Let's face it; Bret Hart hasn't been the same these last three years. Bret tried to deny it, and Bret tried to fight it, but when Vince McMahon double-crossed him at Survivor Series in 1997, Vince McMahon killed Bret Hart's career, and ended Bret's life as he knew it. I remember one of Bret's quotes after the incident first happened went something like "Vince might have killed the Hit Man, but Bret Hart is still alive and well". As nice as that sounds, Bret Hart hasn't been the same at all since he left the World Wrestling Federation. Bret has become a bitter, sour person since he left the WWF. Every time I turn around, there's another quote from Bret about why wrestling isn't as good as it used to be, why the wrestling world is such a world of filth, or why Vince McMahon or the WWF is to blame for one thing or another.
Don't get me wrong, I don't agree at all with what Vince did at the 1997 Survivor Series. In fact, up to that point, I was one of the biggest Hit Man marks out there. I loved the guy. I was so pissed after that double-cross, that I seriously considered not watching the WWF again. For me to say that is almost like the Pope turning his back on Christianity. I mean, I have for almost eight years now, lived the WWF. I love it. But when I realized what Vince had done to Bret Hart, a guy who I looked up to as a kid, a guy who I idolized for many years, I was in shock, I was pissed off in a major way, but at the same time, I was understanding. In fact, after talking to some friends through the course of the next day or two, I was over it, and simply hoping the WWF wouldn't go into a slump without the Hitman (ha .look at the "slump" they hit..) This seems to be a fairly normal reaction, judging from my friends, and even Mick Foley, who in his book expressed he was very upset, but talked it over with Jim Ross and didn't end up quitting. One person who didn't have the reaction of thinking it over, then getting over it, was Bret himself. I know it's his life and it's entirely different, however, I would think that he could have gotten over it, at least enough to stop mentioning it in public forums, within a month or two. Bret still blames McMahon for all the evil in wrestling. It still pisses me off that Bret blames Vince for Owen Hart's death. That's another column though.
Anyway, this is supposed to be a column about Bret's retirement. It was announced last week that Bret Hart had been fired from WCW due to his lack of ability to compete, thanks to a concussion suffered last year. On the heels of that, Bret decided to go ahead and hang up the boots for good. Apparently his doctors felt it would be best, as did Bret himself. You know what? I could have told you it was for the best about 2 ½ years ago. As soon as Bret had been in WCW for a few weeks, I knew he should have just retired as soon as his WWF tenure was over. Let's face it, WCW is notorious for not knowing how to use their talent, or misusing already established talent. I had a gut feeling from the start that Bret would fall into that trap; and he did. WCW fucked up what was left of Bret's career, and that's just a damn shame. Sure, he won a couple titles there, even the heavyweight eventually, but I think a recent quote from Chris Benoit sums it up, when he said that "being in the title contention here (the WWF) means more than holding the title there (WCW)".
Maybe you're wondering by now exactly where I'm heading with this. Well, the way I see it, it all boils down to one thing; quitting while you're still ahead. Bret might not exactly be ahead in a lot of ways, but at least he can hold his head high and tell people that the last time he performed in the ring he was wearing the WCW heavyweight gold. At least Bret can say (at least as it stands now) that he didn't try to come back and have eighty retirement matches, and he didn't wrestle until Alzheimer's set in.
Anyway, to Bret Hart (as if he's reading this, but then again, you never know), I want to say thank you Bret. Because although the last few years were less than stellar, you provided some of the best and most entertaining moments and matches the WWF or the wrestling world has ever seen. I want to say thank you Bret, for through my childhood years giving me someone to look up to and to respect. I want to say I'm sorry Bret, that your career couldn't have ended in a better way. And lastly, I want to say thank you Bret Hart, for one hell of a ride. Good luck Hit Man, enjoy retirement, you've earned it.
Until next time.
