Screwed: The Bret Hart Story (lost unfinished wrestling documentary film; 2005)

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BretHartbestthereis.jpg

DVD cover of Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be.

Status: Lost

Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be is a 2005 straight-to-DVD wrestling documentary film. Directed by Kevin Dunn, it detailed the career of professional wrestler Bret Hart, containing a variety of interviews from fellow wrestlers that knew him, and some of Hart's best matches. The documentary was a collaboration between WWE and Hart, who contributed with hours of interview content. However, before Hart agreed to work on the documentary, WWE planned the creation of Screwed: The Bret Hart Story, which would have had a negative focus on Hart's career.

Background

By the mid-2000s, Bret Hart had a troubled relationship with WWE. This stemmed upon two incidents that occurred in the late 1990s, including the Montreal Screwjob that took place at the 1997 Survivor Series event,[1] and the tragic death of brother Owen Hart at the 1999 Over the Edge event. Henceforth, prior to the filming of Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be, Hart had not appeared in an on-camera role with WWE since the Screwjob, and there were significant personal issues between himself and various WWE employees.

Meanwhile, WWE had produced and released The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior in 2005, which focused on the negative aspects of fellow pro wrestler The Ultimate Warrior.[2] At around the same time as The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior was being produced, WWE had started recording interviews for a film called Screwed: The Bret Hart Story with some of Hart's former opponents like Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Jerry Lawler, all of whom had personal issues with him. Similar to The Ultimate Warrior documentary, the interviews were all negative in context, with disparaging comments being made regarding Hart.[3] According to Hart, the focus was solely on the Screwjob, with the interviewed opponents criticising him for being "unprofessional, a bad businessman and saying they didn't know where my head was at the day of the Survivor Series."

Change of Direction

Eventually, WWE owner Vince McMahon contacted Hart about the film, requesting he take part in it. Hart responded that he would only work on a documentary film about himself if it provided him a "fitting tribute to his career". Eventually, after Hart reminded McMahon of his promise towards him, the two agreed with terms, Hart providing creative input and interview footage that would focus on a positive outlook of Hart's overall career. This film would become Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be.[4] The negative interviews intended for Screwed were subsequently scrapped, being replaced with positive interviews from the likes of Steve Austin, Roddy Piper and Chris Benoit.[5] Hart later claimed that WWE used Screwed as a ploy to convince him to participate, claiming the company essentially told him "Get on board or we'll run you over."[6]

Availability

While some negative interviews from the likes of Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Jerry Lawler were recorded, they have never been made available for the public following the change of direction for the Hart documentary. Because of Hart's more positive relationship with WWE as of the present day, as well as him also making amends with various wrestlers that were interviewed, it is unlikely that WWE will release the interviews or any other footage exclusively intended for Screwed: The Bret Hart Story for public access.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ Prowrestlingstories page detailing the Montreal Screwjob. Retrieved 03 Feb '21
  2. ↑ IMDB page for The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior. Retrieved 03 Feb '21
  3. ↑ Sportskeeda article concerning Bret Hart's relationship with WWE, and the interviews intended for Screwed: The Bret Hart Story.. Retrieved 03 Feb '21
  4. ↑ Wrestleview article concerning the premise for Screwed: The Bret Hart Story, and Hart's agreement to participate in Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be. Retrieved 03 Feb '21
  5. ↑ Issue 212 of Power Slam magazine, concerning the change from negative to positive interviews. Retrieved 03 Feb '21
  6. ↑ Issue 140 of Power Slam magazine, concerning Hart's comments that WWE used Screwed: The Bret Hart Story as a means of getting him to participate. Retrieved 03 Feb '21
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