Bret Interview

[Guest savagerulz]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560...5590282,00.html

 

Usual shit, but he had some stuff on the side that I thought was funny.

 

Bret hits back

 

IN the last year, some of wrestling's biggest names have lined up to take a pop at Bret.

 

So he used our interview to issue some receipts on the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair - while also praising other stars including our own British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith.

 

Here is what The Hitman had to say?

 

Hulk Hogan:

 

I don't know what Hogan's problems are with me. Maybe he has some kind of issue because I was a much better wrestler than he was.

 

The truth of it is, Hogan would have a hard time putting out a DVD like mine.

 

Every match of his is the same thing - the same scenario and routine.

 

He had a great look and a great interview and sold out a lot of shows, but his matches were nothing special.

 

To watch four hours of them would be an expose of how limited he really was.

 

Ric Flair:

 

If you ask me who the most overrated guy in the history of the business is, then it would be Ric Flair.

 

I guess that maybe somewhere in his career he was good, but even when I won the world title from him in the WWE I thought he wasn't that hot.

 

He never impressed me after that and he definitely doesn't impress me now.

 

I think that, like Hogan, if you've seen one Ric Flair match then you've seen them all.

 

Shawn Michaels:

 

I would never work with Shawn Michaels again. He says he has changed, but I don't see it.

 

Wrestling is all about trust and respect and I couldn't trust him any more now than I could the day of Survivor Series. I don't have much respect for him and he doesn't seem to have that much respect for me.

 

I couldn't see any point in doing something with him, other than to make the promotion money.

 

I gather that Shawn, in his book, says I wasn't that good a wrestler and always had the same match. But that's sour grapes.

 

Shawn was a great wrestler, but he was also a rip off artist who stole other people's spots and ideas and made them his own.

 

He was certainly not an original, whereas a lot of the stuff I did was quite innovative.

 

The Ultimate Warrior:

 

The WWE have just done a DVD burying Warrior but it's hard to feel sorry for him, because he was such a rotten human being.

 

When I knew him, he wasn't a good guy and he wasn't a great wrestler.

 

That said, I feel he deserves better than what he got. Warrior is entitled to his fair place in wrestling history and deserves credit for what he achieved.

 

Davey Boy Smith:

 

My match with Davey at SummerSlam 1992 is possibly the proudest moment of my career and one of the greatest bouts of all time.

 

We were close and went through a lot together and I think that showed in the match we produced.

 

It was one of my dad's favourites too, he would say to me: 'To have a great match is one thing, to do it in front of 82,000 people is another.'

 

Harry Smith:

 

Davey's son Harry is, without doubt, the best young wrestler in the business today.

 

He is doing the right thing by not rushing into the WWE and getting experience wrestling many different styles.

 

The Dynamite Kid:

 

I truly believe that, pound for pound, Dynamite Kid is the greatest wrestler of all time.

 

I don't think many wrestlers would put their first matches in the business on a DVD, but when you watch that old stuff with me and Dynamite Kid, I had been in the business for less than three months.

 

That's how good he was and how much I learned from him.

 

Chris Benoit:

 

I am a huge fan of Chris - he is someone who is a great worker and has had fantastic matches with a lot of different guys.

 

Like me, once the bell rings he makes people believe in what is happening in the ring.

 

Kurt Angle:

 

If I was 100 per cent and could have one last match it would be against Kurt Angle.

 

He is the one guy I always think about working with and who I feel I really missed out on.

[sek69]

LOL @ Bret calling other people's matches repetitive

 

Five Moves of Doom, anyone?

[Guest savagerulz]

Flair and he have both said that about the other for years now. I honestly don't think either of them sees the irony in it.

[Guest Bad Brain]

LOL @ Bret calling other people's matches repetitive

 

Five Moves of Doom, anyone?

SKeith isn't really an authority from which to base an attack on Bret. '5 Moves...' is akin to using 'little kicks to the head' in order to decry Kawada.

[Loss]

Bret's comeback is a series of moves. Using the same offense for one's comeback makes more sense than going to the top rope, only to get slammed from the top turnbuckle in every match. Repeating offense is logical; repeating bumps is not. That's the difference between Bret and guys like Michaels and Flair who do stuff like the skin the cat and the corner flips in all of their big matches.

[sek69]

Actually someone like SK pointing out Bret's repetivness is somewhat significant since he's such an admitted Bret mark.

[Marty]

Actually someone like SK pointing out Bret's repetivness is somewhat significant since he's such an admitted Bret mark.

