Bret Hart

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This article is about the professional wrestler. For the author, see Bret Harte.
Bret Hart Flag of Canada
Hart at an autograph signing in Windsor, Ontario on July 24, 2005.
Statistics
Ring name(s) Bret Hart
Brett Hart
Billed height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Billed weight 105 kg (234 lb)
Born July 2, 1957 (age 49)
Calgary, Alberta
Resides Calgary, Alberta;
Northern Italy[1]
Trained by Stu Hart
Katsui Adachi
Kazuo Sakurada
Harley Race
Debut 1976
Retired October 26, 2000

Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, and part of the famous Hart wrestling family. In the course of his career, he is best known by his ring name Bret "Hitman" Hart[2](alternatively spelled "Hit Man"[3]) - adopted from boxer Thomas Hearns. He also used the monikers "The Excellence of Execution" (originally dubbed as such by Gorilla Monsoon) and perhaps the most resounding, "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be" (derived from the 1984 film The Natural, which starred Robert Redford).

Hart justifies his claim to the latter title by citing three facts: that he never seriously injured an opponent through any fault of his own; that, in the course of his career with the World Wrestling Federation, he only ever missed two shows, both as a result of traffic and flight difficulties; and the claim that he rarely refused to job.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Professional wrestling

Bret Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta; the eighth child of wrestling patriarch, promoter Stu Hart. His seven brothers were either wrestlers or involved backstage with the wrestling business; his four sisters all married professional wrestlers. Two of his brothers-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart, had very successful careers in the business. His youngest brother, Owen Hart, became a decorated wrestler in his own right before his death in 1999.

In terms of in-ring ability, Hart is known for his fluid technical skills and agility. He is regarded by many as one of the most technically sound professional wrestlers ever to grace a ring. Once labeled "the greatest storyteller in the history of the business" by Vince McMahon, he was adept at creating tense and entertaining matches. Mean Gene Okerlund has also placed him in the top five best technical wrestlers of all time.

Hart's introduction to professional wrestling came at an incredibly early age. As a child, he witnessed his father training with future wrestling stars like Billy Graham in the Dungeon, his household basement which served as possibly the most notorious training room in the world of athletics. Before school, Hart's father, also a wrestling promoter, would have him hand out flyers to local wrestling shows. At Ernest Manning High School, Hart would gain experience in the amateur wrestling division. Despite being "skin and bones," as Hart refers to his teenage physique, he won significant championships. This would later offer credibility to his career in professional wrestling as being legit. However, rather than directly following his father's foot steps, Hart pursued a college degree.

[edit] Stampede Wrestling (1976-1984)

Lives in York Hart enrolled in Mount Royal College with aspirations of becoming a director. At the age of 19, however, Hart began working for his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary, with his father serving as his manager for a time. Hart first began helping the promotion by refereeing matches, but at one fateful event, a wrestler was unable to perform his match. This forced Stu to request his son stand in as a replacement, paving the way for Hart's very first match in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Before long, he became a regular contender, eventually partnering with brother Keith to win the Tag Team Championship four times. Earlier on, however, he was still unsure he wanted to make a career of professional wrestling and continually contemplated the idea.

Hart would gain some of his most prominent experience with Japanese combatants Mr. Hito and Mr. Sakurada, later praising them as his most significant trainers. And before long, Hart was amazing crowds with his high-impact matches against The Dynamite Kid. In the midst of wrestling alongside his brothers and even his aging father, Hart made a point not to ride on the shoulders of his elder as other sons of promoters have. Hart faithfully jobbed as requested of him, taking pride in the believability of his performances. As he said himself, "no one could take a shit kicking like Bret Hart."

Although he dreaded doing interviews and speaking in front of a crowd, Hart went on to win the promotion's top titles including two British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championships, five International Tag Team Championships, and six North American Heavyweight Championships. Hart also wrestled the famous Tiger Mask in New Japan Pro Wrestling and remained one of Stampede's most successful performers until the promotion, along with several wrestlers, was acquired by the World Wrestling Federation in August 1984.

