While much of the wrestling world has been paying tribute to the late Hulk Hogan, WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart has shared a very different and sharply critical perspective. In a new podcast appearance, Hart was brutally honest about his long-standing personal and professional issues with the wrestling icon.
Hogan passed away last month at the age of 71, and in the weeks since, legends and fans have shared overwhelmingly positive memories. Speaking on The Ringer Wrestling Podcast, Hart offered a stark and controversial counter-narrative.
Bret Hart accused Hulk Hogan of being a selfish performer who was only ever concerned with his own spot. He contrasted Hogan with other legends like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, who Hart said went out of their way to help elevate other talent.
“Hulk Hogan never did that for anybody. He never looked out for anyone but himself,” Hart stated.
He recalled the moment he won his first WWE Championship in 1992. He had hoped for a congratulatory word from the man who had been the face of the company for a decade. Instead, Hart says Hogan immediately saw him as a threat. “The second I won the belt, I was the enemy. And I had what he wanted, and we were never really friends again after that.”
The animosity between Hart and Hogan is one of the most famous backstage stories in wrestling history. It is primarily rooted in a planned “passing of the torch” match that never took place. The original plan for the main event of SummerSlam 1993 was for the returning Hulk Hogan to lose the WWE Championship to Bret Hart, who was the new face of the company’s “New Generation.”
According to Hart and many wrestling historians, Hogan used his backstage influence and refused to lose to the smaller, more technical Hart. He instead dropped the title to Yokozuna at the King of the Ring event and left the company shortly after, a move Hart has never forgiven him for.
Hart also claimed that Hogan actively worked to hold him down when they were both in WCW in the late 1990s. He said that Hogan used his creative control to ensure Hart was never a top priority in the company.
“I will always shake my head and wonder why he was such a roadblock for me,” Hart said. “He made sure… that they didn’t do anything with me. Just leave him. Have him sit on the bench in the dressing room.”