WWE recently posted pictures from a new photoshoot of the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. This photoshoot, mentioned in the tweet below is the first time in more than two years the Beast has posed for a gallery:
As seen this past Sunday Night, Brock Lesnar successfully defended his Universal Championship against Finn Balor while Seth Rollins won the Men’s Royal Rumble match.
So far there is no news of the Universal Championship being defended at the upcoming Elimination Chamber PPV, and it appears that Brock’s next title defense will be at WrestleMania 35 against the King Slayer.
Bret Hart Praises WWE Tag Team
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart recently made an Instagram post and praised Raw Tag Team The Singh Brothers for their “no-quit attitude”.
Bret mentioned how he has met the duo of Sunil and Samir Singh a number of times in recent years and congratulated them on the release of their first action figures:
The Singh Brothers made their WWE debut when they took part in the Cruiserweight Classic Tournament in 2016. Though they got eliminated in the first round. The Brothers were later hired as part of the 205 Live roster upon the show’s debut.
Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid’s careers will forever be linked by their matches against one another in Stampede Wrestling. They would later feud as part of the Hart Foundation/British Bulldogs rivalry in WWE as well. Bret Hart is now the only surviving member of those legendary tag matches, however, as Jim Neidhart and Dynamite both passed this year. Davey Boy Smith passed away in 2002.
Hart posted the following to Instagram after learning of Dynamite’s passing:
Dynamite’s legacy in the wrestling industry is complicated, as is evidenced by Bret’s comments. The tales of Dynamite’s ability in the ring are often mixed with stories of an abusive, and angry individual. He has left complicated memories in the world of professional wrestling.
For many current active Superstars, however, Dynamite’s influence cannot be understated. Dynamite influenced those who now serve as influences to others. As Dynamite influenced names like Bret Hart, Chris Benoit, and others, those names then influenced many of the wrestlers we see active today.
Natalya and Ronda Rousey teamed up to give their opponents a “Hart Attack” last night. The move was the finisher for Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart for years when they were a tag-team.
Hart took the time to say how honored he was by the gesture.
Rousey spoke about Natalya earlier this summer while promoting the movie Mile 22.
“I’ve known Nattie years before I started wrestling,” Rousey said. “She teaches me so much technically, obviously but I was coming into a new environment, I was nervous and felt like the new kid in school,” Rousey said. “She really went out of her way to make me feel welcome and comfortable and part of the family. She’s been amazing since day one and I’m so lucky to have her as a friend.”
Ronda Rousey (c) vs Alexa Bliss
It took less than 5 minutes for Ronda Rousey to roll through Alexa Bliss when they met at Summerslam. Rousey is undefeated since joining WWE earlier this year. Including house shows, Rousey is a perfect 18-0.
On WWE programming she’s 5-0 with 3 singles victories, 1 in mixed tag-team action, and one last night in traditional tag-team action with Natalya.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has paid tribute to the late Burt Reynolds. The Canadian icon took the Twitter to write the following about the film star: “I had the pleasure to see Burt recently. Although visibly frail, he remembered me. I thanked him for his part of Wrestlemania X. He was a real fan, thoroughly enjoyed the event, the wrestlers & fans. He was a class act and I’m honoured to have been able to tell him that. R.I.P.”
Reynolds actually took part in WWE’s tenth WrestleMania event. The star of Cannonball Run and Deliverance served as ring announcer for WrestleMania X’s main event between Bret Hart and Yokozuna.
WWE also acknowledged the passing of Reynolds. Issuing the following statement: WWE is saddened to learn that Academy Award-nominated actor and Hollywood icon Burt Reynolds has passed away at the age of 82. The star of more than 50 feature films, including “The Longest Yard,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” “The Cannonball Run” and “Boogie Nights” (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor), Reynolds was a special celebrity guest at WrestleMania X, serving as ring announcer for the main event WWE Championship Match pitting Bret Hart against Yokozuna. WWE extends its condolences to Reynolds’ family, friends and fans.
The iconic film star passed away at the age of 82 in Florida after suffering a cardiac arrest.
I had the pleasure to see Burt recently. Although visibly frail, he remembered me. I thanked him for his part of Wrestlemania X. He was a real fan, thoroughly enjoyed the event, the wrestlers & fans. He was a class act and I’m honoured to have been able to tell him that. R.I.P. pic.twitter.com/4c0F0nEdFs
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has released a statement regarding the passing of his longtime friend and tag team partner, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who passed away on August 13th.
Bret tweeted on the 13th, “Stunned and saddened. I just don’t have the words right now.” With almost a month to mourn and gather his thoughts, the Hitman published the following on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon:
“I’ve lost a lot of friends over the past few years. One of the things you realize about getting older is that not everybody is going to get older with you.” – Cormac McCarthy
I’m sorry for taking so long in making a statement about the recent passing of my longtime friend and companion Jim “Anvil” Neidhart. No loss has ever dimmed the light in my heart as this one. I loved Jim as more than a brother. He was a one-of-kind character. The most beautiful thing about Jim was how on the longest days and in the most miserable times, he could always make you laugh. He’ll always be the “Anvil”, the big rhino, the tank. He was the best friend I ever had and I owe him for everything good that ever came my way as a pro wrestler. Jim didn’t need me so much as I needed him. We had always been close friends from the first time we met in Stampede Wrestling. We never fought or argued about anything and we were always in agreement. Aside from being my loyal friend, tag team partner, and brother-in-law, I can say Jim helped me keep my sanity during our numerous dark and lonely times. He was such a hilarious friend. Thank you Jim for a lifetime of happy and great memories.
