The iconic career of World Wrestling Federation (WWF) ring legend Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart could have potentially taken a different trajectory, had the organization decided to place their main event bets on a different individual.
Bret Hart carved out history by capturing the WWF Championship for the first time in his career back in 1992. This significant moment took place when he snatched the title, now in its second reign, from Ric Flair. The milestone was made even more cherished as it occurred on home soil in Canada.
In a recent interactive session held live, fellow wrestler Tito Santana brought up an intriguing revelation about a possible World Championship run. He recollected a conversation wherein,
“[Ted] DiBiase told me, ‘Yeah Tito, Pat Patterson came up to me and he told me it was between you and Bret for who was gonna get the belt.’”
Despite this revelation, Tito voiced his skepticism about whether the wrestling organization truly considered him as their World Champion. He agreed that the decision to choose Bret over him was a prudent one. He stated,
“We weren’t the only ones that they gave a run-around, they knew it was Bret, and it would be Bret all along. They decided to pivot to Canada, which, in retrospect, was a clever strategy, benefiting both Bret and the Canadian wrestling scenario.”
Though Santana never climbed the ladder to WWF Championship, he bagged a couple of illustrious titles, including a two-time Intercontinental Champion, two-time Tag Champion, and the coveted title of 1989 King of the Ring.
Santana and Hart were both commemorated for their contributions to the sport by being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Santana received this honor in 2004 while Hart was honored twice, once in 2006 and then as a member of the Hart Foundation in 2019.