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Tag: Bret Hart

  • WWE Legend Getting Involved In Nikki vs. Natalya?, News For Next Week

    WWE Legend Getting Involved In Nikki vs. Natalya?, News For Next Week

    Nikki Bella mentioned on last night’s SmackDown that she had some things to say to Natalya’s face and it looks like their feud will further on next Tuesday’s show from Jacksonville, FL. The two had this exchange after last night’s SmackDown with Nikki saying they will finish things next week:

    There’s been another twist to the feud as Natalya’s uncle, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, took to Twitter during SmackDown and praised Nikki last night. He wrote:

    Nikki responded with this tweet, calling The Hitman an inspiration and an icon:

  • WCPW to Make American Debut on WrestleMania Weekend in Orlando

    WCPW to Make American Debut on WrestleMania Weekend in Orlando

    There’s a new promotion in the WrestleMania weekend indie show mix, and it’s a surprising one. WhatCulture Pro Wrestling, the new UK-based promotion, announced on Monday that it will be running a show in Orlando on the afternoon of April 1st.

    That’s the day before WrestleMania 33, and if past years are any indication, WCPW will likely be running shows opposite WrestleCon, WWE Fan Axxess, Shimmer, possibly Evolve, and probably various local promotions. Announce so far are Joseph Conners, Joe Hendry, Martin Kirby, El Ligero, Grado, Primate, Drake and “Many more yet to be confirmed!” In other words, WCPW’s core wrestlers are committed but not any outside talent as of yet.

    WCPW got a lot of attention for an internet pay-per-view a few weeks back that included very expensive fly-ins like Minoru Suzuki, Kurt Angle, Bret Hart as a surprise, and the commentary team of Jim Ross (during college football season, no less) and Jim Cornette (who never flies except for offers he can’t refuse). The response was mixed, in large part due to streaming issues on the WCPW side (FITE TV’s stream was unaffected).

    Analysis: WrestleMania weekend is already a crowded space, to the point that this only makes sense if a lot oft he costs (staff flying in for WrestleMania weekend, the wrestlers working other shows and having promoters split the costs of flights, etc) are already taken care of in large part. Maybe this will have a unique appeal to the throng of British fans in town, but they also could decide they’d rather see different wrestling if they’re traveling abroad.

  • Bret Hart Reveals Original Plans For Him & Shawn Michaels At WrestleMania 13

    Bret Hart Reveals Original Plans For Him & Shawn Michaels At WrestleMania 13

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart made a surprise appearance during the recent “Inside The Ropes: An Evening with Jim Ross and Jim Cornette” event from London and revealed some interesting details regarding the WrestleMania 13 main event that never happened.

    Following up on their Iron Man Match at WrestleMania 12 that saw the realization of Shawn Michaels’ boyhood dream, there were talks of a rematch taking place the following year. “I remember we talked about — my understanding was when I left that meeting that day was that I was gonna come back, and I was gonna have a bit of a chip on my shoulder towards Shawn, start ragging on him for not being a good role model, and then to — cause I remember watching him on TV and he’d pull his pants down and show his pubes and all that,” Hart said.

    “Being the ‘so called’ hero- baby face of the company, that’s not a good way to present yourself. I just remember sort of making note in my head, and the more I saw Shawn doing stuff like that, pulling his pants down and getting the kids dancing and all that in the ring, it’d be easy for me as a babyface to take exception to what Shawn was doing. But I thought really what it was was a chance for me to make a storyline here with Shawn where I lost the title to him at Wrestlemania 12 and I got a bit of a chip on my shoulder that I lost, the way the whole thing was set up was perfect for me to come back with a bit of an attitude about Shawn. And what I had wanted to do was work a storyline with Shawn where I’d wrestle him at Wrestlemania, we woulda had a really good match.”

    Bret put Shawn over as a great wrestle and one of the best he’s ever worked with – “maybe the best I ever worked with in a lot of ways.”

    Bret wanted to have a great 35 minute match that would have resulted in him snapping – both figuratively and literally (Shawn’s foot). “Basically a duplicate of the ironman match all over again, but we wouldn’t go the full hour again. I wanted to do a thing where Shawn was stomping his foot, getting ready to give me the big kick, and I’m in trouble like I’m pulling myself up form the ropes on the other side of the ring and Shawn goes to give me that big kick as I stagger over to him, just like at the iron man match. Except this time I would take Shawn’s foot, catch it in the air and get him to the ground and put some kind of a shoot hold on his foot and break his foot right in the middle of the ring. I wanted Shawn to tap out like they do in UFC, where it’s like when they break somebody’s arm they tap out pretty fast and everyone jumps in and it’s a very serious kind of thing. I wanted to break Shawn’s foot and then they hand me the belt and I would’ve gone over and stand over the top of him and go ‘f*ck you.’

    Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be for a variety of reasons. Bret still went heel and wrestled “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the classic double-turn match that saw Austin passing out while in the sharpshooter. Shawn Michaels was involved in the main event – doing color commentary for The Undertaker’s WWE Championship victory over Sycho Sid.

