WWE News: WWE Superstars and fans react to the passing of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart

The father of WWE Superstar Natalya, and a relative to the wrestling dynasty known as The Hart Family, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart was affiliated with the wrestling business for much more of his life than not.

Neidhart spent his earliest years with the Calgary Stampede promotion -- which included time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling--then worked with Georgia Championship Wrestling, the Continental Wrestling Association, and then Championship Wrestling From Florida.

Neidhart joined the ranks of the WWE--then the World Wrestling Federation--in 1985. He was quickly packed with Bret Hart to form The Hart Foundation, which was part of Wrestlemania 2. He stuck with WWF until 1992.

After several matches with ECW and a few tours with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Neidhart moved on to WCW for a brief run in 1993. He would ultimately return to WWF in 1994 for a series of runs that took through late 1997; he had been repackaged as the masked heel Wh in 1996.

Neidhart then returned to WCW following the Montreal Screwjob, briefly tagging with The British Bulldog. In the years that followed, Neidhart would make appearances in WWE and TNA, while also being featured on the WWE reality show Total Divas.

The WWE Universe is of course shocked by the sudden passing of the former 2-time WWE Tag Team Champion, who had also held titles Stampede Wrestling, Memphis Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling From Florida, Mid-South Wrestling, and Universal Wrestling Alliance. The former NFL player--Neidhart had been signed by the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys--is also a Hall Of Famer with a variety of institutions.

Below are some of the just-posted highlights from Twitter, as reflecting the mourning related to the passing of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Sportskeeda sends its condolences and prayers to the friends and family of Neidhart, a man who entertained millions of people around the world for decades.