Pro wrestling is a profession where trust and loyalty are everything. We were such a fun, fast, exciting, and formidable combination highlighting each other while always making our opponents. When it came to wrestling teams like Andre the Giant and Haku, the British Bulldogs, the Nasty Boys, Demolition, and The Rockers, the Hart Foundation could work with any team and have the best match on the card. We were both always very proud of all of our accomplishments as the Hart Foundation but we we were always most proud of our friendship.
Someday but far enough away , I hope to have a joyous meeting with the many friends and loved ones gone before and, when I make that crossover, I pray God will lead me straight to the Anvil. Thank you Anvil, for I owe you everything.
“I’ve met men I could trust in the mouth of hell. I would trust them to breathe for me, to pump my blood with their hearts.” – Sebastian Faulks
Bret Hart was honored by the Siksika Nation on Thursday in a ceremony held at Mount Royal University. The same University also celebrated Bret back in May with an honorary degree.
Bret was given a “Blackfoot name” which is an honor bestowed by the Blackfoot Confederacy of First Nations. The Blackfoot or Blackfeet people are First Nations communities located mainly in BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Stampede Wrestling used to regularly run tours in these communities, even traveling there in treacherous conditions during the dead of winter.
Recently, a First Nation community decided to give back to the Hart Family. You can watch the ceremony in the player below:
Bret Hart Given Blackfoot Name “Iyiikitapinna” Meaning: “Courageous Chief”
During the ceremony, an Elder spoke of an ancient warrior named Iron Shield. Bret, the Elder said, exhibited similar courage as the ancient warrior.
The chief gave Bret the name, “Iyiikitapinna”, which translates to “Courageous Chief”.
“It might be too bold a name for me. It’s a huge honour for me,” Bret said. “Growing up here all my life, being from Calgary, there’s a strong sensitivity to the struggles” of Indigenous people.”
Bret would continue to say he felt he was representing his whole family at the ceremony.
“I feel like I’m here representing the whole family, and I know my father always had a really strong relationship with the First Nations community,” Hart said. “This day would have been special to him. There’s always been a warmth, friendship and kind of respect there.”
Bret would continue to say Iyiikitapinna was a more important nickname to him than “Hitman”.
– Bret Hart attended tonight’s UFC event, UFC Fight Night: Alvarez vs. Poirier, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and appeared on camera during the television broadcast on FOX.
UFC Heavyweight/Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier got excited putting “The Hit Man” over on commentary, saying, “The Intercontinental Champion, the tag team champion, the WWE Champion! He’s the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be, “The Hit Man” Bret Hart! Welcome Bret to the UFC!”
Daniel Cormier sounded like the happiest man in the world introducing Bret Hart on screen at tonight's UFC card in Calgary pic.twitter.com/Tzyi25NLQ6
Before beating Gadzhimurad Antigulov via TKO, Ion Cutelaba entered the Octagon wearing Hart’s trademark sunglasses as the wrestling legend’s WWE entrance theme played.
During the show, Hart posted a photo on Instagram of himself with UFC President Dana White.
https://instagram.com/p/Bly30tHBHlL/
– Brandi Rhodes noted yesterday on Twitter that she will not be wrestling at “ALL IN,” which takes place on Saturday, September 1 at the Sears Centre in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, Illinois. She will, however, still appear at the event “with as many Beyonce style costume changes as time will allow.”
I’m not wrestling at #ALLIN But I’ll be appearing of course. With as many Beyoncé style costume changes as time will allow. https://t.co/1IO316CB9j
Rhodes appeared as a ring announcer for WWE before leaving the promotion in 2016. She is currently under contract to Ring of Honor and also appears for various independent promotions alongside her husband, Cody Rhodes.
– Sting will be Lilian Garcia’s guest this Monday on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia.
Bret Hart and Martha Hart have been debating Owen Hart’s legacy in public. Recently, Martha Hart made a public statement regarding Hart’s comments about her erasing Owen’s legacy.
Early this morning, Bret Hart posted a response to Marth on his Facebook page. He is saying that Martha has isolated her family from the rest of the Harts so much that Bret wouldn’t even recognize his own niece if he saw her.
Bret Hart’s Responds To Martha Hart and the Owen Hart Foundation
Bret Hart on Martha’s Comments About Him:
“This past week, I have received multiple requests for comment regarding my recent interview on a podcast and the rebuttal made by Dr. Martha Hart. First of all, I want to express my disappointment in both the Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald for running a gossip-style article and making it front page news when there are more pressing issues in the world to highlight. You are better than that. I listened back to the interview in question and I specifically want to address Martha’s comments about my words being “cruel, reckless, irresponsible, and hurtful”.
Stampede Wrestling was an institution in the city of Calgary. Wrestling was our family business. My brothers and I either wrestled for my father Stu or worked behind the scenes. Fans packed the Victoria Pavilion every Friday night for decades. Martha has seemed to have forgotten that she attended those same shows before she met Owen. She was, by definition, a wrestling fan. That same group Martha appears to look down upon and ignore.”
The Issue of Owen Hart Not Being In The WWE Hall of Fame
“Earlier this year, Mark Henry took time during his WWE Hall of Fame induction to specifically address Martha,” Hart continued. “With tears in his eyes, Henry pleaded with her to allow Owen to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. My nieces and nephews were in the audience with tears in their eyes as he expressed how much he deserved to be there with his peers. Fans have told me they had tears in their eyes when they watched the moment on television.
