Hitman appreciation thread.

[The MAC]

Most of the time the comments about Bret Hart are about his frank/salty comments regarding the business but he knows it better than anyone in the IWC.

I think its time we looked back at just a little of his career :


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[Bad News Gertner]

The epitome of vanilla midget.

[Destor]

I really appreciate how he was salty for 30 years without taking a single day off

[DAMN iNATOR]

Sorry but I do not give any of the fucks about Wet Shitman Shart.

[Maluco]

Hate how salty he became about everything. He had a lot of loss and bitterness in his family, but so have a lot of people and he just seemed to take everything so personally.

That being said, best story teller in the business for me. I though he was fantastic and the skills that he had are what is sorely missing today

[Jordan]

the skills that he had are what is sorely missing today

Exactly! What a great montage video there, really fitting song too, I've never herd it before. Bret may annoy me now but truly had a way about him in the ring that nobody has today.

[Destor]

Queen is my favorite band but Hitman is the bottom of their barrel

[Gerard]

Hard time believing the second last "bonus" clip wasn't a botch. :lol:

[KIRA]

What is Bret Harts appeal? He is the C-Span of wrestling

He is very good in the ring but good god is he bland.

His anti American heel turn was the best thing he ever did in the WWE period.

They say wrestlers are themselves just turned way up what does it say about Bret that he is at his absolute best when he's bitching and whining?

[RP]

He was a great poster. I miss him

[Shisen Kopf]

Bret Hart is an all-time great and those that don't like him are morons

[Black Widow]

He is very good in the ring but good god is he bland.
You just described 95% of the roster.

[KIRA]

You just described 95% of the roster.

I did :nono:

But atleast they can say the writing is burning garbage.

Bret Hart was born a human sleeping pill.

[Black Widow]

I did :nono:

But atleast they can say the writing is burning garbage.

Bret Hart was born a human sleeping pill.Yet Miz,Joe,Alexa do fine.

[KIRA]

Yet Miz,Joe,Alexa do fine.

Joe knows how to be intense not great but he gets his point across he talks exactly like he looks if that makes sense.

I think Miz has more freedom than most.

Alexa is really good off the cuff and getting better and better (her post chamber promo was next level.)We've seen what happens when shes given shit to work with though.

[Tom Guycott]

When The Hitman comes, he knows damn well he has been cheated.

[The MAC]

Not everybody enjoys the blood vessel popping promos of hogan or flair. Hart was understated and realistic. He told you he was gonna out wrestle you - and he did.

If you enjoy old-school wrestling where they were trying to make it appear somewhat real then Bret Hart was in a class of his own when it came to selling pain, making a comeback , and working a crisp, snug style.

Bret Hart is the antithesis of the modern era with its ridiculous moves and lack of psychology.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

The only good Hitman is Agent 47.

[Bad News Gertner]

Yeah, this Hitman is a giant borefest. No wonder the company skyrocketed after he left.

[KIRA]

Not everybody enjoys the blood vessel popping promos of hogan or flair. Hart was understated and realistic. He told you he was gonna out wrestle you - and he did.

If you enjoy old-school wrestling where they were trying to make it appear somewhat real then Bret Hart was in a class of his own when it came to selling pain, making a comeback , and working a crisp, snug style.

Bret Hart is the antithesis of the modern era with its ridiculous moves and lack of psychology.

Oh don't Daniel Bryan's promos are matter of fact and not boring

Roode vs Orton was slow and methodical last night and not boring. Bret Hart is just boring

[Lock Jaw]

I did :nono:

But atleast they can say the writing is burning garbage.

Bret Hart was born a human sleeping pill.

He'll put you to sleep, throw you on his shoulders, carry you upstairs, and ravage your body.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Shutup Kira. Bret was fucking awesome, dawg.

[Sepholio]

I always found him bland and boring.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Shutup Seph. Bret was fucking awesome, dawg.

[Destor]

i like his work but he's a cry baby bitch

[Jordan]

Bret is the best because there is a part of him that thinks wrestling is real, he would get upset if he had to lose. He cared. He was a mark for The Hitman. And now it's annoying sure, but in the day before podcasts and shoot interviews, he was a threat to anybody.

[Curtis]

I always like Bret and he was one of my fav stars as a kid. I also remember being one of the only people at school who liked Bret over HBK even though retrospectively, HBK was better altogether.


While Bret's career was cut short by his injury and I think he could've done some great work in the WWE post WCW, I still don't think he would've come close to HBK.


I think Bret missed his chance at turning the montreal screwjob into his favor. He could've turned around to overcome it and become an even bigger star, but he got stuck on it and is forever associated as being "the guy who was salty for decades after a questionable screwjob".


To his benefit, I loved Bret back in the early 90s and his WCW work as well, even though I think WCW sucked at the way they used him, per their modus operandi.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Shutup Destor. Bret was fucking awesome, dawg.

[KIRA]

Bret is the best because there is a part of him that thinks wrestling is real, .

