During a recent Q&A session in Germersheim, Germany, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart did not hold back as he reflected on his career and the stars he shared the ring with. Speaking candidly in front of fans, Hart praised some of his peers for helping him grow as a performer, while openly criticizing others whom he felt were unwilling to give back to the business. The Hitman’s remarks covered names such as Mr. Perfect, Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jake Roberts, and Shawn Michaels.

Hart credited Curt Hennig, known to fans as Mr. Perfect, and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as being pivotal in helping him successfully transition into singles competition after his tag team run. He explained that both men went out of their way to help him prove to WWE management that he could thrive as a top attraction. “They wanted to help me and prove to the office and promotion that I could be a big star,” Hart said. “I owe a lot to Mr. Perfect. He was the first guy to really go in there and just show everybody how good I was… He was one of my favorite guys to ever wrestle. He was the first guy then to step up and help me, and then Roddy Piper was probably the second.”

By contrast, Hart was blunt when discussing Hulk Hogan and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. He accused them of prioritizing their own positions rather than creating opportunities for others. “I look back on what Roddy and Mr. Perfect did for me. And I could tell you that Hulk Hogan never did that for anybody,” Hart stated. “He never helped anybody else after his time was being the top guy. He would rather see the company sink than actually come back and help make the next star… Jake Roberts is another guy that never made anybody.”

When talking about Ric Flair, Hart offered a detailed perspective on their differences in style. He prided himself on creating unique matches for each opponent, while criticizing Flair for repeating the same formula. “I always wrestled different matches with different guys. I never had the same match with the same guy… which is exactly what Ric Flair does,” Hart said. “He wrestles everybody in the exact same way. It’s the same script, the same patch, the same spots, the same moves. And whereas I’m an artist, I do it different every night.”

Hart went further, claiming that Flair deliberately held back in their matches after he won the WWE Championship from him. “I didn’t have very good matches with Ric Flair,” Hart said. “I think he’s purposely not giving me good matches. He’s trying to sabotage my matches.” That belief came to a head during preparations for an Iron Man match, where Hart refused to follow Flair’s traditional structure. “I looked at him, I said, ‘We’re not doing any of that. We’re doing my match… No, we’re not doing any of that. I’m in charge. I’m the champion. I tell you what to do,’” Hart recalled, describing it as a “turning point” in his career when he fully asserted himself as champion.

Hart also briefly discussed what was originally planned for WrestleMania 13. According to him, Vince McMahon wanted him to face Shawn Michaels in a rematch for the WWE Championship, but politics behind the scenes stopped it from happening. “Vince told me I had to wrestle Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 13 in a rematch for the title,” Hart said. “But politics and Shawn’s ego, he didn’t want to do that… Shawn retired, lost his smile and all that stuff. And basically, I think, refused to wrestle me at WrestleMania 13.”