By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

In a new interview this weekend, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart addressed recent comments about Triple H that came across as him critical of what Hunter brings to the table as a wrestler and executive for WWE. Hart, who appeared at the Royal Rumble PPV last weekend, told Arda Ocal of The Score that he was expressing an opinion about not seeing enough from Hunter as a wrestler to translate to a future top executive after Vince McMahon.

"There's nothing to read between the lines. Take what I said and that's my opinion. It's not really fair to take it and make too much of an issue," Hart said. "I only worked with Triple H from about 1992/3 to '97. I haven't worked with him since then. It's not really fair for me to assess his abilities over the last ten years. But, my knowledge of him is - I still say he's a decent wrestler. I wouldn't put him in the top 1,000 great wrestlers."

Hart continued, "To me, he was a very mediocre wrestler and I never saw him contribute an idea in my life. Whereas, I can look at different wrestlers and say, 'They contributed ideas and made suggestions that were valid and helpful to constructing a decent match.' But, I never saw any genius coming out of Triple H, nor in his matches."

Hart shifted the focus to last year's Triple H vs. Undertaker match at WrestleMania: "I look at the match he had last year with Undertaker, like I said in that interview I was quoted as saying, 'I give it a four out of ten.' I think that was generous. It was a four out of ten. But, you have to understand Undertaker was hurt and there were circumstances that maybe I'm not privy to. So, I wouldn't make too much of it; it's just an opinion.

"But, the question was sort of, 'Do I think that Triple H can carry the torch for the company and be the genius that Vince was?' And, maybe he can, maybe he can't. Let's hope he can. But, if he can't, it won't be that big of a surprise to me because I never saw any great genius come out of him all the years I knew him."

Asked if he knows if Triple H is aware of his comments and how it might affect their relationship, Hart replied, "We don't have that much of a relationship."

Hart continued, "It doesn't matter to me - he can speak his mind about me and I can speak my mind about him. I can speak my mind about Shawn Michaels or Triple H. I think what people expect from me and they always get from me is the truth. At least my honest opinion. Too bad for someone who takes exception to that."

Also in the interview, Hart talked about the Royal Rumble "Shooting Straight" panel on the Montreal Screwjob still being valuable to him 15 years later because it gives him a new perspective on the events, especially hearing from Shawn Michaels.

Asked if it gives him more peace, Hart paused and answered, "Naw, but I think it's good for me and good for Shawn to ease some of that tension."

[ VIDEO: Hart's on-camera interview with Arda Ocal is below, or available here at LayfieldReport.com ]



[ Video URL: http://youtu.be/LiLtAMCIm7M ]

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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