For as long as I can remember, my world was filled with liars and bullshitters, losers and pretenders, but I also saw the good side of pro wrestling. To me there is something bordering on beautiful about a brotherhood of big tough men who pretended to hurt one another for a living instead of actually doing it. Any idiot can hurt someone.
—Bret Hart, on the inside jacket of "Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World Of Wrestling"

One of the best professional wrestlers of all time, and a lock on any "Top 10 Wrestlers Ever" list, Bret "The Hitman" Hart has released an autobiography entitled "Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World Of Wrestling". Coming in at over 550 pages, this is easily the lengthiest wrestling book out there, and perhaps the most informative as well.

When I first heard this book was coming out, I wanted to get it right away, as Bret Hart was a huge part of my childhood, as guys like himself, Shawn Michaels, Curt Hennig and others made me appreciate the sport of pro wrestling. Like many 80's kids, Hulk Hogan was the man, but coming into my teen years in the 90's, Bret Hart was the face of what pro wrestling should be. However, this book is not released in America yet, so I paid the extra fee to get it shipped from Canada, where it is currently in book stores.

Straight from the bat, I will say this is the best wrestling book I've ever read, and I've read about 95% of the autobiographies and other books out there about pro wrestling. If you thought Foley books were good, this book wipes the floor with the Foley trilogy, no offense to Mick Foley. It's just that Bret Hart accomplished much more and had a lengthier career. Helping this book alot was that Bret kept running audio tapes during various points in his career. Also, unlike other wrestling biographies, Bret Hart gives you the insights and lifes & times of so many of his peers, as he goes in-depths on the likes of Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, his family, Dynamite Kid and so many others.

Unlike other legend books such as Harley Race, Ole Anderson & Dusty Rhodes, which are all fine reads, no autobiography goes into such details about every point in their career. No other book also makes you feel like you were on the road with the wrestler, like Bret did, as he goes into vivid detail recapping all his road tours.

Going into this book, I didn't know what to expect. My feelings on Bret Hart is that he is one of the best wrestlers of all time. However, with all the information that is out there from books, radio interviews, shoot interviews & other media sources, my feeling on Bret Hart is that he has a "woe is me" attitude. Perhaps the biggest flaw in this book is that Bret could give certain readers the thought that he is always complaining. However, only some may get that perception.

Being such a lengthy book, I wondered how long it would take me to finish it. I am a pretty fast reader, but 550+ pages is alot. However, the book is so well written, informative and entertaining that I read it in one straight 6 hour sitting. The phrase "page turner" is thrown around alot, but "Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World Of Wrestling" is truly that. It is a 550 page masterpiece with all human elements and drama.

The first 200 pages start off with Bret's early years and Stampede Wrestling. The next 100 pages recap the Hart Foundation years. The next 100 pages cover Bret's single run, with the last pages recapping everything after his career.

This book is like the Godfather with Bret starring as Michael Corleone. If you've seen the Godfather movies and read this book, you will understand the connection. There are so many characters deeply discussed in this book and their twists and turns are recapped in great detail. Like the Godfather movies, there are plenty of deaths discussed. No other wrestling autobiography discusses deaths like Bret does and when you read it from Bret, he gives all these wrestlers human sides, not just their pro wrestling persona as they are often remembered by.

I was just floored by this book. I really can't say much more than it was the best wrestling book I've ever read. My thoughts after finishing the book were "WOW". You do feel for Bret here. His family can be likened to a reality version of Jerry Springer. Tragedy has plagued the Hart family with deaths and terrible in-fighting. Bret even discusses how he doesn't even talk to some of the people in his family anymore and what led to everything. If any wrestling autobiography could be made into a full feature length film, this would be it.

There is nothing hidden from the fans in this book. Bret openly talks about his drug use, whether it be cocaine or pills. Bret talks about cheating on his wife all the time and how he knows it was wrong. However, something that may come off hypocritical is when Bret takes Scott Hall to task for not signing autographs, then the next paragraph is about the married Bret with four kids having a three way with two asian women. However, despite the adultery, you do get that Bret is/was a great father for his children and perhaps his wife's constant threats led him to the arms of other women.

Bret does come off extremely bitter at points in this book. In fact, the end of the book talks about his loathing of Triple H & Shawn Michaels. Surely, Bret could've found a better way to end an amazing book by being positive, rather than talking about his enemies. However, that is somewhat the theme of the book, that wrestling isn't what it was nor will it ever go back to the way it was during Hart's years. In fact only the Undertaker & Shawn Michaels stand as main eventers from Bret's time to still be around today.

If you love locker room dirt and stories, this book is for you. Bret has no problem exposing anyone and talks candidly about everyone. If he thought someone was a suck-up he said it. If he didn't like someone he said it. If he had a problem he said it. What was great though is Bret said why he was saying it.

The Montreal incident is obviously discussed, and while it's nothing you haven't before, it is still interesting to recap again.

Owen's death is talked about alot, and you get the feeling that Bret Hart was never the same after it, just like how Stu Hart was after Owen & Helen's deaths.

Going back to the complaining and perhaps the hypocrisy of Bret in the book, Bret throws the word mark around alot and about guys reading dirt sheets. However, Bret uses past writings of Dave Meltzer to prove his points, which puts stock into Meltzer, which means maybe the sheets weren't that bad. Bret also uses guys who have died, such as Hennig, Rude, Stu and others, to bury guys he didn't like such as Shawn Michaels. Bret also manipulates the reader by using quotes from Hogan, Nash, Michaels & others against them whenever he can. While Bret may be right in his thoughts, it does come off as very transparent at times.

However, when reading this you find out that Bret Hart is human just like all of us. Hart spares no word and goes into details about everything. Every match is recapped in full detail. Every road trip. Every wrestler he was working with. Every promoter. Every booking idea. Everything.

I really enjoyed Bret's match stories. Where the ideas came from for the finishes for the matches. Perhaps the two most memorable moments in WCW post 1998 occurred with Bret Hart in the center, such as the time Bret wore the steel plate under his jersey when Goldberg speared or him, or the time Bret and Benoit wrestled the way wrestling should be done in the Kemper Arena.

Bret spends alot of this book discussing his heat with Shawn Michaels. Reading both HBK's and Bret's book, you can see that both just rubbed each other the wrong way and where going in two different directions. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth, but it was good to hear Bret's side after reading HBK's book. However, you get the feeling that Bret might still cry himself to sleep at night thinking about HBK, while Bret was more of a blurb during HBK's careeer. The person that Bret accuses of perhaps stirring the rift between HBK & Bret, Vince McMahon is forgiven, while Bret harps alot about HBK in the latter pages of the book.

It is a shame that so many of the people in Bret's early life are either here no more or on non-speaking terms. Bret refuses to talk to Dynamite Kid after reading his book. Lots of Bret's family are ostracized due to their actions during the fallout of Owen's untimely passing. It is also sad to hear how some of the Hart kids were users and jealous of Bret's success. You feel like Owen was the one good sibling Bret had, and alot of Bret died when Owen died.

Overall, this is one of the best books out there and a must read for any true wrestling fan.

The best bet for fans in America looking for this book is over at Amazon.com, as it's cheaper there than anywhere else. Bret really put alot of time into this book and it really showed.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com

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