He's still a horrible choice of source for anything wrestling-related.

[goodhelmet]

And as much of a hack as SK is, I doubt he even came up witth that shitty saying.

 

Still, Bret Hart's matches all have a distinct personality that makes each one unique. Compare that to Flair who's matches would be the same regardless of the opponent except in a few cases liike Steamboat or Jumbo.

[Guest savagerulz]

Bret's comeback is a series of moves. Using the same offense for one's comeback makes more sense than going to the top rope, only to get slammed from the top turnbuckle in every match. Repeating offense is logical; repeating bumps is not. That's the difference between Bret and guys like Michaels and Flair who do stuff like the skin the cat and the corner flips in all of their big matches.

Like, say, running full speed front first into the turnbuckles every match?

[goodhelmet]

Except that running full speed into a turnbuckle sternum first makes more sense than a kip-up, a flip over the turnbuckle, a flair flop, turning around during a whip to the turnbuckle or even the irish whip that sent him there.

[Loss]

Exactly, and that's not even a standard Bret spot. It's one he's done a few times, but it's not an every match thing like Flair getting thrown off the top rope.

[Marty]

In fairness, having watched the Bret DVD, I'd say it's a spot he's done more than just a few times. The difference is that, as Will said, the spot is far more realistic than a lot of the other spots Will mentioned, and Bret times the spot better. It's easy to see a spot like Flair getting chucked off the top rope, or Michaels' kip-up in most of their matches that you're seeing for the first time. On the other hand, it's hard to say or anticipate when Hart does his chest-first bump in a match you're seeing. I had just watched Hart-Hennig from KOTR 93 for the first time in ages, and Bret's timing of the spot made so much sense within the context of the match, and WHEN in the match it took place. Yet, even when you see it, even after seeing so many other Hart matches, you go, "WHOA!" That's where he's a better worker than a Flair or Michaels, IMO. He's got spots he uses in every single match, just like, well, every worker, but he times them better and he's far less predictable.

[Marty]

BTW, speaking of Bret's DVD: I mentioned this to Loss earlier today, but on the HMV best-selling DVD charts up here, it peaked at #8 a couple of weeks ago. That's not for wrestling DVDs, or sports DVDs, or specialty DVDs. That's DVDs period. In the middle of the holiday season. As a Canuck who's been a huge fan of Bret for about 20 years, and watched his popularity grow, especially here in Canada, even that surprised, impressed, and pleased me.

[sek69]

Bret Hart's DVD sold well in Canada? Color me shocked!

[Guest savagerulz]

I wouldn't call Flair's repeated spots inferior to Hart's or vice versa. I see them as equally enjoyable, but for different reasons. Flair's are good for comedy in the match, and Hart's are good for drama in the match.

[Marty]

Bret Hart's DVD sold well in Canada? Color me shocked!

I expected it to sell well, but not THIS well.

[Strummer]

from wwe.com RAW Preview

 

"Additionally, Mr. McMahon will give a review of Bret Hart's new DVD. Tune in to RAW (on USA at 9/8 CT) to find out how the WWE Chairman feels about the Hit Man's DVD."

 

 

Note: Shawn Michaels was originally listed as appearing in the segment also, but that has since been taken down

[Guest TheShawshankRudotion]

Bret shouldn't have said anything about doing the DVD because he didn't want the Ultimate Warrior hatchet-job. Now Vince can use public humiliation as leverage in getting Bret to appear on TV. You give an inch, you lose a mile. Of course, it would be absolutely ridiculous to bash a WWE product, but I wonder if Vince thinks more people will buy it to see what he's upset about.

[Marty]

Of course, it would be absolutely ridiculous to bash a WWE product

This is aging, fucked-up-state-of-mind Vince McMahon we're talking about. I could see him doing this.

[Guest savagerulz]

Bret shouldn't have said anything about doing the DVD because he didn't want the Ultimate Warrior hatchet-job.? Now Vince can use public humiliation as leverage in getting Bret to appear on TV.? You give an inch, you lose a mile.? Of course, it would be absolutely ridiculous to bash a WWE product, but I wonder if Vince thinks more people will buy it to see what he's upset about.

What?

 

Edit: I'd guess that you're saying that...lemme read it again. Okay. You're saying that Bret said he agreed to help to avoid getting the Warrior treatment on his DVD. He did?

[Guest savagerulz]

Since Bret has shown no interest to go back on TV, I doubt that making fun of him is going to persuade him to come back on TV.

