Actors - Bret Hart

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	Actors - Bret Hart

Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957 in Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, and part of the famous Hart wrestling family. In the course of his career, he was known by several monikers: Bret "The Hitman" Hart, (adopted from boxer Thomas Hearns), "The Excellence of Execution" (originally dubbed as such by Gorilla Monsoon) 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 his claim to the latter title by citing the fact that he never seriously injured an opponent through any fault of his own. He also claims that, in the course of his career with the World Wrestling Federation, he only ever missed two shows, both as a result of traffic and flight difficulties.

On February 13, 2006 WWE announced Hart as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2006.

Professional wrestling

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. Three of his brothers-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, Seth Waddoups, 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 when a stunt at a wrestling pay-per-view event went fatally wrong.

Hart is regarded by many as one of the most technically sound professional wrestlers ever to grace a ring. Once labelled "the greatest storyteller in the history of the business" by Vince McMahon, he was adept at creating tense and entertaining matches. He began his career in his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary, with his father serving as his manager for a time. Hart remained in Stampede Wrestling until the promotion, along with several wrestlers, was acquired by the World Wrestling Federation in 1984.

World Wrestling Federation

Hart rose to fame in the WWF in the late-1980s, winning the WWF World Tag Team Championships twice as one half of The Hart Foundation. Hart's 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 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 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. 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. Following the loss, Roddy Piper (who is a friend of Bret himself) defeated Mountie with a sleeperhold at the 1992 Royal Rumble, and Bret would later pin "The Rowdy One" for the Intercontinental Championship in one of the greatest Intercontinental Championship matches 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 Shawn Michaels as the main innovator of the Ladder Match due to his later success in those matches, it was actually Hart who initially suggested the match, having been involved in several during his Stampede days.

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 and won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair at Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (the hometown of his father, Stu Hart) in October (on an episode of Prime Time Wrestling). That same year, Hart wrestled Flair in the first Iron Man match held in the WWF.

He lost the title to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX after interference from Mr. Fuji, but shortly after won the original televised King of the Ring tournament in 1993, defeating Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow. 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.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Bret Hart ]

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