Bret Hart as Special Ref at WM22?

Mr.Nice Guy

According to an article by Mike Mooneyman, Vince wants to get Bret Hart to referee a match between Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania...

Rarely does Wrestlemania, pro wrestling's biggest event of the year, fail to deliver its share of interesting and anticipated matchups. If Vince McMahon has his way, this year's show April 2 at Allstate Arena in Chicago may provide one of the most intriguing scenarios in quite some time.

McMahon, whose obsession with the double-cross of Bret Hart at the 1997 Survivor Series in Montreal has taken on a life of its own, is attempting to recapture some of the mystique that surrounded that infamous event. McMahon's rocky relationship with Hart has somewhat stabilized over the past year, and he is hoping to lure the Hitman back for one more appearance. This time, however, not as the victim of a swerve, but as special referee for a match between the 60-year-old WWE owner and Hart's arch-nemesis, Shawn Michaels.

There remains much to be worked out, according to sources, and it's still only an outside chance that Hart will finally agree to make his first official WWE appearance in more than eight years.

There's also no love lost between Hart and Michaels. Both take shots at one another in their recently released DVD and book, respectively, and have made little progress in mending fences since Montreal. Hart has remained adamant in his claim that Michaels has never truly apologized for his part in the incident, and Michaels has continued to insist that Hart should just get over it and move on with his life.

Life for Hart, however, took an even crueler turn after Montreal.

A promising run in now- defunct WCW backfired due to company politics, turmoil and mismanagement. Younger brother Owen died in May 1999 after plunging 80 feet to his death as part of a wrestling stunt gone terribly wrong during a WWF pay-per-view in Kansas City. A divorce, the death of parents Stu and Helen Hart, and the untimely passing of brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith (The British Bulldog) marked a tumultuous period and a virtual unraveling of the Hart family fabric.

'This is not a close-knit family and I'm not part of it anymore - we carry the same last name but that's as far as it goes,' said Martha Hart, Owen's widow, who took part in a messy legal battle that divided the family after Owen's death.

Both Martha and Diana Hart Smith, Bret's sister and Davey Boy Smith's ex-wife, penned books that literally shook the foundation of the once rock-solid family and exposed a closet full of skeletons.

Hart's ring career effectively ended after he was struck with a stiff kick to the head during a world title match with Bill Goldberg at the 1999 Starcade pay-per-view. Hart, who suffered a severe concussion, later speculated that he may have suffered up to three additional concussions within a short period of time. He later was forced to vacate the WCW title after retiring from the business.

Hart suffered a stroke after a bicycle accident in June 2002. Hart, who suffered partial paralysis after the stroke which required months of physical therapy, has since recovered his mobility, but has publicly stated he would never be able to wrestle again.

Hart, who is remarried and living in Italy with his new wife, has stated on numerous occasions that he's not interested in going back on camera for WWE, saying that revisiting issues that are as painful as Montreal would only serve to tarnish his legacy.

That, however, hasn't stopped the most powerful man in the industry from taking his best shot.

The bitterly cold relations began to thaw slightly last year when Hart and McMahon called a temporary truce to do mutually advantageous business - Hart would gain access to part of a vast archive of his WWE footage and photos, while McMahon, at least publicly, would have much-coveted access to Hart. The two sides joined forces on Hart's three-disc career retrospective DVD, with Hart being granted some editing control.

The 1997 Survivor Series, in which McMahon, Michaels and referee Earl Hebner took part in a plan to take the WWE title from Hart for real, has become a battle cry for the WWE owner. It also represents a period in which the company turned a financial and creative corner and became the hottest product in sports entertainment. While it's unlikely that McMahon and his juggernaut will ever be able to reach that level again, the megalomaniacal mat impresario didn't reach the top of the hill by giving up.

For Hart, the '97 Survivor Series represented an ignominious ending to an otherwise brilliant WWE career and legacy, one which McMahon is hoping the Canadian star wants to set straight. According to those closest to Hart, however, he had to be convinced to even agree to allow the Survivor Series footage be included in the DVD on his career. Without Hart's cooperation on the project, McMahon undoubtedly would have used Montreal as the centerpiece of the DVD, and most likely would have painted Hart in a much more unfavorable light.

Source: http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=64334&section=sports

What do you think the chances of this happening are? I'd say it's highly unlikely but imagine if Vince pulled it off. What a match this would be!

Lita Forever

I thought the same exact thing myself while watching Raw this week. It would be great, but Bret himself has said that he wouldn't like to do any on screen stuff. He may or may not have been saying it to throw people off. I'm not going to belive it for sure until I see it. Lol.

Vince135792003

Vice would love it as it would add alot to the match and probably the buy rates. I can't see Bret doing it . Never say never though.

Mr.Nice Guy

If the match ever did take place, it would be great if during the match Bret got knocked down and Earl Hebner came running down to take his place. Then Bret could wake up and kick Hebner's ass!

Now that would be a Wrestlemania moment!

antifyre

F***, that would rock...

Vince might be scared that Earl might try to nick some of the scenery on the way out though

antifyre

antifyre wrote:

Vince might be scared that Earl might try to nick some of the scenery on the way out though

LoL!:D

Fozzy

Bret has said that if he came back, he wouldn't participate in any storyline. And he seems to be a man of his word, so I would doubt he'd come back

Cactus Col

I wouldn't like to see a match between hbk and vince, no matter who the ref.

Now if it was HBK V Chris Benoit, that might be a bit more interesting.

but, out of curiousity, what skeletons did the owen hart's and davey boy's widows' books reveal?

Fozzy

Davey Boy's widow's book is talked about here: http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingReviews/underthemat-can.html Doesn't sound like the happiest read..

But Owen's widow's book apparently refutes some things Diana's said, claiming that Diana brought a lot of bad things into the family

Vince135792003

Does the picture in the link of that book actually say forword by Stu Hart?
I'd find it really odd that he'd forword a book like that. Even for his daughter.

Fozzy

Good spot. It does say that Owen and Stu are the only ones who get away with a "skewering"

There's a link on that page to a transcript of a chat with Diana: http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingChats/hart_diana_nov01-can.html She says there that the majority of the family was extremely supportive. Ya never know with them..