Whether it’s CM Punk, The Rock, or anyone else. The amount of love that Bret Hart receives from the guys he impacted positively is heartwarming to see. Team Bret forever.

Nash’s best match; Bret Hart Stone Cold’s best match; Bret Hart Waltman’s best match; Bret Hart The list goes on and on. Bret’s storytelling is absolutely TIMELESS.

I'm a Bret Hart guy.

"I was recognized as being an artist and a storyteller. If Hulk Hogan was the Elvis of wrestling, I was the Robert De Niro." - Bret Hart

Bret would put his sunglasses on some kids head in the crowd before his matches sometimes. I always wanted to be that kid 😄

Love Bret Hart glad he's getting his flowers from the more serious modern day performers like FTR, Punk and Danielson.

Bret Hart made you believe it. When he came to Mumbai, I was heartbroken I couldn't go meet him as a kid because I lived so far away from that city. His seriousness towards his work was so beautiful to see.

The more time passes, the more the realisation dawns on people that Bret was the GOAT. The guy is unsurpassed, thank you gymnastic thespians for showing everyone just how good we had it with the Hitman

This is the best thing Brian Last has ever said. It’s the generations of wrestling that has derived from Hart that shows how great he was. Just further proves his catchphrase.

If you go watch Bret Hart's matches in the early 90's WWF, his work stands out among all the goofy gimmicks because it's timeless and holds up in any era.

People like Bret and Rock are what I miss most about wrestling. They lived their character, they didn't get pushed to the top, they were just so good they made it to the top. Sold everything, got the fans behind them, and whenever they spoke you listened. Hate what wrestling has become

Bret Hart IS wrestling. He was raised in it, he embodied it, and he damn near perfected it. A lot of ex wrestlers F'ed up their life (and the lives of others) in one way or another. Drug abusers, early deaths, far too much tragedy all round than should be reasonably expected in any walk of life. So when the worst thing they can say about you is that you took too much pride in your passion, in your life's work... well, that alone speaks volumes about who Bret Hart is as a man.

When I was a teenager into my early 20s I wanted to be a wrestler. My two main influences were Bret and Shawn. I think Shawn’s best work was actually after he returned in 02. Bret is incredible in that you can go back and watch old matches vs Dynamite Kid in Stampede and it still holds up. I also think that Nash and Piper had their best match with Bret.

Bret is easily the best wrestler ever from a storytelling perspective. The level of thought and detail Bret put into his matches and the nuances are unmatched. Only Foley and Misawa come close.

I honestly don’t know if I’d rather have seen Bret Hart vs Kurt Angle, or Bret Hart vs Eddie Guerrero.

I grew up with Bret and he's my number #1 wrestler ever. All he wanted to do was wrestle and perform for his fans.

Both Bret Hart and CM Punk were always right

Bret has always been in a league of his own for me. The level of believability, his technical execution, storytelling skills even mic skills in 97 were incredible. It's sad he didn't have another 10 years with WWE what other classic matches would have been born from it. He has an unrivaled highlight reel with regard to classic matches and history. Great to hear CM echo all that.

Bret was in exceptional fitness and conditioning, even in ‘99. Look at his matches with Booker T, the last one he wrested with a severe groin injury that was due for a surgery. Dude was getting out of arm locks using kip ups and functioning at Booker’s fast pace. Booker T has expressed gratitude for those matches and how excellently Bret put him over. This guy was a peak technician but could also do fast high flying moves at the calibre of people like Owen and Shawn, possibly even better than Shawn, paired with an ability to also function as a powerful wrestler as apparent from his matches with Undertaker, Vader, etc. The guy was an all-rounder and would’ve had great synergy with all-rounders like Kurt Angle just as he did with Benoit.