    Props to WrestleZone.com for the transcribed quotes.

  • Bret Hart Issues Apology To Michael Hayes And The Freebirds As Well As Triple H And Seth Rollins

    Bret Hart Issues Apology To Michael Hayes And The Freebirds As Well As Triple H And Seth Rollins

    Bret Hart has issued an apology on his Facebook page for comments he recently made about the Fabulous Freebirds being in the WWE Hall Of Fame and other worthy superstars not being in. He also goes on to apologies to Triple H and Seth Rollins for past remarks.

    “I’d like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to Michael Hayes. A while back I made comments about the Freebirds not being as worthy of being in the WWE Hall of Fame as others. It was unfair for me to dismiss their contributions to the industry and they certainly did great things in Texas with the Von Erich Family. Michael Hayes always treated me with great respect, as did Terry Gordy, Ronnie Garvin and Buddy Roberts and I’m sorry if I disrespected any of them with my comments. Furthermore I apologize to both Triple H and Seth Rollins for any hurtful comments I made on my podcast. The reality of all this is the reason I quit doing podcasts in general, because they’re for the most part an outlet for negativity, and have left me with a reputation as being angry and bitter. I’m not, I’d spoke candidly and openly but it’s no excuse for minimizing other wrestlers or their contributions. In saying all that, I still believe Jim the Anvil Neidhart of the Hart Foundation, including Owen, Brian Pillman, Davey Boy Smith, The Dynamite Kid, Jimmy Hart, The Rougeau Brothers, The Killer Bees, The Demolition, Rick Rude, King Kong Bundy, and One Man Gang all deserve their place in the WWE Hall of Fame. My apologies to all. Bret Hart x”

    Bret previously said

    “I am embarrassed that there’s so many great wrestlers out there that have never been given their credit,” Hart told Forbes. “Never got their due.”

    Hart is critical of The Freebirds’ induction into the Hall of Fame over the likes of Owen and Rude.

    “Why have they been overlooked when you can induct the Freebirds who never did squat in WWE? Ever. Never drew any money, never did anything,” Hart said. “When I remember the Freebirds, they were all drunk and passed out at the gate at one of the airports in my first day in WWF. None of them even made the show that day, they were too drunk to make their plane”

  • Bret Hart “Embarrassed” By WWE Hall of Fame, Says The Freebirds Were “Pill Heads & Screw-Ups”

    Bret Hart “Embarrassed” By WWE Hall of Fame, Says The Freebirds Were “Pill Heads & Screw-Ups”

    Bret Hart recently opened up about this thoughts on the WWE Hall of Fame and questioned some of it’s inductees. In an interview with Forbes, Hart said that he’s “embarrassed” by some of WWE’s choices for the Hall of Fame. Hart mentioned Rick Rude, Demolition, and his brother Owen as names he feels should have been inducted before some of the current Hall of Famers.

    “I am embarrassed that there’s so many great wrestlers out there that have never been given their credit,” Hart told Forbes. “Never got their due.”

    Hart is critical of The Freebirds’ induction into the Hall of Fame over the likes of Owen and Rude.

    “Why have they been overlooked when you can induct the Freebirds who never did squat in WWE? Ever. Never drew any money, never did anything,” Hart said. “When I remember the Freebirds, they were all drunk and passed out at the gate at one of the airports in my first day in WWF. None of them even made the show that day, they were too drunk to make their plane”

    The WWE Hall of Famer says that he’s always gotten along with Michael Hayes, but says the Freebirds were all “pill heads and screw-ups.”

    “If you’re going to have a Hall of Fame, you’ve got to have Owen Hart in the Hall of Fame,” Hart concluded.

    You can read his entire interview here.

  • Bret Hart’s Latest Comments Regarding Seth Rollins Injuring People

    During a recent appearance on Booker T’s Heated Conversations podcast,  WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart gave his latest comments regarding Seth Rollins’s in-ring work. Despite being very outspoken about Rollins injuring John Cena, Sting and Finn Balor, Bret says he’s actually a big fan. “I mean, it sounds like I’ve been a little hard on him the last few months, but I’m trying to make a point to make him a better wrestler, to live up to what I expect out of him. And we’re in this business. It’s not about hurting people, and, too often, people misunderstand my point, and, maybe, including him. Now, he thinks I’ve got a hard on for him, or I’m out to get him, or out to make him sound bad. I’m not. I love his wrestling and I like him as a person. He’s always a respectful guy and I know he’s trying his hardest.”

    Hart continued, “I hope Seth Rollins becomes the safest, best wrestler in the world. And I wish him all the luck in the world. And I’m not trying to pick on him. I’m just trying to remind him that it’s not about hurting guys. That doesn’t make you a good wrestler. It makes you a really lousy wrestler.”

