FTR have never made it a secret that they are ultimate fans of Bret Hart. For a while there, the internet was ablaze with rumors that Bret would somehow manage them on TV, but alas those rumors were shut down by Bret himself and understandably so.
Despite this though, he did manage them for one night only…at an event that was held last Friday in Webster, MA. It was at the event that FTR went 2-on-2 with none other than Brian Pillman Jr. and Brock Anderson…Hart has a history with both of the young performers’ fathers…especially Brian Pillman, who was a part of the legendary Hart Foundation. Arn Anderson—Brock’s father—was also on hand at the event, which was quite special as well.
It was as they spoke to Sports Illustrated that FTR talked about what the night meant to the both of them.
Harwood: “That night was a culmination of a journey that’s been ongoing for more than 30 years…I was watching the King of the Ring pay-per-view 29 years ago, where I got to see Bret Hart wrestle three matches and tell three different stories that night. That’s also the night I told my mother I was going to be a pro wrestler…
Overcoming all those odds and getting to perform with my hero—not just my favorite wrestler, but my lifetime hero—it was the greatest night of my career. If you saw me smiling, it’s because I couldn’t hide that look on my face…
We asked Bret if we could finish the match with a triple sharpshooter…Bret said, ‘I haven’t done a sharpshooter in 10 years.’ Then he paused, thought about it, and said, ‘But I’ll try it.’ It didn’t go the way he wanted, but he f—— tried it. That’s the type of man he is…
He believes in us, and he wanted to make that moment as special as possible. He felt that we’ve given something to him, and he wanted to give back to us.”
Wheeler also made some statements…that same awe factor surrounding the whole event resonating in his voice just as much as it did Harwood’s…
Wheeler: “The match was good, but nothing will top the moment. That’s what meant everything to me…It would have been cool to have that moment on TV, but I’m glad it was just that one night…It’s going to be with us for the rest of our lives. My only regret is that we couldn’t pause time.”
via SI /Wrestling Inc (Transcription) – link above
FTR are the current ROH Tag Team Champions and they won the match on Friday night against Pillman Jr. and Brock Anderson, and with a pair of epically executed sharpshooters to boot. And what made it all the more special was that they did this in front of their hero. In the end, a special moment for fans of FTR, Bret Hart and perhaps pro wrestling as a whole…a great moment indeed.
Domenic Marinelli is an author and freelance writer/journalist. His work has appeared in The Sportster, E-Wrestling News, Pro Wrestling News Hub, CFL News Hub, XFL News Hub, Ringside News, Daily DDT, USFL News Hub, Slam Wrestling, as well as other print and internet publications. He is the author of Generic V, Summer of the Great White Wolf, His Old Tapes (stories & poetry), Across a Dark River in Palermo and so many others. He lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. https://linktr.ee/AuthorDomenicMarinelli