Question about Bret Hart's departure/contract

[Joe Joyce]

 

[Hitman81]

Aside from everything already said I think Bret's relationship with Vince was damaged and Shawn was creating a toxic situation. I don't think Bret really wanted to leave but probably felt like he had no other choice. He probably thought he'd go to WCW for five years, get paid, and ride off into the sunset. I don't think he planned on losing his brother, being stifled creatively, and getting concussed into premature retirement.

 

[HereticBD]

First off, why would Bischoff fly Bret out just to chat? A phone call would have been suffice.

When you're courting a high profile potential client in business, you go the extra mile. I don't know where the truth lies in the story, but flying someone out for a meet and greet isn't unheard of. Especially when you're in the multi-millionaire entertainment/sports industry. It's par for the course, actually.

 

[TennBJJ]

When you're courting a high profile potential client in business, you go the extra mile. I don't know where the truth lies in the story, but flying someone out for a meet and greet isn't unheard of. Especially when you're in the multi-millionaire entertainment/sports industry. It's par for the course, actually.

Absolutely. High profile athletes from every sport fly from team to team to be wined and dined and then pitched on why they should come onboard.

My employer sells to large customers, one of which is FedEx. We regularly fly them to locations all over the country to review their account, entertain them, show them our new facilities, etc.

 

[Thrawn33]

Given WCWs history of pirating talent from WWF at the time, I have no doubt Bisch was going after Hart.

 

[GSPSAKU]

When you're courting a high profile potential client in business, you go the extra mile. I don't know where the truth lies in the story, but flying someone out for a meet and greet isn't unheard of. Especially when you're in the multi-millionaire entertainment/sports industry. It's par for the course, actually.

As noted, in wrestling, when they fly you out, it's not just to talk. Be it the NWA, WWF, WCW, WWE, when they fly you out, they are ready with an offer already. There has never been a meeting where a top level talent comes to is flown out on the company's dime and an offer isn't even made. PS, if you listened to the actual 83 weeks episode, you might feel different. Bischoff says numerous times that the meeting was "nothing serious". So Bischoff, flying out Bret Hart who is arguably the #1 star in the WWF at the time in late summer 1996, was nothing serious and he didn't come ready with an offer?

Again, Bischoff ADMITTED IN APRIL 1997 that he made Bret the best offer he could. And then in May of 2018, Bischoff goes back saying no offer was made so there's no need for the speculation. See below again

"SunnyDaysMJD (Prodigy Member) Hey Eric... Did you purposefully bid up Bret Hart's contract, causing the WWF to offer him an insane amount of money, in hopes that that would result in other workers getting upset and leaving?

Eric Bischoff (Speaker) No, not at all. I offered Bret a deal that I felt I could make work financially for both him and my company."

Here's another question about Bret Hart from 1997 before Hart signed with WCW and Bischoff answering it again:

"(Prodigy Member) - Could you shed some light on the Bret Hart situation? It is my understanding that there were a number of dealings and problems between Hart and WCW and WWF...

ERIC BISCHOFF (Speaker) - There were no problems. I laid a deal on the table. Vince laid a deal on the table. Bret made a decision he thought was in his best interest. I enjoyed every minute of my dealings with Bret Hart, and hope he feels the same about me. I hold him in the highest regard personally and professionally and wish he had made a different decision. "

http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling3/ukmania/BischoffChat199704.html

Bischoff is absolute BS. Two times in 1997 on two different Prodigy chats, Bischoff admitted to giving Bret an actual offer.

And if Bischoff never offered Bret $2.8mil/year in 1996, how did Bret magically make up that number in '96 and then in '97, Bischoff basically offers him basically the same number for fewer dates at $2.5mil/year? And in the 83 weeks Podcast, Bischoff states numerous times that he didn't really know who Bret was, hadn't seen a match and that Bret Hart never "drew a dime and wasn't a big star". Then 5 minutes later, says he wanted Bret to be the star on Thunder knowing he "was a big WWF star and would keep the audience's attention".

The gist of the entire 83 weeks Bret Hart episode, as well as most Bischoff interviews consist of the following:

"We may have, we could have, it wasn’t serious, I can’t recall, there’s also lawyers and agents involved..."

It's very entertaining, Bischoff is, as he is a great storyteller but like Prichard, he's not always honest and is often times more about making the podcast entertaining.

PS, Bischoff claimed in the first 83 weeks podcast about the NWO that he came up with the concept all by himself and that it was not influenced by "what was going on in Japan", and that he was "unaware of what was going on" in regards to the whole. This was the same thing he said in the Two Man Power Trip episode in March of 2017. So from 1996-2014, Bischoff and everyone who was friends and close to Bischoff have said he took the invasion idea from Japan and Bischoff and WCW were actually in Japan for the blowoff of the actual NJPW and UWFi angle. Come to 2017 and now, Bischoff claims he came up with it himself and wasn't aware of any invasion angle going on in Japan at the time.

 

[My Spot]

I listened to the 83 Weeks episode. Figured Easy E was lying.