Bret โขHart, a seven-time world champion โฃand wrestling icon,โ publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the โขcurrent state of professional wrestling, asserting it feels “tooโค fake” and criticizing โขthe abilities of contemporary performers. Hart leveled his critique during a recent appearance on theโค “83 weeks” podcast with Eric Bischoff, released November 22, โ2023 (EST).
The comments from Hart, 66, โคarrive โขamid ongoing debate among fans and industry observers regarding theโข evolving style of wrestling, which increasingly emphasizes athletic spectacle overโ storytelling and in-ring โขpsychology. His remarks carry significant weightโ given โขhis legacy as “The Excellence of Execution,” renowned for his โฃtechnically sound and realistic wrestling style โduring the 1990s. The shift in wrestling presentation impacts the perception of authenticity for long-time fansโค andโ perhaps โคhinders the development of โฃcompelling narratives forโ new audiences.
Hart specifically lamented the prevalenceโ of moves performed simply forโ visual impact, rather than asโ logical progressionsโฃ within a match. “Itโฃ just feels โคlike everybody’s trying to do the flashiest move โคthey can do, and it doesn’t really tell โa story,” he stated on the podcast. “It’s justโฆ too fake.” He โคcontrasted โthisโ withโฃ the wrestling of his era, where matches were built around establishing dominance and strategically targeting โคopponents’ weaknesses.The wrestling legend also questioned the โoverall skill levelโข of today’s talent, suggesting many wrestlersโข prioritize athleticism over fundamental wrestling techniques.”I don’t see a lot of guys that โคcan really wrestle,”โ Hart explained. “They can doโค allโข these crazy moves, but โฃthey can’t really wrestle.” He acknowledged theโค increased athleticism but argued it frequently enough comes at the expense of believable โคcharacter work and compelling match dynamics.
Hart’s career spanned โฃdecades,โค achieving prominence in both the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and world Championship Wrestling (WCW). He is widely considered one ofโฃ the greatest professional wrestlers of all โtime, and his opinions continue to resonate within theโ industry and among its fanbase. The โขpodcast appearance โคis available on all major podcast platforms.