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Bret Hart has done another interview with WrestleTalk TV, and this time he was asked specifically about Triple H.
Bret caused an internet sensation the last time that he was on the UK show. It was then when he rated Triple H career as “4 out of 10â€. He said that Triple H was one of the best workers in the industry but often failed to give his best in matches. While Triple H did have a few good performances by Bret’s own admission, he said that most of Triple H’s matches had been uninteresting. The interview was the highest viewed segment in WrestleTalk TV’s history, and helped secure a much bigger TV deal for the show.
• Bret was asked what he thought of Triple H as a booker. Bret said that he had not been around enough since Triple H came into power, so he could not answer. He does not know what Triple H is actually involved with, but does know that he is involved with a lot.
• Bret admits that the WWE needs to start developing more fresh ideas. After leaving the WWE in 1997, he has not been around to see what Triple H’s contributions have been. He does not know how creative Triple H is. Either way, Triple H and management need to come up with new ideas. Bret made it clear that he was not questioning Triple H’s ability.
• Bret believes that professional wrestling is “lacking†compared to the ‘90’s. When asked for a specific example, he mentioned the overall work rate. Bret had noticed that so many wrestlers do multiple diving attacks and major high-impact moves in one short match. Then both wrestlers get up and move on to the next spot too quickly. As a result, it made the “bone-crushing, killer†moves seem weak.
• Bret thinks that too many wrestlers are trying to cram all of their signature moves and high spots into every single match. As a result, all of their matches are beginning to look the same.
• He added that in the ‘90’s, he avoided using too many signature moves or major spots in one match. He took more time to sell the ones that he did do instead.
• Bret feels that the current style is actually limiting the incredible wrestlers that WWE has. He mentioned CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Cesaro specifically. Although, he adds that they are probably under pressure from “upper management to do the same thing every timeâ€.
• When asked if Vince McMahon would ever [voluntarily retire and] give full control to Triple H, Bret said that he did not know. He was then asked if it was in Vince’s character, but Bret still said he did not know.
• Hart agrees that Vince has to step down eventually and someone else will have to take his place. But he does not see it as Vince handing control over to Triple H. He sees it as Vince handing control over to his daughter Stephanie. While Triple H will have some control as a result, he believes that Stephanie will be the one in charge.
• From what he has seen, he believes that Triple H is focused and is doing what he can to “steer the ship†with or without “Vince’s hand on the steering wheelâ€.
• Bret knows that it is a really difficult job and it is not easy for anyone. It is easy for someone like him to criticise Triple H or John Laurinaitis because Bret does not know just how hard it is. He admits that there are things they do that he does like, but he also feels that there are times when he can interject with fresh ideas.
• Bret said that CM Punk’s departure was a huge loss to the company. He feels that Punk may look back in a few years and regret leaving when he did. He should have maybe stuck it out for 5 more years while he can still have some more great matches. That said, he believes that Punk left while he was still in good health and is proud of him.
• He said that the WWE will move on and find a new CM Punk. He believes that they already have in Bryan. There are always people on the way up looking to become the top guy. Every time a top guy leaves, a new top guy will take his place.
• Bret said that no-one is irreplaceable, except for Hulk Hogan. Hogan had such fan power in the mid-‘80’s that, if he retired or quit then, the industry could have collapsed.
• The interviewer pointed out that Bret’s father Stu would have turned 100 next year if he was still alive.
• Bret does not believe that Stu will ever get the recognition that he deserves for being a pioneer. He said that Stu “was probably responsible for starting out and teaching giving the experience to maybe 65-70% of the wrestlers†in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s.
• Bret credits Stu for developing the Calgary Stampede style that benefited the Dynamite Kid, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, British Bulldog and Bret himself. He clarified that Dynamite Kid had a rather limited British style when he came to Canada. After a short time with Stu, Kid incorporated the Canadian style into his own. He believes Stu got Kid and Owen started in Japan.
• He claimed that the "Calgary style" helped the Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs raise the bar in WWE. He claimed that their tag team matches frequently stole the show. It inspired other members of the locker room to work harder and get better reactions from crowds. Only Hogan got better reactions.
• Bret does not believe any tag team has duplicated the matches that the Hart Foundation and British Bulldogs had. He feels the same way about his matches with Owen, even though most never made it to tape. He credits all of this to the work they put in at Stu's Stampede Wrestling promotion.
• The interviewer pointed out that Hart's "4/10" interview aired just 2 hours before the 2013 Royal Rumble. Hart was the event and people backstage already knew about his comments.
• Bret does not feel that he suffered any kind of backlash for his comments. He does not believe that Triple H, Vince or WWE Management really cares what he thinks.
• Bret claimed that his earlier comments were misunderstood. He suggested that he was talking about one specific match. He witnessed Triple H and Brock Lesnar putting together their SummerSlam 2012 match. He imagined how the match would go and expected it to be uninteresting. He wanted to give the pair some ideas, but never did. The match that they put on was similar to how he pictured it. He was not impressed and rated it "4/10". He also blames himself for not giving them some ideas.
