Wrestling is a stressful job. The travel, the bumps, the unhealthy amount of time spent around sweaty mammoths who leave testosterone brooks in their wake – they take their toll. So it’s only natural that Superstars unwind with a drink.
Losing count after drink number X is something we’re all familiar with, but it’s almost a way of life for WWE Superstars. Here’s one such incident from birthday boy Bret Hart, from his not-so-zen days:
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“We all went to a strip bar. It’s when they started the drug testing. Vince had the meeting that day. If you remember me wrestling Skinner at This Tuesday In Texas. It was a PPV. We wrestled and it was after that show.
“Before that show, earlier in the day, Vince told everyone that they were starting Olympic drug testing. They had that guy named Pasquali with the doping for the Olympians and all that. He was in charge. Vince told everyone that basically the gig was up. Steroids, any kind of drugs, marijuana… anything was going to be checked. If you were guilty it was two strikes and you’re out. They were all the same rules for everybody. I can remember that everyone was more concerned that there was going to be no more smoking weed. That was the big thing.
“All I know is that night Vince ended up in a strip bar with all the wrestlers and he was totally shit faced. He was really in a party mode. We partied all night long in the bar. I remember it was Hogan who started a little rib, I think it was a rib, he got Hawk all stirred up. Hawk was all totally knackered. Hawk was talking about how they were going to do the Legion of Doom finish on Vince, where they clothesline him off.
“I remember Vince’s ear perked up and everyone kind of had their ears come up because they wanted to see it because Hawk was crazy enough to do it. Hulk was really stirring him up. Next thing you know I see Joe and Hawk and they go over to Vince and they came up right behind him. Joe did and scooped him right up on his shoulders. Hawk was up on the pole where the strippers are. He jumped off and clotheslined Vince and I remember thinking Hawk was going to take Vince’s head off. Hit him as hard as he could. Hawk was talking like he was going to take Vince’s head off. Just as he got ready to do his finish, or when he did do it, he gave him this real powder puff little clothesline.
Everybody, Hulk and Beefcake and everybody caught Vince and they set him on the ground and everyone was clapping. Like it was all in good fun and nobody got hurt. Vince was laughing. I remember Neidhart got so mad. He really got upset. I remember he looked at me and he goes, “Hart Foundation would’ve done it!” I think I said something like, “Yeah, we would’ve done it.” I remember I had two shots of Jack Daniels. One in each hand.
“I remember looking around and all of a sudden I realize what I said to Jim. All of a sudden I turn around and Jim had Vince in the bearhug for The Hart Foundation move. I just remember Hogan and a bunch of guys looking at me like, “Are you going to do it? Or are you just going to do a powderpuff one too?” I just took his head off. I just took straight off. Clotheslined Vince right in the bar. Took him right to the ground. I remember our heads both banging on the cement carpet.
I can remember Vince looking at me while we were both on the ground. He turned his head to me and I was just lying flat right beside him. With that move, that flying clothesline I used to do the only way to do it is you’ve got to swing your legs up in the air and land on your back shoulder blades so you don’t get hurt. Same with Vince. I pulled him down. I protected his head and everything but we landed with a pretty good thud on the ground. Vince looked at me and he said, “You owe me a drink!” I thought that’s the last thing Vince needs is another drink but I said, “What are you drinking?” He said, “Dewar’s on ice.”
