Hart Foundation Forever: Excellence, Tradition, and Family

The Hart Foundation was more than a faction. They were a family.  When one thinks of great families in professional wrestling, there is one name that stands above the rest. The Hart Family is about respect.

Starting with patriarch Stu Hart and Calgary Stampede Wrestling, and continuing with The Hart Dynasty, the Hart family is one of the most influential families in the business.

Stu Hart has trained some of the most iconic names in the infamous dungeon. Notable graduates of the dungeon include Jim The Anvil Neidhart, British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman, Edge (Adam Copeland), Christian Cage, Lance Storm, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, and many others. Stu Hart’s sons, Bruce and Keith, would all compete at the Calgary Stampede Shows.

Two brothers in particular became legends. Bret “Hitman” Hart, arguably the greatest of all time, and his younger brother, the late great  Owen Hart, became superstars.

The influence of the Hart Family lives on today with Jim Neidhart’s daughter Natalya, Tyson Kidd, DH Smith, and Brian Pillman’s son, Brian Pillman Jr., also known as Lexis King.

CM Punk pays tribute to the Harts in recent matches. AEW hosts an annual tournament called the Owen Hart Cup. Earlier this year, Bret Hart became a three-time WWE Hall of Famer. 

Hart Foundation Forever – The Dungeon 

Let’s go all the way back to the 1940s, in bitterly cold Saskatchewan. Stu Hart created his own territory, known as Stampede Wrestling.

He quickly became known as one of the most famous trainers in the business. In 1951, the Harts moved to Calgary, Alberta Canada into the Hart House in the basement was Stu Hart’s infamous dungeon.

The dungeon was where Hart would train the next big stars for Stampede.  According to Bret, he remembers being a little kid and hearing the screams of wannabe wrestlers echoing through the halls.

The Harts had 12 children. The youngest of the two, Bret and Owen, would go on to worldwide stardom. In 1984, financial pressure forced Stu to sell his territory to Titan Sports, also known as the WWF.

As part of the deal, Stampede wrestlers were signed, including Bret Hart,  Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith, and Dynamite Kid, just to name a few.

WWF

At first, Vince McMahon had no idea of the star power he had on his hands. Jim Neidhart made his debut in the WWE.  In his Stampede days, Jim Neidhart won an anvil toss.

This is what earned him the name The Anvil.  Shortly after his debut, he was managed by the WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart. Around this time, Bret Hart also made his WWF debut.

However, Bret’s debut was not as good as Neidhart’s.  Bret was given the gimmick of a cowboy.  Bret was dressed in pure white, complete with a cowboy hat and chaps.

Years later, in his DVD, The Hitman said he hated the gimmick. He said Where he came from, if you are going to be a cowboy, you had better be a real cowboy. 

He said he was about ready to quit when he talked to the ring agents about teaming him up with Jim The Anvil. They would have Jimmy Hart as their manager. They would be called The Hart Foundation.  

Pink and Black Attack

Tag team wrestling was on fire in the WWF. Bret “Hitman” Hart and Jim The Anvil Neidhart complemented each other well. Bret was the technical wrestler, and The Anvil was the power.

At WrestleMania 2, The Hart Foundation were the last two wrestlers eliminated by the late great Andre the Giant. Soon the Foundation were joined by their former Stampede competitors The British Bulldogs Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid.

It truly was a family affair, as Jim Neidhart married Bret’s sister, Ellie, and Davey Boy Smith married his other sister, Diana. The two teams put on a wrestling clinic. 

Every team has its moment. At first, the Harts wore black tights with either a blue or red stripe down the side. Then one nigh,t they decided to take a chance.

They wore pink and black tights to the ring. After that, they were unstoppable.  Bret decided to add a little coolness to his gear by wearing sunglasses. The new look propelled them to the WWF Tag Team Championship.

Guess who happened to be the current champions? That’s right, the British Bulldogs.  The Brits gained instant popularity with their mascot, a bulldog named Matilda.

This led to a tag team championship showdown: The Hart Foundation vs. The British Bulldogs for the WWF Tag Team Championship. After a brutal battle, the Hart Foundation defeated the Bulldogs, winning their first championship.

Even though the Foundation was completely capable of winning the title by themselves, they had help from the referee, Danny Davis.  They held the titles until losing to Strike Force, Tito Santana, and Rick Martel.

At WrestleMania IV, the Hart Foundation again found themselves in a Battle Royal. Neidhart was eliminated, but The Hitman, along with another former Stampede Star, Bad News Brown, were the last two.

Bad News conned Bret into believing that they would share the win. However, Brown ghettoblasted Hart from behind and eliminated him. An Angry Hitman returned to the ring and destroyed Browns trophy.

This was the first time we saw the hero side of the Hart. The Anvil supported his brother-in-law. The fans were starting to get behind the Hart Foundation.

Finally, the pink and black attack saw the light and fired their conniving manager, Jimmy Hart.  The Hart Foundation were now fan favorites.

At SummerSlam ’90, The Hart Foundation defeated Demolition in a 2-out-of-3 falls classic. At WrestleMania VII, they lost the titles to the Nasty Boys.

It was at this point that The Hitman and the Anvil decided to go their separate ways. No one knew that Bret Hart was about to become one of the greatest of all time. Neidhart decided to try his hand in the broadcasting booth. 

Excellence vs Perfection 

Bret “Hitman” Hart, on the other hand, continued his winning ways in the singles division. The Hitman was improving steadily with every match. He was soon dubbed the Excellence of Execution by Gorilla Monsoon.

The nickname was fitting as every move Bret Hart made was executed excellently. Eventually, Excellence met Perfection. Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig was the WWF Intercontinental Champion.

