Bret Hart is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Everything he did, he had it down perfectly. He was supreme in the ring, had a fantastic gimmick and some of the best ring gear of all time.
Perhaps his most iconic piece of clothing is his sunglasses. The pink, wraparound glasses were an iconic look for Bret Hart in his WWE run.
As a good guy, he would hand them off to a local child at ringside, whereas as a heel they just made him look cool.
Even to this day, he still sells signed versions of these glasses, which you can view on his website (link at the end of the article).
Bret Hart’s sunglasses were a key part of his iconic look. But why did Bret Hart wear sunglasses in the WWE and WCW? The answer may surprise you.
Why Did Bret Hart Wear Sunglasses?
Bret Hart has revealed that he wore sunglasses in the WWE because he was too nervous when cutting his first promo!
While in his prime, Hart seemed like the coolest, most confident superstar on the roster, this wasn’t always the case.
When he first came into the company, he was used mainly as a jobber, doing 20 minute time-limit draws with fellow jobbers on a regular basis.
It was until he was teamed with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, as part of the Hart Foundation, that he would finally build up some steam.
Managed by Jimmy Hart (no relation), the pair finally got a push as a team, even winning the WWE Tag Team Championships from The British Bulldogs.
However, before he got to that point, Bret Hart had to learn to cut a promo. It had always been a weakness of his, and he promised fellow Canadian Roddy Piper that he would practise them whenever he could.
The idea for the glasses came from a promo that Hart cut, alongside Neidhart and Jimmy Hart, in Los Angeles.
After a backstage interview with “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Bret Hart watched back the footage and noticed that he could see the nerves in his eyes, ruining the promo.
He then ran back to his locker room, grabbing his sunglasses to cover his eyes, and thus a tradition was born.
In his book “Bret Hart Hitman”, the Excellence of Execution wrote:
At the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Jimmy Hart grabbed me and Jim.
“C’mon, hurry up! We got interviews!”
Suddenly, it was the Hart Foundation standing with Meaan Gene Okerlund, and my frozen stare was fixed on the camera. Jim rattled off most of the interview, with Gene playing a great straight man.
Anvil gruffly barked a few lines, and then it was my turn. I said a couple of words into the mic and passed it back to Anvil.
The cameraman played the ack on a tiny monitor to see if it was a keeper. I watched as my eyes darted every which way – clearly I was terrified!
If Vince were to see that, it would be our last interview! I tore off down the hallway to the dressing room and returned in a flash with my mirrored shades.
We cranked out our promo again. Not bad. Not great. I vowed to get
better.From that day on, I wore sunglasses-to hide the nerves that
Bret Hart Hitman – Autobiography
showed in my eyes
So, the reason Bret Hart wears sunglasses to the ring and backstage is due to the incredible nerves he felt that day.
You can click the picture below to purchase Bret Hart’s sunglasses, directly from BretHart.com.
