Black Widow
07-17-2008, 05:43 PM
Now that he's retired from wrestling, the Canadian icon talks and talks . . . and talks
Bret Hart on if he was 20 years old again whether he'd be a pro wrestler or an Ultimate fighting championship competitor:
"I'd never do UFC. I wasn't good enough and I was smarter than that. I have a lot of respect for UFC guys, but I still think they're not getting the money they deserve, especially when I see them taking all those head shots. You can see the brain cells just vanishing when they get hit five, six times. It's the kind of brain damage you carry around forever. You can't put a price tag on your brain and I know that better than anyone else [since a concussion ended his career]. I have a lot of respect for it, but it's not something I would have done, since I put too much value on my brain cells. I don't mind pretending to bash somebody's brain cells out."
On what it will take to get pro wrestling to rise again in popularity:
"It takes one certain guy. It seems to be the case all the time. One guy seems to be able to ignite the industry. There's lot of good wrestlers out there, but I think they need to make some adjustments with the story telling."
On watching his niece Natayla and nephew D.H. Smith in the WWE:
"I like watching family. I'm waiting for Harry Smith, Davey's boy, to get a chance. He's much better than he's had a chance to prove. He's a great wrestler. He needs to open up a bit and get his confidence . . .
Nattie is really starting to impress everybody. She wants it so bad. She really has the passion for it. I talked to her on the phone yesterday and she's so happy. What she wants to get out of wrestling she's getting out of it."
On the Hulk Hogan situation:
(Hogan, a longtime arch nemesis of Hart in and out of the ring, has taken heat for assorted comments he's made about John Graziano. Hogan's son Nick has been jailed for a car crash that left Graziano paralyzed. Among Hogan's comments were telling Larry King that the crash was "God's will," and it would "make John a better person.")
"I think he showed his true colours. He's washed up. He exposed himself. It's pretty callous. I think he dug himself an even bigger hole on Larry King. He was always selfish. Everything Hogan ever did was for Hogan. That could have happened to anybody. We all have kids that age.
I know I wouldn't have handled things the same way. I would have been very remorseful."
On which wrestlers he still talks to:
"I'm pretty close friends with [Roddy] Piper, Stone Cold [Steve Austin] . . . I stay in touch with Edge, and Chris Jericho is a pretty good friend of mine."
On what's next for him:
"I'm going to try to write a novel. I'm going to pursue getting my autobiography made into some sort of film. I'd like to see it be an episodic thing, like The Sopranos . . . I've had some pretty interesting discussions. Brad Pitt's film company came to me. I haven't heard back from them, but there's been good interest."
canada.com
Bret Hart on if he was 20 years old again whether he'd be a pro wrestler or an Ultimate fighting championship competitor:
"I'd never do UFC. I wasn't good enough and I was smarter than that. I have a lot of respect for UFC guys, but I still think they're not getting the money they deserve, especially when I see them taking all those head shots. You can see the brain cells just vanishing when they get hit five, six times. It's the kind of brain damage you carry around forever. You can't put a price tag on your brain and I know that better than anyone else [since a concussion ended his career]. I have a lot of respect for it, but it's not something I would have done, since I put too much value on my brain cells. I don't mind pretending to bash somebody's brain cells out."
On what it will take to get pro wrestling to rise again in popularity:
"It takes one certain guy. It seems to be the case all the time. One guy seems to be able to ignite the industry. There's lot of good wrestlers out there, but I think they need to make some adjustments with the story telling."
On watching his niece Natayla and nephew D.H. Smith in the WWE:
"I like watching family. I'm waiting for Harry Smith, Davey's boy, to get a chance. He's much better than he's had a chance to prove. He's a great wrestler. He needs to open up a bit and get his confidence . . .
Nattie is really starting to impress everybody. She wants it so bad. She really has the passion for it. I talked to her on the phone yesterday and she's so happy. What she wants to get out of wrestling she's getting out of it."
On the Hulk Hogan situation:
(Hogan, a longtime arch nemesis of Hart in and out of the ring, has taken heat for assorted comments he's made about John Graziano. Hogan's son Nick has been jailed for a car crash that left Graziano paralyzed. Among Hogan's comments were telling Larry King that the crash was "God's will," and it would "make John a better person.")
"I think he showed his true colours. He's washed up. He exposed himself. It's pretty callous. I think he dug himself an even bigger hole on Larry King. He was always selfish. Everything Hogan ever did was for Hogan. That could have happened to anybody. We all have kids that age.
I know I wouldn't have handled things the same way. I would have been very remorseful."
On which wrestlers he still talks to:
"I'm pretty close friends with [Roddy] Piper, Stone Cold [Steve Austin] . . . I stay in touch with Edge, and Chris Jericho is a pretty good friend of mine."
On what's next for him:
"I'm going to try to write a novel. I'm going to pursue getting my autobiography made into some sort of film. I'd like to see it be an episodic thing, like The Sopranos . . . I've had some pretty interesting discussions. Brad Pitt's film company came to me. I haven't heard back from them, but there's been good interest."
canada.com