Bret Hart will let today's wrestlers decide where he falls on the list of all-time greats.
Names like Hart or Hulk Hogan are generally among the quickest to come up in professional wrestling Mt. Rushmore discussions. While both former WWE stars have plenty of accolades strewn across their Hall of Fame careers, Hart is a legend often mentioned as an idol for wrestling's modern-era athletes.
Hart responded to comments from current WWE star CM Punk, a massive fan of Hart's, Tuesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." Punk explained in the clip why Hart is wrestling's equivalent of Wayne Gretzky in hockey or what Michael Jordan was to basketball — which elicited a comparison from Hart between himself and Hogan.
"I heard something a few months ago where Hulk Hogan was talking about me, and he said, 'The problem with Bret Hart is that he really does think he was the greatest wrestler of all time,'" Hart said. "I remember thinking about that, and going, 'Hmm. Yeah, maybe.' That might be the most truthful thing he's ever said.
"Then I think when you watch a lot of the wrestlers today, you don't see anybody imitating Hulk Hogan or Ultimate Warrior. You see a lot of wrestlers today really trying their best to capture my style, or some of the guys that I worked with, like Dynamite Kid, or Curt Hennig, my brother Owen [Hart] and stuff like them. Yeah, they're wrestling my style, and that's the biggest compliment I can get from today's generation is that."
Hart, 67, makes history later this month when he's inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the third time. In 2006, Hart was inducted individually as a singles wrestler. In 2019, his stable The Hart Foundation entered the WWE Hall of Fame as well. For 2025, WWE is adding specific matches to the Hall of Fame, starting with Hart's WrestleMania 13 classic No-DQ submission match against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in 1997. The match is famously known as "the double turn," when Hart entered as the babyface (good guy) and defeated the heel (bad guy) Austin, swapping roles by the match's end.
These days, Hart makes the occasional wrestling appearance with no strings attached. He still watches the product whenever he can and does the best he can to keep up with all the happenings.
Still, the legend can't help but see the stark differences between his era and today's.
"I watch ...
