10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (July 8)
3. Vince McMahon Forgot All About Being Hit With The Hart Attack
Pro wrestling was once a very different industry to the one people know today. Numerous veterans have stated their disbelief that today's wrestlers seem more content to play video games or sit on their phones, rather than raising hell like they did in bygone generations.
On an episode of The Sharpshooter Show podcast, Bret Hart recalled an incident involving Vince McMahon that had previously been recanted in his well-received autobiography. At a backstage party in the early-1990's, McMahon was tamely hit with the Doomsday Device finishing move by The Road Warriors. Hawk was particularly careful not to hurt the boss.
Jim Neidhart then encouraged Bret to hit the Hart Attack, a Clothesline-style move that The Hart Foundation used to win matches. Hart obliged, nailing Vince hard with the lariat. Years later, the whole thing had been forgotten, at least by McMahon.
It wasn't until Vince complained that he had no idea how he'd injured his neck after undergoing surgery that Bret piped up. Only then did Hart remind the WWE owner of what had happened years before, leading McMahon to assume that it probably did hurt him more than he thought.