By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart made an interesting note during a radio interview in New York on Friday that one of the reasons why he returned to WWE this year was because of the Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker match at WrestleMania 25 last year.

"A lot of the softening that came with me and Shawn Michaels came from me watching the match with Shawn and Undertaker. I was just so proud of both of them pulling off such a great match at WrestleMania 25," Hart told N.Y. radio host Peter Rosenberg in an interview.

Hart, who is headlining tonight's WWE house show at Madison Square Garden, also talked about feeling like he did the right thing coming back to WWE this year to "bury the hatchet." He said he was initially concerned Shawn Michaels would have his old attitude, but those concerns were quickly erased.

"I have a lot of respect for him. I feel good in my heart knowing it was the right thing to come back and bury the hatchet with Shawn and everyone," Hart said. "I kept saying, 'I'm going to have bad reservations and it won't be appreciated.' I was wrong about that. He really appreciated the gesture and I believe it took a lot of weight off his shoulders."

Hart also talked about his WrestleMania 26 match against Vince McMahon. Hart joked that McMahon wasn't the most physically-gifted opponent to help him walk through his return match after various health issues he's endured post-wrestling career.

"I also wish at WrestleMania I could have been the Bret Hart of old, but that's not going to happen. At the same time, I loved the whole shtick. I thought some of the television Vince McMahon and I created was really good TV. That made it worthwhile," Hart said. "I think everyone kind of understood it wouldn't be the 'Excellence of Execution' technical match. And you have to understand Vince isn't a professional wrestler either."

Regarding current wrestlers carrying on his in-ring tradition, Hart talked up Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, and Rey Mysterio. Hart said he's always been a fan of masked wrestlers, such as Mysterio.

Hart also talked up Undertaker's in-ring ability and said not enough people give him credit for being technically sound when he's thought of as a "gimmick wrestler."

Other topics covered in the interview include Hart's family, specifically Owen and Stu. He also said he considers Dynamite Kid to be "pound for pound the best wrestler in history."

Link: Download the audio file from Rosenberg's radio show at rosenbergradio.com.

[Torch photo credit Wade Keller (c) PWTorch.com]

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