Bret Hart
A master technician in a world of cartoon bravado, he brought a believable, gritty realism to professional wrestling that earned him the deep respect of fans worldwide.
Born 1957 (age 69)·Canadian professional wrestler·Birthday: July 2·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bret 'The Hitman' Hart won the WWF Championship for the first time in 1992, proving that technical wrestling could headline major events. He emerged from Calgary's Hart wrestling dungeon as an expert craftsman, not a cartoon superhero. In the era of Hulkamania, his crisp, logical in-ring storytelling and precision earned him the nickname 'The Excellence of Execution.' Hart's rise to the top signaled a shift: a main-event draw could succeed on athletic skill rather than just charisma. His career featured epic, deeply personal rivalries and a profound connection with audiences who viewed him as a genuine athlete. The infamous 'Montreal Screwjob' and a career-altering concussion framed his later years. Hart's influence remains clear: he made the art of wrestling matter as much as the spectacle.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bret was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bret Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bret's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship five times during the 1990s.
- Was the first wrestler to win both the WWF and WCW Triple Crown Championships.
- Headlined WrestleMania VIII and WrestleMania IX in consecutive years.
- His 1997 match against 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 is often cited as one of the greatest in professional wrestling history.
Did You Know?
He designed his iconic pink and black ring attire himself.
Before wrestling full-time, he worked as a film editor for his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion.
He survived a serious motorcycle accident in 2002 that left him with partial paralysis in one arm.
He was a talented cartoonist and illustrator in his youth.
“The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.”