    Bret would then compare Rollins’ to Goldberg, the guy who ended Bret Hart’s career and cost him millions of dollars.  “Goldberg was the same with me. He was a great guy and I love Bill Goldberg, but he cost me millions of dollars and he hurt me really badly. And there’s no room for it,” Hart said. “You’ve got to go back to the dressing room every night and beat that wrestler and look him in the eye, and go, usually, Book, you know, you come back, you meet, you shake hands, you hug each other, because you put your life in this guy’s hands. And I know accidents are going to happen. Accidents happen. Bill Goldberg was an accident. He didn’t try to kick my head off, but he did.”

    Bret would then go on to claim that Rollins’ is lucky that he did not kill Cena with that messy knee to the face.

    “Chris Jericho and Seth did a podcast a few months ago and they were kind of ragging on me for making such a big deal about one little accident in the ring. But I watched, really closely, the match where he kneed John Cena in the face. And do you know what? There’s no excuse for those kinds of mistakes. If you’re doing CrossFit all day and you’re too tired to do your stuff in the ring… there’s just no excuse. And you watch a guy grab a guy and jerk his head down and see him full blast knee him in the face as hard as you can, and actually move his nose to the side of his head, there’s just no room for those kinds of mistakes. He’s lucky, really lucky, that he didn’t kill John Cena right in the middle of the ring. That’s a potential fatality when you make those kinds of mistakes. And then, I know I kind of made a big thing about it, and, the truth is, there’s no room for mistakes in wrestling. When you make a mistake, one time, you could cost somebody’s family everything that they’ve got.”

    On the subject of Rollins’ buckle bomb, The Hitman questioned the logic behind the move.

    “That move that Seth Rollins did where he hurt that Finn Bálor. Well, if you just think about it logically, ‘okay, I’m going to pick somebody up, and I’m going to go through their legs under the ropes, and then, I’m going to do like Razor Ramon and I’m going to just grab you and do the Razor’s Edge’. It’s basically the move. And if you just think about it, ‘okay, I’m going to pick you up, and then I’m going to run full blast, as hard as I can, just hurl your body against that padded wall’. And if you watch it, it’s, like, as soon as I saw it, I thought that if somebody had done that to me, I would have been pretty mad.”

    Hart added, “I go, ‘it didn’t even mean anything. It didn’t help the match any more. It didn’t make the match any better. It’s not like everybody went home that night and thought, ‘what a great move that was.” It was a wasted effort, I think, to go through all that trouble to do this move, and then, you hurt somebody.”

    Click here for the full podcast.

  • Bret Hart: Seth Rollins Needs To Work Safer Before Someone Gets Killed

    Bret Hart: Seth Rollins Needs To Work Safer Before Someone Gets Killed

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is speaking out once again about Seth Rollins being reckless in the ring.

    Over the past year, Rollins has injured some of the top stars in the business. John Cena suffered a badly broken nose last summer when Seth Rollins kneed him in the face on Monday Night RAW. Days later at Night of Champions, Rollins ended Sting’s career by powerbombing him into the turnbuckles. Finn Balor will be out of action until 2017 after taking a powerbomb from Rollins outside the ring. Bret Hart says he has great respect for Seth, but he needs to improve his technique immediately before someone gets killed.

    In a statement issued to WrestleZone’s Nick Hausman, Hart gave his thoughts on Seth Rollins injuring Finn Balor at SummerSlam.

    “I take no great pleasure in saying ‘I told you so,’ but if you’re a professional wrestler and you keep hurting opponents and or yourself, clearly you’re doing it wrong. I wrestled a very realistic and physical style and not once in 23 yrs did I ever hurt one opponent ever.

    Seth Rollins needs to improve his technique and become the safest wrestler in the business. I have great respect for Seth. I believe he’ll improve and hopefully stop hurting the talent before someone gets killed.

    Wrestlers have to trust one another. If a wrestler holds the life of another wrestler in his hands for the sake of his family, wife or children you plain and simply cannot drop it! I saw this coming, if anything WWE producers are negligent for not speaking up about it to him already, instead they’re probably gushing with joy, slapping him on the back telling him “great job!”

    Bill Goldberg was similar. When I think of Samoa Joe nearly killing Tyson Kidd, then see him continuing to use that deadly finish of his, I just shake my head. It’s not real, it’s only supposed to look real, wrestlers are not crash test dummies!”

    Seth Rollins is arguably one of the most talented performers in the business, but me might want to think about the high-risk moves he performs, especially those which risk the safety and well being of his opponents.

    Discussion: Is Seth Rollins an unsafe worker, or has this simply been a series of “bad luck” incidents?

  • Bret Hart Shoots On WWE Creative, Praises Cody Rhodes, Calls Rollins Unsafe Again

    Bret Hart Shoots On WWE Creative, Praises Cody Rhodes, Calls Rollins Unsafe Again

    In the second part of his Forbes interview, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart criticized WWE creative and Seth Rollins’ “unsafe” style of work.

    When asked about the current WWE product, Hart criticized the creative direction behind their current programming. One thing he specifically took issue with: Too much talking.

