Sharp shooting from Bret<!-- end headline or Pic Headline --> <!-- storyByline? --> By THE LILSBOYS
THERE can be few more fitting entrants to the WWE Hall Of Fame than Bret Hitman Hart. Bret is a wrestling legend - having many classic matches and winning the WWE world championship on five occasions.
But outside of the ring, the Hitman has had to fight much tougher battles.
His brother Owen died when an elaborate ring entrance went wrong on a 1999 WWE PPV - a tragedy that tore the Hart family apart.
In this exclusive webchat Bret talks at length about the trauma and says he still wishes he was around to talk Owen out of doing the stunt.
He also answers your questions on the incident that stopped him being in the WWE, his real life betrayal by Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels and Earl Hebner at the 1997 Survivor Series.
So whether you're a long-term follower of Bret, or a new fan looking to find out more about him, this is one webchat you won't want to miss.
<hr id="null"> With Stu Hart as a dad and so many talented brothers, was there any chance of you being anything other than a wrestler?
Jonathan, Leeds
You wouldn't want to bet against it. As early as I can remember, from the time I was about three of four, I wanted to be a wrestler.
From then on everything was wrestling - I drew pictures of matches and would make belts out of cardboard. There's even a picture of me as a young kid, in one of the WWE magazines, in white underwear surrounded by a bunch of wrestling trophies.
I don't remember that ever changing until I was around 14, when wrestling was going through a lot of changes and my dad's territory wasn't as popular.
By the time I was 16, as an amateur wrestler, I'd taken so much slagging about pro wrestling, it was the last thing I thought I'd ever do.
That all shifted back again when I was 20 and I realised pro wrestling might actually be a little more fun and pay just as well as some of the lousy construction jobs I was being offered.
<hr id="null"> Your dad Stu is famous for making grown men weep with his real wrestling skills. What is your favourite Stu Hart stretching story?
Christopher, Derby
I've got plenty of those! My absolute favourite was when I was in high school and taking a lot of ribbing from the amateur wrestling guys about how ridiculous my dad's pro wrestling shows were.
During that time he didn't have the best wrestlers, so it was very hard for me to defend him!
I remember getting selected to go to an amateur wrestling camp with a bunch of the best coaches and students in the city.
When my dad was coming down the stairs to pick me up one of the coaches just burst out laughing at him.
I went red in the face and the other kids were saying: "That's your dad dude, what's he going to do? Put a pro wrestling move on him?"
My dad was laughing with the coach at first, but then kicked his shoes off so fast he didn't even notice they were off.
He stretched that coach on the mat for about 30 minutes - he just wouldn't let up. The coach was screaming and pounding his fists.
I loved every minute of it. It was the comeuppance for every bit of flak I'd taken from the amateur wrestlers. I didn't get a lot of ribbing after that!
<hr id="null"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="center">
</td> </tr><tr><td align="center">DRINKING GAMES ... Hart recalls
being on the road with Davey Boy
</td></tr></tbody></table>
I used to live in Vancouver and was a huge Stampede wrestling fan. I loved the matches between you and Dynamite Kid. But what were he and Davey Boy Smith like as people?
Roy Harrison Amsterdam, Holland (formerly Vancouver)
I was really good friends with both of them when we were in Stampede. I was best man at Dynamite's wedding and Davey Boy lived with me for the first couple of years I was in Calgary.
When I wrestled here in 1981 for Joint Promotions - Big Daddy and all that - I stayed at Davey mum's house.
In the last few days, being here in England, I've found myself remembering so many funny stories about Davey. Not all of them are fit to print, but I think I can tell you this one.
We were out drinking in Japan one time when a real Japanese Mafia guy, who had the cut off finger and everything, sent some drinks over.
We thought we should drink them out of respect but they really stuck in our throat. It took a while to wash them down. Then someone told us they were turtle penises!
Quite a few years later I was joking around in the locker room with Davey and, I think, Curt Hennig, when I said: "It's not the first time Davey's had a d**k in his mouth!"