One thing that Bret was really good at is he would have matches where he lost but somehow came across a bigger star doing it and he would have matches where he won, like the matches with Austin, where he made the other guy look like a star. If you observe the Bret Hart WWF story from when he becomes a solo wrestler until Survivor Series 97 it is very coherent, with ups and downs, and is a great story arc for the Hitman character. He spends the last year as the bad guy but only in the eyes of the American fans and while being hated he re-unites with his estranged brother. He was hated only because he started complaining that the WWF was trying to screw him but in the end he was RIGHT! That last part was an accident but the story could not have flowed more perfectly. Bret taking things seriously was why he could have multi-year storylines like feuding with Owen, only to eventually re-unite with him, or how he and Austin could switch between heel and face during a match and yet all of it was completely in character for both of them. Criticizing a wrestler for taking wrestling seriously is like criticizing a musician for writing a good song or an author for making sure his novel all fits together correctly. If wrestling is a creative art then you should make sure you're doing it well with a high attention for detail.

Brian was right on the money here. I was always a Bret guy too and I’m glad that the pendulum has swung from “Bret is just bitter blah blah blah” to “if only more people had listened to Bret.” Same thing with Jim.

Long Live Bret "The Hitman" Hart! A true living legend and icon of Professional Wrestling.

Haven't always agreed with everything Bret says but I've mostly agree with him on his philosophy of wrestling. I really wished the Bret philosophy won out but it didn't.

Agree. Bret hart is my favorite. And in his prime he can out wrestle anybody in there prime.

Bret Is as respectable guy as It gets In wrestling He was a great role model for the kids, he was cool, he could wrestle, he was serious Imagine If Goldberg didn't give him a concussion, WCW would probably continue to book him badly before he left to go wrestle on the Indies teaching young guys before resurfacing In WWE for an actual match against shawn michaels, shawn was Incredible In 05 and those two are In the same era

Can I tell you I was along with brother and dad at 'Golden ringside ' at wrestlemania 8 and I was like the only guy in my immediate vicinity rooting for Bret Hart against Roddy Piper. I was all about the real technical wrestlers and he was the best.

Bret's my boy. He really was the real deal and in most cases, is right with most of what he says. The problem with today's wrestling is that NO ONE TAKES it seriously anymore.

Bret has the best back catalogue of quality matches out of everyone and its not even close. Some matches still hold up to this day

What a tribute to Bret Hart, both legends

That whole post Revolution interview was fantastic. I never watch those things but that Dog Collar match was so impactful I was curious what Punk was gonna say about it. Really emotional and grounding video. Glad this part got covered on the podcast.

Bret vs Perfect at Summerslam 1991 was beautiful. And his Owen tribute match vs Benoit when WCW went to Kemper was great, too.

To this day Brett Hart is still my favorite wrestler. When I was a child and getting quite bored with Hulk Hogan Hawking up and having the same ending to his matches time after time I grew quite fond of the man dressed in pink and black having these matches that were very believable. It’s a damn shame his career got short because even in his 60s with his style he could still be having matches to this day and having great quality matches. We could’ve had Bret Hart versus guys the likes of angle, punk, Daniel Bryan, Orton, styles. The list goes on!

Wrestlemania 9, 1993... The Main Event vs. Yokozuna... I was only 12 years old and had no idea about the art of wrestling. But this match was something special for me. It was different from the rest of the show. It was David versus Goliath and it flashed me. Today I know who most likely planned it that way. Thank you Bret for all the great memories and greetings from Germany.

As a fan who has been following pro wrestling off and on since the Inception of the AWA in 1961 if I had to pick one guy as the physical prototype for a professional wrestler it would be Bret Hart. He had it all!

Also, because of the grudge between Bret and Vince, Bret disappeared from WWE television for nearly a decade. His name and his legend were not kept alive by WWE during that time period, and it really hurt his legacy in the long run. Many younger fans know that HBK was a "legend," because the WWE machine told them so over and over again. But because Bret did not receive the same treatment, those same fans probably know next to nothing about him.

Damn if Brett went to smackdown right after the WCW buy and the first brand split in 2002/2003. Brett vs angle, lesnar, eddie, benoit, mysterio. Sheesh

Brett was favorite wrestler for a long time. Technically and athletically one of the best and his pedigree could was unmatched. I still watch his moves list on KZfaq and you can see how rightfully earned the moniker 'the excellence of execution' is

With Bryan Danielson and CM Punk in AEW I hope we get to see them feud again. Like Daniel Bryan said in is book. He saw him and CM Punk as the updated HBK vs Bret Hart.

