Bret Sergeant Hart, widely known as Bret Hart, is a former WWE superstar celebrated for his legendary moments in the classic era. Debuting in a tag team match in WWF/WWE on August 29, 1984, the “Hitman Hart” was rightfully inducted into the League of Hall of Famers in 2006.
The 66-year-old wrestling icon created one of the most frequently used submission maneuvers in WWE, with many famous superstars adopting his move in tight spots or special matches like submission contests. Recently, Bret revealed some background details about his iconic finisher.
Bret Hart revealed the origin of his Sharpshooter
Bret Hart, a legendary figure in the wrestling industry for the WWF/WWE and WCW, held championship titles 17 times. Hart’s greatest rival was most notably Shawn Michaels, both superstars always excited fans whenever they faced each other inside the ring.
During his solo run in WWE, Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson convinced the superstar to create a submission hold and for reference, they said to use ‘The Icon’ Sting’s Scorpion Deathlock.
In the Confessions Of The Hitman podcast, ‘The Hitman’ described the story behind his famous finisher, he said, “Well, The Scorpion Deathlock was something I first saw in Japan. But anyway, when I really got launched as a singles competitor – a solo – Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson had a little meeting with me, and they said they wanted me to come up with a submission move. The Scorpion Deathlock came up and Vince asked, ‘Can you put the Scorpion Deathlock on?’ I said, ‘Well, I’d have to check into it, or look into it and see how it works and everything. So I told Vince I would go see if any of the other [pro] wrestlers knows how to put it on.”
He explained further on, how he went to the dressing rooms and started asking different wrestlers about “how to put it on” until he finally met Konnan, a Mexican wrestler, who showed him the maneuver in the shower cause they needed a lot of space. He continued, “So anyway, he showed me and it was pretty simple. He showed it to me in the shower room, and I found Vince and I said, ‘Okay, I know how to put it on.’ And the rest is history.”
Hart’s first use of his finisher was on Summerslam 1991 which he used on Davey Boy Smith, one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions ever in the company’s history.
Prominent names in Wrestling who have used Sharpshooter
Sharpshooter is the most iconic submission hold, since its inaugural the move has been used hundreds of times by different wrestling superstars. Even female wrestlers like Trish Stratus used that move on occasion whenever it was called for. WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin has his fair share of Sharpshooter moments in the company.
Bret Hart once revealed who executes the worst Sharpshooter in WWE, he said, “I can tell you the ones that have the worst easier. I know Steve Austin had a hard time putting it on, and so did Rock. They would tell you that themselves. You think, when you look at it, you go ‘Oh, I can put that on.’ But, you gotta think about it and gotta know how to put it on to appreciate it.”
A lot of wrestling superstars used this move in their wrestling career, some even retired from wrestling and some still wrestle to this day. Rated-R Superstar Edge, Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, Ron Garvin, Owen Hart, and Natalya, are some who are famously associated with this move.
Although Bret Hart has retired from the ring, his legacy will continue to live on as his finisher is already a big part of the wrestling industry. People have used other variations of sharpshooters all over the world, and they have to give credit to Bret Hart for creating this move as well as inspiring others to do the same.
