Eric Bischoff: Nothing Good Came Out Of Bret Hart Signing With WCW For Him Or Anyone, Everybody Lost

Eric Bischoff reflects on Bret Hart’s time in World Championship Wrestling.

Bret Hart coming to WCW in 1997 was a monumental shift in wrestling at the time. However, hindsight has since revealed that Bret’s time working for WCW was not as memorable as any of his singular years in WWE and often spoken of as a huge missed opportunity in wrestling history. 

On a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff admitted that he probably regrets signing the five-time WWE Champion and calls the situation a lose-lose-lose for the promotion, Hart, and most importantly, the audience. 

When asked if there was anyone he had regretted signing upon reflection, Eric said, “No reflection on him, but Bret Hart. I mean, nothing good came out of it. Not for him. Not for us. Not for the fans. Everybody lost.”

When asked what Bret Hart would possibly do instead of joining the Ted Turner-owned organization, Bischoff stated that he would likely go back to work for WWE for much less money. 

“Yeah, no. Either he would have [gone to ECW or Japan] or he would have gone back and worked for Vince for a significantly less amount of money than he had been promised. I’m sure Bret would say the same thing. It may be the one time we’ll agree on something. That was just a bad situation. I strive for, embrace, and I’m grateful for opportunities where everybody wins. If there’s three parties involved, and it’s a win-win-win situation, that’s optimal, right? You hope for these types of opportunities throughout your career or your life. With Bret, it was a lose-lose-lose, and for that reason alone, I wish I wouldn’t have done it.” 

On the same podcast, Bischoff explains why instead of another big star, WCW was really in need of a name like Pat Patterson to add some structure to its matches. Read more here. 

“Big Show” Paul Wight crossed paths with Bret Hart in WCW but wishes he could have worked with him in a proper program. Read more here.

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