While almost every wrestling fan can agree that Bret “The Hitman” Hart was one of best in-ring performers of all time. However, no one would accuse the two-time Hall Of Famer of being a great promo guy. Yet, he also worked hard on delivering some of the most memorable promos for his fans. In the ring, he always could make fans believe in him. On the microphone, even as a milquetoast babyface, the Hitman could still make you believe.
While his promos in 1997 were a cut above the rest, the Hitman had some other work in his career that could incite a crowd or an opponent.
10 Bret Labels HBK and HHH Degenerates
If Bret was ripping into Shawn during the beginnings of the Attitude Era, there’s a good chance he might have been telling his real feelings on his rival. In this promo, which is definitely not anywhere near PC by today’s or yesterday’s standards, the Hitman rips into anything and everything to get heel heat. It was also one of the first, if not the first promo where he refers to Hunter and Shawn as Degenerates
9 Bret Berates Shawn
For those fans in the know, THIS is the promo where the real-life heat between Shawn and Bret had heated back up and carried all the way through Montreal up until their reconciliation years later. Bret laced into Shawn about everything he didn’t like about him, from his hair to his attitude. How Shawn ducked him out of a rematch at WrestleMania 13 (the supposed original main event until HBK lost his smile).
You name the offense that Shawn supposedly committed, Bret called him out on it. To this day, Bret claims he forgot the line to say for Shawn to nail him with Sweet Chin Music and Raw to cut to black. But instead, Bret never said it, Shawn nailed him when Raw went off the air and he vilified Bret for it.
8 Bret, Bill, And A Plate
While Bret sadly didn’t have the best run in WCW, he did have several memorable moments. This one actually is one of the best of his career. In his home country, Bret came out and sang Canada’s praises. He also complained about the fact that the WCW locker room was too yellow to challenge him. Then he called out big Bill Goldberg to come out while he trembled in fear. Bret even called into question Goldberg’s big money challenge to Stone Cold. Once the big lug came out, an attempted spear ended in Goldberg getting knocked out by the steel plated Bret had under his Maple Leaf’s jersey.
7 Not American, Just Pro Canadian
One night after The Canadian Stampede that saw the Hart Foundation victorious, the Hitman came to deliver a grand pro-Canada promo. He even said as much in his promo that he’s not necessarily anti-American, but he’s just pro-Canadian. Bret then espoused the values of his beloved native land before declaring he’d promise to beat the Undertaker at SummerSlam or never wrestle in America ever again.
6 Bret’s List
On the way to defending his title against the Patriot at Ground Zero, the Hitman was riding high and brimming with confidence. He also called out Vader, citing he was a “big fat tub of goo.” Bret threatened to add him to the list (long before Jericho’s list) of superstars that would flush down the toilet. Besides the enema promo, apparently Bret’s character had turned into used toilet and bathroom analogies whenever he felt warranted.
5 Bret Snaps
Bret Hart won the 1997 Royal Rumble, but Stone Cold cheated and cost him the match. Bret Hart won the Final Four to become the WWE champion for the fourth time but was screwed out of the world title. He was long before this screwed out of his long-awaited rematch with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 13.
He then finally got his title shot against Sid in a cage match on Raw, but then he got screwed there, too. It was enough for Bret to completely snap. Which is what he did when he got interviewed after the match. Bret swore up a storm venting his frustrations before proclaiming that the entire locker room and the fans knew that he was best.
4 Human Excrement
It was short and to the point, but right before doing battle with Vader in a No Holds Barred match on Raw, the Hitman lambasted the Cincinnati crowd in reference to their sports hero, Pete Rose and what a disgraced American hero he became, he then turned his attentions to the “human piece of excrement,” Vader and how he would enjoy beating the snot out of him.
3 Who Are You To Doubt El Dandy?
Bret got show a slightly funnier side to his heel personality when he was interviewed by Mean Gene about trying to duck out of his US title match with Booker T. The Hitman claimed that Booker T didn’t have any right to be in the same ring with him. He did however state that the luchador, El Dandy was actually a worthy competitor, he or ‘Hypnosis (Psicosis).’ When Gene questioned the validity of Bret’s claims, he incredulously asked Gene “Who are you to doubt El Dandy?”
2 Two ‘Harts’ Beating As One
The Hart Foundation had a big night ahead of them at SummerSlam 1990. The Hitman and the Anvil were poised to once again win the tag team titles from Demolition. The promo they cut before the match was quick, but it was also a sign of things to come from the cool, calm, and collected Hitman – “what he have here is two hearts, beating as one” is what Bret said that night, and he couldn’t have been more right.
1 America Needs An Enema
The Hart Foundation were cooking on all cylinders at this point. With Bret as their leader, they were the most hated or loved group in the company, depending on which side of the US-Canada border they were on. One night in a Pittsburgh, the Hitman was especially ornery and bemoaned about the deck being stacked against him at SummerSlam 1997. But he also uttered one of his most famous lines “if you were give the United States Of America and enema, you’d stick hose right here in Pittsburgh.”