Evolution Schematic 10.06.07: The Hart Foundation.

Writer’s Notes

Well, time for another go round, huh? The next couple of weeks will be, possibly, a little odd in that the AWF, my wrestling company, is having a very, very busy month, so huzzah! But if my column suffers because of it, my apologies. Anyway, some links before we begin. First off, play Stablewars Play-Per-View dammit! Or not, up to you. Also, look for Dunn’s review of my fed’s second NYR card, which should be up at or near this column. Also, remember Re-Writing The Book? Basically it’s your standard Fantasy Booking, with the unusual proviso of being really, REALLY good. It was here on 411 until The Split happened, then was on that other site until it squandered Jed, and now he’s writing on Wrestlecrap. I’m slightly annoyed he’s not back with us, but it’s all good. He’s currently doing ‘What if Punk had brought the ROH Title to WWE’, and it’s a cracker of a read, thus far. And I’m not just saying that because I had some small, tiny part in helping him with the thing (Basically me saying “Why not use Foley instead of He Who Must Not Be Named” and then in passing mentioning Flair’s possible impact and then him just running with it far, far away). But yeah, he’s great, 411 is awesome as usual, you’re really spoilt for choice here.

Enough stalling, onto the reason you’re here!

Or not, it’s all good.

Overview

4 main iterations, 3 sub-iterations.

12 official, full blown members, give or take the occasional hired gun and/or associate, and the guys Jimmy Hart managed in the Indys.

1 (Main) Family.

The Hart Foundation has been a forgotten, loose association, a Tag Team, a running pair, an Anti-American crusade and some multi-generation wrestlers taking a stand for what they believe in. It’s held Tag titles, Kingships, World titles, European titles, Intercontinental Titles, and the title of ‘Hottest Woman to bear the name Neidhart’.

But above all, the Hart Foundation has always stood for one thing, and one thing only.

Excellence, no matter where you come from or what your bloodline is.

But being Canadian and a Hart sure helps.

Origins- It’s a common enough name.

The Hart Foundation starts, shockingly enough, not in Canada. Instead, it begins in Memphis, and one Jimmy Hart. Jimmy fell into Wrestling by a back door, being a musician by trade. He had a million selling album and some success in the industry, and thus when Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler wanted to record an album, he approached Jimmy to do back up and help out. Jimmy agreed, and then Lawler saw something in the kid, and pretty soon Hart was a part of Wrestling, a major player in the infamous Lawler/Kaufman ‘war’.

Debut- When even I can’t find a cast list, it’s an obscure production.

At first, The Hart Foundation was just an obscure, rarely used name. For the most part, Jimmy Hart’s group of wrestlers was called Hart’s First Family Of Wrestling, or simply The First Family, a name that in of itself lasted a long time, even into early 2000 in WCW. But also, at times, Hart would refer to his charges as The Hart Foundation, but for the most part, the name was rarely used.

When Hart came to the WWF, he never really used the name seriously, although he did use it when he was managing a few people, including Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart. But then Jimmy managed to gain the contract of Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, and he decided to make them a tag team, and a true legacy was born.

Phase 2- The REAL Hart Foundation.

The Hart Foundation was formed in early 1986, and quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, slowly rising up the tag ranks, as one did back then when people could remember things that happened months ago, rising to #1 Contender status before losing said status to the Killer Bees at the November 86 Saturday Night Main Event. However their downturn was short-lived, as the near year brought them a title shot against the British Bulldogs, a shot they would utilize to their fullest, winning the tag titles on an edition of Superstars, thanks in some ‘small’ part to the refereeing of one Danny Davis.

Their title reign was ‘marred’ by the fact that Danny Davis, a referee for the WWF, kept making ‘bad’ calls on behalf of the Foundation, helping them win the belts then keep the belts, much to the annoyance of everyone else, although they of course saw no problem. But things escalated to the point when Danny had to become a wrestler if only by necessity, to make sure he could keep his beatdowns to inside the ring in matches. The ref-turned-wrestler teamed with the Foundation at Wrestlemania III, getting the winning pinfall in a burst of generosity from The Foundation. And Jimmy’s Megaphone.

