Hitman My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling

Hitman My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling

Written without collaborators and based on decades of tape recordings he made throughout his career, HITMAN is Bret Hart’s brutally honest, perceptive and startling account of his life in and out of the ring that proves once and for all that great things come in pink tights.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars The Best Book On Wrestling Today
I recently read Bret Hart’s autobiography and I have to say that it is one of the most honest books about wrestling and about what goes on in the ring and behind the scenes.

Bret gives his thoughts on various wreslers and topics(both good and bad) and I also appreciated the fact that while he doesn’t pull any punches on what he said, he owns up to his own faults as well.

I think this book should be required reading for anyone who wants to know about a certain time and era of professional wrestling.

3 Stars Good book, but Bret’s narcissism takes it down a few notches
First off, if you’re a Bret Hart fan or an insider fan who enjoys backstage stories, you’ll like this book. There were many parts of the book I enjoyed, including the background of his family, the partying with wrestlers, Bret’s falling out with Hulk Hogan, among other things.

As unpopular as this may be though, I grew tiresome of Bret’s ego in the book, and, quite frankly, the whining about Montreal. Bret incessantly talks about fans in every country barraging him as if he’s the biggest rock star ever; yes, we get it Bret. A little humility wouldn’t have been such a bad thing (sorry, admitting your guilty of extra-marital affairs doesn’t count). As for Montreal, it’s ten years later and his ego won’t let it go. Shawn Michaels has expressed his sorrow for the whole incident; for Bret to say he’ll never forgive him speaks to his bitterness.

Good book, but Foley’s first two books and Jericho’s book are much better reads for the simple fact that they don’t take themselves so seriously.

5 Stars Wanna know what goes on in wrestling?
Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling by Bret Hart

Growing up, I remember my Dad and Brother watching wrestling at night while we had dinner. Bret the Hitman Hart was one of my very favorites as a little girl, he was easy on the eyes and had that commanding personality that made him all the more attractive. Bret was one of those wrestlers that looked like he belonged in the ring, flipping, jumping, and most of all winning. Having the chance to review his biography, is a special treat for me.

Most of Bret Hart’s memories as a young child were seriously imprinted on his mind as he fought for his place in the family, fought with his brothers, and stuck by those that he formed an alliance with. Bret also talks about his father, Stu, that was “the man” of wrestling in that day and age. While Stu was a hard man, as I read on, I could tell how much Bret loved and looked up to him. Being the eight of twelve children, Bret was going to make it in the wrestling world… but it wouldn’t always come easy.

As life went on, Bret found his love for the wrestling lifestyle, but with the good comes the bad. He made life long friendships with some of the biggest names in his wrestling career, had an amazing family, and provided for his children. I’ll skip ahead now, after years of wrestling, Bret traveled the world and tells about his wild sex encounters, and how drugs are so openly available to those that are famous. He also talks about his rival, Shawn Michaels, and his open feelings toward Shawn’s rising fame.

Bret goes into major detail in everything, leaving not much out I’m sure. You can feel his emotions, the tragedies, and his memories of the years gone by seep into your skin. You’ll find yourself tearing up, smiling, and if it makes sense, you’ll feel close to the man I call a legend. Also, I want to mention the photo inserts, those really made you feel a connection to the Hart’s. I loved Bret’s biography, and I wish the best for him. 5 Hearts or should I say 5 Harts

Grand Central Publishing

Hachette Book Group

ISBN# 0446539724

5 Stars The best wrestling autobiography there is, and probably every will be……
If you’re expecting bitterness and cold blooded, you don’t want to even bother with this book. This book is appropriately named, as Bret Hart does not hold back on anyone, including himself. I’ve read Stone Cold and The Rock’s autobiography, none of them as compelling and revealing as “Hitman.”

3 Stars The Hitman’s “Cartoon World” was way too black and white.
Everyone but his beloved parents, Owen, and a few wrestlers were all liars and opportunists in Bret’s “Cartoon World”. That’s what I took away from this autobiographical account of an interesting wrestlers life. While The Hitman seems to want to tell it like it is, I have to wonder how much of the truth is really in his writing?

His feuds with his wife are mostly left unexplained, with at least a dozen “Julie was about to leave me again” type statements without much reason or insight besides the business being hard on them. Did she know about his affairs? Was there other personal reasons she wanted to leave? Bret never says. It might make HIM look like the bad guy for once.

Bret skims over most anything that would paint him in a bad light. He takes no credit for the mid-90’s WWE decline, which he was a big part of. He makes one passing mention about people ‘lying’ and saying he was “difficult to work with”. I can see their point, from all the times he was in Vince or Bischoff’s office complaining or being insecure. He may have been in the right about a number of these issues, but when the NwO or The Clique were running the show, instead of adapting to the realities of the business Bret chose to rebel and sulk.

The last few chapters of the book are the most baffling to me, and make me worry for Bret. After Owen’s wrongful-death suit is settled in the last few chapters he skims over the death of his father, his own stroke, a barely spoken-of second marriage, and leaves the reader wondering if he has really ever been able to move on. He is literally still blasting Triple-H and Shawn on the last two pages of his life story before talking about walking away with his head held high.

While this is an entertaining read, I hope the readers don’t take every word as the gospel truth. I am not a Shawn Micheals mark, I swear. I just think that Bret’s “Cartoon” is in black and white, while I would paint him more in shades of gray. He was a womanizer. He seems to have some homophobia issues. He seemed to forget on a daily basis that while he was a talented wrestler Vince and Bischoff couldn’t always base their entire companies around him. He doesn’t seem to want to solve problems within his family, writing some very vile things about all of them except poor Owen. He is always the victim and it is always someone else’s fault.

For Hart fans, this is a Bible. For wrestling fans, this is an eye-opening personal account from one of the best technicians in the business. I would recommend this book to them. For non-wrestling fans, I would suggest you steer clear. Hart’s life is too wrapped up in the names and faces of the business and you will likely be bored and confused.

Buy/More Info