Bret Hart

Bret Hart 2023: Biography, Net Worth, Family, Income

Bret “Hitman” Hart, born Bret Sergeant Hart on July 2nd, 1957, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler who rose to fame through his iconic performances in the ring. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Bret Hart was the eldest son of wrestling legend Stu Hart. By the age of 12, he was already a part of his father’s wrestling promotion, Stampede Wrestling. He spent the next few years training, competing in amateur wrestling events, and honing his craft until he was finally signed by the World Wrestling Federation, now known as the WWE, in 1984.

In the WWF, Bret Hart formed one half of the legendary tag team known as The Hart Foundation, along with his real-life brother-in-law, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. The Hart Foundation quickly established themselves as one of the top tag teams in the WWF, known for their intricate tag team moves and Hart’s technical wrestling ability. They won the WWF World Tag Team Championships twice, and their matches against top tag teams such as The British Bulldogs, Demolition, and The Rockers are considered to be some of the greatest tag team matches in company history.

In 1991, Hart split from The Anvil and became a singles star. His unique style and technical proficiency earned him the nickname “The Excellence of Execution”. He would go on to win a total of five WWF World Titles, two WWF Intercontinental Titles, and two King of the Ring tournaments.

Bret had classic matches through the mid-nineties with his brother Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, Diesel and many more. Hart headlined numerous international tours and was a beloved celebrity in Europe. In 1996, the Canadian veteran took a break from action and dropped the WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels in a gruelling 60 minute Iron Man Match at WrestleMania 12.

Bret Hart returned in October ’96 began a rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Their feud began through Austin’s frustration over the fanfare of The Hitman’s return. The two battled at Survivor Series in a classic match but their most famous encounter was the Submission Match at WrestleMania 13. This match is widely considered one of the greatest matches in wrestling history and cemented Hart and Austin’s rivalry in the minds of fans. Hart would win the match but as Stone Cold passed out in defeat, the stars executed the rare double turn cementing Austin as a top name babyface.

The Hart Foundation would make their return following WrestleMania 13, but this time as a faction along with Neidhart and The Hitman, Owen Hart, the British Bulldog and Brian Pillman. Throughout the summer of 1997, the WWF presented the excellent USA vs. Canada storyline where The Hart Foundation would get a hero’s welcome in Canada but work as villains in the US.

In 1997, the drama behind the curtain was often as exciting as what went on in the ring. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart’s relationship continued to deteriorate as one would take pot shots at the other on-air and a backstage fist fight in Hartford in June brought things to a boiling point. Recognising the two stars couldn’t co-exist, Vince McMahon let Bret Hart know in September that he could no longer afford his contract and encouraged him to make a deal with WCW.

Hart, then the WWF Champion, was asked to put Shawn Michaels over in his last match at Survivor Series. Hart refused, citing Michaels had told Hart he wouldn’t do the same for him. This would lead to the infamous Montreal Screwjob, where, unbeknownst to Bret, Michaels was declared the victor of their match at Survivor Series 1997. Vince McMahon had ordered referee Earl Hebner to ring the bell in order to get the belt off of Bret Hart. Hart was furious and this led to a backstage bust up where Bret punched McMahon, knocking him out.

After leaving the WWF in 1997, Hart moved to WCW. He continued to have success, winning the United States Championship and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He also had classic matches against top stars such as Diamond Dallas Page, Sting, and Booker T. Bret Hart has often said that after the Montreal Screwjob, he was excited to go to WCW but felt that Eric Bischoff fumbled his run there. Bischoff meanwhile maintains that Hart’s head wasn’t in the game after the screwjob. In his second run as WCW Champion, he would suffer a career ending kick to the head by Goldberg at Starrcade 1999 that led to him having to retire in 2000.

The Excellence of Execution would sadly suffer a stroke in 2002, but along with making a full recovery, he mended fences with Vince McMahon and was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2006. Hart shocked the wrestling world in 2010 by returning to a WWE ring for the first time in over 12 years to have a feud with Vince McMahon and defeating McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match at WrestleMania XXVI.

In recent years, Hart has made appearances on WWE TV and was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame for a second time in 2019, this time for being part of the legendary tag team, The Hart Foundation.

Net Worth

As of February 2023, Bret Hart has an estimated net worth of $15 Million.

Family

Hart is the son of Stu and Helen Hart and he is one of twelve children. He has seven brothers – Bruce, Dean, Keith, Owen, Ross, Smith and Wayne. He also has four sisters – Alison, Diana, Ellie, and Georgia.

Bret Hart has been married three times, firstly to his girlfriend Julie Smadu between 1982 and 2002. The couple had four children: Jade, Dallas, Alexandra (nicknamed “Beans”) and Blade. He then married an Italian woman named Cinzia Rota in 2004, but they later divorced in 2007. Hart has been married to his third wife, Stephanie Washington since 2010. Through his daughters Jade and Alexandra, Hart has a granddaughter, Kyra Beans and two grandsons, Grayson and Bo. Bret’s son Dallas had a daughter, Vylet.

Income

Although now retired from wrestling, Hart is estimated to still earn over $1.2 million per year.

Record

According to Cagematch.net, Bret Hart has competed in 2947 matches since his debut in 1978. He has a record of 1880 wins, 762 losses and 305 draws, giving him a win percentage of 63.8%.

Figures correct as of February 9th, 2023.

Stampede Wrestling Career

Stampede International Tag Team Champion – 5 times

Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Champion – 3 times

Stampede North American Heavyweight Champion – 6 times

WWF/E Career

WWF Champion – 5 times

WWF Intercontinental Champion – 2 times

WWF Tag Team Champion – 2 times

WWE United States Champion – 1 time

WCW Career

WCW World Heavyweight Champion – 2 times

WCW United States Heavyweight Champion – 4 times

WCW World Tag Team Champion – 1 time