12. Bret The Hitman Hart
Bret Sargeant Hart (July 2, 1957) is a Canadian writer and professional and amateur wrestler, currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He is best known for his work in WWE, its previous incarnation, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Bret "The Hitman" Hart. He is also known by the monikers "The Pink and Black Attack", in reference to his ring attire, "The Pink and Black Attack, and "The Excellence of Execution." He is a member of the famous Hart wrestling family.
Following success in amateur wrestling tournaments in high school and throughout Calgary. Hart debuted in professional wrestling in 1976 with his father, WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart's promotion, Stampede Wrestling, and would wrestle alternately as a fan favorite and a villain for the duration of his career. In 1984, he signed with the WWF and was soon paired with brother-in-law Jim Neidhart to form the successful tag team The Hart Foundation, while also enjoying a singles career. WWF management separated the team in 1991, with Hart winning his first WWF Championship the following year, and becoming arguably the most popular professional wrestler in the world. Hart made appearances in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during his tenure, and eventually left the WWF for a lucrative World Championship Wrestling (WCW) contract following the Montreal Screwjob in 1997, where he enjoyed continued championship success until his retirement in 2000, due to injury. He continued to make non-wrestling appearances in promotions such as World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA), One Pro Wrestling (1PW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) for the remainder of the decade. He returned to WWE for live appearances and professional wrestling matches in 2010, where he has achieved further championship success, and briefly served as the General Manager of the Raw brand.
Widely regarded within the industry as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Hart has held championships in every decade since the 1970s, with a total of thirty-two held throughout his career. He is recognized by WWE as a seven-time World Champion: a five-time WWF Champion and two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and the second WWF Triple Crown Champion. Also a five-time WCW/WWE United States Champion (his four WCW reigns being the most in the history of the organization), he is tied for most reigns in history. In addition to championships, he is the 1994 Royal Rumble co-winner (with Lex Luger), and 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 inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by former on-screen rival Stone Cold Steve Austin.
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