During a recent episode of the My World podcast, Jeff Jarrett shared that there had been several conversations through the years about bringing WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart to TNA Wrestling. Jarrett revealed that while there was genuine interest from both sides, Hart was never fully ready to make the move because he was holding out for a WWE return.

“Me and Bret are buddies,” Jarrett said. “We had a good working relationship… ‘Look, Bret, nobody expects you to wrestle. How can we get you involved?’ So those conversations kept ebbing and flowing because I knew there would be an ambassador role in there.”

Jarrett had a clear vision for Hart’s role within the company. He believed “The Excellence of Execution” could bring legitimacy and elevate TNA’s rising homegrown talent, AJ Styles. “My goal is… ‘Brett, you know that your image, if you will, is the excellence of execution.’ I’m like, ‘How can I get Bret to get involved with the product and really first understand who AJ is, and then really give him the rub?’ And maybe Bret would come up, or we’d collaborate on whatever it may be.”

Despite the promising talks, nothing ever materialized. Jarrett admitted that he always sensed Hart’s heart remained with WWE, which proved true when Hart returned to the company for an on-screen reunion with Shawn Michaels during WWE’s counter to TNA’s live Monday night debut. “My gut was right all along that he never wanted to commit to us,” Jarrett said. “I think at the very end of the day, he always had hope and optimism, ‘I’m going to go back to WWE and everything’s going to be alright.’ I just think that was in his brain, and we never would commit.”

Although Bret Hart never appeared in TNA, his eventual WWE return in 2010 gave fans closure. Hart went on to take part in several memorable segments, including a WrestleMania 26 showdown with Vince McMahon.