Bret Hart responds to Ric Flair's comments

[Promoter 0]

I will agree that Bret sold better than HBK. In that aspect he was better. I mean HBK/Diesel from Good Friends/Better Enemies is good, but really how could HBK comeback all of a sudden on a monster like Diesel the way he did? He is also infamous for the nip up stuff espeically in the comeback match with HHH at Slam '02(still an outstanding match imo). Speaking of Triple H and Foley I wonder what HHH had to say about Flair's comments on Foley? I also remember Triple H calling Flair a has been back during the monday night wars era too. The person I would love to see respond to this is still Vince Mmcahon. What does the boss have to say?

 

Maybe JBL will have a commentary on this topic since these two former champs are drawing much more heat than he is at the moment and they aren't even in main events at the moment

[Guest croweater]

HHH's opinion would be great. Because Flair's his mentor, but Foley got him where he is today. I think though he'd try to stay out of it as much as possible.

[Promoter 0]

I would love Hogan's response....

 

"Brother, those two can't lace my boots. The two pencil necked geeks couldn't slam the 750 ILB Andre the Giant like I could. Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania lives forever, while diamonds and dungeons can't beat the money and atmosphere that I had in front of 125,000 fans in the LA Coliseum in 1986. Whatchya gonna do when y'all know I'm the best there is, was, and ever will be..woooo!"

[Guest The Ultimate Fantasy]

I was just surfing the web and I take it The Torch is Flair country? Seriously there are so many post talking about how great Flair and how bitter Hart is.

[Guest The Ultimate Fantasy]

HHH's opinion would be great. Because Flair's his mentor, but Foley got him where he is today. I think though he'd try to stay out of it as much as possible.

I think HHH would end up hiding under the warm but torn cover of Kayfabe, and I think that would work because HHH really does not talk about his opinions but he would most likely help trash Bret.

[Promoter 0]

It's funny I was just reading the torch feedback and it does seem like Flair country there and nothing wrong with that. It's really all preference, but some things being said are just plain funny imo. For all the trash talking by everyone about this topic I find it odd no one brings up that Kurt Angle chose his dream match to be against Bret Hart and not Ric Flair. I mean I wondered why this guy never asked Vince for Flair for Mania, but go out of his way to face Hart? Kurt Angle's opinion I would also love since he just really became apart and watched wrestling since the last boom after both men's prime. His perspective might be from viewing things on video and from both outlooks as an outsider and worker.

[Guest Brian]

I'm only really interested in hearing what Austin has to say right now. He's worked with Foley, Flair, and Hart. He's a very good-to-great worker on his own. And Meltzer praised him for being a great evaluator of talent.

[Guest Staravenger]

Hart made Austin what he was (a top contender after being stuck in the midcard), and Austin even says his greatest match was against Hart at WM XIII. I can safely say Austin won't trash Hart. But didn't Flair want to put Austin over in WCW in 1994? If so I don't see how Austin will trash talk Flair...so he'll just diss someone like Hulk Hogan.

[Promoter 0]

Yeah, Austin's would be nice, but I think I know which guy he would say was better(Bret for the simple reason he worked classic matches with him in those dire times). I think I also know the positives and negatives he would bring up with both men. I bet he would say Bret took himself too seriously and Flair hung on too long. He is straight up like that from what I've seen from his interviews on OTR.

[Guest JMA]

Could someone please post the HTM's article on here, or maybe just a link to his site?

He basically had one of the guys on his website post a message and link to the Hart article.

 

Here

[Guest Choken One]

Yeah, Austin's would be nice, but I think I know which guy he would say was better(Bret for the simple reason he worked classic matches with him in those dire times). I think I also know the positives and negatives he would bring up with both men. I bet he would say Bret took himself too seriously and Flair hung on too long. He is straight up like that from what I've seen from his interviews on OTR.

what you think he would say about Foley?

 

They both have been friends,came from the same place (canned from WCW, worked in ECW and arrived in WWF all at the same time) worked many good-great matches over the years.

 

 

It seems to me, a guy like Austin would be incapable of coming up with a complete answer and that's a good thing.

 

 

This whole war has been really blown out of proportion here on the Internet, It's basically two egomaniacs whom are both wrong and right refusing to admit that.

[Australian Pride 0]

But didn't Flair want to put Austin over in WCW in 1994? If so I don't see how Austin will trash talk Flair...so he'll just diss someone like Hulk Hogan.

I thought that Flair, as booker, was directly responsible for holding Austin down?

[Promoter 0]

what you think he would say about Foley?

