"I didn't successfully find a way to include Bret Hart in the process" – Former RAW General Manager on WWE veteran
Former RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff shared his insights on Bret Hart's tenure in WCW.
Hart's controversial joining of WCW in 1997 is still a topic of discussion. The infamous Montreal Screwjob resulted in the frustrated former WWE Champion publicly announcing his joining of WCW, a rarity in those times.
In an interaction with Lucha Libre Online, Bischoff said he was partly to blame for Hart's lack of success in WCW as he couldn't get any ideation regarding The Hitman's vision:
"I think it’s an honest criticism. You know, it’s really easy to have 20-20 vision in hindsight, 20 years later. You can look back and solve a lot of problems, you know. I could probably be the head coach of an NFL Football team the day after the SuperBowl. You know, it’s easier to win a game after the fact. But it’s a fair observation. Bret Hart in WCW was not successful. A lot of that, some of that, is my fault, some of it is Bret’s fault. You know, you have to engage when you’re playing at that level, you have to come to the table with your own ideas and your own vision, and sell it. Bret didn’t do that, and I wasn’t good at getting it out of Bret." (from 4:22 to 5:16)
Bischoff added that as performers, superstars have to be involved and take charge of putting their characters out there:
"I didn’t successfully find a way to include Bret in the process that enabled us to really collaborate and find the right way. So, I’ll take the majority of the responsibility, but some of it is on Bret too. You’re a performer, you don’t just show up at that level, you don’t just show up and say ‘Okay, what do you want me to do today?'" (from 5:16 to 5:38)
Check out the entire video below:
With recent rumours on a potential signing with AEW, the Hall of Famer dismissed rumours about him joining the brand. The Hitman appeared at Double or Nothing pay-per-view to present the AEW World Championship in 2019.
Bret Hart reportedly signs merchandise deal with WWE
It was recently reported that a merchandise deal has allegedly been signed between Bret 'The Hitman' Hart and WWE.
There was speculation that the former member of the Hart Foundation was to sign a fresh deal with AEW or re-sign with WWE. AEW's recent dropping of hints about Hart led fans to believe he might manage FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood).
On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer said Hart's deal with WWE is solely for merchandise, and there's still a possibility of him signing with AEW:
"Bret Hart said that his only deal with WWE is a merchandising deal and not any other deal," Meltzer wrote
Bret Hart has signed a merchandising contract with WWE wrestlingnews.co/wwe-news/bret-… https://t.co/EyxQWhtgX4
Meltzer added that the deal was lucrative and would refrain Hart from appearing at any AEW shows. The deal came when The Hitman garnered much praise from prominent AEW stars like CM Punk and Dax Harwood of FTR.
Do you think Bret Hart should sign with AEW or WWE? Sound off in the comments below!