Bret Hart is without a doubt one of the best wrestlers to ever step foot inside a wrestling ring. He had great technical wrestling skills, and had many iconic matches. Bret had the ability to bring the best out of his opponents. He truly embodied his catchphrase, “The Best There Is, The Best There Was and The Best There Ever Will Be”.
While The Hitman gets praise from most wrestling fans, some fans also have different opinions about him. Reddit is a popular platform to discuss wrestling, where fans present their opinions on different wrestlers. Here are some unpopular opinions fans have about Bret Hart on Reddit.
10 He Was Not A Good Main Eventer
A User Thinks He Was A Great Midcarder, But Not Suited For The Main Event
- Bret Hart Became A WWE Main Eventer In Late 1992
- He Was The Face Of WWE During The New Generation Era
- He Was Brought In To WCW As A Main Eventer Too
Bret Hart started off in WWE as a tag team wrestler alongside Jim Neidhart, and spent years in the tag team division. It was towards the end of 1992 when Bret finally got a main event push, when he defeated Ric Flair to become the new WWE Champion. He spent most of his career as a main eventer after that.
However, u/jr_xo thinks that he was only a great mid-carder, and not a main-eventer. The user also used the fact that WWE only skyrocketed after Bret and Shawn left to his advantage. While it is true that WWE was struggling when Bret was on top, there were several other factors which contributed to the downfall, and Bret can’t be blamed. He was a pretty good main eventer, and had great matches against everyone he faced.
9 He Was Boring
A User Thinks He Was Boring Both In The Ring And On The Mic
- The Word Boring Has Been Associated With Bret By Some Fans
- His Microphone Skills Are Often Criticized
- His Wrestling Skills Are Unmatched
There is no doubt that Bret Hart was an extremely skilled wrestler. Fans always looked forward to his matches, and Bret rarely disappointed in the ring. He was a master of technical wrestling, and his brand of wrestling was based on psychology.
u/TSwan98 made a post writing that Bret Hart is boring, both in the ring and on the microphone. While this is not the first time he has been called boring on the mic, the opinion of him being boring in the ring is very unpopular. Bret had the best match of the night more often than not during his prime, and his skills on display were extremely fun to watch.
8 He Had Great Mic Skills
A User Thinks Bret Hart Cut Some Good Promos
- People Don’t Like Bret Hart’s Promos
- The Popular Opinion Is That Bret Was Not Charismatic
- He Is Mostly Only Praised For His In-Ring Work
As talked about in the previous entry, Bret Hart is often criticized for his promo work. While fans always praised his wrestling skills, they thought that Bret lacked in the promo department. His promos were often called bland and boring.
u/sonic_spark thinks differently though, as he believed Bret was great on the mic. He cited the example of his famous “Bull***t” promo he cut out of frustration. Bret might not be great on the microphone, but he was certainly not bad either. He had many great promos during his career, and his promo work as a heel was top-notch.
7 He Deserved The Montreal Screwjob
A User Claims That Bret Deserved To Be Screwed And Wasn’t As Big As He Thought
- The Montreal Screwjob Was A Very Controversial Incident
- Fans Are Often Divided On This Subject
- Bret Gets Much More Support In General
The Montreal Screwjob is a well-known controversial incident. It happened in 1997, when Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart out of his WWE Title in his own country of Canada. It is a never-ending debate on who was right during the incident, but fans often sympathize with Bret.
u/ChocolateColumbo104 has a different opinion though, as he claims that Bret deserved the screwjob, and he wasn’t as big as he thought about himself. No wrestler deserves a screwjob like that, and Bret definitely didn’t deserve one. He carried the WWE during the New Generation Era alongside Shawn Michaels, and was quite a big wrestler at the time.
6 The Screwjob Benefited WWE
A User Claims That The Screwjob Helped WWE More Than Keeping Bret Would Have
- WWE’s Business Was Struggling Before The Screwjob
- The Attitude Era Was Introduced Properly After The Screwjob
- The Rise In WWE’s Popularity Had Nothing To Do With Bret’s Departure
Another opinion related to the Montreal Screwjob. Before the Screwjob, WWE was struggling with its finances, and WCW was getting better ratings than WWE. WWE was going through a transition phase, and ushered into the Attitude Era after the Screwjob.
u/chefpatrick believes that the Screwjob did more for WWE than keeping Bret would have. While it is true that WWE gained huge popularity after the Screwjob, it was because of the Attitude Era and the rise of Steve Austin. Bret was an important part of the WWE roster, and keeping him would have been beneficial for WWE.
