The Hart wrestling family, sometimes known as the Hart dynasty, is a mainly
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
family with a significant history within
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
.
The
patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
of the family was wrestling legend
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur and professional wrestler, wrestling booker, promoter, coach, trainer, football player and sailor. He is best known for founding and handling Stampede Wrestling, a ...
(1915–2003). An amateur and professional wrestling performer, promoter and trainer,
Stu owned and operated his own wrestling promotion,
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...
. He also trained some of the most well known stars in wrestling history including
Superstar Billy Graham
Eldridge Wayne Coleman (born June 7, 1943), better known by his ring name "Superstar" Billy Graham, is an American former professional wrestler. He gained recognition for his tenure as the WWWF Heavyweight Champion in 1977–1978. He is a three- ...
,
Fritz Von Erich
Jack Barton Adkisson Sr. (August 16, 1929 – September 10, 1997), better known by his ring name Fritz Von Erich, was an American professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and the patriarch of the Von Erich family. He was a 3-time world champio ...
,
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
,
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...
,
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...
,
Christian and his sons
Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...
and
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian-American professional wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wres ...
.
All of Stu's eight sons were wrestlers and two of them, Bret and Owen, achieved considerable fame and success in the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
(WWF, now WWE),
with many of the WWF's biggest storylines in the mid-1990s being built around Bret and Owen and their brothers-in-law. The family is closely associated with Canada in the North American wrestling landscape and its Canadian heritage has often been emphasized in wrestling storylines, even to the point of overt opposition to
American culture, but most of its members also have American citizenship through the family's American matriarch, Helen Hart.
Teddy Hart
Edward Ellsworth Annis (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He wrestled on a National scale for Major League Wrestling ...
, the son of Georgia Hart, became the youngest wrestler ever to be signed to WWE. His release and subsequent controversies have earned him a bad reputation. As of 2021, the only Hart actively wrestling in WWE is Stu's granddaughter
Natalie "Natalya" Neidhart, but Bret makes occasional guest appearances while WWE employs
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...
graduates
Tyson Kidd
Theodore James "TJ" Wilson (born July 11, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tyson Kidd. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a producer.
The final graduate of the Hart Dungeon, Wilson ...
(also Neidhart's husband) as a producer and
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
as a part-time competitor.
Members
Patriarch and matriarch
*
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003), patriarch of the Hart family, wrestler, dungeon trainer and founder of
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...
.
* Helen Louise Smith Hart
(February 16, 1924 – November 4, 2001), matriarch of the Hart family. Was married to Stu Hart from December 31, 1947 until her death. Stu and Helen had 12 children, born from 1948 to 1965, as listed below.
Direct descendants
Sons and daughters of Stu and Helen
![BretHartJuly242005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/BretHartJuly242005.JPG)
*
Smith Stewart (November 28, 1948 – July 2, 2017), professional wrestler, promoter and booker.
*
Bruce Ambrose Edwardious,
possibly Bruce Dennis Luis
(born January 13, 1950), retired professional wrestler and booker.
*
Keith William (born August 21, 1951), retired professional wrestler.
* Wayne Curtis Michael
(born November 19, 1952), wrestled briefly but was mainly a referee.
*
Dean Harry Anthony (January 3, 1954 – November 21, 1990), professional wrestler and referee.
* Elizabeth "Ellie" Patricia
(born February 4, 1955), has made several appearances on WWF/WWE television, including ''
Total Divas
''Total Divas'' is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their person ...
''.
* Georgia Louise
(born May 21, 1956), made several appearances on WWF television.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfidlTyxPC4 Bret Hart and the Hart family speak on behalf of Stu Hart]
*
Bret Sergeant (born July 2, 1957), retired professional wrestler.
* Alison Joan
(born July 18, 1958), made several appearances on WWF television.
*
Ross Lindsay (born January 3, 1960), retired professional wrestler, trainer, booker and promoter.
*
Diana Joyce (born October 8, 1963), was involved in WWF storylines in the 90s and has written several wrestling related books.
*
Owen James (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999), professional wrestler.
Helen had initially been told by doctors that she may not be able to bear children at all because she was born prematurely, this turned out to be incorrect and Helen originally wanted to have 15 children but could not due to medical reasons.
In-laws and grandchildren
Smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people wi ...
had six children, four of which are his biologically, daughters Tobi McIvor with a woman named Marla Josephson, and Satania "Tania" Hart (6 March 1985 – 14 March 2022) with his wife Maria Rosado Hart, a son
Matthew Herweg with a woman named Liane Reiger Herweg
and son Chad Pointen with a woman named "Zoe" Zo Amber Lee Beattie, as well as step-sons Steven Jupe and Michael Herweg with Liane Reiger Herweg.
