Bret "Hitman" Hart

Living legend of professional wrestling

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Bret Harts hosts WWE RAW, likely to feud with Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels and feature in WrestleMania 25 in March 2010

Bret Hart may return to WWE, according to numerous pro wrestling newsletters and media reports, negotiations have occurred - October 2009

Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and part of the Hart wrestling family. In the course of his career, he is best known by his ring name Bret "Hitman" Hart. He also used the monikers "The Excellence of Execution" (originally dubbed as such by Gorilla Monsoon), "The Hart Foundation" (primarily while teamed with Jim Neidhart) 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 this last moniker 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 he rarely refused to job (lose a scripted match). Hart was widely regarded as one of the most popular and gifted technical professional wrestlers of his generation.

Hart was a seven-time world champion through his career in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation: a two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and a five-time WWF Champion. Additionally in WWF, he was the 1991 and 1993 King of the Ring, and the 1994 Royal Rumble co-winner. Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Career

Early life

Bret Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta, the eighth child of wrestling patriarch and promoter Stu Hart. 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. 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 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.

Stampede Wrestling (1976-1984)

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.

World Wrestling Federation (1984-1997)

1984-1991

Bret Hart started out in the WWF with a cowboy gimmick but soon requested that it be dropped. He made his first televised WWF debut in August 1984, in a tag team match where he teamed with his friend the Dynamite Kid.

In 1985, he was eventually partnered up with Jim Neidhart to build the promotion's tag team division. 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 adopted during 1986. The team was known as The Hart Foundation due to the similar last names of both team members and their manager.[6] Bret and Jim made their WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania 2 where they participated in a 20-man battle royal which was won by André the Giant. Bret's agile, technical style 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. Eventually, they turned face and adopted the nickname "The Pink and Black Attack." 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. They went on to lose the titles to Strike Force on the October 27 edition of Superstars.

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.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.

Following a loss to The Nasty Boys at WrestleMania VII,[13] 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.[14][15] 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.

1992-1993

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,[16] and Bret would later pin "The Rowdy One" for his second Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania VIII later that same year.

In July 1992, Hart defeated Shawn Michaels in what was 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 won the first match of this type.

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.[19] 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.[20] 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,[21] Shawn Michaels,[22] and Razor Ramon[23] 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.[24] 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[25] (prior King of the Ring tournaments were just house show events). 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.[26]

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, but later on, anyone Hart mentioned the plans to acted as though they did not recall it.[27] Instead, Hogan lost to Yokozuna before leaving the WWF, with Hart reclaiming the title much later.

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.[28] 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 Christmas holidays to reunite the family and to settle their rivalry.[29]

[edit] 1994-1996

At Royal Rumble 1994, Bret and Owen took on The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Championship. The 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.[30] Later on, Hart managed to participate and win the 1994 Royal Rumble match but with 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 a title shot at WrestleMania X.[31][29]

Meanwhile, Bret had to also focus in his feud with Owen Hart. Owen demanded a match against Bret which Bret repeatedly refused.[29] This situation was complicated because of Bret co-winning the Royal Rumble. Jack Tunney decided that both Hart and Luger would get title shots at WrestleMania X, but were faced with the possibility of wrestling two matches at the event.[29] Luger won a coin toss televised on an edition of RAW and won the chance to face Yokozuna first.[29] If he had lost the toss, he would have wrestled Crush before facing Yokozuna. Under the rules set forth by Tunney, Bret was required to wrestle Owen in the opening match at WrestleMania.[29] Owen won the match.[32] Luger would go on to face Bret if he had become the champion, but he lost by disqualification,[32] and Yokozuna went on to fight Hart for the WWF Championship in the main event. He defeated Yokozuna for his second WWF Championship.[33][34]

Bret continued to feud with his brother Owen while he also started feuding with Diesel. Bret's friend and former tag team partner Jim Neidhart returned to WWF and reunited with Bret. At King of the Ring 1994, Bret defended the WWF Championship against Diesel. When Bret 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 Bret, Neidhart interfered. Diesel won by disqualification but Hart retained his title. Neidhart turned on Hart after leaving when Diesel and Michaels attacked Hart following the match.[35] At SummerSlam 1994, Bret defended the WWF Championship against Owen in a steel cage match. Bret successfully retained the title.[36]

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 Bret, Owen Hart for Backlund) would have to 'throw in the towel' for the wrestler they were representing. When Bret was in Backlund's Crossface Chickenwing and Davey Boy was (kayfabe) knocked out, Owen persuaded his mother Helen to throw in the towel for Bret, therefore giving Backlund the championship victory.[37] Bret's feud with Backlund would continue at WrestleMania XI where he would defeat Backlund in another submission match when special guest referee 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper would misconstrue Backlund's grunting while Bret locked him in his own Crossface Chickenwing as a submission victory for Hart.[38]

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.[39][40] After Hart's real-life rival Shawn Michaels won the 1996 Royal Rumble,[41] 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 two superkicks to achieve his boyhood dream and win the gold.[42]

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,[43] would continually taunt Bret and challenge him to comeback 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.[44] This would be the first great match between the two in a feud between the old-school 'baby face' (Hart) and the new school anti-hero (Austin).