• Bret said that he respected the work of both Triple H and Lesnar and that they were both incredible performers. He added that all performers need to add something new to their matches every once in a while to avoid becoming stale.
• He refereed to a week where he faced Bam Bam Bigelow and Yokozuna on consecutive nights. He was keen to make sure that he did not have the same match with different people. He tried to keep all of his matches unique.
• He then mentioned his Iron-Man match at WrestleMania XII. He and Shawn Michaels were worried about the 20-minute mark. They felt that the fans would get bored with them swapping holds for several minutes. Pat Patterson suggested the spot in which Michaels super-kicked ring announcer Tony Chimmel. He believes that the spot added something to the match. He wanted Triple H and Lesnar to do an original spot to add something to their match too.
• He admits that Patterson's idea helped him and Michaels carry the match to the 30-minute mark. Both Hart and Michaels knew it would be easier to carry the second half of the match if they kept the first half strong. Had they lost the fans before the 30-minute mark, it would have been difficult to get the fans back into it.
• The interviewer admitted to being in the crowd and cheering for British Bulldog at Summerslam '92. He commented that the Manchester, England crowd were "80:20" behind Bulldog. Hart said it was mostly behind him, although no-one was upset that he lost to Bulldog.
• He said that his match with Bulldog was one of the best nights of his career. It was the best story that he himself wrote out, as well as the most complicated. Even Stu complimented him for putting on a great match in front of 80,000 people.
• The interviewer wondered if there would ever be another event in the UK that big with 80,000 people watching in one night. Hart said he was sure that there would be another show like that in the UK. His main concern was how the audience would have changed when it happens. The Wembley crowd were so emotionally invested in everything that night. It was actually hard creating a match that the great crowd deserved.
• The interviewer noted that the British Bulldog’s son Harry Smith is doing really well in Japan at the moment. Bret agreed that Harry was a really accomplished wrestler and that he suits the Japanese style well. He was more interested in the shoot wrestling and MMA styles which are popular in Japan. He is convinced that Harry will be back in the WWE in the future.
• Bret had no idea why Harry’s first WWE run didn’t work out. The family theorised that the problem was his poor mic skills. Hart attributed this to writers not giving Harry anything to really talk about or to express confidence over.
• Bret recalled some people used to say that he was not a big draw because he was not good on the microphone. He points out that this is wrong because he was a major draw. He accepts that this did not happen until he became confident on the microphone. He added that he was given better material to talk about.
• He does not believe that Harry or Tyson Kidd got any chances to prove that they had mic skills. As a result, they got passed over for not taking advantage of opportunities that they never got.
Bret caused an internet sensation the last time that he was on the UK show. It was then when he rated Triple H career as “4 out of 10â€. He said that Triple H was one of the best workers in the industry but often failed to give his best in matches. While Triple H did have a few good performances by Bret’s own admission, he said that most of Triple H’s matches had been uninteresting. The interview was the highest viewed segment in WrestleTalk TV’s history, and helped secure a much bigger TV deal for the show.
• Bret was asked what he thought of Triple H as a booker. Bret said that he had not been around enough since Triple H came into power, so he could not answer. He does not know what Triple H is actually involved with, but does know that he is involved with a lot.
• Bret admits that the WWE needs to start developing more fresh ideas. After leaving the WWE in 1997, he has not been around to see what Triple H’s contributions have been. He does not know how creative Triple H is. Either way, Triple H and management need to come up with new ideas. Bret made it clear that he was not questioning Triple H’s ability.
• Bret believes that professional wrestling is “lacking†compared to the ‘90’s. When asked for a specific example, he mentioned the overall work rate. Bret had noticed that so many wrestlers do multiple diving attacks and major high-impact moves in one short match. Then both wrestlers get up and move on to the next spot too quickly. As a result, it made the “bone-crushing, killer†moves seem weak.
• Bret thinks that too many wrestlers are trying to cram all of their signature moves and high spots into every single match. As a result, all of their matches are beginning to look the same.
• He added that in the ‘90’s, he avoided using too many signature moves or major spots in one match. He took more time to sell the ones that he did do instead.
• Bret feels that the current style is actually limiting the incredible wrestlers that WWE has. He mentioned CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Cesaro specifically. Although, he adds that they are probably under pressure from “upper management to do the same thing every timeâ€.
• When asked if Vince McMahon would ever [voluntarily retire and] give full control to Triple H, Bret said that he did not know. He was then asked if it was in Vince’s character, but Bret still said he did not know.
• Hart agrees that Vince has to step down eventually and someone else will have to take his place. But he does not see it as Vince handing control over to Triple H. He sees it as Vince handing control over to his daughter Stephanie. While Triple H will have some control as a result, he believes that Stephanie will be the one in charge.
• From what he has seen, he believes that Triple H is focused and is doing what he can to “steer the ship†with or without “Vince’s hand on the steering wheelâ€.
• Bret knows that it is a really difficult job and it is not easy for anyone. It is easy for someone like him to criticise Triple H or John Laurinaitis because Bret does not know just how hard it is. He admits that there are things they do that he does like, but he also feels that there are times when he can interject with fresh ideas.
