5 times WWE used a Superstar's real-life issues in a storyline

#4 The buildup to Bret Hart vs Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania 26

At Survivor Series 1997, Mr. McMahon double-crossed WWE Champion Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels came out the main event with the WWE title on his shoulder. Referee Earl Hebner had called for the bell after Michaels applied the Sharpshooter on Hart, even though the latter didn't tap out. 13 years later, Hart came back to WWE as an on-screen character and kicked off a feud with Mr. McMahon himself.

The road to WrestleMania saw McMahon and Hart referencing the Montreal incident on various occasions. At WrestleMania 26, the duo brought up the incident again when Mr. McMahon revealed that he had paid large amounts of money to the Hart family to turn on Bret. The Hitman eventually revealed that the Hart family was on his side despite taking money from Vince McMahon.

The WWE Chairman stood in the ring, dumbstruck over what had just happened. A vicious beating followed, with Hart finally defeating McMahon and exacting revenge for what McMahon did to him all those years ago.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram