The Hart Dynasty
The Hart Dynasty (left to right): Tyson Kidd, Natalya and David Hart Smith
Stable
Members	David Hart Smith Tyson Kidd Natalya Teddy Hart Ted DiBiase, Jr. Bret Hart
Name(s)	The Hart Dynasty[1] Hart Trilogy[2] New Hart Foundation Next Generation Hart Foundation
Debut	June 26, 2007
Disbanded	November 15, 2010
Promotions	FCW WWE

The Hart Dynasty was a professional wrestling stable that appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment. The unit consisted of the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, and WWE Diva Natalya. The name comes from the connection of all three wrestlers to the Hart wrestling family; Tyson Kidd trained under Bret Hart and at Stu Hart's Dungeon, David Hart Smith is the son of Davey Boy Smith, and Natalya is the daughter of Jim Neidhart.

History[link]

World Wrestling Entertainment[link]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2007–2009)[link]

The Hart Dynasty (from left to right): Natalya, David Hart Smith, and Tyson Kidd.

In 2007, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) launched their new development territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). David Hart Smith, Nattie Neidhart, and TJ Wilson were moved to the new farm territory, where they aligned themselves and formed the Next/New Generation Hart Foundation (also known simply The New Hart Foundation) and were later joined by Teddy Hart and Ted DiBiase, Jr.. At FCW's debut show on June 26, Smith won a 21-man battle royal to become the promotion's first Southern Heavyweight Champion. Plans to bring the stable to WWE's main roster were made but Teddy Hart was released from his development contract in October. Eventually, DiBiase, Neidhart, and Smith, after losing the Southern Heavyweight Championship, were all called up to the main roster, albeit on separate shows, as DiBiase and Smith (using the name DH Smith) were sent to Raw and Neidhart to SmackDown, disbanding the Next Generation Hart Foundation. After being drafted to SmackDown, Smith returned to FCW—without ever debuting on SmackDown—and reformed the stable with Wilson. With Neidhart's (renamed Natalya) help they won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on October 30, 2008, by defeating Joe Hennig and Heath Slater.^[3] They held the championship until December 11, when they lost to Johnny Curtis and Tyler Reks.^[3] After losing the championship, they were once again split up when TJ Wilson (renamed Tyson Kidd) was called up to the ECW brand with Natalya as his valet.

Main roster and Face turn (2009–2010)[link]

In the 2009 WWE Supplemental Draft, Natalya and Smith were officially drafted to the ECW brand, despite Smith never debuting for SmackDown. On the May 12 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Smith debuted on ECW under the name David Hart Smith, by interfering in Kidd's match against Finlay, signaling the reformation of the group, briefly under the name The Hart Trilogy,^[2] before settling on The Hart Dynasty.^[1] Smith made his debut with the group by defeating Finlay the following week.^[4] The team had their first match together, alongside Jack Swagger, by defeating fellow Canadian Christian and Tommy Dreamer in a handicap match on May 26.^[5] They made their first appearance as just a tag team on the June 9 episode of ECW by defeating Christian and Swagger.^[6] On June 29, the trio were traded to the SmackDown brand and debuted as a team for the brand on the July 3 episode of SmackDown, when Kidd and Smith lost to Cryme Tyme.^[7] The Hart Dynasty made their pay-per-view debut at Bragging Rights in a 14 man tag team match in which their team was successful in winning. They also had their first match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against D-Generation X in December, but lost.^[8]

On March 28, 2010, The Hart Dynasty, (along with the rest of the Hart family), were in their uncle Bret's corner as he faced Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania XXVI, performing a Hart Attack on McMahon during the match and officially becoming fan favorites as a result.^[9] The following night on Raw, The Hart Dynasty defeated the Unified Tag Team Championship ShoMiz (The Miz and The Big Show) in a non-title match, after ShoMiz had insulted Bret Hart.^[10]

Tag Team Champions and split (2010)[link]

At Extreme Rules, they earned a shot at the Unified Tag Team Championship after defeating ShoMiz as part of a tag team gauntlet match (which also included the team of John Morrison and R-Truth and the team of Montel Vontavious Porter and Mark Henry).^[11] On the April 26 episode of Raw, The Hart Dynasty defeated ShoMiz to win the Unified Tag Team Championship.^[12][13][14] The following day, all three members were officially drafted to the Raw brand in the 2010 WWE Supplemental Draft.^[15] On May 10, Kidd defeated The Miz in a match which earned any member of The Hart Dynasty a match for The Miz's WWE United States Championship. The Miz was allowed to pick his opponent for the championship match, and he chose to face Bret Hart.^[16] On the following episode of Raw on May 17, Hart defeated The Miz to win his fifth United States Championship, with help from the other members of The Hart Dynasty, who prevented Chris Jericho, William Regal, and Vladimir Kozlov from interfering on The Miz's behalf.^[17][18] At the Over the Limit pay-per-view, The Hart Dynasty defeated The Miz and Chris Jericho to retain the championship.^[19]

On May 24, 2010, Hart was named as the Raw General Manager and vacated the United States Championship as a result. On the same episode of Raw, The Hart Dynasty began a rivalry with a group composed of Jimmy and Jey Uso, the sons of Rikishi, and Tamina, the daughter of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.^[20] This led to a non-title six-person mixed tag team match at the Fatal 4-Way pay per view, where Natalya pinned Tamina to win the match.^[21] The following night on Raw, Hart was fired as General Manager.^[22] The following month at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, The Hart Dynasty and The Usos competed in a tag team match for the Unified Tag Team Championship, which Kidd and Smith won to retain the championship.^[23]

On the August 16 episode of Raw, the World Tag Team Championship was retired, making the Hart Dynasty the final champions. On the same night, Bret Hart presented The Hart Dynasty with brand new WWE Tag Team Championship belts.^[24] At Night of Champions, The Hart Dynasty lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre in a Tag Team Turmoil match which also involved The Usos, Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella, and the team of Evan Bourne and Mark Henry.^[25] After a failed attempt to regain the championship, in which Kidd was pushed off balance during their double-team Hart Attack move, Kidd and Smith began to have a falling out with one another.

This culminated on the November 15 episode of Raw, when Kidd refused to tag in and attacked Smith during a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Nexus (Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater). Kidd became a heel once again as a result of this.^[26] Smith defeated Kidd in a singles match on the November 25 episode of WWE Superstars. Afterward, Smith offered to shake Kidd's hand, but Kidd refused and instead slapped him across the face.^[27] On the following episode of Raw, Kidd defeated Smith in a rematch.^[28]

David Hart Smith was released from his WWE Contract on August 5th 2011.

