Bret Hart is what theatrical professional wrestling is all about in real life.  He has seen triumph and tragedy, has been screwed by the boss, has overcome a life-threatening scare, and he has still preserved a legacy during the boom years of the WWE.  He remains one of the biggest sports icons in Canadian sports history, and earned the right to be called “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be“.

Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta on July 2, 1957.  Hart was born into wrestling, as his father, the legendary Stu Hart, was very active in the early Canadian promotions.  Hart was one of seven brothers, all who were involved in one way or another with pro wrestling.  Hart grew up with a wrestling training facility right in the basement of his home, commonly called “The Dungeon”.  Stu Hart worked with stars such as Superstar Billy Graham, as young Bret observed and took in what he could.  Hart was an accomplished amateur wrestler winning the 1973 Calgary City Championship. 

At the age of 19, Bret began working for Stampede Wrestling, which was his father’s Canadian promotion in Calgary.  Bret broke in as a referee, but was asked to step in when a wrestler was unable to perform.  Eventually, Bret became a full-time wrestler in the promotion and won the tag-team titles with his brother, Keith Hart, four times.  Hart stayed with Stampede, riding his father’s wave of success, and eventually broke out as one of the top guys and a title-holder within the promotion.  He stayed with Stampede until 1984, when he chose to sign with Vince McMahon’s WWF promotion.

Originally, the WWF wanted Bret Hart to be a cowboy character, but the idea was scrapped.  He ended up teaming with a brother-in-law, The Dynamite Kid, in his first WWF television taping in August of 1984.  In 1985, McMahon used Hart to team with a different brother-in-law, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, forming the legendary Hart Foundation team, managed by who else, but Jimmy Hart (no relation).  The Hart Foundation won the WWF Tag Team Titles twice by beating The British Bulldogs to start their first reign.  The second reign began when The Hart Foundation beat Demolition members Crush and Smash in a two-out-of-three falls epic contest.

Hart focused more on his singles competition when he and Neidhart split in 1991.  Hart won the Intercontinental Championship by getting Mr. Perfect to tap to his ‘Sharpshooter’ at Summer Slam 1991.  He then became involved in a feud with The Mountie after being shocked with a cattle prod.  Hart eventually lost that title to The Mountie.  Roddy Piper beat The Mountie at the Royal Rumble, only to lose the title back to Hart at Wrestlemania VIII.  “The excellence of execution”, as Hart was referred to by WWF Commentator Gorilla Monsoon, fought in the first ever ‘ladder match’ against Shawn Michaels in July of 1992.  Hart won the inaugural ladder match, which ironically would become a Michaels trademark, but it was Hart who originally introduced the concept to the wrestling world.

On October 12, 1992, Hart defeated Ric Flair at Saskatchewan Palace in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in an untelevised match to capture his first ever WWF Championship.  Hart held the title for a few months before losing to Yokozuna (with interference from Mr. Fuji) at Wrestlemania IX.  At the 1993 King of The Ring, the first ever King of The Ring PPV, Hart defeated Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels and Bam Bam Bigelow.  After the victory, Hart was attacked by Jerry “The King” Lawler, who claimed he was wrestling’s only true king.  Hart and Lawler faced off at 1993 Summer Slam where Hart won the match with his Sharpshooter, but was disqualified for not releasing the hold.

Later in 1993, Hart entered into a feud with his youngest brother, Owen Hart.  The feud started when Bret and Owen teamed with two other Hart brothers to face Shawn Michaels and his knights.  Owen was the only Hart eliminated and blamed Bret for ‘holding back his career’.  At the Royal Rumble (1994), Bret and Owen were teamed up to face the Quebecers for the WWf Tag Team Titles in which Bret suffered a staged knee injury.  Owen attacked Bret saying that he cost him a chance to be a champion.  At Wrestlemania X, Bret lost to Owen, but went on to later beat Yokozuna to reclaim the WWF Championship.

Owen and Bret would again feud.  Jim Neidhart returned and was seemingly saving Bret match after match.  However, it was later unveiled that Neidhart was only keeping the strap around Bret’s waist to aid Owen in winning the championship.  Bret defeated Owen in an epic steel cage match at the 1994 Summer Slam event.  Hart lost the title to Bob Backlund when Owen convinced Hart’s mother Helen, to throw in the towel as Backlund had Hart trapped in his ‘chicken wing’.  Bret recaptured the title by beating Backlund in a submission match at Wrestlemania XI.

At Wrestlemania XII, the historic 60-minute iron man match with Shawn Michaels took place.  The wrestler with the most victories in 60 minutes would be declared the winner.  With nobody having a pinfall, Gorilla Monsoon, the acting president of the WWF, declared the match will continue in sudden death.  Michaels won with a super kick.

Bret took an eight month break and weighed his options to re-sign with the WWF or to latch on to fast-rising rival promotion WCW.  He eventually decided to sign with WWF.  He would feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin for almost a year.  As Austin went from heel to face, and Hart went from face to heel, the title was passed around.  Hart would berate American fans and reunited with Owen, Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith forming a heel Hart Foundation stable which feuded with The Nation of Domination for a few months.  Hart caught plenty of legit heat when he referred to Michaels and Triple H as ‘homos’.

The infamous “Montreal Screw Job” took place with Bret thinking he would beat Shawn Michaels and retire the title the next night on Raw.  McMahon, who signed Hart to a 20-year contract just one year earlier, asked Hart to renegotiate with WCW because the WWF could not afford to honor the big dollar contract Hart had signed.  Michaels put Hart in a Sharpshooter and Earl Hebner, the ref, immediately called for the bell, saying that Hart submitted.  Hebner later revealed that McMahon instructed him to handle the match that way.  Hart went nuts as he spit in McMahon’s face, destroyed television equipment, and punched McMahon backstage.  Michaels, when confronted, told Bret he knew nothing about it, but later revealed that he knew a whole day before what was going to happen that night in Montreal.

Hart went to WCW in 1997.  He strated out a hot commodity there, but would fade into mediocrity.  In my opinion, Hart was never promoted the way he should have been with the exception of his WCW arrival.  There were just too many big names with bigger egos in WCW, the eventual demise of that promotion.

In 1999, Owen Hart tragically died when he fell practicing a descent to the ring via cables and harnesses.  Bret took some time off from wrestling to be with his family during the tough and tragic time.  He held a few championships while in WCW, but eventually tired of the travel and wear of his body.  Hart retired from pro wrestling in 2000.

Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.  He thanked everyone, even McMahon, but later said he was uncomfortable in the company of his former employer.

Hart suffered a stroke in 2002 when he hit a pothole while riding his bike and landed on his head.  He has since recovered and only suffers from occasional emotional trauma, common in stroke victims.  He is currently inactive with wrestling and says his life is ‘in a good place’.

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