In a candid interview on The Ringer Wrestling Show following the passing of Hulk Hogan, WWE Hall of Famer Bret \u201cThe Hitman\u201d Hart shared his complex and often contentious history with the icon, claiming Hogan became his \u201cenemy\u201d the moment he won the WWE Championship in 1992 and actively worked to hold him down in WCW.<\/p>\n
A Roadblock, Not a Mentor<\/p>\n
While acknowledging Hogan\u2019s massive footprint on the business, Hart contrasted him with other legends who helped elevate the next generation. \u201cWrestleMania 8, when I fought Roddy Piper, Roddy Piper was one of the few guys that reached down and pulled me up to his level\u2026 Roddy Piper made me and contributed back to the next generation,\u201d Hart said. \u201cBut there was a lot of wrestlers that that didn\u2019t do that. Hulk Hogan never did that for anybody he never pulled anyone else up. Jake Roberts\u2026 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\u2026 he never, ever lost. He always got their hands raised.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Animosity Begins<\/p>\n
Hart pinpointed the exact moment their professional relationship soured was when he was chosen to lead the company after Hogan\u2019s initial departure, a time when he expected support that never came. \u201cI 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,\u201d Hart recalled. \u201cAnd, you know, unfortunately, that\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabotage in WCW<\/p>\n
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. \u201cI always will shake my head and wonder what it was that why he was such a roadblock for me, like he he wouldn\u2019t do anything for me,\u201d Hart stated. \u201cAnd 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\u2019t do anything with me, like, \u2018don\u2019t do anything with them. Just leave them, let them sit in the bench\u2019\u2026 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\u2019d tell me I was off and I\u2019d just fly home.\u201d<\/p>\n
A \u201cBullsh*tter\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked to describe Hogan\u2019s personality, Hart did not mince words. \u201cWhen I was a little kid, you go to school and elementary school, there\u2019s just always some kids that are bullshitters, that just tell bullshit and are just classic\u2026 that\u2019s just the way they are,\u201d he explained. \u201cI think Hulk Hogan was a bullshitter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Final Thoughts on \u201cThe Greatest\u201d<\/p>\n
Hart also shared a story about a comment Hogan made about him, which he felt perfectly encapsulated their dynamic and his own self-confidence. \u201cIt was Hulk Hogan talking about me\u2026 and he said, \u2018The problem with Bret Hart is\u2026 he really thinks he was the greatest wrestler of all time.\u2019 And, you know, I don\u2019t argue with that,\u201d Hart concluded.<\/p>\n
The full interview can be heard on The Ringer Wrestling Show podcast.<\/p>\n