Those same fans Martha sat side-by-side with at Stampede Wrestling and WWE events. Those same fans that donate to the Owen Hart Foundation and helped make it what it is today because they remember the joy he brought to their lives and not by how he died. Those royalty checks she receives from the company she says she doesn’t want any part of? Those are also from those same fans. To her, their tears do not matter. To me, that is cruel and hurtful.”
Bret Hart On His Relationship With Marth Hart
“It is true that Martha and I were close at one time. I was right by her side after Owen’s death until she received her settlement from WWE and proclaimed me a “pest”. Martha later declared herself and her children Harts in name only, called us all “black sheep”, and ceased contact with the rest of the Hart family.
She further isolated from us when we all came together in 2010 to honour our father Stu being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and participated in a DVD that celebrated our family (Hart & Soul). Owen’s children do not have a relationship with his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
One of my nieces, in fact, named her son Owen after him. I do not know Oje and I wouldn’t know Athena if she walked passed me on the street. Owen’s children only know of their father’s family by what is told by their mother, whatever that may be, painting us all with one broad brush. To block Owen’s children from knowing their father’s family, to me, is cruel, reckless, and irresponsible.”
On Owen Hart’s Death
“Owen’s tragic accident almost 20 years ago changed our family forever. Martha lost her soulmate and her children lost their father. You have to remember, however, that I also lost my brother. My children lost their uncle. My grandchildren will only know him through pictures and stories. His peers lost a close friend who filled them with endless laughter through long periods on the road. The fans lost someone that they lovingly connected to. Martha is not alone in her loss and grief.”
On the Owen Hart Foundation
“The Owen Hart Foundation is a wonderful charity that has raised millions of dollars and has helped many people in its 19 year history. I am not disputing or denying that whatsoever. I disagree, however, that it should be the sole outlet to remember Owen by.
This is not just about Owen being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. This is about his wrestling career, his wrestling legacy, his contribution to the business that he loved and honouring that contribution. Owen Hart was a world-renowned professional wrester, and a damn good one.
He was part of the foundation that our family name was built on not just in the city of Calgary but all over the world. For Martha to want to rewrite history, to refuse to acknowledge or recognize his great wrestling career, to brush off what he, myself, and my father did as “that fake stuff” is wrong.”
On Owen Hart’s Wrestling Legacy
“Owen Hart was a wrestler. The next generation deserve to know how great he truly was.
I am happy to hear that my brother Owen will be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame on July 28 in Waterloo, Iowa. My father and I are past honourees. While I will not be in attendance, the Hart family will be well-represented with my brothers Ross, Bruce, Keith, sister Diana, and my nephew Harry Smith accepting the honour on his behalf. Thank you to the Board of Directors for recognizing his wrestling career, his contributions to the wrestling business, and his legacy. I’m sure the event will be filled with laughter, tears, and an overall appreciation for the man that he was. I can only hope that this is only the beginning.
Bret Hart has been openly critical of his brother Owen’s widow, Martha. According to the Hitman, Martha Hart’s continued efforts to prevent WWE from using Owen’s image has been detrimental to his legacy.
“I think Martha, Owen’s widow, she’s a very obtuse, square-headed person,” Hart said recently. “I think she’s done more to erase my brother Owen’s memory than she ever did to remember him.”
Martha Hart Responds To Bret Hart
Marth Hart published her response to Bret’s comments on the Owen Hart Foundation website.
“The suggestion by Bret Hart that I am “erasing” the memory of my late husband, Owen Hart, is reckless, irresponsible, and clearly untrue,” Martha’s statement begins.
“Bret’s comments are rooted in the fact that I have steadfastly refused to work with the WWE to exploit Owen’s image for commercial gain. Owen was an incredible entertainer and I know that his many fans around the world enjoyed his wrestling career immensely. I encourage them to continue to do so. But I am firm in my belief that the WWE was responsible for Owen’s death. As a result, I cannot and will not support any efforts by the WWE to profit from Owen’s memory.”
After giving the above statement regarding why Martha refuses to work with WWE, she then spoke on the work the Owen Hart Foundation has done and how that work honors Owen’s memory.
The Owen Hart Foundation
“Instead, I, my son Oje and daughter Athena have worked tirelessly to honor Owen through the good works of The Owen Hart Foundation, which has exceeded $4 million in gift giving and contributions toward scholarships, home owner bursaries, and other special projects that have greatly improved the lives of so many in Canada and around the world. We have always believed that this is the most fitting public tribute to a man of profound integrity; a wonderful human being who just happened to wrestle. I know that Owen would be very proud of the tremendous accomplishments the Foundation has achieved in his name.”
Severed Ties Between Bret Hart and Martha Hart
According to Bret’s book, Bret and Martha were very close in the days following Owen’s death. Over the years, however, the topic of WWE using Owen’s likeness has driven a significant wedge between them.
“Bret Hart’s comments are disrespectful and cruel. It is disappointing that so many in the media have chosen to report them without seeking my perspective. Whatever Bret may believe, the fact is that, far from “erasing” Owen’s memory, I have devoted the last 20 years to celebrating his life in a very public way. I can think of very few people who have been remembered so glowingly by their spouse.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart recently did an interview on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Hitman” offered his thoughts on the way wrestlers are treated in WWE. Hart says that those who work as employees in WWE have better benefits than the wrestlers do:
“Employees who work for WWF they have better benefits than the wrestlers do. The ones they should take care of is the wrestlers. They still don’t take care of the wrestlers the way they should. I think that’s a real shame.”
Hart then discussed Vince McMahon’s relaunch of the XFL. He said the only reason the venture is even possible is due to the success of the wrestlers, who in reality are funding the project, and they won’t see a dime of profit from it either. To add insult to injury, he thinks XFL players will receive better treatment than WWE wrestlers as well:
“They’re gonna put millions of dollars into the XFL, another one,” Hart continued. “We all know that’s being paid for by the wrestlers, by the wrestling industry. But none of that is gonna filter down to any of the wrestlers. That’s gonna filter down to a bunch of football players being padded with football contracts and they’re gonna have special doctors and they’ll get all the things the wrestlers never got.
“They will be treated like the finest cattle you know animals, you know the treatment they will get is heads and tails above what the wrestlers will get. The wrestlers will get chicken feed at the bottom. If they get injured, they get sent off. It’s a very cut and dry world in pro wrestling.”
You can listen to Bret Hart’s full interview on the In This Corner podcast by clicking this link here.
Owen Hart isn’t in the WWE Hall of Fame. A DVD on his life and career underwhelmed after its release and Owen’s inclusion in WWE history goes less documented than for others.
The reason for this has to do with an $18 million judgment awarded to Owen’s widow Martha after his death.
“I think Martha, Owen’s widow, she’s a very obtuse, square-headed person,” Hart said recently. “I think she’s done more to erase my brother Owen’s memory than she ever did to remember him.”
It is believed Martha Hart is behind efforts to prevent WWE from using Owen’s likeness. Although WWE still has the right to air footage featuring Owen, they likely don’t as much as possible due to pressure from the owner of Owen’s estate.
“I think it really bothers me that the fans that loved Owen so much didn’t get a chance to remember him,” Bret Hart said recently on “In this Corner” podcast. “You do these kinds of things for people that are here, left to remember them.”
Bret Hart on Owen Hart in WWE Hall of Fame
“I mean Owen, it would never matter to him if he was in the Hall Of Fame,” Hart continued. “I think that you know it would mean a lot to different family members in my family.”
Unfortunately, the WWE Hall of Fame inductees are chosen by the company and not from voting media members. This is also the case with the UFC’s Hall of Fame but is in contrast to almost all other sports.
Bret Hart on WWE Hall of Fame
Bret continued to talk about how WWE’s Hall of Fame has lost credibility.
“You look at some of the people in the Hall Of Fame,” Hart said. “There’s a lot of people who belong in the Hall Of Fame who are not in it.”
Hart is one of the many who feels WWE’s HOF has become more about the company than the wrestlers.
“If it turns out that the WWE is going to keep becoming Hall Of Fame that caters to suck-ups,” Hart continued. “I question the whole Hall Of Fame itself and I wonder if there will ever be a real Hall Of Fame that caters to just the wrestlers for their contributions.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart was recently a guest on the In This Corner podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. During his appearance the subject of CM Punk’s recent legal issues with WWE Doctor Chris Amann came up.
Amann sued Punk and Colt Cabana for their comments about him on their podcast together shortly after Punk’s departure from WWE. Hart said he sees a lot of himself in Punk, citing his issues with WWE shortly after the Montreal Screwjob where shortly thereafter he punched Vince McMahon backstage.
“The Hitman” feels that by Punk walking out on WWE the way he did in 2014, he stood up for not only himself but the entire WWE locker room:
“I think the same could have been said about CM Punk as an example. You know his standing up and saying, ‘hey I’m doing all the work around here, you’re gonna give Batista and Brock Lesnar and Triple H all these guys who are part-timers who are home every day, they’re getting all the main event matches at WrestleMania and I’m the one pulling the wagon around here and I wanna be in the main event.’ They tried to smooth it over and sugarcoat it and offer him everything but a main event spot so he quit like he held them up on that.
“I heard some guys talking bad about CM Punk in the car about he wasn’t one of the boys or something like that. I’m thinking, ‘he gave up so much to prove a point for the wrestlers.’ You know that the wrestlers are doing the work, put the wrestlers in the main event spot. He stood on those principals and he lost his job, gave up a lot to make that point but he was right and he took a bullet for the industry. I’m glad he won that case a few weeks ago because I’m sure that there was a lot of pressure on him to wear him down and break him in that case.”
You can listen to Hart’s interview on the In This Corner podcast by clicking this link here.
Bret Hart is adamant about wanting to see Owen Hart and British Bulldog be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke with TalkSPORT to talk about various topics while recently over in the UK.
In this interview, he was asked about his tweet on the Anniversary of Owen’s death when he stated that, ”I vow to keep your memory alive despite the efforts to let you fade away.”
Hart, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the sports entertainment company back in 2006, went on record by stating that he’s embarrassed that both Owen and Bulldog are not in the Hall of Fame at this point.
“Like a lot of people, if he’s not in the WWE hall of fame, then what kind of Hall of fame is it? I’m embarrassed on their part they can take so many great wrestlers and not include them in the Hall of Fame. “I don’t have any problem with anyone who is in there, but I think Demolition should be in there, that Dynamite Kid should be in there, that Davey Boy should be in there. I’m embarrassed Owen isn’t in there. Owen was one of the most respected and admired in the business for his integrity alone. Why they won’t acknowledge him is beyond me?”
What are your thoughts on Hart’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has responded to the recent comments made by Eric Bischoff about his run in WCW.
During a recent edition of Bischoff‘s podcast 83 Weeks, Hart was a topic of discussion that covered his time in the promotion among other things. For the entire recap of that podcast, please click here.
