Stampeding thru the first few chapters.
RYAN FAN CLUB MERCH
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Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World of Wrestling
I first saw Bret "Hitman" Hart wrestle in 1989. He battled to a twenty-minute draw with Mr. Perfect in the Kingston Memorial Center. Immediately, I became a fan of his wrestling style, and over time he became my favorite wrestler of all-time. Bret's pink shades and ring attire could possibly have influenced why that color is so predominant in my own life. As a young lad, I looked up to Hart's morals, beliefs, and hard work attitude. So when my fiance gave me Bret's new autobiography, Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World of Wrestling, I was excited to read it. I also had a hard time putting it down. The book recounts Bret's life on the road, from his beginnings to his sudden retirement from the wrestling world.
The Good: There is a lot of pro-wrestling history to be found in this book. If, like me, you became a fan in the mid-to-late 80s, then you really only know what you learned through the WWF. Bret's book details his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion, and all the future WWF superstars that appeared in the Calgary ring long before Vince McMahon's rise to superstardom. Bret doesn't hide anything or shy away in this book either. He openly admits to being unfaithful to his wife and the hardships that came with it. He talks about using steroids to bulk his physique up so he could fit in with the rest of the WWF's monsters. At first it came across as if the Hitman was saying that it's okay to take the easy way. But it's more of a tongue-in-cheek slyness, as all thru the book Bret relates to the deaths of his wrestling brothers around him. The ending is kind of a downer. We all know the story of the infamous Montreal Screwjob, and the tragic death of Bret's brother Owen, and some of us even know of Bret's career-ending concussion, that was followed by a stroke that nearly left Hart paralyzed. Hearing it all re-told through Bret's own words is heartfelt, sad, but uplifting at the same time. His body may have been broken down, but his heart and mind were finally clear.
The Bad: Bret could've chopped a few pages down. Clocking in at over 550 pages, this autobiography could be too long for newer generation wrestling fans that weren't watching the shows back when the wrestlers actually tried to make it look like they were wrestling. The book ends just after Bret's father passes away, and the ending is somewhat abrupt. For having my nose glued to the book for a week, it was almost like I was made to submit at the last second without a real finish. I was also surprized that there was no mention of Bret's role in the Aladdin production.
The Verdict: If you're a fan of classic pro-wrestling, and interested in the history of it all, this is a great read for you. Same goes if you're a Hitman fan. There are two inserted sections of Bret Hart photos, and a nice cartoon collage of Bret's locker room colleagues, drawn by Hart himself. The book is a great accompaniment to the Bret "Hitman" Hart DVD set that came out a couple years ago.
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