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Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling
AuthorBret Hart
LanguageEnglish
SubjectWrestling
GenreAutobiography
Published2007
PublisherGrand Central Publishing, Ebury Press
Publication placeCanada
Media typeHardcover and paperback
AwardsWrestling Observer Newsletter awards: Best Pro Wrestling Book, 2007
ISBN9780091932862
Preceded byBret "Hitman" Hart – The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be 

Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling is a 2007 acclaimed autobiographical book written by Canadian–American professional wrestler Bret "Hitman" Hart, it details his life from his childhood to early years of retirement. It took Hart seven years to complete the writing. It was mostly based on audio recordings Hart had kept during his career in the 1980s and 1990s.

Hitman chronicles Hart's journey from a middle child of twelve growing up in the famous Hart family in Calgary, Alberta, being the eight child and sixth son of professional wrestling promoters Helen and Stu Hart, his school years becoming an accomplished amateur wrestler for the sake of pleasing his father, (who himself was a national champion in his youth), leading Bret to start working in professional wrestling to make ends meet when he becomes a father of four himself, later rising to the top of the World Wrestling Federation and the eventual crumbling of his career and family life due to a series of tragedies around the turn of the millenium.

These subjects are covered in four parts of the book, each comprising a period in Hart's life. Between these sections Hart includes many drawings and pictures of his experiences and people he's known and encountered. Images from his time in the WWF were licensed from company owner Vince McMahon during a time of reconciliation between the two as he and Hart were not on good terms during most of the writing of the book.

The book became an international bestseller and instant success in Harts native country of Canada. It was also critically well received, both in wrestling circles and the mainstream and has since its release become regarded as one of the best works ever written about professional wrestling. The book created some controversies as well, most surrounding Hart's family, with some family members finding the book to be revealing in ways they had not hoped, the subject of his father Stu's discipline during Bret's and his siblings childhood also awoke contentious reactions from many readers.

Background[edit]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Marcy Engelstein[5][6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

Summary[edit]

Stampede days[edit]

The foundation[edit]

Steal my crown[edit]

Pink into black[edit]

Release[edit]

Hart promoting his autobiography in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2009

[13]

Reception[edit]

The book is acclaimed.[14]

Sales[edit]

The book was a major hit and financial success in Canada immediately upon its release.[15]

[16]

Mainstream reviews[edit]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35][36]

http://www.quillandquire.com/review/hitman-my-real-life-in-the-cartoon-world-of-wrestling/

http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/05/fighting-words-memoirs.html

http://www.marchofdimes.ca/EN/programs/src/Pages/BretHart.aspx

https://blankmaninc.com/hitman-my-real-life-in-the-cartoon-world-of-wrestling/

[37]

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/calgary-herald/20161119/282149290903901

http://hour.ca/2007/12/06/wrestler-says-no-mma/

http://www.therichest.com/sports/wrestling/13-shocking-facts-you-didnt-know-about-bret-the-hitman-hart/

http://businessincalgary.com/november-2016/team-two-bretts/

http://thecommentary.ca/ontheline/20071108a.html

http://www.avclub.com/article/bret-the-hitman-hart-sounds-off-on-wrestlings-bad--33020

http://torontoist.com/2012/03/pro-wrestler-bret-hart-does-improv/

http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2012/06/07/calm-after-the-storm-bret-hart-savours-life-after-25-years-of-tragedy-and-triumph

http://heavy.com/entertainment/2015/01/top-15-wrestler-wrestling-autobiographies-books-wwe-wcw-ecw/

[38]

[39]

Professional wrestling critics[edit]

[40]

Greg Oliver of SLAM! Wrestling refered to the book as "confessional in tone and content, vicious and bitter when called for, and heartbreakingly honest".[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2006/10/07/1971338.html

http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2006/12/17/2841858.html

http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2007/10/21/4593934-sun.html

http://www.thewrestlinggame.com/wrestling/update_on_bret_harts_wrestling_book/

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/200439-bret-hart-the-hitmans-legacy

