Bret Hart is once again stirring the pot when it comes to two of his biggest real-life rivals.
During a recent appearance on the Johnny I Pro Show, the WWE Hall of Famer took a sharp-tongued shot at former WWE CEO Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels, jokingly claiming the two shared a level of closeness that went far beyond business.
In classic Bret fashion, the “Hitman” said he often felt caught in the middle of their alliance during the height of WWE’s backstage politics in the 1990s.
“I think Shawn and Vince were sleeping with each other. I’m just telling you,” Hart said. “I think I’m very close to the truth here… When I look back, it’s like I got caught between two lovers.”
Hart doubled down on the bit, saying he believes Michaels’ success and influence with McMahon stemmed from jealousy over Hart’s spot, and that his rivals allegedly used their bond, whatever its nature, to edge him out.
“Shawn was so envious and jealous of my position that he finally had to sleep with Vince to get it,” Hart continued. “I would say it to Shawn if he was right here… I’d tell them both, ‘I think you guys were lovers.’”
McMahon and Michaels have long been viewed as having one of WWE’s most notable wrestler-executive partnerships, marked by creative trust, personal volatility, and storylines that pushed the boundaries of what WWE programming allowed at the time.
Their bond was reportedly so tight at one point that McMahon was said to have been emotional when Michaels surrendered the WWE Championship during his infamous 1997 “lost my smile” speech.
Hart and Michaels, on the other hand, share one of the most storied and bitter rivalries in pro wrestling history. Their tension blended real-life animosity with on-screen competition, culminating in the infamous Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997.
On that night, McMahon orchestrated an unplanned finish to forcefully remove the WWE Championship from Hart, who was leaving for WCW. Michaels played a central role in the incident, and the fallout led to years of resentment, public feuds, and fractured relationships among all three men.
Hart’s comments arrive at a moment when McMahon has largely vanished from WWE discourse following his association with the Janel Grant lawsuit and subsequent separation from the company. Michaels, now overseeing WWE’s NXT brand, has generally refrained from engaging in public back-and-forth with Hart in recent years despite squashing their longstanding feud in 2010.