 

They both have been friends,came from the same place (canned from WCW, worked in ECW and arrived in WWF all at the same time) worked many good-great matches over the years.

 

 

It seems to me, a guy like Austin would be incapable of coming up with a complete answer and that's a good thing.

 

 

This whole war has been really blown out of proportion here on the Internet, It's basically two egomaniacs whom are both wrong and right refusing to admit that.

I think you are a good judge of character. Noticed I said I believe Austin would say Bret because he worked those classics with him? That wouldn't be a complete answer. I think he has already stated that Ricky Steamboat was the best of all-time. I think he stated he liked how Steamboat kept details in his matches and did the big things and the little things to have a great match. I think Bret is similar and that's why I said I felt he would say Hart. Hart can't be argued for that kind of stuff in this topic. I agree the internet has blown this way out of proportion. I see it more as two men disagreeing try to cut each other down. They both want to be regarded as the greatest and feel the need to cut the other man's arguement to prove their point. They both attack their weaknesses, but don't give credit where its due basically to their strengths. I also think he would agree with Foley by saying Flair's booking stunk.

[geniusMoment 0]

Austin said Flair was the greatest wrestler of all time in Flairs book. Of course he also said if he had to pick anyone, he is speaking about during the current time period, that would have the best match on the card as a heel or face it would be Flair. That is total bullshit, Flair is not the best worker anymore.

[Guest Anticrombie]

I agree the internet has blown this way out of proportion. I see it more as two men disagreeing try to cut each other down. They both want to be regarded as the greatest and feel the need to cut the other man's arguement to prove their point. They both attack their weaknesses, but don't give credit where its due basically to their strengths. I also think he would agree with Foley by saying Flair's booking stunk.

See, why are you guys ignoring what Bret had to say about Flair before Flair took a blind jab at Bret? Bret was willing to give Flair his due, so I don't know where this ego stuff is coming from. I honestly don't beleive Bret was being entirely honest about how he feels about Flair in that article. I think he said fine Flair you want to take shots at me, here take some of your own medicine. While it may not be to most professional route to be taken, I can't argue against fighting fire with fire.

 

Dynamite attacked Bret and his dad in his book, yet Bret didn't attack his work and legacy.

 

Hogan said derogatory things about Bret on a personal (I don't beleive it was anyting as bad or low as what Flair said), and while Bret couldn't understand why, he didn't cut down Hogan's legacy, and instead gives the devil his due.

 

The point is Bret was willing to ignore the weaknesses he might have seen in Flair for the greater whole for a long time, he even went to Flair and apologized face-to-face when he went to WCW. Bret was willing to give Flair credit where its due basically to his strengths, but Flair doesn't seem to care to return the favor (sound familiar guys, damn Flair's been hanging with Michaels too long). So Bret said Fuck It, I'll do the same to you.

[Guest Dazed]

It's times like this that I wish I hadn't misspelled "responds."

 

Sorted that for you - I never even noticed it.

[chaosrage 0]

I agree the internet has blown this way out of proportion. I see it more as two men disagreeing try to cut each other down. They both want to be regarded as the greatest and feel the need to cut the other man's arguement to prove their point. They both attack their weaknesses, but don't give credit where its due basically to their strengths. I also think he would agree with Foley by saying Flair's booking stunk.

See, why are you guys ignoring what Bret had to say about Flair before Flair took a blind jab at Bret? Bret was willing to give Flair his due, so I don't know where this ego stuff is coming from. I honestly don't beleive Bret was being entirely honest about how he feels about Flair in that article. I think he said fine Flair you want to take shots at me, here take some of your own medicine. While it may not be to most professional route to be taken, I can't argue against fighting fire with fire.

 

Dynamite attacked Bret and his dad in his book, yet Bret didn't attack his work and legacy.

 

Hogan said derogatory things about Bret on a personal (I don't beleive it was anyting as bad or low as what Flair said), and while Bret couldn't understand why, he didn't cut down Hogan's legacy, and instead gives the devil his due.

 

The point is Bret was willing to ignore the weaknesses he might have seen in Flair for the greater whole for a long time, he even went to Flair and apologized face-to-face when he went to WCW. Bret was willing to give Flair credit where its due basically to his strengths, but Flair doesn't seem to care to return the favor (sound familiar guys, damn Flair's been hanging with Michaels too long). So Bret said Fuck It, I'll do the same to you.

He said he apologized for the greater good of the business. So instead of ignoring his weaknesses, maybe he was just holding back that whole time.

