Who ended Bret Hart's wrestling career?
Bret Hart confirmed that former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg ultimately ended his in-ring wrestling career in 1999. Hart accidentally sustained a severe concussion in his final bout with Goldberg following a kick to the head.
'The Hitman' joined World Championship Wrestling in 1997 following the expiry of his WWE contract. Hart left WWE in controversial circumstances, which resulted in the infamous Montreal Screwjob.
23 years ago today, Bret Hart made his WCW debut on Nitro https://t.co/yu3IU8KSP0
Bret Hart has been clear about his reasons for being forced to retire and has always been critical of Goldberg being an unsafe worker.
The former WWE Champion spoke on his "Confessions of the Hitman" podcast about his fellow Hall of Famer:
[Goldberg] was a gorilla. [Goldberg] was a guy that nobody seemed to have taught how wrestling really works. He seemed to think he could just pick a guy up and just slam him through the mat as hard as you could and that was good wrestling. But I always liked Bill as a person. His wrestling, his workrate was 0/10. Like, everything he did hurt – everything! He could tie up with you and hurt you. He’d tie up with himself and hurt himself!" Bret Hart said. (h/t Wrestling Inc.)
Hart believes Goldberg almost ended another wrestler Haiku's career:
[Goldberg] did a bodyslam to a guy named Haiku, but he bodyslammed him straight down, head first, right into the ring. And [Haiku] was out of wrestling – maybe ended his career. I know he got hurt with a neck injury and he was out for a really long time. [Goldberg] was really dangerous to work with. You never knew what he was going to hurt you with. Everything he did was dangerous," Hart believed. (h/t Wrestling Inc.)
WCW ultimately fired Hart for not being able to compete following his career-ending concussion.
When was Bret Hart's last WWE appearance?
On this date in 1993, Bret Hart became #WWE King of the Ring https://t.co/jkxdcczLJl
Bret 'The Hitman' Hart last appeared on WWE television in a backstage segment at the SummerSlam pay-per-view in August 2019. He wished Seth Rollins good luck ahead of his Universal Championship with Brock Lesnar.
Before this, Hart became a two-time WWE Hall of Famer as The Hart Foundation was inducted. The induction ceremony took place at the Barclays Center in New York during WrestleMania 35 weekend.