Vince/Bret late 97 WCW Run question?

[bluebeach25]

So this is probably well known for Years/Decades to some, but i still haven't exactly heard all sides of the Story regarding Bret's WCW Debut and him leaving WWF after Montreal.

So Bret told Vince around September 97 he would go to WCW regarding he wasn't paid as much as he should have been, since Business wasn't doing well at the time? Vince then apperantly told him later that he can pay him what he wants, but Bret already told WCW yes at that point?

So i wondered about what he expected happening in Wcw.. They had him having his first Apperance during that Starrcade 97 stuff and the Spotlight was clearly not on him! Out of all the the things they could have done, this was their way of letting him Debut?

Bret even told in the past that Vince told him beforehand something like "WCW wouldn't know what to do with you" as it turned out to be the truth.

The politics and Ego's were also pretty hard for Bret to being realisticly in a big Spot many said in the past. I mean realisticly a Hogan/Bret Angle in 98 would've been obvious to happen had they debut Bret well and he mabye would've been more important in the NWO..

[Feyrhausen]

The story I have always hear goes as.follows.

Bret was offered a huge contract from WCW, millions a year. Vince offered Bret a 20 year contract that was more or less a million a year. Mid 97 or so Vince has buyers remorse. So he told Bret that he couldnt pay him and Bret should take the WCW contract.

Even if the details are not 100% accurate I dont think it has ever been disputed that Bret wanted to stay in WWF and he was more or less forced out.

[Milkman Norm]

I'm kinda confused. What's the question?

[tafkaga]

Bret's days of being in the top spot were behind him no matter where he went, and I don't think he was ready to accept that, but he decided to roll the dice in WCW rather than stay in the WWF where Vince basically told Bret that he wasn't as valuable as Bret thought he was.

[Mozenrath]

Dec 30, 2023 10:13:15 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

The story I have always hear goes as.follows.

Bret was offered a huge contract from WCW, millions a year. Vince offered Bret a 20 year contract that was more or less a million a year. Mid 97 or so Vince has buyers remorse. So he told Bret that he couldnt pay him and Bret should take the WCW contract.

Even if the details are not 100% accurate I dont think it has ever been disputed that Bret wanted to stay in WWF and he was more or less forced out.

It also tracks with what happened to Scott Hall, where he got the WCW offer and asked Vince, "Can you match them on money or schedule? Will you make me world champion?" and Vince couldn't or wouldn't agree to either, and Scott, who otherwise had more respect for the WWF, confirmed to himself that he essentially had to go to WCW, it was too good to say no to. I don't even recall if Vince tried to sway Nash into staying because the point was made. (Not that making Nash the guy a second time was going to be as enticing, it would have just been money and schedule for him.)

[Feyrhausen]

Jan 1, 2024 16:33:41 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Dec 30, 2023 10:13:15 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

The story I have always hear goes as.follows.

Bret was offered a huge contract from WCW, millions a year. Vince offered Bret a 20 year contract that was more or less a million a year. Mid 97 or so Vince has buyers remorse. So he told Bret that he couldnt pay him and Bret should take the WCW contract.

Even if the details are not 100% accurate I dont think it has ever been disputed that Bret wanted to stay in WWF and he was more or less forced out.

It also tracks with what happened to Scott Hall, where he got the WCW offer and asked Vince, "Can you match them on money or schedule? Will you make me world champion?" and Vince couldn't or wouldn't agree to either, and Scott, who otherwise had more respect for the WWF, confirmed to himself that he essentially had to go to WCW, it was too good to say no to. I don't even recall if Vince tried to sway Nash into staying because the point was made. (Not that making Nash the guy a second time was going to be as enticing, it would have just been money and schedule for him.)

I did gloss over that Bret did take Vinces contract. He wanted to stay in WWF and was willing to take less money short term. Vince broke the contract with the excuse he could not afford it. We knew later he was saving up for Tyson. Most likely he was already exploring the going public idea and was told investors hate long term contracts like that as well.

[johnnyk9]

This has been discussed so much