[edit] 1997

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.[45] In order to deal with this controversy, a Fatal Four-Way between Austin and the participants he eliminated after re-entering 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 for the WWF Championship.

Hart defeated Austin, Vader, and the Undertaker in the Fatal Four-Way to become a 4-time WWE champion at In Your House: Final Four.[46][47] However, Austin made sure Hart's reign was short-lived, costing him a match against Sycho Sid the next night on Raw.[48] 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.[49]

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, awarded Hart the match, after which he continued to assault Austin.[50] This turned Austin face, and Hart became a heel. This was Hart's favorite match with Austin and as of 2007, 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 vs. 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 1997 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.

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 WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1997 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.[51][52]

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, 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; Vince agreed to Bret's idea of forfeiting the championship the next night on RAW or losing it a few weeks later. Although Hart stated to Vince McMahon he would not take the WWF Championship with him to WCW TV, 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 he did not submit to the Sharpshooter, referee Earl Hebner called for the bell as if he had, on orders of Vince McMahon. This resulted in Hart "losing" the WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels.[53] 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 with WWF and come join Bret in WCW. 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 he would sue him if he tried to get Owen out and continued to talk to Owen about his contract. 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.

[edit] World Championship Wrestling (1997-2000)

[edit] 1997-1998

A day after the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Eric Bischoff, while in the nWo announced that Hart was going to be coming to WCW, and joining the nWo.

About a month after Survivor Series, Hart joined World Championship Wrestling (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.[54] 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).[55]

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, defeating Ric Flair in his first WCW match at Souled Out 1998.[56] However, this was short-lived, and in early 1998, Hart turned heel in a Nitro main event involving Randy Savage and Hogan, and Bret unofficially joined the nWo. At Uncensored, Hart defeated Curt Hennig in a match.[57] Bret defeated Randy Savage in singles action at Slamboree[58] and then in a tag team match with Hogan at The Great American Bash in which Savage was partnered with Roddy Piper.[59] As part of the faction, Hart was no longer pushed as a main event superstar, instead becoming a mid-carder. At Bash at the Beach, Hart 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.[60]

On the July 20 edition of Nitro, Hart defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.[61][62] A few days later, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to fellow WWF alumni Lex Luger.[63] Hart regained the title from Luger, the next night on Thunder.[64][65] At Fall Brawl, Hart and several other wrestlers lost to Diamond Dallas Page in a WarGames match.[66] On the October 26 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to Diamond Dallas Page.[67] The two had a rematch at World War 3 for the title which Hart lost.[68] 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.[69][70]

[edit] 1999-2000

On the February 8 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to family friend Roddy Piper.[71] He remained in the upper mid-card bracket until an incident on Nitro in March 1999 when 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 Bret was about ready to return to WCW, his brother Owen Hart died in an accident during a WWF PPV. Bret was scheduled to wrestle Kevin Nash on The Tonight Show on May 24, 1999, and was on the plane to Los Angeles when Owen was killed. Bret was told the news of his brother's death by Eric Bischoff after he got off the plane and immediately flew home to Calgary to be with his family. His Tonight Show appearance was immediately canceled.

Bret Hart returned to wrestling on the October 4, 1999 edition of Nitro 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.[72] 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. The first round took place on the October 25 edition in which Bret Hart defeated Goldberg to advance to the second round and to also win Goldberg's WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.[73][74]

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.[75] Hart went on to win this tournament by defeating Perry Saturn,[75] Billy Kidman,[76] 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.[77][78][79]

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.[80] 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.[81] 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. 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".[82] As part of his DVD documentary, Hart expressed regret that "someone as good-hearted as Bill Goldberg" was responsible for hurting him.[83]

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.[84][85] 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.

