11 Things WWE Announced Then Wrestlers Said No

5. Bret Hart Pulls Out Of A HBK Rematch

Bret Hart Shawn Michaels King Of The Ring 1997
WWE

Think Warrior was convoluted? Bret Hart just said, 'hold my beer' to that.

The WWF briefly promoted a much-anticipated WrestleMania XII rematch between the 'Hitman' and Shawn Michaels for King Of The Ring 1997. As explained on TV, Shawn would've had to beat Bret within 10 minutes, and all Hart's Foundation pals would be handcuffed to the steel posts outside the ring.

Plans were torpedoed for multiple reasons. Firstly, Hart decided to undergo knee surgery shortly before KOTR (which would mean the 10 minute time limit stipulation was only in place to protect him). That made the match a tougher sell anyway, but these lads weren't done there.

Shawn's controversial "Sunny Days" shoot comments angered Bret sufficiently, and that may have caused Vinnie Mac to step in and cancel the match outright. Perhaps he didn't trust that Hart wouldn't beat the crap out of Michaels for his cheek, and so elected to promote Shawn vs. Steve Austin instead.

Bret pretty much said "no" the day he got surgery though.

Contributor

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.