He should have had him come out on Nitro the night after the Screwjob and unload on Vince McMahon and the company.
I think Russo, at least, TRIED to book Bret right but all his goofy writing and hotshotting with quick title changes and random stipulations didn't really make that much difference in the overall picture. Even barring that the kick didn't put Bret on the shelf, the nonsensical screwjob callback finish was even more of a wet fart than what they did, two years prior, in the Sting match. Bret Hart and Jeff Jarrett has members of the NEW N.W.O. reeked of a forced attempt to use a once popular property to help get guys over.To be fair, at the very end of his WCW run, he was starting to be pushed and used better. He became the WCW Champion and was made the top guy in the nWo restart (Bret, Jarrett, Big Poppa Pump, Hall and Nash). Also, Hogan was mostly out of the picture and Bret had virtually a clear path to take off. But, one kick in the head from Goldberg canceled those plans and ended his career.
I think Bret needed a mouthpiece... A lot of his WCW promos were mediocre at best which I think affected his ability to get over. If you look at Bret's most memorable feuds in the WWF they all happened with guys who could carry the load on the mic; Owen, Lawler, Austin even HBK. I think they needed to put Bret with somebody who could cut a promo and that way Bret could just focus on his biggest strength; actually wrestling.A cool idea would be have him go after the nWo, picking them off one by one over the months like, I don't know, a "Hitman".
In the meantime Hogan regains the belt but his help from his nWo is increasingly diminished as Bret keeps taking them out. Bret finally goes over Hogan in a dream-match at Starrcade 1998 for the title.
At this point Goldberg is still undefeated as Nash has been taken out of the picture. This sets up the next big match between the guy that took out the nWo one by one, vs. the guy who hasn't been beaten.
What is sad, is people actually believe this bullshit narrative Eric Bischoff peddles.He wasn't allowed to wrestle for WCW for a set period due to the no compete clause.
He was said to be in the wrong head space after leaving WWF and didn't really want to be in WCW.
He was said to arrive to the arenas late and left early. He chose not to really interact with the rest of the roster. So he became an outcast.
Owen died.
Bret was off for about 6 months in 1999.
He suffered multiple concussions and chose to retire.
That is all Bischoff's bullshit. Bret really wanted to make a splash in WCW, and considering how hot he was at the time, the WCW should ahve done something with him. Unfortunately, Hogan got in the way, and flatly refused to work with him, afraid he would be a threat to his #1 spot. Even after Owen's death, he still obviously wanted to wrestle, and ended up winning the World title, before the post concussion syndrome ended his career.Ive mentioned before that I think Bret suffered with Post embitterment disorder after Montreal
WCW's booking of him didnt help, sure it's a whole different company from the WWF for a company man (Like signing the Undertaker)
It didn't happen on WWF-TV. The Survivor Series broadcast cut out almost immediately after Shawn was announced as the new champ. The footage either made its debut in Paul Jay's documentary or during the interview with Vince about the incident. If it was the latter, it really couldn't have been the "worst thing" if they knowingly aired it after the fact. It didn't get shown "live" so WWF had the call on whether it ever aired on their own TV.Montreal and Bret spelling WcW with his fingers on WWF television which to me was probably one of the worst things that could have happened to WWF at the time considering they were already suffering financially at the time.
According to what? I have never even heard him mention it and I don't think he was even an employee of WCW at the time it happened, let alone the guy steering the ship.The fact that Ric Flair had the real World title from WCW on WWF screens is something that Bischoff obsessed over.
Incorrect. Bret was still under contract with WWF until either the first or second week of December. He could not have (and did not) show up on their TV until that time. Even as laid out in the Montreal planning, Bret was scheduled to work the following night's RAW, hence why their original agreed plan had Bret coming out, that night, and forfeiting the title.At the same time he had one thing that could do some damage to the WWF in the world title.
Something he refused to surrender until the night after Montreal but yet Bret didn’t have to turn up for any more in house shows as he had already fulfilled his contract
There is no confirmation from any reliable source, not Bret, not Bischoff, and not anyone in either Bret's close circle or working in WCW that the original plan was ever for Bret to show up on Nitro with the belt. They could not have it on their television until December and because of their legal issues with WWF over numerous situations, Turner would not have cleared them showing the belt if Bret did bring it with him.If the deal was to have Bret turn up on TNT with the world title and watching that end
Do you think Bischoff would have followed through on his original plan for Bret?
I think Bret told Bischoff a certain Ending was in place and they made plans to put WWF out of business once and for all but all was undone by the screw job
No world champion from one switching like Flair did to the other company with belt in hand
I think Bischoff then lost interest in Bret because of the way he left WWF
That and Hogan feeling intimidated by anyone who could steal his spot light