How Bret Hart's Archive Of Legendary Matches Continues To Currently Impact Pro Wrestling
It's no secret Bret Hart is one of the best wrestlers to ever step foot in the ring: just ask pretty much any pro wrestler working today.
"We studied Bret because he was the one we'd looked up to as kids," Sheamus told Sports Illustrated back in 2020. "We studied Shawn [Michaels], [Steve] Austin and Rock, too, but Bret was the one that really brought technical wrestling to the forefront of the industry. Bret could work with such a variety of opponents, and his work helped us develop our love for the business."
Hart's influence on today's professional wrestling product can be felt in nearly every match fans watch on television. Whether it's a blatant homage to the former WWF and WCW star –- like when FTR accompanied CM Punk in the ring wearing Bret "The Hitman" Hart fan club t-shirts on the June 1 "AEW Dynamite" –- or a subtle choreographed move that wrestlers perform in the ring in honor of the retired star, Hart's presence always seems to be felt.
"When I was studying the matches with Sheamus, we watched certain Bret matches over and over again, and then we decided we were going to have matches just like that," Drew McIntyre also told Sports Illustrated. "So we told promoters we wanted to wrestle each other, and all the moves in those matches were ones we'd learn from watching Bret."
Why Bret Hart's influence continues today
Last year, Bret Hart himself opened up about his influence on today's top stars. When Hart made his debut in the WWF in the mid-1980s, he said main event stars like Hulk Hogan weren't as spry in the ring, only focusing on clotheslines and body slams.
"[Hogan] was six-foot-eight and a one-out-of-three wrestler. He didn't know a headlock from a headlamp," Hart said, noting that Hogan, like other stars of the time, "was very limited."
But the WWF allowed Hart to try out more acrobatic and calculated moves, something that became a foundation of modern wrestling. Modern stars have gravitated towards high-flying moves and surgical submission holds –- some of which Hart made famous during his 24-year career.
"Bret's in-ring work was second to none, but he still doesn't get enough credit for also being one of the greatest entertainers," AEW star Kenny Omega told Sports Illustrated, adding that matches like Hart's famed bout against Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 and his match against Mr. Perfect at SummerSlam 1991 changed his perception of what wrestling could be and showed fans "that wrestling could also exist outside of that small little box we'd known."
"He could really relate to people," Omega said. "He could make you cheer for the good guy and hate the bad guy. He created some really beautiful stories in the ring."