Keith William Hart (born August 21, 1951) is a Canadian-American retired

professional wrestler 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 ...

and

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

. He is a member of the

Hart wrestling family 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 profes ...

and the third child of Helen and

Stu Hart Stewart Edward Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian sport wrestling, amateur and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, wrestling Booker (professional wrestling), booker, professional wrestling promotion, promoter, coa ...

, CM. He is best known for his work for

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 several appearances for

WWE 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 vario ...

, often with his siblings

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 ...

Owen Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...

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 a ...

and Diana. In Stampede he won several championships and for WWE he participated in the seventh edition of Survivor Series.

Early life

Hart is the third child of wrestling promoter

and his wife Helen, thus he is the younger brother of

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 wit ...

and

and the older brother of Wayne,

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 ...

, Ellie, Georgia,

, Alison,

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...

, Diana 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 Wrest ...

. He is of Greek descent through his maternal grandmother and Irish through his maternal grandfather. His father was mainly of Scots-Irish descent but also had Scottish and English ancestry. Hart is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. Before becoming a wrestler, Keith Hart earned a degree in teaching.

Amateur wrestling

Hart had a lot of experience in amateur wrestling during his youth, something he did mostly to please his father. Competing for the University of Saskatchewan, he earned a bronze medal at the west division championships in 1974.

Professional wrestling career

Stampede Wrestling

Hart trained under his father and began wrestling on June 1, 1973 in his father's

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

, facing Lindy Calder in his debut match. He spent much of his career as a tag team wrestler, teaming with wrestlers such as his brother

, with whom he won the Stampede International Tag Team Championship four times. He feuded with wrestlers such as Dick Steinborn, Dynamite Kid, Herbert Gallant, K J Anderssen, Mr. Hito, and Mr. Sakurada. As a singles wrestler he held the British Commonwealth Mid Heavyweight title. In addition to wrestling in Canada, Hart performed in Germany, Japan and made infrequent appearances in the United States of America. At one point, Dave Meltzer referred to Hart as one of the best jobbers in wrestling.

World Wrestling Federation

As part of the

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

between Bret and Jerry Lawler, at the 1993 Survivor Series Bret and his brothers Keith,

and

faced Shawn Michaels and his three masked knights. Though Owen was eliminated and Keith's shoulder was injured by a prolonged assault at the hands of Michaels, the Hart brothers were victorious.

Return to Stampede Wrestling

In the 1990s, Hart worked as a trainer in the

Hart Dungeon The Hart Dungeon or Hart Family Dungeon, otherwise known simply as The Dungeon, was the gym and wrestling school located in the basement of the Hart mansion. The school was created by Stu Hart, patriarch of the Hart wrestling family and is known ...

(the wrestling training camp located in the basement of the Hart family mansion). He eventually retired in 1995 to become a full-time firefighter, although he briefly came out of retirement in 1999 when Stampede Wrestling was reopened by his brothers Bruce and Ross Hart. Hart became a tag team champion with

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 ...

After wrestling

In the late 1970s, at the urging of his brother-in-law,

B. J. Annis Bradley Joseph Annis (born 1947) is an American retired bodybuilder, powerlifter, fitness guru, professional wrestler, gym owner and firefighter. Annis is best known for his work for Stampede Wrestling and his ownership and handling of the Calgar ...

, Hart passed a test and was accepted into the

Calgary Fire Department The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) provides fire services for the city of Calgary, Alberta. The department was created on 25 August 1885 as the Calgary Hook, Ladder and Bucket Corps. As of February 2022, the department has 42 stations. The depar ...

. As a result, he largely reduced his wrestling commitments. Hart would work for Annis until 2007, when he retired from firefighting after 26 years and began working as a substitute teacher. He is known to teach in Calgary and

Okotoks Okotoks (, originally ) is a town in the Calgary Region of Alberta, Canada. It is on the Sheep River, approximately south of Calgary. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of Calgary. According to the 2016 Census, the town has a population ...

(just outside Calgary). In the 1993 Alberta provincial election, Keith was the Liberal Party of Alberta's candidate in the Northeast Calgary riding of

Calgary-Cross Calgary-Cross is a current provincial electoral district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Created in 1993, the district is one of 87 districts mandated to return a single member (MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past th ...

, coming in 2nd place with 33.12% of the vote.

Other media

Hart has appeared on several wrestling documentaries, including the 1998 documentary '' Wrestling with Shadows'' and 2010's '' Survival of the Hitman'' which are both about his younger brother Bret. Hart was also present on the stage together with all his living siblings when his father Stu Hart was posthumously inducted into the

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously i ...

Personal life

In 1993 Hart and his first wife won $100,000 in a lottery. He spent some of the money on an unsuccessful campaign to get elected to provincial office.

Family

Hart has three sons with his ex-wife Leslie, Stewart Hart II, Conor Hart and Brock Hart. The couple divorced in 1995. Conor pursued amateur wrestling at the University of Calgary and coaches a local high school team. His other son Stewart has also pursued amateur wrestling and has won a medal in his school championship but does not wish to work with pro wrestling. In 2002 Keith married for the second time to his long-time girlfriend Joan.

Wrestling related

Following the death of Stu Hart on October 16, 2003, the Hart family sold the Hart mansion. On August 14, 2004 Hart organised a fundraiser, held within the mansion, for the Stu Hart Amateur Sport Foundation (which supports

amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

in the Calgary area).

Championships and accomplishments

* Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame **Class of 2001 *Can Am Wrestling Federation **CAWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Vinnie Fever *'' Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' **PWI ranked him #341 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1995 and 1996 *Polynesian Pacific Wrestling **PPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bruce Hart *

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 ...

** Prairie Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame (Class of 2010) *'' Ring Wrestling Magazine'' **Rookie of the Year (1973) *

** NWA International Tag Team Championship ''(Calgary version)'' ( 7 times) - with Leo Burke (2),

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 backgr ...

(4), and Hubert Gallant (1) **

Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship The Stampede Wrestling British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title for lighter wrestlers in the Canadian promotion Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion ba ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) **

Stampede International Tag Team Championship The Stampede International Tag Team Championship was the main tag team title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. It was created in 1958 as the NWA International Tag Team Championship (Calgary version). When promote ...

( 1 time) - with

Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship The Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling title, one of the lesser known secondary titles created for Stampede Wrestling in 1959, and was the focal point of the 1982-83 feud between the Dynamite Kid and the Great ...

(1 time) **

Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame 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 prom ...

(Class of 1995)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Keith 1951 births Living people Sportspeople from Calgary Canadian people of English descent Canadian people of Greek descent Canadian people of American descent Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent American people of Canadian descent American people of Scotch-Irish descent American people of English descent American people of Greek descent Canadian male professional wrestlers Stampede Wrestling alumni Hart family members Canadian firefighters 20th-century professional wrestlers Stampede Wrestling British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Champions Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions Stampede Wrestling World Mid-Heavyweight Champions