Jeff Jarrett has opened up about years of talks with Bret “The Hitman” Hart to bring him into TNA Wrestling—and why the deal never happened.
On the My World podcast, Jarrett revealed that while he and Hart were close and had multiple conversations, the WWE Hall of Famer never fully committed to TNA because he was holding out for a WWE return. Jarrett explained that the plan was never for Bret to wrestle, but to give the TNA brand credibility and specifically endorse AJ Styles.
“Me and Bret are buddies… we had a good working relationship. And kind of what he’s done… Look, Bret, nobody expects you to wrestle. How can we get you involved?”
Jarrett said these talks would come and go, even as other TNA figures like Scott D’Amore and Jeremy Borash also tried to involve Bret. But in the end, Jarrett’s instincts told him Hart would never commit.
“I say that to say… when I heard [WWE] advertise Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels coming together [in 2010], it all… my gut was right all along—he never wanted to commit to us.”
Jarrett suspected Bret’s loyalty was always leaning back toward WWE.
“At the very end of the day, he always had hope and optimism that he was going to go back to WWE and everything was going to be all right.”
He also noted that every time talks with Hart seemed close to becoming real, they fell apart.
“Every time we would kind of get serious or close… for one reason or another, it was [off].”
Jarrett then revealed his dream scenario if Bret had joined TNA—a major match with Hart at the center of the story.
“All you got to do… it’s a natural kind of storytelling situation. You get to a match—Angle versus AJ—with Bret as a special referee. You could’ve told multiple versions of that. Heel or babyface, Bret leaning one way or another… Bret could lean into Kurt’s Olympic history and kind of push back on AJ’s high-flying ability. Or just the opposite—and knight AJ as the new guy.”
Jarrett even said Hart would have been a better fit for AJ Styles than Ric Flair, who was eventually paired with him in TNA.
“I think it would’ve been perfect for AJ to have Bret somewhat as his manager. Probably would have fit more than having Ric Flair as his manager.”
While it never happened, Jarrett believes Bret Hart’s involvement could have reshaped TNA’s history and elevated AJ Styles in a unique way.
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Do you think Bret Hart would have changed TNA’s history if he had joined the company? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
