By Tim Hornbaker

The “Best There Is, The Best There Was, And The Best There Ever Will Be.” Only a select
few can live up to that kind of advanced billing.  Only one fits it exactly.  Bret Hart was also
known at the “Hitman” and the “Excellence of Execution.” He is a member of the legendary
Hart Family out of Calgary, Alberta and is a son of former wrestler and promoter, Stu Hart.

Bret mastered the Sharpshooter leglock and is a former WWF and WCW World
Heavyweight Champion.  Known for many years as a tag wrestler in the U.S., Hart broke
out onto the singles scene in 1991 and quickly won the WWF Intercontinental Title.  Since
then, he has never looked back.  He has won an amazing amount of wrestling titles in both
the WWF and WCW despite the numerous injuries which have plagued him.  His
departure from the WWF in 1997 spawned a film documentary.  It is a known fact that
when Hart’s name is in the main event of a pay-per-view, fans are going to get their money’
s worth.

He went to Ernest Manning High School in Calgary before testing the colliegate waters.  
He made his professional wrestling debut in 1976 after learning in his father’s “Dungeon.”  
He appeared in West Texas before returning to Alberta.  Hart won the NWA Stampede
Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title from the Dynamite Kid in 1979 and also ventured
into the South and received several NWA World Title shots against Harley Race.  He
battled the champ at the Omni Coliseum and the Louisiana Superdome.  Hart won the
North American Title in 1980 from the Junkyard Dog and feuded with Bad News Allen, a
former Olympic Champ.  He received a shot at Nick Bockwinkel’s AWA World Title.  Hart
took Bockwinkel 90-minutes in a phenomenal contest.  He continued to wrestle throughout
Canada from East to West into the early 1980s and reports continued to sail southward.

In September 1984, Vince McMahon purchased a percentage of the Foothills Athletic Club
Ltd. from Stu Hart and began holding World Wrestling Federation shows regularly in
Calgary.  With the takeover, several Hart Brothers would begin competing for the WWF.  
Bret made his debut against Aldo Marino during a television taping.  He was billed as
“Brett Hart” and was an immediate fan favorite.  Even after he changed his ways and
became a member of the Hart Foundation with Jim Neidhart, fans in Canada continued to
cheer him.  Neidhart had been competing in Florida and had earned a reputation as a
tough grappler with a strong personality.  The Foundation were managed by the “Mouth of
the South” Jimmy Hart.

Stamina was not a question for Bret Hart after he outlasted 18 others during the special
WrestleMania II battle royal in Chicago.  The other man in the ring was the King of the
battle royal, Andre the Giant.  Andre eliminated Hart, but Bret’s performance was sealed in
history.  The Foundation made their own history in Tampa, Florida on January 26, 1987.  
Jimmy Hart’s ally Danny Davis was the assigned referee for a match against the WWF Tag
Champions, the British Bulldogs.  Hart and Neidhart captured a win and walked away with
the World Belts.

While in Montreal, the Foundation lost a controversial title match to the Rougeau Brothers,
local favorites, on August 10th.  The next day, WWF President Jack Tunney returned to
belts to Hart and Neidhart and cited several reasons for doing so.  After ten months on
top, the popular duo of Rick Martel and Tito Santana finally ended their reign as WWF
World Tag Champions.  The date was October 27th and it was in Syracuse, New York.  
Despite the loss, the Hart Foundation remained a stable team.  In fact, they wanted their
belts back.

At the first Survivor Series on Thursday, November 26th in Richfield, the Foundation
teamed with the Islanders, Bolsheviks, Demolition and Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo
against five popular teams.  When a member of one team was eliminated, both men would
be gone from the bout.  Hart was pinned by Jim Brunzell of the Killer Bees and eliminated
seventh.  Of note, it was the Foundation who eliminated the Strike Force.  Payback.  Hart
entered the first Royal Rumble on January 24, 1988 at number 2 behind Tito Santana.

The Foundation was on the undercard of the Hulk Hogan-Andre the Giant World Title
switch on February 5th in Indianapolis.  Hart and Neidhart teamed that night in a title shot
against Strike Force and ended up losing.  But they had been seen by millions of fans on
the Friday Night, prime-time telecast on NBC.

In March 1988, Hart was growing near to feuding with fellow heel, Bad News Brown.  The
two had bad blood going back to the early 1980s in Canada.  The hatred peaked during
WrestleMania IV on March 27th in Atlantic City.  Both members of the Foundation were
involved in the special 20-man, invitational battle royal.  Hart wrestled exceptionally, lasting
to the very end.  The final three were the Junkyard Dog, Bad News Brown and Hart.  In the
following series of events, Hart and Brown teamed to eliminate JYD, then Brown hit a
“ghetto blaster” on Hart and tossed him over the top rope.  Bret returned to the ring and
attacked Brown.  He also destroyed the winner’s trophy.

