10 Best Quotes Of Bret Hart's Career
A five-time WWE Champion, two-time WCW World Champion, and WWE Hall of Famer, Bret “The Hitman” Hart’s accomplishments make a strong case for his catchphrase, “The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be,” to be true. Despite all that, there are some fans that criticize his ability to work a microphone and cut promos.
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While he likely wouldn’t rank among the all-time greats in terms of promos, he’s had some really great, spirited ones over the course of his career. But rather than talk promos, let’s talk quotes, because Bret Hart has delivered some really choice lines in his 22-year-long career.
10 Frustrated
The 3/17/1997 edition of Monday Night Raw was the go-home show for WrestleMania 13, and on that night Bret Hart failed to capture the WWE Championship from Sid Vicious in a cage match. In a post-match interview, Vince McMahon asked if he was frustrated, causing the Hitman to shove Vince to the mat and bellow, “Frustrated isn't the goddamn word for it! This is bulls--t!”
The foul-mouthed tirade aired unbleeped due to a lack of a delay, and Hart cut a great angry promo that showed a consternated babyface, en route to a heel turn, which would be finalized days later in the classic submission match against Steve Austin.
9 The Steel Plate
While it’s common to write off Bret Hart’s WCW run as largely a failure due to booking decisions and missed opportunities, The Hitman had some great moments in the company.
In 1999, Hart was feuding with Goldberg, and a March 1999 episode of Nitro found Bret singing “O Canada” in front of a Toronto Crowd before calling out Goldberg. Hart’s opponent came out for the attack, but crumpled to the floor after attempting a spear. That’s when Bret Hart pulled up his hockey jersey to reveal he was wearing a steel plate under it, and uttered the following words: “Hey Bischoff -- and the WCW -- I QUIT.”
8 Barnyard Overtones
Bret Hart famously got superkicked out of his wheelchair at the end of the 5/12/1997 episode of Raw, but he started the show cutting a promo as well. Now a fully fledged heel following WrestleMania 13, The Hitman trashed his opponent, proclaiming him to be nothing more than a bunch of “Texas cliches with barnyard overtones.”
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It’s such bizarre, hilarious phrasing, especially for something coming from a pro wrestler, but it’s way more memorable than the umpteenth variation on “It’s not going to be a wrestling match, it’s going to be a fight.”
7 The Worst Groin Pull
In Bret Hart’s infamous WCW promo where he put over El Dandy for no reason (see below), the Hitman eventually turned his attention to Dean Malenko, who was at home with an injury that Hart dismissively regarded as a bogus one.
That’s when Bret Hart decided to talk up his own injury, a pulled groin. What followed was the most ridiculously hyperbolic thing Hart could say, “This is a groin pull, the likes you've never seen in your whole life.”
6 Forming The Hart Foundation
On the 3/31/1997 episode of Raw, Bret Hart formed his Hart Foundation stable on screen by way of delivering an impassioned promo to British Bulldog and Owen Hart in order to convince them to join up with him. His big argument was that America and WWE thrive on conflict by turning people against one another.
His most emotional plea was to Owen, talking about how they grew up together, and then said, “There were only two people in the family who really excelled in wrestling, that was you and me -- and they turned us against each other.”
5 Savage’s Legs
One of the big matchups going into WCW’s Slamboree 1998 was between Bret Hart and Randy Savage, which was their first televised singles match since an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event in 1987.
Referencing an encounter from a few weeks earlier when he put Macho Man in a Sharpshooter, Hart delivered a pretty great line when he said, “I had you in the middle of the ring and the first thing that snapped was your courage! The second thing that snapped was your little pencil legs.”
4 Very, Very Pro-Canadian
While Bret Hart’s 1997 heel run had him working as an anti-American heel, he was ridiculously popular in Canada, where people are so loyal to The Hitman that they’re still salty about the Montreal Screwjob.
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On a July episode of Raw, he cut a promo discussing the America/Canada divide, saying that people kept telling him, “America -- love it or leave it,” and that he was looking forward to “lovin’ leaving it,” which got huge cheers. That was pretty good, but then he dropped an even better line, “I’m not so much anti-American as I’m just very, very pro-Canadian.”
3 Enema Of The State
Bret Hart becoming very, very pro-Canadian in 1997 meant trashing the American towns he visited in WWE, leading to one of his more infamous slams. Cutting a promo in Pittsburgh, PA, Hart said that if America ever needed an enema, they would have to put the hose in Pittsburgh.
It’s a great -- if crude -- line, and reportedly Hart was reluctant to say it, fearing that it was such a strong statement that denizens of Pittsburgh would never forgive him.
2 Degenerate
Despite the animosity between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart over the Montreal Screwjob and other backstage drama, Hart ended up being the guy who named Michaels’ defining stable, at least in kayfabe.
On an October 1997 episode of Raw -- about a month before Survivor Series -- Hart cut a promo on Triple H and Michaels, saying, “Shawn Michaels... you are nothing but a degenerate!” The duo would play off the name, dubbing themselves D-Generation X.
1 El Dandy and Hypnosis
WCW heel Bret Hart really was a treasure. While cutting a promo in advance of a non-title match against Booker T, Hart said that El Dandy deserved a shot at his US Title way more, or Hypnosis (Psychosis).
Interviewer Mean Gene Okerlund called him on this because both guys were in the Cruiserweight Division, prompting Hart to snap back with, “Who are you to doubt El Dandy?” It’s a classic line, though it’s a shame that El Dandy didn’t get the super push that he deserved from it.
