Does Gunther have heat with Bret Hart? Some recent comments from the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history have led to concerns that "The Ring General" has a legitimate beef with "The Excellence of Execution." Let's hear what Gunther had to say during an appearance on The Bump where he discussed some past Intercontinental Champions:

“I think it is obvious that in-ring, he is one of the best to ever do it. Very enjoyable. He was very popular in Germany and Austria when I was growing up. He was a big superstar there. But as Ludwig said before, I don’t forget. And [what] that man said at my match in Cardiff and was not mentioning nice things after that. So, he is not going to get anything nice from me. Too bad he is not in the state anymore to settle this in the ring. It would have been very interesting.”

H/T Ringside News

As Ringside News' Felix Upton pointed out:

However, while maintaining his character, the Imperium leader mentioned that Hart had expressed his displeasure with certain aspects of GUNTHER’s match against Sheamus.

It's unknown whether Gunther's comments were kayfabe, his real feelings, or a mix of both. However, just what did Hart say that caught Gunther's attention?

The Hitman's Complaints:

In 2022, Bret Hart sounded off on what he saw at Clash at the Castle. In an interview with HN Live,"The Excellence of Execution" complained

“I went to a show not too long ago in Cardiff, a pay-per-view, it was embarrassing to sit in the front row and watch all the kids in the audience slap their leg as the wrestlers slap their leg in these kick spots where they pretend to kick each other with shin pads and slap sounds over and over. To realize that the crowd is in on it, the entire floor is clapping and slapping their leg. I’m going, ‘we used to try and make it real, what happened?’ Everybody is in on it. It’s a big giant charade.

Another element that upset Hart was the frequent use of chops:

“When I see wrestlers today just slapping and the crowd going, ‘wooo’ and everyone keeps slapping, one after another and these guys have welts all over their chest and blisters and their chest hurt that night and they go, ‘Geez, I was an idiot tonight and let somebody slap me on the chest as hard as he could 500 times and my chest is killing me.’"

Wrestling fans have seen wrestlers engage in these types of exchanges in other promotions. The spectacle is not limited to chops. Wrestlers sometimes engage in slugfests where they dare an opponent to hit them as hard as possible then fire off a blow against their opponent. For some fans, this is entertaining. For others, it disrupts fans' suspension of disbelief of wrestling's worked nature.

Hart's opinion on excess chops is clear:

“That’s not what wrestling is. It’s not about hurting yourself. It’s not about coming back to the dressing room and feeling…everyone knows that it’s not real, right? They all know what’s going on. So why are you letting someone slap you and chop you and whip you across the chest and hurt you and you’re in pain all night and you wake up the next day with blisters all over your chest and then do it again the next night. It’s just stupid.”

What's stupid usually depends on the audience. Ask wrestling fans what role high spots have in the sport and you're likely to get different answers. Fans and promoters have different takes and things and it's rare that you'll find a consensus (except for the NWA's recent decision to simulate cocaine use during a pay-per-view, a decision generally regarded as just plain stupid).

Wrestling has changed throughout the years but as far as Bret is concerned:

“It goes back to simple art. Wrestling is an art form. ‘All art is simple.’ Wrestling is a simple art that is really just storytelling or good vs. bad, most of the time, anyway, and it’s an easy story to tell. Wrestlers have been doing it for decades and wrestlers from 2005 up don’t know anything about telling stories or what headlocks are.”

H/T Inside the Ropes

Is Bret Bellyaching?

Two questions come to mind with this story. The first is whether Bret Hart is merely bellyaching about how wrestling has changed from his heyday or whether he raises some valid points. The second is whether Gunther has any real heat with Hart. What do you think?

Photo Credit: WWE