Bruce
The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...
has five children in total, daughters Brit, and Lara as well as sons Bruce Jr, Torrin and Rhett Hart with his ex-wife Andrea Reding Hart. From 2000–2002, while Bruce was still legally married to Andrea, Andrea was in a relationship with Diana Hart's ex-husband
Davey Boy Smith
David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Lancashire, Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Bo ...
, until Smith's death from a heart attack in May 2002. On December 27, 2019, Andrea died at the age of 52.
Keith
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...
has three children with his ex-wife Leslie duBerger Hart, Stewart Hart II, Conor Hart and Brock Hart. After his divorce Keith would remarry with another woman named Joan in 2002.
Wayne is married to a woman named Lynn.
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
had one child with his girlfriend Tammy, a daughter by the name of Farrah Hart, born in April 1990.
Ellie had three daughters with her husband, wrestler
Jim Neidhart
James Henry Neidhart (February 8, 1955 – August 13, 2018) was an American professional wrestler known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag T ...
.
Jennifer Neidhart,
Natalie Neidhart (better known as Natalya), and Kristen Culbreth. Ellie and Jim divorced in 2001, but remarried to each other in 2010.
Georgia had four children with her husband, bodybuilder, gym owner, fitness guru and part-time wrestler
Bradley Joseph "BJ" Annis.
Edward, better known as
Teddy Hart
Edward Ellsworth Annis (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He wrestled on a National scale for Major League Wrestling ...
, Matthew, Annie and Angela Annis.
On July 4, 1996, Matthew fell ill and was diagnosed with the flesh eating disease
Necrotizing fasciitis
Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also known as flesh-eating disease, is a bacterial infection that results in the death of parts of the body's soft tissue. It is a severe disease of sudden onset that spreads rapidly. Symptoms usually include red or p ...
. On July 16, 1996, Matthew died at the age of 13.
Bret Bret or BRET may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Bret (given name), a personal name, including a list of people and fictional characters
* Bret (surname), a list of people
Other uses
* a regional name for either the brill or the ...
and his first wife Julie Smadu Hart have four children, Jade Lambros, Dallas Hart, Alexandra Sabina "Beans" Hart and Blade Hart. Bret and Julie divorced in 2002. Bret married his second wife Cinzia Rota in 2004, but they divorced in 2007. Bret married his third wife Stephanie Washington in 2010.
Alison Hart has two children with her ex-husband, wrestler
Ben Bassarab, Lindsay and Brooke B Hart.
After their divorce Bassarab remarried to another woman.
Diana married wrestler
Davey Boy Smith
David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Lancashire, Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Bo ...
and had two children with him,
Harry
Harry may refer to:
TV shows
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
and Georgia Smith.
Diana and Davey divorced in 2000. Diana has also dated pro wrestler James Trimble, who has worked for Ross and Bruce's incarnation of Stampede Wrestling.
Owen and his wife
Martha
Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness ...
had one son, Oje and one daughter, Athena. The name Oje is a derivative of Owen's first and middle name Owen and James, it was also Owen's nickname when he was younger. At the time of Owen's death in May 1999, he and Martha were planning on having a third child.
Tom Billington
Thomas Billington (5 December 1958 – 5 December 2018), best known by the ring name the Dynamite Kid, was a British professional wrestler.
Trained by former wrestler "Dr Death" Ted Betley, he competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) ...
and Michelle Smadu Billington's three children, one son named Marek, and two daughters named Bronwyne Jewel and Amaris Jayne, are counted among the Hart grandchildren, since their parents were considered part of the Hart family, largely due to Tom's big role in
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...
and Michelle being a sister of Bret Hart's first wife, Julie. After her divorce from Tom in 1991, Michelle would later on marry another man and have two twin children, Trey Liam Burbank and Trinity Eve Burbank.
Great-grandchildren and in-laws
Tobi McIvor has three daughters, Jessica and Amanda Steed born in 1995 and 1996 respectively, and Isabelle, born in 2006. Tobi is married to a man named Mike McIvor.
Edward Annis (Teddy Hart) has a son, Bradley Annis, with his ex-girlfriend Kim, born in 2001. Hart has also married a woman named Fay. She has been involved in his wrestling career. Annis and his wife have divorced.
