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Hart: Rollins 'needs to improve his technique' before someone dies

Bret Hart/Instagram

World Wrestling Entertainment's inaugural Universal Champion, Finn Balor, will be on the shelf for the next six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. The injury resulted from taking a powerbomb into the ringside barricade at Sunday's SummerSlam in Balor's bout with Seth Rollins - and consequently came as little surprise to WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Hart's already been outspoken about Rollins' in-ring style, especially after Rollins' knee broke John Cena's nose during a match on "Monday Night Raw" last summer. Following the injury to Balor, the "Excellence of Execution" released a statement to Wrestlezone.com's Nick Hausman saying Rollins needs to be safer in the future to avoid a more serious incident:

I take no great pleasure in saying “I told you so,” but if you’re a professional wrestler and you keep hurting opponents and or yourself, clearly you’re doing it wrong. I wrestled a very realistic and physical style and not once in 23 yrs did I ever hurt one opponent ever. Seth Rollins needs to improve his technique and become the safest wrestler in the business. I have great respect for Seth. I believe he’ll improve and hopefully stop hurting the talent before someone gets killed. Wrestlers have to trust one another. If a wrestler holds the life of another wrestler in his hands for the sake of his family, wife or children you plain and simply cannot drop it! ...

I saw this coming, if anything WWE producers are negligent for not speaking up about it to him already, instead they’re probably gushing with joy, slapping him on the back telling him “great job!” Bill Goldberg was similar. When I think of Samoa Joe nearly killing Tyson Kidd, then see him continuing to use that deadly finish of his, I just shake my head. It’s not real, it’s only supposed to look real, wrestlers are not crash test dummies.

During his final days with World Championship Wrestling, Hart took a thrust kick straight to the head from Goldberg at a Starrcade event, which gave him a severe concussion. Issues with post-concussion syndrome eventually forced him into retirement.

Rollins' history of injuring his opponents in the squared circle also includes a powerbomb into the turnbuckle at Night of Champions last year that resulted in cervical spinal stenosis for Sting, who ultimately had to end his career because of the maneuver.

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