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This article refers to the professional wrestler. For the American author, see Bret Harte.

Template:Pwstatbox Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957 in Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, and part of the famous Hart family of wrestling. He is a 13 time Heavyweight Champ holding the Stampede Wrestling,WWF and WCW Heavyweight Titles multiple times during his career. He had several monikers: Bret "The Hitman" Hart, (adopted from boxer Thomas Hearns), the "Excellence of Execution," (originally dubbed as such by the late Gorilla Monsoon) and perhaps the most resounding, "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be."

A seven time former World Heavyweight Champion, Hart justifies his claim to the title of "the best there is, the best there was and the best that there ever will be" by citing the fact that he never seriously injured an opponent through any fault of his own. He also uses this claim to boast the fact that in all his years of wrestling for the WWF (now WWE) he only showed up late twice, due to traffic and flight problems. Apart from that, he has never missed a WWF show.

Professional wrestling

Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta as the eighth of the twelve children of wrestling 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 prominent wrestler in his own right before his death in 1999 when a wrestling stunt went fatally wrong.

Hart's appearance was highlighted by his wrap-around mirrored sunglasses and leather jacket. Hart originally began wearing mirrored sunglasses to hide his eyes, which belayed his nervousness. He is still regarded by many as one of the most technically sound professional wrestlers ever to grace a ring. He was once labeled by Vince McMahon as the 'greatest storyteller in the business' and was adept at creating tense and entertaining matches. He began his career in his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary; his father served as his manager for a time. After having a notable career in that promotion, he would join the WWF.

World Wrestling Federation

Hart rose to fame in the WWF in the 1980s, winning the WWF World Tag Team Championships twice as one half of The Hart Foundation. Hart's technical style created a 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 recognisable pink and black colour scheme which they later adopted. Eventually they turned face, adopting the nickname "The Pink and Black Attack." Their most notable feuds were with the British Bulldogs and Demolition.

Following a loss to the Nasty Boyz at WrestleMania VII, the Foundation split and Hart went on to pursue a singles career. He won the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice, defeating Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991 and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper at WrestleMania VIII. During Hart's unsuccessful WWF Intercontinental Championship title defense against 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. After dropping the belt to his brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith in a classic match at Summerslam 1992, Hart was elevated to main-event status and won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair at Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, which also happens to be the hometown of his father, Stu Hart. He lost the title to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX, but shortly after won the original televised King of the Ring tournament in 1993. 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 reclaimed the World title from Yokozuna at WrestleMania X.

It was at this time that Bret Hart entered into his memorable feud with his younger brother, the late 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. The younger Hart actually defeated his brother in the opening match of WrestleMania X and when Bret won the WWF Championship in the event's final match Owen stated he should be champion. The two put on highly technical matches and would feud in some way or another for three years.

Hart's least favorite match was his match with Bob Backlund at WrestleMania XI, which he regarded as poorly executed. Hart dropped the title to Bob Backlund at the 1994 Survivor Series. In 1995, he feuded with various WWF undercarders such as Hakushi, Jean-Pierre Lafitte, and Issac Yankem, DDS. He finally reclaimed the World title with a victory over Diesel at the 1995 Survivor Series. He held the title until dropping it to Shawn Michaels in a 60-minute Iron Man Match at WrestleMania XII. The match was not without controversy (Michaels actually won it in a sudden death overtime) and would mark the beginning of a seven month hiatus from the WWF for Bret. He entertained a lucrative offer from World Championship Wrestling, but eventually signed a "lifetime" contract with the WWF.

Return of the Hart Foundation

Hart returned to face off against Stone Cold Steve Austin at Survivor Series 1996. Austin was the new face of a changing WWF product: a loud-mouthed antihero who drank beer after matches, ignored rules and frequently lashed out at Hart, mocking his pink trunks and old-school attitude. Although Hart defeated Austin at Survivor Series, the fans did something the WWF and Hart would have never predicted: they began to turn on Hart and support Austin. Hart defeated Austin, Vader, and the Undertaker in a Four-Way Match for the WWF title belt at an In Your House PPV in February 1997. But Austin made sure Hart's fourth reign was short-lived, costing him a match against "Sycho" Sid Vicious the next night on RAW.

Hart's frustration got the best of him. He lowered himself to Austin's level at WrestleMania 13. After defeating him in what some consider the greatest match in Wrestlemania history, a submission match, Hart continued to attack his opponent. This, combined with a bloody Austin's refusal to submit, turned Austin into a new breed of face, and Hart into a new breed of heel. This was Hart's favorite match with Stone Cold Steve Austin and as of 2005, 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.

