On December 19th in 1999, fans gathered around their televisions to watch the seventeenth annual edition of WCWs flagship PPV -- Starrcade. The event was headlined by two of the biggest stars in the history of the business; Bill Goldberg challenged Bret The Hitman Hart for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. It was a highly anticipated match amongst WCWs fan base. The two competitors put on an entertaining, hard-hitting match. Goldberg attempted to put the Hitman away by utilizing his raw power and brute strength. Bret, showing shades of his Hart Dungeon training, tried to out-wrestle the big man. In the end, Harts technical expertise led to a victory -- courtesy of some controversy from official Roddy Piper, in a moment that harkened back to the Montreal Screwjob. However, it isnt because of the competition inside the ring or Brets controversial victory that the match is talked about to this day. Starrcade 99 will instead be remembered by Bret Hart as the night his career came to an end. Ultimately, the Hitman would continue to compete for nearly a month after sustaining his injury, but this night was inarguably what led to the end of his days of competition. During the contest, Goldberg whipped his opponent into the ropes and delivered a brutal sidekick as Bret rebounded back. Goldbergs kick legitimately connected, concussing the champion. Its been speculated and assumed by Bret that throughout the rest of the match, he suffered another handful of concussions. This string of injuries forced Hart to take a step back from in-ring competition. Due to his inability to wrestle, he was released from his contract with WCW in October 2000. Shortly after leaving the promotion, Bret announced his early retirement. Except for a few brawls upon his return to WWE -- where he was used to limited capacity -- the Hitman would never wrestle again. It was a sad fact that fans had to come to accept. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvcMxmbwS2A When asked about the injury which led to his retirement, the Excellence of Execution seemed to hold no ill-will toward his fellow competitor. On his The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be DVD set -- released by WWE in November, 2005 -- he said, Its a shame, in a way that someone as good-hearted as Bill Goldberg was the guy that hurt me and ended my career. Despite Bret and the fans animosity toward his time in WCW, there were a small number of highlights amongst the general failure of it all. But ultimately, Brets career was given the proper sendoff it deserved, when he mended the bridge with WWE and Vince McMahon, allowing him to return to the company for a brief period of time and for an induction into the Hall of Fame.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
