With a wrestling career spanning over two decades, "The Hitman" Bret Hart has brushed shoulders with nearly every famous (and infamous) name in the wrestling business, including the controversial Vince McMahon. Hart recently sat down with journalist Ariel Helwani, and during their time together, spoke about WWE in a post-McMahon era.
In a clip posted to X (formerly known as Twitter), Helwani asked Hart whether the Hall of Famer had previously envisioned an era of WWE without the living McMahon's influence, and whether WWE's recent change in creative leadership was odd for him to witness. Hart acknowledged McMahon's unique creative capabilities, but ultimately deemed the disgraced WWE executive's leadership as "shady."
"[McMahon] didn't necessarily care about the craft," Hart said.
Hart reminded the audience of McMahon's treatment of him during his time in WWE. He recalled feeling disposable under McMahon's regime, despite considering himself as McMahon's "greatest artist." McMahon and Hart's creative tensions can be traced to the 1990s, where Hart's then-imminent WCW departure resulted in the infamous Montreal Screwjob, in which McMahon prioritized the WWE Championship over Hart's post-WWE career.
"I think as much greatness Vince brought to wrestling," Hart claimed. "He also brought out a lot of negative, kind of corrupted, thinking to it."
Hart marked WWE's current, post-McMahon era as one of "integrity." While he didn't mention any of WWE's current leadership figures or Superstars by name, he did assert that WWE's top stars were being showcased based on talent, rather than on favoritism.
"The guys that are being pushed are being pushed cause they're talented and not because they're Vince's favorites," Hart concluded.
Hart's thoughts left netizens divided. While some applauded Hart for speaking out an unpopular opinion regarding McMahon, others claimed that favoritism was still alive and well in WWE, especially in the Triple H era.
