More On Hart/WWE Situation
As reported this past Monday evening in an audio hotline on the PWInsider.com Elite Section, Vince McMahon personally called Bret Hart on or around the morning of 2/6 to invite him to take part in the WWE Hall of Fame ceremonies this April. McMahon pushed the idea that Hart could do it for his fans as a way to thank them since it was obviously something that his fans wanted, as a way to give them closure.
Hart agreed, but in keeping with his stance that he would never work for WWE again, is not being paid for the appearance. WWE will handle the travels and lodging costs associated with bringing the former WWF champion and his wife to Chicago for the Wrestlemania festivities.
While WWE creative would love to get Hart involved in the Shawn Michaels-Vince McMahon storyline, he has continued to turn down any overtures regarding that involvement.
It is expected that Hart will appear at Wrestlemania 22 in a segment where he and the other Hall of Fame inductees are introduced to the live crowd in the AllState Arena. Hart's final Wrestlemania appearance was 1997's Wrestlemania 13 in the same venue, where he defeated Steve Austin in an I Quit match that set Austin off on the path to become the biggest babyface of the last decade.
A few readers have asked if the late Owen Hart would also be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I've heard no such talk. Owen's widow Martha has been on estranged terms, to say the least, with not just WWE but the Hart family in recent years.
