Recap of Bret Hart on WWE.com’s Byte This
Hosted by: Todd Grisham
Date: November 16, 2005
Recap by: Adam Martin of WrestleView.com
Todd Grisham welcomes Bret Hart to the show.
Grisham brings up Eddie Guerrero’s passing. Bret calls it a real shame. He said Eddie was a special one kind of a guy. Bret said he lived up to what everyone said about him. He said he was a warm, kind, human being and that it was a shame he passed away.
Bret on his new DVD release:
Bret said judged on the people he has shown it to, they have been happy with it. Called it a first rate production. Bret was happy with the production people that worked with him.
Said the DVD was talked about for a long time. Bret said the concept was first a video years ago with Vince McMahon. Said he heard about the original DVD and he called Vince to take it in a different direction. Bret said they were able to focus more on the positive instead of the negative. Said he always wanted to be remembered for what he contributed to the WWE and Vince agreed as well. Bret said he always wanted to give back to the fans.
On his relationship with Vince McMahon:
Bret said there were always going to be some concerns. He said they have a good dialogue between each other and that Vince bent over backwards to see that things were right with the DVD.
How his health is right now:
Bret said his health is good, but he won’t ever get back in the ring again. Said he didn’t leave on the terms he wanted to with the concussion. Bret said he was as proud of his first match as he was with his last match. Glad the fans didn’t get to see him hanging on too long as other older wrestlers do.
What it was like for him to watch his first ever pro wrestling match that is featured on the new WWE DVD:
Bret said it was important to him that the DVD didn’t just include his WWE and WCW footage. Said he had a great career working for his father and it is a shame they couldn’t pick up other overseas footage in Japan or Germany. Bret said his days in Stampede Wrestling were as good as his days on top in WWE. He said when people watch the footage of his early days in Stampede, he was only wrestling for about three months. Bret said it was a very physical style they worked in Stampede. He said he loves to see how fans get into that old footage that they might not have seen before.
How he got into pro wrestling:
Bret said he was never forced into wrestling, but more coaxed into amatuer wrestling. He said he would have rather played football or hockey instead. Bret said his father wanted all of his sons to at least take a shot at wrestling.
On getting to go overseas to promote the DVD:
He said if he goes to Germany, it would be special since he had an amazing fan following there. Bret said he always had a strong following in the U.K. and noted that his match with British Bulldog was his favorite.
The Hart Foundation and teaming with Jim Neidhart:
He said he defined himself when he teamed with Jim Neidhart as the Hart Foundation tag team. Bret said they are still very close friends. He brought up that Jim go to see the DVD and was impressed with it. Bret noted that he wanted Jim to play a strong role in the DVD. He said there might not have been a Bret Hart without Jim Neidhart. Bret said it took him a while to find his footing as a guy on the mic and noted that Jim helped.
If he still watches WWE & who he likes:
Said he is a fan of Kurt Angle and a throwback to the kind of wrestling he likes. Bret said he would have loved to have wrestled with Eddie Guerrero. He mentioned Chris Benoit and that you could have woken him up at 4 in the morning to wrestle him at anytime. Bret said he is a big fan of Rey Mysterio’s work in the ring. He adds guys like Batista and jokes that they would all look good in the Sharpshooter.
On being around wrestling as a young kid:
Said he watched and studied wrestling since the age of 5 until he laced up his boots. Pat O’Connor, Harley Race, Bruno Sammartino and others were mentioned. He said he had a great opportunity and joked that if he worked as hard on his math as he did at studying wrestling than he might have had a different profession.
** They air a classic promo where Bret gives his famous sunglasses to a young kid. Clips from the DVD were shown of people commenting on his career such as Chris Benoit. The clips highlight his relationship with his fans. **
When he started wearing his famous sunglasses:
Bret said he gave his last pair away. Started wearing them in some interviews. Noted that the more interviews you were given, the more up the ladder you got. Bret said he was never a good interviewer and had to learn how to relax. He said when they asked him to do the interview, he did it and when they played it back they noticed his eyes darting back and forth. When they asked him to do it again, he said “one second” and came back with some sunglasses. Bret said he was terrified, but you couldn’t tell when he wore the sunglasses. He said down the line he slowly got his confidence back and let himself go with interviews. Todd Grisham brings up a story about how Batista locked up when he was interviewed for the first time by a TV crew. Bret said he would always pick a great wrestler over a good interview.
Caller asks what he has been doing since he left wrestling and if he would ever return to Pittsburgh, PA:
Bret said he doesn’t know, but would like to return to Pittsburgh. He said he always liked Pittsburgh and that it had a lot of similarities to Canada. Bret said he is mostly living his life up in Canada and doing some traveling. Said he tries not to be a slave to hotels anymore.
