Bret Hart rips former WWE Champion over in-ring issue

WWE legend Bret Hart during Toronto ComiCon

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Matthew Couden

By Matthew Couden

Contributing Writer

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Bret Hart became a wrestling legend during his career in WWE and WCW and has no issues delivering blunt takes on problems he sees with today's superstars. That included Hart recently calling out a former WWE champion for what he believes is an "embarrassment" during the former champion's in-ring performance.

The WWE legend recently returned to Montreal for an interview on the "Johnny I Pro Show," and didn't hold back when discussing the modern state of professional wrestling. Specifically, he called attention to how certain superstars deliver their punches when performing in the ring.

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“I mean, I see guys throwing punches and they open their hand at the last second, then slap the guy and close it by the time they pull back,” he said in his critical remarks.

“Who’s that Irish guy? Sheamus. [He] does those all the time. Whenever I see him, I’m like, ‘Why don’t you take 10 minutes and go down and have someone teach you to throw a punch instead of throwing that embarrassment of a punch?’” Hart said.

WWE legend Bret Hart during Toronto ComiCon

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Hart's appearance on the "Johnny I Pro Show" coincided with the anniversary of the incident known as the "Montreal Screwjob," where Hart lost his championship to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1997. Due to Hart's issue with Vince McMahon over the finish, he spat at McMahon before ultimately leaving the company.

WWE eventually patched things up with Hart, who is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. However, he hasn't had any problem calling out various stars for things they've done or said.

Meanwhile, Sheamus, a three-time WWE Champion and one-time World Heavyweight champ, is currently out of action with a shoulder injury. The Celtic Warrior was initially part of John Cena's "Last Time is Now" tournament to determine Cena's final opponent for "Saturday Night's Main Event" on Saturday, Dec. 13.

After winning his first-round match over Shinsuke Nakamura, Sheamus competed alongside Cena and Rey Mysterio on last week's Raw. However, ahead of last week's SmackDown, WWE announced that Sheamus's shoulder injury prevented him from competing in the second round of the tournament.