"Fire them both" – WWE legend says he urged Vince McMahon to release two uncooperative wrestlers
WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts recently recalled the time he told Vince McMahon to fire Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.
Roberts initially wrestled for WWE between 1986 and 1992 before returning for another spell with the company in 1996. He transitioned into a backstage creative role in 1997. At the time, Hart and Michaels famously struggled to get along behind the scenes.
On his The Snake Pit podcast, Roberts discussed the meetings he had at McMahon's home with the rest of the creative team. The wrestling legend revealed that his former boss used to break away from meetings to resolve Hart and Michaels' real-life conflict:
"We'd sit there for two hours waiting for him [Vince McMahon] to come back," Roberts said. "And what was he doing? He was on the phone with Bret and Shawn trying to convince them to wrestle each other. When I first heard about that, I said, 'Vince, fire both of them motherf*****s. Fire them both, man. They're not helping your f***ing company. They're jacking your company off. They're playing you. Are you kidding me?'" [47:05 – 47:35]
Roberts added that he also had legitimate issues with many of his WWE opponents. However, he had no problem wrestling them because he knew it was his job.
How Vince McMahon reacted to Jake Roberts' advice
The WWE Executive Chairman booked Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in dozens of main events throughout the 1990s. The long-term rivals faced each other in a 60-minute Ironman Match at WrestleMania 12 in 1996, with Michaels securing the win.
3/31/1996
Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart in an Iron Man Match to win the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania XII from the Arrowhead Pond in #WWEAnaheim, California.
#BretHart #TheHitman #HartDynasty #ShawnMichaels #HBK #HeartbreakKid #Showstopper #WWE #WWETitle #WWEHistory https://t.co/pxwExrP0gS
Jake Roberts felt that Vince McMahon should have dealt out strict punishments regardless of Hart and Michaels' star power:
"He's like, 'Urgh, I know. I'm in a bad spot here with this. I don't know what I'm gonna do.' 'I tell you what to do, Vince, fire both of them and then see who comes back crawling on their f***ing bellies. Let's see who comes back, and once you fire them, Vince, guess what? S**t will change. You may have to do without them for two or three weeks, but guess what, Vince? You're better off without them.'" [48:23 – 48:52]
The situation worsened as 1997 progressed, leading to the Montreal Screwjob incident at Survivor Series.
WCW-bound Hart refused to lose to his rival in Canada, so McMahon booked Michaels as the winner without informing The Hitman. By that point, Roberts had already departed the creative team.
Should Vince McMahon have fired Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit The Snake Pit and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.