I couldn't agree more with Bret Hart with regard to Melina. Her looks certainly don't hurt her. But I'd rather watch her wrestle than anyone else - man or woman. I'm certainly not changing the channel when her match is on. I can't say the same for Cena or Triple H.

How can you not love the Last Call? It's been awhile since she's used it but she has a great Indian Deathlock hold. Despite her championships, she's the most underrated wrestler in the WWE.

Yes, one could make the case the Hitman is motivated by things other than her wrestling ability. On the other hand, I think the Hitman also sees beyond Melina's physical appearance and knows the intangibles that separate good wrestlers from great wrestlers. I could see Melina holding her own in The Dungeon.

Surprised he had time for the interview, running your own fan club seems like a lot of work.

Yeah I had the same thought you did when I saw it was Melina, although I'd suggest if he wants to do Melina he should marry a cancer patient first.

I'll save everyone the trouble:

"KEVIN!! YOU HORRIBLE @#$! Bret Hart is my hero!!"

"KEVIN!! YOU VILE CREATURE OF DARKNESS!! Bret Hart is way better than Shawn Micheals!"

"KEVIN!!! HOW COULD YOU hurt Bret's feelings after he got screwed over in 1997?!?!"

"I HATE YOU KEVIN! I'M so hurt by this post, I'll never read again! (Until next week)"

My prediciton: By week's end, you'll have 80+ comments of a similar nature. I'll reserve my actual thoughts until I have a chance to listen to the interview. But that comparison of himself to John Cena.... sigh... when will Bret get over himself?

from a Canadian Shawn Micheals fan.... the only one...

After losing interest in wrestling for about ten years, I was channel surfing one Monday night in 2007 and saw the hottest female wrestler I've ever seen coming to the ring with a guy who I was about to discover was the best wrestler of his generation, IMHO. Melina and Morrison single-handedly (yeah, I know, that doesn't make sense) got me back into wrestling. What really surprised me was when I got to see Melina wrestle. It isn't often that you see her level of creativity and passion in any wrestler, regardless of gender.

I'm glad to see there are others (genuine legends of the industry, no less, in Hart and Mick Foley) who appreciate Melina as much as I do.

The only move that Melina hasn't botched in the last 2 months is her ring entrance. Somehow, I think that's the only thing that really matters for the Hitman.

“Vince Russo knows about as much about wrestling as Eric Bischoff does. Neither one of them knows s--- about anything."

Truer words have never been spoken. Two complete idiots in every respect.

"Anyone who read Hart’s book knows that he fancies himself as quite the ladies man. Sounds like he has targeted Melina as his next conquest."

Great insight. A well thought out point indeed. You are a credit to journalism, sir.

Melina? To quote the Miz, "Really"???

Eck has had a longer run with his pointless hating of Bret Hart gimmick than Mark Calaway has had as the Undertaker.

In defense of Bret on Melina:

I could see Bret's womanizing being a possible motivation for his comments on Melina, but the truth is that Melina IS an innovative worker. Her flexibility allows her to perform moves and sell others moves in ways no other female or male worker have ever done before (minus say a Trish Stratus "matrix" dodge). This is what Bret respects about her because part of being a great worker is being able to do things that no one has ever thought up before. What can you bring to the ring that makes you different? It's all part of a worker's desire to create an original non cookie cutter style: a trait that made Bret and Dynamite stand out when they were coming up together in the late 70's and early 80's. Wrestling is not just the moves you do in the ring, but how you sell the moves as well. Think of Bret's chest first turnbuckle bump, his selling of a suplex over the top rope to the outside, or him taking an irish whip to the corner and sliding down and under the bottom rope to hit his back on the ring post: these are bumps unique to Bret (or at least unique to wrestlers of Bret's calibre). So when Bret sees a Beth Phoenix/ Melina match, and he sees Phoenix turning Melina into a proverbial pretzel with Melina's legs being pulled to reach the back of her head, he's seeing Melina sell the hell out of the move and make Phoenix look like a million bucks. Just about every singles ppv match Melina has been involved in-in the past couple of years has shown Melina busting out new ways to do things usually dealing with her flexibility.

I don't know about Melina being the best wrestler in the world right now because unlike Bret she doesn't tend to have excellence in execution every time out. Her innovative style can be hard for some inexperienced divas (perhaps herself included) to deal with; thus, leading to botched spots, but her innovative style is worth keeping an eye on.