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/428204-bret-harts-account-of-his-life-in-professional-wrestling

http://www.wrestlingepicenter.com/1011122008articles//226719526.shtml

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

[53]

[54]

[55]

In the wrestling industry[edit]

Industry veteran Jim Ross said that he loved the book. He expressed it was essential reading to any wrestling fan,[56] a classic[57] and that it would make for a good television series.[58] He felt that it was a honest look at Hart's life that included "strong and well founded opinion of his personal experiences and amazing career".[59] He also stated that before reading the book all of his acquaintances had raved about it[60] and that every single person spoke to afterwards that had read it loved it.[61]

After his inital read of the book Lance Storm felt it left him with very mixed emotions, stating that it was not what he would describe as an "entertaining read" (comparing it to the autobiographies of Chris Jericho and Mick Foley) but that it was surely interesting. He called it "heavy on substance and short on flash, much like the Hitman himself" explaing that this at times made it a difficult book to read. He also stated that "If you are or were a Hitman fan at all though, I think this is a must read. Bret digs so deeply into himself for this book that you get likely the most honest portrayal of any wrestling biography ever written." On the subject of Hart's honesty Storm said that Hart comes off as both very good and very bad throughout the book, and on the whole it is a very sad tale. He also praised how openly Bret spoke about his lowest points in life, such as the death of several family members including his little brother Owen, his career ending concussion and recovering from a stroke. Storm also cited a sentence in the book which he felt sent chills down his spine and made him worry about Hart's mental wellbeing; Hart had wrote: “If I had to write a will, it would have been a few lines long, but if I’d had to write a suicide note, it would have been a thousand pages long.” Storm noted that he knew that the original draft of the book had been a thousand pages long, and it felt ominous, but did add that the end of the book picked up after that and made him feel as if Hart would recover.[62]

From Hart's family[edit]

[63][64] Hart's ex-wife Julie was initially apprehensive about reading the book, but Hart convinced her to do so, feeling that she needed to in order to understand his life outside of their home.[65] She found his honesty about the extent of his infidelity shocking and upsetting to some extent. She did not feel that the book properly portrayed their relationship from her viewpoint.[66] Julie in turn published her own book named Hart Strings: My Life with Bret and the Hart Family which covers events from her point of view.[67] She also stated that the book shocked even Hart's extended family with it's revelations of some of his inner thoughts.[68][69] At the time of the books release three of Hart's niblings were employed by the WWE, one of them Teddy Hart (Edward Annis) claims that he was fired in retaliation for the books damning coments about the company's ceo Vince McMahon.[70] On a personal level Annis expressed that he felt like he had never truly known his uncle before reading the book. Bret adressed his family's reactions to the book in a chat on WZRonline.com.[71]

[72]

Other influence[edit]

[1] [73] Canadian author Susin Nielsen has said that Hitman inspired her book The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen and gave great insight into the professional wrestling world. She read the book for research but ended up enjoying it greatly.[74] [75]