Davey started getting really mad but I just carried on, saying: "Davey, come on, I was there. I've seen you with a penis in your mouth!"
He got pretty heated about it and was even offering to fight me over it.
Then I reminded him about the turtle penises in Japan and he had to admit it was true!
<hr id="null"> Did you speak much to Davey Boy before he died?
Christine, Manchester
No, we fell out after Owen's death.
Although I never had any problem with Davey working for the WWE after Owen died I asked him - on behalf of Owen's wife Martha, who had taken out a lawsuit - to refrain from making comment about what had happened.
At that point Vince had still not been cleared of criminal negligence in Owen's death.
They didn't clear him until August of that year, so for the first three and a half months after Owen died we still didn't know exactly what happened or who was responsible. It was a very touchy situation.
Davey and my sister (his wife) Diana didn't get that. I think Diana wanted to be the next Sable, or if not definitely wanted to springboard Davey into a top spot in the WWE. So they kept defending Vince McMahon in the papers.
Davey was saying things like "Owen knew what he was doing" and "Owen pulled the cord" - but he couldn't know that. In the investigation it came out that the cord was never pulled.
Unfortunately that got between us, although before Davey passed away we were on speaking terms again.
I recognised that it was my sister who making him say those things, and I still don't speak to her.
<hr id="null"> Do you blame the WWE for Owen's death as Martha does?
George, New York
I don't have any problem with Vince McMahon or the WWE now. I think Vince felt as horrible as everyone else did when Owen died.
And, putting myself in his shoes, he had to defend a lawsuit and do whatever it took to clear his name.
I don't hold him accountable, in the end Owen does have to answer to himself. No one pushed him, like Davey said.
I just wish Vince had been a little more sensitive at that time, because he was pretty hard on me. My sisters Ellie and Diana really fed this bile that I was the one driving the law suit.
I had nothing to do with it, I was just Martha's voice to the rest of the family.
But when Martha got her settlement she just left me standing there, and I've rarely heard from her since.
I think in her book Martha was very unfair to my family. It was only Ellie and Diana, and possibly my brother Bruce, who undermined her case.
It wasn't right to paint myself or Ross or Keith or my mum, who she was pretty horrible about, with the same brush.
But I no longer have an axe to grind with anyone about what happened.
Before I had my stroke I was carrying around a lot angst towards Ellie and Diana.
In the hospital I made a decision to concentrate on my recovery and my future, rather than worrying about things in the past that I couldn't fix.
<hr id="null"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="center">
</td> </tr><tr><td align="center">HITMAN IN 2006 ... we caught up with Bret in London
</td></tr></tbody></table>
You often say that if you were still in the WWE Owen's death would never have happened - what makes you feel that way?
Carla
I had that kind of influence on Owen. Whatever he did in his matches, right down to the finish, he would run by me first. We talked about almost everything and I was a huge voice in Owen's ear.
I don't doubt for a second Owen would have come to me and told me about they wanted him to do at Over The Edge.
And I'm sure I would have said: "Why would you do that? What if something went wrong? Why would you want to jeopardize everything you've worked for?"
It would have taken me about a minute to talk him out of it.
I still have a lot of regret about that. If things hadn't happened between me and Vince at Survivor Series, I'm sure I would have been there to stop him.
<hr id="null"> What was Shawn Michaels like to work with before your relationship broke down?
Michael, Minnesota
He was good. I always thought Shawn was maybe the best athlete I ever wrestled - it would be between him and Curt Hennig.
Shawn was a little hokey sometimes - skinning the cat is a move you never want to see more than once - but he was a good wrestler and I'll never take that away from him.
Shawn's problem was his insecurity, he would lose his confidence sometimes and had a lot of doubts about himself.
It was those kind of things that made Shawn change his personality from a pretty good guy to a hot-headed prima donna.
<hr id="null"> You refused to drop the WWE title to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1997, leading him, Vince and others to screw you. In Shawn's book he says the reason was because you saw yourself as a big hero in Canada where the PPV was being held. Is that true?