Bret was apart of WrestleFest on July 31st in Milwaukee.  Hart wrestled and lost to Brown
in a special grudge match.  The Foundation were becoming more and more popular.  
20,000 fans were in attendance for SummerSlam in New York on August 29th.  The
Foundation challenged Demolition for the WWF World Tag Title.  Nearing the ten-minute
mark, Smash pinned Hart to retain the belts.  The duo met the same rules at the second
Survivor Series as the first.  Hart and Neidhart teamed with four other tag teams against
five heel teams.  They were eliminated when Tully Blanchard, one-half of the Brain
Busters, pinned Bret.  On January 15, 1989 in Houston, the Foundation teamed with Jim
Duggan to beat the Rougeau Brothers and Dino Bravo.  The match was a two-of-three-
falls contest.  Hart pinned Bravo to score the third fall after the two previous were tied.  An
estimated 18,000 fans were in attendance.

In Atlantic City, the Foundation beat Rhythm and Blues, who were managed by their
former leader, Jimmy Hart, during the WrestleMania V spectacular on April 2nd.  Hart
pinned Honky Tonk after use of Hart’s megaphone.  In a bout to determine the top
contenders to the WWF World Tag Team Title, the Hart Foundation wrestled the Brain
Busters on August 28th in East Rutherford, New Jersey at SummerSlam.  The Brain
Busters were managed by Bobby Heenan and consisted of the former NWA World
Champions, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard.  The match lasted 16:23 and Anderson
pinned Hart for the win.  Hart was eliminated by Randy Savage during their Survivor Series
match on November 23rd in Chicago.  He had teamed with Jim Duggan, Ron Garvin and
Hercules against the “King’s Court.” The Court won in the end.

During the month of January 1990, he suffered a pinfall loss to Akeem during the USA
Network’s Prime Time Wrestling, a match which was taped in the weeks prior.  Hart and
Neidhart beat the Bolsheviks in 19-seconds during WrestleMania VI on April 1st in
Toronto.  The quick win came when Hart pinned Zukhov.  Members of the WWF ventured
overseas to Japan and Hart was among the contingent.  He wrestled the legendary Tiger
Mask to a twenty-minute draw in Tokyo on April 13th.  The Tokyo Dome was filled with
53,000 plus fans.  The Hart Foundation began to rise up the ranks again and seemed like
they were heading for a second run at the WWF World Tag Title.

Officials signed a two-of-three-falls match against the champions, Demolition, for the
SummerSlam pay-per-view on August 27th in Philadelphia.  Crush pinned Hart to get the
initial fall and Smash was later disqualified, evening the bout.  Hart pinned Crush to score
the belts in the finale.  They had regained the belts after a several year drought.  19,000
fans appreciated their work.

Several matches for the “Main Event” were taped from Fort Wayne on October 30th, but
the Foundation-Rockers match was not one of them.  Their tag match was a special two-of-
three-falls match and in the end, the Rockers beat the champs and scored the WWF
World Tag Title.  Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels took the belts and began defending
them around the country as officials reviewed the situation.  One of the ring turnbuckles
had broken during their Fort Wayne tag match and the ropes had become loose.  The
situation was unfair for both teams.  WWF Officials reversed the initial decision and the
Hart Foundation would remain the champions.  The change was never recognized.

Hart teamed with Neidhart, Dusty Rhodes and Koko B. Ware on November 22nd in
Hartford for the Survivor Series against Ted DiBiase, Rhythm and Blues and Kane the
Undertaker.  Hart survived until the final moments of the match and was pinned by the
“Million Dollar Man.” He entered the Royal Rumble at number one on January 19, 1991 in
Miami and delivered a memorable performance.  On March 24th in Los Angeles, Hart and
Neidhart dropped the WWF World Tag Title to the Nasty Boys.  Neidhart was pinned by
Brian Knobbs.  

In Japan, Hart was pinned by George Takano on April 1, 1991 in Kobe at the Coliseum.  
Before leaving Asia, Hart got a big win against Shawn Michaels with a pinfall win over him
in the Hart Foundation’s match against the Rockers in Tokyo on April 6th.  After six years
being a member of the Hart Foundation, Bret Hart began searching for a career on the
singles side of the line.  He would be successful quick.  As a finisher, he began to use the
sharpshooter as a submission hold.

Hart won the WWF Intercontinental Title from Mr. Perfect on August 26th at SummerSlam.  
He used the submission hold in front of a large Madison Square Garden crowd in New
York City.  Hart continued to show his growth as a wrestler.  On September 7th in
Providence, he won the 16-man King of the Ring Tournament.  Hart eliminated Pete
Dougherty, Skinner and Irwin R. Schyster.  He was amidst a group of athletes brawling in
the ring and were disqualified on November 27th in Detroit during the Survivor Series.  
Hart, along with DiBiase, Roddy Piper, Virgil and the Mountie were all eliminated by the
referee, giving Ric Flair the match for his team.  He was the only survivor.

Suffering from a said 104 fever on January 17th in Springfield, Massachusetts, Hart
defended his Intercontinental Title against the Mountie and lost the belt.  He missed the
Royal Rumble due to illness.  Hart would recover to full strength.  On April 5th at
WrestleMania, he beat Roddy Piper to regain the WWF I-C Title in Indianapolis.  Piper
strapped the championship belt around Hart’s waist after his loss.  During the month of
May, he continuously defeated Shawn Michaels across the country in defense of his new
title.  Hart was challenged by Jeff Jarrett on a WWF Card in Memphis on August 9, 1992.  
He accepted and won.  SummerSlam was held in London, England on August 29th.  Hart
ventured overseas to give Davey Boy Smith a shot at the gold before 80,000 fans at
Wembley Stadium.  Smith was the crowd favorite and the two wrestled a great match.  Hart
was defeated.  The belt was lost.  Of note, it was the first WWF Title change between two
related family members.  They were brothers-in-law.

