In a candid interview on The Ringer Wrestling Show following the passing of Hulk Hogan, WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart shared his complex and often contentious history with the icon, claiming Hogan became his “enemy” the moment he won the WWE Championship in 1992 and actively worked to hold him down in WCW.

A Roadblock, Not a Mentor

While acknowledging Hogan’s massive footprint on the business, Hart contrasted him with other legends who helped elevate the next generation. “WrestleMania 8, when I fought Roddy Piper, Roddy Piper was one of the few guys that reached down and pulled me up to his level… Roddy Piper made me and contributed back to the next generation,” Hart said. “But there was a lot of wrestlers that that didn’t do that. Hulk Hogan never did that for anybody he never pulled anyone else up. Jake Roberts… never did anything for anybody else, he only did for Jake Roberts. I look at Jake Roberts and I look at Hulk Hogan as just two guys… he never, ever lost. He always got their hands raised.”

The Animosity Begins

Hart pinpointed the exact moment their professional relationship soured was when he was chosen to lead the company after Hogan’s initial departure, a time when he expected support that never came. “I always thought the day I won the belt, I always thought Hulk Hogan would come up and pat me on the back and tell me how glad he was that I was the guy that they picked to pull the sword out of the stone for him,” Hart recalled. “And, you know, unfortunately, that’s not how it was. He, he the second I won the belt, I was the enemy. I had what he wanted, and we were never really friends, ever again.”

Sabotage in WCW

Hart then made a direct accusation that Hogan worked to sabotage his career when they were both in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the late 1990s. “I always will shake my head and wonder what it was that why he was such a roadblock for me, like he he wouldn’t do anything for me,” Hart stated. “And he made sure, and I know this to be a fact, but he made sure that, like when I was in WCW, he made sure that they didn’t do anything with me, like, ‘don’t do anything with them. Just leave them, let them sit in the bench’… WCW would fly me down in first class, first class airfare, first class car rental, first class hotel, first class everything. And then when I got to the building, they’d tell me I was off and I’d just fly home.”

A “Bullsh*tter”

When asked to describe Hogan’s personality, Hart did not mince words. “When I was a little kid, you go to school and elementary school, there’s just always some kids that are bullshitters, that just tell bullshit and are just classic… that’s just the way they are,” he explained. “I think Hulk Hogan was a bullshitter.”

Final Thoughts on “The Greatest”

Hart also shared a story about a comment Hogan made about him, which he felt perfectly encapsulated their dynamic and his own self-confidence. “It was Hulk Hogan talking about me… and he said, ‘The problem with Bret Hart is… he really thinks he was the greatest wrestler of all time.’ And, you know, I don’t argue with that,” Hart concluded.

The full interview can be heard on The Ringer Wrestling Show podcast.

If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Ringer Wrestling Show with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription