he knew he wasn't going to stick with. He should have just told Bret either you drop the title to Shawn or you're fired. Take your pick. Vince should have brought in both Bret and Shawn and told them, listen I don't give a shit if you two don't get along. Can't stand each other whatever. You either come to an agreement or neither of you will have a job tomorrow. But he didn't.
Bret was on his way out, granted he didn't really want to leave but he was on his way. So he should have dropped the title.
Simple. He knew he was leaving. He wouldn't have to put up with Shawns shit anymore either way. Might as well drop the title to him and be on his way. But he didn't because he's ego got in the way.
The reason he refused to drop the belt because of the remark Shawn Michaels made to him that he wouldn't return the favor. Before the Montreal screwjob Bret-Shawn had a heated fight in the locker room due to him making a snarky remark about Bret having an affair with Sunny, but it was Shawn that was having an affair with Sunny. Shawn Michaels is a jerk who always deflected his problem by using other people as scapegoat. After the battle Bret found out that he was working with Shawn in Survivor Series and said "we are working together. Whatever personal problems we had I won't bring it to the ring, you can trust me. Shawn's response was "I appreciate it, but I'm not willing to do the same for you." That one comment that Shawn made, Bret said screw this guy I'm not dropping the belt to him due to that remark. He was willing to drop the belt in Montreal if Shawn showed the respect to him which he didn't. I think what would've been the best scenario is Bret dropping the belt to Undertaker in Montreal, then Undertaker dropping the belt to Shawn on Monday Night Raw.
People keep bringing up Shawn Michaels when Bret has been on the record about not wanting to drop the belt in Canada, he's said both things. He's said it was because of Canada, and he's said it's because of Shawn Michaels. At the end of the day Bret should have just done the job. He was leaving, thats the end of it. But also Bret was coming in right in the middle of the hottest storyline in WCW's history, and the hottest story in wrestling at the time with Hogan vs Sting. That had been building for a year at that point. I don't think Bret should have been inserted in that at all though I know what they were going for with the Starrcade ending. Unfortunately the ending was botched (possibly on purpose.) and the backup plan just wasn't very good either. Sting should have won at Starrcade with Bret helping to fend off NWO shenanigans and then you build to Bret vs Sting at Superbrawl. Instead Bret became a midcarder and not doing a whole lot while Sting vs Hogan/NWO continued for another 6 months.
Also, Hogan, Nash, Hall all buired Bret Hart. I don’t blame that decision cause Bret had it out for Hogan.
Noticed he said killed Owen in the video and not died
WCW's roster was already stacked and there was no room for Bret. It was an era about talk more than ring work and that was heavily to Bret's detriment. Without Shawn to shoot on, Bret had very little of note to say. Had he come along 10 years later, his career would have mirrored Lance Storm's.
Eric Bischoff is an icon.🦕🦕🦕🦕
I’m not a Bischoff fan, but he’s not wrong. Bret was kind of a baby about the screw job. Bret was a great wrestler, but he made too much out of losing the title. The fact that it was Canada or Michaels didn’t really matter, he was already on his way out anyways. What if an American wrestler did the same thing?? It would be near impossible to drop the title in a reasonable amount of time outside of the U.S.
Everyone was wrong here.
Bret IS a Canadian and he was the top dog Canadian in the business at that time.
Eric is correct about playing a role, but that doesn’t negate the fact that Bret deserved to bring pride to his home country.
Vince was immensely wrong for planning what he planned.
All-in-all, it IS a storyline in the end. It is an act. But the story of a fallen champion could have waited for another time. There are countless ways to write a story that removes the championship from the champion’s hands. This was the worst one in history next to Steamboat magically losing the title to a dodgy roll-up pin reversal.
Serious question… if nWo had Nitro as their own show, who would’ve wrestled on it besides members of the nWo? Unless the plan was always to split the group into the Wolfpac and Hollywood factions but I don’t believe it was, and even if it was, history showed that concept got old after less than a year. Like having members of the same faction wrestling each other makes absolutely no sense. I’ve heard Eric talk about this idea for years and I never understood what he meant by it.
Lets tell someone their brother died on a plane thousands of miles in the sky instead of while he was on the ground and you tell him....