 

Here's what Bret said in the early 90s.

- Bret Hart did a radio interview in Toronto and said: "What could you possibly see in Ric Flair? I mean this. This is the truth. Ric Flair was the most overrated wrestler there ever was. If you've seen Ric Flair wrestle once, you've seen him wrestle a million times. He's the most uncreative, unimaginative wrestler there ever was. He was the pits. You don't know anything about wrestling if you think Ric Flair is the greatest wrestler. (Wrestling) Ric Flair was the biggest letdown of my entire career. On a scale of one-to-ten, I'd rate Ric Flair about a three. He sucks."

Found it in this thread.

http://forums.thesmartmarks.com/index.php?showtopic=42792

 

I like this comment.

Wow, those are fighting words, Bret. Wonder if he'll get a big backlash for that one.

 

[Guest Loss]

I thought that Flair, as booker, was directly responsible for holding Austin down?

Dusty broke up the Blondes. Flair got the book and pushed Austin to the US title. Hogan came in and lobbied to have it taken away so Duggan could get a run. No, Flair did not bury him.

[KTID 0]

Why was this thread started? There is already 13-page discussion on the Bret Hart/Ric Flair issue *including* Storm's commentary on the matter.

[Promoter 0]

Why was this thread started? There is already 13-page discussion on the Bret Hart/Ric Flair issue *including* Storm's commentary on the matter.

I know I thought we were trying to make a record with that thread. These posts could have helped the page count

[Promoter 0]

I heard that interview actually. Antiecrombie, I also believe chaosrage that Hart was probably holding back all along. I also think Hart did that article because honestly Flair was out of place with some of his comments. Hart can't go and punch him out like someone else would in the real world for making such stupid comments about someone's dead brother. You know people would get their ass handed them for saying stuff like that. So, I think Bret tried to hurt Flair in another way by telling people how Flair is over-rated and a routine man. I don't think he went all out before because of what he said about the greater good of the business. It's not good business to "out" the true legends of the sport for the industry's own good. Now whether this was a good idea or not is a different story because Hart will obviously draw the ire of Flair fans and bring criticism to his own legacy.

[Guest Anticrombie]

Damnit, yeah that was sort of what I meant but it didn't come out that way.

 

Fight fire with fire (instead of water) basically.

[Guest Birds in the Hotel]

I love the backup of the use of ">".

Me too.

 

In my eyes, Flair is a far better entertainer to watch, then Bret Hart. He also drew more money, had more of an influence on the business and carried companies through darker periods than Hart.

[Guest Loss]

To elaborate, the Blondes were broken up in October of 1993. Flair started booking in December of 1993. Hogan came in in June of 1994. The plan before Hogan came in was for Flair to drop the title to Steve Austin at Bash at the Beach and for the two to feud the rest of the year.

 

It's hard to say how different the business would have been had that happened.

[Guest Choken One]

Just wondering...Would Austin be the heel or face?

 

Here's another point...Who do you think Vince would side with here?

 

We know Vince is hard up on the Bret Hart DVD and knows it'll likely outsell Flair's dvd (most recent fanbase)...and he has always loved Bret over all his other workers he ever employed with the exception of Andre. (if I recall,he said in an interview that he had a picture of Andre and him in his bedroom).

 

It would be interesting if Bret decided to play a little political games here. It's even more interesting since HHH will basically support Flair and Bret will likely have Vince's support...

[Gert T 0]

Vince the great politician and strategist, would probably just play both sides. Both can still make him money.

[Guest Loss]

Austin would have been the heel and would have run with the belt for the latter part of the year, feuding with Flair, Steamboat and Sting.

 

Vince would probably side with the person he always sides with -- himself. He knows better than to interject himself in something like this.

[Guest BDC]

The way I see, Storm felt he had to respond in the middle of the mess and did so in an extremely classy way. Thank you, Lance.

[Guest Choken One]

That's true, I'm talking about personal stage. Beyond the business...

 

We already knows he will take the real life hatred between Foley/Flair and set up a real program for them. Which should be an incredible program. It would be interesting to see how they do a match...One of them would have to budge, You know Foley will go and do the "wrestling" Flair claims he can't do and Flair will likely try to stiff Foley with the chops and all and Foley will take him back harder to him. It should be a amazing program if nothing else.

 

Sadly, (for vince) Flair/Hart would never go down.

[Guest Choken One]

Austin would have been the heel and would have run with the belt for the latter part of the year, feuding with Flair, Steamboat and Sting.

Damn Hogan.