15 Exact Moments Wrestlers Died Inside

6. Bret Hart Doesn't Want To Go

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At Survivor Series 1997, Bret Hart, screwed out of the WWF Title on his way out of a company that his brilliance saved from financial damnation, wrote the letters 'WCW' in the air. Meant as a defiant gesture, he looked defeated. There was no real conviction behind his body language.

He visibly did not want to go, and the reason why revealed itself immediately.

Hart debuted at Starrcade '97. He had questioned whether WCW would know how to book a wrestler of his standing, and Eric Bischoff answered that question quite literally by presenting him as a special guest referee. Contractually, Hart wasn't able to immediately wrestle for WCW - but Bischoff could have orchestrated a sense of ceremony and buzz around his arrival. Bischoff was quite good at that - Sting's rafters-lurking Crow character was all about anticipation - but he wanted to rush it. 

Bret was Sting's buddy - a supporting member of the cast from day one. WCW booked WWF loyalist Bret Hart like a WCW fan when the nWo was way cooler. Figure that out.

Hart's WCW run was doomed well before Eric Bischoff wasn't inaccurate in pointing out that Hart, in the ultimate irony, had lost his smile. Hart was always a stoic character, but he didn't smile once in WCW. He barely even emoted. 

He didn't belong in WCW, but really, he didn't belong in 1998 generally. He just wanted to tell old-fashioned stories and pay them off with a cracking wrestling match. Sadly, by that point, he was the only one. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!