In the ensuing weeks, Hart denounced all American fans 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. Hart captured his fifth World title at Summerslam 1997 after guest-referee Shawn Michaels accidentally struck The Undertaker with a steel chair, allowing Hart to get the pin.

Frustrated with the WWF and his character's direction, Hart left the WWF following a controversial match (known to fans as the Montreal Screwjob or The Double Cross) with Shawn Michaels at Surivivor Series 1997. Michaels "defeated" Hart in Canada with a Sharpshooter, even though Hart never tapped out. Hart claimed that he was supposed to leave the match as the champion and later vacate the title. To this day Michaels is disliked by many wrestling fans in Canada, particularly in Montreal. Hart reportedly punched Vince McMahon in a dressing room after the affair and McMahon had a visible black eye in the days immediately after the event.

Hart was so upset over the way things turned out that he stated he would never again return to the WWF and did not appear on the two-hour RAW telecast dedicated to his brother Owen following his death on May 23, 1999. He has also refused to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

WWE used images and references to Hart sparingly in recent years because of their fragile relationship. Many consider Chris Benoit's angle with Shawn Michaels in 2004 to be an apology of sorts to Hart. In a triple-threat match against Michaels and Triple H in Canada, Benoit forced Michaels to tap out to the Sharpshooter, and Earl Hebner rang the bell.

World Championship Wrestling

Immediately after Survivor Series, Hart left the WWF and joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was involved in the Sting versus Hogan match at Starrcade 1997. 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 Sting and Hogan, and joined the nWo.

As part of the faction, Hart was no longer pushed as a main event superstar, instead competing for the less-prestigous United States Heavyweight Championship, which he won four times.

He remained in the upper mid-card bracket until the WWF's top writer Vince Russo "jumped ship" in 1999 and joined 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 on the Mayhem pay-per-view. 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, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and the Harris Brothers. At the 1999 StarrCade pay-per-view event, Hart defended his WCW Championship against Goldberg. During the match Hart was struck with a stiff kick to the head, resulting in a severe concussion that ultimately forced his retirement from professional wrestling.

Life after wrestling

In June 2002, Hart suffered a stroke after a bicycle accident. The Calgary Herald reported that Hart hit a pothole, flew over the handbars of the bike and landed on the back of his head. Hart suffered partial paralysis after the stroke, which required months of physical therapy. Hart has since recovered his mobility and is in good health.

Bret's promises to not return, or even work with WWE seem to have been in question. While, in respect to Bret Hart, he has stayed true to his statement to not wrestle in WWE, due to a career-threatening injury, the claim to remain inactive with WWE dealings have been in question.

Bret Hart was featured in recent WWE games, most noticeably in Nintendo Gamecube's WWE Day of Reckoning game, WWE WrestleMania 21 and WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW.

Bret Hart himself has spoken on his website that he would love to come back to WWE just to have one last match against Kurt Angle, whom Bret has a great deal of respect for. Kurt Angle himself even went on national television on the David Letterman show and admitted that he would love to have a match with Bret Hart and even stated that it would "be an honor to wrestle Bret", claiming that throughout his WWE Career he has noticed that fans talk widely about Bret Hart and his memorable matches. He also admitted to having watched his matches on tape and agrees with the fans that Bret is a sound and great technician. Kurt also has a great deal of respect for him also and Bret has admitted to have spoken to Angle on many occasions on the phone. Some even speculated that the two would meet at WrestleMania 21.

Bret also admitted to having watched WWE WrestleMania XX to watch fellow Canadian and dear friend of Owen Hart, Chris Benoit win the World Heavyweight Championship in the event's main event.

On August 3, 2005, Bret Hart visited WWE Headquarters. During his meeting with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, Hart agreed to work with WWE and Vince McMahon on an upcoming 3-part DVD about Hart's career. Part of Hart's agreement was to retain some editing control. It is currently unclear how the Montreal Screwjob will be presented, but the set's planned title was changed from "Screwed: The Bret Hart Story" (a reference to the Montreal Screwjob) to "The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, Was, and Ever Will Be." Hart reportedly recorded over 7 hours of interview footage for the set, scheduled for release at the end of the year. Some of this interview footage was used during the RAW Exposed special when the death of Owen Hart was featured. Hart's concern for his legacy, after years of worrying that declaring a truce with Vince McMahon and working with WWE again would make his fans lose respect for him, made this an extremely notable event, and the picture of Hart and McMahon shaking hands (shown here) generated a great deal of controversy.

