>>4700217I would say 1 points to the easiest explanation. Years later everyone in that circle of friends and would know all say it a work. When Nash talks about it, he doesnt say he thinks, he says he knows but qualifies it with “Shawn says it’s a shoot so…”. This just requires 3 guys to not talk about it. 1 who owns the company, 1 who is known to take the business of wrestling a little too seriously and 1 who has never been off the WWE payroll in 30+ years. And also HHH, who now takes credit as the architect of the idea and happens to be the owners son in law.
Vince wanted to get out from under the contract he negotiated with Brett. He had Austin in the wings and a new direction for the company. He knew for a fact WCW was being mismanaged. The Time Warner merger happened a few months prior and Ted Turner got neutered. The company was actively looking to get bought out and restructured. Someone was going to look at these massive contracts handed out to wrestlers and all the money sunk into a few hours of weekly programming. There was a ticking clock on WCW even with them winning in the ratings. He let Brett walk, get paid his big money and would have been welcomed home except Owen Died and Goldberg kicked his brains out, both things caused actual rifts that took a few years to iron out. Vince still let that Brett documentary come out which if it was a shoot he never would have done. There’s too much evidence pointing toward it being a work and the most successful one on the history of the business.
