Bret Hart

Bret Hart
Bret Hart in July 2005.
Statistics
Ring name(s)	Bret "The Hitman" Hart[1] Brett Hart "Cowboy" Bret Hart[1] Buddy "The Heartthrob"[1]
Billed height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Billed weight	106.3 kg (234 lb/16.74 st)
Born	July 2, 1957 (1957-07-02) (age 52) Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Resides	Hawaii
Billed from	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Trained by	Stu Hart Katsuji Adachi Kazuo Sakurada Iron Sheik Harley Race
Debut	1976[2]
Retired	2000

Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In the course of his career, he was best known by his ring name Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

A son of wrestling patriarch Stu Hart, Bret Hart was born into the Hart wrestling family. His seven brothers were either wrestlers or involved backstage with the wrestling business; his four sisters all married professional wrestlers. Three of his brothers-in-law, the Dynamite Kid, 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. 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 himself frequently described himself as "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be" (derived from the 1984 film The Natural), which he justifies through three claims: he never injured an opponent through any fault of his own; through the entire course of his career he only missed two shows (both as a result of traffic and flight difficulties); and that he only once refused to lose a scripted match—his final WWF match with Shawn Michaels at the Survivor Series event in 1997, which culminated in the now infamous Montreal Screwjob.^[3] Hart was widely regarded as one of the most universally popular and gifted technical professional wrestlers of all time.^[4]

Throughout his career Hart competed in the tag team, junior heavyweight (early in his career), and heavyweight singles divisions, achieving success in all divisions. Over the course of his career in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Hart accumulated sixteen championship accolades; he was a seven-time World Heavyweight Champion (five-time WWF Champion^[5] and two-time WCW Champion)^[6], four-time United States Heavyweight Champion,^[7][8] two-time Intercontinental Champion,^[9][8] and three-time World Tag Team Champion (two-time WWF World Tag Team Champion with Jim Neidhart^[10][8] and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion with Bill Goldberg^[11][8]). He was also the winner of the first King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1993,^[8] and the 1994 Royal Rumble co-winner with Lex Luger.^[8] Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Stone Cold Steve Austin.^[12]

Early life

Bret Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta, the eighth child of wrestling patriarch Stu Hart. His 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 wrestling. 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. He enrolled in Mount Royal College with aspirations of becoming a director.

Career in wrestling

Stampede Wrestling (1976-1984)

At the age of 19, Bret 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. 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 Mitsuharu Misawa (as Tiger Mask II) 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.

World Wrestling Federation (1984-1997)

WWF debut (1984)

Bret Hart started out in the WWF with a cowboy gimmick but soon requested that it be dropped, citing that he was not a true cowboy and "hates country music."^[13] He made his first televised WWF debut in August 1984, in a tag team match where he teamed with his brother-in-law, The Dynamite Kid.^[14]

Hart Foundation (1985-1991)

Main article: The Hart Foundation

In 1985, he was eventually partnered up with another brother-in-law, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, to build the promotion's tag team division. Originally a heel team, they joined manager Jimmy Hart's Hart Foundation stable but soon the name stuck with the team of Bret and Anvil, due to the similar family names of both team members and their manager.^[1]

At WrestleMania 2, they participated in a 20-man battle royal which was won by André the Giant.^[15] Bret's agile, technical style - which earned him the moniker "The Excellence of Execution" (coined by Gorilla Monsoon) - created an intriguing contrast with his partner Neidhart's strength and brawling skills.

Hart rose to fame in the WWF in the mid 1980s, and the Hart Foundation won the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. Their most notable feuds were with the British Bulldogs, The Fabulous Rougeaus, Strike Force, The Rockers, and Demolition. Their first reign started on the January 26, 1987 edition of Superstars when they defeated the British Bulldogs to win the titles.^[16][17] They went on to lose the titles to Strike Force on the October 27 edition of Superstars.^[16] Eventually, they turned face and adopted the nickname "The Pink and Black Attack."

