WWE: The unfortunate story of the Hart Foundation

The Hart Foundation

When you turn the pages of the professional wrestling encyclopedia, there are so many stables which will go down as some of the greatest factions in the history of the industry. From the Four Horsemen to the NWO, they revolutionized the business, creating a massive impact on the industry and leaving their mark.

One of such legendary factions was the original Hart Foundation in the WWE, which started with Jimmy Hart and continued till 1997, when Bret Hart left the then WWF to WCW.

Only very few factions were/are as great as The Hart Foundation, which saw a great deal of success with the likes of Bret, Owen, Davey, Pillman and Neidhart. But unlike Four Horsemen or NWO, the future of those who were a part of the Hart Foundation wasn’t as great.

In fact, in a tale which can only be beaten by the story of the Von Erichs, Hart Foundation’s story hasn’t seen a happy ending.

“I would take these four men with me to fight the devil himself!” – Bret Hart

Hart Foundation comprised of some of the most influential and outstanding wrestlers in the history of the industry.

Brian Pillman, being dubbed ‘The Loose Cannon’, revolutionized how a performer could behave in front of the camera. One can understand the importance of Brian in the industry by the simple fact that Stone Cold Steve Austin adopted Pillman’s gimmick, turning into the ‘Bionic Redneck’ during his heyday in the Attitude Era.

With Pillman also being one half of the Hollywood Blondes, he brought the concept of Lubra Libre style of wrestling in the United States, and made it famous through his moves during his bouts.

Jim Neidhart, being the other half of the famous Hart Foundation tag team along with Bret Hart was equally responsible for Bret’s career taking off in the then WWF as a tag team specialist.

As it is often said, for a tag team to become great, both the partners have to contribute equally, and that was what Neidhart did. Being dubbed “The Anvil”, Neidhart struck fear in the hearts of his opponents, and was instrumental in Hart Foundation winning the tag team gold.

When it came to “The British Bulldog” Davey Smith, he was one of the most powerful individuals in the organization! It is famously said that Davey used to have competitions with the likes of Luger, and used to come out on top.

With Bulldog winning the Intercontinental championship at Wembley being one of the most memorable moments in wrestling history, he became one of the biggest names in the wrestling circuit, also being known for his charisma along with his in-ring skills.

But perhaps, the most underrated wrestler of all time was the biggest asset of the Hart Foundation; Owen Hart was one of the most extraordinary people, not only in professional wrestling but outside it.

With phenomenal in-ring skills and unparalleled charisma, Owen Hart soon became one of the biggest ‘smart mark’ favourites. I still remember watching Owen perform, and him becoming one of my very first favourites!

Owen Hart was never able to get out of his brother’s shadow, but his legendary matches against Bret at WrestleMania 10 and inside the steel cage at SummerSlam will always make anyone’s “Top 10″ list of greatest matches.

The overwhelming support Owen receives to this day cements his place as one of the true greats in the business.

To top it off, Bret Hart is and will always be known as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He had a legendary career in professional wrestling, and although he is also a part of one of the most infamous incidents in professional wrestling history, Bret Hart achieved everything there is to achieve in the business.

So now the question remains, why are these members “unfortunate”? I had to sum up their careers to explain my point.

Starting off with Pillman; Brian was found dead in his hotel room on the night he was supposed to wrestle on a PPV, in Minnesota in the year of 1997. He left his wife, his college sweetheart who at that time was pregnant with Pillman’s baby. To make things worse, Pillman never got to know about his wife being pregnant.

Anvil disappeared from wrestling circuit and started getting into trouble with the authorities, and was recently arrested.

Davey Smith went to WCW and unfortunately hurt his back, thus getting addicted to pain killers which eventually led to his death in 2002.

Owen Hart fell to his death at Over the Edge at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City in 1999, leaving behind his wife and his two children.

To add to it, Bret had to retire from professional wrestling due to a concussion, and then suffered a devastating stroke.

Bret once famously said that he lost almost everyone he ever cared about in the business, along with Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect. One cannot help but feel bad reminiscing about the memories of the Hart Foundation, and what once was.