Sultan of Submission | The Biography - by Rohan | page 8

Bret Hart the wrestler, an analysis.

Because of the fact that most (if not all) wrestling matches are fixed, who you beat need not necessarily reflect how good you are as a wrestler. As a heel you'd probably end up doing more jobs than you would as a face. This has nothing to do with what kind of a wrestler you are, it's all about how over with the crowd you are.

Professional wrestling is not a sport - it's sports entertainment which is a totally unique genre. As a professional wrestler, you should be able to evoke a favorable response from the crowd (negative or positive) as well as possess the wrestling skills required of a professional wrestler.

Here's my analysis of Bret 'Hitman' Hart - the professional wrestler

Excellence of Execution

Bret's professional moves are always graceful and for the most part, believable. The gasping for air gimmick that he does in the match, makes you feel for him. The piledrivers he delivers are perfect. The clotheslines are graceful. The Sharpshooter is a totally believable move. Most of the finishing moves today defy all sense of logic. What is so great about Hogan's legdrop, and how is it any more powerful than any other legdrop? How different is The Peoples' Elbow from any normal elbow-drop? Now, if a 234 pound man tied my legs up into a big knot and sat on my spine, sure I'd cry for my life. When the Hit Man's hurt, you can sense his pain. When he grinds his teeth after placing the Sharpshooter, you can sense what his opponent is going through. Is he the greatest technical wrestler this business ever saw? Hell Yeah.

Acting and Mic Skills

Bret was one of the most gifted speakers the WWF or the WCW ever saw. The Hit Man spent most of his international career as a face, and everything the Hit Man said, the crowd cheered. After Hulk Hogan, Bret was the first guy to come out with a famous quote - 'I am the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be'. As a face, Bret could turn the crowd wild. As a heel, he'd make you hate him and everything he says so much, that you forget wrestling's a show and you start to hate him for the things he said. During the anti-American angle, Bret Hart was almost attacked on numerous occasions from fans in the audience. When he says 'Hogan, I'm going to kick the crap out of you', you can sense the hatred in his eyes. Not many wrestlers in the business today can elicit such a strong reaction from the crowd, be it negative or positive. I remember back a couple of years ago, when he was about to win the WWF title against Sid in a steel cage match and the Undertaker rammed the door on him causing him to lose, McMahon entered the ring to try and interview him. You could see the frustration in his eyes and the look of absolute disgust on his face. In a fit of rage, Bret sent Vince flying 10 feet and boomed "Frustrated isn't the g_ddamned word for it, this is bullshit" - that day was probably Bret Hart at his ultimate best. The words went uncensored across the States and that caused USA to install an 8 second delay on all future RAW broadcasts.

An ambassador of wrestling.

Hulk Hogan was regarded as the Real American Hero. Professional Wrestling has a big market outside the United States and not many of the folks abroad can associate with what Hogan means when he says 'Real American Hero'. Hogan was huge in the United States - probably the single largest propellant of wrestling in this country, but on foreign land, Bret Hart is easily the most popular wrestler ever. The character of the Hit Man is not restricted to any one race or color. It is a universal message to all mankind - 'never say die and never give up'. Any human living in any part of the world can associate with that sentiment. His popularity is not restricted to his home country Canada. Bret Hart has a devout following in Germany, where he was voted Most Popular Sports Figure two years in a row from 1995 to 1996. Bret is extremely popular in England. He was mobbed by his fans in front of the Taj Mahal in Delhi, India and by fans at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Palestine. As the leading wrestler in the world's premier wrestling organization, Bret Hart represented the WWF all over the world and found new followers.

Charisma personified

The late Gorilla Monsoon said it best - 'The Hit Man is charisma personified'. "Critics" describing Bret Hart as not charismatic have obviously never seen him wrestle in his heyday. The moment the bugle blew signaling the entry of the Hit Man, the entire crowd would be on its feet and those at ringside would literally fall over each other to try an smack palms with Bret.

A wrestling traditionalist

For Bret, wrestling was always in his blood. Bret grew up watching his father Stu teach professional wrestling. As an upcoming star in the WWF, Bret was always grateful to people who helped elevate him to the status of megastar like "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Curt Hennig and Ric Flair. For some, wrestling is mere show business. For Bret, it is more than a likelihood, it is his life. No wrestler in the world today has more regard to professional wrestling than Bret Hart. The Hit Man has never had a problem with helping other wrestlers along the way, just as his predecessors helped him. Bret has helped his brother-in-law Daveyboy Smith - The British Bulldog, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, his brother Owen, Jerry "The King" Lawler and Shawn Michaels. Bret was a company man who worked for the betterment of his organization and not only for attaining his own individual goals. Bret was always willing to drop the title for the good of the company - a quality that was in striking contrast to a man like Shawn Michaels who faked an injury every time he was asked to do something he didn't like. As a wrestler with the WWF, Bret Hart missed but one scheduled match, due to an injury, and he was faithful to either organization during his tenure.

Setting the record straight...

As much as Vince Mcmahon would like you to believe otherwise, Bret Hart has never had a problem dropping titles to other wrestlers. Bret repeatedly told Vince that he was willing to drop the title, if need be, even to Shawn Michaels. His only problem was with losing the title in Montreal, Canada where he is regarded as a national hero. Three men by the name of Lance Storm, Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho will attest to that. Bret Hart had another month in his WWF contract after the Survivor Series match and could have either forfeited the title or dropped the title on any of the RAW IS WAR shows that were to follow. Bret screwed Bret? I don't think so.

Bret was a great wrestler, arguably the greatest wrestler to step into the ring and has entertained millions over the years. He was a positive role model to millions all over the world, me included. Certain other wrestlers may criticize Bret for taking the wrestling business too seriously and that he was never really a role model. I'd just like to say that I have always considered Bret to be my role model and I thank him for instilling this strong sense of what's right and what's wrong. I have always thought of Bret as a role model and I know for sure that I'm not the only one.

Thanks for the memories, Hit Man!

Rohan
Webmaster, The Dungeon