Bret Hart says WWE legend wanted to ruin The Rock in 1997

Bret Hart has implied that WWE legend Triple H, and possibly Shawn Michaels also, attempted to "ruin" The Rock back in 1997.

In a recent appearance on The 81 Podcast, The Hitman recalled how The Game and The Heartbreak Kid would treat other talent they saw as connected to Hart in any way. One such name was The Rock.

Bret Hart said the pair gave The Rock a hard time and even tried to break the young star, and that Triple H supposedly wanted Bret to take The Rock's Intercontinental Championship. Bret Hart said he refused as he did not need to win the title to elevate his own career any further.

"Triple H and maybe even Shawn [Michaels], were pretty ruthless," said Bret Hart. "If someone was tied to me or connected to me, they would try to ruin them. Even Dwayne Johnson [The Rock]. They really tried to crack him and bust his chops. I remember telling Dwayne all the time, ‘Don’t listen to these guys. You’re a really good talent and you don’t need these guys.’" (H/T Fightful)

Bret Hart continued:

"I wrestled The Rock and they wanted me to beat him. Triple H did. He wanted me to beat Dwayne and win the Intercontinental Title. I refused. ‘What do I need the Intercontinental Title for?’... I remember Triple H was sick about it because he had a thing for Dwayne and wanted to ruin him. He hated him."

Soon after, Bret Hart would lose the WWE Championship in the infamous Montreal Screwjob. The Rock, on the other hand, went on to become a multi-time world champion and has been one of the most popular stars in the company's history.

The Rock is the world's highest-paid actor

To celebrate my 897th birthday🦖from May 1st - May 5th our @teremana is giving $1 MILLION BUCKS to our local restaurants to help them get back on their feet. GO TO 👉🏾 https://t.co/SJdtWSJsJq to find out where to enjoy Teremana, great food & your free #GuacOnTheRock 🎂🥃🥑👉🏾🪨 pic.twitter.com/01sEzAjTuL

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 6, 2021

Since leaving WWE in the early 2000s, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has become a megastar of entertainment. He's currently ranked the world's highest paid actor in 2020 and previous years.

He has also found massive success with his business ventures, including Teremana Tequila, which reportedly had the largest opening sales of any spirit in history. The television series, Young Rock, chronicles his younger years and has proven to be a big hit with audiences.