"I Find Wrestlers Today Are More Actors Pretending To Be Wrestlers - Especially In AEW" - Bret Hart
Bret 'The Hitman' Hart shares his opinions on the current wrestling product in AEW and WWE.
Wrestling legend Bret Hart has expressed his opinion that many of today's wrestlers come across more like actors pretending to be wrestlers than actual competitors, especially in AEW.
Hart, 67, made these comments on the Ariel Helwani Show. He stated that when it comes to today's wrestling vs. previous eras, he misses "the ruggedness of characters" and in-ring focus, praising Roman Reigns as an example of somebody who attempts to be "more realistic and more credible and believable."
Helwani drew Bret's response by asking if he still watches wrestling. "I try to. I try to watch the pay-per-views," answered 'The Hitman' (h/t Fightful). "I find, in a lot of wrestlers, and I won't name anybody, but I find the wrestlers are more actors pretending to be wrestlers today than actual wrestlers. I miss the ruggedness of the characters."
Bret added that he thinks the '90s was the best era of wrestling, saying that wrestlers like Dynamite Kid, Curt Hennig, and himself drew influence from the Harley Race and Terry Funk generation.
"I find that today's wrestling is a little bit more about promos and your character on TV and not so much your workrate," said Hart of the current product. "I like guys that throwback a little bit more to the workrate. Roman Reigns is a guy that tries really hard to earn the respect of my generation and be more realistic and more credible and believable, not so much an actor."
The five-time WWE Champion added: "I find that, especially AEW, I find they are mostly actors trying to pretend to be wrestlers and they gotta get on with real wrestling and quit acting so much,"
Bret made a notable AEW appearance early in the Tony Khan-helmed promotion's lifespan, unveiling the AEW World Championship as a surprise guest at Double or Nothing 2019. In 2022, Hart stated he was under a merchandising deal with WWE. His last appearance for the market-leading promotion came during a segment with Sami Zayn and current World Heavyweight Champion Gunther in September 2024.
Earlier this week, WWE announced that Hart's iconic WrestleMania 13 match with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was to be inducted into its Hall of Fame as the HOF's first 'Immortal Moment'.