Jade Hart Lambros has a daughter named Kyra Beans (born June 2010) with her husband Steve Lambros.
Alexandra Sabina Hart has a son, Grayson Knight Cassidy (born June 20, 2015, at 1:25 am).
Dallas Hart has a daughter named Vylet Louise Hart.
Kristen Culbreth has two sons with her husband: Lachlan, (pronounced Lock-lin) and Maddox Culbreth.
Natalie Neidhart (Natalya) is married to fellow wrestler
TJ Wilson (Tyson Kidd).
Brooke Hart is married to Peter Minnema better known under his ring name
"Pistol" Pete Wilson.
Conor Hart is married to a woman named Inka Foster Hart.
Brock Patrick Hart is married to a woman named Melissa Johnson Hart.
Brit is married to a man by the name Jamie Harling, who works with her at the Rouge restaurant in Calgary.
Georgia Smith was engaged to British musician
Adam Barry
Adam Barry (born 4 April 1981) is the English Hammond organ/piano/accordion/harmonica/backing vocalist for the folk group Merrymouth (band), Merrymouth, led by Barry, Simon Fowler and Dan Sealey from Ocean Colour Scene. Before joining Merrymouth, ...
, the singer of the band
Merrymouth.
Descendants of Stu and Helen Hart
#
Smith Stewart Hart
## Tobi Louise McIvor
### Amanda Steed
### Jessica Steed
### Isabelle McIvor
## Satania Ecstasy Atlantis "Tania" Hart
##
Matthew Aryan Dean "Matt" Herweg
### Ezrah Herweg
## Chad Dean Pointen
#
Bruce Ambrose Edwardious Hart,
possibly Bruce Dennis Luis Hart
## Brittany "Brit" Hart
## Bruce Hart Jr.
## Torrin Rex Hart
## Rhettger Hart
## Lara Helen Hart
#
Keith William Hart
## Stewart Hart II
## Conor Hart
## Brock Patrick Hart
# Wayne Curtis Michael Hart
#
Dean Harry Anthony "Bizz" Hart
## Farrah "Fara" Hart
# Elizabeth "Ellie" Patricia Hart-Neidhart
## Jennifer "Jenni" Neidhart
##
Natalie Katherine "Nattie" Neidhart
## Kristen "Muffy" Neidhart-Culbreth
### Lachlan Culbreth
### Maddox Culbreth
# Georgia Louise Hart-Annis
##
Edward Ellsworth "Teddy" Annis
### Bradley Matthew Annis
## Matthew David Annis
## Angela "Angie"Annis
## Annie Annis
#
Bret Sergeant Hart
##Jade Michelle Koo Hart Lambros
###Kyra Beans Lambros
###Bo Lambrose
## Dallas Jeffery "Dal" Hart
### Vylet Louise Hart
## Alexandra Sabina "Beans" Hart
### Grayson Knight Cassidy
## Blade Colton Hart
# Alison Joan Hart-Bassarab
##
Lindsay Bassarab Hart
## Brooke Bassarab Hart-Minnema
#
Ross Lindsay Hart
#
Diana Joyce Hart-Smith
##
Harry Francis Smith
##
Georgia Smith
The Hart wrestling family, sometimes known as the Hart dynasty, is a mainly Canadian family with a significant history within professional wrestling. The patriarch of the family was wrestling legend Stu Hart (1915–2003). An amateur and professi ...
#
Owen James Hart
## Oje Edward Hart
## Athena Christie Hart
Other
In his autobiography, wrestler
Roddy Piper states that he is a cousin of the Hart family he also made this statement in an interview on TNA. This fact was used as a trivia question on ''Raw'' once. Bret Hart has also stated that Piper was the only wrestler to visit him in the hospital after his
stroke and that they were as close as brothers.
Close associates
Wrestling promoter
Jack Pfefer
Jack Pfefer (also commonly spelled as "Pfeffer"; December 10, 1894 – September 13, 1974) was an American professional wrestling promoter during the early-to-mid twentieth century. He pioneered an earlier form of sports entertainment, as he was ...
was a very close friend of
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur and professional wrestler, wrestling booker, promoter, coach, trainer, football player and sailor. He is best known for founding and handling Stampede Wrestling, a ...
who asked him to be the
godfather of Hart's tenth child and seventh son,
Ross.
Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American professional wrestler and professional football player best known for his appearances in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Ch ...
was another very close wrestler to the family and the only person who was neither related to the Hart through blood or marriage to be a member of the Hart Foundation. He has stated that he considered Bret and Owen as brothers to him and that he would have done anything for them. Pillman's son
Brian Pillman Jr. also works with and is close to the family.
