This Was Bret Hart's All-Time Favorite Wrestler
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Bret "The Hitman" Hart is widely regarded as one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots and step into a wrestling ring. Yet if you ask the man himself, you will find that although he may be among the best, he does not see himself as the very best.
Despite countless accolades across various promotions, there is at least one wrestler he would never declare himself better than. In an interview with Pro Wrestling Archives in 2007, "The Hitman" named "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig as that very wrestler (via Pro Wrestling Stories).
"Curt Hennig was a wrestler that I would never say I was better than," Hart said.
The praise for the former two-time Intercontinental Champion didn't stop there, however. From the book The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels, there is no doubt in Hart's mind who his favorite wrestler is — and who he'd face again if it were possible.
"I was recently asked if I could come back to wrestle just one more match, one final hurrah, what wrestler would I pick to work with," he said. "I said, 'Curt Hennig.' He was my all-time favorite. He really was."
The Adoration Between Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect Was Mutual
In 1991, Hart challenged and defeated "Mr. Perfect" for his first ever Intercontinental Championship at WWF SummerSlam. Not only is that match regarded as one of the greatest SummerSlam bouts of all time, it is said to be one of the best ever Intercontinental Championship matches as well. Hennig himself would be the first to tell you how accurate that was.
In an interview with Pro Wrestling Radio in November 2000, he gave "The Hitman" the ultimate praise.
"I'd have to say out of all of my matches, my best would have to be with Bret Hart," he said.
And in an interview from June 2016 (via Sports Illustrated), Hart praised the late, great Hennig even further.
"Curt was one of the greatest athletes ever to put on a pair of wrestling boots," he said. "You could wake me up at four in the morning, and I could wrestle Curt Hennig for an hour and have a five-star match." He added that Hennig was "so safe in his matches and logical."
Hennig tragically passed away on February 10, 2003 at just 44 years old. Both he and Hart have since been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, perhaps fittingly, one year apart.