Tony, Edinburgh
Well I was a big hero in Canada, but that wasn't what it was about.
What it all came down to was an issue of trust and respect.
I had always been a real champion to the company, the fans, the business and the wrestlers in the locker room.
There was bad blood between me and Shawn for a while and in the spring before Survivor Series we had a little cat fight.
Shawn came back to the WWE a few months later to referee my match at SummerSlam.
Shawn never apologised to me and I never apologised to him, but we got to a point where we were cordial with each other and would shake each other's hand after matches.
There no longer seemed to be any problems and, when I found out I was wrestling him at Survivor Series, I was fine with whatever the WWE wanted to do.
After Shawn refereed a match of mine in San Jose, California, I pulled him aside to clear the air. I said: "I don't have any problem with you and will be happy to work with you at Survivor Series.
"You can trust that I will protect you in the ring and won't take any liberties.
"And I just want you to know that I have no problems putting you over."
Shawn looked me in the eye and replied: "I just want you to know that I'm not willing to do the same thing for you."
I'd never had anyone say that to me before, especially as champion! I was shocked by it. I remember looking back at Jim Neidhart, who just shook his head and walked out of the dressing room.
I saw Vince a week later in Oklahoma, told him what Shawn said and that I'd never put him over now. I would only do it if he put me over first and showed me that he had some respect for me.
Vince again tried to insist I lose before the PPV, but I had creative control for my last 30 days before leaving for WCW and would not do it.
I said to Vince: "I have a month left on my contract, so there a million ways we can do this. I'll even put him over on Monday Night Raw right in the middle of the ring.
"But I am not going to let this guy disrespect me."
<hr id="null"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="center">
</td> </tr><tr><td align="center">STABBED IN THE BACK ... Hart battles
rival Michaels at WrestleMania 12
</td></tr></tbody></table>
Was there any chance of you ever turning up on WCW TV with the WWE championship belt? And, more importantly, do you believe Vince thought there was or did he just want to bury you on the way out?
David
I think he wanted to bury me on the way out.
There was a big lawsuit at the time between WCW and WWE, because Alundra Blaze had brought a WWE belt into WCW and dropped it into the rubbish.
Because all WWE belts have a copyrighted logo on them, they could sue Turner for using them.
So WCW were very careful and aware of that. Even if I showed up with the belt and offered to do something with it - which I would never have done - they couldn't have used it anyway.
And Eric Bischoff didn't care about the belt, he told me to do anything I needed to do in the WWE before leaving.
I was just standing up for myself, it had nothing to do with WCW.
<hr id="null"> Were you expecting a swerve in Montreal, as in his book Shawn even says it was your idea for him to do the Sharpshooter?
Ian, Birmingham
That's not true, they didn't just ask me to put that Sharpshooter bit in the match - they insisted. Pat Patterson came to me about two or three times saying: "This will blow the roof off!"
People ask how I could fall for it and be so naïve to allow myself to get put in a submission hold.
But the truth is I really really put all my faith in the referee Earl Hebner, who was a close friend of mine.
I had talked to Earl the night before. I was paranoid that they were going to screw me, but he swore on his kids' heads that he would never do it.
Earl was so tearful at the thought of ever doing such a thing, that I insisted he referee the match. And that was my undoing.
<hr id="null"> Of everyone who colluded against you at the Survivor Series - whose betrayal hurt the most?
Faisal Khan
I don't blame Earl anymore, as he really had no choice. He found out just before he walked through the curtain, it was like a bunch of gangsters putting a gun to his head.
And, although I've never had a proper apology from Vince, I've forgiven everybody else in my heart - except for Shawn.
I always see the boys in wrestling as an army, all in the trenches together and fighting for the same cause. For me, to be shot down by your own man is very hurtful.
Shawn says in his book that he and Triple H swayed Vince to screw me, and I believe that. It's an odd thing to boast about though - backstabbing someone!
