Bret Hart takes a shot at WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair
Bret Hart was a five-time WWE Champion and a standard-bearer for in-ring technique and psychology. Ric Flair was no short of talent inside the ring, and his promo work was a cut above the rest. The two met in the ring a few times over the years, including in WCW.
It's fair to say that Bret Hart has had a love-hate relationship with Ric Flair over the years, though they worked together in their later years. In the Confessions of the Hitman series, Bret Hart spoke about how chops were misunderstood, and Ric Flair never really understood the move.
Bret Hart says he never understood why Ric Flair used chops
Bret Hart says that the chops started as a 'rib,' but wrestlers began to use them in matches. Hart felt that no one won a match with a chop, which is why he was bewildered by Ric Flair using it in matches. He said: (H/T Wrestling Inc)
"The chops started out as a rib! That's what the old timers, like the [pro] wrestlers, would do to the rookies... they would chop them, like, 'slap!' And keep chopping them until they had welts on their chest and blisters. You could get blisters all across your chest and little red bubbles that hurt a lot." Hart said, "when I worked with Ric Flair and guys like that, all they would do is chop. And I'm like, 'for what?' Like, whoever won a fight from a chop? It's like slapping somebody in the face. I could slap somebody in the face all day and not hurt him."
Bret Hart may have a point about chops, but each wrestler has their interpretation of a good wrestling move. The chop was a trademark move of Ric Flair throughout his long and storied career.