I saw it as a tribute to Bret, but also a jab at Goldberg.

Amazing point on the Bret Inspired wrestler Vs HBK inspired. Never connected those dots, and now I can't unsee it.

Bret often talked about his philosophical differences in wrestling between himself and Shawn (and Flair too). The thing about Bret was he emphasized the realism for his matches. His stuff never was fancy but fundamentally sound and everything he did looked crisp. Shawn's matches weren't as believable because his offense felt light, he was mostly on defensive, bouncing around like Daffy Duck and had a lame looking kick to finish his opponents, even when they were 10x as big as him. I liked HBK on his first heel run but hated when he turned face; it felt forced and he played an insufferable prick better (probably because it wasn't too far off from his actual personality). When DX formed, it felt like a junior high school detention room where the teacher said fuck it and left. And you can see guys like the Bucks being heavily influenced from that period because they come off as smarmy just like HBK did in those days. The reason HBK's character hasn't aged well is that while he performed great, people can go back and see how immature he was. I think even acknowledges that. On the other hand, because Bret maintained a dignified personality and tried to stick to his guns as a legit type of hero for Canada (and probably international fans too), he's got a bigger legacy that he can be proud of. And here's the thing: what the WWE calls "entertainment" really is just bad comedy. Comedy never ages well because it centers around a particular moment and the punch line. Once people hear the punch line, there's no reason to hear it again. You got the joke. You move on because you know what happened. Emotion like a catharsis when an underdog beats a bigger, badder opponent, etc. is enduring. Tragedy especially is something people relate to well. And when you mix tales of emotion of tragedy or morality into wrestling, people can relate on a wider scale because those things last. Taking the MJF feud with Punk as an example, we can see MJF as a tragic character. He's someone relatable in that his values were inverted as a result of being bullied to being let down by his hero. And he needs to seek violence because his values have become distorted as a result of his world being turned upside down. And Punk had to teach MJF a lesson as will Wardlow in his comment about karma. These are things normal people can relate to which is why this form of storytelling will have a bigger impact and be more memorable than the Bucks with Adam Cole playing a Christmas song in the background with a kazoo. I can't remember a damn thing about that promo but I won't forget MJF's comments about the quarters.

Bret was the reason I got into wrestling. I do love shawn as well. In ring both show a dynamic of wrestling which is why they work so well. Once shawn left and came back. That mature shawn was a serious guy. But bret will always been the reason I love wrestling had his wcw figure in 99

This is one of the best videos in the massive catalog.

Fantastic video.

Man could you have imagined Brett Hart vs Kurt Angle in the early 00s? would have been sooo sick.

Can you not just like and appreciate both? Both Bret and Shawn were tremendous in the ring. Bret was a stand up guy, Shawn was a shithead. Bret had very little personality and Shawn has bucket loads. I love em both. The idea you have to be in a camp of only one is pathetic.

That 12 month period from August ‘91 to August ‘92 when he had all those classic matches. Perfect, Piper and Bulldog. Just phenomenal.

bret, my fav since i started to watch wrestling in the early 90s. always great to hear the praise he gets from the important people

CM Punk, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mick Foley. My Top 5 of all time (Taker, Angle and Edge as honourable mentions). I only got into William Regal last year.

tldr; I never knew this when I was a kid, but Bret Hart played a legendary wrestler, the 'Hooded Fang', on jacob two two. The writers loved Hart so much, they made him an unstoppable monster like 2001 Kane but very friendly behind-the-scenes later in an episode. Its nice how his influence in canada got him such a endearing role, it wasnt embarrassing, the show's well written. 7:14 Fang's intro and 13:41 Jacob meets the guy behind the hood. Hart was a reoccurring character too. Oh, and 18:01 is an awesome Oh shit moment. Bret has an AWESOME character in the show. Sorry, I'm just being nostalgic. Excuse my long-winded comment but this show had great memories. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/md5dgJpoqsjPeKM.html

Absolutely love the thumbnail.❤️

As a 39 year old I grew up thinking bret was the best, then Shawn, then realized bret was actually the best. Bret hart is the time capsule professional wrestler.