Hart made history on October 12, 1992 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  Hart forced Ric
Flair to submit and won the WWF World Heavyweight Title.  A great victory.  Hart was the
world singles champion of the World Wrestling Federation.  After years of hard work and
dedication, the top gold was around his waist.  At the Survivor Series on November 25th,
Hart wrestled the I-C Champ, Shawn Michaels.  He won the bout by submission.  At that
point, Hart not only had captured the World Title by making his opponent quit, but had
defeated the number one contender to the title by making his submit.  Hart was dominating
his opposition.  

On January 24, 1993, the mammoth Yokozuna won the Royal Rumble and earned a spot
at WrestleMania against Hart for the World Title.  It seemed to be his hardest challenger to
date.  Yokozuna was a former Sumo wrestler.  Bret also retained his belt on that card
against Razor Ramon by submission.  The talk of the world was WrestleMania XI on April
4th at Caesar’s Palace.  Hart locked up with Yokozuna, going into the bout as the
heavyweight champion.  When it was over, Yokozuna had captured the belt.  Within
minutes, the strap was on Hulk Hogan.  How it all happened, no one was really sure.  But it
did.  A Hart-Hogan match seemed possible.  

He participated in the 1993 King of the Ring on June 13th in Dayton.  Hart beat Razor
Ramon in the initial round.  In the second, he wrestled Mr. Perfect in a classic bout.  Hart
advanced to the finals against Bam Bam Bigelow.  He pinned his opponent and won the
tournament.  His second King of the Ring Championship.  At the King of the Ring pay-per-
view, Yokozuna regained the World Title from Hogan.  On August 16, 1993, Bret teamed
with Owen Hart in Memphis to defeat regional icons, Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett.  In front
of 23,900 fans, he wrestled two matches in Auburn Hills, Michigan at SummerSlam ’93.  
Hart beat Doink the Clown by submission, and then lost to Lawler by reverse decision.  
The feud with Lawler continued.  Hart beat him on October 31, 1993 in Toronto’s Maple
Leaf Gardens, in a special cage bout.

At the Survivor Series in Boston on November 24th, Hart teamed with brothers, Bruce,
Keith, and Owen to defeat Shawn Michaels, The Red Knight, The Blue Knight and Black
Knight in an elimination match.  Helen and Stu Hart watched from ringside at the Boston
Garden.  Although a victory was seized, a rift between Bret and Owen began in Boston
and would slowly escalate.  The two brothers formed a tag team in December and spoke
about the possibility of challenging for the WWF World Tag Title.

On January 22, 1994, Owen and Bret teamed in Providence at the Royal Rumble.  They
had the opportunity to win the tag straps in a match against the champions, Jacques and
Pierre, the Quebecers.  Bret suffered a knee injury during the bout and was unable to
continue.  The referee stopped the bout.  Owen was incensed.  Angry that Bret had
prevented him from capturing the title, Owen attacked his brother and then left him
behind.  Later in the night and during the Royal Rumble, Bret Hart was eliminated at the
same time the other final participant, Lex Luger, was.  Both men were given the match.  
With that, both men earned a WWF World Title shot at WrestleMania.

On March 20th, Hart had double assignments in Madison Square Garden in New York.  
The first match on the pay-per-view card was Bret against his brother Owen in a special
grudge match.  It was a scientific classic. Owen shocked many by pinning Bret in 20:21.  
Lex Luger received the first title shot against Yokozuna later on in the night and failed to
win the belt.  So, Bret was matched against Yokozuna for the title in the champ’s second
bout of the night.  Roddy Piper was the assigned referee.  Hart pinned Yokozuna to
capture the World Title, his second.  A huge win.  After the match, a number of wrestlers
from the back rushed the ring to help the new champion celebrate.  The group hoisted the
“Hitman” onto the shoulders of Luger and Razor Ramon as the fans applauded the work of
their hero.

Many critics immediately paved the way for an immediate Owen-Bret World Title Match.  
His brother did seem to be the rightful number-one contender.  Hart toured Japan and
backed up his claim to the “World” Championship.  He beat Yokozuna by disqualification in
Hokkaido on May 11th after Mr. Fuji interfered.  Hart returned to the states and prepared
for his June 19th pay-per-view match with Diesel, the I-C Champion.  He lost the match by
disqualification.  That night, Owen made history by winning the King of the Ring.  The
tournament win coupled with his documented pin over the World Champion, earned the
brother a title shot at Bret for SummerSlam.  The match, at this point, was more than a
grudge match.  It was also to be a steel cage match.  The event was held on August 29,
1994 and Bret and Owen wrestled for over thirty-minutes before Bret retained his belt.