In wrestling[link]

The Hart Dynasty as WWE Tag Team Champions.

• Finishing moves
  • Sharpshooter

• Double team finishing moves
  • Hart Attack (Bearhug hold, springboard lariat takedown combination)

• Manager
  • Bret Hart
• Natalya

• Entrance themes
  • "Heartless" by Jim Johnston (2009)
  • "New Foundation" by Jim Johnston and performed by Jimi Bell (2009 - 2010)
  • "Return of the Hitman" by Jim Johnston (WWE; 2010–2011) Used With Bret Hart

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Florida Championship Wrestling
  • FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – DH Smith and TJ Wilson^[3]
  • FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times) – Harry Smith (1), TJ Wilson (1)

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd^[12]
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd^[13]
  • WWE United States Championship (1 time) – Bret Hart^[17]

• WrestleSlam Awards
  • Tag Team of the Year (2010)

See also[link]

Professional wrestling portal

• Hart wrestling family
• The Hart Foundation

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: TJ Wilson or Harry Smith (wrestler) or Natalya Neidhart or Bret Hart

• David Hart Smith's WWE profile
• Tyson Kidd's WWE profile
• Natalya's WWE profile

The Hartford Courant is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is often recognized as the oldest continuously-published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and east of Waterbury, its headquarters on Broad Street are a short walk from the state capitol. It reports regional news with a chain of bureaus in smaller cities and a series of local editions. Since 2000, it has been owned by Tribune Company, which later combined the paper's management and facilities with those of Tribune-owned WTIC-TV in Hartford.

History[link]

The Connecticut Courant began as a weekly on October 29, 1764, started by Thomas Green. The word "courant," borrowed from the Dutch, was a popular name for English-language newspapers. The daily Hartford Courant traces its existence back to the weekly, thereby claiming the title "America's oldest continuously published newspaper" and adopting as its slogan, "Older than the nation." (The New Hampshire Gazette, which started publication in 1756 and all but disappeared into other publications for most of a century, trademarked the title of oldest paper in the nation after being revived as a small biweekly in 1989. See also, The New York Post as oldest daily, and Time magazine's view of "oldest" claims.)

The Courant was purchased in 1979 by Times Mirror, the Los Angeles Times' parent company. The first years of out-of-town ownership are described by a former Courant reporter in a book titled Spiked: How Chain Management Corrupted America's Oldest Newspaper. ^[3] One criticism was that the new owners were more interested in awards, and less interested in traditional Courant devotion to exhaustive coverage of local news.

The Courant won a 1992 Pulitzer Prize for inquiring into problems with the Hubble Space Telescope (a Connecticut company was involved in the construction), and it won a 1999 Pulitzer Prize in the Breaking News category for coverage of a 1998 murder-suicide that took five lives at Connecticut Lottery headquarters. A series of articles about sexual abuse by the head of a worldwide catholic order, published since February 1997, constituted the first denunciation of Marciel Maciel known to a wider audience.^[4][5]

The current building of the Hartford Courant Co.

In 2000, Times Mirror and the Courant became part of the Tribune Company, one of the world's largest multimedia companies. Ironically, along the way, the Courant also acquired the Valley Advocate group of "alternative" weeklies started by two disgruntled Courant staff members in 1973. Under new ownership, it is co-owned with two local television stations: Fox affiliate WTIC-TV and The CW affiliate WCCT-TV.

The Courant is the most recent American newspaper to win the Society for News Design's World's Best Designed Newspaper award (awarded in 2005).^[6] In 2006, the paper's investigation into mental health and suicides among Americans serving in the Iraq war was featured in the PBS documentary series Exposé: America's Investigative Reports in an episode entitled "Question 7."

In late June 2006, the Tribune Co. announced that Courant publisher Jack W. Davis Jr. would by replaced by Stephen D. Carver, vice president and general manager of Atlanta, Ga., TV station WATL. In March 2009, Tribune replaced Carver with Richard Graziano, who was given a dual role as Courant publisher and general manager of Tribune's two Hartford television statons.^{[citation needed]} In May of the same year, Tribune announced that Jeff Levine, a newspaper executive with a background in marketing, would become "director of content" and that the editor or "print platform manager" of the Courant would report to Levine as would the news director of WTIC-TV. Shortly after that, the Courant's two highest ranking editors were let go.^[7][8]

In recent^[when?] years the Courant has offered early retirement and buyout packages to reduce staff as it continues to experience declines in advertising revenue. There have also been layoffs; the Courant announced in June 2008 that it would lay off about 25% of its newsroom staff. Moreover, in September 2008, it would reduce the number of pages in its weekday editions.

An unspecified number of newsroom layoffs were again announced in July 2011. Newsroom staff peaked in 1994 at close to 400 staff, down to 175 staff by 2008, and 135 staff in 2009.^[9]

Politics[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In its most recent endorsements for U.S. President, Connecticut Senator, and Connecticut Governor, the Courant endorsed the Democratic candidate each time. In all three cases, the state of Connecticut voted in agreement with the endorsement.

• 2008 U.S. President: Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain. "In its 244-year history, The Courant has endorsed only one Democratic candidate for president, Bill Clinton. Today we endorse a second Democrat, Sen. Barack Obama, with the hope that if elected, he governs from the middle as Mr. Clinton did. Mr. Obama must resist serving only his party's interests and instead serve the greater interests of a worried nation."^[10]

• 2010 Connecticut Senate: Democrat Richard Blumenthal over Republican Linda McMahon. "We go with state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the Democrat, in our hope that, if elected, he will advocate for Connecticut in Washington as successfully as he's advocated for the state's people from Hartford these past two decades."^[11]

• 2010 Connecticut Governor: Democrat Dan Malloy over Republican Tom Foley. "Connecticut voters have a tough choice in this year's gubernatorial race, and that is a good thing. Both major-party candidates, Democrat Dannel Malloy, 55, of Stamford, and Republican Tom Foley, 58, of Greenwich, are smart, forceful and energetic. Both are up to the job. Both agree the state needs to live within its means and improve its economy. However, Mr. Malloy's experience in municipal government persuades The Courant he is the best candidate."^[12]

When two newspapers were published in Hartford, The Courant was editorially Republican and did not endorse a non-Republican for president until Bill Clinton. When the Hartford Times ceased publication in 1976, The Courant's editorial page took an independent stance. It has endorsed Republicans and Democrats.

