WWE傳奇人物Bret Hart與Hulk Hogan之間長達數十年的不和，被普遍視為職業摔角史上最具代表性的恩怨之一，其根源並非單一事件，而是長期累積的後台政治角力、價值觀衝突，以及對「何謂真正職業精神」的根本分歧。這段衝突橫跨WWF／WWE與WCW兩大時代，即使多年後仍不斷被提起，成為摔角圈內外反覆討論的話題。

兩人矛盾真正浮上檯面，通常被追溯到1993年所謂「火炬傳承」承諾的破裂。當時 WWF 正處於世代交替的關鍵期，Bret Hart被官方塑造成新世代的領軍人物，象徵著公司即將從Hulk Hogan時代過渡到技術與擂台實力導向的新方向。然而在WrestleMania 9的主賽安排中，Bret Hart剛輸掉世界冠軍腰帶，Hogan卻臨時登場，在短短22秒內擊敗Yokozuna再度稱王。這個結果不僅讓焦點瞬間從Bret身上被奪走，也被外界普遍視為Hogan再度利用自身影響力，把屬於新世代的舞台拉回自己身上。

根據Bret Hart多年來的說法，當時後台其實已有共識，Hogan會在同年SummerSlam將冠軍腰帶輸給他，象徵正式完成世代交接。但Hogan最終拒絕與Bret對戰，並以「兩人不在同一層級」為由推辭，轉而選擇把腰帶輸回給Yokozuna，隨後離開WWF。對Bret而言，這不只是一次失信，更是對整個職業倫理的踐踏，也成為他心中難以釋懷的轉捩點。

隨著時間推移，衝突不再只停留在單一賽事安排，而是擴大為對人格與職業操守的全面否定。Bret Hart多次公開表示，他認為Hogan極度自我中心，只在乎自己的形象與地位，從不願意真心扶持後進選手。在Bret的敘述中，Hogan被描繪成一個寧可確保自己永遠站在舞台中央，也不願為產業未來鋪路的人物。他甚至直言，Hogan會「寧願看著公司陷入困境，也不願意創造下一個比自己更大的明星」。

此外，Bret也長期質疑Hogan的誠信問題，直指他在各種訪談中經常前後說法不一，對歷史事件的描述充滿誇飾甚至捏造。即便到近年，Bret仍毫不保留地用極為尖銳的詞彙形容Hogan，認為其說詞缺乏可信度，並對摔角歷史造成混淆。這種批評並未因時間淡化，反而隨著Bret多次回顧往事而更加直接。

當Bret Hart轉戰WCW後，這段恩怨並未就此結束。他曾指出，Hogan在WCW依舊掌握巨大話語權，並透過政治手段影響劇情走向，使Bret無法獲得與其身分相符的發展機會。在Bret看來，Hogan不只是過去阻礙他的人，更成為他職涯後期難以跨越的一道牆。

更深層的衝突，其實來自兩人對摔角本質的根本理解差異。Bret Hart以紮實的技術、流暢的比賽節奏與真實感著稱，並以「The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be」自豪。他對Hogan以簡單動作、誇張表演與英雄敘事為核心的風格極度不以為然，甚至多次嘲諷Hogan缺乏基本摔角技術，只靠少數招牌動作和觀眾情緒撐起比賽。對Bret而言，這樣的成功象徵著對摔角藝術的簡化與消費。

在近年的訪談中，Bret也曾強調，當代許多選手學習與模仿的，是他所代表的技術體系，而非Hogan的表演模式，藉此再次申明自己在摔角歷史中的定位。他並非否認 Hogan 的商業影響力，而是拒絕接受兩人被放在同一個專業高度上比較。

即使Hulk Hogan於2025年過世後，摔角界對其歷史地位出現更多反思與重新評價，Bret Hart依然沒有改變立場。他對這段恩怨的態度始終如一，既不粉飾太平，也不刻意和解，而是以他一貫直接、毫不妥協的方式，為這段摔角史上最著名的對立關係留下清晰而強烈的個人註解。

The long-standing feud between WWE legends Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan is widely regarded as one of the most iconic rivalries in professional wrestling history. Its origins cannot be traced to a single incident, but rather to years of accumulated backstage political struggles, clashing values, and fundamentally different views on what constitutes true professionalism in wrestling. This conflict spanned both the WWF/WWE and WCW eras and, even decades later, continues to be revisited and debated within and beyond the wrestling world.

The moment most often cited as the flashpoint of their animosity dates back to 1993, to what is commonly described as the breakdown of a promised “passing of the torch.” At the time, the WWF was undergoing a critical generational transition, with Bret Hart being positioned as the new standard-bearer of a company moving away from the Hulk Hogan era toward a style centered more on in-ring skill and athletic credibility. However, at WrestleMania IX, shortly after Bret lost the WWF Championship, Hogan appeared and defeated Yokozuna in just 22 seconds to reclaim the title. The spotlight instantly shifted away from Bret, and the decision was widely perceived as Hogan once again using his influence to reclaim center stage at the expense of the new generation.

According to Bret Hart’s repeated accounts over the years, there had been an internal understanding that Hogan would drop the championship to him later that year at SummerSlam, symbolizing a formal handover to the next era. Hogan ultimately refused to face Bret, allegedly claiming they were “not on the same level,” and instead chose to lose the title back to Yokozuna before departing the WWF. For Bret, this was not merely a broken promise, but a fundamental violation of professional ethics, and it became a wound that never fully healed.

As time passed, the conflict expanded beyond booking decisions into a broader condemnation of character and work ethic. Bret Hart has consistently portrayed Hogan as deeply self-interested, someone who cared primarily about protecting his own image and status rather than helping elevate the next generation of talent. In Bret’s view, Hogan represented a mentality that would rather preserve personal dominance than invest in the long-term health of the industry. He has gone so far as to say that Hogan would “rather see the company fail than create the next big star.”

Bret has also repeatedly questioned Hogan’s credibility, accusing him of frequently contradicting himself and embellishing or fabricating stories in interviews. Even in recent years, Bret has continued to use blunt and uncompromising language to describe Hogan, arguing that his accounts of wrestling history are unreliable and misleading. Time has not softened this criticism; if anything, Bret’s reflections have become more direct with age.

When Bret Hart later joined WCW, the rivalry did not end. He has claimed that Hogan continued to wield enormous backstage influence and used it to shape storylines in ways that prevented Bret from receiving opportunities befitting his stature. From Bret’s perspective, Hogan was not only an obstacle in his WWF years, but also a persistent barrier during the later stages of his career.

At its core, the feud also reflects a deep philosophical divide over the nature of professional wrestling itself. Bret Hart built his legacy on technical excellence, realism, and in-ring storytelling, proudly calling himself “The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be.” He has openly disparaged Hogan’s style, criticizing it as simplistic and overly reliant on theatrics and crowd manipulation rather than wrestling fundamentals. In Bret’s eyes, Hogan’s success symbolized the dilution and commercialization of wrestling as a craft.

In more recent interviews, Bret has argued that modern wrestlers tend to emulate his technical approach rather than Hogan’s performance-driven formula, using this point to reaffirm his own historical significance. While he does not deny Hogan’s massive commercial impact, he firmly rejects the idea that they belong in the same category in terms of professional merit.

Even after Hulk Hogan’s death in July 2025, which prompted renewed debate and reassessment of his legacy within the wrestling community, Bret Hart has remained consistent in his stance. He has neither sought reconciliation nor softened his views, choosing instead to leave a clear and uncompromising personal record of one of the most famous and enduring rivalries in professional wrestling history.