He met his former longtime partner, Jim Neidhart in Montreal on October 21st during
Jacques Rougeau’s Retirement Show.  Hart pinned Neidhart to retain the title.  An older
wrestler and former champion, Bob Backlund made the challenge to Hart’s title and Vince
McMahon arranged the bout for the Survivor Series on November 23rd in San Antonio.  
Helen Hart, Bret’s mother, played a huge part in the final moments of the match.  She took
a towel and threw it into the ring.  The referee stopped the match and gave Backlund the
title.  Hart was locked in Backlund’s famous cross-face chicken wing.  Despite the pain,
Hart refused to give up.

At the Royal Rumble, he challenged Diesel for the WWF Title on January 22nd in Tampa.  
The match ended in a draw.  He wrestled Hakuski during the initial In Your House on May
14, 1995 and beat him.  Later in the night, Jerry Lawler pinned Hart after his previous
opponent and his manager, Shinja, interfered.  Roddy Piper officiated a rematch between
Hart and Backlund at WrestleMania XI on April 2nd in Hartford.  Hart forced Backlund to
submit to the cross-face chicken wing.  It was revenge.  Hart appeared in several episodes
of Lonesome Dove in 1995.  He gained even more revenge with a win over Lawler on June
25th in Philadelphia in a special “Kiss my Foot” match.  Hart won by disqualification over
Dr. Isaac Yankem on August 27th in Pittsburgh at SummerSlam.  On September 24th at
the third In Your House, Hart beat Jean-Pierre LaFeitte by submission.  He attacked Davey
Boy Smith on October 22nd, during his match with Diesel for the World Championship.  
Hart caused Smith’s disqualification victory.  Diesel retained the title.

He became a three-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion in Landover on November
19th when he beat Diesel in a special no-disqualification match at the Survivor Series.  
The win eclipsed his tie with Bruno Sammartino and became only the second man with
three or more WWF Title wins.  The only other being Hulk Hogan.  Hart appeared on the
Brother Love Show on November 27th on Monday Night Raw and was attacked by Bob
Backlund from behind.  He was locked in the cross-face chicken wing and remained there
until numerous WWF employees halted the attack.  A match was signed between the two
for December 11th.  Hart wrestled the former champ in a non-title contest.  Davey Boy
Smith ran out and interfered, just as Hart had done with Smith’s match with Diesel several
months before.  Hart was caught in the cross-face again and held there until back up
arrived.

Promotions for the In Your House Pay-per-view intensified as did talk about Hart’s position
in the main event.  Diana Smith, Hart’s sister-in-law, was at Raw firmly backing her
husband in the family feud.  All were reminded of Smith’s earlier win over Hart at
SummerSlam in 1992.  Hart faced Smith for the belt on December 17th.  After more than
twenty-minutes of action, Hart got the pin and lodged a successful defense under his belt.  
The Royal Rumble on January 21, 1996 in Fresno saw the return of Shawn Michaels and
his win over 29 over others and Bret Hart’s loss to the Undertaker by disqualification.  
Diesel had run out and grabbed the referee during the latter affair.  Michaels’ win secured
him a WWF World Title match against Hart at WrestleMania, allowing that he was still the
champion.  The Undertaker and Diesel were both in the hunt for a match.

The night after the Rumble, Hart appeared to wrestle the newly crowned Intercontinental
Champion, Goldust.  Hart forced Goldust to submit, giving the I-C Champ his first mark in
the loss column.  The Intercontinental Belt was not on the line.  During the February 5th
edition of Raw, Hart wrestled the Undertaker in defense of his WWF World Title.  The
match ended with Diesel interfering and attacking both competitors.  At In Your House on
February 18th, Hart met Diesel for the World Crown in a steel cage match.  He won after
the Undertaker interfered and attacked Diesel.  Going into WrestleMania, Hart was the
defending champion.

The specifics of the Hart-Michaels were laid out on February 26th during Raw.  Roddy
Piper, the acting WWF President announced the terms of their match-up during an
interview with Vince McMahon before both wrestlers.  It was going to be a sixty-minute,
“Iron Man” match.  The winner would have the most falls when the time-limit expired.  Hart
and Michaels shook hands and departed ways.  Many knew that the match was going to
be an instant classic and propel WrestleMania XII into the annuals of wrestling history.  
The two competitors were not going to let up until the very end.  A battle like never
before…for sixty straight minutes.  Hart seemed to be the favorite going in.  He returned to
Calgary to prepare himself and trained with his father.  On March 31st in Anaheim,
California, the bell finally rang and the two wrestled.  The bout went 60-minutes to a draw.  
WWF President, Gorilla Monsoon allowed the match to continue for another one-minute
and fifty-two seconds, in which that time, Hart was defeated.  The title changed hands.

Hart disappeared from the ring for a good part of the year, but made it known that he
wanted a rematch.  He returned in November and beat Steve Austin on November 17th in
New York City by pinfall.  At the December pay-per-view, Sid Vicious retained his WWF
World Title over Hart in West Palm Beach, Florida.  During the January 6, 1997 edition of
Raw, he wrestled Vader.  Hart was pinned after being attacked by Austin.  In San Antonio,
he returned to the Royal Rumble on January 19th before a large crowd.  Hart entered the
ring at number 19 and was ousted at the end by Austin, a man who Hart had eliminated
earlier in the match, but the referees hadn’t seen it.  He took his frustrations out on
several referees and finally on Vince McMahon.