Don’t care what anyone says, can’t discredit his in-ring ability and mind for the art form that is pro wrestling. One of the greatest

I loved this conversation. Everything said was 💯 as always. I absolutely loved Bret Hart. I hope I get to meet him one day. I hate what happened to his career, but at least he is happy now.

It’s not just a slogan. He truly is “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.”

Figures an egomaniac looks up to an egomaniac.

I'm just glad that no wrestler today looks back and say Triple H and HBK were the greatest of all time. Nor are their influence anywhere today. They'll die out, but Bret Hart's legacy and impact will live forever. He won in the end. Thank you, Punk.

Bret is amazing. I recall him looking out for the Rock and elevating Stone Cold before he left WWE.

With all due respect, what the Cucka Manga kids do today is NOT Shawn Michaels style.

Bret was an amazing wrestler and did so much behind the scenes and helped youngsters develop. He is a legend without a shadow of doubt. So many “what ifs” he never went to WCW and stayed in WWF. Heartbreaking what happened to him when he went WCW and they wasted and missed used him.

Bret was the last guy that took being the champ seriously.

Also the rock was a big fan and A tremendous amount of respect for Bret Hart! Stone cold respected Him also

Fockin' Legend! Best there is, best there was, best there ever will be.

I was a Bret Hart guy and Punk guy now so great hearing him give those comments

I ain't a CM Punk fan but I totally agree with him on Bret. The man had it all and is easily one of the best to ever do it💯💖👊🏾🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

I've never been a fan of The Hitman but I couldn't deny him if I wanted. Arguably the goat

That is such a beautiful sentiment. When it comes to having one's head on straight in this business, CM Punk is the gold standard.

I watch a channel called wrestling bios who is doing a reliving the war series (Really good for anyone who grew up watching WWF vs WCW) and does PVP and wrestler bios as well. One thing it has made me realise is just how much the loss of both Bret and Owen were to wrestling in general.

I loved shawn and Bret...i liked hbk more overall but I most definitely appreciated bret for what he did and how great he was.

Bret Hart is the greatest ever. Much more love and respect to CM Punk for what he said. It was the truth. Bret Hart always tells the truth.

That was a nice tribute to "The Hit Man" by not only Punk--but, you two as well!!! I remember when I first saw Bret in a WWF ring on the old "Prime Time Wrestling" show on the USA network. It was an opening match from a house show. He wasn't even "The Hit Man", yet. I knew he had "IT"--as did probably everyone else on the planet lol!!! Years later, we all saw his face turn at the Royal Rumble--which I, to this day, STILL think was one of the best turns in wrestling history at the time!!! He could tell a story inside/outside the ring like no other wrestler. I don't think he gets enough credit for that.

I love how more and more people realize how right Bret was. How much he wanted to keep wrestling in a golden light and was always so disappointed with the downward spiral. #teamhitman Kevin Nash said something about needing to win a match, I saw a clip recently and Bret didn't agree or something and he said Undertaker intervened to tell Bret it wasn't always about him...anyone know any more about that? I don't know how true that is... I recall watching a Kevin Nash v. Hitman match...and halfway thru I thought...man if the hitman wasn't wrestling him. I wouldn't even be watching this boring a** wrestler. Bret literally elevates any match.

If Hogan could go to Saudi Arabia, so could Bret if he was still in better physical health. Bret's been through a ton besides just aging.

One of the most underrated elements of Bret's repetioire was his punches. If you go back and watch the way he threw those punches, it looks like he's absolutely hammering the other guy when, in reality, he was barely touching him. That's the element of realism he brought to his matches.

Smarks on part-timers iconic in the mainstream: "why can't these old guys just retire like they should've done 20 years ago?" Smarks on retired smark darlings: "if only he could've wrestled 20 more years!"

My favourite artwork so far! 🖼 😂

I grew up in Alberta and Stampede was my first exposure to wrestling. I was actually all about Owen, Benoit, and the Bulldogs but you can't argue Bret was great and went on to have the most successful career. Shame how it ended. Hopefully he gets some satisfaction out of knowing he was influential and respected. It's not like he's penniless in an alley so maybe he lost out on money but he never seemed like he'd be the kind of guy where the money would be his biggest regret.