The pro wrestling legend recently did an interview with The Pro Wrestling Show. A clip of that appearance has surfaced online of Hart responding to Bischoff stating on his podcast that Hart ‘brought nothing creatively’ to his WCW run. This is when Hart fired back. “Eric Bischoff is an idiot, total complete idiot, Hart stated (transcript courtesy of Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet). “Maybe the single stupidest idiot that ever got into wrestling.” “A guy that never came through on anything he ever said, he had zero ideas for wrestling,” the legendary wrestler continued. “I’ve heard him say that I came there and I was a broken man. That I didn’t have it in the heart anymore. That I broke my heart with wrestling. That’s such horsesh*t. Absolutely an insult to me. It makes me so mad I’m glad he’s not around me.”
“He was the stupidest guy I ever met..”@BretHart responds to @EBischoff’s claims on @83Weeks that he ‘brought nothing creatively’ to his WCW run 🔥
What are your thoughts on the comments made by Hart? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Hart gained success in the professional wrestling business throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the WWE. He left the sports entertainment company for World Championship Wrestling following the controversial “Montreal Screwjob” in November 1997 where he remained until October 2000.
Hart would return to WWE in 2006 to be inducted into their Hall of Famer and later wrestle at WrestleMania 26 in 2010 in a match against Vince McMahon.
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently covered WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart’s run in WCW on his podcast, 83 Weeks, with Conrad Thompson. Bischoff first discussed whether or not he wanted Hart to come into WCW with the WWE Championship:
“There were probably two or three different conversations about that. The one conversation that I distinctly remember. I remember that I was in Wyoming. I remember it because my cell phone went off and I was in a cell area that was really sketchy, where I was around a post office in the middle of nowhere.
“I remember going inside the post office to use a pay phone, and I remember standing there thinking, why am I having this conversation again? It is not that important of a deal. I convinced Bret Hart one last time do not worry about the Championship belt. In my mind, I remember thinking this at the time, what I thought Bret Hart should do is given the fact that he is Bret Hart, and you know, Stu Hart and the Hart family legacy, the tradition of the business, what I wanted Bret to do is just pass the belt on.
“Do the right thing. Shake Vince McMahon’s hand. Leave on good terms. The business; the audience would have had more respect for him than to hold on to the belt because he didn’t want to lose in Montreal, Quebec Canada [Survivor Series 1997] because he is a Canadian. That, to me didn’t make any sense.
“Worrying about it didn’t make any sense to me because Bret Hart was coming to WCW. The fans were sophisticated enough to know that if he lost a match it wasn’t going to diminish who Bret Hart was. That logic from talent never made any sense to me. That is when you get sucked in to the work where you work yourself. I tried to explain that to Bret Hart. It just didn’t matter to me”.
He also said that he had a conversation with Hulk Hogan about Hart coming into WCW beforehand:
“I talked to Hulk Hogan. I talked to Kevin Nash, Scott Hall. I talked with Ric Flair It would have been kind of standard operating procedure to have conversations to pick the brains of the top guys that he would have been working with. To make sure there was no chemistry issues, or landmines that I needed to be aware of.
“If there were I would have to deal with them prior to him coming on board not afterwards. I would have probably listened to a number of people suggest best possible ways to take advantage of Bret Hart, including Hulk Hogan. Hulk had a long history with Bret Hart, as did Ric Flair. They had a long history with Bret. They knew Bret Hart better than I did. I had never worked with Bret.
“Quite frankly, I never followed him much in WWF. He was never really my cup of tea. I appreciated and understood why fans loved him. I understood the qualities that he brought, but he wasn’t one of the guys where I watched him and thought to myself that I couldn’t wait to have that guy on the roster.
“I was interested in the perspectives of guys like Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, who did know Bret at a much different level than I could possibly know him.”
Bischoff also revealed why it took so long for Hart to finally make his WCW debut:
“Why wouldn’t I just drop everything and take in a guy who had a certain amount of time of a no-compete clause; had a broken hand, and just kind of drop everything and throw him in the middle of something without any real planning, backstory and throw it against the wall in hopes that it would stick? Is that the question? That is the kind of prevailing critique that I hear often; how can you take a guy like Bret Hart, which by the way, he wasn’t drawing, there is a reason why Vince McMahon let him go.
“It wasn’t because he was making Vince McMahon money hand over fist. One of the things that I liked—look at what we did with Sting and Hulk Hogan. I wanted long term plans. One of the reasons I thrust myself in creative, and I may have said this to you before, if I didn’t I apologize, but I was never comfortable with creative. I was comfortable with the business side of it.
“I understood the business side of the business pretty well. What I didn’t know I could pretty easily understand and figure out, but that creative side was the voodoo side that I never got close to. I never got close to the creative in AWA; not only was I not close to it, I wasn’t allowed to be in a room close to it when they were talking about creative. That is how tightly held Verne Gagne believed in kayfabing people who he didn’t believe needed to be in the process.
“I had zero exposure to creative in WCW up until 1993, 1994. Even then I was at a distance. I would talk to Dusty Rhodes because he and I were tight and we would talk a little bit, and would explain to me the ideas that he had and sucked up as much as I could. I was fascinated by it quite honestly, but I was still never comfortable being the guy in the room that said yay or nay on something.
“Ric Flair, when I brought him in as a booker, I was never in that room. I would come in and out. There were certain things that I had to be aware of as Executive Vice President, depending on the timeline was of the company and being responsible financially for things.