[Loss]

Bret agreed to work with them to avoid the burial DVD like Warrior got, which is what was in production. That is 100% true and has been confirmed by everyone involved. What Rudo is saying is that he thinks Vince insulting Bret on air is merely another way to goad Bret into coming back in a TV role, which sounds like Vince.

[Guest savagerulz]

As long as it doesn't get pre-empted for the Dog Show. That's all I ask.

[Marty]

Bret agreed to work with them to avoid the burial DVD like Warrior got, which is what was in production. That is 100% true and has been confirmed by everyone involved. What Rudo is saying is that he thinks Vince insulting Bret on air is merely another way to goad Bret into coming back in a TV role, which sounds like Vince.

There's that possibility, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Vince bashing Bret and/or the DVD for the hell of it. His frame of mind is that messed up right now, from what I've seen.

[goodhelmet]

What?

 

Edit: I'd guess that you're saying that...lemme read it again. Okay. You're saying that Bret said he agreed to help to avoid getting the Warrior treatment on his DVD. He did?

To add what has already been said, the original title of the Bret Hart DVD was going to be called "Screwed". The title says it all. The entire DVD was going to lead up to Montreal and then center around WCW's failure to capitalize on Bret. Bret said that he doesn't really care what the Fed does but he was more concerned that his true fans get a better representation of what his career was about.

 

Also, I reported in a former WO update what the Fed's intentions were including unflattering quotes from Roddy Piper, HBK, Hulk Hogan and others...

 

Bret Hart

 

--- To the outside it appears that Vince and Bret shook hands, kissed and made-up. The reality is that the two put aside their differences simply to produce the DVD.

 

--- The original DVD was going to be a burial job of Bret simialr to the Warrior DVD that is going to come out.

 

--- Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Jerry Lawler, Bruce Pritchard, Shawn Michaels, and others all taped interviews portraying Bret in a negative light.

 

--- Chris Benoit refused to say anything negative about Bret and Jim Ross was very diplomatic and never knocked Hart in his interview.

 

--- Before Bret agreed to do the DVD he did not want the DVD to focus on Montreal or to focus on Owen's death. He realized they had to be addressed but did not want them to be what the DVD was about. Shane McMahon tried to convince Bret that sales would be better if they focused it on Montreal.

 

--- Bret Hart has creative control of the venture but not exactly (?). It is a jointproduction of Bret Hart and WWE. Both sides are working together on the documentary portion as well as what matches, clips and angles to include.

 

--- They are working on a short deadline and and have to be finished by the end of the month. In less than two weeks, they will present a final product.

 

--- If WWE puts out a product that Bret is not happy with then he has the right to remove himself from the project and the WWE cannot use any of the interview footage that Bret shot.

 

--- Vince McMahon shot an interview while Bret was looking on. Apparently, Bret had no problem with what Vinnie Mac said .

 

--- Nothing else has been agred upon for future projects. Hart is adament about not doing any televised angles in any form.

 

--- Meltz says the most ironic interview done for the DVD was Hogan's. in his interview, Hogan said that when Hart refused to put HBK over, he ceased being one of the boys, could no longer be trusted and that is why noone would do business with him in WCW. Meltz points out the irony of Hogan using Hart as an example of refusing to put someone over. He also points out that it is even funnier when Hogan used Bret's name to get a babyface reaction on TV. What is even funnier is that the fans in Pittsburgh chanted "You Screwed Bret" at HBK even though that is the place where Hart gave his famous "The enema of the United States" promo.

 

--- According to one wrestler, when Bret came in, he said that he heard nothing but negative things coming from Hogan, Hall and Nash about Bret. The problem with Hogan stemmed from Hogan being offended to pass the torch to Bret in 1993 and Hart later criticizing Hogan's wrestling ability. When he got to WCW, Hogan agreed to start on a clean slate with Hart but not when it came to talking behind his back. With Hall and Nash, it is funny because just days before Montreal they were both on the phone with Bret trying to convince him to come to WCW and gavce up their "favored nations" contract to get him to sign. The one member of Hall and Nash's crew who would not say anything negative about him was Sean Waltman (X-pac). He was a fan of Bret's work and stuck up for Bret.

 

---The aforementioned all went to Bischoff and made sure that Bret was never able to get off the ground. He was pulled ut of programs, including the successful Ric Flair program, and clean wins for Bret were nixed before they could even begin.

 

--- Shawn Michaels reportedly had nothing good to sya bout him and it is most likely that none of his comments will be used.

 

--- Piper's negative comments were a surprise because Piper has referred to Bret and Owen as his cousins and was said to be a friend of Bret's.