WWE: Hulk Hogan blocked Bret Hart from joining TNA, Vince Russo claims (Exclusive)

Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan's relationship was never the same after 1993. In a recent video, veteran wrestling writer Vince Russo revealed how The Hulkster allegedly blocked The Hitman from joining TNA.

Hart has always maintained that Hogan promised to lose the WWE Championship to him in 1993 before changing his mind. Over a decade later, former TNA President Dixie Carter wanted the Canadian star to join her company as an on-screen commissioner. However, the ambitious deal never materialized.

Russo, a TNA writer at the time, told Sportskeeda Wrestling host Mac Davis that Hogan had a creative control clause in his contract. According to the 64-year-old, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer had a problem with TNA hiring Hart and made sure it did not happen.

"Jeremy [Borash] gets me on the phone with Bret," Russo said. "I pitch this whole thing to Bret. He's a hundred percent on board. I go to Dixie. She's ecstatic; she's excited. Now it's just about money, and I'm out of it at that point. Now we pitch it to Eric [Bischoff]. Eric is one thousand percent on board with it, okay? Now he goes to Hulk, who has creative control. Hulk refuses to work with Bret." [5:44–6:24]

In the video above, Vince Russo revealed more details about TNA's past interest in Bret Hart. He also reflected on Hulk Hogan's passing at the age of 71.

Vince Russo accuses Eric Bischoff of "burying" Bret Hart

After Hulk Hogan refused to do business with Bret Hart, then-TNA executive Eric Bischoff allegedly badmouthed The Hitman to Dixie Carter. Vince Russo later called Bischoff out during an explosive meeting, which resulted in the former TNA writer's resignation.

All these years later, Vince Russo cites the backstage power struggle as the key reason why he no longer wanted to work for TNA.

"Eric knew that Dixie really wanted to bring Bret in because Dixie was just a mark for the big stars. He knew if he told Dixie that Hulk was vetoing it, Dixie would have been p****d off at Hulk. So, now out of the clear blue sky, Dixie's there, and now he starts burying Bret, and giving all the reasons why we shouldn't bring Bret in, and I looked at him and said, 'Eric, cut through the bulls**t.'" [6:38–7:19]

Bret Hart returned to WWE in 2010 after the TNA deal collapsed. In April, he became the first three-time Hall of Famer in WWE history.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

Know More

Edited by Danny Hart