When WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart left fans confused whether he was on The Simpsons in 1997

In 1997, at the peak of his wrestling career, WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart made a cameo in an episode of The Simpsons. In "The Old Man and the Lisa" - the 21st episode of Season Eight, Bret Hart played a Russian wrestler named “Hitman” who was shown Mr Burns' mansion by a realtor after Burns lost all his fortune by making bad investments. After seeing the whole mansion and interacting with Mr Burns himself, Bret Hart says, "I’ll take it."

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Bret Hart looked like himself on The Simpsons with his signature pink-and-black tights, wrap-around shades, and long greasy hair. Despite all the similarities, fans were forced to question whether Bret Hart really appeared on The Simpsons or not, due to a huge reason. According to many, the Hitman who appeared on The Simpsons didn’t have the same voice as wrestling legend Bret Hart. Some said that Bret Hart was not able to visit FOX Studios for dubbing, which is why the studio used someone’s else’s voice for the Hitman.

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Bret Hart reveals why his ‘The Simpsons’ character sounded like a Russian

While talking to AV Club, Bret Hart turned all those rumours into dust and clarified that it was indeed him who voiced Hitman in The Simpsons. Bret Hart said The Simpsons team approached him to play a “mad Russian wrestler” on the show. “I said, I don't want to be the Mad Russian, I want to be Bret 'The Hitman' Hart! We went back and forth for a while and they eventually said, very politely, 'This is the way it's written, take it or leave it.' I agreed, and flew down to FOX Studios,” said Bret Hart.

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Bret Hart said after he was done recording for The Simpsons episode, he went to a restaurant where he met a few wrestling fans and started giving them autographs. He said the man in charge of The Simpsons episode saw him at the restaurant and started asking around. When he found out that Hart was wrestler, he went to him and said, “I had no idea you were this big of a star! If we haven't already started the artwork, we're going to draw you in as yourself." Bret Hart explained that’s why the Hitman looks like him and sounds like a Russian. “That's why the voice doesn't really sound like me, because I thought I was playing a crazy Russian,” Bret Hart added.

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