Nash said something to that effect when asked about a program concerning himself Bret and Taker.
Bret was having a moan and Taker ended up telling him not everything is about him.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

except Nash even conceded that Bret was fucking awesome and was so legit he had no problem letting a guy Bret's size give him a back breaker.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Bret's in my top three of all time with Kurt Angle and HBK.

[Emperor Smeat]

Bret Hart was great although his biggest flaw is taking things way too personal to the point of coming off as a big complainer or holding a grudge for the sake of it at times.

Him being the perfect balance to HBK during their time together as top stars in the WWE was also really important looking back. WWE would have been in a lot worse shape with just HBK as the top star considering his problems at the time and not having the bridge needed for Austin's top stardom rise.

[EIWF]

A very good in ring performer. On the mic i preferred him as a heel to a face.

Who are you to doubt El Dandy, this guy is a serious professional.

[KIRA]

except Nash even conceded that Bret was fucking awesome and was so legit he had no problem letting a guy Bret's size give him a back breaker.

I'm not saying he isn't good at wrestling he is really fucking good its just boring

I'm just saying Owen was better all around

[Lock Jaw]

Bret one of my fav of all time

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I'm just saying Owen was better all around

except he wasn't. lazy internet narrative.

[Luigi]

Bret is the best because there is a part of him that thinks wrestling is real, he would get upset if he had to lose.

This is quite false and demonstrates to me that you clearly do not understand Bret Hart....with all due respect. Bret was the ultimate team player and was always willing to do the job for other wrestlers provided that two conditions were met.

1) It was best for business
2) The wrestler receiving the favour would be more than willing to return the favour, and that there was mutual respect for both themselves and for the business.

I hate to use strong language here but I find your post to be quite irresponsible in the way that you have presented your "facts."

[Luigi]

Bret did a tremendous job of carrying the WWE during it's "dry period." Bret was a major reason why the WWE kept afloat post Hogan departure. Bret also played a large role in helping Austin get over. In many ways, mid 1990's Bret was similar to John Cena from 2005-2013 (team player, respect of his peers, helping to keep the company afloat during its down period).

[Tom Guycott]

I'm not saying he isn't good at wrestling he is really fucking good its just boring

I'm just saying Owen was better all around

except he wasn't. lazy internet narrative.

Not neccessarily.

While there may be an element of being deified by the IWC post mortem, even Bret has admitted that Owen was actually better than he was - I think the term he had used was "frustratingly better" - but as far as Bret took wrestling overall as SRS F*CK1NG BZNS!!1!, Owen was pretty much the opposite.

The insinuation being that if Owen took the profession even as half as seriously as The Hitman did, he'd be considered one of the greatest of all time; it just wasn't that important to Owen that he go out and prove it as it was to Bret.

[KIRA]

except he wasn't. lazy internet narrative.

Except even Bret Hart says he was and it drove him nuts because unlike him Owen didnt take it so seriously.

[EIWF]

I was a big fan of Bret, it was a shame at the end of his career he seem to be come bitter. He bashes WCW a lot, we know they didnt use him anywhere near his full potential. But initially he thanked WCW and Eric for how they treated him during the time of Owen's death.

He should concentrate more on the positives then the negatives from his past.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Except even Bret Hart says he was and it drove him nuts because unlike him Owen didnt take it so seriously.

and that's why Bret was better. Owen was the superior athlete, which is particularly on display in his japanese junior heavyweight matches, but Bret's overall body of work is superior. He just did far more meaningful and memorable stuff.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I also don't think people realize Bret at this point in his life is pretty happy. I just think he's a natural antagonist/cynic and likes to piss people off/stir the pot. Most of his old grudges have been put to rest (the one with Flair comes to mind).

[Blue Demon]

Bret Hart is an all-time great and those that don't like him are morons

YES....Bret could have a great match with a broom. His Achilles heel, more so in his earlier days, was his mic work.

[Destor]

This is quite false and demonstrates to me that you clearly do not understand Bret Hart....with all due respect. Bret was the ultimate team player and was always willing to do the job for other wrestlers provided that two conditions were met.

1) It was best for business
2) The wrestler receiving the favour would be more than willing to return the favour, and that there was mutual respect for both themselves and for the business.

I hate to use strong language here but I find your post to be quite irresponsible in the way that you have presented your "facts."
This just isnt true lol

[KIRA]

and that's why Bret was better. Owen was the superior athlete, which is particularly on display in his japanese junior heavyweight matches, but Bret's overall body of work is superior. He just did far more meaningful and memorable stuff.

I'm not taking the fact that he was great in the ring away from him the problem is he is...mechanical

One can be too focused on excellent execution.

and as a result he was an insomniacs dream

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I mean not everyone has a perfect resume but most of Bret's matches were pretty fucking exciting.

[Bad News Gertner]

They were solid 6/10

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

perfect 5/7

[Mr. Nerfect]

Never got Bret Hart in my early years as a fan. I could see the "bland" arguments. I liked things going "faster" and was in my full indy geek phase. Recently I went back and re-watched stuff I didn't have the patience for years ago.