The way I look at it is if Vince had come to me and asked me to screw Shawn, I would have clearly told him that I don't operate like that.
I would never screw anybody under any circumstances - I have too much integrity to lower myself to that level - and that's the difference between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart.
THERE can be few more fitting entrants to the WWE Hall Of Fame than Bret Hitman Hart. Bret is a wrestling legend - having many classic matches and winning the WWE world championship on five occasions.
But outside of the ring, the Hitman has had to fight much tougher battles.
His brother Owen died when an elaborate ring entrance went wrong on a 1999 WWE PPV - a tragedy that tore the Hart family apart.
In this exclusive webchat Bret talks at length about the trauma and says he still wishes he was around to talk Owen out of doing the stunt.
He also answers your questions on the incident that stopped him being in the WWE, his real life betrayal by Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels and Earl Hebner at the 1997 Survivor Series.
So whether you're a long-term follower of Bret, or a new fan looking to find out more about him, this is one webchat you won't want to miss.
<hr id="null"> With Stu Hart as a dad and so many talented brothers, was there any chance of you being anything other than a wrestler?
Jonathan, Leeds
You wouldn't want to bet against it. As early as I can remember, from the time I was about three of four, I wanted to be a wrestler.
From then on everything was wrestling - I drew pictures of matches and would make belts out of cardboard. There's even a picture of me as a young kid, in one of the WWE magazines, in white underwear surrounded by a bunch of wrestling trophies.
I don't remember that ever changing until I was around 14, when wrestling was going through a lot of changes and my dad's territory wasn't as popular.
By the time I was 16, as an amateur wrestler, I'd taken so much slagging about pro wrestling, it was the last thing I thought I'd ever do.
That all shifted back again when I was 20 and I realised pro wrestling might actually be a little more fun and pay just as well as some of the lousy construction jobs I was being offered.
<hr id="null"> Your dad Stu is famous for making grown men weep with his real wrestling skills. What is your favourite Stu Hart stretching story?
Christopher, Derby
I've got plenty of those! My absolute favourite was when I was in high school and taking a lot of ribbing from the amateur wrestling guys about how ridiculous my dad's pro wrestling shows were.
During that time he didn't have the best wrestlers, so it was very hard for me to defend him!
I remember getting selected to go to an amateur wrestling camp with a bunch of the best coaches and students in the city.
When my dad was coming down the stairs to pick me up one of the coaches just burst out laughing at him.
I went red in the face and the other kids were saying: "That's your dad dude, what's he going to do? Put a pro wrestling move on him?"
My dad was laughing with the coach at first, but then kicked his shoes off so fast he didn't even notice they were off.
He stretched that coach on the mat for about 30 minutes - he just wouldn't let up. The coach was screaming and pounding his fists.
I loved every minute of it. It was the comeuppance for every bit of flak I'd taken from the amateur wrestlers. I didn't get a lot of ribbing after that!
<hr id="null"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="center">
being on the road with Davey Boy
</td></tr></tbody></table>
I used to live in Vancouver and was a huge Stampede wrestling fan. I loved the matches between you and Dynamite Kid. But what were he and Davey Boy Smith like as people?
Roy Harrison Amsterdam, Holland (formerly Vancouver)
I was really good friends with both of them when we were in Stampede. I was best man at Dynamite's wedding and Davey Boy lived with me for the first couple of years I was in Calgary.
When I wrestled here in 1981 for Joint Promotions - Big Daddy and all that - I stayed at Davey mum's house.
In the last few days, being here in England, I've found myself remembering so many funny stories about Davey. Not all of them are fit to print, but I think I can tell you this one.
We were out drinking in Japan one time when a real Japanese Mafia guy, who had the cut off finger and everything, sent some drinks over.
We thought we should drink them out of respect but they really stuck in our throat. It took a while to wash them down. Then someone told us they were turtle penises!
Quite a few years later I was joking around in the locker room with Davey and, I think, Curt Hennig, when I said: "It's not the first time Davey's had a d**k in his mouth!"
