Bret Hart Ends Real-Life Feud With Controversial Ex-WWE Figure

Bret Hart has buried the hatchet with a controversial former WWE employee.

The animosity between Bret Hart and Earl Hebner stretches all the way back to the Montreal Screwjob in 1997. With Vince McMahon determined to make sure Hart didn’t arrive in WCW with the WWF Championship, he crafted WWE’s most famous double-cross.

During the match between Hart and Shawn Michaels, The Hitman was locked in a Sharpshooter, and McMahon who was positioned at ringside, told referee Earl Hebner to call for the bell. This saw Michaels declared the winner and new World Champion — despite Hart never submitting.

In the aftermath, Hart spat on and later punched McMahon, while all hell broke loose backstage.

To make matters worse, Hebner had earlier told Hart he wouldn’t betray him, only to do just that. This drove a wedge between the pair and ensured the referee would be booed in Canada for the rest of his career.

Speaking in a new interview with Steve Fall for WrestlingNews.Co, Heber revealed that he and Hart recently put to bed the bad feeling between them.

“I have a merch shirt that says ‘Damn right I did.’ And a lot of people want me to say, Can you write on it ‘I screwed Bret?’ I go, ‘No. I can’t do that.’ A while back, maybe three or four years ago, I would do it but Bret and I made up.

And before my brother passed, we were at a house show, or indie show and he was there and he called us into the ring and he put us over like big time. So now Bret calls me now and then and I’ll call him and we got a good relationship back and I’m not gonna screw it up by writing something over a dumb ass shirt. It’s gonna destroy our friendship.”

Bret Hart Crosses Words With Gunther

Even in retirement, The Hitman has remained incredibly outspoken. During an interview in March 2023, Bret Hart claimed he was “embarrassed” to be at WWE Clash At The Castle, and took issue with the hard-hitting match between Gunther and Sheamus.

Not that those comments went unnoticed by the Intercontinental Champion. In November, Gunther took aim at the WWE Hall of Famer, noting that he hadn’t forgotten the criticism.