"Pat says you're gonna ruin my career" - Bret Hart was advised not to face former WWE IC Champion
Pat Patterson once told Bret Hart that his career would be ruined if he agreed to work with Charles Wright in WWE.
Wright performed as various personas in WWE in the 1990s and early 2000s, including Papa Shango and The Godfather. Patterson, Vince McMahon’s right-hand man for more than three decades, initially disliked Wright’s in-ring style and did not think he was a good wrestler.
In a recent interview with Boston Wrestling MWF’s Dan Mirade, Wright recalled how Hart advised him to win over Patterson with his performances:
“Bret Hart told me one time, ‘Hey, if you wanna impress anybody, it should be Pat because Pat doesn’t think you can work. Pat doesn’t want me to work with you. Pat says you’re gonna ruin my career.’ He goes, ‘But I told him this guy can work, I’d love to work with him.’” [7:45-8:02]
According to Cagematch.net, Bret Hart went one-on-one with Charles Wright’s Papa Shango character 25 times between September 1992 and May 1993. Their most notable encounter came in October 1992 when then-WWE Champion Hart defeated Papa Shango on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Pat Patterson’s relationship with Charles Wright after his remarks to Bret Hart
Remember that time Papa Shango put a curse on Bret Hart and that’s why he lost at SummerSlam ‘92? It doesn’t get any better. https://t.co/CCUWiA5LxR
Charles Wright became best known for his performances as The Godfather during WWE’s Attitude Era. Pat Patterson worked in on-screen and off-screen roles around that time, which meant he occasionally spoke to Wright backstage.
Despite Patterson’s doubts about his ability, the 2016 WWE Hall of Famer clarified that they ended up being “cool” with each other:
“After a while I guess I grew on Pat, we became cool. We’d talk about golf and other stuff. I didn’t play golf but he did. At the end he’d see me and he’d call me Papa Shango. ‘What’s up, Papa Shango?!’ So at the end we were cool,” said Wright. [8:05-8:20]
Patterson passed away on December 2, 2020, at the age of 79. The 1996 WWE Hall of Famer is best remembered as the first Intercontinental Champion and the person who created the Royal Rumble.
Please credit Boston Wrestling MWF and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.