Bret Hart Details Being Attacked By Fan At 2019 WWE Hall Of Fame
Recently on Confessions Of The Hitman, WWE Hall Of Famer Bret 'Hitman' Hart weighed in on being attacked during the 2019 WWE Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. According to Hart, his attacker, amateur MMA fighter Zachary Madsen, was suffering from mental health issues at the time of the attack and Hart is still unaware of Madsen's issues with him. Hart claimed that he noticed some commotion at the time of the attack; however, he assumed that it was a fight in the audience. Additionally, Hart noted that Madsen got what he deserved when he was roughed up by so-called "security".
With respect to being attacked from the WWE Hall Of Fame induction of the legendary Hart Foundation, Hart acknowledged that the assailant was a person with a martial arts background and mental health issues.
"Well, a lot of people, because [pro] wrestling is so bizarre, I guess, they just assumed it was part of the show. So they had this guy, he ran all the way down in front of everybody, and jumped over the [railing] like in the [Scotiabank] Saddledome, like running all the way down from the top, and jumping onto the ice. Everybody just watched like, 'oh, this must be one of the wrestlers.' He was an ex UFC guy apparently or an ex martial arts guy of some kind, but I think he had some mental problems or something." Hart recalled, "but he definitely didn't come in to play around."
Apparently, Hart noticed some commotion as Madsen rushed the ring, but 'The Hitman' assumed a fight breaking out in the crowd.
"I didn't see [Madsen] till the very last second," Hart remembered. "I could remember talking and I could feel, like, I thought it was a fight in the first row, is what I thought it was. I remember thinking that I'm talking, so I can't look and go [looks over his shoulder] right in the middle. I want to look, but I couldn't look. And I think just when I started to see what it was, he was already right there and grabbed me."
Hart divulged that he was lucky to come away from the incident without serious injury and that the attacker got what he had coming to him as he was escorted out of the ring by the likes of heavyweight mixed martial artist Travis Browne and former WWE Superstars Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood, Tyson Kidd, and Davey Boy Smith, Jr.
"Luckily, nothing really bad happened as far as injury or anything like that. I know he got roughed up pretty good by 'security' and a few [pro] wrestlers. I think a few guys got shots in and all well earned. I mean, the guy deserved everything he got and he definitely was not coming into the ring to play with me. He came in there with a lot of force."
Hart continued, "to be really honest, I'm just glad that nothing bad happened from it because I'm a firm believer that bad luck can just be around the corner sometimes. You never know when. You look at John Lennon being shot and that guy in that moment wanted to be famous."
Hart, who recently rated his fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan, claimed he never found out why Madsen attacked him.
"I don't know what [Madsen] had to gain by doing that," Hart reflected. "He certainly had no issues with me that I know of. I wasn't a bad guy [pro] wrestler anymore or anything like that. And I don't know. I don't ever talk about it because I try not to feed the [celebrity seeking]. But at the same time, I'm glad that A) I didn't get hurt more serious and it just makes you appreciate that bad stuff can happen at the strangest places."
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