    “If you watch wrestling, like I do, there’s so much talking,” Hart said. “There’s some twit back there with a pencil behind his ear writing down all these things for wrestlers to say. It all starts to sound the same. There was a difference back in my time, where we all had to make up our own verbiage. So when you watch those interviews, a certain part of you comes out, and that’s what makes those characters so great.”

    Hart also said the wrestlers don’t have much time to memorize the scripts they’re given, and says their lines are frequently changed by writers moments before going live.

    On the subject of the in-ring talent, Hart credited now-former WWE star Cody Rhodes with being in the same category of “excellence of execution” as him. He didn’t have such high praises for Seth Rollins, who Hart has previously called out for injuring John Cena.

    “Every move [Cody Rhodes] does is safe and perfectly executed,” Hart said. “You watch Seth Rollins who they’ve pushed as this huge mega, mega push. I watched him a few months ago, and you can watch it back on YouTube, but he knees John Cena in the face. Just knees him in the face so hard, so recklessly, so dangerously, you can easily kill somebody with a knee like that in the face.”

    You can read the second part of Hart’s Forbes interview here.

  • Paul Heyman’s UK Tour Kicks Off, Who Invented The Sharpshooter? (Video)

    Paul Heyman’s UK Tour Kicks Off, Who Invented The Sharpshooter? (Video)

    – Paul Heyman is over in the UK this week for his series of An Evening With Paul Heyman one-man shows. The scheduled dates include 7/11 from London, 7/12 from Manchester and 7/15 Glasgow.

    Will Ospreay caught word that Heyman would be in town and mentioned that he might be checking out Heyman’s show from the famed York Hall. Heyman responded that Ospreay is invited to be his personal guest at the show.

     

    – WWE has posted this feature looking at which wrestler actually invented Bret Hart’s sharpshooter submission hold. Think you know? Find out here:

  • Bret Hart On Triple H: “He Could Never Lace My F*cking Boots Up. Period.”

    Bret Hart On Triple H: “He Could Never Lace My F*cking Boots Up. Period.”

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart went off on Triple H once again on latest edition his Sharpshooter Podcast. In a conversation with his sons Blade and Dallas, Bret spoke about the WWE 2K video games and questioned why Triple H got a 98 rating in last year’s game while his character was given an 85. This got Bret started on a rant about Triple H being a “very good, medium, mediocre wrestler” and WWE’s portrayal of wrestling legends.

    Here’s a transcript of Bret’s comments about Triple H and why the number of championships a wrestler has won says little about their contributions to the business.

    Bret: I like the new one. I have some discrepancies with the game a little bit. I went to a thing last Fall when the latest 2K game was coming out. They were telling me how I’m an 85 or something like that and Triple H is a 98. I remember I was like, “Why would he be a 98?” And they go, “Well because he’s the boss and we have to suck up to the boss.” I dunno, he was laughing about it. It kind of pissed me off. I thought, “I don’t care how many titles Triple H wins. He could never lace my f*cking boots up. Period.

    Blade: WOAH! Shots fired!

    Bret: He was a very good, medium, mediocre wrestler. He never blew me away with anything that he’s ever done. He’s never come up with much. He’s always been a very decent wrestler that could give you a good match. As far as being like mind blowing…

    Dallas: The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be.

    Bret: I never saw it. I’ve still never seen it. I’ve seen him in some matches and the whole “4 Out Of 10” thing came out of his match with Lesnar. Which should have been such a good match. It was a mediocre match, if that. That’s where the “4 Out Of 10” comes from. He’s always a guy that will give you a “5 Out Of 10” match every night. He’s going to give you all he can give you and that’s just my opinion. There’s certain guys where you put these video games out and I don’t care. I think you have to do justice to the wrestlers as they were in their careers. It should be based on reality. Not things like who you know in the office. Vince could make him 35 time World Champion and it doesn’t mean he’s 35 times better than everyone else that ever wrestled. He’s just not. As far as the games go I think they should be honest. Someone like Bruno Sammartino should never be a jobber on a video game. So on and so forth. I think you have to pay respect. When I think of a video game I think about how I’d love to have Buddy Rogers versus Ric Flair. Something like that. Where you can wrestle these legends against each other from different periods and stuff. They should always represent the reality of what the wrestling business is and was. It should also include the respect the wrestlers have for each other in the dressing room.

    Other topics discussed on this episode include:

    • The Harts final predictions for how Brock Lesnar will do this Saturday at UFC 200 against Mark Hunt
    • Whether a Brock Lesnar defeat hurts his WWE draw at all
    • Stephanie McMahon’s recent comment that UFC is not competition to WWE
    • What it means to Bret when an MMA fighter says they are a fan of pro wrestling
    • If it’s a given that Brock Lesnar will be victorious in his return to WWE at SummerSlam
    • Who would be a good opponent for Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam
    • Bret’s thoughts on pro wrestling video games
    • If WWE is risking burning out it’s fans with two PPV/WWE Network Specials a month
    • Bob Backlund’s chemistry with Darren Young
    • How painful the Crossface Chicken Wing is

  • Galloway Says Reigns Will Be One Of The Biggest Stars Ever, Compares Hogan & Hart

    Drew Galloway predicts that Roman Reigns will be one of the biggest stars ever in wrestling, but he’ll need some time. In an interview with Sports Illustrated to promote tonight’s Slammiversary pay-per-view, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion praised WWE’s World Heavyweight Champ, saying that Roman is “such a talented guy.”