In an aside to Hart claiming to have never injured anyone during his career, Allen Coage (aka Bad News Brown) in his shoot interview debunks that myth by claiming Bret inflicted two concussions on him due to being overzealous with a chair in their matches.

[edit] World Wrestling Federation (1984-1997)

Hart started out in the WWF with a cowboy gimmick but soon requested that it be dropped. He was eventually partnered up with Jim Neidhart to build onto the promotion's tag team division. Hart rose to fame in the WWF in the mid 1980s, winning the WWF Tag Team Championship twice as one half of the Hart Foundation. His technical style created an intriguing contrast with his partner Jim Neidhart's strength and brawling skills. The duo were originally a heel team managed by "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart and actually wore blue and black, as opposed to the more recognizable pink and black color scheme which they later adopted. Eventually, they turned face, adopting the nickname "The Pink and Black Attack." Their most notable feuds were with the British Bulldogs and Demolition.

Following a loss to The Nasty Boys at WrestleMania VII, the Foundation split and Hart went on to pursue a singles career. He won his first of two WWF Intercontinental Championship reigns by defeating Mr. Perfect with the Sharpshooter at SummerSlam 1991. Hart was then placed in a feud with the Mountie. This feud came about when the Mountie's manager, Jimmy Hart, threw water on Hart. Then the Mountie proceeded to shock Hart with a cattle prod. When Hart lost the WWF Intercontinental Championship to The Mountie, he was supposedly suffering from a fever; however, this was a work to protect his character when he lost the title. In reality, Hart was booked to lose the title because his current contract was expiring. Following the loss, Roddy Piper (who was a distant cousin of Bret's) defeated Mountie with a sleeperhold at the 1992 Royal Rumble, and Bret would later pin "The Rowdy One" for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania VIII later that same year.

In July 1992, Hart defeated Shawn Michaels in what is believed to be the first ever ladder match in the World Wrestling Federation. While many remember Michaels as the main innovator of the ladder match due to his later success in those matches, it was actually Hart who initially won the first match of this type.

After dropping the Intercontinental Championship to his brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, in a classic match at SummerSlam 1992 held before over 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, Hart was elevated to main-event status. He won the WWF Championship from Ric Flair at Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (the hometown of his father, Stu Hart) in October of that year in an untelevised event. Hart dislocated one of the fingers on his right hand during the match and popped it back in himself so it would not affect the rest of the match. Hart became the sixteenth man to win the WWE Championship as well as only the second WWE Triple Crown winner, the first being Pedro Morales.

Hart went on to defend the title against contenders like Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon before losing the title to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX after interference from Mr. Fuji, only to have Yokozuna immediately challenge Hulk Hogan and lose. Shortly after, however, Hart won the original televised King of the Ring tournament in 1993, defeating Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow. After being crowned as the King of the Ring, Hart was attacked by announcer Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler claimed he was the rightful King and began a barrage against Hart and his family. The feud culminated in a match between the two at SummerSlam 1993, where Hart originally won the match by submission, via the Sharpshooter. Hart, however, would not let go of the hold and the decision was reversed to a Lawler victory by disqualification.

It is widely rumored that the original intentions of SummerSlam were to place WWF Champion Hulk Hogan against Bret Hart in a colossal passing of the torch.[4] However, given the booking power of Hogan's contract, he refused to put Hart over citing bad taste in a face-versus-face match.[citation needed] Hogan favored a loss to Yokozuna before his departure from the WWF, leaving Hart to reclaim the WWF title under a different light.[citation needed]

Hart was named the co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble when he and Lex Luger were eliminated simultaneously. As a result, both men received title shots at WrestleMania X. Bret pinned Yokozuna to reclaim the World title at WrestleMania X.