The next night during Raw, Hart made an impassioned speech.  He stated early in the
show that he had been screwed by Austin, Michaels and by the WWF.  Finally, by
McMahon.  He said he quit and left the ring.  Hart vanished into the crowd.  The audience
was shocked.  Hart did return, though.  He made his way back to the ring to accept a four-
way elimination match to be held on February 16th which would determine the rightful
owner to the World Title shot at WrestleMania.  Hart then brawled with Steve Austin and
the other two participants, the Undertaker and Vader.  When Michaels went out with an
injury, promoters scheduled the four-way match to be for the vacant WWF World Title.  
The stakes had risen.

On February 16th in Chattanooga, Hart pinned the Undertaker and won his fourth WWF
World Championship.  The next night in Nashville, Sid Vicious beat Hart and won the belt.  
He was granted a steel cage rematch on March 7, 1997 in Buffalo.  Vicious was victorious
once again.  He was defeated once again in Madison Square Garden on march 16th
under the same circumstances.  On Raw, Hart’s actions shocked many who had tuned in.  
He was defeated by Vicious, who had been assisted by the Undertaker, in a cage bout.  
The “Hitman” then verbally attacked Vince McMahon, cursing verbally.  He also attacked
Pat Patterson when WWF Official attempted to calm him down.  The growing rift between
Hart and McMahon was very apparent.  Instead of his usual crowd attraction, Hart was a
heel in the eyes of many.

WrestleMania was held on March 23rd in Chicago.  Bret made his impression felt in more
ways than one.  His special submission match with Steve Austin was proclaimed by many
as one of the greatest in WrestleMania history.  The special referee, Ken Shamrock
stopped the match when Austin passed out from a sharpshooter at the 22:04 mark.  Hart
got into it with Shamrock afterwards.  It was his appearance twice during the main event
World Title Match which had the biggest impact.  Hart’s first showing came before the bell
when he walked out and challenged Shawn Michaels, who was injured and had joined the
broadcast team.  Then, he spoke to Vicious, who happily powerbombed him.  After twenty-
minutes of wrestling between Vicious and the Undertaker, Hart returned again.  He
distracted Vicious long enough to be caught by the Undertaker and his tombstone
piledriver.  The Undertaker pinned his opponent and the World Title changed hands.

During the March 31st edition of Nitro, Hart went to the ring and stopped a match between
Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart.  There, he told them that the WWF and the American
Fans were tearing them apart.  That they needed to form a team and focus on destroying
Austin.  Smith and Owen agreed and the Hart Foundation was reformed.  Jim Neidhart and
Brian Pillman would soon follow.  All of them denounced America and in a matter of
seconds, they were the most hated men in the U.S.  They remained loved in Canada.  And
Bret Hart was at the helm.

On April 20th, Hart lost to Austin by disqualification at In Your House XIV.  The match was
crazy from the beginning, but was called when Davey Soy Smith ran in and attacked
Austin.  Afterwards, the festivities did not stop.  Hart was caught in the sharpshooter and
was helped from the ring.  The next night on Raw, things were going to boil over, if the
Hart-Austin war obviously hadn’t already.  Austin opened the show with a straight-up
challenge to the former four-time WWF Champion.  The challenge was for a street-fight
right then and there.  Hart agreed to the challenge from a camera in the back, which was
shown on the TitanTron.  When it was time for the bout, Austin went to the ring in street
clothes and Hart followed in the same.  Hart remained on the outside until Owen and Smith
were able to run through the crowd and attack Austin from behind.  A three-on-one attack
proceeded from there.  Shawn Michaels interjected his two cents with a steel chair,
chasing off the other members of the Hart Foundation.

The Hart-Austin match continued in brutal fashion.  Chairs to the leg added to the pain
inflicted on both men.  Austin locked a sharpshooter in on Hart and the match ended
there.  Referees ran out, but Austin refused to release his hold.  Minutes went by and
damage was done.  Hart was carried from the ring on a stretcher.  Paramedics loaded him
into the back of an ambulance and Hart was tied down, secure.  But he wasn’t secure from
another attack by Steve Austin.  Austin took the driver out and went into through the front
of the vehicle.  He attacked an immobile Hart, adding to his injuries.  The “Hitman” was
saved by Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith.  Hart suffered a serious knee injury in the
fracas of the night.  Members of the Hart Foundation got back at Austin later in the
evening.

Hart returned to team with Pillman, Smith, Owen and Neidhart on July 6th in Calgary to
beat Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock and the Legion of Doom.  The ten-man tag team
match was as memorable as could possibly be.  One of the most surprising moments in
WWF History came on July 21, 1997 when Bret slapped Vince McMahon during a ring
interview during Raw.  The event ranked with Dusty Rhodes’ bat attack on Jim Crockett in
1988.  Hart was upset at the choice of Shawn Michaels being the special guest referee for
his match with the Undertaker at SummerSlam.  Hart tied Hulk Hogan for the most WWF
World Title reigns on August 3rd in East Rutherford.  He beat the Undertaker to regain the
belt at SummerSlam before an estimated 20,000 fans.

