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During Clash in Paris, I had “old man Axel” over for a BBQ. He showed up right as Jey Uso made his entrance, and what happened next stopped me in my tracks.

My dad has always been a sports guy. He played, he coached, and he taught me life lessons through games and athletes. Wrestling was always in the mix, mostly because of my granny. She wasn’t just a fan, she was a force. She’d jeer at heels, cheer for her favorites, and throw whatever was nearby at the TV when things didn’t go her way. She loved the spectacle and the bodies of the big men who made wrestling larger than life. That energy shaped my dad, and eventually it shaped me.

I came of age during WCW and the Attitude Era, a time when wrestling was everywhere. My dad and I bonded over Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, and the unforgettable matches that defined that era. Those memories are stitched into my childhood. So watching my dad, decades later, witness his very first Jey Uso walkout live on TV… it was surreal. He was mesmerized. For a brief moment, I saw the same spark in his eyes that I felt when I was a kid sitting on the couch beside him. It transported both of us back in time.

Now the cycle continues. My five-year-old daughter asks me at least ten times a week, “Daddy, when is wrestling on?” She’s becoming the fourth generation of Axel wrestling fans. That’s something special. It makes me want to make sure I never step away from wrestling the way my dad once did. Because while the faces change and the storylines shift, the energy … that raw magic that makes us yell, cheer, and believe … never leaves.

Later that night, after the BBQ, I rewound and showed my dad Roman Reigns getting that brutal post-match beatdown from The Vision. He laughed, shook his head, and said, “Now that’s something.” Safe to say, I think he might be tuning in more often. 😂

👉 Wrestling isn’t just about the matches. It’s about the memories that tie us together. It’s about the spark that gets passed down through generations, keeping the magic alive. For my granny, for my dad, for me, and now for my daughter, wrestling has always been more than a show. It’s family.

- DA

The internet has made its verdict clear, and the receipts back it up. Time and time again, fans point to the same undeniable truth: some of the greatest matches of the biggest names in wrestling came standing across the ring from Bret Hart. Kevin Nash’s best match? Bret Hart. The British Bulldog’s career-defining classic at Wembley? Bret Hart. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s greatest moment at WrestleMania 13? Bret Hart. Add in Piper, Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Mr. Perfect, and the list keeps growing. The pattern is obvious.

And yet, Eric Bischoff recently called Bret “overrated.” He claimed Bret “thought he was ten times better than he really was,” that he “never drew money in WCW,” and that he was “the most overhyped talent” Bischoff ever signed. Strong words, but let’s not pretend WCW was the place where technical wrestling was given the spotlight. Hulk Hogan’s monster contracts were draining resources, celebrity crossovers were taking precedence, and cartoonish gimmicks like the infamous “toilet paper angles” were eating airtime. Meanwhile, talents like Bret Hart were left sitting in the mid-card, booked without purpose, their true value squandered.

The reality is that the problem was never Bret Hart. The problem was WCW’s inability to maximize him. When given a stage, Bret delivered. Just look at the evidence before his WCW run fell apart. The SummerSlam 1992 main event with the British Bulldog filled Wembley Stadium with over 80,000 fans and remains one of WWE’s most celebrated matches. WrestleMania 13 against Steve Austin is still studied today as the perfect example of a double turn and is considered one of the greatest matches in history. These weren’t flukes, they were masterpieces of storytelling and technical execution that changed the business forever.

Even Bret’s peers validate his legacy. Shawn Michaels has admitted that their Iron Man classic elevated WWE’s in-ring style to a new level. Steve Austin himself has gone on record saying that working with Bret was what helped make him into “Stone Cold,” the megastar that carried WWE into its hottest era. Those endorsements are not just compliments, they’re proof of Bret’s influence and importance. Overrated? Not even close. That’s legacy cemented by peers and etched in history.

So when Bischoff dismisses Bret as “bitter” or “living off WWF days,” fans laugh. Because the reality is already written. Bret’s work is replayed, studied, and celebrated decades later, while WCW’s legacy is remembered more for squandered opportunities and toilet-paper booking than for creating timeless classics.

Hulk Hogan’s WCW run may live on in memes, but Bret Hart’s matches live on in wrestling history. And when the dust settles, the fans know the truth. Bret Hart wasn’t overrated. He was exactly what he said he was: the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

- DA

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mr.teshk

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