Bret Hart Explains Why Becoming WCW Champion Didn’t Matter to Him

Bret Hart didn’t hold back when discussing his WCW World Title win in 1999, and according to him, it meant absolutely nothing.

During an interview with Inside the Ropes, the WWE Hall of Famer admitted he mentally clocked out of wrestling after knocking out Vince McMahon in the fallout from the Montreal Screwjob. When asked if finally becoming WCW World Champion in November 1999—after years of creative stagnation—gave him hope things would turn around, Bret shut that down immediately.

“You know, I didn’t… but there was a point in time—I’ll say this—when I knocked out Vince McMahon, I realized that because it was kind of like a… I said I’ll never take wrestling too serious ever again.”

From that moment on, Bret made it clear his motivation had shifted from passion to paycheck.

“From now on, I’ve got a guaranteed contract. I get my money every week. I don’t give a sht what happens.”*

Still, Bret wasn’t completely apathetic. He made it clear he still cared about the fans who supported him, even if he didn’t trust the WCW system anymore.

“Although I did care, because I know I had a lot of fans that cared. It’s like I just decided it was out of my hands.”

So what was left? According to Hart, it was about fulfilling his deal and making the most of what little WCW gave him to work with.

“I’m going to make my money. I want to make all the money that I signed on for. And if I can lash out at WWE and help WCW get to the top, I’ll do everything I can to help them.”

But even after finally holding WCW’s top prize in front of a hometown Toronto crowd, Bret knew the system wasn’t going to change.

“But they were so stupid. Really.”

Bret Hart’s WCW run is often remembered as one of the greatest missed opportunities in wrestling history—and by the sound of it, he agrees. The fire was still there, but WCW poured cold water on it the moment he walked through the door.

What do you think Bret Hart could have accomplished in WCW if they had actually used him right? Was it politics, bad timing, or just incompetence? Let us know in the comments—we want your take.

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