Another caller asks if he would like to be a manager in WWE for any younger guys coming up:
Bret said he thinks about it, but that he always wanted to be remembered as a great wrestler and not a referee or manager. He said he could probably find a way to make himself useful in wrestling, but feels he has done enough. Bret said he was famous for being a great wrestler and wants to be known for that.
Todd Grisham asks Bret if he watches any guys on WWE TV today and screams at the TV that they are doing something wrong:
Bret said he would like to teach some guys how to put on the Sharpshooter.
Another caller asks if he could have a match with anybody right now, who would it be?
Bret said he would like to have one last match with Kurt Angle, but doesn’t see himself ever returning to the ring ever. He said he would like to work with some of the young guys like John Cena and Batista. Bret said he was good at wrestling guys bigger or smaller than him, but was more comfortable with guys at the same size as him like Curt Hennig or British Bulldog.
Todd Grisham asks if anyone can do the Sharpshooter right?
Bret said guys like Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle can do it, but the other guys he sees can’t do it right.
How he got the “excellence of execution” nickname:
Gorilla Monsoon.
On where he got “the best there is, was and ever will be” line from:
Bret said he got it from the movie The Natural (1984 film starring Robert Redford) and was more of a filler to use for his mic time. He noted they used it early on in the Hart Foundation. He said some guys fish for something to close a promo with and that was it for him.
His WrestleMania 13 match with Steve Austin:
He said more people come up to him in the last 10 years to tell him that was there favorite match. Bret said it was a classic confrontation between a good guy and bad guy. He said they worked hard together to make their storyline credible.
Word Association:
The Dungeon: Torture chamer.
The British Bulldog: Miss him.
Steve Austin: Great adversary.
Ribbing: Owen.
The Road: Suitcases.
Other people using the Sharpshooter: Not the excellence of execution.
Eric Bischoff: Sweethart, good guy.
Hart Foundation: Greatest tag team there ever was.
Bruno Sammartino: First class champion.
Stu Hart: Stretcher.
“Superstar” Billy Graham: One of a kind.
Dirtsheets: Legitimate history.
WrestleMania: SuperBowl.
The Hitman term: Bret Hart I guess.
Hart Family: Still standing.
Kurt Angle: Best there is. Not yet the best there is, was and ever will be.
Another caller asks if Bret would be willing to do a farewell speech on WWE TV:
Bret said he doesn’t know, it is a thought. Bret said it would be very emotional for him to take that kind of step. He said when he had his stroke, it affected him in the sense that he thinks it might be quite overwhelming to walk out in front of a huge wrestling crowd and take a few minutes to say what he would like to say. Bret said he isn’t sure if it will ever happen and that it gives him mixed emotions when he thinks about doing it.
If he misses the spotlight:
Bret said he misses the cities, fans and performers. He said he doesn’t miss the spotlight. Bret said he doesn’t look back on his career as unfinished. He said he pretty much accomplished everything there was to accomplish. Bret said he liked that he left with his head up in a sense and that he gave his all in his first match. He said he didn’t have many bad matches and didn’t “hang on” too long. Bret said he was still wrestling good when he wrestled Goldberg. He said it was funny how he left both the WWE and WCW as World Champion and never got the chance to drop the title or pass the torch to somebody. Bret said he always found himself in a difficult situation.
On the famous kick from Bill Goldberg in WCW:
He said sometimes when you watch the footage, it looks like he hit the top of his head. Bret said in reality he hit the back of his head and up. Said it was such a powerful quick that he compared it to a horse kicking someone in a barn. He said it is a shame because if you see the footage, he almost gets his hand up to block it, but missed it. Bret said unfortunately it was just one of those things that happened and wished he could go back and do it again sometimes. He said he learned a lot about concussions after that and how severe they can be. Bret said he is living proof of what they can do to your emotions, memory and headaches. Said it was the worst injury he ever had to deal with.
Who is best opponent ever was:
Bret said he had a lot of great opponents and wished he could have wrestled Steve Austin a few more times. He added the same for The Undertaker, noting he enjoyed every match he had with ‘Taker. Bret said the name that comes off the top of his head was Curt Hennig. He said Curt was great at taking care of you in the ring. Bret said a lot of things can happen in a wrestling ring and that things don’t always go the way they are suppose to. He said Curt was the kind of guy who could catch you if you dove off the top rope and you knew he would protect you.
In closing, Bret said he would never be anything without the fans. He said he hopes they like the DVD and that he is proud of it. Bret said the whole DVD was a tribute to them. Todd Grisham reads down some upcoming Bret Hart appearances in Wayne, NJ, Cambridge, MA and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bret said his recent appearances have been great and that many fans have expressed to them how much his career meant to him.
