Bret Hart Slams AEW Wrestlers As "Actors" And "Pretenders"

Bret Hart has never been one to pull any punches, and the gloves certainly came off during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani.

Hart discussed multiple of topics Tuesday on The Ariel Helwani Show, and one of the major areas of discussion was the state of the modern pro wrestling business. He gave his criticisms for what he sees wrong with the wrestling industry today. In doing so, he discussed an over-emphasis on character work and promos within the industry at large.

MORE: Bret Hart Speaks On Hulk Hogan's Lack Of Influence In Wrestling Today

He went on to say that he believes there are too many actors pretending to be wrestlers. Hart claimed to want more of a focus on work-rate, and surprisingly, he targeted AEW for lacking in this area.

"I do [watch]," Hart stated. "I watch certain guys, and I try to watch the pay per views. I find that the wrestlers are more actors pretending to be wrestlers today than actual wrestlers. I miss the ruggedness of the characters like Curt Hennig and myself, or Dynamite Kid. We were still from the Harley Race, Terry Funk kind of generation. I still think the 90s was the best era of wrestling.

"I find that today’s wrestling, it’s a little bit more about promos and your character on TV, and not so much your work rate. I like guys that throw back a little bit more to the work rate, like Roman Reigns is a guy for example that I think tries really hard to earn the respect of my generation and be more realistic and more credible, more believable, and not so much an actor.

"I find that, especially AEW, that I find that they’re mostly actors trying to pretend to be wrestlers...[they] ought to get on with real wrestling and just quit acting so much."
Bret Hart

Last week, WWE announced that a match is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the first time ever. Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's WrestleMania 13 match will be WWE's first "Immortal Moment."

The Latest On WWE, AEW & More

Mick Foley Shows Off Damage From Pretty Serious Looking Car Accident

Pat McAfee Facing Potential Legal Action After Comments On Viral Affair Rumor

Booker T Confronted Swerve Strickland About VladTV Comments, VladTV Leaks Private DM In Response

Vinny Pacifico: From Losing A Tooth On AEW Dynamite To Taking TV & Film By Storm (Exclusive)