“I had to have an idea of where we were going, what the pay per views were going to look like, how the cards are being advertised six months before pay per views and all that kind of crap, but I didn’t sit in a room with a team filled with guys who had hundreds of years of more experience than I did and try to influence their creative decisions. I tried to stay out of that. It wasn’t until later on that I inserted myself in that process.”
Ultimately, Bischoff acknowledged the wide belief that Hart’s run with WCW was a failure:
“I think it all goes back to the very beginning. I think it is fair for Bret Hart and fans of Bret Hart to suggest that there was never really a long term plan with Bret. That is fair. Bret came in rather abruptly. We didn’t have a long time to really lay out in a thoughtful way where we can balance different options and really creatively do the best job that we can do. Even with the time that we had, we didn’t do a great job.
“I didn’t do a great job, so I think if you go back to the very beginning with all the things that were going on; with the pressures of WCW Thunder and some of the choices I was trying to make, and the pressures were we getting from WWE, and the pressure we were getting from our own company, and the fact that they were gutting our budget, all of those things were throwing us off of our game, and a lot of that had to do with the reason why, so we didn’t have a good plan, we just didn’t, and that is fair for Bret, and for fans of Bret, but I will also say that Bret Hart didn’t contribute.
“He didn’t try. Despite the ‘hero’s journey’ and the amazingly, Steven Spielberg-ish where he single handedly, against all odds created in Toronto, Canada so that his fans, the multitude of fans, who stood outside in the freezing cold as Bret Hart had to walk over the almost comatose body of the head booker only to prevail in the ring and to prove to all of the bookers and to everybody else that Bret Hart had the keys to the kingdom that night, but despite all of that, Bret Hart didn’t really contribute as much as Bret Hart could have contributed to Bret Hart’s own success.
“In his own legacy. Right now, Bret Hart’s legacy is a bitter, broken guy who wants to blame everybody from Vince McMahon to Eric Bischoff, to Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, to Dean Malenko for God’s sake for all of the things that went wrong in his career. Regardless of all the things I did wrong, that is on Bret Hart.”
You can listen to Bischoff on 83 Weeks by clicking this link here.
British based company Kayfabe Events has announced that former WWE Champion and Canadian wrestling icon Bret Hart will heading to the United Kingdom for a speaking tour June 5th-8th at the following cities:
June 5th – Brighton
June 6th – Cardiff
June 7th – Manchester
June 8th – London
Bret is known for being extremely honest when it comes to these types of events so it is absolute must see for any British wrestling fan. This is an extremely rare opportunity to see one of the greatest performers and minds in professional wrestling history give his take on events throughout his career, which spanned working for his father in Canada through to WWE and WCW.
Here are the packages available for the shows:
PREMIUM VIP – £150
Premium VIP Meet and Greet starts at 6:15pm – Entry from 6pm. Early entry to get first choice of seats, a digital photo of you and the man himself, a limited edition t-shirt, the iconic wrap around glases, and 2 items signed.
REGULAR VIP – £75
Entry from 6:45pm – Meet and Greet AFTER the end of the Q&A! Second tier entry to choose your seat, a digital photo of you and the man himself and one signed item.
GENERAL ADMISSION – £35
Entry from 7:15pm. Entry for the Talk and Q&A.
Kayfabe Events will also be hosting events throughout the year with the likes of Jimmy Havoc, Su Yung and Abyss. More information can be found on Twitter @KayfabeEvents or via their official website.
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart reportedly set up a telephone call between Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Harry Smith Jr., son of the late WWE legend “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith to settle the issues between the two.
As noted, Roberts and Smith Jr. were reportedly involved in an incident at the WrestleCon event that took place during WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans earlier this month.
According to multiple sources, Smith Jr. walked up to a table where Roberts was signing autographs and without being provoked, threw a cup of scolding hot coffee in Roberts’ face. This reportedly led to security quickly coming in and breaking things up before they escalated.
Following the incident, Roberts filed charges against Smith Jr., which he apparently dropped after the aforementioned phone call set up by Bret Hart.
Harry Smith Jr. Writes About Phone Conversation
“I’d like to announce publicly and officially that I spoke with Jake Roberts on the phone today and we squashed heat we have for what happened at the WrestleCon event,” wrote Smith Jr. about squashing his beef with Roberts. “I apologized and said I would apologize publicly as Jake agreed he would be dropping any charges pressed against me.
“I’m a man of my word and I’d like to say sorry to any fans that I stressed with this situation also,” Smith Jr. added. “I wish Jake all the best and glad that we squashed the heat. I actually had spoken to Roddy Piper before he passed away about the podcast Jake and he did. I’m certainly glad we worked things out, as Roddy died [not] long after.”
What do you think of the latest developments in the situation involving Jake Roberts and Harry Smith Jr.? Sound off in the Comments section below.
Kayfabe Events will be presenting a week of live speaking events featuring WWE legend Bret Hart. The company has now confirmed the venues and dates for these extremely rare and specials shows. The following press release was sent out this afternoon:
“This is the full list of venues with ticket packages and any updates! Please read before you ask questions. The Chat/Interview will start at 8pm, we also have a very special guest Q&A orchestrating the proceedings! That will be a seperate announcement! For premium VIP’s and regular VIP’s there will be the chance to get other items signed on the night for an additional fee. This information will be released tomorrow with ticket links!
So firstly tickets go on sale Friday at 9am on ticketbud. Ticket links will be annouced Thursday evening. So the ticket prices are the same at each of our events…there will also be merchandise stands at these events, Items will also be found on our website if you want to get yours in advance from next week. The evening will consist of chat / interview orchestrated by our compere Dean Ayass and Bret, an open floor Q&A.”
