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Hulk Hogan Explains Why He Thinks Bret Hart Has "Hated My Guts" Since 1993
According to Hulk Hogan, the events of WrestleMania 9 still exist rent-free in the head of WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.
If there's one thing about legendary WWE Superstars, it's that sometimes they just can't help dredging up drama from their past. Such is the case for Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart.
It's no secret that the two Superstars rarely saw eye-to-eye during their pro wrestling careers, but allegedly, their relationship was more contentious than the WWE Universe was aware of.
During a recent appearance on the Full Send Podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan was asked about the WWE locker room and whether he ever had any personal beef with any fellow Superstars. As it turns out, even though he was arguably the biggest celebrity in the world in the early 90s, most of his fellow wrestlers spoke highly of him. However, according to Hogan, there was one exception, fellow WWE Hall of Famer Bret "Hitman" Hart.
Hulk Hogan Says Bret Hart Blames Him For Holding Hart Down in WWE
Although both men reached dazzling heights during their respective careers, which included extended stints in both WWE and WCW, Hogan revealed that Hart had some serious sour grapes after the latter lost the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 9.
"Bret Hart thought I basically sabotaged his career," Hogan said. "Because Bret thought he should have been the greatest wrestler that ever lived and he said it was my fault."
Of course, Hogan is referring to the shocking conclusion, and aftermath, of WrestleMania 9. Hart had just lost the WWE Championship to Yokozuna in the night's main event when Yokozuna bizarrely issued an impromptu challenge to Hulk Hogan.
On the surface, the conclusion of WrestleMania 9 seemed like traditional savvy WWE storytelling. After all, anything can happen in the WWE, even a stunning title change on the Grandest Stage of Them All. In reality, not all was well behind the scenes regarding Bret Hart, at least, according to Hulk Hogan.
Hogan Pulls No Punches Recalling the Alleged Beef With Bret Hart
"The Bret Hart thing I really didn't understand because when he got pissed at me, basically I won the belt from Yokozuna at WrestleMania where Bret lost and Bret told me to go in the ring and wrestle, and I won the belt right after Bret wrestled," Hogan explained. "And the deal was for me to drop it back to Yokozuna."
It's not uncommon for WWE Superstars to talk about the inner workings of WWE storylines. Still, it's rare to see someone like Hulk Hogan peel back the curtain so extensively. According to the Hulkster, Hart was upset he was being pushed out of the WWE title picture in favor of him, who was earmarked to lose the championship at a later date. To be fair, it's entirely possible Hart was told he would be regaining championship, but plans simply changed. These events took place 30 years ago, so it's also understandable if details are cloudy from each man's perspective. Wrestling fans have been trained to take Hogan's memory with a grain of salt, but nevertheless, Hogan recalled a backstage interaction with Hart after WrestleMania that he shared with the podcast audience.
"And then Bret got in my face and said, 'Hey, you're supposed to drop the belt to me!'" Hogan revealed. "I said, 'No, I'm not.' He goes, 'Well, yeah, you are.' I said, 'So let's talk to Vince [McMahon] then.' So we both went in and sat down and talked to Vince. Then Vince looked at Bret and said, 'Bret, that's what you thought you heard.' So ever since then, he hated my guts and wanted to kill me."
Those are strong words from the man who made pro wrestling go mainstream, but Hulk Hogan has never shied away from taking potshots at anybody who has done the same to him. To Hogan's credit, he did confess they got back on good terms once Bret Hart jumped ship to WCW in December 1997.
"All of a sudden, we had about eight or nine great matches," he admitted. "We got along great. We traveled together. And then, when WCW was over, he hated me again. OK, whatever, but it's just stuff like that."
The WWE Universe Knows To Take This Controversy With a Grain of Salt
Whether Hulk Hogan is telling the truth or completely rewriting history is anyone's guess, but as is often the case in pro wrestling, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
To Bret Hart's credit, the events of WrestleMania 9 ultimately served as a mere speedbump. He went on to capture the WWE Championship on multiple occasions on his way to cementing himself as one of the greatest wrestlers ever to compete. Ultimately, both Superstars' in-ring accomplishments made them no-brainer inductees to the WWE Hall of Fame, with Hogan being inducted in 2005 and Hart following in 2006.
Will the Excellence of Execution respond to Hulk Hogan's shots? Or will Bret Hart take the high road? Or will the WWE Universe focus on things that have happened more recently than 30 years ago – such as Money in the Bank 2023 quickly coming up on the horizon?
We think we know the answer. Onward and upward!
You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE's Money in the Bank on July 1. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock as well.
