Money makes the world go round in many ways and the world of WWE is no different.
Fame and stardom often comes with a ginormous pay packet, with Premier League footballers, F1 drivers and movie stars all among the millionaires and billionaires who’ve made it big.
The world of professional wrestling isn’t without its wealth, either; Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson emerging as one of the most high-profile figures on the planet having first made his name in the squared circle.
But wrestling hasn’t always been a safe and guaranteed route to unlimited riches. A career in the ring is often short and the widow to bank cash in your prime can be narrow.
As such, stars need to be inventive with how they make their money – or avoid giving it up in fines.
Regularly booming that he was the ‘Best there is, best there was and best there ever will be’, Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart is one of WWE’s most revered performers, a five-time former world champion and still regarded as the Excellence of Execution by many.
Back in 1992, he won the WWE Championship for the first time after defeating Ric Flair, months after headlining Wembley Stadium for the iconic SummerSlam 1992.
He lost his Intercontinental title to The British Bulldog under the old Twin Towers, 80,000 packing in to the London venue to cheer on one of their own.
In his autobiography, Hart went on to reveal he pocketed the sum of $55,000 for his role in the biggest story of that summer, the images of which remain etched in the minds of fans more than three decades later.
While a handsome sum by any standards, some might still not regard as grotesque considering WWE made over $3.6 million from that day’s ticket sales and merchandise alone.
As such, the top champ of the day in 1992 was well versed to making his money last, which might explain why he Hart real skill and a little know-how to get one over on WWE supremo Vince McMahon to avoid paying a fine just a few months earlier.
Prior to the Wembley bout, Canadian Hart had won the Intercontinental title at that year’s WrestleMania, defeating Roddy Piper in a bloody battle, at a time when blood was all-but banned by WWE.
Hart explained in his tome that he and Piper were keen to bend the rules, feeling blood would add some real drama to their match – so they tricked bosses into thinking he’d been busted open for real.
“The story built slowly, the wily veteran and the hungry kid giving no quarter,” he wrote.
“When the time was right… Roddy blindsided me with a fist to the face, and I crumpled to the mat, covering up to spit [a] blade out of my mouth. Roddy kicked me several times in the face, never touching me.
“I cut a one-inch slice right over my right eyebrow, deep enough to convince all the boys afterwards that it was the real deal or risk being exposed. At first the blood was barely noticeable, but soon my face was a mess.”
Hart pinned Piper to snatch the gold in one of the top matches on that WrestleMania card, but the Sharpshooter sensation admitted the ‘real work’ started when he appeared backstage.
He added: “I came through the curtain pretending to be concerned that I was going to need stitches…. Roddy was there, concerned, apologising, and we both knew we’d fooled them all.”
Great minds think alike, it seems. Hart claims fellow WWE stars Ric Flair and Macho Man Randy Savage had hatched a similar plan in their own match later on at WrestleMania, but didn’t pull it off with as much aplomb.
He stated: “Flair and Randy, who went on right after us, had secretly planned to get juice too. Flair was so obvious as he cut himself repeatedly that when he came back with several long, bloody cat scratches on his forehead, an angry Vince fined them, [but] never said a word to me because he thought that mine was legit.”
The Hitman claimed Flair and Savage were hit in the pocket for $500 each for failing to ‘fool’ WWE chief McMahon.
It might not be on the level of getting $55,000 for headlining Wembley but, as they say, every penny helps.