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Bret Hart On Triple H – “I Wouldn’t Put Him In The Top 1000 Great Wrestlers”

Brooks Oglesby February 3, 2013 WWE News 31 Comments

Arda Ocal sent in the following:

Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) of The Score Television Network, Baltimore Sun and Layfield Report spoke with former WWE Superstar Bret “Hitman” Hart (@BretHart) AFTER his comments about Triple H made news.

In the interview, Ocal asks what he makes of these comments gaining a large amount of attention. Hart stands his ground, even goes further with his stance:

- Gives Triple H vs. Undertaker a grade: “I said I’d give (Taker vs HHH at WrestleMania 28) a 4-out-of-10. I think that was generous.” and goes on to explain why. “I wouldn’t put him in the top 1000 great wrestlers. To me he was very mediocre.”

- Questions Triple H’s originality and contributions to pro wrestling

Also in the interview:

- Comments on his appearance at the Montreal Screwjob panel at the Royal Rumble and if he’s sick of telling that story: “Sometimes in talking about it you get a new perspective on it.”

- Says it doesn’t bother him that Shawn doesn’t really remember the incident: “It doesn’t surprise me. Shawn had his problems back then.”

- Has high praise for Alberto Del Rio and accepting his new nickname the “Canadian Del Rio”

The interview is embedded below:

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About The Author

Brooks Oglesby

Brooks Oglesby is a mild-mannered assistant for WrestlingNewsWorld.com. He spends his days playing ukulele, being the resident Daniel Bryan mark, and scouring the universe to report the best wrestling news available. He enjoys folk punk music, Nintendo, and sleeping. He is currently earning his AA in Liberal Arts, and will attend the University of South Florida next fall.

http://www.facebook.com/tbowles54 Tyler Bowles

I agree that Triple H wasn’t as a very good wrestler as (HHH) thinks he is, but he would definitely be in my top 1000. Thinks that’s a bit harsh Bret. C’mon man. HHH is at least in the top 300
The Breaker

Even if he does legitimately feel that way about Trips, there is no motivation outside of his own bitterness that he would make such strongly worded comments to the media. I’m not really a HHH fan and I do feel he is overrated by a lot of people, but I was already in strong disagreement with what he said earlier in the week. And now he’s saying HHH isn’t in the Top 1000? And his match with Undertaker was a 4 out of 10? Really? That’s something I’d expect to see on written on a message board by some troll.
http://www.facebook.com/jonmgill2493 Jon Gill

I’ll say the same thing here that I said on WNW’s facebook page: I think Bret’s major flaw here is the same as his major flaw everywhere…he doesn’t value storytelling in the ring. He’s looking at everything as a purely technical aspect and ignoring the fact that, at the most base level, pro wrestling is not a sport, it’s a form of entertainment.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/George-Waldman/100000784608019 George Waldman
  
  When you really think about it, ALL sports are a form of entertainment. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t buy tickets to watch, would we? WWE and other wrestling organizations are the only sports that have the guts to call what they do entertainment.
Dangerous Lee

Bret the Troll-Man Hart
Michael

I respect Bret always have however I disagree with what he’s saying about Paul. To say that the man who ripped his quid off the bone and still finished a match just shows the hate the Bret still holds for Hunter. I know that whoever hhh takes over fully that we won’t ever see Bret in a wwe ring again. Bret I know you still hate the game but it’s truly time to move on. Hell Paul didn’t even have power back when the screw job happened, he was still dating Chyna. If you can forgive Vince and Shawn you should also forgive Hunter. If the game in the top ten don’t know depends on who’s in the list but top fifteen at least. The Taker/Hunter matches were classics all three. Hunter had classics with Michaels, Cena, Orton, punk, lesnar, Rock, and Owen. Hunter is a future hall a famer rather he had married a McMahon or not.
Rayner Chee-bai

Go Hitman!
- Nope
  
  What did Bret do that was so innovative?
  - Sam The Man.
    
