20 Years Later... 10 Reasons Vince McMahon Was STILL RIGHT To Screw Bret Hart

8. False Start

bret harrt
WWE.com

Vince McMahon famously decried that 'WCW wouldn't know what to do with a Bret Hart', and he was bang right. 'The Hitman' was mishandled as a character from literally his first appearance on television, and as a wrestler for virtually the whole duration of his Atlanta stay.

It didn't help that he came in so emotionally broken from the Screwjob itself, but McMahon's assertions were on the nose nonetheless. WCW only continued to get more bloated than it needed be with Hart's defection. The New World Order was still strong, but no longer able to dine out merely on swerve turns and shock appearances as it had for much of its maiden year of service.

In unfamiliar political waters, Bret was out of his comfort zone in every area outside of what took place bell-to-bell. Unfortunately, his matches largely reflected his malaise in the freewheeling outfit. Whilst technically proficient, his contests lacked the zeal and desire he employed almost without compare in WWE. Blame lay with no single individual, but Hart-to-WCW was an atrocious deal for all bar one shrewd Connecticut operator.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett