Bret Hart has spent decades resenting Bill Goldberg and the infamous kick from their WCW Starrcade 1999 match, a move Hart argues ended his wrestling career. More than 25 years after suffering a concussion at Starrcade, the WWE Hall of Famer still hasn’t forgiven Goldberg for what he believes the former Universal Champion cost him.
Speaking to Inside the Ropes, Hart vented his frustration over how Goldberg was able to continue enjoying a lengthy career, securing high-profile, lucrative matches in Saudi Arabia while offering Bret nothing in return.
When I hear about Bill Goldberg going to Saudi Arabia, making $3 million for a 10-minute match… you think he would have called me up and said, ‘Here, I’m going to send you something for it.’
Goldberg has apologized multiple times for the kick, though in 2022 he stated that he was finished saying sorry. For Hart, however, no apology can undo the damage.
“He never once called me after it happened… he cost me, honestly, cost me $16 million in like two seconds and ended my career.”
While Hart did wrestle nine more times for WCW after the Starrcade match—including bouts with Kevin Nash, Sid Vicious, and Terry Funk—he maintains that Goldberg was ultimately responsible for the end of his career. While Goldberg was able to retire from the ring at the time he decided, Bret believes some financial compensation is in order.