While the Courant editorially has recently endorsed Republican presidential candidates, its editorial approach to state government in recent decades has traditionally been liberal and opposed to what it considers short-sighted conservatism. Its strong endorsement of former Senator Lowell Weicker was decisive in the 1990 gubernatorial election. It endorsed his Lieutenant Governor Eunice Groark for Governor in 1994. After Republican Governor John G. Rowland announced major development initiatives for downtown Hartford, the Courant endorsed his 1998 and 2002 re-election bids. In 2006 the Courant endorsed Democrat John DeStefano, Jr. for Governor, but he was defeated soundly by incumbent Governor M. Jodi Rell.

The Courant's long-time law firm, Tyler Cooper & Alcorn, also happened to be the Connecticut Republican Party's law firm. That business relationship with the Republican Party ended when Tyler Cooper lawyers fought aggressively on behalf of The Courant to uncover a police report about an alleged domestic incident at Rowland's Middlebury home.

In July 2006 the Courant weighed in on the contentious Connecticut Democratic senate primary by endorsing incumbent Joe Lieberman. The Courant also endorsed his bid in the general election.

Controversies[link]

2009 Plagiarism[link]

In September 2009 the Courant's publisher, Richard Graziano, publicly apologized as the newspaper accepted a plagiarism charge. Competitors had accused the Courant of taking its content without permission and refusing to give proper credit.^[13][1]

2009 Sleepy's[link]

In August 2009, the Courant attracted some controversy over its firing of George Gombossy, a 40-year veteran of the paper and its consumer advocate at the time. Gombossy charged that the Courant had spiked an article he had written about an ongoing investigation by the Connecticut attorney general accusing Sleepy's (a major advertiser in the paper) of selling used and bedbug-infested mattresses as new.^[14][15][16]

Gombossy's lawsuit against the Courant was thrown out by a Connecticut Superior Court judge in July 2010. In his decision, Judge Marshall K. Berger, Jr. remarked that newspaper owners and editors have a "paramount" right to "control [the] content of their papers," further observing that in his role at the Courant, Gombossy had "no constitutional right to publish anything."^[17]

However, Gombossy's attorneys filed a second complaint, and Judge Berger reinstated the complaint. The case is headed to trial in the fall of 2011.

Prices[link]

The Courant prices are: $1.00 Daily, $2.00 Sunday.

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Courant online
• The Courant mobile
• History of The Hartford Courant
• Columbia Journalism Review's "Who Owns What" page about media companies.

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Bret Hart
Hart in 2010.
Ring name(s)	Bret Hart[1] Brett Hart[1] Buddy Hart[1]
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Billed weight	234 lb (106 kg)
Born	(1957-07-02) July 2, 1957 (age 54)[1] Calgary, Alberta, Canada[1]
Billed from	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Trained by	Stu Hart[1] Katsuji Adachi[1] Kazuo Sakurada Harley Race[1] The Iron Sheik[citation needed]
Debut	1978[3]
Retired	2000;[4] has made sporadic in-ring appearances since

Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian American writer, actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE under a Legends contract. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College. Along with his famed "Hit Man" nickname, Hart was known by the monikers "The Excellence of Execution", "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be" and "The Pink and Black Attack"—the latter being in reference to his ring attire, as well as his signature mirrored sunglasses, which he routinely gave away to a young audience member before matches.

Hart joined his father Stu Hart's promotion, Stampede Wrestling, in 1976, carrying out non-wrestling duties. He made his in-ring debut in 1978.^[3] He found mainstream popularity and championship success throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—later WWE), where he helmed the Hart Foundation faction and was a challenger for singles and tag team championships in both decades. He left for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) following the controversial "Montreal Screwjob" in 1997, where he enjoyed continued championship success until his departure from that promotion in 2000, due to a 1999 concussion. He officially retired in October 2000. In a publication that year, WCW described Hart as "universally respected by other wrestlers", and "perhaps the greatest pure wrestler ever to lace up a pair of boots."^[5] He returned to sporadic in-ring competition in 2004 and 2006, and in 2010 with WWE, where he won his final championship, headlined that year's SummerSlam event, and served as the General Manager of Raw. He makes occasional appearances for WWE, who has described him as "arguably the greatest technical wrestler in WWE history."^[6] In other WWE publications, Hart has been described as one of the biggest names in the history of the business,^[7][8] and perhaps the most popular in the world by the mid 1990s.^[9]

Hart has held championships in five decades from the 1970s to the 2010s, with a total of thirty-two held throughout his career, and seventeen held between the WWF/WWE and WCW. He is a seven-time world champion, having held the WWF Championship five times and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice. He spent more time as WWF Champion than any other wrestler during the 1990s, with a total of 654 days as champion, and was the first WCW World Heavyweight Champion born outside the United States. He is also a record-tying five-time WCW/WWE United States Champion, with his four WCW reigns being the most in the history of the organization; and the second WWF Triple Crown Champion and fifth (with Bill Goldberg) WCW Triple Crown Champion. He was the first man to win both the WWF and WCW Triple Crown Championships. In addition to championships, he is the 1994 Royal Rumble winner (with Lex Luger), and the only two-time King of the Ring in WWE history, having won the 1991 tournament and the first King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1993. Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by former on-screen rival, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Early life[link]

The eighth child of wrestling patriarch Stu Hart, Bret Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta into the Hart wrestling family. His introduction to professional wrestling came at an early age. As a child, he witnessed his father training future wrestling stars like Billy Graham in the Dungeon, his household basement which served as possibly the most notorious training room in the world of wrestling. Before school, Hart's father, also a wrestling promoter, had him hand out fliers to local wrestling shows. In the 1998 documentary, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, Hart reflected on his father's discipline, describing how Stu inflicted excruciating submission holds while uttering morbid words to his teenage son. The suffering endured in these sessions even left broken blood vessels in his eyes. Hart also, cited his father's otherwise pleasant demeanor and growing up in the professional wrestling atmosphere. Hart also repeated these statements in his 2007 autobiography.^[10]

Amateur wrestling[link]

At Ernest Manning High School, Hart became a standout student in the amateur wrestling division. Hart has stated that he joined the wrestling team "for the sole reason that my dad expected me to... no-one asked me to."^[11] He would go on to win significant championships in tournaments throughout Alberta, including the 1974 city championships in Calgary. He would score a victory over competitor Bob Eklund – who would go on to become a CIS national champion, winning Outstanding Wrestler of the Year 1980-1981^[12] – en route to the championship.^[13] Hart describes the moment where he displayed the medal to his father, Stu, as a "powerful moment", and that the relationship with his father "took a different direction from that point on."^[11] To this day, Hart considers his scholastic medal as one of his most prized possessions, "The fact is, even after winning all the big pro wrestling championships in both organizations, including seven world heavyweight titles that took me around the world, I still hold in high regard the city championship medal I won back in '74. It did so much to bolster my confidence and self esteem that it proved to be one of the biggest turning points in my entire life." After reading a Calgary Sun column by Hart, Canadian Olympic amateur wrestling gold medalist Daniel Igali told Hart that it means a lot to him to know how much that medal means to Hart.^[14]

