Former WCW, WWF Wrestler Talks Issues With Vince McMahon And Ric Flair, Undertaker Gimmick

Black Bart, who worked in a host of organizations during wrestling's territory days and beyond?including NWA, WCCW, WCW and WWF?recently joined the hosts of In Your Head Wrestling Radio to discuss his career as a professional wrestler.

Regarding the short stint he wrestled with WWF in 1989, Bart shared that he had originally been offered a shot at WWF years before and turned it down.

"He (Vince) hired me up there for?a punishment to show me how much money I could have made if I would have come up there when he wanted me to. Bart recalled that WWF had originally wanted him to work as part of a new "Long Riders" stable that included Ron Bass and J.J. Dillon but he wasn't interested in working for the company at that time. "I pretty much told them 'no' because I'd been with WCW for over 20 years and I was making excellent money and?I knew Jim Crockett?and Ted Turner and I stayed with them."

Bart later said that Vince McMahon later told him that had he come to WWF when Vince had originally called him up, he'd be working for WWE as a road agent today and pulling in $1.5 to $2 million per year. Instead, he ended up working around 13 to 14 months as enhancement talent for the company.

"Vince McMahon did not like me because I didn't jump on the idea of risking all that for a three-day tryout," he explained. "I was told to come up there for a three-day tryout and I'd been in the business over 20 years and made a name everywhere I went and held almost every belt there was to offer."

Discussing his time with WCW, Black Bart suggested that Ric Flair was personally involved in a backstage situation that prevented Bart from getting a shot at the big gold belt.

"The only reason they wouldn't give me the other (title) is because when I was the national champion, I should have been next in line for the world strap but I made a mistake and told Dusty Rhodes if I ever got Ric Flair in the ring I would?you know what." Bart explained that he and Flair had been friends until Bart worked a popular angle with Deadeye Dick and Dutch Mantel that received decent amount of television time. "(Flair) went to went to Ted Turner and said, 'You give them three jabronis all that TV time and you give your world champion none.' Well, anybody that was watching TBS back at that time?the world champion got anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes every Saturday. Every Saturday." Bart said after that conversation took place, their contracts were torn up and they were eventually weeded out of WCW.

Later in the interview, Black Bart said that he was originally offered the "Undertaker" gimmick by Dusty Rhodes when Rhodes had originally come up with it and that he had accepted Dusty's offer but was released before he had the chance to work as the character.

You can listen to the entire Black Bart interview here.