Bret Hart still has a bone to pick with Goldberg, and he hasn’t forgotten about that concussion that he alleges ended his career in the squared circle.
Bret Hart Shoots Hard on Goldberg
At WCW Starrcade 1999, Bret Hart and Goldberg faced off in a match that was one of The Hitman’s final outings in the ring.
While speaking to Fox Sports Australia, Bret Hart stated that Goldberg’s style of pro wrestling is not how it’s done. He actually hurt people in the ring, blacked eyes, broke bones, knocked out teeth, and Hart isn’t okay with it being that real in the ring.
While reflecting on his wrestling style, Hart emphasized his commitment to technical proficiency, ensuring that holds like the headlock looked genuine. He contrasted this with contemporary wrestlers, citing instances where they find themselves in the wrong position after a move and have to readjust, which he views as a failure in his wrestling academy.
Additionally, he criticized the trend of wrestlers diving over the top rope onto multiple opponents, deeming it unrealistic. Hart expressed disdain for the prevalence of chops in matches, considering it a deviation from the true artistry of wrestling. That led him into burying Goldberg a bit.
“There’s a lot of great wrestlers out there that can deliver great matches. But there’s so many wrestlers out there that are subpar in my opinion, that don’t know what they’re doing out there. And they allow themselves to rely on things like chops, which I think is sort of like cheap heat – you get a reaction, but what’s your reaction? You’re whipping a guy across the chest with your hand? Okay, so you’re hurting some guy for real, for some stupid reason. And the crowd sort of reacts to it.
“In my understanding of pro wrestling, anytime anyone does anything to you that hurts, for real – chopping, putting blisters on your chest when you go to your room or bed, anytime anyone does things to you for real, they’re in the wrong business. They’re doing it wrong. Because you’re not supposed to get hurt. You’re not supposed to come back to your dressing room that night, or to your hotel room and have a big lump on your head and a black eye and your teeth are knocked out. That’s Bill Goldberg wrestling. That’s not how it’s done.”
The End of Bret Hart’s In-Ring Career
The kick to the head resulted in a severe concussion, but Bret Hart believes he experienced an additional concussion during the match, particularly when he applied the ringpost figure four. Furthermore, Hart believes he suffered two more concussions in matches over the subsequent week. In the end, he holds a ton of resentment toward Goldberg to this day.
Hart wrestled 9 matches in WCW after that Starrcade match with Goldberg. On June 24, 2002, Hart suffered a stroke. Then, he participated in a handful of matches for WWE in 2010 and 2011. Sadly, he hasn’t wrestled since, but he definitely has a lot to say about the business.