5 He Wasn’t A Good WWE Champion
A User Thinks Bret Was A Bad WWE Champion
- Bret Won The WWE Title For The First Time In 1992
- He Won The Title 5 Times During His Career
- He Was A Great Champion
Bret Hart won the WWE Title towards the end of 1992, and began his main event journey. He would win the WWE Title 5 times during his career, from 1992 to 1997. He held the title in a fantastic way, and had great matches and feuds as part of his reigns, making him a great champion.
While most fans consider Bret to be a great WWE Champion, u/No-Complaint8700 thinks otherwise. In a thread with the question, “Who was the worse WWE Champion between Diesel and Yokozuna”, this user commented the name of Bret Hart. Further, he explained that Bret’s title reign was the reason he jumped ship to WCW. The opinion is unpopular for a reason, as Bret was arguably among the best WWE Champions the company ever had.
4 He Only Had One Good Year In His Career
A User Believes 1997 Was The Only Good Year Of Bret Hart’s Career
- He Was Very Consistent During His Career
- He Had Many Good Years
- His Career Dipped Only When He Joined WCW
Despite an early retirement, Bret Hart had a pretty long wrestling career. For the most part of his career, he was very consistent. He had several good years during his career, and was among the best parts of WWE during the New Generation Era.
However, u/chorch51 thinks that the only good year Bret had as a complete act was in 1997. While 1997 was definitely among Bret’s best years, it was not the only one. In fact, it’s debatable that he was even better in 1994. It was only in WCW after 1997, when Bret had disappointing years.
3 Owen Hart Was Better Than Bret
A User Considers Owen As The Better Hart
- Bret & Owen Were Both Tag Team Partners And Rivals
- Both Men Were Extremely Talented
- Bret Is Considered Better In General
Owen Hart was the younger brother of Bret, and he was an extremely talented wrestler, just like Bret. The two men were initially tag team partners, but became rivals in 1994. The two had great chemistry, and had some great matches against each other. Comparisons between the two brothers are often made, and Bret is generally considered to be better.
However, some people like u/No_Winner3289 also consider Owen to be better. This user claims that Owen was more charismatic and had better character work than Bret. It is quite difficult to say Owen was better, as his career was cut short. He was surely talented, but claiming that he was better than Bret is quite a bold statement to make.
2 His Iron Man Match With Shawn Michaels Is Overrated
A User Thinks It Was Boring & Overrated
- Bret Hart And Shawn Michaels Faced Each Other At WrestleMania 12 For The WWE Title
- It Was A 60-Minute Iron Man Match
- It Is Considered To Be A Great Match
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were two of the best wrestlers of their time, and even of all time. Thus, it was a treat to watch whenever they faced each other. Their WWE Title match at WrestleMania 12 was perhaps their best match against each other.
It was a 60-Minute Iron Man match, and it was a spectacular match. But the match might not be for everyone, and u/Kboyyy95 thinks it’s overrated. According to this user, the match featured too many holds, which made it boring. While the match might not have a lot of replay value due to its length, it is a great match for the first match, and far from being overrated.
1 He Would Not Have Fit In The WWE Attitude Era
According To A User, Bret’s Style Wouldn’t Have Worked In The Attitude Era
- Bret Hart In The Attitude Era Is a Big ”What If”
- His Style Would’ve Been Interesting To See In That Era
- He Would’ve Taken A Backseat
As stated before, Bret left WWE in 1997 to join WCW. While the Attitude Era was already in effect before Bret’s departure, it came to proper fruition in 1998. Thus, it’s fair to say that Bret missed being a part of the Attitude Era. It is a huge ”what if”, and fans often talk about how Bret would’ve fared in the controversial Era.
Most people believe Bret would’ve adopted well, and his heel work as part of The Hart Foundation in 1997 was an example. According to u/Modano9009 though, Bret’s style wouldn’t work in the Attitude Era. While Bret would certainly have taken a backseat in order for guys like Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and Undertaker, he certainly would have fit in the era and could’ve continued his great heel run from 1997.