Bret Hart's comments about an iconic WWE moment in World Wrestling Entertainment, delving into numerous storylines, scandals, and behind-the-scenes revelations. Bret "Hitman" Hart, a former WWE Champion who has well-documented issues with Vince McMahon, was one of several WWE wrestlers interviewed by Mr. McMahon's producers.

Mr. McMahon episode 3, "Screwjob," goes into the events of WWE's infamous "Curtain Call." On May 19, 1996, at the conclusion of a WWE show at Madison Square Garden, Shawn Michaels, Diesel (Kevin Nash), Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the future Triple H (Paul Levesque) embraced in the middle of the ring, despite being rivals. It was a public violation of kayfabe, the long-established pro wrestling rule that 'good guys' and 'bad guys' don't break the illusion that pro wrestling is 'real.' Bret Hart believes this was a pivotal turning point for pro wrestling.

Bret Hart Believes The Curtain Call Incident "Killed" Wrestling by Destroying Kayfabe Forever

Was the Kliq's Curtain Call the turning point for pro wrestling?

Bret Hart, along with other 'old school' wrestlers like the Undertaker and Bruce Prichard, still despise what The Kliq (the group led by Shawn Michaels) did in the "Curtain Call." Although Michaels, Nash, Hall, and Levesque were a tight-knit unit in real life, on WWE television, their characters were enemies. The Kliq exposed the inner workings of pro wrestling to the crowd at Madison Square Garden, and though it was a non-televised event, word still quickly spread among wrestling fans. Bret Hart says about the "Curtain Call" in Mr. McMahon:

"They killed wrestling that day. That was when wrestling wasn't real anymore. We'd pulled the curtain back and said, 'This is how it works.' That was the unveiling of the new direction that wrestling would be. It's not pro wrestling anymore. It's entertainment."

In truth, kayfabe in pro wrestling could never be sustained with the rise of the Internet. By the late 1990s, wrestling fans were flocking to message boards and pro wrestling websites to get the 'insider dirt' on WWE, WCW, and ECW. Pro wrestling had to drop its old-time carnival rule that wrestling had to appear 'real', whether wrestlers like Bret Hart liked it or not. Even if The Kliq didn't do the "Curtain Call" in Madison Square Garden in May 1996, the curtain was about to fall on the illusion of kayfabe and pro wrestling would be exposed as a 'work' regardless.

Bret Hart's Comments Stand Out In Netflix's Otherwise Disappointing Mr McMahon Documentary

"The Hitman" was a standout among his WWE peers

Compared to his peers like Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart acquitted himself quite well in Mr. McMahon. Although Vince McMahon said Bret lacked charisma in the documentary, "The Hitman's" candid comments were refreshing while others held their tongues or came off as disingenuous. Bret praising his in-ring prowess - "I was a true artist." - and describing punching McMahon after the "Montreal Screwjob" at Survivor Series 1997 as, "Probably the best thing I ever did, and he deserved every bit," was surprisingly entertaining.

Otherwise, Mr. McMahon is an underwhelming viewing experience. Longtime WWE fans would find little new in the docies, which saves the more recent scandals of Vince's sexual abuse and sex trafficking for the final episode and adds no new insight. Bret Hart has legitimate grievances with Vince McMahon, but "The Hitman" did also return to WWE and even wrestled Vince at WrestleMania 26. With no reason to protect Vince McMahon, who he says he has forgiven, Bret Hart is one of the few WWE stars who comes off as honest in Mr. McMahon.