Coming out of the infamous 'Montreal Screwjob' at the Survivor Series 1997, Bret Hart was the hottest free agent in wrestling. WCW had actually wanted Hart more than a year before, but the Canadian had stayed loyal to Vince McMahon, realising how much the WWF had done for him. By '97 however, Bret was ready to start winding down his career, and was intrigued by the money WCW were offering. Eric Bischoff gave Bret a 3-year contract, one worth around $3 million per year. Clearly, this was too much money for the man to turn down, and he eagerly signed on the dotted line. In typical WCW fashion, the company then proceeded to do absolutely nothing of note with him. His first Pay-Per-View appearance at Starrcade was to involve himself as 'Special Guest Referee' in the Bischoff vs. Larry Zbyszko bout, rather than wrestle. Rather blatantly, Bret had been signed by WCW because it was another attempt to strip Vince McMahon of money-making stars. There was no foresight for what the wrestler could do in the promotion, and he ended up taking a lot of money for doing very little. Bret Hart's entire WCW tenure was a waste of time, and a sorry end to his full-time active career.
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.