Davey started getting really mad but I just carried on, saying: "Davey, come on, I was there. I've seen you with a penis in your mouth!"
He got pretty heated about it and was even offering to fight me over it.
Then I reminded him about the turtle penises in Japan and he had to admit it was true!
<hr id="null"> Did you speak much to Davey Boy before he died?
Christine, Manchester
No, we fell out after Owen's death.
Although I never had any problem with Davey working for the WWE after Owen died I asked him - on behalf of Owen's wife Martha, who had taken out a lawsuit - to refrain from making comment about what had happened.
At that point Vince had still not been cleared of criminal negligence in Owen's death.
They didn't clear him until August of that year, so for the first three and a half months after Owen died we still didn't know exactly what happened or who was responsible. It was a very touchy situation.
Davey and my sister (his wife) Diana didn't get that. I think Diana wanted to be the next Sable, or if not definitely wanted to springboard Davey into a top spot in the WWE. So they kept defending Vince McMahon in the papers.
Davey was saying things like "Owen knew what he was doing" and "Owen pulled the cord" - but he couldn't know that. In the investigation it came out that the cord was never pulled.
Unfortunately that got between us, although before Davey passed away we were on speaking terms again.
I recognised that it was my sister who making him say those things, and I still don't speak to her.
<hr id="null"> Do you blame the WWE for Owen's death as Martha does?
George, New York
I don't have any problem with Vince McMahon or the WWE now. I think Vince felt as horrible as everyone else did when Owen died.
And, putting myself in his shoes, he had to defend a lawsuit and do whatever it took to clear his name.
I don't hold him accountable, in the end Owen does have to answer to himself. No one pushed him, like Davey said.
I just wish Vince had been a little more sensitive at that time, because he was pretty hard on me. My sisters Ellie and Diana really fed this bile that I was the one driving the law suit.
I had nothing to do with it, I was just Martha's voice to the rest of the family.
But when Martha got her settlement she just left me standing there, and I've rarely heard from her since.
I think in her book Martha was very unfair to my family. It was only Ellie and Diana, and possibly my brother Bruce, who undermined her case.
It wasn't right to paint myself or Ross or Keith or my mum, who she was pretty horrible about, with the same brush.
But I no longer have an axe to grind with anyone about what happened.
Before I had my stroke I was carrying around a lot angst towards Ellie and Diana.
In the hospital I made a decision to concentrate on my recovery and my future, rather than worrying about things in the past that I couldn't fix.
<hr id="null"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="center">
</td></tr></tbody></table>
You often say that if you were still in the WWE Owen's death would never have happened - what makes you feel that way?
Carla
I had that kind of influence on Owen. Whatever he did in his matches, right down to the finish, he would run by me first. We talked about almost everything and I was a huge voice in Owen's ear.
I don't doubt for a second Owen would have come to me and told me about they wanted him to do at Over The Edge.
And I'm sure I would have said: "Why would you do that? What if something went wrong? Why would you want to jeopardize everything you've worked for?"
It would have taken me about a minute to talk him out of it.
I still have a lot of regret about that. If things hadn't happened between me and Vince at Survivor Series, I'm sure I would have been there to stop him.
<hr id="null"> What was Shawn Michaels like to work with before your relationship broke down?
Michael, Minnesota
He was good. I always thought Shawn was maybe the best athlete I ever wrestled - it would be between him and Curt Hennig.
Shawn was a little hokey sometimes - skinning the cat is a move you never want to see more than once - but he was a good wrestler and I'll never take that away from him.
Shawn's problem was his insecurity, he would lose his confidence sometimes and had a lot of doubts about himself.
It was those kind of things that made Shawn change his personality from a pretty good guy to a hot-headed prima donna.
<hr id="null"> You refused to drop the WWE title to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1997, leading him, Vince and others to screw you. In Shawn's book he says the reason was because you saw yourself as a big hero in Canada where the PPV was being held. Is that true?
Tony, Edinburgh
Well I was a big hero in Canada, but that wasn't what it was about.