Followup[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b https://www.avclub.com/bret-the-hitman-hart-sounds-off-on-wrestlings-bad-rap-1798217736
  2. ^ http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/09/05/178355.html http://archive.is/y3CvR
  3. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/truth-rumours/article765287/
  4. ^ Kamchen, Richard (October 24, 2007). "Hitman Hart: A legend returns to the road". Slam! Wrestling. Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  5. ^ http://www.kiwireport.com/wrestless-wrestlers-wwe-stars-now/
  6. ^ https://heavy.com/sports/2016/02/bret-hart-cancer-prostate-instagram-twitter-wife-wwe-kids-family-raw/
  7. ^ https://www.simcoe.com/opinion-story/1991457-the-hitman-cometh-legendary-wrestler-bret-hart-talks-about-his-life-and-his-autobiography/ http://archive.is/TYDrW
  8. ^ https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2008/1102/415142-hartb/ http://archive.is/bIzDI
  9. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-wrestlers-hart-rending-battle-to-win-disability-benefits/article989597/
  10. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20181204220847/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1023570-wwe-diva-natalya-talks-about-interacting-with-fans-family-plans-to-write-book
  11. ^ https://apt613.ca/bret-the-hitman-hart/
  12. ^ https://wrestlingfigs.com/wrestlingnews/bret-hart-discusses-the-breaking-point-screwjob-in-montreal/
  13. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_3HqcSYXx0 The Score Television Network
  14. ^
  15. ^ Jack, Enson (2011). King of the Ring. Xlibris, Corp. p. ? pp. ISBN 978-1469132150.
  16. ^ http://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/other-news/bret-hart-new-york-times-best-sellers-list.php https://web.archive.org/web/20170815225249/http://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/other-news/bret-hart-new-york-times-best-sellers-list.php
  17. ^ https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780446539722
  18. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2008/11/24/bret_hart_feature.shtml
  19. ^ https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/bestsellers/article963934/ http://www.webcitation.org/6wcL0rKM4
  20. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/school-of-hart-knocks/article726171/ https://www.webcitation.org/archive.php
  21. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/things-to-do-and-people-to-see-in-to-this-week/article18150358/ http://www.webcitation.org/6wcLplOdL
  22. ^ http://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/book-launch-bret-hart-october-17-at-mcnally-robinson http://www.webcitation.org/6wcM604sE
  23. ^ https://thetyee.ca/Books/2008/01/04/BretHart/ http://archive.is/NGLBq
  24. ^ http://leaderpost.com/sports/local-sports/stampede-wrestling-greats-bret-hart-and-dan-kroffat-fondly-remember-reginas-exhibition-auditorium-2 http://archive.is/GwCkc
  25. ^ http://www.napaneeguide.com/2011/03/18/stroke-was-toughest-opponent-hitman-faced http://archive.is/cGSoY
  26. ^ http://benvealwrites.com/julie-hart-talks-life-with-the-hitman-in-hart-strings/ http://archive.is/Ac7jQ
  27. ^ https://kscopeonline.com/8004/a-e/a-review-of-aj-mendez-brooks-crazy-is-my-superpower/ http://archive.is/nwVUN
  28. ^ https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-446-53972-2 http://archive.is/c4ykL
  29. ^ http://www.everyview.com/2009/05/21/hitman-my-real-life-in-the-cartoon-world-of-wrestling-book-review/ http://archive.is/jkwoV
  30. ^ http://www.amreading.com/2016/08/28/7-books-written-by-professional-wrestlers-every-fan-should-read/ http://archive.is/cUi32
  31. ^ http://journal.oraltradition.org/files/articles/29i/07_29.1.pdf
  32. ^ http://www.curledup.com/hitmanww.htm http://archive.is/wp9cR
  33. ^ https://medium.com/@joshuawoodcock/hitman-by-bret-hart-have-a-nice-day-by-mick-foley-review-c71a8109df49 http://archive.is/76rps
  34. ^ https://nationalpost.com/afterword/quintin-jardine-the-toughest-sob-in-the-valley-of-death http://archive.is/AGjJ1
  35. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/column/68761-bret-hart-a-real-life-in-a-cartoon-world/ http://archive.is/vQGCl
  36. ^ https://www.popmatters.com/68762-bret-hart-a-real-life-in-a-cartoon-world-2496078087.html http://archive.is/1JY5R
  37. ^ http://shamelessmag.com/blog/entry/bret-the-hitman-hart-on-masculinity http://archive.is/PBITk
  38. ^ https://thechronicle.blog/tag/bret-hart/
  39. ^ https://alphasignalfive.com/2013/07/02/happy-birthday-bret-hart/
