10 Rare Times Wrestlers Were Self-Aware

3. Bret Hart

Undertaker Self-Aware
WWE.com

Bret Hart was so great that he taught a generation of fans the new language of professional wrestling after they had simply absorbed the native tongue of Hulk Hogan's sports entertainment.

With immaculate sleight of hand and sumptuous technical precision, few made pro wrestling look as convincing and beautiful as the 'Hitman'. He was great, and he thought so too, awarding himself a 10 out of 10 in-ring on an old Kayfabe Commentaries shoot. The idea that he rates *everybody* out of 10 is a fantastic, quintessentially Bret thing, incidentally. Bret's a 10. Shawn's a 9. Too much gyrating. Triple H is a 4.

Bret rated himself highly, as he was right to do, until he reached WCW, in which his love for the profession receded. He didn't want to go, it was a directionless sh*t-show, and that "idiot" Eric Bischoff wasn't wired to grasp his ideas. Bischoff contends that an apathetic Hart simply wasn't his priority, bringing to mind that Onion headline - 'Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point'.

Hart knew it, too, acknowledging in his memoir that, in WCW, he could no longer hold a claim to being the best wrestler in the world.

 
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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!