During the debut episode of the new WWE Network show, Bring It To the Table, JBL addressed recent criticisms by “The Hitman” Bret Hart, who has been vocal about disparaging both the wrestling style of Seth Rollins and the Freebirds' induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
JBL said the following:
“What are you mad at, Bret? Bret, you're one of the greatest superstars of all time. You're a multi-millionaire. You're a legend in Canada. You're a legend around the world. I personally like you very much. You've been very great, great, to me your entire career, but what are you mad at?”
Hart has criticized the wrestling style of Rollins on multiple occasions—most recently after Finn Balor was injured during their match at Summerslam. He later said on Booker T's podcast that he was a “big fan” of Rollins and merely trying to make him a better wrestler.
"What about Seth Rollins? He claims that Seth Rollins hurts people. I mean, people get hurt in this business. Look, Bret was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. People get hurt all the time. I think Bret should understand that. I'm not sure what has made Bret apparently so bitter."
Hart and Michael Hayes engaged in a war of words this fall over comments “The Hitman” made regarding the Freebirds and their worthiness on being included in the WWE Hall of Fame. Hart later apologized for those comments.
JBL responded to the critique of the Freebirds, noting Hart had no discouraging words about the Hall of Fame induction of Sting, who, like the Freebirds, reached fame in wrestling working outside of WWE.
"You come out and you talk about Michael Hayes, The Freebirds, and you bash Michael Hayes, [saying] he shouldn't be in the Hall Of Fame. But you don't say anything about Sting, who didn't make his name in the WWE. What in the world is Bret Hart mad at?"
JBL also addressed Hart's ongoing grudge with Goldberg, who gave “The Hitman” what proved to be a career-ending concussion during a match between the two back in WCW. JBL noted his career also came to an untimely end because of a back injury, during a match in England.
“I'm not mad about that,” JBL said. “Do you know what I'm happy about? I'm happy about the fact that I got to do what I wanted to do since I was a kid. The fact that I got to live the dream that I wanted to live. And I think Bret has to understand he's an incredible superstar. Could he have had a few more years? Absolutely. But you can't get hot about the fact that something bad happened and it was a mistake. It wasn't like Goldberg did that on purpose."
Hart entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.
