Eric Bischoff addressed Bret Hart’s recent comments, where the former champion stated he has a “hard time watching today’s wrestling” because it is “too fake”. Bischoff argued that this perspective is rooted in Hart’s bitterness and a refusal to acknowledge the evolution of the industry, rather than a factual view of the current product. Bischoff noted that he has heard this exact complaint from older generations of wrestlers for decades.
Clinging to a Subjective Past
Bischoff first stated that the opinion that wrestling “is too fake” has been a constant complaint throughout his 35 years in the business. He recalled hearing legends like Ray Stevens and Wahoo McDaniel voice the same criticisms about young stars like Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty when they first broke into the business.
“That perspective that we just heard from Bret is one I’ve heard for the 35 years that I’ve been professionally associated with the business. When I first broke in 87, I would listen to Ray ‘The Crippler’ Stevens, Wahoo McDaniel. Greg was in on those conversations, but he really wasn’t their peer in terms of when those guys broke into the business. But Ray Stevens, Wahoo McDaniel, and Vern would sit in on those meetings. Nick Bockwinkle would sit in on those. And these were after work, right? These are sitting around having a beer after the day’s done. And that’s all I heard when I first broke into business, ‘these young guys.'”
He pointed out that every form of entertainment—music, film, and television—has changed, and while some people hold on to the past more than others, it prevents them from enjoying the present.
“I’m not saying what Bret’s perspective is wrong, necessarily. It’s subjective. The industry has changed. The music industry has changed. The film industry has changed. The television industry has changed. Every form of media that we consume as entertainment or even information has changed, and some people just hold on a little more than others. And I get it. Part of me, a large part of me, agrees with Bret. I just don’t have any problem going, Yeah, well, that was admirer, but now things are different and finding ways to enjoy what’s current, because otherwise you’re just hanging on to the past. You’re hanging on to a memory. Quite frankly, it isn’t probably as accurate as you’d like to think it is.”
Chasing the Top Tier
Bischoff conceded that, technically speaking, Bret Hart is one of the best in-ring performers of the last two generations. However, he stated that Hart lacked the charisma and presence to ever be in the same category as top-tier stars like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and Steve Austin.
“That being said, he never really had the charisma or the ability to end up in that Ric Flair. John Cena, Undertaker, Hulk, Hogan, Steve Austin, kind of category, he was like one notch below, right? And I think that bothers Bret, which is why Bret comes up, talks about this stuff all the time. He’s trying to put himself on a pedestal that he never really achieved, in terms of being considered one of the greats, although everybody has respect for him, he just can’t seem to go, yeah, in my day, things were different.”
Bischoff noted that if a fan cannot find something entertaining in the modern product while “hanging on to what you think, in your mind, the old style of wrestling used to be then, sit around, slump in your chair, look like you could just change somebody’s oil and gyp the loop and complain about everybody else, because evidently, that brings joy to Bret.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit 83 Weeks with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the full podcast on the Four Horsemen Network.
