Bret Hart Reflects On Changing The Wrestling Industry In The 90s

During a recent interview on Q on CBC Radio podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart talked about becoming a main event star in WWE and how the company was 'sinking fast' in the mid-90s.

“The company was really sinking fast. And they tried [Ultimate] Warrior and they end up with ‘Macho Man’ [Randy Savage]. They end up with Ric Flair. But nobody was really turning things around and things were getting worse. They were losing all these toy deals and…things within the promotion that I really was unaware of. And I was kinda the guy who pulled the sword out of the stone.”

“Vince McMahon, I think, [was] worried that he might actually go to jail over all that stuff [Steroids scandal]. [He] decided that he needed to put the title on somebody that was a safe, secure bet, that wouldn’t drop the ball. Wouldn’t mess up. Would have no scandals – impaired driving or anything that could set the company back huge if they’re the wrong guy. And he chose me and I turned out to be a good hero for him and a good hero for the wrestling industry.”

“I took wrestling in a different direction, I think. When you look back today, they don’t wrestle like Hulk Hogan anymore. They wrestle like Bret Hart. Wrestling’s all about action and speed and telling a story and I think that’s where I came in.”