The Hart Foundation

Jimmy Hart thought of the moniker 'The Hit Man' for Bret after the legendary boxer Thomas 'Hit Man' Hearns' loss to Sugar Ray Leonard, though Bret always jokes about the fact that he first earned the nickname by beating his little sisters as a kid! Under the able guidance of Jimmy Hart, the Hart Foundation earned the reputation of being on of the most rule breaking teams in history. Their devastating finisher - The Hart Attack destroyed many an opponent. Bret's first major Pay Per View outing was at Wrestle Mania II, where he was eventually eliminated by the late Andre the Giant.

The Hart Foundation worked their way to the top and won the WWF Tag Team Titles from the British Bulldogs (Daveyboy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) in early 1987. The Hart Foundation would be engaged in a bitter feud with the British Bulldogs for years to come. The very same year, The Hart Foundation also made their Wrestle Mania debut at Wrestle Mania III where they teamed with Danny Davis to take on and beat "El Matador" Tito Santana and The British Bulldogs. However, later that year, Strike Force defeated the Hart Foundation for the tag team titles.

Bret Hart's atletisism and no-nonsense wrestling style won him many admirers and the World Wrestling Federation's fan mail was filled with letters for the Hit Man. Vince McMahon then decided to "go with the flow" and turn the Hart Foundation face.

At Wrestle Mania 4, Bret Hart went into the Battle Royal against 20 other contenders. The winner would be presented with a seven-foot high giant trophee. Minutes later, the only two men left in the ring were Bret Hart and Bad News Brown. Both being classic heels, hugged each other and pretended that they were not going to fight. But as soon as Bret turned his head, Bad News Brown landed a flying heel kick that sent the Hit Man all the way out of the ring and onto the concrete floor. Bad News Brown double-crossed Bret and won the trophee. Or did he? As soon as Bret realized what had happened, he jumped back into the ring and destroyed Brown. Bret grabbed the trophee, lifted it high and brought it down crashing to the mat, while the fans cheered on. Bret turned face instantly, a position he would relenquish 9 years later... well, atleast in the United States.

The Hart Foundation

Babyface Bret Hart

The very same year, The Hart Foundation took on Ax and Crush of the Demolition at SummerSlam, but the vetern Ax ended up pinning the Hit Man to retain the title. Over the next few years, the Hart Foundation went on to compete in 12 man tag team matches at major pay-per-views beating such teams as the Rougeau Brothers and The Rockers (Marty Jennetty and Shawn Michaels). However, the gold seemed to evade the Hart Foundation everytime. Then, at the 1990 SummerSlam, The Hart Foundation took on long time nemesis The Demolition (Ax and Crush) in a '2 out of 3' pin falls match for the tag team titles. Bret eventually pinned Crush and The Hart Foundation were tag-team champions once again!

At the 1990 Survivor Series, The Hart Foundation with Koko B Ware and Dusty Rhodes, took on Ted Dibiase, Greg "Hammer" Valentine, Honky Tonk Man and a debuting Mark "The Undertaker" Callaway. Bret was the last man eliminated, courtsey The Million Dollar Man.

The Hart Foundation would then go on to defend their titles successfully for the next eight months. Their title reign was ended by The Nasty Boys, when Jerry Saggs nailed Jim Neidhart with Jimmy Hart's annoying megaphone.

Shortly after the title loss, Bret Hart earned his first shot at the Intercontinental title against second generation superstar, Mr. Perfect. In what is my most memorable match of all time, Bret Hart defeated the great Mr. Perfect for the title with the "Sharpshooter", a developed by Bret Hart with a little help from his father Stu. Bret held the gold high to all sections of the crowd, as Helen and Stu Hart cheered on....Page 3 >>