By 1977, Hart was collegiate champion at Mount Royal College, where he was studying filmmaking;^[11][15] his coaches and other people around him felt that he had shown sufficient promise to compete at the following year's Commonwealth Games, and encouraged him to begin training for the event. Hart, however, was beginning to find amateur wrestling unrewarding amid injuries and fluctuating weight, and wanted to "get off this train".^[11][16] Hart has told how Stu still believed that his son, whom he described as being able to "turn around in his own skin", was capable of making it to the Olympic or Commonwealth Games if he put forth the effort. When asked by his father, "Don't you want to walk down the street and hear people say, there goes Bret Hart; he won a gold medal in wrestling?", Hart replied, "I'd rather drive by those very same people in a brand-new car", alluding to his dream of becoming a successful film director.^[17] Hart felt that the only way to give up amateur wrestling, without disappointing his father, was to become a professional wrestler. His college grades became poorer as his interest in filmmaking waned; he dedicated himself to professional wrestling, and began training with his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion.^[11] Hart has often spoken of how helpful his amateur background was in his professional wrestling career, and also of what a positive effect amateur wrestling has on junior high school and high school-aged boys in terms of building self confidence.^[14]

Professional wrestling career[link]

Stampede Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling (1976–1984)[link]

In 1976, Hart began working for his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary. Hart first began helping the promotion by refereeing matches, but at one fateful event, a wrestler was unable to perform his match.^[18] This forced Stu to ask his son to stand in as a replacement, paving the way for Hart's very first match in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Before long, he became a regular contender, eventually partnering with brother Keith to win the Tag Team Championship four times. Earlier on, however, he was still unsure he wanted to make a career of professional wrestling and continually contemplated the idea.

Hart gained some of his most prominent experience with Japanese combatants and real-life trainers Mr. Hito and Mr. Sakurada, later praising them as his most significant teachers. Before long, Hart was amazing crowds with his high-impact matches against the Dynamite Kid. In the midst of wrestling alongside his brothers and even his aging father, Hart made a point not to ride on the shoulders of his elders as other sons of promoters have. Hart faithfully jobbed as requested of him, taking pride in the believability of his performances. As he said himself, "no one could take a shit kicking like Bret Hart."^[11] Although he dreaded partaking in interviews and speaking in front of a crowd, Hart went on to win the promotion's top titles, including two British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championships, five International Tag Team Championships, and six North American Heavyweight Championships. Hart also wrestled the famous Tiger Mask in New Japan Pro Wrestling, a promotion for whom he often wrestled during the early-to-mid 1980s. He remained one of Stampede's most successful performers until the promotion, along with several wrestlers, was acquired by the World Wrestling Federation in August 1984.

World Wrestling Federation[link]

Debut and Hart Foundation (1984–1991)[link]

Hart (left) with Jim Neidhart behind him as The Hart Foundation.

Hart was asked to start out in the World Wrestling Federation as a singles wrestler with a cowboy gimmick but refused, citing that where he comes from "if you called yourself a cowboy, you'd better be one".^[19] He instead requested to join Jimmy Hart's heel stable, the Hart Foundation, which included brother-in-law Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. He made his televised World Wrestling Federation debut on August 29, 1984, in a tag team match where he teamed with another brother-in-law, The Dynamite Kid.^[20] On September 11, in Poughkeepsie, New York, Hart defeated Aldo Marino in his televised debut singles match, which aired on the September 29 edition of Superstars. By 1985, he was billed as Bret "Hit Man" Hart^[6] and began to increasingly team with Neidhart in order to build the promotion's tag team division. The "Hart Foundation" name then became exclusive to Hart, Neidhart and manager Jimmy Hart, due to the similar family names of both team members and their manager.^[1] Hart's agile, technical style—which earned him the moniker "The Excellence of Execution" (coined by Gorilla Monsoon)^[6][21]—created an intriguing contrast with his partner Neidhart's strength and brawling skills. During this time, Hart began wearing his signature^[22] mirrored sunglasses, initially to conceal his nervousness during promos.^[11] Hart considers his microphone work throughout his career to have been a weakness in his repertoire: he instead relied on his in-ring performances to win over the fans.^[23]

In 1986, Hart began his first singles program, with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. In a match originally planned for WrestleMania II,^[24] he lost to Steamboat at the Boston Garden on March 8, 1986, which would be included on Hart's 2005 DVD as one of his all-time favorite matches.^[11] At WrestleMania II, Hart would instead participate in a 20-man battle royal which was eventually won by André the Giant.^[25] Hart was the last man to be eliminated by André, however.^[26] He lost to Steamboat again on the July 28, 1986 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.^[27] Hart headlined his first televised WWF card when he beat Ray Rougeau, of The Fabulous Rougeaus, in the main event of the November 3, 1986 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.^[27] The Hart Foundation won their first of two World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championships on the February 7, 1987 edition of Superstars when they defeated the British Bulldogs.^[28][29]

The Hart Foundation would adopt the nickname, "The Pink and Black Attack", which would continue to be used by Bret after the team's disbandment. This was in reference to the team's ring attire, as well as Hart's signature mirrored sunglasses, which he would routinely give away to a young audience member before matches, following his face turn in 1988.^[22][30][31] As Hart's WWF career progressed, he would also increasingly describe himself as "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be" (derived from the 1984 film The Natural), which he would later justify through three claims: he never injured an opponent through any fault of his own; through the entire course of his career he missed only one show (as a result of flight difficulties); and that he only once refused to lose a match—his final WWF match with long-time adversary Shawn Michaels at the Survivor Series event in 1997, which culminated in the now infamous Montreal Screwjob.^[32]

For his entrances, Hart often wore a leather jacket with shoulder tassels, sunglasses and bright pink attire.

