Bret Hart Says He Feels “More Respected” in WWE Now That Vince McMahon Is Gone

Bret Hart isn’t biting his tongue when it comes to how he feels about WWE post-Vince McMahon—and he’s ready to admit that time might’ve finally vindicated him.

The WWE Hall of Famer opened up in a new interview with Peter Rosenberg, reflecting on decades of tension, betrayal, and unresolved history between himself and McMahon. When asked how he feels about his relationship with WWE now that McMahon is out of the picture, Hart didn’t hold back.

“I’ll be honest, I feel like I have a little more respect now,” Hart said. “I think people are kind of going, ‘Maybe Bret Hart was right all along.’”

Of course, the elephant in the room was the infamous Montreal Screwjob from 1997, when Vince McMahon called for the bell behind Bret’s back, forcing him to drop the WWE Championship to Shawn Michaels in his final WWE match. The aftermath? Bret knocked McMahon out cold backstage—a moment he still wears like a badge of honor.

“What do you expect? He punched out the boss,” Bret said with zero regret. “I knocked him out cold in the dressing room. So it’s always been kind of a black spot, and maybe still is, too. You can’t really get away with… I can’t see Wayne Gretzky doing that.”

Despite being welcomed back to WWE in 2010 and feuding with McMahon on screen, Hart says the long-term impact of that night lingered for years.

“I just kind of always felt that I was less appreciated and maybe untrusted, like where I wasn’t utilized as much as I maybe could have been or should have been,” he continued. “In my own heart of hearts, I would never change anything that I did. I did the right thing that day.”

And now that Vince is out of WWE—resigning in early 2024 amid a sex trafficking lawsuit—Hart believes the tide is finally turning in his favor.

“I feel like there’s been a bit of an upswing, or a certain sort of an appreciation, more for my work rate and how hard I worked, and what I contributed to the business,” he added.

Hart’s legacy continues to grow, with WWE announcing that his classic WrestleMania 13 Submission Match against Steve Austin will be the first bout inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame under the new “Immortal Moment” category—marking his third induction.