Bret was so dull and disinterested in WCW, apart from his Benoit and Sting matches he was boring and just going through the motions. Even his image was dated, his neon tights made him look like a relic from the early 90s, even Hogan was able to reinvent himself
Bischoff/WCW created an environment of complacency and disinterest.
Bischoff is the genius who had a once-in-a-generation talent in Steve Austin and did not know what to do with him.
Bret Hart was the hottest commodity in wrestling after SS97 and they botched Bret Hart by having Nick Patrick giving a slow count.
@@hitfan2000 Bischoff had Stunning Steve a solid mid carder and tag team wrestler, Stone Cold Steve Austin wasn't created until he went to ECW and copied the Sandman's gimmick. His popularity came from the character. He also did something Bret couldn't be bothered to do: push himself to the top. You can't blame Bischoff for not being able to see the future
So why wasn't there an nwo nitro?
Sting vs Hogan Starrcade 97: At the end of the match, ref bump, the nWo comes down to interfere, Bret comes in for the save, Sting and Bret fight off the nWo together, Sting goes on to beat Hogan for the title. The next night on Nitro Hogan calls out Bret and Bret challenges Hogan.
They have their match at Uncensored 98. Bret, Sting, DDP, Luger And The Giant spend the next year feuding with the nWo.
Eric is completely wrong here. Bret had no problem dropping the belt in Canada, he had a problem dropping it to Shawn as Shawn had said that he wouldn’t do the same for him. By several accounts Bret offered to drop it to anyone else but Shawn.
The fact that Eric doesn’t understand why Bret being screwed by a boss he had given his blood and sweat for, who Bret has repeatedly said was like a father figure to him, is a good indicator as to why Eric couldn’t use him properly - Eric didn’t get Bret whatsoever. He had a ready made storyline with an already over talent and he wasted him. One of the biggest missed opportunities ever in wrestling.
this man is a real woman, no accountability
Bret would’ve dropped the title to anyone, even a jobber like Steve Lombardi, in Montreal.
It 100% was because of the animosity between him and Shawn Michaels.
As an employee you have to follow what your CEO wishes! His Stampede Shit crumbled... having responsibilities is obviously no family virtue!
Noone of you Pinky Wimps complain about how often Shawn had to lose in 1992/1993 (also many times to Bretttttt Fart) despite being the best In Ring Performer plus Mic Entertainer!
Yepp the days come where hard work finally gets it's harvest. Shawn laid enough down.... which was ridiculous by his ability. Noone talks about how his young fans were hurt constantly while all the pink glory could smile ugly in fake Triumph.
People were invested in the Hart Foundation, it didn’t work because the rest of them didn’t follow right away.
Bischoff keeps falsifying the reason Bret refused to drop the belt. Everyone knows what Shawn said to him at the end. The host should have called him out on this.
Well this certainly speaks to Eric’s level of brilliance concerning the wrestling business. What a fool.
Casual fans didn't know what the Montreal Screwjob even was.
Brett didn’t want to give the title to Shawn
KILLED??? Not died or fell to his death?? KILLED 🤔 🤔 Whats he implying???
Looking back Vince was right WCW didn't know what to do with bret
This guy says Bret's not a Canadian hero then a minute later says the pilot at air Canadian informed Bret about Owen before Eric could, let that sink in.
i guess you have selective hearing, somebody reached out to air canada and air canada reached out to the pilot.
@@floggyWM1 because he's a Canadian hero
@@jordanbailey5456 im pretty sure if Shawn Michaels was flying on United Airlinesand he had an emergency, ppl would be able to contact him through United Airlines.
Did he ever tell hogan that? Especially at starrcade?
If mental gymnastics was a person
This is the same WWF that marketed Bret as a bad guy for everyone, but not in Canada. Eric really needed a plan for Bret after the WWF setup.
Eric keeps on Harping about him being a Canadian Hero. I don't think Eric understands that we're a small country. Yes, Brett Hart is a Canadian Hero. He still should have dropped the belt.
If you ever see Eric interviews, he constantly references generic movie plot structure with this creative. The issue with his structured mindset is that he lacks the out of the box creative to know what to do in unique situations like how to use Bret Hart. The same lack of alternative contrast that caused him to not open the doors when DX came to visit WCW's live programming. He later says he should be done something different and let them in. Meanwhile the Vince McMahon character was born from the screw job and they played on this nuclear real life heat to make it an ongoing heel persona that fans became to love to hate. To Eric's defence though, Turner Broadcasting didn't want smut adult themed programming like what WWF/E was able to do during the attitude era.