At SummerSlam 1990, the Hart Foundation began their second reign by defeating Demolition members Crush and Smash in a two out of three falls match with some help from the Legion of Doom.^[18][19] On October 30, the Hart Foundation lost the titles to The Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels) in a very controversial match. A few days later, President Jack Tunney returned the titles to the Hart Foundation because the decision had been reversed due to a rope coming off of the turnbuckle during the match and the win was never acknowledged on television. The Hart Foundation's reign lasted from August 27, 1990 to March 24, 1991.^[10]

Solo success (1991-1992)

Following a loss to The Nasty Boys at WrestleMania VII,^[20] the Foundation split and Hart went on to pursue a singles career which would become very successful. He won his first WWF Intercontinental Championship by defeating Mr. Perfect with the Sharpshooter at SummerSlam 1991.^[21][22] 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 defeated Mountie with a sleeper hold at the 1992 Royal Rumble,^[23] and Bret would later pin Piper for his second Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania VIII later that year.^[24][25]

In July 1992, Hart defeated Shawn Michaels in 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 introduced this match format to the WWF.^[26]

Elevating to main event level (1992-1993)

After dropping the Intercontinental Championship to his brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, in a match at SummerSlam 1992 held before over 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, Hart was elevated to main event status.^[27] He won the WWF Championship from Ric Flair at Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on October 12 of that year at a television taping, in a match never broadcast on WWF TV.^[28] The match was only available on a Coliseum Video release. Many believe that not airing this match hurt Hart's early status with the fans, because up until this win, he was not seen as a main event wrestler. 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 WWF Championship, the first Canadian, and the second WWE Triple Crown winner (the first being Pedro Morales).

Hart went on to defend the title against contenders such as Papa Shango,^[29] Shawn Michaels,^[30] and Razor Ramon^[31] before losing the title to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX after interference from Mr. Fuji. Mr. Fuji then challenged Hulk Hogan, who had come out to help Bret Hart, to compete for the title; Hogan then won his fifth WWF Championship from Yokozuna.^[32] Shortly after, however, Hart won the first pay-per-view King of the Ring tournament in 1993, defeating Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, and Bam Bam Bigelow (prior King of the Ring tournaments were just house show events).^[33] 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.^[34]

As noted by Hart himself, the original plan for SummerSlam was to pit WWF Champion Hulk Hogan against Hart in a colossal passing of the torch. Promotional photos were even taken of the two playing tug of war with the belt before the plans were dropped. Instead, Hogan lost to Yokozuna before leaving the WWF, with Hart reclaiming the title much later.

Family problems (1993-1994)

Hart at a WWF event in 1994

It was at this point 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 (Bret, Owen, Bruce, and Keith) took on Shawn Michaels (a last-minute substitution for Lawler) and his knights. All of the brothers survived the match except for Owen, the only Hart family member eliminated.^[35] 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 accept. In the storyline, Bret, along with his parents, worked over the Christmas holidays to reunite the family and to settle their rivalry.

At Royal Rumble 1994, Bret and Owen took on The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Referee Tim White stopped the match after he considered Bret unable to continue after he sustained a kayfabe knee injury during the match. After the match, Owen berated his brother for costing him a title opportunity and attacked the injured knee, setting the feud between the two.^[36] Later on, Hart managed to participate and win the 1994 Royal Rumble match amid controversy. Hart and Lex Luger were the final two participants and the two were eliminated over the top rope at the same time. Therefore, both men were named co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match and received title shots at WrestleMania X.^[37]

Luger won the chance to face Yokozuna first, with Hart having to wrestle his brother Owen, who still demanded a match, before receiving his title shot. Owen won the match.^[38] Hart lost his match against Owen but went on to defeat Yokozuna for his second WWF Championship.^{[39][40] [41]}

Hart continued to feud with his brother Owen while he also started feuding with Diesel. Hart's friend and former tag team partner Jim Neidhart returned to the WWF and reunited with Hart. At King of the Ring 1994, Hart defended the WWF Championship against Diesel. When Hart was winning the match, Shawn Michaels interfered on Diesel's behalf. Diesel appeared close to victory after he delivered a Jackknife Powerbomb yet before he could pin Hart, Neidhart interfered. Diesel won by disqualification but Hart retained his title. Neidhart left when Diesel and Michaels attacked Hart following the match. Neidhart's motivation was made clear when he helped Owen win the tournament that night, so that he could receive a title shot against his brother.^[42] At SummerSlam 1994, Hart defended the WWF Championship against Owen in a steel cage match. Hart successfully retained the title.^[43]

