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EXCLUSIVE: What does Bret Hart think of WWE's new Performance Center strategy?, Jim Neidhart talks "Total Divas" and Natalya, both address State of Tag Team Wrestling, more



Aug 28, 2013 - 11:06:11 AM

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By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist



- During an interview with the Hart Foundation at Marlins Park on Saturday, August 24 for "Legends of Wrestling Night," Bret Hart made it sound like he's not a fan of WWE's new developmental strategy with the Performance Center.



"It'll be interesting to see if they can manufacture, like a printing press, print wrestlers out. I don't think I would've learned very well in that situation," Hart said.



Hart did say that WWE must know what they're doing as he noted that FCW has turned out some very good wrestlers. He admitted the Performance Center will likely be a success, due in part to the trainers WWE has compiled. "I have a lot of respect for the guys they have teaching the wrestlers, they've got some good trainers," he said.



- Asked about paving the way for smaller wrestlers, such as Daniel Bryan, Bret noted that Bryan, Randy Orton, and C.M. Punk in particular are three of the great wrestlers of today. "I'll say this much: I think if you watch the wrestlers of today, you know they weren't watching Hulk Hogan. They were watching Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Wrestling has gone in the right direction as far as being about the wrestling," Hart said.



"There are some great innovators that are coming up with new moves. When I retired from wrestling, I felt that everything had been done. I couldn't come up with a lot of new scenarios or new moves, even though I did come up with a new one all the time. In watching the wrestlers of today, I'm very impressed with how many of them can come up with new moves and new ideas."



Bret continued by saying that while wrestling is essentially the same as it was years ago, there are many wrestlers who have succeeded in creating new moves and concepts inside the same ring he wrestled.



Bret then gave a somewhat surprising answer when asked who he'd like to headline against at WrestleMania today: "Bret 'The Hitman' Hart circa 1997, the U.S.-bashing Bret Hart, would have to lay a beat-down on John Cena. I think everyone would want to see that," he said. He went on to compliment Cena, calling him as hard a worker as there ever has been in the business.



- Hart's former tag partner, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart talked about his daughter, Natalya, carrying on the family tradition on WWE TV. Neidhart said she not only learned wrestling from him, but from the rest of the Hart family and from her grandfather Stu via The Dungeon. "She learned in life that anything Jim did, to do the opposite," Bret joked.



"That's a hell of a show," said Neidhart when he asked about the Total Divas show in which Natalya stars. Responding to a question about whether or not he gets upset with some things, as a dad, he sees on the show, Neidhart said: "Nattie is a big girl and she can take care of herself."



- In discussing the state of tag team wrestling today, Bret remarked that "It's my understanding that Vince McMahon himself doesn't like tag team wrestling. He's grown bored with it or is tired with it and doesn't like it anymore."



"It's a real shame they don't do more to build the tag team divisions in wrestling," said Bret.



"It's a faster pace," said Neidhart, of tag team wrestling.



When asked about what made the Hart Foundation successful, Neidhart chimed in with a colorful answer: "When you take a large wrestler like myself who is strong like a tank; and you take a wrestler like Bret, who was like a Ferrari, and you combine the speed and the strength, that's what made the Hart Foundation."



Bret did not discount the contributions made by Jimmy Hart to the Hart Foundation. "He was a big motivator for us, especially in the early days. He was a big part of that," Hart said.



- On another subject, Hart said that he holds no animosity toward Bill Goldberg, whose superkick at WCW Starrcade 1999 contributed to the end of Hart's career. "I've always had a lot of respect for Bill," said Hart of Goldberg, who was also at Legends of Wrestling Night. "He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. I do wish he had been a little bit more careful, but we've always been friends through the years."



- Bret also hinted that he may be writing another autobiography, saying that he had 700 pages of manuscript left over that wasn't used in his first book. He said he left out a lot of stories from his days as a wrestler, and could include his story of coming back to WWE. "There's a lot of interesting backstory to that," Bret teased.



Finally, Hart noted how nice it was to be back in the Miami area. "I have a lot of memories here in Miami, and to see this brand-new stadium," he said.



"Most of the memories I have are related to the fans and the wrestlers themselves," he added. "The fans here were really educated about wrestling and appreciated a guy who could wrestle a good match."







[Torch photo credit Wade Keller (c) PWTorch.com]



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