One of the WWE‘s biggest ever stars sent out a touching message prior to Monday Night RAW‘s 25th anniversary celebration.
Monday night marks the 25th anniversary of the first airing of Monday Night RAW and the WWE is pulling out all of the stops. Dozens of former wrestlers and personalities are expected to be in attendance at tonight’s event, but the WWE will be missing one of their biggest former stars.
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Bret “The Hitman” Hart won’t be at the event, but he did send out a touching Instagram post recognizing the WWE’s accomplishment, along with a throwback picture of Hart in his prime.
Hart was the WWE Champion when Monday Night RAW first aired, although he didn’t appear on the show’s first episode.
The WWE originally had Hart featured on early advertisements for Monday Night Raw‘s 2th anniversary event, but they never announced that he was going to appear. A major reason for Hart’s absence (according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer) was that he had a hand surgery scheduled for Monday, with a surgeon flying from Paris to Calgary to perform it.
Hart is a five time WWF World Heavyweight Champion, a two time Intercontinental Champion, a one time United States Champion, and a two time Tag Team Champion. Hart was arguably in the prime of his career when Monday Night RAW first aired, having been named the WWE’s Wrestler of the Year in 1993 and being involved in a feud with Jerry Lawler that both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter called the best feud of 1993.
Of course, Hart was also involved in two of the WWE’s most notorious events. His Wrestlemania 13 match with Stone Cold Steve Austin solidified Austin as the WWF’s biggest face and Hart quit the company after the notorious “Montreal Screwjob” in 1997, which ushered in the WWF’s Attitude Era.
