SEATTLE – The crowd inside the KeyArena was shocked. Perhaps no one more so than Michael Cole. The cheese-eating announcer had lost his Kiss My Foot Match at WWE Over the Limit to Jerry Lawler, but was hightailing it up the ramp, boasting that he would never taste King’s tootsies. Fortunately for the WWE Universe, Bret “Hit Man” Hart had other ideas.

The WWE Hall of Famer made a surprise appearance, wrangling Cole back into the squared circle and locking him into a Sharp Shooter. At that point, Lawler gleefully shoved his foot inside Cole’s big mouth to the great delight of the WWE Universe.

“Jerry Lawler was right in thinking I might hate Michael Cole as much as he does,” explained Hart. “So, he made the call and thought it might be a good idea for me to play back-up for him.”

A good idea indeed. In fact, Hart proved the perfect person for Lawler to contact. After all, the legend had faced off against the beloved announcer  in a Kiss My Foot Match in 1995. Although Hart and Lawler have since made amends, The Excellence of Execution still recalls his victory that night with fondness.

“It was such a great joy sticking my foot in Lawler’s mouth and taking my time doing it,” remembered Hart. “There was a lot of bad blood, and Jerry knows he said a lot of stuff, so it’s really kind of come full circle.”

And this time around, it would be King who would relish the moment. And who could blame him? Cole had been hurling verbal grenades at Lawler for months. To Hart, the comeuppance was long overdue.

“Michael Cole pushed all [Lawler’s] buttons, and you could just see it build,” said Hart of Cole’s relentless taunting. “It’s kind of like pulling a lion’s tail. Jerry’s a pretty formidable wrestler, especially when you get him mad.”

While the five-time WWE Champion looks back with affection and pride at his storied career, he also appears extraordinarily appreciative of the now and the time he gets to spend with the WWE Universe.

“There’s always a lot of WWE fans in Seattle,” said Hart with a grin. “It’s a good feeling for me to know that the fans and WWE Universe still remember me and still give the support that they always have.”

And always will.