Bret "The Hitman" Hart
I appreciate that these early inductions might be a bit processional early on, but it's important that we do it all fairly. The next potential inductee is Bret Hart, who needs little introduction, but I'll give it anyway.
Hart was born into the most famous wrestling family in Canada. After a brief career as an amateur wrestler at a local level he was trained in his father's dungeon and began working with greats such as Dynamite Kid in his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion. After 8 years in the promotion, during which time he was a pioneer of the ladder match, Hart himself and the promotion as a whole was acquired by the WWE.
Hart started off without real direction, before being put in a heel tag team with Jim Neidhart, his legitimate brother in law in 1985. The Hart Foundation were managed by Jimmy Hart. He had his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania 2, in a battle royal. They won the tag titles in February 1987 and held them over six months before dropping them to Strike Force. During this period, they had some high profile feuds with the British Bulldogs, including a six man tag match at WrestleMania 3 alongside Danny Davis against the Bulldogs and Tito Santana.
After losing their titles the Harts turned face in early 1988 as Jimmy Hart betrayed them for the Rougeaus. After a few abortive breakout attempts, Hart won his second tag title at Summerslam 1990 and they held the titles until WrestleMania VII, when the team finally split for good.
Hart won his first singles title soon afterwards when he beat Mr. Perfect in what many people consider the greatest match ever at Summersam 1991. He lost the title to The Mountie, who in turn lost it to Roddy Piper who lost to Hart in a torch passing moment at WrestleMania VIII.
He held the title for a few months until dropping it at Wembley to The British Bulldog, yet another brother-in-law at Summerslam 1992. Just two months later, he beat Ric Flair at a house show to claim his first WWF Championship, which he held until WrestleMania IX, dropping it to Yokozuna, who immediately dropped it to a returning Hulk Hogan.
He was supposed to face Hogan and win at Summerslam 1993, but Hogan dropped the title and left after the first PPV King of theRing tournament. Hart would win that tournament, beating Mr. Perfect, Razor Ramon and Bam Bam Bigelow to do so. He then engaged in a feud with Jerry Lawler, which led to a Survivor Series match between Lawler (though he was replaced by Shawn Michaels) and his knights against the Hart brothers. Only Owen was eliminated and that planted the seeds of his next major feud.
Owen turned on Bret at the Royal Rumble in 1994, but Hart was still able to win the event jointly with Lex Luger. In the interest of fairness, he faced and lost to Owen at WrestleMania X before beating Yokozuna for the title later that night. He feuded with Owen over the title until Owen cost him the title against Bob Backlund at Survivor Series 1994. Hart then faced and beat Backlund in a non title match at WrestleMania XI.
Hart feuded sporiadically throughout with Jerry Lawler and his dentist Isaac Yankem, before beating Diesel for his third WWF Title at Survivor Series 1995. He held the title until WrestleMania XII when he lost in sudden death after an ironman match against Shawn Michaels. Hart disappeared until Survivor Series of 1996, when he returned to face Steve Austin in a winning effort.
Hart won the 1997 Royal Rumble, only for Austin to return and eliminate him, setting up a Fatal Fourway for the number one contendership. However, after Michaels got injured, the match was for the WWF Title, which Hart won only to lose it the next day when Austin cost him it. This lead to a submission match at WrestleMania 13 which was won by Hart, but in a manner so brutal he turned heel and Austin face in the process.
Austin beat Hart the next month after interferance from The British Bulldog, which established Hart as a foreign heel in charge of the heel Hart Foundation, which included Owen, Neidhart, Bulldog and Brian Pillman. Heels in the USA, but faces everywhere else they fought.
He managed to beat Undertaker for the title with inadvertant help from Shawn Michaels at Summerslam 1997, and held it until Survivor Series 1997, when he lost the title in the Montreal Screwjob, which is too boring to go into detail about again.
That led to him leaving WWF and arriving in WCW at Starrcade 1997, when he complained about the result in the Sting and Hogan match. Whilst that was bizarre, he had a decent face push in early 1998 but quickly turned heel by attacking Randy Savage. He beat Savage a couple of times, before setting his sights elsewhere. He beat DDP for the vacant US title, dropping it to Lex Luger and regaining it shortly afterwards. He exchanged the title with DDP a further time in late 1998, and ultimately dropped it to Roddy Piper.
His next action was to goad Bill Goldberg, and trick him into spearing an iron plate, before disappearing from WCW for a while. Over this time, Owen Hart died so Hart didn't return until September. He beat Goldberg, for the first time, to win the US title for the fourth time and to progress in the biggest tournament of all time. He lost the title to Scott Hall in a ladder match soon afterwards, but he managed to win the tournament, and his first WCW title at Mayhem 1999.
He and Goldberg briefly held the WCW Tag Titles, but lost them to the Outsiders. Hart faced Goldberg at Starrcade, winning, but being concussed in the process. He vacated the title, due to the dusty finish at Starrcade only to win it back as the nWo reformed and beat down Goldberg. Hart was the WCW Champion for much of January 2000, but his injuries proved too much and he was forced into retirement.
Ten years and a stroke later, he has returned to the WWE and will likely induct his father into their hall of fame, which he was inducted to himself in 2005, but does he belong in our hall of fame?