Bret Hart, also known as Bret “The Hitman” Hart, is a retired Canadian-American professional wrestler. His career is widely regarded as one of the most significant and tragic in the history of professional wrestling. He was born in a professional wrestling family, and his father was legendary professional wrestler and promoter Stu Hart. His professional wrestling training began in the infamous “Hart Dungeon” in Calgary, Alberta.
He made his first-ever wrestling debut in his father’s wrestling promotion, Stampede Wrestling. He spent a few years in this company and made his official WWE debut in 1984. During his initial character, he was placed in a tag team with his brother-in-law, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, and won the WWE Tag Team Championship twice. They quickly became one of the most famous teams in the entire company. In 1991, Hart moved to the singles division, and at SummerSlam 1991, he defeated Mr. Perfect to win the Intercontinental Championship.
In 1992, after Hulk Hogan left WWE, Vince McMahon looked at Bret Hart as the new leader who could lead his company. He continued to perform on a brilliant level, and in 1994, he faced his brother, Owen Hart, and Yokozuna in two different matches on the same night. One of the most controversial moments in his career took place at the Survivor Series 1997, where he had already informed WWE that he had joined WCW.
However, he refused to lose his World Championship against Shawn Michaels in his home country of Canada. Initially, it was planned that Hart would defeat Michaels and relinquish the title, but without telling Hart, Vince McMahon ordered the referee to ring the bell while Michaels had Bret Hart in the Sharpshooter, even though Hart never tapped. After the match, Hart spat in Vince’s face, destroyed TV equipment, and it was also reported that he punched Vince in the locker room before leaving for WCW.
His WCW career was widely considered a failure of management, and at the 1999 Starrcade, in a match against Goldberg, Hart took a “mule kick” to the head that caused a severe concussion. On top of this injury, he also suffered a stroke in 2002, which ultimately ended his professional wrestling career. Despite a broken relationship with the WWE, Hart returned to the WWE in 2006 for a Hall of Fame induction.
List of Bret Hart’s World Championship Wins
Bret Hart has won 7 World Championships in his legendary career. He won his first-ever World Championship in a house show at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where he defeated “The Nature Boy”, Ric Flair, to win the WWF Championship. This win officially launched the “New Generation” era of WWE, where Hart was the face of the company.
His most famous World Championship win happened at WrestleMania X, where he faced Yokozuna at Madison Square Garden, New York City. In this match, Hart defeated Yokozuna, and after the match, backstage wrestlers, like Lex Luger, Razor Ramon, and Macho Man, all came out to the ring and hoisted Hart on their shoulders.
His last World Championship win happened at the 1999 Starrcade, where he defeated Goldberg to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. During this match, Hart also suffered a severe concussion, which ultimately became the main reason for his eventual retirement from professional wrestling.
Here is a detailed table summarizing Bret Hart’s WWE World Championships:
| Title | Date | Opponents | Event |
| WWF Championship | Oct 12, 1992 | Ric Flair | House Show |
| WWF Championship | March 20, 1994 | Yokozuna | WrestleMania X |
| WWF Championship | Nov 19, 1995 | Diesel | Survivor Series |
| WWF Championship | Feb 16, 1997 | Austin, Vader, Undertaker | In Your House 13: Final Four |
| WWF Championship | Aug 3, 1997 | The Undertaker | SummerSlam |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | Nov 21, 1999 | Chris Benoit | WCW Mayhem |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | Dec 20, 1999 | Goldberg | WCW Monday Nitro |
FAQs
Q. Are Bret Hart and Owen Hart related in real life?
A. Owen Hart was Bret Hart’s real-life brother.
Q. Why did Bret Hart retire from professional wrestling?
A. At WCW Starrcade 1999, Goldberg delivered a “mule kick” that struck Hart directly in the head. This ultimately became the main reason why he retired from professional wrestling.
Q. Is Bret Hart a WWE Hall of Famer?
A. He was officially inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the class of 2006.
Q. What is the Montreal Screwjob?
A. The Montreal Screwjob is one of the most famous incidents that took place at the Survivor Series 1997, where Vince McMahon screwed Hart and cost him the World Championship, which led to real-life issues between them.
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