Bret Hart was not originally supposed to voice himself when guest starring in The Simpsons.
The Hitman famously made a cameo appearance back in 1997 in the episode The Old Man and the Lisa and buys Mr. Burns’s mansion off him when the evil billionaire loses everything. Firing a shot at Burns, Hart refers to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant owner as a “pitiful, pencil neck geek” to close out the scene.
Fans familiar with Hart’s work will be aware that while The Hitman is voicing himself in the show, his voice does not sound quite right. According to the former WWE Champion, this is because he originally voiced a different role. While speaking with The Wrestling Classic, Hart stated that he was originally intended to voice a character called The Mad Viking:
“Oh, I was a big fan, so it was a big honor for me. They originally, I remember I wanted to be Bret Hart on the show. And they said, ‘No, it’s just a part for a wrestler.’ I think my wrestler was called the Mad Viking or something like that. So when I did the voiceover, I was the voice for the Mad Viking. I wasn’t Bret Hart, and it’s a little bit different. That’s why when you hear the voiceover, it doesn’t sound like me. I was trying to sound like somebody else.”
The reason why The Hitman got to voice himself in the show is because after the recording was complete the producer realised how famous Hart actually was and called the audible to have the Hall of Famer portray himself in the episode:
“But it was after the whole thing was done, the producer came up and I was signing autographs in the parking lot at FOX Studios there, and they had probably about 300 people in a lineup signing autographs for them. And he came up and he goes, ‘I had no idea you were that famous. We’re gonna draw you in as you.’ So they changed it and drew me in as myself. So I was like, that’s where it pays off to be a nice guy and sign some autographs.”
Bret Hart No Longer The Only Wrestler To Guest Star In The Simpsons
24 years after Hart’s cameo, a second WWE star made a brief appearance on the show as John Cena was one of the many celebrities to guest star on the season 36 premiere of The Simpsons. Introducing himself as “the only licenced midwife to win 16 WWE Championships”, Cena helped deliver a baby during his brief trip to Springfield.
H/t to Wrestle Zone.