    “People can see that he’s been protected a lot, which is understandable. If I was in a position of power, I’d put him in the exact same spot,” Galloway said of how Reigns is being written on WWE TV. “But it takes years to truly get over and get the fans fully behind you.”

    Galloway says the fans have to go on a journey with a wrestler’s character of time in order for the character to truly “get over.”

    “I won the [WWE] IC title, they saw 3MB, and it really does take a long time for people to get to know you. Truly getting over is a lot different than just getting a reaction, and time is what it takes,” Galloway said. “I understand that now. A couple years from now, or after he comes back from an injury, Reigns is going to be one of the biggest stars ever.”

    Galloway also talked about another big star in wrestling, one who he calls his “hero,” Bret Hart. Galloway says Hulk Hogan may have been the “larger than life character,” but Bret was his favorite because he “wasn’t phony.” Galloway says Hart told compelling stories inside of the ring, and that’s “the most genuine thing in this business.” He also listed William Regal and Fit Finlay as other talent he really respects.

  • Hart Doubles Down On Rollins Criticism: “It’s Better To Have Hurt Feelings Than A Shattered Face”

    Bret Hart isn’t taking back his comments about Seth Rollins being an unsafe worker. The WWE Hall of Famer doubled down on his latest podcast on the topic of Rollins injuring both John Cena and himself. Rollins came out earlier this month saying Hart’s comments hurt him, but The Hitman says the former Shield member should be thanking him instead of being mad at him.

    “You shouldn’t be mad at me. You should thank me for being so honest and you should reflect on it and make it a point throughout the rest of your career that you’re never going to injure anyone else like that again. Period.” Hart said. “I’m a really big fan of Seth’s, and I think that’s why I gave him such a strong criticism. It’s meant to make him think. It’s not a personal attack. It’s a professional criticism of his work.”

    Hart says Cena was not at fault for the injury he suffered during a match with Rollins last summer. After watching the footage, Hart feels that Rollins kneed Cena as hard as he could in the face.

    “If you watch it it’s not John Cena leaning in,” Hart explained, “it’s Seth Rollins pulling [Cena’s] head down and kneeing him as hard as he can in the face. It’s bullshit. Everything I said is true. And if he’s got hurt feelings, it’s better to have hurt feelings than a broken, shattered face.”

    Hart recalled the kick from Goldberg that ended his career, saying Goldberg didn’t know what he was doing. The Hitman compared the incident to Rollins & Cena’s incident, saying Rollins made a “huge error” and he’s lucky he didn’t do more damage to Cena than he did.

  • Seth Rollins Says He Was Hurt By Bret Hart’s “Unprofessional & Reckless” Comments

    https://gfycat.com/BlankNearArawana

    On the most recent edition of Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast, Seth Rollins addressed some comments that Bret Hart made about him back in November. Hart told Sports Illustrated that he felt Seth Rollins was “unprofessional” and “reckless” in the ring after he injured John Cena with a knee to the face. Hart compared Rollins to Shawn Michaels, who he says was a “really safe worker.”

    Rollins says everyone in the wrestling world was supportive and positive during his recent rehab and injury recovery, except for Bret Hart. Rollins says he respects the WWE Hall of Famer, and Hart’s comments hurt his feelings. Rollins thought it “sucked” that The Hitman made the negative comments about him in Sports Illustrated, and says he feels really bad about the injury he gave Cena. Rollins said Cena will likely need additional surgeries down the line as a result of his knee to the face.

    Jericho said he thinks Rollins is a safe performer and told him not to take Bret’s comments too seriously. “Bret was put out of wrestling by a superkick from Goldberg. That’d be like saying, ‘Hey Bret you shouldn’t have gotten that concussion,’” Jericho added.

    Here’s what Hart had to say about Rollins back in November:

    “Shawn was always really safe. He was always a really safe worker, but I don’t know about Seth Rollins. That knee in the face that he gave to John Cena was unprofessional, at best. It’s really strange that a guy like Rollins, who I have a lot of respect for, would be that reckless with that knee in the face. If someone kneed me in the face like that, I would have met him in the back dressing room with a baseball bat. There’s just no excuse for it.”

    “You can’t hurt somebody like that under any circumstances. It’s totally reckless. It can’t happen. The other thing is, when you’re the champion, you have a responsibility to not get hurt. You have to be spot on. I love that Rollins kept going on and finished the match, and that shows a lot of courage. Nobody can hurt you and you can’t hurt yourself. It’s not allowed. I was champion, off and on, for quite a few years, and I never missed one title match from an injury. I got hurt lots of times, but the reality is you’ve got so much pinned on you and so much tied onto you, the company and your peers can’t afford for you to get hurt. When you do get injured, it throws a wrench into everything. I do feel bad–Seth Rollins is a young guy and he’s obviously very talented, and I hope he comes back from his surgery and learns from all these things. I hope they give him another chance and his opportunity has not been squandered from an injury, regardless of whose fault it was.”