    Man the list wil be too long. Grab his DVD. Awsome wrestler,believable on the mic. He never waste a move in the ring. His match with HBK at wrestlmania is stil the best Wrestling clinic you can watch.
  - Sam The Man.
    
    Ho and as far as inovative what about modern ladder match.
  - Jimmy
    
    Bret was basically the first Extremely technical main event wrestler to really go over with the fans. In my opinion he opened doors for guys like Daniel Bryan. But i do disagree with Bret’s comments above.
Einar

HHH vs undertaker 1 was maybe a 4/10 match cause the Undertaker was sick. But is Bret forgetting that there was a second match the year after? The “end of an era” match “hell in a cell” that match was in my mind a 7/10. Better than Cena vs the Rock but second to Jerico vs Punk.
hbk forever

Triple h is a overated wrestler but not as overated as Bret think!
Vin Sidious

HHH is a good wrestler, a VERY good storyteller and, to me, one of the most-underrated promo guys in history. He will always take a backseat to Austin and Rock when it comes to mic work, but the truth is that SCSA and Rock built the majority of their promos around catch-phrases and repetitive schtick. Sure, HHH had a few catch phrases over the years, but outside of “S*ck it” none of them really caught on with the crowd and he never used them as a crutch for his promos. HHH promos tend to actually be grounded in the “reality” of wrestling continuity; like, he actually will reference things that happened years ago – in storyline – to bring perspective to a current angle. He often says things that totally make sense for someone to say if the angle were reality – I get the impression he gives a lot of thought to his promos, and delivers them effectively. He simply has “it,” all the necessary tools plus the intangibles to make a superstar. Sure, he’s not a great “technical” wrestler, but he’s good enough to work the technicians and have top notch matches. I think there’s definitiely sour grapes involved in Bret’s assessment.
John

Bret Hart is the greatest wrestler of all time so if he says Triple H isn’t in the top 1000 then who are we to argue?

I actually agree with him on the Triple H/ Undertaker match .. Some people actually gave that match 10/10 which is ridiculous !
- http://www.facebook.com/tbowles54 Tyler Bowles
  
  Sorry bud, I’d have to say, and (RIP) Chris Benoit is the best wrestler (real wrestler) of all time. Despite of what he did.
- Jimmy
  
  I’d have to say that Kurt Angle is the greatest wrestler of all time.
Benjamin

What an angry, angry old man
Jeff

Not in the top 1000? Wow thats harsh. He has never liked HHH though so its no surprise to me at least
Stephan

For starters, some of the people who are endorsing these absurd comments are missing the point. If these comments were purely “editorial” like Bret Hart is trying to dismiss them as, fine, that’s absolutely perfect. If you also thought that the Undertaker/HHH match were overrated, absolutely fine. That’s opinion.

But these aren’t just opinion comments. This is Bret, once again, trying to make himself feel better by putting down others. Anyone who has read his book or followed his comments through the years know that, at this point, he can’t help himself.

This isn’t just about HHH being an “okay worker” – Bret extends on that by saying he doesn’t think HHH has contributed any ideas in his career and, in a roundabout passive aggressive way, that his career is interchangeable with someone like Marc Mero. Anybody who views things objectively – irrespective of how much you dislike HHH – knows how absurd this is. What year do you want to pick that makes HHH stand out? His run with Evolution which resulted in two major stars being made and one of the biggest drawing matches in wrestling history at Wrestlemania 21? Being one of the main figures of the Attitude Era when leading the DX faction and his subsequent heel turn? Having one of the best years of any performer in a year that is considered to be the best year any company has had in decades (2000) winning the Wrestling Observer ‘Lou Thesz’ Award? His amazing feuds with Foley, Rock, Austin, Kurt Angle, Taker, HBK etc. etc.? Somehow remaining incredibly over for the better part of 13 years?