During this same time, word got out that he had recently signed a twenty-year contract
extension to stay with the World Wrestling Federation.  Things were looking up for Hart
and it seemed that he would easily eclipse the tie with Hogan.  At the Ground Zero pay-
per-view on September 7th, he beat the Patriot by submission.  The next night on Raw, he
lost to Vader by disqualification.  On September 9th in Muncie, Indiana at the Ball State
University Arena, Ken Shamrock also beat Hart by disqualification.  He took on former
NWA World Champion, Terry Funk on September 11th  in what was billed as Funk’s last
match in Amarillo.  Hart defeated Funk in a classic bout.

He again lost a match by DQ on September 13th  in Philadelphia to The Undertaker.  The
same finish occurred in Hartford on September 14th.  In St. Louis on October 5th, Hart
teamed with Davey Boy Smith to beat Vader and the Patriot in a “Flag” match.  He pinned
the Patriot for the victory.

A film documented the following more to detail, as Hart’s career took a turn for the
shocking going into November 1997.  “Hitman Hart, Wrestling with Shadows” was directed
by Mr. Paul Jay and released in ’98.  Rumors circulated that the WWF-20 year contract
had gone stale and that Hart was in negotiations with World Championship Wrestling.  He
was still the defending WWF Champion, going into the Survivor Series on November 9th in
Montreal.  There, he would wrestle Shawn Michaels for the championship.

Vince McMahon was concerned that Hart was going to jump to the WWF with the World
Title Belt and embarrass the organization.  A situation had actually gone through like that
several years earlier when Alundra Blayze, the reigning WWF Women’s Champion,
appeared on WCW Nitro with the belt.  McMahon did not want that to happen again.  
According to reports, Hart was willing to lose the title anywhere but in Montreal.  The
situation was tense and neither side gave in.  Finally, a decision beforehand was
reached.  The match went ahead as planned.

Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart brawled for several minutes before the first bell even rang.  
The referee was Earl Hebner.  Extra security had been brought in by WWF Officials to
help protect the safety of both athletes as they battled through the crowd and around the
ring.  Vince McMahon, Sgt. Slaughter, Pat Patterson and others were seen during the
early moments of the title match, trying to get Hart and Michaels back into the ring.  
Finally, the wrestlers fought their way back to the squared circle and the bell rang.  The
official match had begun.

At one point, Hebner was knocked off his feet.  Michaels applied a sharpshooter and
leaned back.  Hebner looked for a tap out, then called for the bell.  Hart had not given up,
but lost the WWF World Title.  20,000 fans in the audience were in awe as Michaels left
with the belt and Hart stood alone in the ring.  Afterwards, Bret expressed his displeasure
by breaking some television equipment left behind and tracing “WCW” with his fingers in
the air.  In the dressing room area, an altercation took place between Hart and Vince
McMahon, although the documentary will tell one side of the story.

The next night on both WCW Nitro and WWF Raw, references to Bret Hart were made in
different ways.  Eric Bischoff was ready to induct Hart into the New World Order, while
Shawn Michaels and DX celebrated their Survivor Series win.

Bret Hart was gone from the World Wrestling Federation after 13 years of loyality.  He
made his WCW debut on December 15, 1997 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the
Independence Arena.  Hart walked down the aisle in a Hart Foundation Jacket and met
James J. Dillon and Eric Bischoff in the middle of the ring.  The crowd responded.  Hart
was in foreign territory, but any fan of wrestling knew who he was and what he had
accomplished.  Five WWF World Titles, two I-C reigns and two WWF World Tag reigns.  A
legend was on the scene.

He appeared at Starrcade in Washington DC on December 28th to referee a match
between Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko.  The former AWA Champ was victorious.  Hart also
played a part in the main event.  He had gone to the ring to restart a controversial match
between Sting and Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Title.  Sting forced Hogan to submit
and won the belt using his scorpion deathlock.

At Souled Out in January 1998, Hart defeated Ric Flair in his first WCW pay-per-view
event.  The match was an eighteen minute classic.  He won by submission before 5,000
fans.  Another old rivalry was revived on March 15th in Mobile when he wrestled Curt
Hennig.  Hart won by submission.  After the contest, he was attacked by Hennig and Rick
Rude.  The latter landed his “Rude Awakening” neckbreaker.  The two were rematched on
March 25th at the Baltimore Arena.  Hart won.  Things were going to change.

On April 20, 1998, Hart punched the popular Roddy Piper during Monday Nitro and left the
arena with a smirk.  In Norfolk, a week later, Hart was interviewed by Gene Okerlund and
claimed it was “nice to be in the house that Hollywood built.” He also threw words at Randy
Savage.  The next day, on the 28th, Hart was joined by Hogan in the ring and the two
celebrated their new partnership by beating on Savage.  He had more words for Savage
on May 11th in Kansas City during Nitro and came down to the ring during the World Title
Match between Hogan and Savage near the end of the show.  Roddy Piper also arrived
and before the close of the event, announced that he was the special referee for Hart’s
match with Savage at Slamboree.  On May 17th in Worcester, the two locked up and their
feud was at it’s peak.  Hart won by disqualification.

