WWE Backstage (June 16th, 2020) - 5 Takeaways from this week's episode

#1 Booker T, Bret Hart, and WCW

Hart regretted going to WCW.

The Hitman and fellow WWE Hall-of-Famer Booker T worked briefly together in WCW. Hart claimed that when he left WWE for WCW Booker "was one of the first guys I singled out that I wanted to work with. I wanted a good dance partner. For some reason, they (WCW) didn't know what that was."

Booker T said that he "was so excited knowing that he (Hart) was going to make his arrival. I was a fan." Hart added that he was "never more hungry to make a difference. The way I left WWE, I came with so much momentum from knocking Vince out in the dressing room to the Survivor Series match with Shawn."

The main issue was how he was immediately used in a non-wrestling capacity. He claimed that "right away they had the idea that I was the ref and I was like 'I can give you a million ideas better than that.' It never got better." The former WWE Champion even revealed that Vince told him that "WCW will never know what to do with a Bret Hart and after about three or four months later I realized he was right." The Hitman also remembered Eric Bischoff giving him the "lamest reasons" for not putting him with particular stars in WCW. In WWE, Vince put Hart with a range of stars like Sid, Undertaker, Yokozuna, Austin, and Michaels.

One problem that both Booker said he and Bret had in WCW was that "we were good workers but that was a threat to anyone outside of the top dogs in that company." Punk asked Hart if he would go to WCW again if he could turn back time, and Hart answered with a strong no, saying "I think I would have tried to figure out a better way to stay in WWE."

The Hitman even claimed that both Kevin Nash and Owen said not to leave WWE for WCW. The problem Hart said was "I thought I was going to make a difference and I thought I had value to them." Hulk Hogan had great creative freedom wherever he went and Hart felt that "there's no reason why I couldn't have done great business with Hulk Hogan and they just wasted me." Hart went on to claim that "there was a lot of talent there. Sting was a great talent and a great worker. I wish that they had trusted me and said 'hey, we want your input', but unfortunately, Hulk Hogan was calling the shots and there was no chance at that."