"It was a money deal" – The Undertaker on legend reluctantly leaving WWE
The Undertaker was one of wrestling's star attractions throughout his 30 years as a WWE in-ring competitor. In a recent podcast episode, The Deadman reflected on the controversy surrounding Bret Hart's departure from the company.
In 1997, Hart famously lost to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series in Montreal before joining WCW. The match was supposed to end in a disqualification, meaning The Hitman would retain the WWE Championship before relinquishing it the next night. However, amid concerns he would appear in WCW with the title, then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon changed the finish without telling Hart.
The Undertaker said on Six Feet Under w/Mark Calaway that Hart only joined WCW for the money. He also gave his opinion that the Canadian would have conducted business professionally had the Survivor Series finish gone as planned:
"I know Bret, he was bitter about it," The Undertaker said. "Bret didn't wanna leave. It was a money deal. He'd been a loyal soldier, man. There were so many feelings. Everybody was just tapped out on the whole thing. I don't know, man. I don't know. Maybe he would have [taken the title to WCW]. One, you cannot absolutely zero way can you take the chance. I will say that he probably would have gone on [WWE] TV and dropped it [the title]. Well, not dropped it, but give it away or give it up or vacated." [56:43 – 57:46]
Hart was initially willing to lose to Michaels in his home country of Canada. However, he changed his mind when The Heartbreak Kid said he would not do the same if the roles were reversed.
The Undertaker understood Vince McMahon's decision
The real-life incident became known as the Montreal Screwjob. Hardly anyone, including The Undertaker, knew the match outcome had changed at the last minute.
Looking back, The Undertaker does not think Bret Hart vacating the title before joining WCW would have been a good idea:
"But that doesn't do us any good. We can't have a guy vacate the title and then is going to the other show. That just doesn't work. It's our competition, so you can't let him vacate the title and then go to the competition." [57:49 – 58:16]
At the time, WCW's weekly Nitro show often beat WWE's Monday Night RAW in the television ratings. Hart appearing on Nitro with the WWE Championship would likely have resulted in a huge ratings increase for WCW.
What are your thoughts on Bret Hart's WWE exit? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Six Feet Under w/Mark Calaway and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.