Bret was fine losing in Canada…. He was NOT fine losing to Shawn who showed him nothing but disrespect…. And Shawn had no chance to beat him in a shoot
sure he did buddy
If course it didn't matter in the sense it was great to his career, he was screwed over and seen as a hero...but it was personally devastating.
"I couldnt capitalize on it so it doesn't matter"
Wrong Brett didn't want to lose to Shawn bcuz Shawn said he wouldn't have done it to him.
I don't think Bret Hart was the same after Owen passed and the Screwjob. WCW got a shot Bret Hart case closed.
Vince McMahon took Butt Hurt's soul. He was a shell of himself after that. He never looked like he wanted to be in WCW even though he signed that overpaid contract and cashed the checks.
But what about the time Eric didn't book Bret against the opponent he wanted because "its raining outside"?
To me Bret Hart IS a Canadian hero
He should’ve kept Bret far away from the NWO!! He should’ve made it like Bret was there to take care of “the cliq” he had already beat up the boy toy and now he was there for hall and Nash. Could’ve had hall and Nash making phone calls to “heartbreak” asking for advice on how to handle Bret and anytime they got Bret, show a scene of them making a call to “heart break” they messed up with Bret
Reasonable refers to not burying character, losing to hbk was reasonable
It’s good these videos are out there so you can see what people like Eric really think…Eric still doesn’t understand wreslting…
Eric is a wise man and I do respect him. But when it comes to Bret.... he's all wrong! Bret actually paid his dues over many years and was a highly seasoned performer, Eric didn't know how to use that calibre
Guys, you are coming up with your own conclusions. Bret HIMSELF has said several times that it he didn't want to lose and give up the belt in Canada for his final WWE match. Shawn may be the icing on the cake but it all boiled down to his canadian pride.
Offered to lose the belt the next day in canada
@@jordanbailey5456 Which is business dawg shit. Wants ego-sick to be the big hero on his final PPV just to hand it over cowardly on a small scale weekly program. Even 30 yrs later I remember the PPVs still much!
Contrary I couldn't tell you the card on any week/year Superstars or Raw. Like Week 17/1994. Or what happened the first week after a Royal Rumble, WM, SS, Survivor Series. Faded history mostly.
Bret made this giant deal out of.... NOBODY ELSE! After 6 yrs being over the top hyped and rewarded self-indulgent little kindergarten girl brat.
Bret IS a Canadian hero.
Really, Eric? The Montreal Screwjob marked the beginning of the end for WCW.
Eric you like hearing the sound of your voice..
The title got me... mostly because the montreal screwjob was the beginning of the end of the monday night war.
“It came to me out of the blue. I didn’t really need him or want him.” So I guess you forgot how you were trying to get him to jump ship for a while. And wasn’t the original plan for the mystery man for the nWo to be Bret?
I think it mattered for Bret. Maybe it didn't screw over the wrestling industry or anything. In fact it began to boom for WWF shortly after. But Bret jumped ship to hang out under your supervision and was totally wasted
I believe Bischoff here. Bret certainly had/has a massive ego, I can definitely see him phoning it in and showing up late to live performances.
If he threw in ideas , storyline for Bret. That would justify his point. But I don't think that was the case.
These wrestling people are going against bret to kiss vince mcmahon ass
If it didn't matter, why do people still remember it and talk about it?
The hitman would have had the best opponents in the cruiserweight division. Those same 8 or 10 guys only faced each other for 3 years lol. Bret vs Ultimo Dragon or Misterio a couple of times each, those would have been some real highlights for Thunder. He also never faced Raven or Regal. Bret did have some good wcw periods though; something like two or three matches apiece for the united States title against Booker t, Dallas page ad lex luger, dropping the US title to Roddy piper, though I didn't like the heel turn or feud with sting at the time. They pushed Bret into NWO Hollywood way too soon, and he would hae probably fit better in the Wolfpac teaming sting more instead.
How do you pay a guy about 3 million a year and not have a plan for him?
No wonder Bret doesn’t like Eric. Eric makes no sense whatsoever.