10 Most Mind-Blowing Wrestling Secrets Of 2023

6. AEW Turned Down Bret Hart

Vince McMahon triple h mask
AEW

Bret Hart made an unannounced but very welcome appearance at AEW Double Or Nothing 2019 having gone into WWE's Hall Of Fame for the second time just one month earlier. A wrestling icon introducing the brand new challenger brand's World Heavyweight Championship was a sharp move for the upstart company to make. It was, as of this writing, his last appearance with the group.

Remaining on a WWE Legends contract, 'The Hitman's status with the market leader ultimately got in the way of him sticking around in the challenger brand, but it was later revealed that All Elite Wrestling had already elected not to bring the 'Excellence Of Execution' in on any kind of deal.

Hart revealed that the company wanted him not necessarily as a backstage coach, but as an on-air managerial figure akin to a Jake Roberts or Tully Blanchard. 'The Hitman' only really wanted the agent spot, so the two sides ultimately parted ways.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett