Bret “Hitman” Hart didn’t hold back when recalling his backstage power struggle with Ric Flair—one that changed the course of his career.
During a live appearance in Germany, the WWE Hall of Famer revealed the exact moment he took control of his matches—and called out Flair for refusing to evolve inside the ring. Hart said everything changed after he became WWF Champion and began working Flair in rematches. While their matches overseas were solid, he said things fell apart when they returned stateside.
“I started wrestling Ric Flair again in rematches, and I didn’t have very good matches with Ric Flair,” Hart said. “Like the ones I had in Germany a few weeks before were like five-star matches, but the ones I had in Calgary… like one star.”
That led Hart to believe something more intentional was going on.
“I think he’s purposely not giving me good matches,” he explained. “He was trying to sabotage my matches.”
Things boiled over when Flair tried to take control of one of their match layouts. That’s when Hart snapped—and made a decision that would define his legacy.
“He asked me, ‘So what are we doing?’ And I said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ I took about ten minutes to outline the whole match. He looked at me and said, ‘That sounds really good, but how about this instead?’ And he started to tell me all about what he wanted to do.”
Hart cut him off right then and there.
“I said, ‘No, we’re not doing any of that. I’m in charge. I’m the champion. I tell you what to do.’”
Hart said Flair didn’t argue, but it was clear the moment left him rattled. That conversation was the turning point for Hart, who said he never let anyone dictate a match to him again.
“From that day on, I never took orders from anybody. I told everybody what to do.”
Hart also took a direct shot at Flair’s ring style, claiming the 16-time world champion rarely switched it up.
“Ric wrestles everybody the exact same way. It’s the same script, the same match, the same spots, the same moves.”
By contrast, Hart prided himself on reinventing his matches every night.
“I’m an artist. I do something different every night… That’s my Papa Shango match. That’s my Bam Bam Bigelow match. That’s my Yokozuna match. But none of them are the same.”
In Hart’s mind, true greatness comes from being in control of the story from start to finish—and that’s exactly what he did.
“I was the producer, director, and editor. I put the whole match together from top to bottom.”
Bret Hart isn’t interested in playing nice anymore. He’s telling his truth—and calling out anyone who didn’t pull their weight. And according to him, Ric Flair is near the top of that list.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
Do you think Ric Flair was trying to sabotage Bret Hart’s career or is he just bitter? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
September 28, 2025 5:48 pm