The Hart Foundation lost the WWF Tag Team Championship to Strike Force on the October 27 edition of Superstars.^[28] Hart subsequently competed in his most high-profile singles contest to date on the November 28, 1987 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, when he faced "Macho Man" Randy Savage in a losing effort.^[33] He began 1988 with a decisive victory over Paul Roma of The Young Stallions (who had scored an upset victory over the Hart Foundation the previous year^[34]) on January 11 edition of Prime Time Wrestling,^[27] and, at WrestleMania IV, was the last man eliminated in a battle royal by the eventual winner Bad News Brown, which set the wheels in motion for a face turn.^[35] Due to Hart's increasing popularity, Vince McMahon approached him with the idea of splitting up the Hart Foundation and turning him face, telling Hart that he received the most fan mail of any of his wrestlers.^[36] Ultimately, McMahon decided that the Hart Foundation were too over to split up, but would turn the team face, and have them sack Jimmy Hart as their manager. As a face, Hart enjoyed significant popularity in singles wrestling. In his first singles championship opportunity, he challenged The Honky Tonk Man for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in the main event of the July 18 edition of Prime Time Wrestling, with the match ending in a double count-out.^[27]

At a live event in Milan on April 8, 1989, André the Giant requested to work a singles match with Hart. Hart lost the match, but considered André's praise and encouragement after the match to be of key importance in his singles career.^[37] He wrestled his first pay-per-view singles match on October 10, losing to Dino Bravo in the first British WWF pay-per-view, which was held at the London Arena and broadcast on Sky Television^[38] (Hart was in fact booked to win the match, but incurred a broken sternum, causing an unplanned count-out loss^[11]). Hart would score victories over the likes of Barry Horowitz (who had previously wrestled as "Brett Hart"^[39]),^[40] Steve Lombardi^[28] (whom Hart had wrestled in his first WWF match^[11]) and defecting Hart Foundation member "Dangerous" Danny Davis^[28] throughout 1989. In the first televised contest of a rivalry that would span Hart's WWF and WCW careers, he lost to Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig on the November 6, 1989 edition of Prime Time Wrestling, when Perfect pulled Hart's tights during a roll-up.^[41] In their first ever singles meeting, Shawn Michaels and Hart wrestled to a double count-out on the February 11, 1990 edition of the Wrestling Challenge.^[42]

At SummerSlam in 1990, the Hart Foundation began their second, and final, WWF Tag Team Championship reign by defeating Demolition members Crush and Smash in a two out of three falls match with some help from the Legion of Doom.^[43][44] On October 30, the Hart Foundation lost the title to The Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels), but a few days later, President Jack Tunney returned the title to the Hart Foundation because the decision had been reversed due to a rope coming off of the turnbuckle during the match and the win was never acknowledged on television. The Hart Foundation's reign lasted until WrestleMania VII, where they lost to The Nasty Boys, after which the team split.^[45]

Intercontinental Champion (1991–1992)[link]

Hart won his first WWF Intercontinental Championship by defeating Mr. Perfect with the Sharpshooter at SummerSlam in 1991,^[46][47] and subsequently won the 1991 King of the Ring tournament on September 7, 1991 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Hart's first pay-per-view title defense occurred at This Tuesday in Texas, where he beat the undefeated Skinner.^[48]

In January 1992, Hart placed in a feud with the Mountie. This feud came about when the Mountie's manager, Jimmy Hart, threw water on Hart. Then, the Mountie proceeded to shock Hart with a cattle prod. Following the loss, Roddy Piper (his real life cousin) defeated Mountie with a sleeper hold at the 1992 Royal Rumble,^[49] and Bret would later pin Piper for his second Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania VIII later that year,^[50][51] making him the first, and one of few wrestlers to ever pin Piper's shoulders to the mat.^[11] At a Wrestling Challenge taping on July 21, 1992, Hart defeated Shawn Michaels, with the Intercontinental Championship suspended above the ring, in the WWF's first ever Ladder match, which would subsequently be made available on multiple Coliseum/WWE Home Video releases.^[52] Hart dropped the Intercontinental Championship to his brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, in Hart's first WWF pay-per-view main event at SummerSlam 1992 held before over 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.^[53] Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers voted it the "Match of the Year";^[54] WWE has named the match as the greatest in the history of SummerSlam.^[55] Upon induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, Hart would cite the contest as his favorite match of his career.^[56]

WWF Champion, various rivalries and hiatus (1992-1996)[link]

Hart with his WWF Championship underneath his jacket.

Hart won the WWF Championship from Ric Flair at a Superstars taping at Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on October 12 of that year, in a match not originally broadcast on WWF television^[57]—the match was instead made available on a series of Coliseum/WWE Home Video releases.^[58] Hart dislocated one of the fingers on his right hand during the match and popped it back in himself so it would not affect the rest of the match.^[11] He would headline his first pay-per-view as champion with a successful title defense against Shawn Michaels at the 1992 Survivor Series,^[59] and defeated Razor Ramon at the 1993 Royal Rumble.^[60] He would also defend the title against contenders such as Papa Shango^[61] and former champion Ric Flair^[6] before losing the title to Yokozuna in his first WrestleMania main event at WrestleMania IX, after interference from Mr. Fuji. Fuji then challenged Hulk Hogan, who had come out to help Hart, to compete for the title; Hogan then won his fifth WWF Championship from Yokozuna.^[62] Shortly after, however, Hart won the first pay-per-view King of the Ring tournament in 1993 (prior King of the Ring tournaments were non-televised live events), defeating Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, and Bam Bam Bigelow, thus becoming the only two-time King of the Ring in WWE history.^[63] After being crowned as the King of the Ring, Hart was attacked by Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler claimed he was the rightful King and began a barrage against Hart and his family. This began an intense two-year feud which would go on to be considered as one of the greatest in professional wrestling history. The two met at SummerSlam in 1993, to determine the "Undisputed King of the World Wrestling Federation",^[64] where Hart originally won the match by submission, via the Sharpshooter. Hart, however, would not let go of the hold and the decision was reversed to a Lawler victory by disqualification^[65] (according to Hart, he was scheduled to defeat WWF Champion Hulk Hogan at the event, but Hogan elected to drop the belt to Yokozuna instead in his last WWF appearance at the 1993 King of the Ring).^[66] Hart and his younger brother, Owen Hart, would also feud with Lawler during 1993 in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), with Lawler notably defeating Owen for Owen's USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship.^[67] Hart's feud with Lawler was named "Feud of the Year" by Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and voted "Feud of the Year" by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.^[68]

After months of dealing with Lawler, Hart invoked his rematch clause from his match with WWF Champion Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX on the November 20 edition of WWF Superstars. When Bret appeared to have the match won, with Yokozuna locked in the sharpshooter, Owen came to ringside to congratulate his brother. The referee began questioning Owen's motives, which allowed Fuji to assault Bret. Owen then involved himself in the match, resulting in a victory for Yokozuna via disqualification. The brothers' post-match disagreement set the wheels in motion for a family feud that would span the entirety of 1994.^[69] At Survivor Series, the Harts (Bret, Owen, Bruce, and Keith) took on Shawn Michaels (a substitution for Lawler, who was facing legal troubles^[70]) and his knights. The Harts won the match, with all of the brothers surviving except for Owen, the only Hart family member eliminated.^[71] Bitter about his elimination, Owen blamed Bret for this and in the weeks ahead, blamed Bret for holding him back. Owen demanded a one-on-one match with Bret, which Bret refused to accept. In the storyline, Bret, along with his parents, worked over the Christmas holidays to reunite the family and to settle their rivalry. Bret was voted "WWF Superstar of the Year" 1993 by fans,^[72] as well as the greatest wrestler of the year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers.^[73]

Bret's rivalry with his brother Owen won them Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Feud of the Year award and featured a highly rated steel cage match at SummerSlam.

