9 Levels Of Bret Hart & Hulk Hogan's Heated Rivalry
6. Two Different Influences On Wrestling These Days
“I just think that as wrestling moves into the future, everyday it goes further and further from my day, I look at the wrestlers today and I realize that they’re carrying the torch of my style. It’s not about strongman spots and Hulk Hogan, and putting one hand behind your ear and working the crowd, and stuff like that. It’s about guys that are out there suplexing each other, and doing a lot of complex wrestling moves, and a lot of action. That’s the kind of wrestling that I brought to the game.” - Bret Hart
When looking at modern WWE, there are traces of the past everywhere. For example, WWE's latest take on The Corporation, The Authority. They are an all powerful, corrupt unit that decides who the world champion will be. In some form or another this trope will exist. But just as on screen traces of the past appear, so do in-ring styles.
With the above quote, Bret looks at his style of wrestling as a direct influence of today, and makes that a testament to his greatness. At the same time he found another way to take a shot at Hogan, who's crowd involvement style tends to be looked down upon by certain segments of the audience.
While Bret may have a point, there is room for both styles to succeed. The true magic in wrestling happens when an audience is brought together by different characters. If there were 30 Bret Hart's on every card, we'd have amazing matches everywhere without the larger than life feel.
On the other hand, 30 Hulk Hogan's on a card would be spectacle without too many classic matches. In explaining his own career, sometimes it leads Bret to take shots at Hogan that aren't even necessary.