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Bret Hart

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Bret Hart Canada
File:Bret9.jpg
Born (1957-07-02) July 2, 1957 (age 67)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Bret "Hitman" Hart
Brett Hart
"Cowboy" Brett Hart
Billed height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Billed weight[undue weight? – discuss]
Trained byStu Hart
Katsui Adachi
Kazuo Sakurada
Harley Race
Debut1976
RetiredOctober 26, 2000

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 Pink and Black Attack" (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 moniker by citing three facts: that he never injured an opponent through any fault of his own; that, in the course of his career he only ever missed two shows, both as a result of traffic and flight difficulties; and the claim that he rarely refused to job[2]. Hart was widely regarded as one of the most popular and gifted technical professional wrestlers of his generation[3]. He won seven World Heavyweight Championships over the course of his career.

Career

Early Life

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. 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.

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)

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 agile, 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 adopted during 1986. Eventually, they turned face, adopting the nickname "The Pink and Black Attack." Their most notable feuds were with the British Bulldogs, The Rougeau Brothers, The Rockers 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 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, having brought the concept from Stampede Wrestling, where it is believed the match was invented.

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 on October 12 of that year at a television taping, in a match never broadcast on WWF TV. 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 third Canadian and 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. Mr. Fuji then challenged Hulk Hogan for Yokozuna and Hogan won. 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 (there were prior King of the Ring tournaments, but those were all 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.

As noted by Hart himself, the original intentions of SummerSlam were to place WWF Champion Hulk Hogan against Bret Hart in a colossal passing of the torch. Promotional photos were even taken of the two playing tug-o-war with the championship belt, but later on, anyone Hart spoke to of the event acted as though they didn't recall it.[4] Instead, Hogan took a loss from Yokozuna before departing from the WWF, and Hart would later reclaim the title under different circumstances.

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. This win made Hart the first wrestler to hold all three "triple crown" titles twice each.

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 title. 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 team title. 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 Backlund, Hart wrestled Backlund 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 WWF superstar to take that bump. Shortly after winning the title, he went on to defend it against challengers such as The British Bulldog and The Undertaker, 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 all wrestling organizations, if a title match is decided to continue after the time limit expires, the title will no longer be in contest and remain with the title holder, no matter the outcome of the match. Ironically, all the rules were mentioned before the start of the match except for overtime rules. 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 Hart feels was inappropriate.[5] Michaels has never denied or confirmed this. 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, a portion of fans later did something the WWF and Hart would have never predicted: they began to turn on Hart and support Austin. This was propelled by a worked situation in which Hart continued to attack Austin after defeating him at a later pay-per-view. Hart has stated in various interviews that he had the utmost respect for Steve Austin and he appreciated his in-ring ability very much.

The Austin-Hart fires were fueled further 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, continuing on to win the Rumble. In order to deal with this controversy, a fatal four-way match between the Rumble's final four participants was set up for the February In Your House PPV, with the winner claiming the position of number one contender. After current champion Shawn Michaels relinquished the belt, though, the match officially became for the WWF Championship, with the runner up claiming the title of number one contender.

Hart defeated Austin, Vader, and the Undertaker in the Fatal Four Way Match to become a 4-time WWF 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 (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.

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. 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 World title at SummerSlam 1997 after spitting in guest-referee Shawn Michaels face and then Michaels in retaliation, 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, one of the most controversial moments in recent 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 with the WWF and come join Bret in the 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 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.

World Championship Wrestling (1997-2000)

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. 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 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 Bret 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 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 jersey, 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 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 Don and Ron Harris now know as 'Creative Control'. 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 wrote a Calgary Sun column in which he said that Goldberg "had a tendency to injure everyone he worked with".[6] As part of his DVD documentary, Hart expressed regret that "someone as good-hearted as Bill Goldberg" was responsible for hurting him.[5]

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". He would officially declare his retirement shortly afterwards. [7]

Life after professional wrestling

2002 stroke

In June 2002, Hart suffered a stroke after 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 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, Hart has been recovering and has been pronounced in good health. [8]

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 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.

Hart has 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. Hart had also been approached by Vince McMahon for a potential match between the two at WrestleMania 22, but "politely declined" the offer [1]. 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.

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 didn't 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." [9]

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 will make an appearance and sign autographs at "The Legends of Wrestling" show at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg Florida.[10] 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, Canada 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.

On October 16, 2007, a new book written by Hart will be released titled Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. It had been reported that Bret Hart is under talks with T.N.A. to possibly work in a rivalry with Kurt Angle.

Personal Life

Hart has four children; Jade Michelle Hart (b. March 31, 1983), Dallas Jeffery Hart (b. August 11, 1984), Alexandra Sabina "Beans" Hart (b. May 18, 1988), and Blade Coleton Hart (b. June 4,1990) with his ex-wife Julie Smadu-Hart (b. March 25, 1960). 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.[11][5]

Controversy

"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 of Canada and the United States, as his mother is originally from Long Island, New York in the United States. [12]

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 had 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."[13]

  • 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. It was heavily rumored at the time that Hart was interested in pursuing acting at a full-time basis and was willing to leave wrestling to do so. Hart also appeared in episodes of Honey I Shrunk The Kids, The Adventures of Sinbad and Big Sound.
  • When Hart joined WCW, his entrance music was written and performed by Craig Northey of Odds.
  • 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 from June, 1991 until October 2004. He started work on his autobiography in 1999 with his long-time friend /business associate Marcy Engelstein, but the project was slowed due to Hart's recovery from his stroke. The book, entitled Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World of Wrestling, is scheduled for release in Canada, and through online booksellers (who deliver worldwide,) by Random House Canada on October 16, 2007; it is titled Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World of Wrestling. The book is slated to debut in U.S. and European stores in 2008. Its 576 tightly-packed pages and the endpapers contain a color cartoon montage of various wrestlers which was drawn by Hart.
  • 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.
  • Hart was sampled by the Canadian rap group Rascalz in their song "Game Time/Sharpshooter," appearing in their music video.
  • 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, etc.) discussing the Chris Benoit tragedy.

Wrestling facts

  • Nicknames
    • The Excellence of Execution
    • Hitman/Hit Man
    • The Hitman of the WWF
    • The Pink and Black Attack
    • The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ Madigan, T.J. "Hitman yearns for Calgary from Italy", Calgary Sun
  2. ^ Hart, B. "When I boast about being the best there is, it is because of three reasons...," BretHart.com
  3. ^ http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/brethart/bio/
  4. ^ Bret Hart off the Record
  5. ^ a b c Bret Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be DVD
  6. ^ Bret Hart's Calgary Sun column from 9 May 2003
  7. ^ van Rassel, J. "Hitman's cut loose by WCW", Calgary Sun
  8. ^ Robinson, J. "Bret Hart: The Hitman Returns", IGN
  9. ^ Droste, R. "Hall of Fame Inductions Report", Pro Wrestling Torch
  10. ^ "Bret Hart returns to Pro Wrestling"
  11. ^ Biography for Bret Hart
  12. ^ Hart, B. "An open letter to Shawn Michaels", Canadian Online Explorer
  13. ^ http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBretHart/hart_bret_interview.html
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