"That's the hardest part for any young wrestler"- Bret Hart shares what he learned from Puerto Rican stars
Puerto Rico has a rich wrestling heritage as the country has produced some outstanding talents over the years. Bret Hart recently spoke to Mike Dagger of Lucha Libre Online and revealed what he learned from the Puerto Rican performers.
The Hitman briefly competed on the Caribbean island early on in his career. While he was well-versed with the basics of professional wrestling, Hart effectively understood how to execute a babyface comeback from Puerto Rican superstars.
Working the crowd is an essential aspect of the game, and Bret Hart noted how he picked up the art in Puerto Rico:
"When I flew to Puerto Rico and started wrestling, I remember it was a whole different thing. I had to learn how to have fire and how to make a comeback and really explode and let myself go," said Bret Hart. "From playing the crowd to looking at the crowd and getting them behind you." [8:41 - 9:00]
During a comeback, the most accomplished babyface wrestlers had a knack for getting the crowd behind them with their infectious energy.
Bret Hart stated that he figured out how to invoke the "fire" within him and showcase more emotions during the closing stages of a match.
"That was the hardest part to learn. Like, that's the hardest part for any young wrestler, to get comfortable with that comeback, all that fire, the adrenaline and all that, and I learned that in Puerto Rico, and I took that home to Canada, and it was like, instant," recalled Hart. "That was one of the hardest things to learn, and I learned it really quickly and really easily from the Puerto Rican wrestlers. They taught me how to show fire and emotion and drama." [9:35 - 10:00]
Bret Hart continued to talk about his experiences of working in Puerto Rico. He admitted that he wasn't all too expressive in the ring before he visited the island nation.
While the former WWE Champion couldn't recall the names of Puerto Rican stars he saw wrestling, Bret Hart took all the knowledge he'd gained back to Canada and became one of the best babyfaces ever.
In case you missed it, Bret also gave his unfiltered opinion on Goldberg ending his in-ring career. Read more on that here.
If you use any quotes from the article, please credit Lucha Libre Online and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.