Five instances when Bret Hart overcame the odds

Bret’s life has been a testament to fighting the oddsCouple of days ago, Bret Hart posted a lengthy message on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, detailing the hardships he had faced in his career. The Hitman went on to reveal that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and while most of the people would crumble upon hearing such news, Bret expressed confidence and desire to fight on.Bret Hart’s career has been well documented, and the former WWE champion is considered to be one of the greatest technical wrestlers to ever step inside a WWE ring. Bret, along with his brother-in-law, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart made his way to the WWE from the Canadian Stampede promotion, and immediately made an impact. Dubbed “The Hart Foundation”, Bret and Jim soon reached the upper echelons of tag team division, by winning the WWE tag team titles.Bret then pursued his singles’ career, and won the prestigious WWE Intercontinental title. After dropping the title to Davey Boy Smith, Bret then cemented his legacy as one of the greatest WWE superstars in history, winning the coveted WWE title on multiple occasions.However, it isn’t the titles or the glory that comes with championships that has defined Bret Hart over the years. Bret’s on-screen persona is an extension of his real life personality – something Bret has and still does take pride in.For over two decades, Bret Hart has become synonymous with indomitable spirit, and his will to defy overwhelming odds. The entire wrestling fraternity, along with the fans around the world have no doubt that Bret will walk out victorious in his new challenge – something that Bret has proved time and again. In this article, we take a look at five instances when Bret showed his true character, and defied insurmountable odds.

#5 Brets rise to the top in the WWE

 

 

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, WWE and the professional wrestling industry was dominated by heavily muscled superstars. It was a common notion during this period that to be successful in professional wrestling, you needed to have an unbelievable physique. It was also during this time that professional wrestlers started using steroids extensively, with the likes of Hulk Hogan admitting to steroid use to bulk up.

As such, wrestlers like Roddy Piper, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig and Bret Hart were considered to be workhorses, but not championship material. When Bret Hart won the WWE Intercontinental title from Mr. Perfect in 1991, the entire locker room urged Bret to break down the barriers and aim higher – to become the WWE champion.

However, with the existing mentality, it was an uphill climb for the ‘Excellence of Execution’. However, Bret defeated Ric Flair in 1992 to become the WWE champion, and future stars such as Shawn Michaels credited Bret for breaking down the doors for ‘smaller’ superstars such as himself, and to pave the way for the work horses to dream big in the WWE.