Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan: The backstage power struggle at WWE’s 1993 King of the Ring
As WWE prepares for the King and Queen of the Ring finals at Night of Champions this Saturday, WWE Vault has uploaded one of the most pivotal turning points in the company’s history: the 1993 King of the Ring.
The event features three grueling tournament matches starring Bret Hart, who ultimately won the King of the Ring. The show is also remembered for Yokozuna defeating Hulk Hogan to capture the WWE Title in what was Hogan’s last high-profile match in the company until 2002.
But the 1993 broadcast only tells part of the story. Behind the scenes, then-WWE owner Vince McMahon was navigating tensions between Hogan, once the face of the company, and Hart, whom McMahon was positioning as WWE’s new flagbearer. King of the Ring vs. Powerful Politician
The story began in 1992 as WWE faced several controversies, including concerns over the use and distribution of steroids. With pressure mounting from the federal government, Hulk Hogan, WWE’s top star and a central figure in the steroid allegations, went on hiatus as the company moved in a new direction.
That year, Bret Hart won his second Intercontinental Title in a standout match against Rowdy Roddy Piper at WrestleMania VIII. In the fall, he defeated Ric Flair to win his first WWE Championship. As the face of WWE’s burgeoning “New Generation,” Hart carried the promotion’s top prize into the main event of WrestleMania IX in 1993.
However, sluggish ticket sales for that year’s signature event prompted Hogan’s return, setting the stage for one of WWE’s most polarizing moments.
At WrestleMania, Hart lost the title to Yokozuna due to interference from Yokozuna’s manager, Mr. Fuji. After the match, Hogan arrived to protest Hart’s loss. But in a sudden twist, Fuji challenged Hogan to an impromptu match in which Hogan won the title for a record-setting fifth time.
The plan coming out of WrestleMania was for Hogan, who was wrapping up his run with WWE, to drop the title shortly after. However, who Hogan was meant to drop it to remains a topic of contention. Hogan claimed he agreed to lose to Yokozuna. According to Hart, Hogan was supposed to pass the torch to him.
In his 2007 autobiography Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, Hart said he and Hogan took part in a photo shoot at a TV taping in Halifax in late May. There, they staged a mock tug-of-war for the belt. Days later, Hart said Vince McMahon told him he was winning the King of the Ring and would reclaim the title from Hogan at SummerSlam that August.
But according to Hart, that plan didn’t work for Hogan.
“Ten days later, Vince called again,” said Hart. “He warned me that he was about to tell me something that would make me really angry: Hogan was flat-out refusing to put me over, saying I wasn’t in his league. Vince had decided that Yoko would be getting the belt instead.”
Hart was stunned, especially after he claimed Hogan shook his hand at WrestleMania and said he was happy to return the favor. But in his 2002 autobiography, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Hogan told a slightly different story.
According to Hogan, he told McMahon that he knew his time in WWE was over. He proposed the WrestleMania finish, with the idea that he would later pass the torch — just not to Bret.
“I can beat Yokozuna to win the title,” said Hogan. “Then I go to the next pay-per-view and drop the belt right back to Yokozuna, and I’m out of here.”
While Hogan maintained that losing the title back to Yokozuna was always the plan, he didn’t acknowledge the photoshoot in Halifax. However, Bruce Prichard, a longtime executive in WWE, recalled the moment on his podcast, Something to Wrestle With, in 2018
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