Rumors about Bret Hart joining the AEW promotion have been floating around for several months now, but don't expect him to actually end up in the promotion.
During the Mar. 16 episode of Dynamite, The Young Bucks dropped a hint about The Hitman possibly coming to AEW in a backstage segment with FTR. Dave Meltzer reported two weeks ago that Hart has a merchandising contract with WWE, though it's unclear if his deal legally bars him from appearing in AEW.
Well, fans hoping to see Hart leave WWE for the rival promotion will be disappointed to hear that it's not happening. During an interview with TSN, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan poured cold water over the speculation that Hart will soon be All Elite.
"Not right now. I think Bret himself said that," Khan said said. "First of all, we have a great respect for Bret Hart as a company and as individuals. A lot of the wrestlers here and myself respect Bret Hart as a great person and a great wrestler. He would always be somebody we would treasure whenever he’s around. He was involved in the first Double or Nothing. He said he’s happy at home right now. It’s a great thing he’s got going and we’ve just got so much respect for Bret Hart."
Indeed, Hart recently stated that he's "happy" to stay retired and asked what he would do in AEW. Hart also said he'd like "to be remembered as a wrestler," as opposed to a manager, chairman or referee in AEW.
AEW has already recruited a long list of WWE Hall of Famers and legends since opening their doors in 2019. This includes Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Jim Ross, Arn Anderson, Sting Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, Paul Wight, Jon Moxley and Billy Gunn, among others. But at this point, it's safe to say that he's not about to become the latest major name to cross to the other side of the rivalry.
Bret Hart's Last Televised WWE Appearance
Hart enjoyed plenty of television time when he returned to WWE in 2010, even concluding his "Montreal Screwjob" storyline with Vince McMahon. But The Hitman hasn't been featured on WWE programming much over the years, and it's been almost three years since his last televised appearance. That was at SummerSlam 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, where offered Seth Rollins luck in the bout with Brock Lesnar. The Architect went on to beat Lesnar to become the new Universal Champion.
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