In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Bret Hart made his opinion known on the current state of pro wrestling, particularly the in-ring action.
The WWE Hall of Famer, who will be appearing in Australia as part of the upcoming Starrcast convention in April, talked about where the current product seems to be heading while comparing it to his previous run, stating:
“And I think it’s starting to stand out now where it’s like – in my honest opinion, without trying to sound too boastful, they’ve pulled the curtain back on wrestling so much. So now we know the whole thing’s a show, and they’re just really good physical actors, and that is what it is.
But you watch my wrestling and you go, jeez, he was the best. I think I made it look more real than anybody all the time. I made your stuff look good, I made my own stuff look good, nothing looked rehearsed. There’s so much I think in today’s wrestling that’s so badly rehearsed, over and over.”
Despite his criticism for the current product, however, Hart did commend Australia’s own Rhea Ripley for the realism she displays:
“I really like her a lot. I really like her poise, her staying in character and sort of living her – she seems like she’s adapted a character that’s fun to play, and she’s playing into that, full tilt.
She’s putting that realism into it; that’s what I miss in a lot of wrestling today, just making it feel more real, and she makes it feel pretty real all the time.”
The WWE Women’s World Champion awaits her next challenge following a successful title defense against Ivy Nile at the Day 1 edition of WWE RAW.