Bret teamed with Hogan on June 14th in Baltimore to beat Savage and Piper in a tag team
match.  He forced Savage to submit for the victory.  On July 12th in San Diego, he
challenged Booker T for the WCW World TV Title.  Booker won by disqualification.  Hart
won his first WCW Title on July 20th at the E Center in Salt Lake City.  The win came over
the U.S. Heavyweight Champion, “Diamond” Dallas Page.  On July 27th, he tried to make
amends with Sting, but got beat upon during Sting’s match with Scott Hall.  A week later,
Hart suspiciously mingled with Hall while attempting to take the injured Lex Luger’s place in
a World Tag Team Title match with Sting against Hall and the Giant.  Luger had been
knocked out by a sneak attack in the back area of the McNichols Arena in Denver.

In 1998, both Jim Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith signed with WCW and a Hart Foundation
reunion seemed about right.  Hart lost the U.S. Title to Luger in Rapid City on August 10th
during Nitro.  Three nights later, he regained the belt in Fargo.  On August 17th in
Hartford, he went to the ring to accept a challenge for the United States Belt during an
interview segment with Dallas Page.  Hart’s change of heart came on September 14th in
Greenville, South Carolina, after he met with Roddy Piper in the ring.  The two had words,
but motivating rather than challenging.  Hart stated that he did not deserve the U.S. Title
because of the way he had won it.  The “Rowdy Scot” also reminded Hart about his
parents and especially his father.  How Stu was viewing his son’s wrestling career.

Hart was attacked by Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell on September 21st in Boston during a
ring interview.  The two concentrated on his right knee, which was injured at Fall Brawl.  
Sting ran out to make the save.  He gave Sting a title shot at Halloween Havoc on October
25th in Las Vegas and retained his belt.  Hart lost the title to Page, who had been chasing
the belt since he lost it in July, in Phoenix the following night.  In a rematch at World War III
in Auburn Hills, Page retained his belt by pinfall.  Hart captured his third U.S. Title over
Page on November 30th in Chattanooga during Monday Nitro on TNT.  He missed
Starrcade in December.

On February 8, 1999, Roddy Piper beat Hart in Buffalo for the U.S. Title.  He appeared in
Toronto at the Air Canada Center on March 29th for Nitro.  Hart went to the ring to the
roar of the crowd.  He was wearing a Calgary Hitmen Jersey, which was taken off to reveal
a Toronto Maple Leaf Jersey.  The crowd responded.  He challenged Bill Goldberg and a
few minutes later, the two were involved in one of the highlights of the year.  Goldberg
speared Hart and was laid out himself.  The “Hitman” then got up, unhurt.  He revealed a
metal breastplate underneath his jersey.  Seconds later, he announced that he quit,
reminiscent to his actions several years before in the WWF.  Fans were shocked.  Many
were unsure of what was real and what wasn’t.  Whether they liked it or not, Hart was
gone.  He left the business, but it would not be forever.

Hart suffered the loss of his brother, Owen, on Sunday, May 23rd when a stunt failed in
Kansas City at the Kemper Arena.

Bret returned to WCW during the July 5, 1999 Nitro and gave an emotional speech.  On
October 4, 1999, he wrestled Chris Benoit in a special “Owen Hart Memorial” Match at the
Kemper Arena.  The two athletes wrestled a classic before Hart caught Benoit in the sharp-
shooter.  He won by submission and pointed upward afterwards.

Later in the month, he appeared in Las Vegas for Halloween Havoc.  Hart hurt his ankle
and Lex Luger preyed on it.  He was later caught in a half-crab and forced to submit.  The
following night, October 25th, he gained some steam with a victory over Goldberg for the
WCW United States Heavyweight Title.  The victory also ousted Goldberg from the WCW
World Title Tournament.  A week later, Hart returned the belt to Goldberg after reviewing
their match.  The Outsiders and Sid Vicious had played a part in the finish.  Hart’s
advance in the tournament continued through November.

The semifinals and finals were held on November 21st in Toronto at the Air Canada
Center.  Hart battled Sting.  He received some outside, but unwanted, help from Lex
Luger, who used a baseball bat on Sting’s leg. Officials stopped the bout, but Hart didn’t
want to accept a tainted victory.  The match was restarted.  Sting’s limb was weakened
enough for Hart to force Sting to submit to his finisher.  When it was over, the two fan
favorites shook hands.  On the other side of the bracketing, Chris Benoit beat Jeff Jarrett
to get to the finals after a guitar shot.  A Hart-Benoit match was going to be held in their
home country for the organization’s top prize.  After another grueling match between the
two, Hart forced Benoit to submit at the 17:45 mark after turning a crossface into a
sharpshooter.  He had won his first WCW World Championship.  Hart also became
seventh man in pro-wrestling history to have won both the WWF and WCW World Titles.  
He brought his kinds into the ring as part of the post-match celebration.

