Bret Hart does not think too much of Hulk Hogan when it comes to his skills in the ring. The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke to the Calgary Sun to talk about being inducted into the 2021 Canada’s Walk of Fame. During the interview, Hart was asked about his influence on future generations of pro wrestlers, which is when Hogan came up.
“I think it all goes back to when (WWE commentator) Gorilla Monsoon called me the ‘Excellence of Execution,’” Hart said. “I was just a guy who did everything right. I remember when I started wrestling, I knew how everything worked. I knew how to take turnbuckle (hits to the chest), I knew how to body slam,” Hart said. “When you want to watch how to do something in wrestling, you watch my matches back. You’ll learn how to do a Sharpshooter. That’s how you do it. Want to learn how to do a standing suplex? That’s how you do it. I was always that guy.”
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Hart continued: “And all the Canadian wrestlers like Natalya or Edge were influenced by me. I think if you look back at wrestling when it was the Hulk Hogan show. He was six-foot-eight and a one-out-of-three wrestler. He didn’t know a headlock from a headlamp. He didn’t know very much. He knew how to do a clothesline and maybe a body slam. He was very limited. (WWE owner) Vince McMahon took a chance with me and made me that champion. It meant so much to me that I think I tried to live up to be that champion. It was about being the best wrestler. I gave so much as that wrestler. I was a good role model in the dressing room. All that means a lot.”
Hart became the face of WWE as Hogan left the company in 1993. He won the WWE title five times before leaving the company in 1997. Hart and would not compete against Hogan until the two were in WCW in 1999, as mentioned by Comicbook.com. Both wrestlers have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice.
“It will always mean a lot when you’re celebrated and honored amongst your peers and fellow wrestlers. The WWE Hall of Fame always meant a lot to me,” Hart said when asked about being a member of the Canada Walk of Fame. This is even higher to me in a sense. You’re being lumped in with Canadians – great Canadians and the contributions they’ve made in their fields. It means a lot to me to be honored by Canadians across the country for my wrestling career.”
