Bret Hart proclaims there are real emotions that surface when wrestlers are asked to drop the World Heavyweight Championship.
Bret Hart was only the second person to ever become WWE Champion five times, the first five-time WWE Champion was Hulk Hogan. Each of Bret’s five WWE Championship victories came at a different time, not only in the career of Bret Hart but in the overall landscape of WWE.
Defeating legends such as Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Vader, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Undertaker, Bret Hart always proved that he was a reliable top Superstar for the WWE to fall back on at any point in time.
However, only one of Bret Hart’s WWE Championship victories came at WrestleMania and that was when he defeated Yokozuna in Madison Square Garden at WrestleMania X in 1994.
Bret’s victory over Yokozuna in 1994 earned him his second WWE Championship as he defeated the man who defeated him one year prior in the main event of WrestleMania 9. Of course, that title reign was short-lived for Yokozuna as Hulk Hogan, long before the days of the Money in the Bank briefcase, received an impromptu championship match and on that night in 1993 became the first person to win the WWE Championship for a fifth time just moments after Bret Hart lost the title.
Speaking on the WWE Icons documentary on the career of Yokozuna, Bret Hart stated that he felt wrestling was moving in the right direction towards younger superstars, Yokozuna had just become the youngest WWE Champion to-date, when suddenly it became “the Hulk Hogan show” once again.
Speaking on the same WWE documentary after the clip is shown of him defeating Yokozuna in 1994, Bret Hart revealed that in his mind, wrestlers being asked to give up the top spot is a lot more “real” than some lead on.
“There's always a heartbreak that comes with losing the title. It hurts a little bit, I think, and if it doesn't, there's something wrong with you. You're not taking the business seriously enough. I don't care what anyone says, I know anytime I ever lost a world title, it hurt. Like, it was always more real than people think,” said Bret Hart.
Bret would then return the focus to Yokozuna, praising his professionalism during his run as WWE Champion.
“But, for Yoko, when he was Champion, he was at his absolute best. He was a total pro,” Hart concluded.
In the past, Bret Hart has been known to treat the business, especially his career, with more realism than others in his day. In fact, that aspect of Bret Hart's personality would play a key role at the end of Bret Hart’s WWE career in 1997 at Survivor Series, better known as the “Montreal Screwjob.”
Bret Hart recently spoke with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp about a multitude of topics including his favorite opponents, his 1997 run as a villain, and more. You can check out that full interview at this link.
Should you use any of the above quotes, please credit Fightful for the transcription by linking back to this article
