10. Vince McMahon Legally Could Not Have 'Screwed' Bret Hart, Due To Creative Control Clause In Bret's Contract
Vince McMahon and Bret Hart were very good friends. Bret admits this in his 2007 autobiography 'Hitman'. For 14 years the Two had worked closely, and Vince McMahon had gave Bret a considerable amount of sway in the WWF. Bret in truth was very political, he was very protective of his spot as the WWF's number 1 guy, which is why he got to beat Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13 and various concessions in his feuds with Shawn Michaels and other talents. Bret was one of the guys that Vince McMahon pushed hardest throughout the mid 90's. The fact is that by 1997, Bret had got stale as a character. Steve Austin was the hottest thing in wrestling, but Hart was still booked ahead of 'the rattlesnake' because he had it formally written into his contract that he had 'creative control'. This is a clause that many top talents have enjoyed over the years, at the height of popularity a worker can demand that they have a creative control clause in order to protect their position as a talent. Bret had this clause. The likes of John Cena enjoy the perks of this clause today, and it is clear to see how top wrestlers are able to use this in order to stay on top. Bret would often use his creative control when working with Vince. How else do you think he got to beat Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13 when Austin was set to take the torch as the next big star. The documentary 'Wrestling with Shadows' of course portrayed a different story, making out that Bret was pushed into an anti american story line. But the fact is that this gimmick was a breath of fresh air in Bret's character, and he must have known that, if he really had been against it he could have exercised creative control. Which brings us to the screwjob. Bret had creative control written into the contract, and as such, Vince McMahon would have legally been in breach of contract to tell Bret he was in X angle and then unbeknownst to Bret do Y angle. The book Sex, Lies and Headlocks also asserts that Bret had it written into his contract that he had creative control over his character for the Thirty days before his departure from the company. No lawsuit ever came (despite the fact that Bret has shown he is happy to pull legal maneuvers in other aspects of his life). If the screwjob had been real then Vince would have broken the clauses of their contract and Bret would have been entitled to do more than just spit in the face of the boss. You can argue instead, that Bret did in fact use creative control, by scripting with Vince the most elaborate wrestling angle we have ever seen.