The Hart Foundation became synonymous with the 2 out of 3 falls Tag Title defense on SNME, defending the belts against the cream of the WWF, The British Bulldogs (who won 2 straight falls but not the belts since the first fall was by DQ, a rule that was changed possibly because of this match), The Young Stallions, Strike Force…

Ah yes, Strike Force. Tito Santana and Rick Martel didn’t get a shot at SNME, they got one on a lesser WWF show, but still won the match and the belts.

The Harts got their rematch a few months later (like I said, things were slower) on the Feb 5th 88 SNME, but failed to win the titles back. Then Wrestlemania IV rolled around, Bad News Brown turned on Bret Hart to win a battle royal and thus some cash, and the Hart Foundation slowly began to be liked by the fans.

Phase 3- Jimmy Hart’s leaving.

It wasn’t until Jimmy Hart signed The Rougeau Brothers that the Hart Foundation really took off as fan favorites, as Jimmy screwed over his boys, upping his fees to 25% and yet still dumping them in favor of the Brothers, since he still got the cash regardless. This betrayal both lit a fire under both Bret and Jim and solidified their status as guys the fans liked, as they set about chasing their tag titles. Throughout the rest of 88, 89 and into 1990, The Hart Foundation chased whoever had the tag belts, whoever got in their way of the tag belts, and whomever Jimmy Hart threw in their path. Along the way their had legendary matches with Demolition (Summerslam 88 and October 88 SNME highlights), The Brain Busters (Summerslam 1990 a great, great match), the as yet unnamed Rhythm and Blues at Wrestlemania V, The Rockers in a legendary match in April 1990 on a SNME, and the Bolsheviks at WMVI in a match lasting about 17 seconds.

However, it was eventually The Legion Of Doom who gave the Harts the edge, as their interference to stop Demolition’s cheating allowed the Harts to win their second reign as tag champs in a 2 out of 3 falls match at Summerslam 1990.

The second reign was a couple of months shorter than their first one, but they still defended their titles regularly against many fine opponents, including an infamous phantom tag title switch in which The Rockers beat the Harts despite the top rope breaking mid-match. The Rockers managed to get one title defense before the WWF Authority ruled the match a No Contest due to the rope snapping, and when the Rockers failed to win their rematch, their tag reign was stricken from the record, and thus the Hart Foundation’s reign was unbroken.

Unbroken, that is, until Wrestlemania VII, when Jimmy Hart’s newest clients, the Nasty Boys, used a motorcycle helmet (that just happened to be at ringside…oh wait, Jimmy brought it, so it’s obvious) to KO Jim and win the titles.

The Hart Foundation then split paths, Bret focusing on his burgeoning single’s career while Jim also did that, albeit with less success.

But a new iteration was around the corner. In late 91, Neidhart had a match with Ric Flair, a match Flair would win by, what else, the Figure Four. Neidhart’s legs were already damaged as he made his way backstage, when the Beverly Brothers, entering for their match and then seeing a great chance, attacked and further injured Jim’s legs.

As Jim sat on the shelf, he plotted, and reached out for a tag partner, someone to watch his back. He found one in Owen Hart, and The New (Hart) Foundation was formed.

Phase 4- Dig those 80’s clothes!

Sadly, the Owen/Jim team was less successful than the ‘true’ Foundation, Owen’s quicker speed not as compatible with Jim’s power as Bret’s was. The got their revenge on the Beverlys, and had some matches with the Natural Disasters and the Nasties, all to little success. They won their sole PPV match to the Orient Express at the 92 Rumble, but it was too little, too late. Jim Neidhart left the WWF shortly after, but the New Foundation was not dead, just resting.

Phase 5- Take two.

Admittedly they didn’t use the name, but Jim and Owen reunited in 94, when Jim returned to the WWF to help Owen win the King Of The Ring and then assisted him in his attempts to dethrone Bret as head Hart, Jim the sole family member to side with Owen.

This go round was a bit more successful, although Owen never did usurp Bret’s place. The team was again broken up by Jim leaving the WWF, at the end of 94.

When the Foundation returned, their were bigger, nastier and above all, really, REALLY Anti-American.