Equal to Bret in size and skill, Hennig truly was a perfect Intercontinental Champion. At SummerSlam ’92 at Madison Square Garden, Bret “Hitman” Hart challenged Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental Title.

The match was a masterpiece from beginning to end. It is a must-see for any technical wrestling fan. During the match, Bret even kicked out of Mr. Perfect’s finisher, the Perfectplex.

The entire arena was on their feet as Bret Hitman Hart defeated Mr. Perfect with the Sharpshooter, winning the WWF Intercontinental Title. Bret Hart had proved he was ready to be the best.

Even better, the new champion got to celebrate with his Dad, Stu, and his mom, Helen, who were in attendance. The Hitman had arrived. 

Later that year, Bret Hart won the 1991 King of the Ring tournament. The show was not televised.  On January 17, 1992, The Mountie defeated Bret Hart.

The Mountie however did not have time to enjoy his title win as Rowdy Roddy Piper defeated The Mountie wining his one and only singles title. Piper was a close friend of the Hart Family. 

The New Foundation 

On December 1, 1991, Neidhart returned again, but he wasn’t alone. He was now teaming with another Hart. No, it wasn’t Bret, it was his younger brother, Owen Hart. 

This was not Owen’s first WWE match, however. For the last few years, he was under disguise as the Blue Blazer. Blazer never really blazed the WWF fans over, so Owen decided to team with his brother-in-law.

They called themselves the New Foundation. Anvil’s time in the ring was coming to an end, but Owen’s was just beginning. Owen was nicknamed The Rocket as he flew around the ring.

Unfortunately, due to a disagreement with WWF management, The Anvil was fired. Owen decided to team with another high flyer, Koko B Ware. The team called themselves High Energy. 

Family Feud over Intercontinental Title

At WrestleMania VII, Bret Hart defeated Rowdy Roddy Piper. Hart was one of the few men in history to ever defeat Piper with a pin. 

SummerSlam 1992 was taking place at Wembley Stadium in the UK, and Bret would be defending his title against his brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, in the main event. It was the first time the Intercontinental Title main evented any PPV.

To make things more interesting, Diana Bret’s sister and the Bulldog’s wife were caught in the middle. The storyline looked like the brothers-in-law were at war, but in reality, Bret knew this was an opportunity to show the world.

According to Bret, Davey was partying a little too hard the night before Summerslam.  Bret had to keep his brother-in-law safe.

At the finish of the match, Bret did a sunset flip, but the Bulldog sat down and pinned the Hitman. Davey Boy Smith, Diana, and Bret Hart all celebrated. The match was voted match of the year.

Bret lost the Intercontinental title but gained so much more. Vince McMahon was impressed by the match. Bret Hitman Hart was about to become the WWF Champion.

Bret “Hitman” Hart WWF Champion

On October 12th, 1992, Bret Hitman Hart won his first WWF Championship defeating Ric Flair in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  This was the first of five WWF Championship wins for The Excellence of Execution. 

Razor Ramon tried to play mind games with Bret by attacking his younger brother, Owen.  It did not work as Razor submitted to the Sharpshooter.

Bret held the title until WrestleMania IX, when he was defeated by Yokozuna.  Despite losing the belt, Bret Hart entered the 1993 King of the Ring.

The Hitman defeated Razor, Mr. Perfect, and Bam Bam Bigelow en route to winning the KOTR. Unfortunately for Bret, another “King”, Jerry Lawler, took exception and started an attack against Bret and his family.

Lawler would berate Bret’s parents, Stu and Helen Hart. On screen, it looked as if the Hart family were angry at Lawler; however, both Stu and Helen have said their favorite memories were the Lawler feud because they got to be a part of it.

What else would you expect from a wrestling family? Things became so heated with Lawler that the feud lasted a few years, finally culminating in a Kiss My Foot Match. 

Brother vs Brother

At Survivor Series 1994, the Hart Brothers, Bret, Owen, Bruce, and Keith, challenged Shawn Michaels and three knights. Originally, this was supposed to be Lawler instead of HBK.

However, nothing the Harts loved more than beating up Shawn Michaels. The Harts won, but Owen was the only one eliminated. Owen Hart became bitter at his older brother.

He wanted a one-on-one match with Bret. Bret refused. Under no circumstances would he fight his brother. It appeared that during the holidays, the Hart brothers reconciled.

They decided to challenge the Quebecers, who were WWF Tag Team Champions, at the Royal Rumble. For a while, it did seem the Harts were on the same page, but when Bret’s leg was injured, the match was stopped.

Owen took his frustrations out on Bret by kicking out his injured leg. To the casual fan, it looked as though the Hart Brothers really were at war. However, according to Bret, this was all about helping Owen.

Owen was going to quit the WWF and become a firefighter. Bret wanted to see his brother succeed so what better way than to put him over yourself.

Later during the Royal Rumble match, The Hitman entered the rumble and was declared co-winner with Lex Luger when both participants’ feet hit the floor at the same time.

The Royal Rumble win gave both Bret and Lex a title shot at WrestleMania X. However, before his match with Yokozuna, The Hitman had some family business to attend to. 

In the opening bout, Bret Hart faced his brother Owen Hart. After a victory roll, Owen Hart defeated Bret. The Hitman was hoping this victory would put an end to their sibling rivalry, but Owen would not let it go.

Later in the night, Lex Luger lost to Yokozuna, which meant Bret Hart could finally get his rematch. Bret Hitman Hart won his second WWF Championship after Yokozuna lost his balance on a Banzai Drop. Everyone celebrated with the new champion except for Owen, who stood in the aisle, glaring at Bret Hart. 

In the next part of a chronicle of the Hart Foundation, it will dive further into the career of Owen Hart and his ascent in the WWF.