What it all came down to was an issue of trust and respect.
I had always been a real champion to the company, the fans, the business and the wrestlers in the locker room.
There was bad blood between me and Shawn for a while and in the spring before Survivor Series we had a little cat fight.
Shawn came back to the WWE a few months later to referee my match at SummerSlam.
Shawn never apologised to me and I never apologised to him, but we got to a point where we were cordial with each other and would shake each other's hand after matches.
There no longer seemed to be any problems and, when I found out I was wrestling him at Survivor Series, I was fine with whatever the WWE wanted to do.
After Shawn refereed a match of mine in San Jose, California, I pulled him aside to clear the air. I said: "I don't have any problem with you and will be happy to work with you at Survivor Series.
"You can trust that I will protect you in the ring and won't take any liberties.
"And I just want you to know that I have no problems putting you over."
Shawn looked me in the eye and replied: "I just want you to know that I'm not willing to do the same thing for you."
I'd never had anyone say that to me before, especially as champion! I was shocked by it. I remember looking back at Jim Neidhart, who just shook his head and walked out of the dressing room.
I saw Vince a week later in Oklahoma, told him what Shawn said and that I'd never put him over now. I would only do it if he put me over first and showed me that he had some respect for me.
Vince again tried to insist I lose before the PPV, but I had creative control for my last 30 days before leaving for WCW and would not do it.
I said to Vince: "I have a month left on my contract, so there a million ways we can do this. I'll even put him over on Monday Night Raw right in the middle of the ring.
"But I am not going to let this guy disrespect me."
<hr id="null"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="center">
rival Michaels at WrestleMania 12
</td></tr></tbody></table>
Was there any chance of you ever turning up on WCW TV with the WWE championship belt? And, more importantly, do you believe Vince thought there was or did he just want to bury you on the way out?
David
I think he wanted to bury me on the way out.
There was a big lawsuit at the time between WCW and WWE, because Alundra Blaze had brought a WWE belt into WCW and dropped it into the rubbish.
Because all WWE belts have a copyrighted logo on them, they could sue Turner for using them.
So WCW were very careful and aware of that. Even if I showed up with the belt and offered to do something with it - which I would never have done - they couldn't have used it anyway.
And Eric Bischoff didn't care about the belt, he told me to do anything I needed to do in the WWE before leaving.
I was just standing up for myself, it had nothing to do with WCW.
<hr id="null"> Were you expecting a swerve in Montreal, as in his book Shawn even says it was your idea for him to do the Sharpshooter?
Ian, Birmingham
That's not true, they didn't just ask me to put that Sharpshooter bit in the match - they insisted. Pat Patterson came to me about two or three times saying: "This will blow the roof off!"
People ask how I could fall for it and be so naïve to allow myself to get put in a submission hold.
But the truth is I really really put all my faith in the referee Earl Hebner, who was a close friend of mine.
I had talked to Earl the night before. I was paranoid that they were going to screw me, but he swore on his kids' heads that he would never do it.
Earl was so tearful at the thought of ever doing such a thing, that I insisted he referee the match. And that was my undoing.
<hr id="null"> Of everyone who colluded against you at the Survivor Series - whose betrayal hurt the most?
Faisal Khan
I don't blame Earl anymore, as he really had no choice. He found out just before he walked through the curtain, it was like a bunch of gangsters putting a gun to his head.
And, although I've never had a proper apology from Vince, I've forgiven everybody else in my heart - except for Shawn.
I always see the boys in wrestling as an army, all in the trenches together and fighting for the same cause. For me, to be shot down by your own man is very hurtful.
Shawn says in his book that he and Triple H swayed Vince to screw me, and I believe that. It's an odd thing to boast about though - backstabbing someone!
The way I look at it is if Vince had come to me and asked me to screw Shawn, I would have clearly told him that I don't operate like that.
I would never screw anybody under any circumstances - I have too much integrity to lower myself to that level - and that's the difference between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart.