It was at this time that Bret Hart entered into a feud with his younger brother, Owen Hart. For the family-friendly WWF of the early 1990s, a brother-versus-brother feud was edgy and the fans responded well to it. The storyline involved Owen becoming jealous of Bret. It began at Survivor Series 1993, when the Harts (four of the Hart Brothers including Bret and Owen) took on Shawn Michaels (a last-minute substitution for Lawler) and his knights. Bret and his two brothers Bruce and Keith survived the match, with Owen Hart being the only Hart family member eliminated. Owen blamed Bret for his elimination and in the weeks ahead, blamed Bret for holding him back. Owen demanded a one-on-one match with Bret, which Bret refused to do. In the storyline, Bret, along with his parents, worked over the Holidays to reunite the family. Owen came around and the two brothers decided to become a tag team and challenge for the tag team titles. Bret's goal was to help his younger brother win his first title in the WWF.

At the Royal Rumble, The Hart Brothers took on tag team champions The Quebecers for the tag titles. The decision was called by the referee when Bret Hart was deemed too injured to continue the match. Owen again blamed Bret, this time for not tagging him in. Owen attacked Bret's injured leg to set the course for this memorable feud. Bret was forced to wrestle Owen at WrestleMania X and Bret set his sights on teaching Owen a lesson. The younger Hart actually defeated his brother in the opening match of WrestleMania X. Later on at the event, Bret won the WWF Championship in the main event and Owen stated that he should be champion. They put on highly technical matches and would feud in one way or another for three years. The most memorable of their confrontations coming in a steel cage at SummerSlam 1994.

Hart dropped the title to Bob Backlund at the 1994 Survivor Series, thanks in large part to interference from his brother Owen. Continuing his feverish feud with Bob Backlund, Hart wrestled in an "I Quit" match at WrestleMania XI. Hart commented that this was his least favorite WrestleMania match, regarding it as poorly executed. In 1995, he feuded with various WWF undercarders such as Hakushi, Jean-Pierre LaFitte, and Isaac Yankem, DDS, as well as renewing his feud with Jerry Lawler.

Hart finally reclaimed the World title with a victory over Diesel at the 1995 Survivor Series. During the match, Hart took a bump through the Spanish announce table, becoming the first WWE superstar to take that bump. Shortly after winning the title, he went on to defend it against challengers such as The British Bulldog, The Undertaker and Goldust, among others.

Hart lost the title to Shawn Michaels in a 60-minute Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII. The match was not without controversy. Michaels was victorious in a sudden death overtime finish. In most wrestling organizations, if a title match is decided to continue after the time limit expires, the title would normally no longer be in contest and would remain with the title holder, no matter the outcome of the match. This match, however, saw WWF President Gorilla Monsoon declare a "sudden death" overtime period, in which Michaels won the title following two superkicks.

At the match's conclusion, Michaels supposedly instructed Hart to "get the fuck out of my ring," a comment over which Hart still harbors bitter feelings.[citation needed] Michaels has never denied or confirmed this. It is thought that Michaels feels Hart was bitter about being defeated and didn't engage in the tradition of shaking hands after the match.[citation needed] Hart and Michaels were never the best of friends, and Hart's opinion of Michaels was damaged to a new degree after this match. This would mark the beginning of a seven-month hiatus from the WWF for Bret. Hart was the hottest free agent in wrestling at this point, and negotiations with the WWF and WCW (World Championship Wrestling) were said to be at the ‘eleventh hour’. Even though WWF were proceeding with booking plans leading to him facing Steve Austin at the Survivor Series PPV in November, Hart was seriously considering an offer from WCW, which was said to be worth three times more than what the WWF was offering him. It was alleged that WCW had made him a three year, $9m offer, which at that point was said to be an offer that the WWF couldn’t match. In his best year with the WWF, it was believed Hart earned very high six figures. He eventually signed a 20-year contract with the WWF - the plan being that an initial period of this would be spent on wrestling while the rest would be in a backstage role.

Hart returned to face off against Austin at Survivor Series 1996. Austin was the new breed of heel (who would soon turn face) and the poster boy of a changing WWF product: a loud-mouthed anti-hero who drank beer after matches, ignored rules and frequently lashed out at Hart, mocking his pink trunks and old-school attitude. Although Hart pinned Austin at Survivor Series 1996, the fans later did something the WWF and Hart would have never predicted: they began to turn on Hart and support Austin.

