It seems like the legendary Bret “The Hitman” Hart has once again stirred the pot in the wrestling world with his recent comments, but maybe they’re not as controversial as some are making them out to be.

The “Controversial” Quote

On a recent episode of The Masked Man Show, Bret Hart was asked about modern wrestlers borrowing from his iconic style. Rather than being offended, he explained that he’s flattered and that today’s stars have his full permission.

“A lot of guys give me the courtesy of calling me and asking me, saying, ‘Would it be okay if we do this on TV. We want to do this as a sign of respect, but I wanted to ask you first. I don’t want to steal your moves without asking.’ After you retire, it’s fair game, they can help themselves to all my moves. I don’t need them anymore,” Hart said.

“I take it as a compliment and whenever I watch wrestling and I see something that is obviously a salute, I take it as a huge compliment, especially from the wrestlers today. They’d all be a lot better off if they copied me more.”

While the final line has drawn some criticism online with some fans calling him arrogant, I don’t think Bret meant it as a diss. As Justin Whang, host of Tales from the Internet, perfectly put it on X: “People are like “he’s so full of himself” as if they didn’t watch him say “the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be” for decades. We’re at the “ever will be” part now..”

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Fellow Legends Back Him Up

It wasn’t just fans defending The Hitman. ECW legend and current AEW commentator Taz also came to Hart’s defense, tweeting his full support. Taz stated, “So Bret Hart said recently in an interview about today’s current wrestlers… ‘They’d all be a lot better off if they copied me more.’ I agree with him. From in ring psychology, pacing, intensity & safety perspective he’s 1000% correct IMO. And it’s not just him, it’s many wrestlers from the past.”

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The Art of Not Hurting Your Opponent

During the same interview, Hart elaborated on his philosophy, which puts the context of his “copy me” comment into sharper focus. He heavily criticized wrestlers who rely on moves that cause legitimate pain, specifically calling out chops and the style of wrestlers like Gunther.

“The best wrestling has to pretend to be real. That’s what I did, I tried to make it as real as I could. Contrary to that Gunther guy, who seems like a nice enough guy when I met him, but I hate wrestlers that hurt each other on purpose. I hate it when you’re out there and getting beat up and hurt by a guy for real,” Hart explained.

“Like chops. Who ever won a fight with a chop? What a waste of time. Ric Flair is famous for bringing the chops the way they are now. My dad used to tell wrestlers at Stampede, ‘Nobody ever beat anybody with a chop.’ It’s true. They hurt, they look like shit. They make a big slap sound, but they hurt. When you get chopped by somebody like Ric Flair for a 30 minute match and he chops you 15 times, your whole chest the next day is bruises. It hurts to put a shirt on. I used to wrestle Ric Flair and wake up going, ‘Why am I hurting so much? Doesn’t Ric Flair know it’s a show?’ It’s not supposed to be real. I’m not supposed to wake up with a really sore chest.”

He concluded with a pointed statement on professionalism: “I have no respect for guys that hurt each other all the time. It’s just to me, lazy, shit wrestling when guys like Gunther…I’ve told him this to his face, it’s bullshit. When you’re hurting somebody for real, you’re unprofessional. I wrestled guys and never hurt anybody.”

When you look at his full line of thinking, Bret’s comments aren’t about ego. They’re about preserving the art form he perfected, one based on believable action and, most importantly, protecting your opponent. He’s not saying he’s the only one to ever be good; he’s advocating for a style that prioritizes safety and psychology over cheap pops and legitimate pain.

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