Phase 6- Oh Canada, You’re Not The US!

Wrestlemania 13 was the turning point, although Bret had already begun to curve on an earlier Raw. But at WM13, the fans turned on Bret and embraced Steve Austin, even while Bret won the damm match. His constant interference in the main event didn’t help matters.

But the US, for the most part, had turned on Bret, whereas Canada and Europe and Mexico (probably) hadn’t. So Bret banded together a group, family and one choice outsider, to fight the evil that had swept across the US of A, while embracing all that was good, wholesome and such and such about Canada and the rest of the world.

The night after In Your House 14: Revenge Of The Taker, was the night The Hart Foundation was reborn. Bret had already spoken to and rejoined his brother Owen and The British Bulldog, but on that Raw, Jim Neidhart would return, and Brian Pillman, Hart Family Dungeon graduate and fellow Steve Austin hater, Steve being symbolic of all that was wrong with America, the 5 of them joined up to form the Hart Foundation and drive out the upcoming storm of sleaze and filth.

The Foundation was built on solid ground, as they had the tag belts still in their possession, give or take an Austin/Shawn and Austin/Dude Love reign, the stable never actually holding all the belts at the same time, then after winning a big 10 man tag match at IYH: Canadian Stampede, they won the European and IC belts, Bulldog beating Owen in a classic to win the tournament to crown the first Euro champ, Owen winning the IC belt off Rocky Maivia.

Then Summerslam 97 rolled around, and results were mixed for the Foundation. Pillman lost his match and thus had to wear a dress. And Owen, despite breaking Austin’s neck, still lost the IC belt to him. But then, Bulldog kept the Euro title, and Bret won the World Title thanks to Shawn Michaels’ misplaced chair shot.

But that was the high point, as after that, things started going wrong. Owen and Bulldog never did get the tag titles back, thanks to Austin seeing to it that they didn’t. Bulldog then lost the European Title to Shawn Michaels, and the night Owen Hart won the IC belt after a tournament, Brian Pillman was found dead in his hotel room. That same night, Shawn Michaels won the #1 Contendership to the WWF title thanks to Kane’s interference in the first Hell In A Cell match.

One month later, and the Hart Foundation died the moment Earl Hebner rang the f’ing bell.

Phase 7- Huh, Kids Nowdays…

So The Hart Foundation is dead, yes? Apart from a couple of minor reunions of the original Jim/Bret/Jimmy team, the stable was no more, right?

Try telling the kids that.

Because in 2002, in Stampede Wrestling, the Hart Family’s old stomping grounds, a bunch of the Hart Family’s third generation, Teddy Hart, Harry Smith and Nattie Neidhart, along with Nattie’s boyfriend TJ Wilson and Jack Evans, both of whom were trained by Hart family members, formed The Hart Foundation 2.0.

The stable was short-lived, as Evans left to head to ROH and the rest split up slightly as they traveled the Indy circuit. But soon, most of them got WWE contracts, and found themselves in the same place, at the same time…

Today- The New (New (New)) Hart Foundation!

And thus, the latest and greatest version of the Hart Foundation has been born in Florida, Teddy Hart, Harry Smith, Nattie Neidhart, TJ Wilson and newcomer Ted DiBiase Jr. (a fellow third generation star and trusted outsider, a role the Hart Foundation needs to ensure the family doesn’t split apart). Will this new group be as successful as the last one? Perhaps, perhaps not. We shall have to wait and see, for we cannot tell now if they will come to save us from the sin, save us from the filth, save us as only the Hart Foundation 2.0 can.

Save_Us.222 indeed?

Conclusion

There is something…karmic about The Hart Foundation. Despite it’s roots in Memphis, the group has always been around, it seems, in the WWF, a representation, a link if you will, to the old school, Canadian culture of wrestling as a sport, a way of life, something to look up to. The Hart Family, The Hart Foundation, is in many respects symbolic, hell, it IS wrestling.

Even if it’s jingoistic, hate filled and arrogant at times. But then, that’s wrestling in a nutshell.

And now, another sliver of a fractured view of life, as from the pen of Dave Lovelace…