By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart wants to be "good friends" with WWE, but he does not want to be owned by the company, which is why he has turned down a Legends contract and has no desire to sign one.

"I think I'm one of the few guys that doesn't because - these Legends contracts sound great, but they own your soul. It's like signing your life to the devil," Hart told radio station 680 News in Toronto promoting his involvement with March of Dimes. "I'm Bret 'the Hitman' Hart and I don't want to give WWE my name."

Hart continued: "It took me 14 years of hard labor to own the rights to my name. That was one of the conditions when I left. To go back now and just give it to them - I'm doing fine with it on my own. I don't like to be owned by WWE; I like to be good friends with them."

As for other wrestlers signing a Legends contract to improve their Hall of Fame chances, Hart said that might be the case for some, but for others, "It's a case - like Honky Tonk Man, for example - what else do you have to do? It's better than a kick in the pants."

Hart being his own man has limited his WWE involvement, which Hart acknowledged. But, does he miss the wrestling business?

"Sometimes," Hart said. "I miss being useful in the business. I feel like with certain wrestlers, I can give a lot of them advice and tell them things that can help them."

Hart noted that he has been impressed by new moves and match ideas that current wrestlers have come up with, which has piqued his interest in the current product.

Also in the interview, Hart talked about WWE's Bret Hart Appreciation Night in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in May, suffering a stroke in 2002, and his involvement with "March of Dimes" as a spokesman for stroke recovery.

[ LINK: Full Audio of Hart's interview with reporter Rudy Blair HERE at 680News.com ]

[Torch photo credit Wade Keller (c) PWTorch.com]

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