Also as a sidenote, I have a feeling that Melina's real life relationship with John Morrison (an innovator in his own right) has a little something to do with her innovative style, either directly with his coaching or indirectly by pure competitive motivation.

Melina? She botches too many moves. Other than being flexible, there isn't much to her. She is your typical boring WWE Diva. I wish WWE would stop doing female wrestling.

Watch Sarah Stock(Sarita) or Hamada in TNA. Melina isn't a quarter as talented as Sarita. Bret is thinking with little Bret. He should SHIMMER and TNA to see REAL women's wrestling.

Hasn't TNA improved with Russo as booker? I can't think of anything bad in TNA now as opposed to when Jarrett and Mantel were booking. I actually enjoy it a lot more than WWE now.

Damn Bret Hart marks infesting this place... they'll say anything... even agreeing that MELINA is somehow the best wrestler in the world today. Its laughable how blind some people are for their heroes. Even if their hero is degenerating into a laughing stock akin to hulk hogan

I must have kicked Bret's head harder than I thought.

Posted By: Goldberg
LOL

On a serious note ; inspite on being a complete Bret mark ;have to ask
Has Bret Hart gone completely insane? Cena will NEVER be as good as Bret, TNA's gotten better with Russo as head booker, and Melina? Hart families own Natalaya is much better though shes not got a chance till now

Bret Hart knows what he is talking about here. Melina is a talented wrestler, period. The TNA marks are bashing here just because she's in the WWE. If she was in TNA, they would be praising her. And as for you Eck, if it was Shawn Michaels who gave that interview, you would have lapped it up and praised your hero for his insightful comments. The sort of cheap shots you keep throwing away like that only serves to expose what kind of mark and fanboy you really are.

RESPONSE FROM KE: If Michaels would have said that Melina was the best wrestler in the world, trust me, I would have written the same thing. The "you're a Shawn Michaels mark" comeback for evreything I write that people don't agree with is not only old, it's pathetic. I've never hid the fact that I am a fan of Shawn Michaels as a performer, but I stopped having heroes when I was a kid. It's not my fault that Bret Hart sticks his footh in his mouth. Tell you what, next time Michaels says something as laughable as "Melina is the best wrestler in the world," you let me know and I'll write about it.

Well, at the risk of my health here on this blog, I have rarely found Bret Hart to be an interesting wrestler. I don't hate him, he just seems kind of boring to me. As for his opinions on wrestling, well, I guess he knows more than I do, but his comments ring kind of hollow to me. Perhaps had Russo, et al, booked him more to his liking in WCW he'd have better comments to say about Russo? I'm no Russo fan myself, but I am really confused about what the direction TNA is heading each week. There are swerves and then there is 'drunk driving swerves'. The latter sometimes outnumber the former, if you see my point. I think Gail Kim is the most talented lady on WWE, not Melina, but she'd be only third or fourth best on TNA now. Seriously, she's been passed up since she left TNA. Great blog, as always, Kevin.

Kevin,
On a differnent note. I think I see MIZ quote's daily in this blog. He has arrived. And Morrison is still talking about his abs. I think it's time to formally announce your Miz fan-dom.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I've already announced it. I never thought Miz would be this good., but I'm convinced.

Melina was, at one time, the best female wrestler in the world. She can no longer claim that title as her work has gotten considerably more sloppy over the last year or so. I'd say Mickie James and Tara (formerly Victoria) are in that same not-what-they-used-to-be category.

Kev, I don't think you'll get a lot of backlash from this. It gets harder every year to defend him. I was a huge Bret mark until a few years after he retired. Although I do think a part of what he says is because of his stroke, it's still pitiful what's been spewing from his mouth. I just don't understand how someone who hasn't been in the biz for almost ten years can continually bash it so frequently.

Eck, is it not at all possible that he could think highly of a woman wrestler as an athlete as opposed to some woman for him to 'conquer'? Seems to me that doesn't give Melina much credit at all...it is possible that he could actually enjoy watching her wrestling.
Also seems to be that male wrestlers are capable of watching women wrestle without wanting to 'conquer' them.
I might even point out that you make numerous comments regarding the physical attractiveness and other attributes of female wrestlers. Am I therefore to assume that you also want to conquer them? Knowing your comments...probably, and I don't blame you. But I also know that you do appreciate the athleticism they posess and the training they undergo, so maybe you could give Hart the benefit of the doubt here. Because we all know that HBK would never ever ever look at a female wrestler as a 'conquest' to be had ;)

PS. Who's your second favourite wrestler? I agree with people that the blind faith Hart fans will make ridiculous comments and knock HBK and your love for him, so I think it's about time we knew who else to razz you over instead, b/c there's not much fresh with Hart-HBK bickering.
Cheers.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Chris Jericho. ... Back to the Melina reference. If Hart had said he thinks she's one of the best women wrestlers around or that he really enjoys her work, that would be one thing. But he said she is the best wrestler in the world. That's absurd. How would we know anyway, when she never has more than four minutes for a match (and she manages to botch a move or two in that short time). The "conquest" line was pretty much a joke based on how much of a womanizer he admitted to being in his book.

