Bret Hart's "Shoot" Promo On WWE Raw Is The Best Of His Career
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Professional wrestling has been the business of sports and entertainment in a perfect blend. While the action inside the squared circle will always be of prime importance, another major part of the business involved 'promos.' Many instances in the industry have seen superstars somewhat go off script and cut a promo to express their real feelings, which is known as a shoot promo. One of the biggest examples of this saw Bret Hart cut one of the best shoot promos in history.
Bret Hart is regarded as one of the most gifted technical wrestlers in the history of WWE. The Pink and Black attack was a rage back in the mid-1990s, being positioned as one of the biggest attractions in the global juggernaut. From being a tag team specialist to making his own legacy as a successful singles performer, Hart arguably lived up to the moniker of being "The Best there is ... The Best there was ... and The Best there ever will be."
However, tensions were running wild between Bret Hart and WWE owner Vince McMahon, after speculations made the rounds of Hart leaving the company for rival competitor WCW. This saw him slip down the card and berated the entire company. So let's explore the subject of Bret Hart's shoot promo on Monday Night RAW in 1997.
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The Events Leading Up To Bret Hart's Best Promo Work In WWE
Bret Hart was the top star of WWE for a long time, yet by 1997, the winds were shifting, and it appeared that the WWE landscape as a whole was heading in a completely different path. Hart was still a top wrestler, but the WWE he was competing in was different. Moreover, Hart was getting increasingly upset behind the scenes about the shift in fan sentiment, the politics that go on backstage, and the way that some wrestlers, like Shawn Michaels, are shielded from criticism by the organization.
Bret claims that McMahon promised him several things, including that he would continue to be one of the top performers, which helped to calm his simmering resentment. Some of those assurances regarding his character's treatment and the length of time he would hold the WWE championship were never fulfilled.
However, in February 1997, Shaw Michaels cut the infamous 'Lost my smile' promo and relinquished the WWE title. This led to Bret Hart winning the title, only to lose it the next day to Sycho Sid. On March 17, a rematch between Hart and Sid was scheduled in Syracuse, New York, and it would take place in a "15-foot high steel cage," which at the time was unusual for Monday Night Raw broadcasts. The match was shown live on television just six days before WrestleMania 13, during the time Hart was embroiled in a heated feud with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
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Bret Hart's Tirade Expressed His Frustrations With WWE Despite Being Their Top Attraction
The steel cage match between Bret Hart and Sycho Sid was an instant classic with the richest prize in the industry at stake. Things were looking to be on the Hitman's side and even his rival, Steve Austin, intervened throughout the match on behalf of Hart to make sure that his match at WrestleMania 13 would be for the title. However, The Undertaker, who feuded with Sid and were themselves heading for a title match at the Show of Shows, intervened on his behalf. In the end, Sid managed to escape the cage and retain his championship.
Frustrated by the loss and treatment received by the management backstage for months led to one of the first truly outstanding worked shoot promos in WWE delivered by Bret Hart. WWE Chairman and lead announcer at the time, Vince McMahon, entered the ring to speak with Bret and find out how angry he was. What happened next was incredibly unexpected and unlike anything, we, as fans, were used to witnessing on a typical WWE telecast. Hart forcefully pushed McMahon to the ground before venting his real grievances with the business in a rant filled with profanity and anger.
Bret Hart's promo work truly set the tone for the forthcoming 'Attitude Era' according to veteran commentator Jim Ross during an episode of his Grilling JR podcast.“It started the Attitude Era. You’re not used to hearing curse words in a wrestling ring from a wrestler with the esteemed credibility. And, respect that Bret Hart had, and has. So yeah, I thought it was. Could still the language have been tempered? Yeah, of course. Course. But when you’re doing something spontaneously, without a script, you didn’t memorize your lines, it was from your heart, this is how you felt, that’s what I think connected the audience to this whole damn thing.”
Therefore, even though everything was preplanned, it appeared realistic, and in many respects, it was. Bret was quite annoyed by backstage politics, and this promo brilliantly captured his ire. Even though many people already knew that McMahon was much more than just the typical play-by-play man, it never truly got acknowledged on TV before. All of this occurred at a period when "worked shoots" weren't too common, thus it had a significant effect and is considered one of the best promo works of Hart who was not much of a good mic worker.