  • Bret Hart On Backstage McMahon Family Tension At Payback: “Vince Is Loving It”

    Back in March it was reported that Vince McMahon and Triple H have some real-life tension between them backstage in WWE. The Wrestling Observer reported that Vince may even be playing Shane against Stephanie and his son-in-law in their off-screen family drama, as Shane left the company in 2009 when he found out HHH and Steph would be taking over the company instead of him. Bret Hart recently added to this story, saying it seemed like there was “real tension” backstage at Payback.

    On his latest Sharpshooter Show podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer says he noticed that he never saw Shane in the same room as Stephanie and Triple H. “I was just reading between the lines without knowing anything. It seemed like there was real tension there. They were all really friendly when they saw me but you never saw anybody at the same time,” The Hitman explained. “I noticed when I saw Shane after Nattie’s match, he didn’t go into the gorilla position. He kind of stayed out. I realized then that it was because Stephanie and Triple H were in there. So, I don’t know…maybe there’s real tension there.”

    Hart says he thinks Vince McMahon is “loving” the tension, and he thinks the real-life drama is influencing WWE’s current television storylines. He thinks Vince’s children and Triple H are probably uncomfortable with the tension, and that Vince would be the one throwing more gas on the fire.

    “I sense that there is some real tension in the family. I got the impression from watching it on TV, just like the fans do, that Vince is loving it,” Hart said. “He loves the tension between them. This little storyline that they have seems like it’s true and it’s based on a real situation. A lot of times that’s what Vince likes to play on.”

    The Hitman also revealed that he mostly dealt with Vince one-on-one when setting up the “Chicago screwjob” angle at Payback, and that he thought it was “pretty lame.” Bret said putting Flair in the Sharpshooter was his idea to end the segment on a good note. You can listen to his entire podcast here.

  • Bret Hart On Meeting With Triple H & The McMahons At Payback, Enzo’s Injury

    Bret Hart typically doesn’t have many nice things to say about Triple H, but the WWE Hall of Famer says The Game was “very cordial” to him backstage at Payback. Hart was at Payback to accompany Natalya to her match against Charlotte with Ric Flair, and The Hitman says Triple H treated him “like a million bucks” backstage. Hart talked about meeting with Triple H and the McMahons on his podcast The Sharpshooter Show.

    “I sensed a lot of sincerity there on everyone’s part,” said the 7-time World Champion about his experience at Payback. “From Vince down to Triple H to Shane. Shane was very gracious and had some really nice things to say about me that I had forgot about. I was a very protective guy of Shane years ago when he was just a young guy in the business. I looked out for him a lot and I think it was nice for him to tell me that. That he never forgot how much I looked out for him and protected him from a lot of the vices and evils that were lurking about in pro wrestling.”

    Hart, whose career was cut short by a concussion, also used his podcast to talk about Enzo Amore getting injured at the pay-per-view. Hart shared his memory of talking with Ric Flair after the spot occured, and Flair looking “horrified.”

    “He said to me, ‘He broke his neck,’” Hart said of his interaction with The Nature Boy. “They took [Amore] to the hospital. He seemed very upset and a lot of the other wrestlers were upset. Luckily within a few minutes everyone was like, “Nah, it’s ok. He’s hurt. He’s got concussion symptoms but he didn’t break his neck.” There was a lot of relief.”

    Hart didn’t point blame at anyone for the injury, but pointed out that the ropes in a WWE ring “are almost like iron bars across the ring.”

    You can listen to Hart’s entire podcast here.

  • Bret Hart Criticizes Triple H’s Work In WWE, Says WrestleMania 32 Had “No Great Wrestling”

    Bret Hart Criticizes Triple H’s Work In WWE, Says WrestleMania 32 Had “No Great Wrestling”

    Bret Hart continues to have very few nice things to say about Triple H. In an interview with Notts TV News, the WWE Hall of Famer criticized Triple H for his desire to push performers based on their physiques. Hart does give credit to his NXT brand for having better wrestling than WrestleMania 32, which Hart says had “no great wrestling” on it. Hart also takes jabs at Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior while discussing The Game.

    “I’m always happy to be proven wrong, but I’ve never seen any real genius come from Triple H yet,” Hart said. “I sound like I’m always knocking him, but it seems like he’s quick to push the great wrestling to the side and push the bodies, guys who have [good] physiques, all the time. They wonder why CM Punk quit and they wonder why Daniel Bryan got hurt. It’s because they squeeze so much out of those guys. I’m just calling it the way it is. Triple H is a former bodybuilder. He’s all about bodies. He thought that Hulk Hogan was the greatest wrestler in the world. They think Ultimate Warrior was the greatest wrestler in the world because that’s what they’re attracted to, but he’s not really a wrestling fan like I grew up.”