Hart eventually lost his WWF Championship at Survivor Series 1994 in a submission match against Bob Backlund where the manager of either competitor (Davey Boy Smith for Hart, Owen for Backlund) would have to 'throw in the towel' for the wrestler they were representing. When Hart was in Backlund's Crossface Chickenwing and Davey Boy was kayfabe knocked out, Owen persuaded his mother Helen to throw in the towel for Hart, giving Backlund the championship victory.^[44] Bret's feud with Backlund would continue at WrestleMania XI where he would defeat Backlund in another submission match.^[45]

Historic rivalries (1995-1997)

Bret would then go after Diesel's WWF Championship in 1995. After their match at the Royal Rumble was continually marred by outside interference, Bret won his third WWF Championship at Survivor Series in a No DQ match against Diesel.^[46][47] After Hart's real-life rival Shawn Michaels won the 1996 Royal Rumble,^[48] a 60 minute Iron Man match was set up between the two at WrestleMania XII. The wrestler with the most decisions during the 60 minutes would win the match and the WWF Championship. With less than a minute left on the clock and the score still 0-0, Michaels jumped from the middle rope; his legs were caught by Hart, and Hart locked in his Sharpshooter. However, Michaels did not submit in the last 30 seconds so the match ended in a tie. President Gorilla Monsoon ruled that the match would continue in sudden death overtime. Michaels hit a superkick to achieve his boyhood dream and win the gold.^[49]

Hart in 1995

Hart would take a break from wrestling during 1996. Over the summer, Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was fresh from winning the 1996 King of the Ring,^[50] would continually taunt Bret and challenge him to come back and have a match. After an eight-month absence, Bret would face Austin at Survivor Series 1996. Hart would reverse Austin's Million Dollar Dream submission into a roll-up for a victory.^[51] This would be the first match between the two in a feud between the old-school 'babyface' (Hart) and the new school antihero (Austin).

The feud continued at the Royal Rumble, when Hart tossed Austin out of the ring, only for Austin (unbeknownst to the referees) to climb back into the ring, and go on to win the Rumble.^[52] In order to deal with this controversy, a Fatal Four-Way between Austin and the participants he eliminated after reentering the ring was set up for the February In Your House PPV, with the winner becoming the number one contender. After current champion Shawn Michaels relinquished the belt, though, the match officially became one for the WWF Championship.

Hart defeated Austin, Vader, and The Undertaker in the Fatal Four-Way to become a 4-time WWF champion at In Your House: Final Four.^[53][54] However, Austin made sure Hart's reign was short-lived, costing him a match against Sycho Sid the next night on Raw.^[55] The two would have a steel cage match shortly before WrestleMania 13 (Hart's twelfth consecutive and final WrestleMania), 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.^[56]

At WrestleMania 13, Hart and Austin had their rematch in a Submission match. 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 and pain. Ken Shamrock, the special guest referee, awarded Hart the match, after which he continued to assault Austin.^[57] This turned Austin face, and Hart became a heel. This was Hart's favorite match with Austin and to date 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. The original plan for WrestleMania 13 was a Hart versus Michaels championship rematch in which Michaels was slated to drop the belt to Hart, a return for Bret having lost to Michaels the year prior. However, Michaels injured his knee two weeks after the Royal Rumble. The injury resulted in Shawn dropping the title with the infamous "Lost My Smile" speech. Rumors immediately began flying that Shawn did not want to drop the belt to Bret. Hart actually came out during the main event at WrestleMania 13 and challenged Michaels to step in the ring and stated (in a shoot promo) that Michaels had a "pussy foot injury." McMahon, commentating at ringside alongside Michaels, immediately got up from his seat and tried to keep Michaels calm.

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

Hart Foundation reunion and Montreal Screwjob (1997)

Main article: Montreal Screwjob

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 brothers-in-law Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart. The family members formed a new Hart Foundation with Brian Pillman; this incarnation was an anti-American stable which was popular within Canada and Europe. Hart captured his fifth WWF Championship at SummerSlam after spitting in guest referee Shawn Michaels' face; Michaels swung a steel chair in retaliation, which accidentally struck the Undertaker and allowed Hart to get the pin.^[58][59]