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...
was also very close to the Hart family. Bret Hart referred to him as like a family member.
Storyline relatives
During the 1980s, Stampede Wrestling featured a villainous commentator and manager by the name Hugh Hart. He was said to be a cousin of the Hart family and would often ostracize Stu Hart over what he perceived as letting his children get away with bad behaviour. He also managed a team called "The Blackharts".
In the late 80s the Stampede storylines also included a fictional brother of Davey Boy Smith by the name of
Johnny Smith
Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Early life
During the Great D ...
who feuded with Davey and Owen, the storyline also involved Diana Hart, who was worried over how Johnny's behaviour would affect their family.
History
Amateur wrestling
Stu Hart was an experienced grappler who held many national championships. Several of his sons, including Keith, Dean, Bret and Owen had experience in amateur wrestling. With Bret and Owen being considered outstanding as young men. Conor and Stewart Hart, two of Keith's sons pursued amateur wrestling, Conor did so at the University of Calgary
and Stewart won a medal in his school championship.
Professional wrestling
The Hart family is one of the most well-known professional wrestling families in history. The patriarch of the family, Stu Hart was a professional wrestler and a trainer as well as the owner of Stampede Wrestling. Many of his children became professional wrestlers. He became involved with wrestling after retiring from his career with the
Edmonton Eskimos of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
.
Stu began
promoting wrestling in 1948 and operated Stampede Wrestling until selling it to
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...
in 1984. In 1985, however, he decided to revive the promotion, which remained in operation until December 1989. It was brought back again in 1999 by Bruce and Ross Hart and remains active today. Stu Hart has been noted from training some of North America's most famous wrestlers, including
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess ...
, the "British Bulldog"
Davey Boy Smith
David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Lancashire, Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Bo ...
,
Dynamite Kid
Thomas Billington (5 December 1958 – 5 December 2018), best known by the ring name the Dynamite Kid, was a British professional wrestler.
Trained by former wrestler "Dr Death" Ted Betley, he competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), ...
,
Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter (December 13, 1952 – June 1, 1998) was an American professional wrestler and college football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as the Junkyard Dog (or JYD), a nickname ...
, and dozens more in addition to his own sons.
Bret Hart has won the most wrestling championships of anyone in the family. He won his first title belt in the World Wrestling Federation while teaming with brother-in-law Jim Neidhart (Ellie Hart's husband) to form
The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation is the name of several derivative tag teams and stables composed primarily of members and close friends of the Hart wrestling family. The name originated in the World Wrestling Federation in 1985 with the original Hart Foundat ...
tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
. They had a
feud with the
British Bulldogs
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
(Diana Hart's husband Davey Boy Smith and Bret Hart's sister-in-law's husband Dynamite Kid, who were first cousins in real life). On January 26, 1987, Hart and Neidhart defeated the Bulldogs to win the
WWF Tag Team Championship
The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...
. After the Hart Foundation split up, Owen Hart began teaming with Neidhart as
The New Foundation. Bret went on to have a successful career as a singles wrestler, holding the
WWF World Heavyweight Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown ...
five times.
The family connection played a role in two major WWF storylines. Four of the Hart brothers (Bret, Owen, Keith, and Bruce) formed a team at
Survivor Series 1993
The 1993 Survivor Series was the seventh annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on Thanksgiving Eve on November 24, 1993, at the Boston Garden ...
. Animosity began to build between Bret and Owen, and Owen
turned on Bret at
Royal Rumble 1994
The 1994 Royal Rumble was the seventh annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on January 22, 1994, at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode ...
.
This led to a feud between the two brothers; Neidhart later became involved on Owen's side, while Smith sided with Bret. The feud culminated with Owen costing Bret the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. While Bret was defending the title against
Bob Backlund at
Survivor Series 1994, Owen tricked his mother Helen into throwing a towel into the ring to signify that Bret conceded defeat.
Several years later, the Hart Foundation was formed again, this time as a
stable of anti-American wrestlers. Bret and Owen reconciled, and they were joined by Neidhart, Smith, and
Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American professional wrestler and professional football player best known for his appearances in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Ch ...
(Pillman was not related, but had trained with the Hart family and was a friend of the family).
At the
In Your House: Canadian Stampede pay-per-view in Calgary on July 6, 1997, the Hart Foundation won a five-on-five match against
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin,
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (''né'' Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Cha ...
,
Goldust
Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE ...
