Many consider the combination of athleticism and drama the defining characteristic of professional wrestling. A spectacularwrestling feud can secure a wrestler's place in the minds of the adoring audience, and yet some, like WWE Hall of Famer "The Hitman" Bret Hart, feel that the current state of professional wrestling leans more entertainment than sport.
Hart recently sat with journalist Ariel Helwani, and criticized the dramatic aspects of today's wrestling characters.When asked if he keeps up with current wrestling programming, "The Hitman" said that, while he reportedly tries to keep up with pay-per-views, the theatricality of modern-day wrestlers is a consistent problem that dissuades him from more actively watching current promotions.
"I find that the wrestlers are more actors pretending to be wrestlers today than actual wrestlers," Hart criticized. "I miss the ruggedness of the characters."
Hart affirmed his preference for the 90s era of wrestling, partially due to the flamboyance of today's wrestlers. He criticized the promo-heavy nature of modern-day programming, and expressed his respect towards talent that are more inclined towards in-ring performance. Hart extended his compliments towards Roman Reigns, and called him a performer after the "respect of [his] generation." Interestingly, fans have long criticized Reigns' lack of title defenses during his historic reign as the Undisputed Universal WWE Champion. It is unclear whether Hart was commending Reigns' match frequency, or another aspect of "The Tribal Chief's" subtler character.
Hart quickly mentioned AEW, and criticized the promotion for being "mostly actors trying to pretend to be wrestlers." Fans countered the veteran's thoughts on social media, and pointed out that AEW's match output far exceeds WWE's more story-based programming. Other fans warned against misconstruing "The Hitman's" words, and proposed that Hart is criticizing the lack of genuine wrestling passion in today's talent, who may be more theatrically inclined.
