Bret Hart Reveals Lecture Vince McMahon Gave Him About Being WWE Champion

Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair for the WWE Title on October 12th, 1992. He enjoyed a successful career that included Tag Team and Intercontinental Titles as well. The initial reign with the WWE Title would last 174 days. Bret and Vince McMahon are known for their rocky relationship, yet Vince attempted to motivate Bret during this time in his own unique way.

The Hitman recently spoke with The Ringer about Survivor Series 1997. He also revealed what McMahon told him when Bret won the WWE Championship for the first time.

When I became champion, Vince gave me a lecture on it one time, saying, ‘You’re the champion. You call the shots. No one tells you how to wrestle. You’re the guy that tells everyone else how to wrestle.’ And I made that my new rule. For a long time up until that, I always had to incorporate some other wrestler’s ideas into my match to make him happy. Now I could tell people, ‘No, we’re not going to do that idea. We’re going to cancel that because it doesn’t make any sense, but we’re going to do this instead.’ And nobody would argue with me anymore. I became a very detailed guy and I think just the passion and the workrate that I brought to wrestling is finally being appreciated today.

Hart also discussed how he believes his matches hold up better than other wrestlers from his era to today’s style. He boasted to be a perfectionist and an innovator in the ring. He also said that there are many thieves out there who steal ideas from other wrestlers.

When you go back and you watch these old matches over and over again like people do today, I think my matches hold up better than any wrestlers that I can think of. I was a perfectionist in the ring and I was an innovator. I was not a thief. There’s a lot of thieves out there that steal ideas from other wrestlers.

Bret stated that his matches appeared more realistic and that there is also psychology and logic involved. He also discussed how timing and the ability to be a great wrestler are sometimes misunderstood or underappreciated. They don’t get credit for being great athletes or great actors, according to Hart, when they are likely a blend of both in full motion.

If you watch my matches back, I think you see a psychology and a logic that’s always there. The matches just seem real. You don’t have to see me wiggle to move into the right place, or if I get knocked over the top rope, I’m always in the right spot at the right time. The timing and the ability to be a great wrestler has often been misunderstood or underappreciated. We don’t get credit for being great athletes and we don’t get credit for being great actors when in fact we’re probably a combination of them both in full motion.

After the Montreal Screwjob, Hart’s relationship with McMahon ended on a bad note, but Bret still took the time to appreciate what Vince did well. Let’s see how Vince responds to this. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Ringside News.

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