"It's Real" – Jim Ross Confirms Long-Standing Rumor About WWE's Treatment of Bret Hart

Bret Hart began working with WWE again in 2005 after almost eight years away from the company. In a recent podcast episode, legendary commentator Jim Ross recalled how former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon initially planned to make The Hitman look bad.

WWE released a DVD in 2005 titled Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be. McMahon allegedly wanted the DVD to portray Hart in a negative light. However, he changed his mind when the Canadian star agreed to work with the company on the project.

On Grilling JR, Ross confirmed to host Conrad Thompson that rumors about the negative DVD idea were accurate.

"It's real. Yeah, that's real, Conrad. You exert the leverage that you've got, utilize it because it's timely, and everybody was hot on the idea, so Bret cooperated to the best as he could [sic], as his conscience would allow him. Bret's always been prone, unfortunately, to step into bulls**t, and it makes him look bad, and this might have been one of those instances," JR said. [1:18:34–1:19:05]

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WWE released a negative DVD about The Ultimate Warrior in the same year. Titled The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior, the documentary film revolved around high-profile names criticizing the former WWE Champion.

Why Bret Hart had real-life issues with Vince McMahon

In 1997, Bret Hart was on the verge of joining WCW when he faced Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series. The two men had personal and professional issues behind the scenes at the time. As a result, The Hitman refused to lose the WWE Championship to his rival in his home country of Canada.

Vince McMahon was keen for Bret Hart to drop the title, largely due to fears he could show up on WCW television with the gold. In a bid to prevent that from happening, he instructed referee Earl Hebner to award a submission victory to Michaels without informing Hart beforehand.

The Canadian star reacted by spitting in McMahon's face at ringside. He also punched his then-boss backstage after the show, giving the 79-year-old a black eye.

Please credit Grilling JR and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription 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.

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Edited by Danny Hart