Bret Hart Sounds Off On Triple H And Stephanie McMahon, Talks Brand Split And Who Should Have Been Champ In His Era

WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart has never been one to shy away from voicing his opinion on the state of professional wrestling, and things were no different as he let go on a number of topics in Part One of a brand new interview with House Money Studios’ Alfred Konuwa.

In what truly is a fantastic interview, Hart gave fans an update on his health, saying that he feels he is “on the winning side” of his recent bout with prostate cancer and has actually been back in the gym for about three weeks. Being on top of it from the start, he says, certainly helped his particular situation and feels very confident that he’s won this fight. Bret says that his stroke in 2002 actually took a bigger toll on his overall well-being, but claims that he his recovery rate from the incident was still 80 to 90 percent.

“I’m a beat up old train but I’m on the tracks.”

After discussing a few of his ventures outside the wrestling world, the conversation soon shifted to some of the recent unfortunate incidents that have affected the business. Konuwa specifically brought up the passing of Chyna, whom Hart called an “exemplary person,” and the ongoing downward spiral of Hart’s fellow Attitude Era competitor, Sunny, whom Hart pretty much avoided talking about. But he did mention plenty of people from his past, including The Undertaker, Lex Luger, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, who Bret calls “a hero to all of us.” When it comes to wrestlers who have passed, Hart says that the one that will likely affect him the most will be Roddy Piper. Bret says that Piper is one guy who really helped him get to the top of the wrestling business.

Konuwa talked of the upcoming WWE brand split and the possibility of two world champions, saying there were plenty of guys back in Hart’s era that really never got a shot at being WWE champion. When asked if a brand split would have worked back then, Bret wasn’t sure they could ever sustain one brand, but once again referenced Piper in discussing wrestlers who never held the WWE title.

“As far as champions, Roddy Piper. I always thought he should have been champion. Jake “The Snake” Roberts is a guy that could have been world champion in any league. Mr. Perfect easily could have been world champion — probably was a big setback for him to have injured his back when he did. But there’s always been a lot of great wrestlers that never got their full credit.”

As the conversation shifted to today’s WWE product and how the technical wrestlers are pushed, Hart says that there are essentially two camps in the world of professional wrestling these days. He mentions Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn as guys who just get it. Bret says that “they’re all about the wrestling and moves and techniques” and gives credit to wrestling fans that know good wrestling when they see it. But he then goes into Triple H, a former bodybuilder, and the camp that’s all about the big guys.

“If you leave him in charge long enough, he’d probably pick Batista, possibly Brock Lesnar just because of his size and his power. I’ll give Brock Lesnar credit. I think he’s a great wrestler, too. He’s a really skilled wrestler for his size, second to none. But I do think there’s a tendency by Triple H and certain members of the front office that look at the bodies. They look at Batista’s body, they look at the way Rock looks and the big money and the big matches go to the guys that have the big bodies. I don’t always think that’s right.”

He once again criticized WrestleMania 32 by saying that guys like Kevin Owens were just a blip on the show while Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H himself were all involved in main-event matches and storylines.

“They forgot about the wrestlers that pull the wagon all year long.”

When specifically asked what a future WWE product would look like with Triple H fully in charge, Hart essentially avoided the question and instead turned his focus to Vince McMahon, and not in a negative way. Bret called Vince the “biggest wrestling fan in the world” and while McMahon does sometimes favor “Hulk Hogan-type wrestlers,” he truly does want to watch a great wrestling match and be entertained. Bret says that his longtime nemesis is “irreplaceable.”

“I think someday you’ll see Vince McMahon’s brain in a big, glass jar with a bunch of wires coming out and he’ll still be calling the shots.”

Hart wasn’t quite as kind in his comments about Stephanie McMahon, as he grouped her in with some of the writers and those “who think they know so much about wrestling.”

“What does Stephanie McMahon know about wrestling?

“I don’t believe she fully understands pro wrestling the way Shane does.”

If that was only part one of the interview with Bret Hart, I can only imagine what part two will bring. Stay tuned.

[Image via WWE]