Around this time, Hart's on-air rivalry with "announcer" Vince McMahon also escalated. A heated ringside altercation between the two led many fans to dislike McMahon, who at the time was being exposed as owner of the WWF more and more frequently on-air. Although Hart had signed a 20-year contract, 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 be a title match against his rival, Shawn Michaels, at Survivor Series in Montreal. Hart did not want to end his WWF career with a loss to Michaels in his home country; McMahon agreed to Hart's idea of forfeiting the championship the next night on Raw or losing it a few weeks later. Although Hart stated to McMahon he would not take the WWF Championship with him to WCW TV (and despite insistence from then-WCW President Eric Bischoff, according to Hart's DVD biography,^[13] that Hart would join WCW with a "clean slate"), McMahon was still concerned; this led to him breaking his word in what eventually came to be known as the Montreal Screwjob, one of the most controversial moments in recent wrestling history. Even though Hart did not submit to the Sharpshooter, referee Earl Hebner called for the bell as if he had, on McMahon's orders. This resulted in Hart "losing" the WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels.^[60] The night ended with an irate Hart spitting in McMahon's face, destroying television equipment, and punching McMahon backstage in front of Jack Brisco, Pat Patterson, and McMahon's son Shane. Hart also confronted Michaels backstage about the match finish. Although he told Hart that he knew nothing about it, Michaels revealed years later that he had, in fact, known about the finish twenty-four hours in advance.

World Championship Wrestling (1997-2000)

Early WCW run (1997-1998)

A day after the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Eric Bischoff, while with the New World Order (nWo), announced that Hart was going to be coming to World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and joining the nWo.

About a month after Survivor Series, Hart joined WCW, the WWF's main competitor. He made his debut on WCW Monday Nitro on December 15, 1997 when it was announced by WCW Chairman of the Board J.J. Dillon that Bret would be the special guest referee for the match between Eric Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko at Starrcade 1997.^[61] Bret was involved in the Sting versus Hulk Hogan match at Starrcade 1997, stepping in toward its conclusion as impromptu referee. He attacked referee Nick Patrick, accusing him of making a fast count and shouting he would not let "it happen again" (a reference to the Montreal Screwjob).^[62] During Eric Bischoff's period in control of the company, the goodwill towards Hart generated by the Montreal Screwjob resulted in his being pushed as a face; he defeated Ric Flair in his first WCW match at Souled Out 1998, ^[63] and beat Curt Hennig at Uncensored.^[64]

Heel turn (1998-1999)

However, Hart's WCW face run was short-lived, and in April 1998 he turned heel in a Nitro main event involving Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage, unofficially joining the nWo. He defeated Savage in singles action at Slamboree^[65] and then again in a tag team match with Hogan at The Great American Bash in which Savage was partnered with Roddy Piper.^[66] As part of the faction, Hart was no longer pushed as a main event superstar. At Bash at the Beach, he faced Booker T in a match for Booker's WCW World Television Championship in which Hart got disqualified after hitting Booker with a steel chair.^[67]

On the July 20 edition of Nitro, Hart defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.^[68][69] Though still not officially a member of the nWo, the faction did support him in the match, as The Giant came out to the ring and chokeslammed Page. A few days later, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to fellow WWF alumnus Lex Luger.^[70] Hart regained the title from Luger, the next night on Thunder.^[71][72] At Fall Brawl, Hart and several other wrestlers lost to Diamond Dallas Page in a WarGames match.^[73] On the October 26 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to Diamond Dallas Page.^[74] The two had a rematch at World War 3 for the title which Hart lost.^[75] Hart regained the title from Page on the November 30 edition of Nitro in a No Disqualification match with help from nWo member The Giant.^[76][77]

On the February 8 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to family friend Roddy Piper.^[78] On a March 1999 edition of Nitro, Bret lamented about "what WCW had not done" to him. Hart, in street clothes, then called out superstar Bill Goldberg and verbally coerced Goldberg into tackling him. Hart was wearing a metal breastplate under his Toronto Maple Leafs sweater, which resulted in Goldberg being knocked out. Hart then counted his own pinfall over Goldberg's unconscious body, although there was no match taking place, and left. The incident caused Hart to leave WCW for a short time. When Hart was about ready to return to WCW, his brother Owen Hart died in an accident during a WWF PPV. As a result Hart took time off from WCW to be with his family.

