He has been the most talked about wrestler of the past month, from Internet chats to wrestling newsletters to mainstream dailies that write about this sport. But Bret "The Hitman" Hart, the man in question, has been absent from the wrestling mainstream. Until now, that is."The Hitman" made his World Championship Wrestling debut this past Monday Nitro, and immediately was thrust into a new role: referee, for the Starrcade match between Eric Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko. Insiders predict a match called right down the middle, because Hart knows all too well how it feels to be cheated in the ring by an official.
In his first WCW exclusive interview, Hart certainly pulled no punches. He was candid, frank and willing to answer anything. For more from "The Hitman," check out the February issue of WCW Magazine for a full-length feature story.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - For the first time in years, Bret "The Hitman" Hart admitted he was nervous. He didn't know how the fans were going to react to him, not to mention the wrestlers in the WCW and NWO dressing rooms. Especially those who, in recent years, he has verbally dogged, a list that includes "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan.
"It's not the same old, same old thing anymore. It's a whole different ball of wax for me," Hart said.
Hart's Nitro arrival occurred after a nasty, bitter, incredibly-controversial departure from the WWF, including a physical run-in backstage with WWF boss Vince McMahon.
"There is a large part of me that died in Montreal; there really is," Hart said of his final WWF appearance. "There are people who tend to make fun of me for taking (wrestling) so serious, that I believe in my persona so much ... but I do, and I always have. I think that's what separates me from the masses. No one takes more pride in his job than I do; I take it real serious. In the end, for anyone who remembers that last look on my face (at my final WWF match), that was the look of a man who was totally betrayed, and for little or no reason, (other than) jealousy or spite for where I was going. There was an effort there to tear me down, to tear down what took so long to build. What was done to me was not warranted. It was like, 'Gee, has it really got that awful that you can take no pride in the fact that The Hitman was built together by ourselves?' I was built through them and they were built through me."
Hart said the WCW/NWO talent roster, in comparison to that of the WWF's, is worlds apart. The WCW/NWO lineup boasts the most talent-rich roster of any single promotion in recent history. And many of its biggest stars have yet to face The Hitman. "I think it's fair to say that, with Ted Turner's money, (WCW has) purchased the best talent in the world -- and they've kind of beat Vince McMahon at his own game," Hart said. "He did the exact same thing to everyone years and years ago. He wiped out people like my father, so I don't have a lot of sympathy for him on that level." In any event, the smorgasboard of new matches available has everyone salivating, from Hogan vs. Hart, to Malenko vs. Hart, to DDP vs. Hart. And Hart cannot wait to get in the ring, to prove he is the best.
"I'll be honest, I should have come here last year," Hart said. The reason I didn't is because I (based) my sole decision on loyalty, and I think that's a testimony to me. I felt that I owed a lot to the WWF for where I was. I thought they had their backs up against the wall last year and that it almost was like, come back (to the WWF) and help us; we've got our hands full with WCW breathing down our neck. I just felt an allegiance there that certainly was never rewarded back in the end. Well, I'm grateful now to be here.
Hart rejected an enticing WCW contract about a year ago to remain with the WWF, yet regretted the decision almost immediately.
"I don't know anyone in the wrestling business who would have turned down the money I did. I did it because I thought it would be appreciated forever (by the WWF); it was almost my way of thanking them for everything they have done for me. But if you saw the look on my face after they screwed me that night in Montreal, after 14 years, that answered that question," Hart said. "I can never shake that last look on my face, just before I spit in (Vince McMahon's) face. It was like, How dare you? How dare you do this to me, someone who was that much of a warrior for you?
"Do I regret re-signing with the WWF (about a year ago)? Yeah, I do."
Hart added: "The WWF said recently that it is the WWF's fans -- not Bret Hart's fans. But the WWF is wrong! I believe my fans will follow me, period. I believe that the people who watched me, were fond of me are gone from the WWF; they are here with me now. I don't have any doubt that my fans will follow me to the ends of the earth.
"What do I want to do now? Exactly what I always have done: get respect from my fans, and the fans who aren't my fans. I want to get their respect, and also the respect of the wrestlers in the dressing room. I just hope my legacy here is going to be better, more praiseworthy, more defined than in the WWF. I want to prove any skeptics wrong. I want to prove that I still am an excellent wrestler, as good as I've ever been. Hey, I'm stronger than ever, better conditioned than ever and smarter than ever. I want everyone in the WWF to look back and say, 'What a mistake to have lost such a talent, for no reason at all.' I hope they cringe every time they see me on TV and I hope the fans still hold up the signs at WWF events that say Where's Bret? and Why Bret Why? I hope the people in the WWF know that they made a huge mistake, a mistake that has only benefitted me. And I look forward to an awesome career here."