For my opinion, fundamentally, Bret is obviously a better wrestler. Yet, HHH has had more money drawing longevity than Hart has and – in total – between promo work and storylines, probably an overall more impressive body of work. But THAT’S a purely editorial comment. See the difference between that and what Bret says?
http://twitter.com/JR_Texx JR Texx (Michael)

Personally I liked HHH, and his match against Undertaker? In my eyes I thought it was an amazing match
http://www.facebook.com/thefettmanbobafett Miles Patrick Wisker

I agree with him, he’s just not very eloque
SoulFool

Triple H is a great worker in and out of the ring…but He is , was , and will forever be a Vince McMahon bitch and He has no shame in what He does and has done to SOOOOOOO many more talented wrestlers than He could ever possibly be !!! Once a Kliq/McMahon slave , always one !!!
- Jimmy
  
  That’s his father in law you idiot. What do you want him to do, spit in Vinces face and say ef the WWE?
  - SoulFool
    
    Nooooooo , Jimmy-Wimmy…He was ALWAYS a Whore for Vince , especially ever since the Curtain Call , when Nash/Hall signed w/ WCW and help Hogan form NWO to play politics and ruin that organization !!! Shawn escaped punishment as he was World Champion @ the time , so Triple H assumed all responsibility for correction !!! Then , Michael’s got “hurt” in a Casket Match w/ Undertaker…which many seen as karma for what He helped do to Bret !!! HHH is a WWE company bitch who will FOREVER worship the feet of his owner , Vince !!!
  - SoulFool
    
    You do your studies into the history of this crap ?!? Your ain’t even old enough to remember most of this stuff , ain’t Ya ?!?
tony putman

He isn’t really judging HHH nowadays, he was basing him on when HHH started out in the early 90′s. I think people are getting overacting a bit. The only thing he said that was a bit controversial was the grade he gave the WM match. But bret is a traditionalist and technical kind of guy. HHH and Taker’s match wasn’t technical in any way, it was all suspense and spectacle, thats why bret probably feels that way.
Mark

Triple H vs Taker a 4/10? I honestly just have to laugh at that comment. I and probably a lot of other people thought that match was excellent because it had all the good ingredients of a good wrestling match. It had drama and it had a good story throughout. Triple H isn’t the best to step in the ring but to say he isn’t in the top 100 is ridiculous. Sounds a bit like jealousy to me.
Snap

Typical IWC, whenever a name in the business voices an opinion which doesn’t paint their favourites in the most positive of lights, they immediately call them “bitter” or “jealous” or some other nonsense.

Bret is allowed his opinion, and that’s just what it is, BRET’S point of view. While we may have found Trips/Taker from WrestleMania to be a great match, it may not have been what Bret considered a great match. Hey, if we’re allowed to think so highly of it, Bret is allowed to think it of it however he feels.

The problem with us fans is we tend to overrate our favourites. As a fan of CM Punk, I will end up overrating Punk, just as a Cena fan will overrate Cena, a Triple H fan will overrate Trips and a Bret fan will overrate Bret. We all have our biases and there will be that part which doesn’t like to hear anything which clashes with that bias. So, yes, Bret is also speaking due to his bias but it’s NO different than all of the people who get on their soapbox about Punk or Cena.

I think it would be different if Bret was going out of his way to make unsolicited comments against Triple H, but there’s always somebody asking him these questions and WWE even themed the Bret/Michaels panel around the Montreal incident. WWE really needs to let it go and not define those two on an event I’m sure neither of them look back fondly on.
-|AZ|-

HHH has always been a great entertainer, both as a heel and as a face. In my view, his “Last Man Standing” match against Shawn Michaels (which ended in a draw) was one of the best matches he ever put on.

I respect Bret Hart for his contribution to the Pro-wrestling industry, but I completely disagree with his comments about Trip. Whether u love Hunter or hate him, he will always be one of the top entertainers in the industry…

-|AZ|-
vet8821

Bret Hart like all the Harts lived off their Daddies rep if not for Daddy none of them would of never made it the bunch of cry babies want to be’s.