Bret Hart has discussed his iconic tag team with Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart and explained how the two men came up with their unstoppable finishing move, The Hart Attack.
Hart began teaming with Neidhart in the World Wrestling Federation in 1985 after both men had joined the company upon leaving Stampede Wrestling. Together the brothers-in-law would go on to win the WWF Tag Team Title twice, with the second of those reigns beginning at SummerSlam 1990 after defeating Demolition in a two out of three falls match.
Speaking on WWE’s The Bump Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart recalled teaming with ‘The Anvil’ and described why the team worked so well.
Hart explained:
“Well, we knew each other working in Stampede Wrestling – he was my brother-in-law. We really didn’t have plans to go together. When we first saw each other, we were happy to see each other. It was like we were two guys in prison that knew each other. Once we sort of formed The Hart Foundation, we really combined so many great qualities together. Jim was always the power guy; he was really quick and strong. I went in there and did a lot of the technical kind of stuff with a faster tempo. Jim could work with all of the bigger guys, and I could work with all of the smaller guys.”
“We really had great chemistry in the sense that as tag team goes, we could wrestle any tag team. Not many teams could do that. As The Hart Foundation, we could go big or small and still have a great match. Jim was always on the ball. Every single day with Jim was a treat. He made me laugh throughout my whole career. He was so much fun to be around. I’m just so glad they didn’t have iPhones back then [chuckles].”
Bret Hart then described where the finishing move of The Hart Attack came from. The bulky Neidhart would hold an opponent up in the air leaving them at the mercy of Hart’s ferocious running clothesline.
Hart stated:
“You know, it came from me using a running clothesline in Calgary. I remember thinking about it, and it was a lot of things Jim and I did. Jim was a 280-pound man. To launch him like a missile, you know, 10-15 feet across the ring, was a serious consequence. So many things we did as a team including, the Hart Attack, were great team wrestling.”
Hart also discussed who else he would have teamed with if Neidhart hadn’t been around. Bret Hart picked the man he would briefly team with in the early nineties before going on to have their epic rivalry against one another.
Bret Hart kept it in the family when he said:
“It would’ve been a great team with Owen, especially after we wrestled and feuded together. We had such good chemistry. He knew my style and vice versa. We knew how well we worked against each other. But we also started to realize how well we could have worked together as a team. If for any reason, I had to find a different tag partner, Owen would have stepped in pretty easily. We had such a great relationship as brothers that being teamed up together wouldn’t have been a problem for either one of us.”
Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart sadly passed away in 2018, with The Hart Foundation team being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2019. Unfortunately, Neidhart did not live to see his daughter Natalya emulate his and Bret’s success after she captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Tamina.
Hart discussed the legacy of his family continuing in professional wrestling:
“It’s funny how it gets all revived. To me, it’s a message to everybody to never give up on your dreams. I think there’s a new life and new blood pumped in there with Nattie and Tamina. I think they’re going to make a great team and surprise everyone by being around for a long time.”
“’The Anvil’ would be proud of Nattie for not only just winning the tag titles but how she’s carried herself throughout her whole career. Jimmy Snuka would be so proud of Tamina for hitting it out of the park like she has been for the last year or so. It’s a great story and an honor for them.”
Elsewhere on WWE’s The Bump NXT star Jake Atlas spoke about the emotional moment he came out to WWE Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie McMahon.