In October 2000, Hart was released from his contract with WCW due to Hart's "ongoing incapacity". He would officially declare his retirement shortly afterwards. [86]

[edit] Life after professional wrestling

[edit] 2002 stroke

On June 23, 2002, Hart suffered a major 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 biography, Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World of Wrestling. . [87]

[edit] The Bret Hart Story

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 said that a turning point for him in agreeing to do the DVD was a bothersome encounter with a small child in a dentist's office. The child had a Bret Hart action figure, but he had no knowledge of Hart's actual work and was only familiar with WWE video games in which Hart was featured as a "WWE Legend." 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. 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.[88] Hart had also been approached by Vince McMahon for a potential match between the two at WrestleMania 22, but "politely declined" the offer[89]. Coincidentally, Hart's last WrestleMania appearance was also in Chicago (WrestleMania 13).

On April 1, 2006, Bret 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. He also mentioned his favourite match with the late Davey Boy Smith at Summerslam 92 at Wembley and thanked all of his fans in England. Vince McMahon and his son Shane did not attend the ceremony.

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
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."

[edit] Wrestling Appearances

On June 16, 2006, Bret Hart made the Bret Hart VIP Access in the Hotel San Juan in Puerto Rico where he signed autographs, took pictures with the fans, and spoke with the people about his wrestling career, his 2002 stroke, and more.

On May 9, 2007, it was announced that Bret Hart would make his first appearance for a professional wrestling event since he appeared at the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame. Bret made an appearance and signed autographs at "The Legends of Wrestling" show at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.[91] On June 11, 2007, Bret 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 in Montreal, Quebec at Unison Bar & Billiard since the infamous Montreal Screwjob, where he signed autographs and spent the night with over 1000 fans. An emotional Bret Hart was clearly overwhelmed with the crowds reaction as he also mentioned that he would turn 50 in a few days; the crowd then sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

[edit] Autobiography

On October 16, 2007, Hart's autobiography titled Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, was released in Canada by Random House Canada. It will also be released in the United States and Europe in 2008. The book is an honest no holds barred look into the world of wrestling. Hart holds nothing back as he describes in detail the chronic abuse of drugs and alcohol he witnessed during his years on the road, as well as his own infidelities, and personal struggles.

Hart began writing the book in July 1999 with his long-time friend and business associate, Marcy Engelstein. They didn't complete the book until eight years later, in September, 2007, due to Hart suffering a major stroke in 2002, among numerous other tragedies that occurred during the writing. On October 17, 2007, there was an invitation-only launch party at McNally Robinson in Calgary, attended by family and friends. 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 thanked Anne Collins of Random House for editing and Marcy Engelstein for her work on the entire project, saying only he and she truly know the sacrifices that were made to complete the book.

On November 3, 2007 Hart's book reached number one on the Globe & Mail bestseller list. Hart did book signings across Canada from October through December, 2007.

[edit] Personal life

He has four children, Jade Michelle Hart (b. March 31, 1983), Dallas Jeffery Hart (b. August 11, 1984), Alexandra Sabina "Beans" Hart (b. May 17, 1988), and Blade Colton Hart (b. June 5, 1990) with his ex-wife Julie Smadu-Hart (b. March 25, 1960).[92] 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,[93][83] whom, according to his book, he divorced before he finished writing his book because she did not want to live with him in Calgary.[94]

[edit] Controversy

[edit] "Canada vs. America" storyline

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 with Canada and the United States, as his mother is originally from Long Island, New York in the United States. [95]

[edit] 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). During a promo with DX, Hart had 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."

In popular culture

* 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 MADtv as himself where he beat up his friend's family. 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 also appeared in episodes of the Honey I Shrunk The Kids TV series (along with his brother), The Adventures of Sinbad, and Big Sound.

* When Hart joined WCW, his entrance music was written and performed by Craig Northey of Odds.

* When Bret Hart joined WCW, he became a special referee for a match, accusing a ref of not being fair. This was a direct comment to the Montreal Screwjob.

* 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.

* 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 to Chris Benoit in the opening credits of the television show Malcolm in the Middle.

* He is a spokesperson for March of Dimes Canadian Stroke Recovery program.

* Hart has recently been on many talk shows (Larry King Live, Nancy Grace, Hannity & Colmes, On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren, etc.) discussing the Chris Benoit tragedy.

* While in WCW, Hart was 3-0 against Bill Goldberg.

* Hart's last matches in both the WWF and WCW have coincidentally happened to be World Championship matches.

* In the course of his career, Hart amazingly competed for twenty years without injuring any of his opponents. He mentioned on many occasions that he had always looked after his opponents in the ring. (Credit: Wikipedia).

Websites

Bret Hart official website

WWE Hall Of Fame Bret Hart

Profiles

Canada

Wrestling