At the Royal Rumble in January, Bret and Owen took on The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Referee Tim White stopped the match after he considered Bret unable to continue after he sustained a kayfabe knee injury during the match. After the match, Owen berated his brother for costing him a title opportunity and attacked the injured knee, setting the feud between the two.^[74] Later on, Hart managed to participate and win the 1994 Royal Rumble match amid controversy. Hart and Lex Luger were the final two participants and the two were eliminated over the top rope at the same time. Therefore, both men were named co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match and received title shots at WrestleMania X.^[75] Luger won the chance to face Yokozuna first, with Hart having to wrestle his brother Owen, before receiving his title shot. Hart lost his match against Owen^[76] but went on to defeat Yokozuna for his second WWF Championship.^[77][78][79]

Hart continued to feud with his brother Owen while he also started feuding with Diesel. Hart's friend and former tag team partner Jim Neidhart returned to the WWF and reunited with Hart. At King of the Ring, Hart defended the WWF Championship against Diesel. When Hart was winning the match, Shawn Michaels interfered on Diesel's behalf. Diesel appeared close to victory after he delivered a Jackknife Powerbomb yet before he could pin Hart, Neidhart interfered. Diesel won by disqualification but Hart retained his title. Neidhart left when Diesel and Michaels attacked Hart following the match. Neidhart's motivation was made clear when he helped Owen win the tournament that night, so that he could receive a title shot against his brother.^[80] At SummerSlam, Hart successfully retained the WWF Championship against Owen in a steel cage match.^[81] This match would get a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and the brothers' feud would be voted "Feud of the Year" by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.^[68]

Hart eventually lost his WWF Championship at Survivor Series in a submission match against Bob Backlund where the manager of either competitor (Davey Boy Smith for Hart, Owen for Backlund) would have to 'throw in the towel' for the wrestler they were representing. When Hart was in Backlund's Crossface Chickenwing and Davey Boy was kayfabe knocked out, Owen persuaded his mother Helen to throw in the towel for Hart, giving Backlund the championship victory.^[82] Bret's feud with Backlund would continue into the following year. He was voted the greatest wrestler of 1994 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers, winning the vote for the second straight year.^[83]

Hart in 1995

Three days after Hart's title loss, Diesel would swiftly defeat Backlund with a jackknife powerbomb to become the new WWF Champion. By 1995, Hart was focusing on projects outwith the business, such as acting, and shifted to the number two face in the company, behind Diesel.^[84] Hart would challenge for Diesel's WWF Championship at the 1995 Royal Rumble, in a match that was continually marred by outside interference and ruled a draw. Both men embraced in a display of sportsmanship after the match. In a rematch from Survivor Series, Hart defeated Bob Backlund in an "I Quit" Match at WrestleMania XI.^[85] Hart would be the focal point of the first event in the In Your House pay-per-view series, competing in two matches at In Your House 1. He defeated Hakushi in the very first match of the In Your House series. Hart's acclaimed feud with Jerry Lawler was reignited at the event, losing to him in the penultimate match of the card due to Hakushi's (now Lawler's protégé) interference. Hart beat Lawler in a "Kiss My Foot" match at King of the Ring, and defeated his private dentist, the seven-foot, 320 pound Isaac Yankem, by disqualification at SummerSlam 1995. Their King of the Ring match would end with one of the most iconic images in WWF history, with Hart shoving his foot into Lawler's mouth, then forcing Lawler to kiss his own foot.^[86] Although Hart was victorious in their in-ring feud, Lawler remained strongly opposed to Hart as a commentator, however, and would routinely encourage Hart's opponents during matches; it would not be until Over the Limit 2011, some sixteen years later, that both men would finally bury the hatchet. After disposing of Lawler, Hart shifted his focus back to the WWF Championship, defeating Diesel in a No Disqualification match at Survivor Series to commence his third reign.^[87][88]

In a rematch from their SummerSlam 1992 encounter, Hart successfully defended his title against the now heel Davey Boy Smith at In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings. He lost to The Undertaker by disqualification at the 1996 Royal Rumble when Diesel interfered, ultimately retaining the WWF Championship, and defeated The Undertaker by disqualification in a rematch on the February 5 edition of Raw, again due to Diesel's interference.^[89] Hart retained his WWF Championship against Diesel in a steel cage match at In Your House 6, and defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who was undefeated on Raw, on the March 4 edition of the show.^[90] WWF Commissioner Roddy Piper ruled that Hart would face Shawn Michaels, who had earned a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania XII by winning the Royal Rumble,^[91] in a 60-minute Iron Man match at the event. The wrestler with the most decisions during the 60 minutes would win the match and the WWF Championship.

At WrestleMania, with less than a minute left on the clock and the score still 0–0, Michaels jumped from the middle rope; his legs were caught by Hart, and Hart locked in his Sharpshooter. However, Michaels did not submit in the last 30 seconds so the match ended in a tie. President Gorilla Monsoon ruled that the match would continue in sudden death overtime. Michaels hit a superkick to win the championship.^[92] Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers voted it the "Match of the Year";^[54] in 2004, WWE fans voted the match as the greatest in the history of WrestleMania.^[93] After WrestleMania, Hart took his hiatus from television. Towards the end of the year, he would consider offers of employment from both WCW and the WWF, but would ultimately re-sign with the WWF.^[94] He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame Class of 1996.

Return, Hart Foundation reunion and departure (1996–1997)[link]

Hart would pose for the crowd with his arms open.