    Hart credits Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka and Bayley for putting on a better show at Takeover: Dallas than anything he saw at WrestleMania 32. The Hitman objects with WWE putting part-time wrestlers at the top of the card at ‘Mania, and feels those positions should go to talent that works year-round.

    “As much of a great job Undertaker did to carry him, to me, from a storyline standpoint, Vince McMahon’s son got the main event spot,” Hart said of Shane McMahon’s Hell In A Cell match against The Undertaker.

    “Triple H got the 1,000th time world champion spot. He’s making the top money. Brock Lesnar is making top money. They’re working twice a year, three times a year, five times a year,” Hart said. “You look at Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens and Natalya, people who are slogging it out day in, day out, week in, week out, in every part of the world, traveling every day, and they’re all in the opening matches, the pre-card. There’s something wrong with the logic of that. […] All these guys are doing the work all year round and they give the money spots to these guys who are part-timers. It’s just not right.”

    You can watch Hart’s entire interview here.

  • Video: Ric Flair Tells Natalya “Kill Yourself” During Heated Promo At SmackDown Tapings

    Video: Ric Flair Tells Natalya “Kill Yourself” During Heated Promo At SmackDown Tapings

    WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair told Natalya, “Kill yourself” during a heated promo at Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings. The incident took place when Dean Ambrose hosted Natalya, Charlotte and Flair on his Ambrose Asylum talk show segment to hype Sunday’s Women’s Championship match at Payback.

    At one point, Natalya was talking about her uncle Bret being in her corner and told Flair that her uncle Bret will have no problem ‘handling’ him. Flair fired back with the “kill yourself” remark. Don’t be surprised if this edited off television when the show airs tomorrow night on USA.

  • Bret Hart: “No Desire” to Be On TV, Thinks Triple H Will Keep Chyna Out Of HOF

    Bret Hart just did a speaking tour in the United Kingdom, and Total Wrestling Magazine has published an article about the the Cardiff, Wales date with some of the key quotes. Hart has been increasingly outspoken lately, and this was no exception, especially when it comes to current events. The Cardiff date was the night after news of Chyna’s death broke, and when Hart was asked about her, he said that “It was sad, I think she should be in the Hall of Fame but I don’t think WWE will ever put her in there. Because of her relationship with Triple H.”

    The Hitman also made some news during the show when he discussed his upcoming appearance at WWE Payback in the corner of his niece, Natalya. “I do it to honour Nattie,” he said. “I [have] no desire to be there[,] no desire to be on TV. I’m happy to be there for Nattie but I’ve just had wrist surgery so it’s not a great time. It’ll be great to put Flair in the sharpshooter though.” Hart and Flair have had a rocky relationship over the years, though it seemed as if it had improved as of late. They had previously cornered Natalya and Charlotte against each other for the NXT Women’s Championship tournament final at the first NXT TakeOver card.

    Make sure to check out the full article for Bret Hart’s thoughts on the evolution of the WWE women’s division.

  • Bret Hart Reviews Wrestlemania Weekend

    Bret Hart Reviews Wrestlemania Weekend

    Bret Hart, WWE Hall of Famer and current host of the Sharpshooter Show Podcast, gave his opinions on Wrestlemania 32  yesterday on his show. As he has shown in the past, Hart is not afraid to tell people what he really thinks. Here are some of the more interesting highlights:

    • Disappointed with WrestleMania booking. Says “logic didn’t prevail” and the booking “wasn’t up to snuff”
    • Says he was the man who brought ladder matches to the WWE and can’t believe what a “piece of shit match” it’s turned into
    • Disappointed in the IC Title ladder match. “A lot of bullshit, a lot of wasted moves, too much laying around”. Calls it a prop match. “Stupid spots that make no sense”. Still calls the match the best match on the card
    • Says he’d line all the bookers up against the wall and shoot them
    • “Real wrestling is almost dead. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Bret Hart, that kind of wrestling is almost dead”
    • Says he hates the Styles Clash. “Looks like you just gently brush someone’s stomach on the ground”. However, he calls it the Calf Crusher (got the two moves confused)
    • Really likes Barrett. Says he’s done the best with the lame gimmicks he’s been given. Thinks Japan may be “his cup of tea”. Compares Barrett to Drew Mcintyre. Both really good talents that were never used correctly
    • Nakamura vs Zayn was the best match of the whole WrestleMania weekend. Asuka vs Bayley was better than any match on the WrestleMania card
    • NXT is bringing “real wrestling” to the surface. RAW and WM is “a bunch of morons that sit around creating wrestling. Just writers from Hollywood who don’t know anything about the business. Just Vince Russo’s in a different uniform”
    • Everything about Nakamura vs Zayn (from entrances to handshake) was “beautiful wrestling”. Made Bret stand and salute. Said the finish to Asuka vs Bayley was also beautiful
    • Thought Sasha Banks should have won the title. It was her night and it was another bad booking decision
    • Regarding The Rock’s segment: “For me it was just another example of dweebs sitting around a table writing wrestling”. Called the whole segment “overly scripted bullshit”

    To get every episode as it is released, subscribe to Wrestlezone Radio on iTunes, Soundcloud or Stitcher.