Hart defeated Austin, Vader, and the Undertaker in a Fatal Four Way Match to become a 4-time WWE champion at In Your House: Final Four in February 1997. But Austin made sure Hart's reign was short-lived, costing him a match against Sycho Sid the next night on Raw. The two would have a steel cage match shortly before WrestleMania 13, which saw Austin actually attempt to help Hart win, in order to make their match at WrestleMania 13 a title match. Concurrently, The Undertaker, who had a scheduled match with Sid at WrestleMania, attempted to help Sid win. Sid ultimately retained, leading to a pure grudge match for Hart and Austin.

At WrestleMania 13, Hart and Austin had their rematch, in what some consider the greatest match in WrestleMania history (alongside Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III). This match, which was a Submission Match, featured incredible brawling and mat wrestling from two extremely skilled technical wrestlers. In the end, Hart locked the Sharpshooter on a bloody Austin, who refused to give up. In fact, Austin never quit, but passed out from the blood loss/pain. Ken Shamrock, the special guest referee, was forced to award Hart the match. This turned Austin into a new breed of face, and Hart became a new breed of heel. This was Hart's favorite match with Austin and as of 2006, is Hart's last WrestleMania appearance. According to Austin himself, this match helped Austin become a main event star and a legend in his own right.

Despite their on-camera differences, Hart and Austin always got along, and continue to have the utmost respect for one another, a fact which was illustrated further when Austin was selected to induct Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame the evening prior to WrestleMania 22.

In the ensuing weeks, Hart denounced American fans, because of their negative reaction to him in the recent weeks in contrast to his continued popularity through the rest of the world, and reunited with brother Owen and brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith. The trio formed the new Hart Foundation with Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart, an anti-American stable which was popular within Canada and Europe. Hart captured his fifth World title at SummerSlam 1997 after guest-referee Shawn Michaels accidentally struck The Undertaker with a steel chair, allowing Hart to get the pin.

Although Hart had signed a 20 year contract, Vince McMahon had asked him to talk to WCW about possibly taking a second look at their original offer to him, as the WWF was in a rough financial position at the time and could not afford the contract. Hart's final match with the WWF would come in Montreal at Survivor Series 1997. Hart did not want to end his career with a loss to Shawn Michaels in his home country, he asked Vince if he could forfeit the championship the next night on RAW or lose it a few weeks later, which Vince agreed to. Although Hart stated to Vince McMahon he would not take the WWF Championship with him to WCW TV, McMahon had concerns of this and broke his word in what eventually came to be known as the Montreal Screwjob, the most controversial moment in wrestling history. Even though he did not submit to his own finisher the sharpshooter, the referee, on orders of Vince McMahon, had called for the bell as if he had, resulting in Hart "losing" the WWF Title to Shawn Michaels. The night ended with Hart spitting in Vince's face, destroying television equipment, and punching Vince in the eye backstage.

Bret also stated on a recent shoot interview that after the Montreal incident Vince Russo called Bret Hart about Bret trying to get Owen out of his contract to come to WCW with him. Bret listened to Russo and explained that he was still going to try to get Owen out of his contract to come to WCW with him; a few minutes afterwards Vince McMahon called Bret and told him if he tried to get Owen out, and if he continued to talk to Owen about his contract, McMahon would sue him. Bret Hart believed McMahon was on the phone the whole time with Russo/Bret and Bret says Vince Russo denies that claim to this day, and that it was just a coincidence that McMahon called a couple minutes after.

In a September 2006 interview on The O Show, professional wrestler Chris Kanyon claimed that Hart told him that Hart, McMahon, and Pat Patterson were all in on the Montreal Screwjob.[1][2]

[edit] World Championship Wrestling (1997-2000)

About a month after Survivor Series, Hart joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the WWF's main competitor. Bret was involved in the Sting versus Hulk Hogan match at Starrcade 1997, making his debut by stepping in toward its conclusion as impromptu referee. He attacked referee Nick Patrick, accusing him of making a fast count and shouting he wouldn't let "it happen again" (a reference to the Montreal Screwjob).

