Donald Trump Played Key Role in Controversial WWE Return

Bret Hart’s 2010 return to WWE is still one of the company’s most unexpected comebacks—but now we know a surprising name helped push him back into the ring: Donald Trump.

Speaking with Inside the Ropes, Bret revealed that watching Vince McMahon get physical with Trump at WrestleMania led to the idea of coming back — even if he couldn’t take a single bump.

“I remember watching WrestleMania — I don’t remember what year it was — but it was Vince wrestling good old Donald Trump. I remember watching it and thinking, I can do that. And next thing I knew, the wheels started turning.”

That’s when Bret made the call. While living in Hawaii and content with retirement, he decided to float the idea of returning to Vince’s right-hand man, Kevin Dunn.

“I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like to talk to Vince about maybe doing a storyline and coming back. I just watched him wrestle Donald Trump yesterday. Maybe I could wrestle him.’”

Hart explained that due to his serious concussion history, he couldn’t take traditional wrestling bumps. But he still had a proposal.

“I told Vince, ‘Donald Trump never took any bumps—not one. I can fall on my knees. I can fall on my stomach. I just can’t fall backward. I can’t take any blows to the head. But I can do something. I can beat the crap out of you for sure.’”

Despite thinking WWE might jump at the opportunity, Bret didn’t hear anything for months—until he got a surprise call in July from Vince McMahon while flying back to Calgary. The two met in San Francisco and discussed the angle. Then came another delay.

“On my way home, I stopped in San Francisco. They were doing Raw—I think in San Jose, about 30 or 40 miles away. I met Vince in a hotel and told him the same thing: I can’t fall backward, can’t take suplexes, can’t take bumps—but I can fall to one knee, carefully go to the ground. They didn’t call me for five months.”

But by mid-December, WWE was all-in. They called Hart and told him the return was happening that Monday on Raw—no time to prep, just go.

“In the middle of December, they finally called and said, ‘It’s a go, and we’ve got to do it next Monday on Raw—otherwise we can’t do it.’ I had no preparation and no idea it was ever going to happen. I had floated the idea, and it went nowhere. Then suddenly, I was going to Raw.

I went out and did that whole thing with Shawn—and I was actually kind of happy to do it.”

Bret Hart’s return would go on to include a WrestleMania match against Vince McMahon, a U.S. Title run, and even a SummerSlam main event—capping off a chapter many fans never thought would be written.

What do you think of Donald Trump unknowingly sparking Bret Hart’s return? Do you think WWE handled the comeback the right way? Drop your thoughts below — we want to hear from you!

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