Here are the packages available for the shows:
PREMIUM VIP – £150
Premium VIP Meet and Greet starts at 6:15pm – Entry from 6pm. Early entry to get first choice of seats, a digital photo of you and the man himself, a limited edition t-shirt, the iconic wrap around glases, and 2 items signed.
REGULAR VIP – £75
Entry from 6:45pm – Meet and Greet AFTER the end of the Q&A! Second tier entry to choose your seat, a digital photo of you and the man himself and one signed item.
GENERAL ADMISSION – £35
Entry from 7:15pm. Entry for the Talk and Q&A.
The Brighton event will be held at
The Brighthelm Centre,
North road,
Brighton,
BN1 1YD
British based company Kayfabe Events has announced that former WWE Champion and Canadian wrestling icon Bret Hart will heading to the United Kingdom for a speaking tour June 5th-8th at the following cities:
June 5th – Brighton
June 6th – Cardiff
June 7th – Manchester
June 8th – London
Bret is known for being extremely honest when it comes to these types of events so it is absolute must see for any British wrestling fan. This is an extremely rare opportunity to see one of the greatest performers and minds in professional wrestling history give his take on events throughout his career, which spanned working for his father in Canada through to WWE and WCW. Ticket information for the shows will be released later this week and we will of course update you here on SEScoops once these are available.
Kayfabe Events will also be hosting events throughout the year with the likes of Jack Swagger, Austin Aries and Abyss. More information can be found on Twitter @KayfabeEvents or via their official website.
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart has announced that he is now 100 percent cancer-free. “The Hitman” noted that after one year of undergoing surgery for prostate cancer he is now back in the gym. Although it was a tough battle for the Canadian professional wrestling legend, he benefited from detecting the illness early, per a report from Blooms Magazine.
This isn’t Bret’s first run-in with health issues, as the 59-year-old suffered a stroke back in 2002 that left him partially paralyzed. Fortunately Hart was able to make a full recovery.
“You know, it’s so critical for me to stress … that it’s just a blood test,” Hart said as he urged men to get screened for prostate cancer. You gotta go in and get a blood test. If you’re a man over 40, you need to go in.
“You don’t want to be like my brother, Smith, who’s a guy that didn’t worry about it and it’s too late now. If you’ve got prostate cancer, if you don’t catch it early, you could die from it. And if you catch it early, you can live a pretty normal life. I would say I’m pretty close to normal.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Dr. Justin Yeung for what he is claiming was a botched wrist surgery, per a report from the CalgarySun.com. Hart reportedly got surgery on his right wrist two years ago in relation to an injury he sustained back in 1981 where he chipped his scaphold (one of eight small bones in the writs) in a wrestling match.
When Hart visited Dr. Yeung he claimed that he could repair the wrist with a partial fusion of the wrist bones. The surgery took place on November 23rd in 2015. Six weeks later Hart returned to Dr. Yeung’s office to have three pins removed and also complained about pain and swelling in his wrist. He also complained that his thumb and index finger would not function.
Yeung reportedly told Hart to wait and see how it healed, however, the pain and immobility of his fingers continued through visits in March, April, and August. Hart now claims that Yeung and his team were negligent and breached their responsibility to care for him. He is also claiming that Yeung and his team left a tourniquet on his right arm for far too long, which cut off circulation to his nerves and tendons on his right index finger and thumb.
As a result, those fingers were injured and immobilized by the lack of oxygen they were receiving. Hart claims he is now unable to perform in recreational and social activities as a result of the injury; including actions such as using pens, pencils, eating utensils and dressing himself without assistance. Hart underwent another surgery in October, however, the affects of that are not yet known.
Hart is seeking $1 million in general damages plus unspecified amounts for loss of income and other losses. No statement of defense disputing the allegations has been filed as of this writing.
WWE Hall Of Famer and former WWE Champion Bret Hart recently did an interview with the Calgary Herald to discuss a variety of professional wrestling topics. “The Hitman” talked about punching Vince McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob in 1997’s Survivor Series, being lied to by his coworkers, and his goals when he first got into wrestling. You can check out the highlights here:
Punching Vince McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob:
“It was only one punch but it was such a beautiful punch. Of all the things I’ve ever done in my life, it was the sweetest, most beautiful punch anyone could ever throw. It was just amazing. The whole memory of it brings a smile to my face. I just maybe wish that I’d mopped the floor with Triple H and Shawn Michaels both at the same time right after. That would have been ideal. … I think what it really amounted to was a case of Vince — and he’s a very macho kind of guy — he wanted to back me down in front of everybody in the dressing room and show that he was the boss and save face. So he took it upon himself to put himself in a physical situation, which was laughable. But he put himself in that situation and I knocked him out.”
His coworkers lying to him:
“To be lied to and screwed over legitimately by people that I had worked so hard for, I think it’s always been a black eye on them, not me. Everything I said was true, everything that I said happened, it happened the way it did.”
His initial goals when he began wrestling:
“I got into wrestling to make some money, see the world, and meet girls. I accomplished that. Those were my initial goals. When I look back on everything, I’m really amazed by my career. I had so many wonderful guys that I worked with and great matches, that’s what was most important to me — and the fans. I had a great fan base across the country and around the world.”
You can check out Hart’s full interview with the Calgary Herald by clicking here.
Today, November 9th, marks the 20th anniversary of Survivor Series 1997 and the infamous “Montreal Screwjob,” an event that would change the course of pro wrestling history.
