Bret Hart has reflected on the unlikely series of events that led to his return to WWE, revealing that watching Vince McMahon work a storyline with Donald Trump played a key role in changing his mindset.
Back in 2007, McMahon and Trump were involved in the highly publicized “Battle of the Billionaires” angle, which culminated at WrestleMania 23. The rivalry famously saw Trump get physical with McMahon, including delivering a clothesline during their on-screen confrontation.
Speaking with Inside The Ropes, Hart explained how witnessing that feud prompted him to reach out to WWE, despite being content with life away from the ring at the time.
“I called Vince,” Hart said. “I was living in Hawaii at the time and having a pretty good life down there and having a good life and happy and everything. I didn’t need wrestling or anything, but I called up WWF [WWE] and talked to some guy named Kevin Dunn was his name. He’s one of Vince’s right-hand guys. I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like to talk to Vince about maybe doing a storyline, an angle, and coming back. I just watched him wrestle Donald Trump yesterday. I could wrestle him.’ I can’t because of my concussion injury that I had at the time, which was very real.”
Hart ultimately made his long-awaited return to WWE television in January 2010, formally ending years of animosity stemming from the Montreal Screwjob. His comeback included reconciling with Shawn Michaels and entering into a high-profile storyline with McMahon, which culminated in a match at WrestleMania 26.
Hart’s comments offer additional insight into how an unexpected WrestleMania storyline helped reopen the door to one of the most significant reconciliations in WWE history.