During Eric Bischoff's period in control of the company, the goodwill towards Hart generated by the Montreal Screwjob resulted in him being pushed as a face. However, this was short-lived, and in early 1998, Hart turned heel in a WCW Monday Nitro main event involving Randy Savage and Hogan, and unofficially joined the nWo. As part of the faction, Hart was no longer pushed as a main event superstar, instead competing for the WCW United States Championship, which he won four times.

He remained in the upper mid-card bracket until an incident on WCW Monday Nitro in March 1999 when Bret lamented about "what WCW had not done" to him. Hart then called out superstar Goldberg, tricked him into spearing Hart (who was wearing a metal breastplate under the hockey jersey he was wearing) and counted his own pinfall over Goldberg's unconscious body. The incident caused Hart to leave WCW for a short time. When Bret was about ready to return to WCW, his brother Owen Hart died in an accident during a WWF PPV.

Bret Hart returned to wrestling on October 4, 1999 in a tribute match for Owen against Chris Benoit -- this match took place in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, where Owen had died months earlier.

Around this same time, the WWF's top writer Vince Russo "jumped ship" to join WCW. Russo instigated an angle which involved a controversy over a series of World Heavyweight Championship matches between Sting, Hogan and Goldberg at Halloween Havoc 1999, ultimately leading to the title being declared vacant. A tournament then took place over several episodes of Nitro, with the final rounds taking place at the Mayhem 1999 pay-per-view held in Hart's native Canada. The event saw Bret Hart defeat Chris Benoit in the main event, capturing his first of two WCW Championship belts in the process.

He later participated in an nWo reformation with Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and the Harris Brothers. At the 1999 Starrcade pay-per-view event, Hart defended his WCW Championship against Goldberg. During the match, Hart was struck with a mule kick to the head, resulting in a severe concussion. Hart later speculated that he may have suffered up to three additional concussions within matches over the course of that day along with the days immediately following Starrcade 1999, having been unaware of the severity of his injuries. As a part of this, Hart placed Goldberg on the post in a figure-four leg lock which ended with Hart hitting himself on the concrete with his head broken in half. The sum total of those injuries left Hart with post-concussion syndrome, and ultimately forced his retirement from professional wrestling.

Hart has stated that he did not hold a grudge against Goldberg for injuring him, attributing the situation to Goldberg's relative inexperience as a wrestler rather than irresponsibility, and the two remain on good terms. Nonetheless, Hart felt the nature of his retirement was ironic given that he had worked hard during his career to protect his opponents' well-being.

Hart never lost either WCW Heavyweight Championship he held, but forfeited them instead. The second vacated title came about in January 2000 when he was forced to withdraw from the main event of WCW's Souled Out pay-per-view. He wrestled his last matches in both the WWF and WCW as the World Heavyweight Champion of each respective promotion.

In October 2000, Hart was released from his contract with WCW due to Hart's "ongoing incapacity" [3]. He would officially declare his retirement shortly afterwards.

[edit] Life after wrestling

In June 2002, Hart suffered a stroke after a bicycle accident. The Calgary Herald reported that Hart hit a pothole, flew over the handbars of the bike, and landed on the back of his head. Hart suffered partial paralysis after the stroke, which required months of physical therapy. Hart has since recovered much of his mobility and is in good health; although, he still suffers from an emotional imbalance. [4]

[edit] The Bret Hart Story

Hart and McMahon at WWE Headquarters in August 2005.
Hart and McMahon at WWE Headquarters in August 2005.

Hart's relationship with Vince McMahon improved throughout the early-2000s (Hart stated in an interview that after he had the stroke, the first person to call him in the hospital was McMahon), with Hart being featured in WWE video games including the WWE Day of Reckoning and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw titles. In addition, Hart stated on his website that he would have liked to wrestle Kurt Angle, and had watched Chris Benoit's World Heavyweight Championship title win at WrestleMania XX.