To mark the occasion, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels spoke to ESPN about the incident, calling it “the worst day I can recall in the entire 25 years I was in the wrestling business.” It’s a lengthy interview that’s worth checking out in its entirety, as Michaels discusses all aspects of his involvement.
“You don’t go into something like that not understanding [the consequences],” said Michaels. “You may end up having to fight your way out of the building, or getting in a couple fights, or who knows. But one of the biggest things in the wrestling business is when you go out there with guys, you’re trusting one another with your bodies.
“With all the differences Bret and I had, they never made their way into the ring. And so believe it or not, that more than anything, was the thing. Even though you’re asked to do it, being obedient to your boss, it isn’t fun. Pain, or getting in a fight, or getting beat up, that stuff heals eventually.
“It would’ve been a lot easier, honestly, to be able to say ‘Yeah, I knew and I did it,’ and face whatever happened,” said Michaels, “Because at least then, it’d be out in the open and whatever needed to happen would happen right there and then.”
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently appeared as a guest on The Sam Roberts Wrestling podcast. Bischoff spoke at length about Bret Hart recently burying him on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast and also addressed whether or not he regrets on ‘letting’ Chris Jericho jump from WCW to WWE back in 1999.
Here are the highlights of what Bischoff said about:
Bret Hart recently calling him a ‘loser, maggot’ and his own thoughts of working with ‘The Hitman’:
“I didn’t listen to your show with Bret. I’m generally aware of the kind of things that Bret says because he’s been saying them for years, so it’s nothing new there. I’m sure he didn’t break any news. He’s just a miserable guy. He’s the type of guy–and I said it in one of my responses on Twitter; he has a giant hole in his soul, and he’s going to have to fill it with hate for somebody. When he came to work for me he hated Vince McMahon. He hated everybody in the McMahon family; he hated Shawn Michaels; he didn’t want to work with Hulk Hogan. He hated Ric Flair, he hated Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, he hated everybody, and I had to listen to that. It was a major effort to get him and Flair on the same page; which wasn’t because of Ric, it was because of Bret; he just hated everybody.”
His belief that he always treated Hart well and that Hart didn’t try hard to fit in at WCW:
“If you just watched him or listened to him over the years, he was able to get into the WWE Hall of Fame so he buried the hatchet with Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels, of course he did, but you know, Bret showed up in WCW, it makes me laugh when he says he didn’t like how he was treated because we paid him a lot of money and treated him extremely well. Here was a guy that would show up 45 minutes before television started, before a live TV show and he would show up looking like he would sleep in the gutter the last three days; and he had no energy, no real desire to integrate himself and insert himself in the process. He wasn’t at all passionate about anything he did from day one.”
If he regrets letting Chris Jericho go from WCW:
“I tried really hard to keep Jericho. I offered Chris a lot of money; I did everything I could to keep Chris, but Chris was determined to leave WCW because he really only used WCW as a stepping stone to get to WWE, and once he used it as a stepping stone to come to WWE, there wasn’t anything I could have done realistically, I don’t think I could have kept Chris Jericho in WCW.
“I’d’ be lying if I said that I recognized that type of talent back then, but I didn’t. I knew he was a great talent and I wanted to keep him, but we had Bill Goldberg, we had Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting; we had a pretty deep main event level roster, and I didn’t see at the time how I could have broken Chris into that category within the time frame that he wanted to be in it; I just couldn’t do it. I hated seeing Chris Jericho go, I really did.”
Check out the complete Eric Bischoff interview from The Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast here:
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart spoke with Sam Roberts for the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast last week and we’ve got some more highlights from the discussion.
Bret revealed that he approached Vince McMahon and Triple H about becoming a WWE writer a few years ago, but they never took him up on the offer because he wasn’t interested in being on the road full time. He offers to fly in for TV each week, but never heard back from them about it.
“I hesitated on that for a long time; it was about four years ago I went up to them and threw the ball at them, made that pitch that I would give them ideas and help with the writing of the shows, creation of the matches and how storylines would go and so forth. I think I would be really good for them, but I sort of made the offer, but the way it was thrown back at me was about the schedule; I was letting them know that I didn’t want to be on the road everyday but that I could fly in for TV, and I think I left with letting them know that I can fly in for TV and never heard from them. Vince and Triple H thanked me for the offer and we left it at that.”
Since being a full-time road agent isn’t in the card for him, Bret said he’s interested in working at the Performance Center and helping out with NXT.
“It could be figured, and worked out. It’s not impossible. I can go anywhere. Sometimes a change of scenery might be fun, but I’m also very happy where I am at. I have a beautiful house, and life, but you know, working on Monday Night Raw might sound good for me, but realistically maybe they need more; they look at their agents: Mike Rotunda, Arn Anderson, whoever they are, they’re on the road all the time with all that consistency and commitment, and I don’t really have that which is why I most likely haven’t gotten a call. I want to be a helper but don’t want to give my life away for it.”
Finally, the Hitman commented on WWE blowing through high profile matches on television each week with little to no build-up. With WWE loading up the cards for RAW and SmackDown every week and fans having seen virtually all potential matchups, he’s not surprised why tickets don’t move like they used to and attendance is down across the board.
“I liked the way it worked before where they kept you away from each other until you had the match. Now, I notice on RAW they are wrestling the same match that they would have on the pay-per-view, so now it’s no wonder that their tickets for SummerSlam weren’t going so briskly as they would have liked because people have already seen it.”