MAJOR Wrestling Stars Who Jumped Ship (...And FLOPPED!)
1. Bret Hart (WWF > WCW)
When: 1997
Why He Flopped: Bret realised he didn't want to be in WCW rather swiftly.
His heart (no pun intended) was ripped out by an infamous 'Montreal Screwjob' at the 1997 Survivor Series, and it became clear Bret's appetite for full-time wrestling waned the longer he was in WCW. The 'Hitman' was never a neat fit for the promotion, one totally caught up in Hulk Hogan and nWo fever when he arrived.
The nWo story dominated WCW's product, so Hart became a bit-part player. He was a mere pawn in the overarching narrative, and that sucked when Bret was one of the biggest gets for Eric Bischoff during this whole war with the WWF. WCW had the WWF star of the 1990s, and they didn't have an f'n clue how to book him.
Hart has to take some of the blame too, of course. He was visibly apathetic to WCW life, and appeared to phone in some of his appearances. In retrospect, it's actually kinda surprising he lasted up until 2000, because Bret's run with the company was flopping long before that.
Which other top names jumped from one promotion to another and flopped? For more like this, check out 10 Obscure WWE Tag Teams You Totally Don't Remember and 10 Lost Gimmicks WWE Should Bring Back!