  40. ^ https://www.genickbruch.com/index.php?befehl=observer&award=36 http://archive.is/mSaUZ
  41. ^ Oliver, Greg (October 15, 2007). "Hitman's autobiography heartbreakingly honest". Slam! Wrestling. Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  42. ^ https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/caldwellstake/article_24071.shtml#.Wjf8IkribIU
  43. ^ http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/bookreviews/article10016278.shtml
  44. ^ https://pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=35920&p=6
  45. ^ http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=27168
  46. ^ http://www.workofwrestling.com/workblog/wow-ep148-hitman http://archive.is/9k69Y
  47. ^ https://411mania.com/wrestling/shining-a-spotlight-8-28-08-the-ultimate-wrestling-library-part-iii/ http://archive.is/5YLiY
  48. ^ https://www.cultofwhatever.com/2009/08/bret-hart-my-real-life-in-the-cartoon-world-of-wrestling-book-review/ https://web.archive.org/web/20170815230820/https://www.cultofwhatever.com/2009/08/bret-hart-my-real-life-in-the-cartoon-world-of-wrestling-book-review/
  49. ^ http://whatculture.com/wwe/10-binge-watch-worthy-wrestling-stories?page=2
  50. ^ "Bret "Hitman" Hart (Book Review)". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  51. ^ http://wrestlecrap.com/inductions/under-the-mat/ https://archive.is/hmIfA
  52. ^ http://muchnick.net/hitmanreview.pdf https://archive.is/BByEu
  53. ^ https://www.sportskeeda.com/slideshow/wwe-top-5-must-read-wrestling-autobiographies/5 https://archive.is/Rwrp9
  54. ^ https://wrestlingfigs.com/wrestlingnews/two-more-articles-on-bret-harts-book/
  55. ^ https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2014/4/11/5601608/ultimate-warriors-rise-to-wwe-stardom
  56. ^ https://www.jrsbarbq.com/blog/london-boundbret-hartchuck-liddellretirement-rumors-galoreawesome-midnight-express-book https://archive.is/kyIsQ
  57. ^ https://www.jrsbarbq.com/jrs-qa?page=0%2C2195 https://archive.is/xOAxv
  58. ^ https://www.jrsbarbq.com/2008/06/13/cauliflower-alley-thoughtscornette-book-in-the-worksbrets-thinking-a-novelnext-legends-roundtablejr-and-the-king-sche https://archive.is/P9hR0
  59. ^ https://www.jrsbarbq.com/comment/198806 https://archive.is/5utX3
  60. ^ https://www.jrsbarbq.com/2007/12/20/holiday-feedback-for-the-hungry-fan https://archive.is/2NHNX
  61. ^ https://www.jrsbarbq.com/2008/01/09/thoughts-on-the-bcs-champions-ric-flair%E2%80%A6-britney-roger-clemens-stacy-word-from-bret-hitman-hart-wwe-raw-in-hd https://archive.is/uXy6G
  62. ^ http://www.stormwrestling.com/111207.html
  63. ^ https://www.nzpwi.co.nz/2007/11/bret-hart-interview-2/
  64. ^ https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/community-story/3361245-shootin-with-the-hitman/
  65. ^ https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2013/05/bret-hart-ex-wife-talks-montreal-theory-562962/
  66. ^ "The Hitman And Her: Interview with Bret Hart". Fighting Spirit Magazine. December 2010. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  67. ^ Lutz, Jamie (February 24, 2014). "Retro Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?". Yahoo!. Good Morning America. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  68. ^ Nemar, Paul (March 16, 2011). "Julie Hart says Bret's book "raised eyebrows"". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  69. ^ https://prowrestling.net/artman/publish/WWE/article1004372.shtml http://archive.is/6LoSg
  70. ^ Mouallen, Omar (March 23, 2016). "The Rise and Fall of Wrestling's Weed-Dealing, Cat-Breeding Phenom". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  71. ^ https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2008/10/pacman-suspended-by-nfl-512291/
  72. ^ https://offthetracks.co.nz/heart-to-hart-90-minutes-on-the-phone-with-bret-the-hitman-hart/
  73. ^ http://wrestlecrap.com/inductions/classic-induction-the-offices-of-the-hart-foundation-how-did-bret-leave-this-out-of-his-book/
  74. ^ Susin Nielsen; 2012, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
  75. ^ http://www.wrestling-caricatures.com/id104.html

Further Reading[edit]

  • Tagged Classics: Just The Reviews
  • The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons
  • Dungeon of Death: Chris Benoit and the Hart Family Curse
  • I'm Sorry, I Love You: A History of Professional Wrestling

External links[edit]

Category:Bret Hart Category:Professional wrestling books

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