World Heavyweight Champion (1999-2000)

Bret Hart returned to wrestling on the September 13, 1999 edition of Nitro in a match with Hulk Hogan against Sting and Lex Luger. On the October 4, 1999 edition of Nitro he wrestled 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.^[79] 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, ultimately leading to the title being declared vacant. A tournament then took place over several episodes of Nitro. Hart's first round match came against United States Champion Goldberg, with the match being both for a berth in the next round of the tournament and for the U.S. Title. Thanks to outside interference, Hart was able to defeat Goldberg, handing him his second official WCW loss and winning his fourth U.S. Championship.^[80][81]

On the November 8 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to Scott Hall in a ladder match which also involved Sid Vicious and Goldberg.^[82] Hart went on to win this tournament by defeating Perry Saturn,^[82] Billy Kidman,^[83] Sting, and Chris Benoit to win the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship. His tournament matches with Sting and Benoit occurred at Mayhem held in Hart's native Canada.^[84][85][86]

He later participated in an nWo reformation with Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Creative Control. On December 7, Hart and Goldberg won the WCW World Tag Team Championship from Creative Control but lost the titles to The Outsiders on the December 13 edition of Nitro.^[87] At Starrcade, Hart defended his WCW World Heavyweight 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, having been unaware of the severity of his injuries.^[88] As a part of this, Hart placed Goldberg on the post in a figure-four leg lock which ended with Hart hitting his head on the concrete floor when Goldberg failed to receive the move correctly.^[89] The sum total of those injuries left Hart with post-concussion syndrome, and ultimately forced his retirement from professional wrestling. Hart wrote a Calgary Sun column in which he said that Goldberg "had a tendency to injure everyone he worked with."^[90] As part of his DVD documentary, Hart expressed regret that "someone as good-hearted as Bill Goldberg" was responsible for hurting him.^[13]

Hart vacated the title on the December 20 edition of Nitro as a result of the injury he sustained, but later that same night, Hart defeated Goldberg in a rematch for his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship.^[91][92] Overall, Hart was 3-0 against Goldberg, who was noted for his undefeated streak.

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. He wrestled his last matches in both the WWF and WCW as the World Heavyweight Champion of each respective promotion.

2002 stroke

On June 23, 2002, Bret Hart suffered a minor stroke after hitting his head in a bicycle accident. The Calgary Herald reported that Hart hit a pothole, flew over the handlebars of the bike, and landed on the back of his head. Hart suffered total paralysis on his left side, which required months of physical therapy. Hart has since recovered much of his mobility and is in good health, although he suffers from an emotional imbalance and other lasting effects common to stroke survivors. Hart wrote in detail about his stroke in his autobiography, Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World of Wrestling.^[93]

Hart is a spokesperson for March of Dimes Canada's Stroke Recovery Canada program.^[94]

The Bret Hart Story

Main article: Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be

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 2 and Smackdown 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. Hart 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 a compendium of Hart's favorite matches, including a match against his brother Owen held in White Plains, New York and his first match with Ricky Steamboat. Before the DVD's release, the WWE released a special magazine covering Hart's career. 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.

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.^[95] Hart had also been approached by Vince McMahon for a potential match between the two at WrestleMania 22, but "politely declined" the offer.^[96] Ironically, Hart's last WrestleMania appearance was also in Chicago for WrestleMania 13.

On April 1, 2006, Hart was inducted by his old in-ring rival, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. 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 WWF - most notably with his late brother, Owen, and brother-in-law Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Vince McMahon and his son Shane did not attend the ceremony, and Shawn Michaels left the ceremony before Hart's induction to avoid making a scene. 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, saying that he did not feel "comfortable with the situation."

Other honors

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 Wrestling 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."^[12]

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. Bret Hart said he's done with professional wrestling following his U.S. book tour. Hart believes his wrestling career will be complete after saying good-bye to his American fans on various book signing tours to promote its release in the States. Hart is content saying good-bye to wrestling through his book and not working for a promotion after spending seven years on the project. "I'd be happy being remembered for really brilliant storytelling in my matches, not for some last chance to snap up some money," Hart said. "I respectfully understand my light in wrestling is fading. I can live with that." Hart said he nearly gave up on the project while trying to fight with the illnesses he faced after suffering a stroke in 2002. However, Hart wanted to bring closure on his wrestling career. "A lot of times, I thought about giving up because it was hard reliving some of these events. But I couldn't say goodbye to my wrestling character until I finished." Hart also wanted his family, especially his kids, to find out about his story and experience what he lived through. "I just wanted people - even my kids - to walk in my shoes and know that it was never easy being gone all the time. I was pretty much on the road for 300 days a year and that didn't include travel back and forth. It's hard to keep a marriage going."

