Bret Hart: Hulk Hogan was a ‘good guy once upon a time,’ became a ‘backstabbing’ piece of sh*t
Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan’s narratives of their conflict at WrestleMania IX is documented in Hulk Hogan: Real American.
The third episode of the docuseries titled Hollywood Hogan discusses Hogan’s involvement after the WrestleMania IX main event, where he ran out to assist Hart after he lost the WWF Championship to Yokozuna. During the match, Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna’s manager, threw ceremonial salt in Hart’s eyes which led to his title loss.
The narration in the docuseries swings back and forth between both men’s perspectives as they recount their sentiments on what transpired.
Hart: “I remember walking up to him, I was like, ‘Hey Terry.’ I stood up with my hand out to shake his hand for about 30 seconds but he wouldn’t even look at me. He just kept talking to (Brutus) Beefcake.”
Hogan: “I can’t imagine doing that intentionally. Maybe I had an off day. Maybe I was drunk, maybe I was high. I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you, but it wouldn’t have been intentional.”
Hart: “I knew right then and there. I was like ‘I’ve got the belt and I’ve got what he wants and I’m the enemy now.'”
Hogan: “I had that Hogan stroke back then. Me and Vince (McMahon) were just bonded at the hip and I could pull the plug on certain things and certain people.”
Hart: “That day I remember thinking what a step backwards. It was a whole different audience and they were liking me, not Hulk Hogan”
Hogan: “Bret got all up in my face and he got all riled up. I said, ‘What’s up with this guy? I thought he was a team player, man.’….Vince made the decision, it’s just one of those things.”
Hart: “I said it’s going to backfire and it’s going to be really bad. ‘F*ck you’. Hulk came up with such a phoney, bullsh*t match. The kind of match that Hulk would dream up. Hogan came out like the hero. ‘Yeah, he’s my friend coming out to my rescue. Go get him Hulk. Go in there and win my belt. Win it for me’. It sucked. People would be going ‘Why did they do that to Bret Hart?’. He was a good guy once upon a time, but in the end he was a backstabbing, knife-wielding piece of sh*t.”
Earlier that night, Hogan teamed up with Brutus Beefcake to take on Ted Dibiase and Irwin R. Schyster for the WWF Tag Team Titles.
After the main event, Hogan defeated Yokozuna in an impromptu match to become the new WWF Champion. His reign ended 70 days later by Yokozuna at King of the Ring in 1993.
Hogan passed away on July 24, 2025 at the age of 71. His match against Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III was honored with the Immortal Moment Award at the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.