Good fucking god is Bret Hart good. Watching him back, I prefer him in the ring to Shawn Michaels. The stories he tells are so organic. He's always so present in the work he does, and it highlights how incomplete most guys in the ring are today. And just how much psychology has been de-emphasized.

For some easy watching, go back and watch his match against the 1-2-3 Kid from Raw. The way he sells Waltman as a credible opponent is brilliant. It's far from the best Bret Hart match, don't get me wrong, but for people looking to bite on that haven't, because like me they felt the need to be a hipster when they started watching.

I haven't bothered thinking about wrestling recently, because the current stuff is just not engaging at all -- but the other day I caught myself thinking about just how good Bret Hart is.

[Mr. Nerfect]

and that's why Bret was better. Owen was the superior athlete, which is particularly on display in his japanese junior heavyweight matches, but Bret's overall body of work is superior. He just did far more meaningful and memorable stuff.

Was Owen a better athlete though? I honestly don't know. I used to see Owen's stuff and go "Whoa, that's exciting -- he's more exciting than Bret," but I've come to learn that just because you don't do something doesn't mean you can't. Owen Hart would often try to be sensational -- like a Buzzfeed article -- whereas Bret would pack things together really well -- like a peer-reviewed science journal article.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

They had different styles. Owen was far more charismatic in my opinion. Bret was my favorite growing up as a kid. I started watching right after Hulk left. So I latched on to Bret. I see where the bland comes in. But to me the gimmick was consummate professional who's really fucking good. He was like Benoit but a little better on the mic. Also a natural babyface to me. The anti American heel turn was great, but I've always loved babyface Bret Hart.

[Luigi]

This just isnt true lol

My 25+ years of extensively following wrestling, combined with me watching numerous interviews with Bret’s peers, leads me to believe that my comments are in fact true. The only people that ever had bad things to say about Bret were wrestlers that were lockerroom cancers themselves (Scott Hall).

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Was Owen a better athlete though? I honestly don't know. I used to see Owen's stuff and go "Whoa, that's exciting -- he's more exciting than Bret," but I've come to learn that just because you don't do something doesn't mean you can't. Owen Hart would often try to be sensational -- like a Buzzfeed article -- whereas Bret would pack things together really well -- like a peer-reviewed science journal article.

Bret wasn't quite as smooth as Owen, nor was he as fast. In saying that, he was still the superior worker of the two, because he did what he did amazingly, with perfect timing, and told better stories.

He's not flawless by any means, but the shit he gets on this site just shows a lot of people hold his "bitterness" against him, and haven't actually bother watching much of his stuff.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

My 25+ years of extensively following wrestling, combined with me watching numerous interviews with Bret’s peers, leads me to believe that my comments are in fact true. The only people that ever had bad things to say about Bret were wrestlers that were lockerroom cancers themselves (Scott Hall).

You do realize a lot of his here are around the same age and thus have been watching for 15 years or more right?

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

You do realize Luigi is a sock? :p

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Leave me alone Dale. I need an outlet to pour my energy into when Droford isn't being an idiot

[Bad News Gertner]

He's not a sock

[Mr. Nerfect]

Bret wasn't quite as smooth as Owen, nor was he as fast. In saying that, he was still the superior worker of the two, because he did what he did amazingly, with perfect timing, and told better stories.

He's not flawless by any means, but the shit he gets on this site just shows a lot of people hold his "bitterness" against him, and haven't actually bother watching much of his stuff.

Is it genuine shit? I've always interpreted it as a bit of a joke to bash him and just promote "HBM" as the greatest of all-time. I agree with your assessment of Bret, I guess. I dunno, I just think Bret is a fucking genius now. Owen was very good and "fun," but it's like saying that Thor Ragnarok is a better movie than Citizen Kane. I agree that Thor is more colorful and such, but that doesn't mean that Citizen Kane couldn't have been. Okay, that analogy makes no sense. Throw in something about directors and choices to complete it on your own.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Nah I get what you're saying about owen vs bret and I agree 100p

[Mr. Nerfect]

I just like to think Bret could do backflips if he wanted to.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I think I'm about to binge on some Hitman matches right now.

[Mr. Nerfect]

:y: Let me know if you find any hidden gems.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

If you haven't seen bret and owen vs the steiner brothers from janurary 1994, see it.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

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[KIRA]

All that said I really did like heel Bret Hart that same matter of factness he has in his promo style was used against American fans to tell them the goddamn truth and they hated him for it but I loved it.He got me to wanna go to Canada.

I'll also say this he could be incredibly vicious

[Mr. Nerfect]

If you haven't seen bret and owen vs the steiner brothers from janurary 1994, see it.

Will do when I get a chance. :y:

The Steiners, ironically, are a team I've gone back and started watching more of in order to get a better handle on their stuff.

[Mr. Nerfect]

All that said I really did like heel Bret Hart that same matter of factness he has in his promo style was used against American fans to tell them the goddamn truth and they hated him for it but I loved it.He got me to wanna go to Canada.

I'll also say this he could be incredibly vicious

It was the perfect heel performance for the time.