By Richard Gardner, Torch specialist

Nothing's shocking. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, five time WWF champion Bret "Hitman" Hart is in talks over a return as an on-screen character. That Bret is even negotiating with WWE and Vince McMahon represents a remarkable change of circumstances, as he publicly ruled out the possibility as recently as February this year.

Bret Hart left the company on the worst possible terms. He refused to drop the title to Shawn Michaels in Canada due to animosity between the two of them, safe in the knowledge that the creative control clause in his contract that was activated when he gave his notice to McMahon allowed him to do so. Vince McMahon made the decision to end the match without Hart's knowledge, for reasons that have never been definitively identified. Did McMahon feel slighted by one of his wrestlers overruling his finish? Was he worried that Eric Bischoff would jump the gun and formally announce Bret Hart's signing while he was still the WWE champion? Did he want to remind his wrestlers who was the boss in case anyone else dared to challenge him in the future? Although McMahon has spoken publicly of his motivations, his reasons for following through on the Montreal Screwjob are still very much open for debate.

While the situation may seem like a big fuss about nothing to newer fans, at the time it was one of the most shocking events in the history of wrestling. Despite the fact that Bret Hart was an America-bashing heel, he was still respected by the majority of WWF fans due to his twelve year tenure in the company, in which he worked his way from the opening match all the way into the main event. For someone who had shown such loyalty to the company to be treated with such little regard must have been alarming for the rest of the WWF roster.

Then there was the fallout. He famously punched McMahon in the dressing room on the night, and publicly spoke of the Survivor Series finish in a series of interviews. It seemed that of all the wrestlers who have vowed to never to work for WWE again, Bret Hart was the least likely to return.

It was a major news story in 2005 when Hart agreed to work with WWE to produce an excellent career retrospective DVD. The photo of Vince McMahon shaking Bret Hart's hand that was posted on WWE.com was slightly unsettling after years of bad feeling between the two of them. And while Hart also agreed to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, cooperating for these projects was more about preserving his legacy than collecting a paycheck.

That he is even entertaining the idea of coming back is truly shocking, unless you are one of the people who believe the far fetched theory that the entire Montreal Screwjob was an elaborate work contrived by Hart and McMahon. Bret has been so adamant about never working for the WWE again. In an interview with Blog Talk Radio in February, he stated:

"I try to cooperate with them when I can, I think it's good to be on better terms with them (WWE), but I have no plans at all to appear on any TV show or pay per view for them, ever. I don’t ever want to be in a position where I have to work and actually expect to make a check from them or contract."

Wrestlers often berate Vince McMahon in the public domain after leaving WWE, but with Bret Hart it was different. It's hard to begrudge any wrestler going back to WWE, due to the money that is on offer coupled with the fact that it is the only truly international stage for a wrestler to ply his trade, but Bret Hart was absolutely adamant that he would never work for Vince McMahon again. If he were to return it would be absolutely shocking, more so than when Eric Bischoff came to WWE as General Manager.

But where exactly does Bret Hart fit? Present day WWE is different than it was in 1997 when Bret had his greatest year in the ring and on the microphone. The creative freedom that the wrestlers had has been replaced by scripts produced by a creative team. Comedy is favored over drama, entertainment emphasized over sport. An obvious way to get The Hitman into the mix would be to attach him to The Hart Dynasty. There are also rumors that he will take over from Teddy Long as the Smackdown General Manager, but that role has been stale for a number of years. Nevertheless, Bret Hart is a WWE legend who is excellent on the microphone, despite a prevalence of opinion to the contrary.

If used correctly, appearances by Bret Hart could be a useful tool in encouraging fans who feel marginalized by WWE's current creative direction to tune back in. His presence alone would unlikely retain viewers over the long term due to his inability to wrestle, but his appearances may draw attention to the Smackdown brand. Raw is promoted as the flagship show, but Bret should stay away from the celebrity hosts and poorly written comedy that plagues Monday nights.

After so many years of ill-feelings, it is truly shocking that Bret Hart is considering rejoining WWE. Despite his inability to wrestle, Bret Hart has a lot to offer WWE. But at what cost?

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