12 Superstars Vince McMahon Broke The WWE Bank For

11. Bret Hart - 20 Year Contract At $1.5 Million Per Year As Active Wrestler

In late 1996, Bret The Hitman Hart was the centre of a bidding war between WCW and WWF. In a bid to hang on to one of his few remaining top stars, Vince McMahon ended up offering Bret a twenty year deal. It would involve $1.5 million per year as an active wrestler, transitioning into a first lieutenant role in the booking office, which would still involve a healthy salary. It was a shock to the locker room. Twenty year contract? There's never been anything quite like it! Even today, top stars tend to be on three year deals. The $1.5 million was also a shocker. Just earlier that year, McMahon had let Kevin Nash leave because he didn't want to pay $750,000. However, it turned out that the $1.5 million really did break the bank. McMahon approached Hart in September 97, telling him that he could no longer afford such a sum. He encouraged Hart to go to WCW, and the rest is history.