, and
The Legion of Doom (
Hawk and
Animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
). Bret Hart left the WWF in 1997 after what has come to be known as the
Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob (also called the Montreal Incident; French: ''Le Coup Tordu de Montréal'' lit. Montreal's Twisted Coup) was an infamous unscripted professional wrestling incident that occurred on November 9, 1997, at the Survivor Series ...
, while Owen died as the result of a failed stunt during his ring entrance at the
Over the Edge 1999 pay-per-view. Bret would eventually return to the renamed WWE in 2010 after settling his differences with the promotion.
Three of Stu and Helen Hart's grandchildren have begun careers in professional wrestling. Nattie Neidhart, daughter of Ellie and Jim, trained in Calgary and now wrestles for World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly the WWF) under the
ring name Natalya. She was the first female from the Hart family to win a championship gold, when she won the
Divas Championship
The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extension via a storyline by then SmackDown General Manager Vickie Gu ...
at
Survivor Series 2010.
Natalya would go on to have one of the most prolific careers of any female in WWE history, having the most matches of any female in WWE history, along with an on-going 15 year tenure, the longest of any active female wrestler in WWE. Harry Smith, son of Diana and Davey Boy Smith, currently uses the name Davey Boy Smith Jr. and also wrestled for WWE, under the name David Hart Smith.
Teddy Hart, son of Georgia Hart and
B. J. Annis, has also competed in WWE, but was released by the company.
In the mid and late 90s Harry Smith, T.J. Wilson, Teddy and his brother Matthew were all training together. Matthew would later wrestle shortly together with Wilson, Smith and his brother before dying of a flesh eating disease in 1996.
Two of Bruce Hart's sons Bruce Jr and Torrin have been involved in pro wrestling.
Torrin began wrestling when he was 17 years old.
Two of Smith Hart's sons, Mike and Matt Herweg have started a career in wrestling. They perform under the names Matt Hart and Mike Hart, using their father's surname. Matt gained his first championship on December 15, 2017, for the
Real Canadian Wrestling
This is a list of independent wrestling promotions in Canada, sorted by regional area, and lists both active and defunct "independent wrestling, indy promotions."
West Coast
British Columbia
Canadian Prairies
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manito ...
promotion.
Both of Alison's daughters, Lindsay and Brooke have had relationships with wrestlers, Lindsay with Randy Myers and Brooke with Peter Minnema better known under his ring name
"Pistol" Pete Wilson.
Brooke and Peter Minnema are now married since 2014. Minnema was trained in by the Hart family and has appeared for the
Hart Legacy promotion.
Alexandra Sabina "Beans" Hart was at one point training to become a wrestler, hoping to eventually join her cousin
Natalya Natalya (russian: Наталья) is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia.
The name Natasha (russian: link=no, Наташа), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking state ...
as a
WWE Diva
Throughout its history, women have served in various onscreen roles in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. In the 1990s, WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) introduced the term Diva to refer to its female performe ...
.
Controversies
![Smith Hart](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Smith_Hart.jpg)
Jim Neidhart was arrested on September 6, 2010, and charged with two counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, two counts of trafficking illegal drugs, one count of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, and one count of third degree grand theft for property stolen between $300 and $5,000. He was arrested after becoming aggressive with police after ingesting multiple pills outside a gas station. In March 2012, he was sentenced to five months and 29 days in jail.
In January 2013, members of the Hart family hosted a wrestling event in Calgary, advertising the event as an online pay-per-view that never aired. Talent, event staff, and venue representatives claimed they were never paid despite a sold out show.
Alexandra Hart, Bret (The Hitman) Hart’s daughter, opened a restaurant called Hart Healthy Food in Calgary in October 2019, which suddenly closed on Dec 20, 2019. Some employees claimed they were owed thousands in wages that were never paid.
In her 2001 book Under the Mat, Diana Hart made numerous claims about her family including her mother's alcoholism and allegations of rape by her husband Davey Boy Smith (see
Under the Mat).
In February 2020, Teddy Hart, grandchild of
Stu
Stu is a masculine given name or nickname, usually a shortened form (hypocorism) of Stuart or Stewart. It may refer to:
Stuart
* Stu Barnes (born 1970), Canadian retired National Hockey League player
* Stu Block (born 1977), Canadian singer-so ...
and
Helen Hart, was arrested and charged with three counts of possession, possession of a Schedule III controlled substance, and possession with intent to sell and distribute. Teddy Hart remains incarcerated while awaiting trial.