• Bret said that CM Punk’s departure was a huge loss to the company. He feels that Punk may look back in a few years and regret leaving when he did. He should have maybe stuck it out for 5 more years while he can still have some more great matches. That said, he believes that Punk left while he was still in good health and is proud of him.
• He said that the WWE will move on and find a new CM Punk. He believes that they already have in Bryan. There are always people on the way up looking to become the top guy. Every time a top guy leaves, a new top guy will take his place.
• Bret said that no-one is irreplaceable, except for Hulk Hogan. Hogan had such fan power in the mid-‘80’s that, if he retired or quit then, the industry could have collapsed.
• The interviewer pointed out that Bret’s father Stu would have turned 100 next year if he was still alive.
• Bret does not believe that Stu will ever get the recognition that he deserves for being a pioneer. He said that Stu “was probably responsible for starting out and teaching giving the experience to maybe 65-70% of the wrestlers†in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s.
• Bret credits Stu for developing the Calgary Stampede style that benefited the Dynamite Kid, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, British Bulldog and Bret himself. He clarified that Dynamite Kid had a rather limited British style when he came to Canada. After a short time with Stu, Kid incorporated the Canadian style into his own. He believes Stu got Kid and Owen started in Japan.
• He claimed that the "Calgary style" helped the Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs raise the bar in WWE. He claimed that their tag team matches frequently stole the show. It inspired other members of the locker room to work harder and get better reactions from crowds. Only Hogan got better reactions.
• Bret does not believe any tag team has duplicated the matches that the Hart Foundation and British Bulldogs had. He feels the same way about his matches with Owen, even though most never made it to tape. He credits all of this to the work they put in at Stu's Stampede Wrestling promotion.
• The interviewer pointed out that Hart's "4/10" interview aired just 2 hours before the 2013 Royal Rumble. Hart was the event and people backstage already knew about his comments.
• Bret does not feel that he suffered any kind of backlash for his comments. He does not believe that Triple H, Vince or WWE Management really cares what he thinks.
• Bret claimed that his earlier comments were misunderstood. He suggested that he was talking about one specific match. He witnessed Triple H and Brock Lesnar putting together their SummerSlam 2012 match. He imagined how the match would go and expected it to be uninteresting. He wanted to give the pair some ideas, but never did. The match that they put on was similar to how he pictured it. He was not impressed and rated it "4/10". He also blames himself for not giving them some ideas.
• Bret said that he respected the work of both Triple H and Lesnar and that they were both incredible performers. He added that all performers need to add something new to their matches every once in a while to avoid becoming stale.
• He refereed to a week where he faced Bam Bam Bigelow and Yokozuna on consecutive nights. He was keen to make sure that he did not have the same match with different people. He tried to keep all of his matches unique.
• He then mentioned his Iron-Man match at WrestleMania XII. He and Shawn Michaels were worried about the 20-minute mark. They felt that the fans would get bored with them swapping holds for several minutes. Pat Patterson suggested the spot in which Michaels super-kicked ring announcer Tony Chimmel. He believes that the spot added something to the match. He wanted Triple H and Lesnar to do an original spot to add something to their match too.
• He admits that Patterson's idea helped him and Michaels carry the match to the 30-minute mark. Both Hart and Michaels knew it would be easier to carry the second half of the match if they kept the first half strong. Had they lost the fans before the 30-minute mark, it would have been difficult to get the fans back into it.
• The interviewer admitted to being in the crowd and cheering for British Bulldog at Summerslam '92. He commented that the Manchester, England crowd were "80:20" behind Bulldog. Hart said it was mostly behind him, although no-one was upset that he lost to Bulldog.
• He said that his match with Bulldog was one of the best nights of his career. It was the best story that he himself wrote out, as well as the most complicated. Even Stu complimented him for putting on a great match in front of 80,000 people.
• The interviewer wondered if there would ever be another event in the UK that big with 80,000 people watching in one night. Hart said he was sure that there would be another show like that in the UK. His main concern was how the audience would have changed when it happens. The Wembley crowd were so emotionally invested in everything that night. It was actually hard creating a match that the great crowd deserved.
• The interviewer noted that the British Bulldog’s son Harry Smith is doing really well in Japan at the moment. Bret agreed that Harry was a really accomplished wrestler and that he suits the Japanese style well. He was more interested in the shoot wrestling and MMA styles which are popular in Japan. He is convinced that Harry will be back in the WWE in the future.
• Bret had no idea why Harry’s first WWE run didn’t work out. The family theorised that the problem was his poor mic skills. Hart attributed this to writers not giving Harry anything to really talk about or to express confidence over.
• Bret recalled some people used to say that he was not a big draw because he was not good on the microphone. He points out that this is wrong because he was a major draw. He accepts that this did not happen until he became confident on the microphone. He added that he was given better material to talk about.
• He does not believe that Harry or Tyson Kidd got any chances to prove that they had mic skills. As a result, they got passed over for not taking advantage of opportunities that they never got.