When Hart's music hit on the next edition of RAW, most people speculated that Hart was ready to make an appearance in the near future on WWE TV. However, in a recent interview by RF Video for their "Behind Closed Doors with Bret Hart" DVD, Hart stated he had no knowledge of this. He has no plans to return to WWE TV, though in the past he has also assured his fans that they "had not seen the last of The Hitman yet". Recently, the contents of his DVD were released to the public via a UK website. The dvd also includes Bret's favorite match with brother Owen Hart from White Plains (aired on the first edition of the short lived Action Zone) and an early match with Ricky Steamboat. The DVD documentary is also rumoured to be nearly three hours long, with many wrestlers giving their opinions on the wrestler. Along with the DVD, a limited edition special WWE magazine on Bret Hart will be released around the same time as his three disc set.

On Thursday, November 3, 2005, WWE.com has posted that Bret Hart will appear on the November 16, 2005 edition of ByteThis!, apparantly his first appearance on a WWE program since Survivor Series (November 9) 1997, the date of the infamous "Montreal Screwjob." Bret recently held an autograph session in New York, which marked the end of an eight year period since he had been there, he was alongside Jerry "the King" Lawler, Carlito Cool, and one of his dream opponents, that being Kurt Angle. Fans were able to get their pictures taken, and apparel signed by the "Hitman" and of course the Montreal situation was mentioned, in which Hart said he did not blame Earl Hebner, who is now no longer with the company, one fan did tell Hart that HBK, Shawn Michaels said Bret will never compete in another WWE ring, which Bret answered, "He's right."

Finishing and signature moves

• Sharpshooter
• Spike Piledriver (1970s-1980s)
• Ringpost figure four leglock
• Second rope elbow drop
• Inverted atomic drop
• Russian legsweep
• Side backbreaker
• Snap suplex
• Superplex
• Hart Attack (With Jim Neidhart)

Personal life

Hart has four children - Jade, Dallas, Alexandra and Blade - with his ex-wife, Julie. The four hearts located on the right thigh of his tights symbolizes his four children. Also, the four dots after his signature symbolizes his children as well. On September 15, 2004, he married an Italian woman named Cinzia.

When Hart began the controversial "Canada versus America" angle, he was criticised in public, 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 " a difference between a show and reality". Interestingly, Hart happens to be a dual citizen. He also holds American citizenship because his mother, Helen, was born in Brooklyn, New York.

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 and a stint playing the genie in a theatrical production of Aladdin in 2004.In the late 1990s, Bret was briefly considered to play Batman (see Batman Begins, trivia).

In 2002, Hart suffered a stroke after falling off his bicycle. He has made a remarkable recovery from the stroke. He currently writes a column for the Calgary Sun newspaper and is working on his three-volume autobiography.

Hart and Perry Lefko, wrote a book entitled Bret "Hitman" Hart, (ISBN 0752841181) published in 2000.

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 #32 in Time Magazine's "Greatest Canadians of All Time" article.

The Rock stated in his book The Rock Says that Bret Hart was his first friend he had in WWE and helped him whenever he could during his rookie run in the WWE. This would include sitting with him in bus rides and giving advice on how to improve on his wrestling skills and promos.

The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League take their nickname and colours from Hart, who was a part-owner.

Championships and accomplishments

World Wrestling Federation

• 5-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion
• 2-time WWF Intercontinental Champion
• 2-time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Jim Neidhart)
• 1994 Royal Rumble Winner (with Lex Luger)
• 1991 King of the Ring
• 1993 King of the Ring

World Championship Wrestling

• 2-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
• 4-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
• 1-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Goldberg)

World Wrestling Council

• 1-time WWC Caribbean Tag Team Champion (with Smith Hart)

Stampede Wrestling

• 6-time Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champion
• 2-time Stampede Wrestling British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Champion
• 5-time Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champion (3-time with Keith Hart, 1-time with Jim Neidhart, 1-time with Leo Burke)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI ranked him # 4 of the best 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
• PWI ranked him # 37 of the best Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" (with Jim Neidhart)
• PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler Award (1994)
• PWI Comeback of the Year Award (1997)
• PWI Most Hated Wrestler Award (1997)
• PWI Feud of the Year Award (1993) versus Jerry Lawler
• PWI Feud of the Year Award (1994) versus Owen Hart
• PWI Match of the Year Award (1992) versus Davey Boy Smith
• PWI Match of the Year Award (1996) versus Shawn Michaels
• PWI Match of the Year Award (1997) versus Stone Cold Steve Austin
• PWI Editor's Award (2003)

External links

• Bret Hart's column
• Bret Hart's Web Page
• Archive of Bret's Columns
• WWE profile

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• 1957 births
• Calgarians
• Canadian professional wrestlers
• Hart wrestling family
• Canadian actors
• Canadian columnists