  • Bret Hart Says Fans Might Never Bond With “Slimeball” Hulk Hogan Again

    Bret Hart Says Fans Might Never Bond With “Slimeball” Hulk Hogan Again

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is still no fan of Hulk Hogan. On his new podcast, Hart said that while Hogan may have a good case against Gawker, a lot of his fans may never be able to look past his racist comments caught on tape. The Hitman reminded everyone he thinks Hogan is a “slimeball” on the debut episode of The Sharpshooter Show, saying “you’d never catch Bret Hart saying the things Hulk Hogan said.”

    “I am not a big Hogan fan but I will say that when someone tapes you without your knowledge and uses it against you… he’s got a good case maybe that way. As far as damages and stuff. You can never take away what he said,” Hart said. “All of the stuff that he said came right out of his own mouth and was his own words. It did a lot of harm to his image. It cost him his relationship with the WWE. Probably for a lot of fans, especially black fans, I think they really saw a side of him that they’ll never really bond with again. Maybe rightfully so.

    “As soon as I saw all that stuff happen I was like, “Wow! How could he make that kind of mistake?” When you’ve got friends like that Bubba guy that would actually tape you doing all these things and then try to sell those tapes. It sounds like a bunch of slimy people. Hogan is a slimeball and it seems like the kinds of people he hangs out with are slimeballs. Everybody got messy. Everybody got dirty out of that thing. If he makes a lot of money on it, I dunno, I can’t put a price tag on integrity and reputation. You’d never catch Bret Hart saying the things Hulk Hogan said.”

    You can listen to the podcast here.

  • Bret Hart Clarifies Jim Ross Saying That His Cancer Is A ‘Non-Issue’

    Earlier this week, Jim Ross noted that Bret Hart had told him that his prostate cancer is a “non-issue” and that all of his related issues are resolved. Bret Hart has since responded to Ross’ statement, clarifying that he remains cautiously optimistic, but is not completely out of the woods just yet.

    I was made aware of the comments Jim Ross made on a recent radio interview. I just want to clarify that, while the…

    Posted by Bret Hart on Thursday, March 3, 2016

  • Bret Hart Speaks Candidly About His Recovery From Prostate Cancer

    WWE.com has published a new interview with WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart, who spoke candidly about his battle with prostate cancer.

    Bret had his prostate removed last month as part of his treatment. His doctors believe the cancer was contained in his prostate and he should be fine as long as he gets his blood work checked every few months in the coming years.

    Bret said he decided to go public about his condition to raise awareness about the illness. He encourages all men in their 50’s, 40’s and younger to get checked.

    “Ultimately, I’m hoping that my voice may cause men to get checked and save some lives in the years ahead,” Bret said. “There are no symptoms of prostate cancer. If I hadn’t been getting checked on a regular basis, I wouldn’t have known. That’s where men make the mistake. They say, ‘I feel good, so I’m not going to get checked.’

    If it happened to a healthy guy like me, who is physically fit and whose dad lived to be 90, it can happen to anybody. It’s easy to get checked with simple blood work.”

    Head over to WWE.com to read the full interview.

  • Jim Ross Says Bret Hart’s Cancer Is Now A “Non-Issue”

    Jim Ross recently appeared on The Gunz Show on Idobi Radio and revealed that his good friend Bret Hart’s prostate cancer is completely under control.

    Bret underwent surgery last month to have his prostate completely removed and told JR that his cancer is now a non-issue.

    “They removed the cancer by removing his prostate.” Ross said. “His cancer is a non-issue now, thank God. All issues are resolved and addressed, so that’s the good news about Bret Hart.”

    Ross also talked about Bret’s impact on the business, noting that Bret opened the door for smaller wrestlers in the mid 90’s when he reached the top of WWE and showed everybody you don’t have to be a bodybuilder to be the top guy in the company.

  • Update On Bret Hart’s Prostate Cancer Surgery

    Update On Bret Hart’s Prostate Cancer Surgery

    Bret Hart underwent prostate cancer surgery on 2/10 in Calgary and by all accounts, the procedure was a success.

    According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bret had his prostate completely removed and doctors are confident that the cancer was contained. Bret will not need any chemotherapy or radiation and is expected to make a full recovery.

    Hart reportedly got the prostate cancer diagnosis last summer. Doctors felt that because it was a slow-growing cancer, it was not necessary for him to undergo surgery immediately. Bret had been recovering from an operation on his wrist and rehab for that procedure took longer than expected.

  • Bret Hart Update After Surgery For Prostate Cancer

    Bret Hart Update After Surgery For Prostate Cancer

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is out of surgery and now begins what he’s calling ‘the long road to recovery.’

    The Hitman revealed last week that he is battling prostate cancer. Once again, we wish Bret a speedy recovery.

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