Bret Hart On Who He’d Pick As His Favorite Opponent, Importance Of Roddy Piper To His Career

In a recent interview on Rasslin’ with Brandon F. Walker, Bret Hart discussed his pick for his favorite opponent, the importance of Roddy Piper to his career, and much more. You can read his comments below.

Bret Hart on his favorite opponent in his wrestling career: “I’ll always say this about Curt [Hennig], if I could’ve wrestled one guy again, it would’ve been Curt. He was my favorite opponent ever. My brother Owen is a close second. But, [Curt and I] had such a bond and chemistry together that whenever we went out there, no matter the circumstances, no matter how we traveled that day, whether you got stuck in an airport for eight hours and you were completely wiped when you got the dressing room. I can remember a lot of times with Curt, we’re getting ready to go out there and it’s like, ‘I’ve got nothing in the tank. I’m completely burned out, I’m exhausted.’ And you go out there, and the crowd starts to cheer, and then in about five minutes, you’re giving them a five-star match. You’re laying out all the stops, you give them everything that you have. And I was like that with Curt.

“I think there was a growing respect we started having for each other. Curt really loved working with me, and I loved working with Curt. And if you really look at my rise to the top, it all starts with Curt Hennig. He was the guy that, even though he was injured too with his back, he was never going to miss SummerSlam [1991] because he wanted to do that for me. He wanted to help elevate me to the next level. I had such a respect for Curt, and we had such a great friendship. He’s one of those guys I never forget for that first match – trusting me, being there for me, and sacrificing so much with his back injury. He could’ve said, ‘You know what, I can’t make it that day and I’m going to take a few months off.’ But he came back specifically, and came back hurt, to deliver that match with me.”

The importance of Roddy Piper to his career: “Roddy, like Mr. Perfect, was a guy who was going to open the door for me. He was going to hold the door open for me to help me get to the next level. A lot of wrestlers hadn’t done that for me, and some would never do that for me. Roddy was a guy – that’s what I love about Roddy – he was a guy that was going to try and open the door for the next generation. There’s a lot of guys like Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, and Ultimate Warrior, guys like that, who never held the door open for anybody. As soon as their careers ended, they slammed the door shut and never did anything for anybody, for whatever reasons. But Roddy Piper was a guy that opened the door for the next generation, and I never forget that.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Rasslin’ with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.