Former WWE star Bret The Hitman Hart creates another smash hit

Bret The Hitman Hart spent seven years reliving the past triumphs and tragedies that comprised his historic climb to the pinnacle of pro wrestling. The result is the legendary performer's autobiography Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling.

The second generation performer used countless hours of tapes he recorded with a dictaphone to chronicle his career and life.

''I think the book is pretty accurate,'' said Hart, who has drawn massive crowds across the world at book signings.

'I don't think there are wrestlers out there reading my book saying, `That's not what happened,' or I wasn't there when that happened. ``There aren't guys out there who are going to refute what is in the book. The fact that I was as honest as I was is because I was in a position to be. That was also a big difference than say Chris Jericho's book.

``A lot of wrestlers have written their books, and most of them don't know what they wrote or could barely read it themselves. I think the only one who has done a real top notch job was Mick Foley.

``I did enjoy Jericho's book to a certain degree, but there is a lot of sanitizing to sort of make the company look good and protect themselves. I think the company sort of handcuffs whether they can say this or say that. I didn't have that kind of restraint.''

At the signings, Hart, 51, found the book has garnered some unlikely fans.

''I've been surprised by the amount of females that have come up to me saying they loved the book and the honesty of it, specifically older, mature women,'' Hart said. ``They had a lot of empathy for me. I didn't expect that. Where I found that the sports media and male media people were a little judgmental of the choices I made.

``I was surprised at how many men were taken back from my book, where the women appreciated the dynamic of all things going around.

``They showed a lot more understanding than the male critics. I don't know why that is. Before I wrote it, I would have thought it was the other way around.''

The Hitman's star shined brightest in the early 1990s when World Wrestling Entertainment's roster was filled with campy characters like Doink the Clown and the Repo Man. However, with a solid work rate and unbridled passion for his craft, Hart managed to persevere.

''If you look back at the 1980s going into the 1990s, we were really cartoon characters. I think Sgt. Slaughter, Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik and those types of performers, it was all kids stuff,'' Hart said.

``If you look how the business changed, even after Ultimate Warrior and the point where the torch was past down to me, wrestling started to become less about cartoons and became more about the art and delivery of matches and classics.''

In the WWF, Hart enjoyed much success teaming with brother-in-law Jim the Anvil Neidhart in The Hart Foundation, managed by the legendary Jimmy Mouth of the South Hart.

After he broke away from Neidhart and the Hart Foundation, the famed Canadian began to flourish in the singles ranks. His battles with the late Curt Hennig, Roddy Piper, the British Bulldog and Shawn Michaels are still discussed.

On Oct. 12, 1992, Hart wrestled the WWF championship away from Ric Flair during a non-televised show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Following the win, The Hitman earned the respect of fans and his peers by embarking on a hectic travel schedule filled with memorable title defenses.

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Georgie  [email protected]