Over the summer, Steve Austin, who was fresh from winning the 1996 King of the Ring,^[95] continually taunted Hart and challenged him to come back and have a match. After an eight month hiatus from television, Hart returned and defeated Austin at Survivor Series in a match for the #1 contender spot to the WWF Championship.^[96] Hart challenged champion Sycho Sid at the following month's In Your House 12: It's Time; Shawn Michaels, who was serving as a guest commentator at ringside, accidentally cost Hart the victory when he attempted to become involved in the match after being assaulted by Sid. The building tension between Hart and Michaels climaxed after the match, when Hart assaulted Michaels. Hart's feud with Austin escalated at the Royal Rumble, when Hart tossed Austin out of the ring, only for Austin (unbeknownst to the referees) to climb back into the ring and win the Rumble.^[97] Hart quit the WWF the next night on Raw in protest. In order to deal with this controversy, a Fatal Four-Way between Austin and the participants he eliminated after re-entering the ring (Vader, The Undertaker and Hart) was set up for In Your House 13: Final Four, with the winner becoming the number one contender. After current champion Shawn Michaels relinquished the belt, though, the match officially became one for the WWF Championship. Hart defeated Austin, Vader, and The Undertaker in the Fatal Four-Way.^[98][99] However, Austin made sure Hart's fourth reign was short-lived, costing him a title match against Sid the next night on Raw, and making it the only reign of Hart's to last less than three months.^[100] Hart challenged for Sid's WWF Championship in a steel cage match shortly before WrestleMania 13 (Hart's twelfth consecutive and final WrestleMania until WrestleMania XXVI), which saw Austin actually attempt to help Hart win, in order to make their scheduled match at WrestleMania 13 a title match. Concurrently, The Undertaker, who had a scheduled title match with Sid at WrestleMania, attempted to help Sid win. Sid ultimately retained, leading to a pure grudge match for Hart and Austin.^[101] Following his loss to Sid, Hart shoved "announcer" Vince McMahon to the ground when he attempted to conduct a post-match interview, and engaged in an expletive-laden rant against McMahon and WWF management. This incident has been cited as one which helped lay the foundations of the WWF's Attitude Era, as well as the starting point of McMahon's on-air character, the tyrannical WWF owner, "Mr. McMahon".^[102]

In 1997, Hart became a tweener: generally cheered for by Canadian fans and booed by American fans while remaining largely consistent character.

At WrestleMania 13, Hart and Austin had their rematch in a Submission match that would later get a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. In the end, Hart locked the Sharpshooter on a bloody Austin, who refused to give up. In fact, Austin never quit, but passed out from the blood loss and pain. Ken Shamrock, the special guest referee, awarded Hart the match, after which he continued to assault Austin.^[103] This turned Austin face, and Hart became a heel. It was named "Match of the Year" by Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and voted "Match of the Year by" Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers.^[54] Hart challenged The Rock for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in the main event of the March 31 edition of Raw. The Rock won by disqualification when Hart refused to release a figure-four leglock applied around the ringpost. He would face Austin again in the main event of In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker, to determine who would challenge the WWF Champion in a title match at the following month's In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell. Austin had Hart locked in his own finishing move, the Sharpshooter, in the middle of the ring when The British Bulldog interfered on Hart's behalf, resulting in disqualification and giving Austin the victory and title match. They would meet once again in a street fight on the April 21 edition of Raw, in which Austin injured the now-heel Hart's ankle with a steel chair. The match was ultimately awarded to Hart when Austin refused to release Hart from the sharpshooter. Austin continued to beat Hart while on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance.

Hart's feud with Austin saw Hart shift to the top heel in the company. In the ensuing weeks, Hart denounced American fans, because of their negative reaction to him in the recent weeks in contrast to his continued popularity through the rest of the world, and reunited with brother Owen and brothers-in-law Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart. The family members formed a new Hart Foundation with Brian Pillman; this incarnation was an anti-American stable which was popular within Canada and Europe. As the leader of this stable, Hart would routinely carry a Canadian flag to the ring and engage in promos where he declared the superiority of his home nation; he became so despised by U.S. audiences that they would often throw debris during his ring entrances, interviews and matches.^[11] He would go on to be voted by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers as the "Most Hated Wrestler of the Year" 1997.^[104] At In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, in Hart's home town of Calgary, the Hart Foundation would defeat the team of Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and The Legion of Doom, representing the U.S., in a ten-man tag team match main event.^[105] The Canada vs U.S. rivalry escalated on the July 21 edition of Raw in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Bret, Owen and Davey Boy Smith, representing Canada and the Hart Foundation, defeated the team of Dude Love, Austin and The Undertaker, representing the U.S., in a Flag Match.^[106] The Hart Foundation's feud with Austin was named "Feud of the Year" by Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and voted "Feud of the Year" by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.^[68] Hart vowed that if he could not defeat The Undertaker for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam, he would never wrestle in the United States again. The Undertaker agreed to the match, and Hart won his fifth WWF Championship after spitting in guest referee Shawn Michaels' face; Michaels swung a steel chair in retaliation, which accidentally struck the Undertaker. Michaels, who, as part of another pre-match stipulation, would be banned from wrestling in the United States if he did not remain impartial as referee, had no option but to count the pinfall, giving his bitter rival Hart the victory and the WWF Championship.^[107][108]

After SummerSlam, Michaels was pushed as the top heel in the company and negative fan reactions towards Hart softened somewhat, as he adopted a tweener role and declared, "I'm not so much anti-American as I am just very, very pro-Canadian".^[11] Hart successfully defended his title against The Patriot, with whom Hart had become involved in a feud as part of the Canada vs U.S. storyline, at Ground Zero: In Your House,^[109] avenging a loss to him weeks earlier on Raw,^[110] and the Canada vs U.S. feud would conclude at Badd Blood: In Your House, where Hart and Davey Boy Smith, representing Canada and The Hart Foundation, defeated The Patriot and Vader, representing the U.S., in a Flag Match.^[111] Erstwhile, in a rematch from SummerSlam, The Undertaker challenged Hart for the WWF Championship at One Night Only; after reversing a Tombstone Piledriver attempt from Hart, The Undertaker dumped Hart on the apron when he would not let go of the ropes. As a result, Hart's neck was caught in the ropes, and The Undertaker was disqualified.^[112] Hart would cite this as his favorite of all his matches with The Undertaker,^[11] and his last great match in the WWF.^[113] During the Hart Foundation's feud with the Shawn Michaels-led D-Generation X, DX framed the Hart Foundation in vandalizing the locker room of the African American stable, Nation of Domination with racist motifs. In retaliation, during a promo with D-Generation X, Hart called members Triple H (previously billed as "Hunter Hearst Helmsley") and Shawn Michaels "homos". Hart later apologized for his participation in the storyline and said that he had been pressured into it, saying, "I am not in any shape or form a racist. And I don't believe it is anything to kid around about. I also want to apologize for any remarks I made about gay people. It was a stupid mistake on my part."^[113] Hart successfully defended the WWF Championship against Nation of Domination leader, Faarooq, on the October 20 edition of Raw,^[114] and, in his penultimate WWF Championship match, wrestled Ken Shamrock to a no-contest on the October 27 edition of the show when both men were assaulted by Shawn Michaels.^[115]

Hart (along with Hulk Hogan) held the record for most WWF Championship reigns until The Rock's sixth reign in 2001.

