Bret Hitman Hart Bio - a Review

No professional wrestler biography could be more anticipated by serious fans, nor be as controversial as the story of Bret "Hitman" Hart.

Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling has been available in Canada for over a year, and is finally available in the U.S. as well. Controversy hounded the publication as a strained relationship with WWE, and specifically its chairman Vince McMahon, ground the U.S. release to a halt. Reports had stated - more likely overstated - that WWE required edits on over 400 pages of the Hitman's book before it would give clearance.

Hitman was written by Hart with the assistance of years of audiotape diary entries he kept from his time in Calgary's Stampede Wrestling to his heyday in the then WWF. The details of his life outside of the ring, as well as the performances inside, are in bright detail thanks to these tapes and Hart's obvious effort to put everything into his book - the good, the bad and the ugly.

The "Excellence of Execution" was one of the last stars to bridge the gap between pro 'rasslin and what has since become sports entertainment. Born into the business, Hart sacrificed everything to travel the world as a professional wrestler. He is not afraid to drag out the dirty laundry that hides behind the scenes when grown men leave their families, and often their morals, behind as they travel the world.

Hart is a daydreamer. It reflects in the skill he had to see a match unfold in his mind, then turn that into a performance in front of an arena full of screaming fans. His daydreams also helped take him out of the city to city grind pro wrestlers find them in. He is always quick to bring the reader to the moments in his life that he truly enjoyed and remembers fondly. In that respect, he is quite charming. You begin to believe that some of the Hitman character - the hero in pink and black - comes from the man behind it. Which it does, but you also see the other side of the man as he struggles to balance his place in the wrestling business and his place at home with his family.

The best pro wrestler biographies are the labors of love. The wrestler himself takes the time to write, without a ghostwriter. The good ones, like from Chris Jericho and Mick Foley, are natural extensions of the wrestler's personality. A mix of the man and the character. With a bit of action adventure thrown in. Hart's book is in the company of the good bios, but his tone is much different. Hitman feels like a catharsis. His chance to let it all out. At times the pace drags, but Hart turns it around each time. Like the hero swinging from his heels during the climactic comeback.

Readers looking for the dirt are bound to skip to the last third of the book that is largely dedicated to a few events that altered Hart's career and life immeasurably. His relationship with both Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon that leads into the Montreal Screwjob. Then his lackluster run with the flailing WCW, and finally, the death of his brother, Owen Hart, in a catastrophic accident at a WWE show. All of this leads up to his near-fatal stroke just a few years ago.

There is plenty of action adventure as well. Hart traveled the globe with some of the most colorful characters in professional wrestling. His recollection of specific matches is also very good as he takes the reader behind the scenes of some of his most memorable matches. He uncovers the little things that, most fans probably would not catch, but help to demonstrate why he was one of the best in the ring.

Hitman should clear up a few pre-conceived notions on the Hitman, as well as give some insight into some of the major players in professional wrestling.