Bret Hart critical perspective on modern wrestling, particularly AEW
– Bret Hart shared his critical perspective on modern wrestling, particularly AEW, expressing his belief that many wrestlers today focus more on acting than genuine in-ring skill. He stated, “I find that, you know, especially AEW, that I find that they’re mostly actors trying to pretend to be wrestlers and they ought to get on with this real wrestling and just quit acting so much.”
Hart elaborated on his concerns, emphasizing that this trend extends beyond AEW, saying, “I find in a lot of wrestlers, and I won’t necessarily name anybody, but I, I find that the wrestlers are more actors pretending to be wrestlers today than actual wrestlers.” He lamented the loss of a more rugged and authentic wrestling style, reminiscing about the past, “I miss the ruggedness of the characters, like, you know, guys like Curt Hennig and myself or Dynamite Kid or that whole era of wrestlers that, you know, broke into the business in the 70s or late 70s and early 80s.”
Hart pointed out that wrestlers from his era had a more authentic approach, influenced by legends of the sport. “We were still real. We were from the Harley Race, Terry Funk kind of generation, trying to copy them or mimic them or, you know, pop them.” He then reflected on what he considers the golden era of wrestling, stating, “And I think that’s why I still think the 90s was the best, best era of wrestling. You know, when I watch some of that old 90s wrestling, it was really good. Really good stuff.”
Finally, Hart contrasted the past with today’s wrestling landscape, noting a shift in priorities. “And I find that today’s wrestling, it’s a little bit more about promos and your character on TV and not so much…” He left the thought open-ended, but his sentiment was clear—modern wrestling, in his view, places too much emphasis on performance and character work rather than the in-ring craft that defined his era.
Bret Hart speaks on the current landscape of pro-wrestling.
“…especially AEW, I find that they're mostly actors trying to pretend to be wrestlers…gotta get on with the real wrestling and just quit acting so much."
(via @arielhelwani)
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) April 1, 2025
Source: The Ariel Helwani Show
Tsk. Just another older “WWE Contracted” wrestler/employee who wants to single AEW out. Ratings and attendance aside, I feel 90s wrestling is pretty overrated. Yeah the 90s had Bret, the 90s had Owen- as far as it concerns Bret, but corporate and politics aside, 90s was just kinda “there and done.” You can’t say 90s didn’t have acting. That masked Jim Neidhart “replacement” gimmick he did for a blink called “Who” (even had a toy recently), that was cringe. And I bet even Bret can agree. Jim hated it too. If Bret actually follows AEW however and isn’t just saying that, I’d say, the one who fits the acting description these days would be Toni Storm. Personally, I know she can wrestle, but that vintage Hollywood stuff is her character. In AEW, we’re still lucky to have Jeff Jarrett at times, and Dustin Rhodes, two “90s” guys who were there alongside Bret. And Swerve, MJF, Kenny Omega even, Hologram, Mortos, Okada, Shibata, Hook, Samoa Joe, all of them are great and can wrestle a good match. Come on Bret Hart! Even Martha knows this stuff
@JohnS
World of difference between “wrestle a good match” and “do one spectacular move after another with no rhyme or reason and total disregard for the audience”.
AEW isn’t being singled out because people hate it so much, it’s being singled out because it’s run by an idiot who’s still clueless about what wrestling is supposed to be after all these years.