Outside wrestling
Helen Smith Hart was the daughter of noted marathoner and sprinter
Harry J. Smith, finished 17th in the 1912 Olympic marathon and married a Greek woman, Elizabeth "Ellie" Poulis Smith
In December 2011, Jade Hart, the eldest child of Bret Hart, launched a clothing line called ''Jade Hart Kimonos''. Based out of Calgary the clothing line consisted of handmade
kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...
made from Canadian silks and other fabrics. The business suspended operations in 2013.
Georgia Hart Annis is an employee at the Cookbook Co. in Calgary. She at one point helped her niece Jennifer Neidhart to get a job there too and Neidhart is now manager of catering for the Cookbook Co.
Brit and her husband Jamie are also involved in the restaurant business, they both work for the Rouge restaurant in Calgary.
Georgia Smith is a model and voice over actress and her fiancé
Adam Barry
Adam Barry (born 4 April 1981) is the English Hammond organ/piano/accordion/harmonica/backing vocalist for the folk group Merrymouth (band), Merrymouth, led by Barry, Simon Fowler and Dan Sealey from Ocean Colour Scene. Before joining Merrymouth, ...
is a musician.
Farrah Hart is a clothes designer.
Wrestling related
B. J. Annis, husband of Georgia Hart and father of Teddy Hart has operated BJ's Gym in
Downtown East Village, Calgary
Downtown East Village more commonly known as simply East Village, is a mixed-use neighbourhood within the eastern portions of downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is contained within the city's Rivers District. Containing the earliest-settled la ...
since constructing it in 1971.
The gym was a place for Stampede Wrestling's workers to train. In November 2011, his daughter Angie Annis staged an art exhibition at the gymnasium prior to the establishment closing its doors.
Lindsay Hart, daughter of Alison Hart and Ben Bassarab, works as a make up artist and has worked on her cousin Natalie Neidhart on the reality show ''
Total Divas
''Total Divas'' is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their person ...
'', as well as working backstage for
Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling
Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) (formerly known as NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling and Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling) is a Western Canada-based professional wrestling promotion and a former member of the Na ...
. Natalya and her husband Tyson Kidd are featured heavily on ''Total Divas''. Family members including Bret, his wife Stephanie, Ellie, Jim and Jennifer Neidhart as well as Kristen, Lachlan and Maddox Culbreth have all appeared on occasion.
DVD
''Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology'' is a documentary produced and released by WWE Home Video in collaboration with Hart family members. The DVD chronicles the lineage of the Hart family beginning with the biography of patriarch Stu Hart. It gives a brief accounting of the lives of all twelve Hart children as well as parents Stu and Helen growing up in Calgary. It describes the deaths of Stu, Helen, Dean, Matthew, Owen, Brian Pillman, and Davey Boy Smith with recollections from their loved ones. The DVD concludes with a feature on the Hart Dynasty and their future in WWE. The bonus discs feature matches from Stampede Wrestling and WWF/WWE as well as candid home footage and interviews from the Hart family.
Family tree
† = deceased
Accolades and honours
*
Calgary Awards
The Calgary Awards is an award given out annually by the Canadian city of Calgary. It is managed by the official citizen recognition program of Calgary and was established in 1994. It is meant to celebrate contributions done to the community by Cal ...
(Signature Award, 1999)
Championships and accomplishments
;As a family
*
Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame
** Class of 2001
*
Prairie Wrestling Alliance
The Prairie Wrestling Alliance (PWA, formerly Prairie Wrestling Association) is an independent wrestling promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, since 2001. The PWA is co-owned, operated, and promoted by Kurt Sorochan. Lance Storm is a form ...
Hall of Fame
** Class of 2010
* KocoSports Combat Sports Hall of Fame
** Class of 2012
;Individual
* Stu Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Smith Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Bruce Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Keith Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Wayne Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Dean Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Bret Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Ross Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Diana Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Owen Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Teddy Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Natalya Neidhart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Mike Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Davey Boy Smith Jr.
**
Championships and accomplishments
* Matt Hart
**
Championships and accomplishments
See also
*
List of family relations in professional wrestling
This is a list of family relations in professional wrestling. Since the beginning of the artforms secretive history family members have been involved in all aspects of the industry, often to keep it closed off to outsiders. Although most connection ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*
External links
Stories on The Hart Family archive of news stories concerning the Harts on
Canoe.com
The Hart family at the OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com
Hart Family News
{{Bulldogs (wrestling)
Canadian professional wrestling families
Stu Hart
Professional wrestling in Alberta