Around this time, Hart's on-air rivalry with Vince McMahon also escalated. A heated ringside altercation between the two led many fans to dislike McMahon, who at the time was being exposed as owner of the WWF more and more frequently on-air. Although Hart was signed to a 20-year contract back in 1996, the WWF was in a rough financial position by late 1997 and could not afford the contract. Although Hart was arguably the biggest wrestler in the world during the mid-1990s,^[9] McMahon also felt that the value of his character was beginning to wane,^[116] but wished for Hart to remain with the WWF and discuss the contract and the character's future. Nonetheless, McMahon gave Hart his blessing to talk to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) about possibly taking a second look at their original offer to him.^[117] Hart subsequently signed a three-year contract with WCW. His final match with the WWF would be a title match against his real life rival Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series in Montreal. Hart did not want to end his WWF career with a loss to Michaels in his home country; McMahon agreed to Hart's idea of forfeiting the championship the next night on Raw or losing it a few weeks later.

Although Hart stated to McMahon he would not take the WWF Championship with him to WCW TV (and despite insistence from then-WCW President Eric Bischoff, according to Hart's DVD biography,^[117] that Hart would join WCW with a "clean slate"), McMahon was still concerned; this led to him breaking his word in what eventually came to be known as the Montreal Screwjob. Even though Hart did not submit to the Sharpshooter, referee Earl Hebner called for the bell as if he had, on McMahon's orders. This resulted in Hart "losing" the WWF Championship to Michaels.^[118] The night ended with an irate Hart spitting in McMahon's face, destroying television equipment, and punching McMahon backstage in front of Gerald Brisco, Pat Patterson, and McMahon's son Shane. Hart also confronted Michaels backstage about the match finish. Many behind-the-scenes events leading up to the Montreal Screwjob were filmed for the documentary Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, released in 1998. WWE has described the Montreal Screwjob as "arguably the most controversial, most jarring moment in the annals of sports-entertainment."^[119]

World Championship Wrestling[link]

Various feuds and United States Champion (1997–1999)[link]

Hart signed a three-year contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in November 1997, the perks of which included a salary of $2.5 million per year, a substantial increase from his WWF contract, as well as a greatly reduced live schedule and complete creative control over his television character.^[120] A day after the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Eric Bischoff, while with the New World Order (nWo), announced that Hart was going to be coming to WCW, and joining the nWo. Hart made his debut on WCW Monday Nitro on December 15, 1997,^[121] and was heavily involved in that month's Starrcade pay-per-view. Due to a 60 day no-compete clause from the WWF, he served as the special guest referee for the match between Bischoff and Larry Zbyszko; during the Sting versus Hulk Hogan main event for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, he used his referee's license to step in toward the conclusion of the match as impromptu referee. He attacked referee Nick Patrick, accusing him of making a fast count and shouting he would not let "it happen again" (a reference to the Montreal Screwjob), and declaring Sting the winner and new champion by submission.^[122] During Bischoff's period in control of the company, the goodwill towards Hart generated by the Montreal Screwjob resulted in his being pushed as a face. In January, his no-compete clause expired, and he was immediately pushed as a main event superstar. His first feud in WCW was against Ric Flair: both Flair and Hart considered themself the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Hart main-evented the Souled Out 1998 pay-per-view with a victory over Flair in his first WCW match.^[123] After this, Hart would elect to defend the honor of WCW against the nWo, defeating members Brian Adams in his debut Nitro match on March 2, and old WWF rival Curt Hennig (formerly known as "Mr. Perfect") at Uncensored.^[124]

In April 1998, Hart turned heel by interfering in a Nitro main event between Hogan and Randy Savage, helping Hogan recapture the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He became an associate of the nWo, but did not officially join the group. Hart defeated Savage in singles action in his second WCW pay-per-view main event at Slamboree, thanks to assistance from Hogan. The following night on Nitro, however, guest referee Roddy Piper changed his decision and declared Savage as the winner by disqualification.^[125] In a tag team match at The Great American Bash, Hart and Hogan defeated Savage and Piper.^[126]

A two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and the first born outside the United States, Hart is also a record-tying five-time WCW/WWE United States Champion, with his four WCW reigns being the most in the history of the organization.

Hart competed in his second Nitro match on June 22, defeating Chris Benoit with assistance from nWo members: Hart had attempted to recruit his long-time friend into the nWo, but the offer was rejected.^[127] At Bash at the Beach, Hart competed in his first championship match in WCW when he faced Booker T for Booker's WCW World Television Championship. He was disqualified after hitting Booker with a steel chair.^[128] He would headline his first Nitro card on July 20, defeating Diamond Dallas Page for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, with assistance from nWo member, The Giant.^[129] WWE would later write, "Hart added to the significance of the already prestigious championship as many major WCW events were headlined by a U.S. Title bout rather than a WCW World Title contest."^[130] On the August 10 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the United States Heavyweight Championship to fellow WWF alumnus Lex Luger.^[131] Hart regained the title from Luger, the next night on Thunder.^[132] In the main event of Fall Brawl, Hart would compete for the #1 contender spot to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, losing to Diamond Dallas Page in a WarGames match.^[133] Hart subsequently asked the fans for forgiveness, turning his back on Hogan and the nWo and ostensibly turning face again. A match between Hart and Hogan was booked to headline the September 28 edition of Nitro. During the match, Hart sustained a knee injury, with Sting taking his place. Hart's rift with Hogan had been a swerve: Hart turned on Sting, delivering a DDT, and the match was officially ruled a no-contest. Sting, a member of the rival nWo Wolfpac, was assaulted after the match; this betrayal began an intense feud between Hart and Sting. On the October 11 edition of Nitro, Sting and the Warrior beat Hart and Hogan. Hart's feud with Sting ended at Halloween Havoc with Hart controversially defending the United States Heavyweight Championship and (kayfabe) injuring Sting. On the October 26 edition of Nitro, Hart lost the title to Diamond Dallas Page.^[134] The two would headline the following month's World War 3 pay-per-view in a title match which Hart lost.^[135] Hart regained the title from Page on the November 30 edition of Nitro in a No Disqualification match with help from The Giant.^[136]