In mid-2005, WWE announced the release of a three disc DVD originally named Screwed: The Bret Hart Story, with the title a reference to the Montreal Screwjob. After he was approached about appearing in the DVD, Hart visited WWE Headquarters on August 3, 2005 and met with Vince McMahon. In the course of the meeting, Hart agreed to take part in the DVD, but insisted that he retain some editing control, and that the ignominious ending to his WWF career be de-emphasised. Hart's primary concern was that he wanted his WWE legacy to be about his in-ring performances; he stated in several interviews that a turning point for him in agreeing to do the DVD was an encounter with a small child in a dentist's office.

The cover of WWE's Bret Hart DVD
The cover of WWE's Bret Hart DVD

Hart related that the child had a Bret Hart action figure, but that the child had no knowledge of him outside of the aforementioned WWE video games (in which Hart was featured as a "WWE Legend"). He filmed over seven hours of interview footage for the DVD, which was renamed Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be. The DVD includes Hart's favorite match with his brother Owen, held in White Plains, New York and aired on the first episode of the short lived Action Zone series, and his first match with Ricky Steamboat as well as footage of his first match and many more from his days in Stampede Wrestling. Despite the bad blood between Hart and Vince McMahon, Hart comments, in one segment about Owen, that he wishes he had been with the WWE when Owen's accident happened. Hart's match at WrestleMania XII against Shawn Michaels was supposed to have been included, but was cut out due to time constraints (it appeared only as clips during the documentary itself). The collection was released on November 15, 2005.

Hart appeared on the November 16, 2005, WWE Byte This! webcast, marking his first live WWE appearance since November 9, 1997. The Bret Hart episode of Byte This! had the largest viewer turnout in the history of the show. WWE has alluded on several occasions to the return of Hart to WWE television proper, on one occasion even playing his music, but Hart maintains that he has no interest in returning to the company in an on-screen capacity. However, when asked about the possibility of a farewell speech during the Byte This! interview, he stated, "I don't know. It's a thought anyway."

At an autograph session held in New York City in November 2005, Hart signed autographs alongside Jerry Lawler, Carlito and Kurt Angle, his aforementioned "dream opponent". Hart told fans who attended the event that he had forgiven referee Earl Hebner for his part in the Montreal Screwjob. In addition, he responded to Shawn Michaels' statement that Bret Hart would never compete again in a WWE ring, saying, "He's right."

[edit] WWE Hall of Fame

On the February 16, 2006, episode of RAW, it was announced that Hart would be a 2006 inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hart had previously stated he had no interest in this, but, as with his DVD project, his views changed. Hart had also been approached by Vince McMahon for a potential match between the two at WrestleMania 22, but "politely declined" the offer [5]. Coincidentally, Hart's last WrestleMania appearance was also in Chicago (WrestleMania 13). In accordance with his promise never to work for WWE again, Hart refused to be paid for the event, though WWE did cover travel arrangements for Bret and his ex-wife Julie (who no-showed) and their four children.

On April 1, 2006, Bret was inducted by his old in-ring rival, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Despite much speculation (Hart had even told the Calgary Sun that he would no-show the event if he saw Shawn Michaels), Hart's induction into the Hall of Fame went off without controversy. He thanked every wrestler he worked with (even thanking Vince McMahon) and said he's "in a good place in life." He also told some humorous stories he had with other wrestlers during his career in the WWE - most noticeably with his deceased brother, Owen.

Shawn Michaels did attend the ceremony, but left right before Hart's induction. In an interview held after WrestleMania 22, Shawn Michaels showed good will against his arch-rival, saying that he's "happy and excited for Bret and his family" and that "it's been a long time coming for The Hitman."

After the Hall of Fame ceremony, Bret flew to Toronto while the rest of the Hart family flew back to Calgary. Bret did some interviews before going back to Italy to be with his wife Cinzia.

Hart did not appear the next day at WrestleMania 22 with the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame Inductees at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Ring Announcer Howard Finkel stated that Hart did not feel comfortable participating in the event. This was followed with loud boos. A scaffolding image of Bret Hart was hung up with the other WWE superstars around the arena at WrestleMania 22.

