Bret Hart opened up about a major shift in plans during his reign as the WWF Champion in 1993—a shift he directly attributes to Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon. Speaking on The Ringer Wrestling Podcast, The Hitman reflected on how he was promised a lengthy title run, only to see it cut short in one of WrestleMania’s most controversial endings.
Hart first became the WWF Champion in 1992, at a time when the company was facing serious internal issues. “My memory of it is that things were like an elevator falling. Business was plummeting every week, down, down. Vince was being investigated. A lot of dark, gloomy things… It was almost like, ‘Who can we put the belt on that’s not going to screw everything up,’ and it’s like, ‘Oh, let’s put it on Bret Hart,’” he said.
Bret went on to explain that Vince McMahon had assured him the company was looking long-term with him as champion. “I remember when I won the title. Vince told me that I would be champion for, they were looking long term, kind of like Bruno (Sammartino). He brought up Bruno and (Bob) Backlund, and he said, ‘You’re going to be champion for 6 years. You’re going to be champion for a long time, so don’t worry about your position.’”
When it came to Hulk Hogan’s return, Bret Hart recalled McMahon being dismissive of any potential conflict. “When Hogan came in, he goes, ‘Don’t worry about Hogan. He’s got nothing to do with you. He’s here to promote a movie. He’s short term.’”
Those reassurances gave Hart confidence in his place in the company. “It was always Vince telling me these things, so I was very confident. The reason I became the champion that I did was because I believed that I was going to be champion for a long time, and I’m going to be like Bruno… I think I’m the best guy to carry it going forward.”
However, leading into WrestleMania IX, Bret Hart sensed trouble brewing—especially with Hogan. “I could tell when Hogan came back, he wouldn’t even shake my hand in the dressing room. I always thought, if Hulk Hogan saw me, he would come up and shake my hand and be like, really proud of me… I always thought he would be an advocate for me. When he came back, I saw right away that I had what he wanted. He had no respect for me. He couldn’t believe that I was the champion.”
The main event of WrestleMania IX originally featured Bret Hart defending the WWF Championship against Yokozuna. In a shocking twist, Yokozuna defeated Hart—only for Hogan to immediately step in and win the title in just 22 seconds. According to Hart, the change was sprung on him at the last minute.
“When that night happened, I didn’t find out until the night before I lost the belt. I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned,” Hart revealed. “[Vince] goes, ‘Well, that’s not what we’re doing.’ He was almost shocked that I thought I was going to beat Yoko. I’m like, ‘Well, you’re the one that told me I’d be champion for 6 years, so I just assumed.’ He laid out that whole thing with Hogan, and I felt so betrayed. I think that’s when I went, this guy’s a total liar. Vince is a liar. Hogan’s a liar. I was really mad.”
As for Hogan, Hart remembered the WWF icon’s words right before stepping into the ring. “‘Happy to return the favor.’ I remember I looked at him and said, ‘I’m going to remember that,’ and he wouldn’t return the favor,” Hart said, adding, “I remember going, this guy was not the good guy that I always thought he was. I started to see through him.”
In the aftermath, Bret Hart admitted that his trust in McMahon was irreparably damaged. “I’ll be honest. My whole relationship with Vince was never the same. I could never really take him at his word anymore. As far as integrity and honesty, I never felt that Vince was honest with me after that. It’s all about trust and respect, and Vince broke that trust.”
As for Hogan, Bret Hart offered a cutting final remark: “Hogan never had any respect for me. I think words speak for themselves. They’re not talking about Hulk Hogan today.”
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