Wrestling appearances

On June 16, 2006, Hart made the Bret Hart VIP Access in the Hotel San Juan in Puerto Rico where he signed autographs, visited with fans, and spoke about his life and career.

On May 9, 2007, it was announced that Hart would make his first appearance for a professional wrestling event since the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame. Hart signed autographs at "The Legends of Wrestling" show at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.^[97] On June 11, 2007, Hart made his first appearance on Raw since October 27, 1997 when he appeared in a pretaped interview voicing his opinions on Vince McMahon as part of "Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night."

On June 24, 2007, Bret Hart made his first appearance since the infamous Montreal Screwjob at Unison Bar & Billiard in Montreal, Quebec. During this appearance, he signed autographs and spent the night with over 1,000 fans. An emotional Hart was clearly overwhelmed with the crowd's reaction as he also mentioned that he would turn 50 in a few days; the crowd then sang "Happy Birthday".

During the months of October and November 2008, Bret went on tour with American Wrestling Rampage promotions, touring many places throughout the UK and Ireland, posing for photographs and signing autographs before the show. In Dublin on October 26th, 2008, Bret entered the ring and gave a short interview thanking fans for there support throughout his years in the wrestling business, which followed by a chorus of "Thank You Bret" by the Irish fans. On October 28th Bret made an appearance in Letterkenny, Ireland. He thanked fans young and old for all the support he had recieved from the Irish crowds over the years.

Writing

Hart wrote a weekly column for the Calgary Sun from June 1991 until October 2004.

Hart co-wrote an illustrated autobiography with Perry Lefko in 2000. The book, entitled "Hitman", was somewhat concise, and focused primarily on Hart's World Championship Wrestling tenure.

On October 16, 2007, Hart's second autobiography titled Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, was released in Canada by Random House Canada. It is slated for a fall 2008 release in the United States by Grand Central Publishing, with a U.S. book signing tour. Upon its release, Hart's book hit number one on the Canadian Globe & Mail bestseller list and remained in the top ten for four months. Hart's Canadian book signing tour is considered by those in the publishing industry to be one of the most successful book tours ever in Canada; the key organizers were Scott Sellers of Random House Canada and Marcy Engelstein, long time friend and business associate of Hart.

Hart began writing the book in July 1999 with Marcy Engelstein. They didn't complete the book until eight years later in September 2007 due to Hart suffering his stroke in 2002, among numerous other tragedies that occurred during the writing. At an invitation-only launch party at McNally Robinson in Calgary on October 17, 2007 an emotional Hart acknowledged the completion of the book as one of the biggest milestones of his life and lamented that his parents were not alive to share the moment. He graciously acknowledged Anne Collins of Random House Canada as his editor.

Hart's chronicle is based on an audio diary that he kept for all of his years on the road in professional wrestling.

Acting

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 appeared in episodes of the Honey I Shrunk The Kids TV series (along with his brother), The Adventures of Sinbad, Big Sound, and The Immortal.

Hart also guest starred on the sketch comedy series MADtv in 1997 where he acted as enforcer at a fan's house, appearing with his WWF Championship belt. It was heavily rumored at the time that Hart was interested in pursuing acting on a full-time basis and was willing to leave wrestling to do so. Hart later appeared again on MADtv in 1999 and 2000 in an angle with actor Will Sasso in which the two feuded on the set of MADtv and in World Championship Wrestling; this culminated in a grudge match on WCW Monday Nitro, where Hart decisively defeated Sasso.

Personal life

Hart was married to Julie Smadu-Hart (born March 25, 1960), whom he divorced in 1998. Bret and Julie have four children^[98]:

• Jade Michelle Hart (born March 31, 1983);
• Dallas Jeffery Hart (born August 11, 1984);
• Alexandra Sabina Hart (born May 17, 1988), nicknamed "Beans";
• Blade Colton Hart (born June 5, 1990).

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, Hart married an Italian woman named Cinzia Rota in Calgary.^[13][99] By the time his autobiography was released in late 2007, however, Hart and Rota were divorced.

Two of his nephews, Teddy Hart and Harry Smith, work in the wrestling industry. Both Smith and his niece Nattie Neidhart currently wrestle on the SmackDown brand.

Other media

It was revealed that Hart will be appearing in wrestling documentary, Bloodstained Memoirs. The nature of his appearance is so far unknown.

