Bret "The Hitman" Hart DEDICATION ~Naledge~ Video

Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, author, and actor, best known for his time in World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under the persona, "The Hitman". A son of wrestling patriarch Stu Hart, he was born into the Hart wrestling family. His seven brothers were either wrestlers or involved backstage with the wrestling business; his four sisters all married professional wrestlers. Three of his brothers-in-law, the Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart, had successful careers in the business. His youngest brother, Owen Hart, became a decorated wrestler in his own right before his death in 1999, caused in a freak, real-life accident at the WWE pay-per-view Over the Edge.

Hart debuted in 1976 with his father's promotion, Stampede Wrestling. In 1984, he signed with the WWF and was, by the mid-1990s, arguably the most popular professional wrestler in the world. He competed as both a villain and a fan favourite during his professional wrestling career and is regarded by many prominent industry figures as one of the greatest professional wrestlers in history. Vince McMahon has described him as being "in a class by himself," with "unparalleled" storytelling and technical wrestling skills. Jim Ross has referred to him as an "artist" who could elevate the game of almost any opponent, while Gene Okerlund has asserted that Hart should appear in anyone's top ten wrestlers of all time. Peers such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Benoit, Road Warrior Animal, Steve Lombardi, Shawn Michaels and Roddy Piper have named Hart as one of their all-time favourite opponents. Hart himself frequently described himself as "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be" which he justifies through three claims: he never injured an opponent through any fault of his own; through the entire course of his career he missed only one show (as a result of flight difficulties); and that he only once refused to lose a match—his final WWF match with Shawn Michaels at the Survivor Series event in 1997, which culminated in the now infamous Montreal Screwjob.

Among other accolades, Hart is recognised by WWE as a seven-time world heavyweight champion: a five-time WWF Champion, and two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. He is the only two-time King of the Ring in WWE history, having won the 1991 tournament and the first King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1993. Hart was also the 1994 Royal Rumble co-winner (with Lex Luger). Hart is widely regarded as one of the most universally popular and gifted technical professional wrestlers of all time. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Steve Austin.