Bret Hart says he feels as popular as ever thanks to currently active wrestlers frequently paying tribute to him.
Hart was interviewed by Fox News Australia recently as he heads to the country in April for Starrcast Downunder. During the discussion, he spoke about how he appreciates the respect he's given from wrestlers such as CM Punk and FTR.
Hart said:
I seem to be as revered or popular as I’ve ever been - and it’s maybe because of the salutes I’ve been getting from guys like (CM) Punk, and FTR, different wrestlers have mentioned my name, or do something that I did in the ring as a nod or a salute to me, and I appreciate all that. I think CM Punk alone has done a lot to remind wrestling fans to take a look back at some of the stuff that I was doing, and how good it was.
And I think it’s starting to stand out now where it’s like - in my honest opinion, without trying to sound too boastful, they’ve pulled the curtain back on wrestling so much. So now we know the whole thing’s a show, and they’re just really good physical actors, and that is what it is.
But you watch my wrestling and you go, jeez, he was the best. I think I made it look more real than anybody all the time. I made your stuff look good, I made my own stuff look good, nothing looked rehearsed. There’s so much I think in today’s wrestling that’s so badly rehearsed, over and over.
The recently returned Serena Deeb is another wrestler who often pays tribute to Hart in her matches. One of her signature moves is a modification of Hart's figure-four leglock around the ring post.
At AEW Grand Slam 2023, MJF performed a spoof of a famous Hart vignette as well.
WrestleMania 40 main eventer, The Rock, has also frequently stated Hart was someone who helped him early in his career.
With WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth coming up later this month, Hart also praised Australia's Rhea Ripley during the interview.
Hart said:
I really like her a lot. I really like her poise, her staying in character and sort of living her - she seems like she’s adapted a character that’s fun to play, and she’s playing into that, full tilt.
She’s putting that realism into it; that’s what I miss in a lot of wrestling today, just making it feel more real, and she makes it feel pretty real all the time.
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