The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League took their name from Hart, who was a founder and part-owner.^[100]

Hart appeared on many talk shows (Larry King Live, Nancy Grace, Hannity & Colmes, On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren, etc.) discussing the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide.

Hart continues to be featured as an unlockable Legend in many newer WWE video games.

Hart is shown putting his finishing hold, The Sharpshooter, on Chris Benoit in the opening credits of Malcolm in the Middle.

Controversy

"Canada vs. America" storyline

When Hart began the controversial "Canada versus America" angle, he was criticized in public, accused of being anti-American 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 with Canada and the United States, as his mother is originally from Long Island, New York in the United States.^[101]

Racial and homophobic remarks

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 (in the storyline, DX framed the Hart Foundation). As kayfabe retaliation, during a promo with DX, Hart called both Triple H and Shawn Michaels "homos". After leaving the WWF, Hart apologized for the angles and said that he had been pressured into going through with them. He said, "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."^[102]

2008 Lou Thesz Hall of Fame induction incident

In June 2008, Hart was inducted into the Lou Thesz Hall of Fame. At the induction ceremony in Waterloo, Iowa, he ridiculed Slam Wrestling editor Greg Oliver, calling him a "charlatan" and his books on wrestling "fiction" to the standing ovation of some wrestlers in attendance. At the end of the speech, Hart said "Either you go or I go." After Oliver refused to leave, Hart walked out of the ceremony with other wrestlers to a smattered applause.^[103]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Sharpshooter^[4]
  • Spike piledriver^[1]
• Signature moves
  • Bulldog, sometimes from the second rope
  • Crucifix pin
  • Dropkick
  • Figure four leglock, sometimes while utilizing the ringpost for extra pressure^[1]
  • Headbutt
  • Inside cradle
  • Inverted atomic drop^[1]
  • Leg drop
  • Multiple suplex variations
    • Bridging / Release German
    • Snap^[1]
    • Super^[1]
  • Pendulum backbreaker^[1]
  • Roll-up
  • Running neckbreaker
  • Pumphandle slam
  • Russian legsweep
  • Second rope diving axe handle elbow drop^[1]
  • Slingshot crossbody
  • Stomp to the lower abdominal area
  • Suicide dive
  • Sunset flip
  • Swinging neckbreaker
  • Victory roll

• With Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
  • Hart Attack^[1]

• Managers
  • Jimmy Hart
  • William Shatner

• Nicknames
  • The Hitman
  • The Best There Is, The Best There Was and The Best There Ever Will Be
  • The Excellence of Execution
  • The Pink and Black Attack (while teaming with Neidhart)

Championships and accomplishments

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2008

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Comeback of the Year (1997)^[104]
  • PWI Editor's Award (2003)^[105]
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1993)^[106] - vs. Jerry Lawler
  • PWI Feud of the Year (1994)^[106] - vs. Owen Hart
  • PWI Match of the Year (1992) vs. Davey Boy Smith at SummerSlam
  • PWI Match of the Year (1996) vs. Shawn Michaels in an Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII
  • PWI Match of the Year (1997) vs. Steve Austin in a Submission match at WrestleMania 13
  • PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1997)^[107]
  • PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1994)^[108]
  • PWI ranked him # 1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1993 and 1994^[109][110]

• Stampede Wrestling
  • NWA International Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (5 times)^[111] - with Keith Hart (4) and Leo Burke (1)
  • Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship (3 times)^[112]
  • Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (6 times)^[113]
  • Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame^[114]

• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[6]
  • WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (4 times)^[7]
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[11] - with Goldberg

• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[115] - with Smith Hart

• World Wrestling Federation | World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF Championship (5 times)^[5]
  • WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)^[9]
  • WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times)^[10] - with Jim Neidhart
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)^[12]
  • WWF King of the Ring (1991, 1993)^[8]
  • WWF Royal Rumble co-winner (1994)^[8] – with Lex Luger
  • Second Triple Crown Champion

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • 5 Star Match (1994) vs. Owen Hart in a cage match at SummerSlam 1994
  • 5 Star Match (1997) vs. Steve Austin in a Submission match at WrestleMania 13
  • Best Pro Wrestling Book (2007)
  • Best Pro Wrestling DVD (2006)
  • Feud of the Year (1993) vs. Jerry Lawler
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
  • Feud of the Year (1997) with Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, British Bulldog, and Brian Pillman vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

References

External links

• Official Website
• WWE Hall of Fame profile
• Bret Hart Match History