"I think the best wrestling always needs to pretend to be real, and Vince Russo’s wrestling is so pathetically far-fetched and phony"

Very true.

I think WWE and TNA could take lessons from the much larger indy companies like say CZW. The intensity their wrestlers bring are just AWESOME.

Damn, that concussion and stroke really f***ed his brain up, huh??

Dear Bret Hart,

Cheerleader Melissa vs. Sarah Stock. Watch it.

Sincerely,

People who don't think Melina is the best female wrestler in the world.

I haven't heard the interview. I want to know, if Bret was just being sarcastic over there.I certainly don't think Melina is the best wrestler in the world.
Now on to the second point. I think, I quite agree when Bret Hart points out that Cena is Bret Hart of 2010.Just like Cena, Bret was projected as a hero for kids back then. And I still remember how Bret(few weeks before his 1hour iron man match against boy toy) came all the way to India just for the sake of WWF/E, when your boy toy chickened out. This is the kind of commitment and loyalty you associate with John Cena, these days.So I don't think Bret is wrong in comparing himself with Cena.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Listen to the interview. It doesn't sound like he's being sarcastic.

Actually Bret is a bigger laugh stocking than Hogan. Hogan is a lot smarter than Bret and can still make money in this business. Bret is just bitter.

Bret has also gone loopy. I guess Goldberg really did hurt him. Melina sucks as a wrestler. After watching anything in SHIMMER or the better TNA matches you'll laugh at WWE's poor attempts at female wrestling. Look at Tara vs. Kong in their recent cage match.

Melina is a hack compared to Alissa Flash, Kong, Beth, Nattie, Sara Del Rey, Hamada, Daffney, Roxxi, Taylor Wilde, Sarita, Tara, Gail Kim, ODB, anyone in Japan, etc. She's another model McCool/Maryse type who is way too skinny with no power behind anything she does. I would love to ask Bret does anything she does look real? I guess he wants a new Mrs. Hart, because clearly Bret isn't watching her wrestle.

To be fair, Bret doesn't compare himself to Cena; he compares the fans' collective perception of his character to that of cena's. It's a fair point, and it provides a certain insight- that between the mid-90s and now, there were nearly zero main event faces booked as admirable human beings. Cena's success marks a return to the business model that has not predominated since Bret's time

RESPONSE FROM KE: If he's talking about their characters, that's a fair point.

melina as the best in the world is laughable. that said, half those botched moves i'm sure have to do with the unfortunate state of her competition.

i'd really like to see her, beth phoenix and maryse in TNA where they could wrestle quality workers and be given decent storylines.

...and hotter outfits.

Innovator? I think like her boyfriend Morrison, they watch a lot of indy wrestlers and copy their moves so they look new to the national audience. Bret, like the masses, hasn't seen those moves and thus thinks they are new and innovative. I'm a fan of Bret, but I doubt he watches much of the product out there. Probably believes AJ Styles is copying Michelle McCool.

Just go ahead & award Rob the comment of the week now.

The "hang Russo by his neck" remark went too far.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I don't think he meant it literally.

I'll agree that Bret is an egomanic...but you have to be impressed with how much he does know about wrestling today. Guys like Hogan and Flair probably can't name more then five guys in the locker room.

I am just curious, Kevin: why do you feel compelled to alert your readers when Bret Hart sticks his foot in his mouth? Aside from his WWE Hall of Fame induction, Bret has had close to zero involvement in the business for nearly a decade, and if his impact on said business was limited, as you argued some time ago, I don't see why his tongue warrants a blog entry when you already have your hands full covering five weekly televison shows and whatever else.

RESPONSE FROM KE: The line about Melina just blew me away. I had to comment on that.

I will say Dave beat me to the list but I will say I don't consider Melina a hack...but in the short time allotted to the woman's matches it is practically impossible to put on consistent quality. We see it every week as the WWE gals fumble through their matches...

