Bret Hart returned to Montreal on the anniversary of the 1997 Survivor Series for a sit-down interview, chatting about his career and time in WWE.
Hart was interviewed for 90 minutes on the Johnny Pro Show, with the interview released on YouTube.
Highlights from the interview:
- Hart spoke of having a hand in getting Steve Austin into WWE after seeing he had joined ECW. Hart claimed he went to Vince McMahon and asked why they let ECW sign him when they needed talent, and shortly after, Austin was brought in.
- He felt handcuffed when he and Austin were handed the “Submission Match” stipulation at WrestleMania 13, as it eliminated pinfall attempts, and he thought they were the worst types of matches. Slowly, they pieced it together and likened it to a schoolyard fight and how important the blood was. Austin had never bladed previously, and Hart offered to cut him, even though Hart was always taught to never let someone cut you. Austin was nervous but trusted Hart, who concealed the blade as blood was prohibited in this era.
- Hart called their match at WrestleMania 13 “the greatest match of all-time” and a “beautiful match.”
- From childhood, he always got along with Owen due to their six-year gap, compared to fighting with other siblings
- He always tried to help Owen get into the WWF and helped get him booked in an enhancement role in 1986, and eventually, came into the company in 1988 as the Blue Blazer
- The two never competed because he felt Owen’s style was unique to himself, and they didn’t wrestle alike
- Despite doing amateur wrestling, he never wanted to fight for real and wouldn’t have done UFC if that was an option. He appreciated the art of pro wrestling, where the goal was not getting hurt, and often, the easiest matches were the most fun.
- Hart takes the lion’s share of the credit for the matches with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 12 and Austin at ‘Mania 13, where he laid it out. He gave credit to Roddy Piper for the ending to their ‘Mania match in 1992, where Hart countered the sleeper by kicking off the turnbuckle and landing on top.
- Unlike Piper, he said Hulk Hogan and Jake Roberts never passed the torch and were “two of the biggest pieces of shit in wrestling.”
- He wishes he could have wrestled Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and Rey Mysterio, and praised Mysterio as one of the best
- Mil Mascaras was one of his favorite wrestlers as a kid, “but he was a horrible wrestler and a horrible human being.”
- He has always been impressed with John Cena and called him “a serious professional” who goes over all the details before a match
- Hart said he’s heard Brock Lesnar is a professional “unlike Goldberg.”
- Has a hard time watching today’s professional wrestling, “it’s too fake for me,” but loves watching old Stampede Wrestling and wrestling from the ‘90s with more realism attached and the craft, whereas today, a lot are actors pretending to be wrestlers
- Sid Eudy got nervous wrestling Hart for the first time because he thought Hart’s style would be very physical, and realized quickly that none of Hart’s offense hurt
- Hart is still proud of everything he did in response to the Survivor Series in 1997 and called Vince McMahon a “slime ball” and “crook” with his handling of Hart in his final year
- In the statement that is getting the most attention from this interview, Hart shared his suspicion that there was a romantic attachment between McMahon and Shawn Michaels in 1997 with Hart suspecting after seeing McMahon cry after Shawn Michaels forfeited the title due to his knee injury. Hart said he would share this theory if Michaels were sitting there next to him and was being serious
- There is nothing more important than “trust” in wrestling because you’re giving your body to your opponent
- He felt Vince tried to tear him down and ruin him in the lead-up to the Survivor Series to hurt his value after he left
- When Hart learned he was wrestling Michaels at Survivor Series and didn’t know what the ending would be, he went to Michaels and told him that he could be trusted and would be happy to drop the belt. Michaels thanked him but said he couldn’t say the same thing to Hart, which Hart called the “crux” of the Montreal Screwjob, and Hart was unwilling to lose to Michaels
- They “got” Hart through Earl Hebner and didn’t suspect he would participate because Hebner gave his word he would never do anything like that to Hart
- McMahon came to see Hart backstage after the match, and Hart wanted McMahon to leave. The Undertaker had told McMahon he lost face and had to explain himself.
- Hart came out of the shower and warned McMahon that he was going to knock him out once he got dressed if McMahon was still there. McMahon walked toward Hart and said, “We tied up.” He grabbed McMahon by the shoulder, landed an uppercut, and it was “a great punch.” McMahon was down for “five minutes,” and he was dragged to the bench while Hart broke his hand.
- Michaels was in the locker room crying, and Hart knew he was in on it, but just walked over and thanked him for the match
- He ended by praising Montreal and loved wrestling in the city