[edit] Other Honors

Bret Hart accepts his induction into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
Bret Hart accepts his induction into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

On July 15, 2006, Bret Hart was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, at the International Wresting Institute and Museum in Newton, Iowa. The induction took place in an immensely crowded and humid display room showcasing one of Hart's ring entrance jackets. The honor is only awarded to those with both a professional and amateur wrestling background, making Hart one of the youngest inductees. During his acceptance, Hart compared this induction to his place in the WWE Hall of Fame, saying "This is a much bigger honor for me." [6]

[edit] Personal life

Hart has four children: Jade, Dallas (who was going to train to be a wrestler but seems to have changed his mind), Alexandra Sabina (affectionately known as "Beans"), and Blade—with his ex-wife, Julie. The four hearts located on the right thigh of his tights symbolize his four children, as do the four dots following his signature. On September 15, 2004, he married an Italian woman named Cinzia.

When Hart began the controversial "Canada versus America" angle, he was criticized in public, accused of being a racist and often told by angry American fans to "go back where you came from". Hart responded in an interview with the Calgary Sun, stating that "[there is] a difference between a show and reality". In actuality, Hart holds dual citizenship of Canada and the United States (his mother is originally from Long Island, New York).

An animated version of Hart in The Simpsons
An animated version of Hart in The Simpsons

He was involved in a similar racial controversy during an angle in which it appeared that the Hart Foundation had vandalized the locker room of the African American stable, the Nation of Domination. He was further criticized when he taunted Shawn Michaels and Triple H with homophobic insults. After leaving the WWF, Hart apologized for the angles, claiming that he had been pressured into going through with them and stating that "...I am not in any shape or form a racist. And I don't believe it is anything to kid around about. I also want to apologize for any remarks I made about gay people. It was a stupid mistake on my part."

From 1995 to 1996 Hart appeared in the Lonesome Dove television series as Luther Root. He has made numerous televised appearances since, including a guest spot on The Simpsons in 1997 (as himself, in "The Old Man and the Lisa") and a stint playing The Genie in a theatrical production of Aladdin in 2004, a role which he reprised in the Canadian Touring production of Aladdin in late 2006. Hart also played a part in a skit on MAD TV as himself where he beat up his friend's family.

Hart co-wrote an illustrated autobiography with Perry Lefko in 2000. The book, entitled Bret "Hitman" Hart, was somewhat concise, and focused primarily on Hart's World Championship Wrestling tenure. Hart wrote a weekly column for the Calgary Sun until October 2004. He is writing his autobiography, which he started work on in 1999 with his long-time friend /business associate Marcy Engelstein, but project was slowed due to Hart's recovery from his stroke. Work continues on the project, which is scheduled for release by Random House Canada in the fall of 2007.

In 2004, Hart was chosen as one of the Greatest Canadians, coming in at number thirty-nine. He was also the advocate for Don Cherry during the televised portion of the competition. Hart was ranked number #39 in Time Magazine's "Greatest Canadians of All Time" article.

The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League took their name from Hart, who was a founder and part-owner.

Hart was sampled by the Canadian rap group Rascalz in their song "Game Time/Sharpshooter," appearing in their music video.

Bret can also be seen applying the Sharpshooter in the beginning of the Television show Malcolm in the Middle.

Hart still makes appearances at independent wrestling shows and autograph signings. In May 2005 he made a much-lauded appearance at Border City Wrestling in Windsor, Ontario, with Jimmy Hart and Jim Neidhart, billed as "The Reunion of The Hart Foundation".

[edit] Wrestling facts

Bret Hart locks in the Sharpshooter on Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XII
Bret Hart locks in the Sharpshooter on Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XII
  • Nicknames
    • The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be
    • Cowboy
    • The Excellence of Execution
    • Hitman / Hit Man
    • The Pink and Black Attack
    • The Hart Attack

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

[edit] References

  1. ^ Madigan, T.J. "Hitman yearns for Calgary from Italy", Calgary Sun
  2. ^ www.brethart.com
  3. ^ An open letter to Shawn Michaels By Bret "The Hit Man" Hart -- For the Calgary Sun
  4. ^ Bret Hart off the Record

[edit] External links

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