In December, things would once again change for the “Excellence of Execution.” A Bret
Hart-Goldberg match was scheduled for the main event of Starrcade in Washington DC.  
The date of the show was December 19th.  The World Title match was very controversial.  
Hart locked in his sharpshooter and pressed for a submission victory.  Roddy Piper called
for the match to be stopped, reminding many of Montreal in November 1997.  Hart had
retained despite the fact that Goldberg had not given up.  The next night in Baltimore, Hart
gave up his claim to the belt and it was declared vacant.  A rematch between Goldberg
and Hart was set for later in the night.  Where it seemed that Hart was going for the good
of mankind, he joined the Outsiders and Jeff Jarrett in their attack on Goldberg and
scored the winning pin.  He won his second WCW World Title

Hart, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Jarrett formed NWO 2000.  A match between Hart and
Jarrett was scheduled by promoters for the January pay-per-view.  Just days before the
event began, Hart was forced to pull out of the event because he was not medically
cleared due to a concussion he had received in the Starrcade match with Goldberg.  
Jarrett was also forced to bow out.  The WCW World Title was declared vacant.

In the months that followed, he was forced to watch from the sidelines while he recovered
from his injuries.  When the promotion changed on April 10, 2000 in Denver, Hart sat in
the crowd watching.  At the end of the show, he confronted both Eric Bischoff and Vince
Russo, the two men who had plotted the formation of the “New Blood.”  In July, Hulk Hogan
was ousted from the organization after winning the WCW World Title from Jeff Jarrett.  
World Championship Wrestling was changing from the inside out.

In early September 2000, Hart gave an impassioned speech during a Thunder Broadcast.  
He was confronted by Bill Goldberg.  Footage had been shown of the injury he had
suffered against Goldberg in December.  The two spoke and Goldberg nearly attacked
him before being attacked from behind by Scott Steiner.  In the week following, an article
was printed in the Calgary Sun reporting many facts about Hart’s situation in WCW and
how it was being handled away from the ring.

More reports came down stating that he had been released from his WCW contract on
Friday, October 20, 2000.  Within several days, he announced his retirement from
professional wrestling on his website after over 23-years of activity.  Hart appeared on a
pre-taped edition of “The Last Word” with Jim Rome on Friday, November 3rd.  He spoke
about his brother and about Vince McMahon.  Hart was mentioned several times during
the WWF’s Sunday Night Heat on November 19th prior to the 2000 Survivor Series,
forcing many to wonder if he was going to show up on the pay-per-view.  He didn’t.

In 2001, WCW was purchased by the WWF leaving only one major wrestling promotion left
on North America.  

Hart remains a popular figure in Calgary as a former part owner of the Calgary Hitmen
Hockey Team and writes regular columns for the Calgary Sun Newspaper.  During the
summer of ’01, rumors circulated about Hart’s possible appearance in Orlando with Hulk
Hogan in a new organization there.

Other reports stated that he was going to Australia to act as special referee for several
events.  Hart ended up working for the World Wrestling All-Stars Promotion (WWA) and it’s
tour of Australia in October 2001.  He had appeared in that country in September to
promote the matches when he was held-over due to the terrorist attacks.  Hart was the
WWA Commissioner and appeared often over the seven-card tour.  In late November and
into December ’01, the WWA held shows in Ireland and England.  Bret reminded fans that
he was never defeated for either the WWF or the WCW World Heavyweight Titles.  He
also locked World Champion Jeff Jarrett in sharpshooters all across Europe, much to the
delight of fans.

[Biography to be updated]


Wherever he goes, fans throughout the world still adore Hart’s work and ethic.  Memories
of his matches will live in infamy.

Read more about Bret Hart on his official website, www.brethart.net.

TITLE HISTORY:
-A five-time co-holder of the Stampede International Tag Team Title
     w/ Keith Hart (1978)
     w/ Keith Hart (1979)
     w/ Keith Hart (1980)
     w/ Keith Hart (1980)
     w/ Leo Burke (1982)
-A six-time Stampede North American Heavyweight Champion
     -Defeated Leo Burke (1980)
     -Defeated Leo Burke (1980)
     -Defeated Duke Myers (1980)
     -Defeated Leo Burke (1982)
     -Defeated Bad News Allen (1982)
     -Defeated Leo Burke (1983)
-A two-time co-holder of the WWF World Tag Team Title
     w/ Jim Neidhart (1987) defeated The British Bulldogs
     w/ Jim Neidhart (1990) defeated Demolition
-A two-time King of the WWF
     -Defeated Irwin R. Schyster (1991) tournament final
     -Defeated Bam Bam Bigelow (1993) tournament final
-A two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion
     -Defeated Curt Hennig (1991)
     -Defeated Roddy Piper (1992)
-A five-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion
     -Defeated Ric Flair (1992)
     -Defeated Yokozuna (1994)
     -Defeated Diesel (1995)
     -Defeated The Undertaker (1997)
     -Defeated The Undertaker (1997)
-WWF Royal Rumble Champion (1994) co-won the event w/ Lex Luger
-A four-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
     -Defeated Dallas Page (1998) vacant title victory
     -Defeated Lex Luger (1998)
     -Defeated Dallas Page (1998)
     -Defeated Bill Goldberg (1999)
-A two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
     -Defeated Chris Benoit (1999) tournament final
     -Defeated Bill Goldberg (1999) held-up title win
-Co-holder of the WCW World Tag Team Title (1999) w/ Bill Goldberg


Copyright 2010 by Tim Hornbaker
"The Hitman" Bret Hart Wrestling History
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