Reading Bret Hart's autobiography reveals the fact that the Canadian star was contemplating his full-time future in wrestling as early as 1996. Intrigued by the possibility of wrestling for 3 short years in WCW, before hanging up the infamous pink tights and spending more time at home with his family, Hart was also painfully loyal to Vince McMahon, the man who had helped him become a top name. Of course, when Bret did decide he was going to WCW after all in late-1997, that's when the infamous 'Montreal Screwjob' incident took place. Worried about Hart taking the WWF Heavyweight Title to Atlanta with him, McMahon decided to take the belt from his champion by any means necessary. After the 1997 Survivor Series, Bret Hart should have been a bigger name than ever before, but WCW didn't really know how to use him effectively. Besides, Bret's heart (ironically) had been ripped from him, and he seemed content to just collect a paycheck and not really put his all into wrestling anymore. Earning a downside of $2.5 million per year for his work in WCW, Bret would see at least $7.5 million deposited into his bank account for his 3 years with the organisation, and that didn't take into account any royalties for video games and merchandise sales.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
