Road Dogg believes he was a better "Sports Entertainer" than Bret Hart
Former WWE Tag Team Champion Brian Road Dogg James recently compared himself to Bret Hart. The veteran claimed to be the better "Sports Entertainer" between the two.
Considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time by many, Bret Hart is a former 5-time WWF/E Champion. He was the company's poster-boy in the 1990s before the Attitude Era along with Shawn Michaels.
Brian James himself has had a long and successful career in wrestling, being a Hall of Famer and a six-time WWE Tag Team Champion. But he never reached the acclaim and popularity that Hart achieved before the latter's untimely retirement in 2000.
Speaking on his Oh You DIdn't Know podcast, the former DX member shared his opinion on Bret's legacy. He acknowledged that The Hitman is one of the greatest in-ring technicians of all time, before saying that he wasn't a great overall wrestler and that him leaving WWE in 1997 wasn't a huge loss for the company. Brian also suggest that he was a better sports entertainer than Bret Hart.
"I don’t think Bret was a great wrestler. I think I was a better sports entertainer than Bret was and I think that’s where the money is,” he said. "I never saw what the big deal was with Bret Hart as a performer. I never understood it... I never looked at him like if we lose this guy, we lose the war. I never thought that for one moment." [h/t Inside The Ropes]
Road Dogg: I don't think Bret Hart was a great wrestler. I think I was a better sports entertainer than Bret was and I think that's where the money is wrestlingnews.co/wwe-news/road-… #WWE https://t.co/6hYJYLgfI0
Road Dogg would go on to clarify that he doesn't have a grudge against Bret Hart and does not dislike the Canadian legend.
Road Dogg recalls comparing Bret Hart to Shawn Michaels
Road Dogg and Shawn Michaels have had a shared history in WWE. Both were part of D-Generation X (although at different times) and both are currently in executive positions in the company. While Michaels is the head of NXT, Dogg is the Senior VP of Live Events.
On a previous episode of Oh You Didn't Know podcast, the former Tag Team Champion recalled a bizarre confrontation with Bret Hart during a plane flight, where The Hitman confronted the former Intercontinental Champion about a comparison he made between Bret and Shawn.
"Before I turned to sit down, he said, 'Hey, man, I heard you said Shawn Michaels was better than me. And I said, wait, what? He said, 'Yeah, I read that you said Shawn Michaels was better than me. And I said, 'Well, I do think Shawn Michaels is better than you," said Road Dogg [21:00 - 21:26]
Bret Hart and HBK had a legendary rivalry in the 1990s that spilled off-screen. The two's contempt for each other even seeped into their on-screen storylines. This culminated in the infamous 'Monteal Screwjob' incident at Survivor Series 1997.