Hell they give them more time on the backstage stupidity than in the ring. That's wrong...and why the TNA woman's matches are a far better product.

hmmmmm thoughts.

1. Maybe Raven and Dr Stevie will hang Vince Russo by his neck.

2. Maybe Goldberg gave Bret Hart brain damage. Melina ugh.

I agree that Rob's comment = comment of the week. I'm a Hart fan, but I'll definitely skip that interview.

Best in the world is an impossible title to declare. Melina isn't the best in the WWE. She stole the Amazing Red's finisher, the Code Red, so I'm not so sure about the innovation. Hey Joey Vintage, Jack Evans has been stretched like a pretzel far worse than Melina has for years now.

Ditto Joe Mathieson and Wai. There's a reason why TNA always features the Knockouts on PPV and the WWE doesn't feature the divas that often.

ZOMG KEVIN ECK TRASHES BRET HART AGAIN!!!~~~ HOW DARE HE, THAT MICHAELS LOVING (EXPLETIVE)!!!~~!!!.

Can you kids seriously listen to yourself speak? Hart hasn't done anything in wrestling in almost 10 years now. Yes, he was screwed over by Hogan not putting him over, and by THE Screwjob, but in all reality, that is the far distant past. He was a good technical wrestler, and a big draw, but he wasn't the performer Michaels was/is and he was never the draw that Austin Hogan and Cena were/are. The man tries to be the babyface out of kayfabe. THIS PERSON SCREWED ME, THAT PERSON SCREWED ME, but I'm not mad and I don't hold grudges, blah blah blah. He is as pathetic on real interviews as Paul Levesque is. Hart has an opinion and is allowed that just like everyone else. I will say I think Jericho is the best entertainer in wrestling today. The difference, however, between my comment and Bret's is twofold. I have never been a professional wrestler, let alone a world champion, but my opinion is more commonly held than his. Nothing more.

I hope you all realize it has been 12 years since the Screwjob. Bret made more money in WCW, was misused, and then was injured. He can hold a grudge till he dies, it will do him no good. If Hart hadn't left, we may never have gotten Austin vs the Rock. Part of what made the WWF start winning was the freshness it had. Austin was in his first run as the champ, the Rock was a new character, Mick Foley at the top of the card was another novelty, and it captivated people. The only real seasoned main eventer left from the "New Generation" was Taker. If Hart had been there to take the spotlight from Austin things could've been different entirely. If you don't like HBK, that's okay. You don't have to like or dislike anyone, but let past be the past. Don't make a fool out of yourself trashing Kevin when you read his blog day after day.

New Theory:

Kevin Eck was the mastermind behind the Montreal Screwjob!!

At least with this new information, the Bret Hart Fans have at least some justification for believing you to be a minion of the anti-christ

Funny how Hart says that he has nothing personal against Russo, yet he says he thinks that someone should take him into the parking lot and murder him.

Has Bret honestly not seen the most talented female wrestler I have seen in a very long time, her name is Nattie Neidhart. her father is Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart, he really should know her mother, Ellie Hart considering she is his sister. Natalya is one of the most talented wrestlers on the planet today (male or female) and he is saying Melina is better, I would love to see Melina get through a match without botching(I am a Melina fan.. just an honest one)

I could choose to disagree with Bret Hart in these one but is not like he makes no sense of the matter..Melina is easily one of the best performers in the world right now..she is the total package...Her move set is unique, as is her look and she has lots of charisma..what else is there to it..she is the kind of wrestler that entertains while giving you original yet real and legit wrestling..not a total joke of the sport like many are bound to do today..I can easily see what she cant reach her full potential..there is nobody in her brand who is even at her level..if the rest can keep up..she cant do a thing..plus it´s hard to put up a great match in a 2-5 minute period of time...Melina is easily underrated..she bothes..but is it really her fault?..Not likely..the competition is sloppy..she is the best Wwe has to offer as a performer..the only reason many will look beyond any logical excuses to contradict such point is maybe the fact that ´´True Wrestling fans´´ will never accept that woman can be superior to the men in the ring...they cant stand the fact that they are ten times better as wrestlers..and if given more screen time could easily outshine the man..plain and simple..I love wrestling as a whole but the divas do stand out more...these whole hating situation is purely stereotypical crap!

Dave Meltzer reported that Bret was being sarcastic. He has that dry sense of humor.

RESPONSE FROM KE: He didn't sound like he was being sarcastic to me.