Bret 'Hitman' Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be [Paperback]

Bret Hart (Author), Perry Lefko (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Stoddart Pub (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773760954
• ISBN-13: 978-0773760950
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,478,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian on-screen personality, author, actor and retired professional and amateur wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), making appearances on its Raw brand. Throughout his career in the United States he has wrestled under the persona of Bret "Hit Man" Hart.

Hart held thirty-one championships in various promotions during his professional wrestling career, and is recognised by WWE as a seven-time World Champion.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not even written by Bret........., April 19, 2000

By 

Screw You (Kalamazoo, Wonderland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bret 'Hitman' Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be (Paperback)

I guess the most disappointing part is that the book isn't even written by Bret! I expected this book to be awesome because it was about the best wrestler of all-time, but found that it was basically a picture book about Bret's career. When I purchased the book I assumed that most if not all of the book would be written by Bret but found out that he only wrote about the last five pages which is an excerpt from the Calgary Sun Newspaper after Owen died. If you are expecting a book the calibur of 'Have a Nice Day' you are out of luck because this book isn't up to the calibur of 'GooseBumps.'

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty book, but what a pity, March 21, 2000

By 

Pauline Weiss (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bret 'Hitman' Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be (Paperback)

This is a very handsome package, with many pictures and an attractive un-wonky book design (so distracting and unnecessary in the Mankind and Rock books). But after the content expectations and standards set by the WWF autobiographies, this book disappoints.

1. The author credit is Bret Hart's, but it's written in third person--except for the reprint of Bret's Calgary Sun eulogy for his brother Owen. Roddy Piper's intro is nearly the same length as the eulogy--he should have gotten cover credit too! This book is clearly not written by Bret Hart; that he is credited is very misleading.

2. Roddy Piper writes as if wrestling is not "a work." Given the context of the Foley and Johnson books which take pains up front to explain the realities of the business, Piper's point of view is somewhat embarrassing. The body text takes a "work" tone as well, focusing more on the drama inside the ring than the enigma of the man.

3. Most jarringly, the text obviously spends a lot of time talking about Hart's classic WWF matches...but as beautifully reproduced as the photos in this book are, there are very few pictures of the WWF days...no pictures of Davey Boy Smith, his brother-in-law and the man with whom Bret had his finest match, only one picture of tag team partner Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart. It's a really HUGE gap. No pictures with his major belts. All recent photos are from WCW. It makes the book a somewhat disconcerting read, as biographies go. Clearly this is based on Bret's and Vince McMahon's emnity and that rights could not be obtained for WWF-era photos. I am sorry for that.

4. Finally, while the book is a treasure trove of Hart-family-growing-up photos, there are only two small photos of Bret's wife Julie, and none of his four children. The book's text doesn't even go near what I would think are two important life dramas--the end of his marriage, and the filming and release of Wrestling with Shadows.

All in all, a must for Hitman completists, of which I am one, if only for the rare Hart family photos. It's more an expanded article from Pro Wrestling Weekly than it is a true biography. Bret Hart's life is one of the more interesting and heart-wrenching human dramas in this whacked-out industry, full of beauty, idealism, tragedy, and irony. It's a story that's very far from over. I can't wait to hear him tell us about it someday.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Bret's biography, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bret 'Hitman' Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be (Paperback)

Folks save your money. This is not the long awaited autobiography that all Bret Hart fans have been waiting so long for. This is at best a coffee table book with some nice pictures. The book is really by Perry Lefko and Bret has contributed to it but it is NOT the book we have all been waiting for. He is in fact in the midst of writing it now during his layoff from a severe concussion.