Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling
By Bret Hart
Random House Canada
Now Available in Canada for Purchase
U.S. Release scheduled for 2008

Note: For more on Hitman, including additional excerpts, check out PWB’s Official Podcast #120.

Let me just say this right now: Bret Hart’s Hitman is easily the greatest book on wrestling ever written. That may sound a bit lofty considering Mick Foley’s first two books have had praise heaped upon them by wrestling fans, but it’s no joke. Once you pick up this book, you won’t be able to put it down.

It’s almost hard to know where to start when writing a review. This book is so many things. The first thing this book does is provide straightforward account of Bret’s life in the “cartoon world of wrestling,” so let’s start there.

Hart actually recorded an audio diary for many years, which means he was able to write an incredibly comprehensive account of his life. He writes about his childhood, his times with his father’s promotion, Stampede Wrestling, all the way through to his times with the WWF/E and eventually WCW.

What really struck me about the book was Bret’s honesty. Many fans might be surprised to find out all the details about his marriage to his first wife, Julie. The book chronicles their up and down relationship, which eventually ended in divorce. Many fans might also be surprised to find out that Bret found comfort in meeting and sleeping with many women while out on the road, although you get the idea that things were so bad at home it would be almost impossible for someone in his position to resist the temptation.

We also learn more about the people who were major figures in Hart’s life, including his father and mother, Owen, Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid. Bret again holds nothing back, so some fans may find it hard to read about Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid’s drug and steroid abuse.

Outside of Hart’s personal life, we get a fantastic take on backstage politics in wrestling. It was great to learn more about his days traveling up and down the backroads in Canada with Stampede wrestling, but of course the book really heats up when he reaches his time in the WWF/E. With several chapters covering the Clique and the Montreal Screwjob, wrestling fans won’t be disappointed–well, that is, unless you are a Shawn Michaels fan. Hart’s portrayal of HBK is less than flattering, but very truthful. Here’s an excerpt from Hart’s afterword to the book:

Shawn Michaels found religion and settled down with an ex-Nitro girl. Over time he seems to have convinced himself that it was me who screwed him over at Survivor Series. To me, Shawn will always be a phony, a liar and a hairless yellow dog. The difference between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels is that I’d have never done to him, or to any of the boys, what he did to me.

Of course, we get several chapters on Owen Hart’s death, as well, and the painful mess that was caused after his death by his wife’s lawsuit against the WWE. Finally, Hart recounts another challenge that he faced in life: his stroke. While many are aware that he had a stroke, you may not realize how bad it actually was until you read this book.

Aside from the autobiographical stuff, this book serves as an additional wake-up call regarding steroids and drug use. This has been a hot topic in the aftermath of the Chris Benoit tragedy, and Hitman tells us just how bad steroid abuse and pain pill abuse can get in the world of professional wrestling.

It’s true that this was the 80s and 90s when drug abuse in wrestling was at its peak, but it’s still mind boggling some of the stories that Hart tells regarding wrestlers’ addictions. Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith and Shawn Michaels’ drug problems are recounted in detail, and much of those details may prove shocking, especially to casual wrestling fans. However shocking it may be, it’s important that fans understand what wrestling a hard schedule can drive their heroes to (still, is that any excuse?). Hart even admits to steroid abuse of his own, although it was on a far lesser level than some of the previously-mentioned wrestlers.

This autobiography is a must-have for any Bret Hart fan–or for that matter, any wrestling fan. Hart is a talented writer, and I was surprised that this was not a ghost-written book. We learn that Hart is very confident in his wrestling ability, which he has the right to be. He really does view himself as “the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be,” but it doesn’t come across as braggadocio. This is in contrast to Mick Foley’s latest book, the Hardcore Diaries, which is several hundred pages of Foley bragging about the various celebrities that he’s met.

At 553 pages, you’ll also be able to savor Hitman for several weeks–or several long nights. Again, I warn you, it’s hard to put down. And again, I say, this is the greatest wrestling book of all-time, hands down.

Rating: 10/10

Also, check out the interview below with Bret Hart:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX_sPH3FNMg&rel=1]