Punk is the generational version of Bret Hart. He will still be talking about how he wants to stick it to WWE when he's 65. Unfortunately for him, WWE owns a lot of the footage of him in the most relevant moments of his career.

The best there is, was, or ever will be ❤

I was a young kid and loved the Hart Foundation. But... When he first got the IC title. It was awesome.

Of course Bret took the business seriously, he's a "Hart" it's in his blood 🩸Bret represents one of the all time Pro Wrestling families 💪

Best there is, Best there was, Best there ever will be, *Best in the world xxx*

Bret Hart was the reason why I love wrestling the first wrestling match I saw to become a fan was Bret Hart Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin WM 13 when I was 4 years old and I've become a fan of both legends

I believe a lot of wrestling super stars had their best match with Bret. Roddy Piper, Steve Austin, British Bulldog … and I’m sure there are a lot more

Bret made you believe in the work with all emotion invested; he was versatile and efficient -- very contrary to the constant spot performer. So happy that workers like Punk are back to help the younger generation, that is if they're willing to listen and learn.

Wow. "The heartbreak kid". I just now got it. Duh....

My favorite era was NWA in the 80’s. Flair,Dusty,Nikita,RocknRoll,Midnight Express, Magnum TA, Arn & Tully. I liked Stone Cold/Undertaker era in late 90’s early 2000’s but my all time fave is NWA in the 80’s

Bret kept things grounded in some level of realism. I love Sean Michaels as an athlete, and he helped change wrestling forever. However at the end of the day none of us would ever do backflips or constant dives off the ropes if we really were wrestling and in a legitimate fight. No, you'd try to fight like Bret and develop a strategy. That said I've give anything in Michael's disciples had a fraction of the logic he did, HBK at least was capable of more than just flips.

I think it's unfair and painfully simplistic to bog Shawn Michaels down to his worst traits in the 90s and say that that influenced all the geekiness we see now in wrestling. Compare Shawn's attitude and fundamentals to the people of today and he he seems like a drill sergeant. Plus, his greatest body of work came in the 2000s when he had countless blood feuds that were as serious as anything Bret ever did. A literal decade of fantastic work in and outside the ring. Because Jim has virtually ignored the last 20 years of HBK, he's always attributing him from 97 to things today like it's the same person. And it isn't.

Life is better when you have choices. Getting kicked in your head sure can limit those choices.

My all-time-favourite will probably always be Bret Hart, but I am a tremendous fan of Punk too. To see one show the other such love warms my heart.

Bret Hart's selling was like no other. When I was a kid I used think he was dead after that turnbuckle bump he used to do where he went into it front ways.

Bret is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. For me he was too serious and lacked the ability to have fun so he wasn't very versatile. Kurt Angle is also one of the greatest wrestlers of all time but he knew how to be serious and comedic so he was much more well rounded and versatile than Bret. Would've been a great match between the two.

CM punk is total class and as straight up as they come. Awesome comments about the Hitman for sure!! You rule Punk!!🤘🤘🤘🤘

Wow very strong words......more reasons yet to love CM Punk.

When I was growing up, my two favorite wrestlers were Bret and Shawn. I felt that both were fantastic at story telling but just did it in two different ways. I really wish that the people that idolized Michaels that ended up in the industry studied his story-telling ability rather than the moveset. They are the same people that will like a great action movie like Die Hard solely because Bruce Willis had bloody feet and said "mother fucker". People like the Bucks are not particularly smart.

Despite Bret's grudges his respect in the business cannot be denied

Bret is the best pro wrestling has ever had…as an in ring worker, as a performer, and more importantly as a man…Bret and Undertaker…the absolute best

Bret was my favorite growing up during the 90's, there was simply something about him that was magnetic as a child. Saturday afternoon WWF followed by monster trucks were the absolute fucking best LOL #thegoodoledays

Great commentary. Jim’s right, Bret made me want to be a pro wrestler. His skill made me believe that it was real & something I could do with hard work. I’m a Bret & Jim guy!