Bret Hart Discusses His Health, Criticizes Current WWE Product, Stephanie McMahon

WWE Hall of famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart recently participated in a series of interviews with Alfred Konuwa of Forbes. In Part 1 of this series, he discusses a number of topics, including his health and his beating of cancer, the health and mental state of wrestlers, past and present, the current state of WWE, his thoughts on Vince McMahon, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon and more.

Below is a paraphrased summary of the interview:

The interview begins with Konuwa asking about Hart’s health. Hart said that he’s a beat up old train, but he’s still on the tracks. He’s had some battles in life, but he made an 80-90% recovery from his stroke. In regards to his cancer, Hart said that he was fortunate to discover it so early in the process, and stayed on top of it and won that fight as well.

Konuwa then brings up the recent personal wrestling tragedies that have occurred, including with Chyna and Sunny. Hart says that the person that he will miss the most is “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. He said that Piper did so much for him, and made tremendous sacrifices for Hart and his family. Hart said that Piper was instrumental in having the success that he did.

Hart would go on to say that while it is tragic what has happened to these superstars, that the majority of wrestlers are gone due to their own mistakes in life, and ill-doing. He went on to recall fond memories of Chyna, saying that she was a delightful person, and one of nicest people that he had ever met.

They then talk about Lex Luger’s spinal stroke, and how he is now in a wheelchair, as well as Bobby Heenan’s throat cancer. Hart says that both are so positive in their outlook, and says that Heenan is a hero to all wrestlers, and leads by example.

The two then talk about “Sharpshooter Funding,” which is Hart’s company that provides business loans for Canadians who are trying to get their businesses off the ground.

Konuwa then asks about the WWE brand split, and if he thinks that that concept would have worked in Hart’s era. He continues by saying that guys like Mr. Perfect, “Ravishing” Rick Rude and Roddy Piper could have had the opportunity to be world champions, if there were two titles. Hart says that he doesn’t know if it would have worked when he was wrestling. He continued by saying that there were barely enough superstars to have one brand, let alone two.

Hart would say that he feels that Piper, Perfect and Jake “The Snake” Roberts should have been a world champions. He continued by saying that there were certain competitors that didn’t get their opportunity to shine, such as The Dynamite Kid. Hart feels that Kid was one of the best wrestlers of all time.

They then talk about the current product, and the type of wrestlers that are now having the opportunity to shine. Konuwa says that smaller guys like Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Daniel Bryan are now the guys at the top of the industry. Hart says that there are two camps when it comes to wrestling. There’s the ‘wrestling camp’ with guys like Bryan, CM Punk, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn, as guys who are all about wrestling, and the moves and techniques. He says that fans know what good wrestling is, and that those guys are good wrestlers.

Hart continues by talking about what he calls ‘the bodies.’ He calls out Triple H, saying that he’s basically a bodybuilder, and says that if left in charge long enough, he’ll pick guys like Batista and Brock Lesnar to be on top. Hart gives Lesnar credit, saying that he’s a great wrestler for his size. However, he says that there is a tendencies of guys like Triple H, and the people in the front office, to give the big money matches to the guys with the best bodies.

He continues by saying that he disagrees with this, and says that guys like Owens are overlooked, especially at WrestleMania this year. Performers like Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon with Triple H, and Roman Reigns were given preferential treatment because of their size and their look. According to Hart, they forgot about the wrestlers that pull the wagon all year long.

Konuwa then brings up the fact that Triple H is eventually going to be in charge of the company, along with Stephanie and Shane McMahon. He asks Hart how he thinks that WWE will be once Triple H is at the helm. Hart says that one day, Vince McMahon’s brain will be in a glass jar with wires coming out, and will still be calling the shots.

However, Hart praises Vince, saying that he is irreplaceable. The best thing that he has going for him is that he is the biggest wrestling fan in the world, and loves to sit down and watch a great wrestling match. Hart says that although Vince sometimes caters to the bodybuilders, and the Hulk Hogan type characters, that he loves a good wrestling match, and the whole circus of it all.

Hart continues by saying that that is the key to the industry; being fresh, and adding on when you need to. He says that a lot of people love wrestling for many reasons. If you look at the ‘girl wrestling,’ he says that it has come so far from where it was 25 years ago. He says that the females are so skilled and so much prettier today then when he was a kid.

He says that in real life, Mark Henry and The Big Show would be the last two guys standing in the “Royal Rumble,” and that guys like Bryan and Punk wouldn’t be able to throw them over the top rope. He says that the writers forget about wrestling really is.

Hart then goes on to ask “What does Stephanie McMahon know about wrestling?” He says that she was never in the dressing room, or on the road, and that she doesn’t understand pro wrestling like Shane does. Hart says that there must always be a constant effort to give back to what wrestling used to be, and the history behind it. He says that Vince does.

You can watch the entire interview at this link.

Follow @Dericho06