He is considered by many to be the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. From humble beginnings in Stampede Wrestling to the top of the mountain as world champion in the WWF and WCW, Bret "Hitman" Hart has always had close ties to his hometown of Calgary. Even when on the road for 300+ days a year he continued to call Calgary home.

Hart was forced to retire in 2000 after a concussion and a subsequent stroke. He did briefly return to the ring in a limited capacity in 2010 but for the most part has enjoyed retirement as well as traveling to appearances. GayCalgary Magazine caught up with Hart while he was in New York City for a number of events on wrestling’s biggest weekend, Wrestlemania 29.

"Wrestlemania still does have magic. I get treated with a lot of respect by the fans, the wrestlers and the WWE staff. I feel kind of like royalty down here. Most important to me is that I get to connect with a lot of fans. I always try and stop and take pictures - being nice to fans is not an imposition for me. I always try to relate to when I was a fan, I would really like it when guys would stop and take a picture when I was smaller and now I am on the other side of it. I don’t find it hard work, I enjoy it and am grateful that I have a lot of fans and feel proud of myself when I come down for events.

"The thing I like the most about coming to an event like those in New York is seeing a lot of my old friends. I’ve seen Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Jimmy Snuka. Wrestlers seem to be dropping like flies and [it’s good] seeing some of these guys doing great. I have a lot of friends that you don’t see very often. You travel with them for years on the road and become very close but then all of a sudden you never see them again. This is an opportunity to make the most of that and see guys you never see and may never see again.

"I always felt my broadest fanbase in the United States and maybe the world was New York itself. A big reason why I became champion was the fact that I was so popular in New York. I frequent here quite often and always meet a lot of fans and love to give back to them and show my appreciation for so many years of dedication and support. When I was on the plane coming down there, there were a lot of WWE fans coming down. There are people from all over the world: Singapore, Australia... It is a big thing for them to fly all the way over here, if they want a picture it is the least I can do."

While he has made many appearances in the US and around the world, the Calgary Expo marks his first signing for Calgary in many years. He is excited to not have to get on an airplane, and to reconnect with long time and new local fans.

"It is kind of a rare opportunity. When I got approached I was quite excited about it, it is a chance to sign autographs in Calgary. I’d like to think that almost everybody in Calgary has my autograph by now, I sign things all the time wherever I go. It will be a really positive thing for me to see so many fans come out.

"...It is cool for me just to be at the event and to see the exhibits. I’ve been to some in the United States like San Diego and they are always a lot of fun. This one will be extra special because it is Calgary, my home town. I can’t wait until it begins. It will be nice not to fly as well, I don’t get to do something local very often. I know so many superhero and comic fans have identified with pro wrestling. When I grew up as a kid I was fascinated by masked wrestlers, I even dreamed of working under a hood. It never happened and wrestling with a mask is quite hard. Growing up as a kid my love of Spiderman and Batman tied in with pro wrestling and the masked guys who worked for my father. The little boy in everybody will come out at the comic expo. I hope that the little boy or girl that grew up cheering me on and [who] I influenced - I like to think I was a good hero, and I get a lot of fans that tell me that today. I always tried to live up to the image I had in the ring and am proud I had no scandals like Hulk Hogan sex tapes or was busted at the airport. I’ve never done anything to not look like a champion. I’ve made mistakes in my life but for the most part I have tried to be a good hero and lead by example. I am proud of who I am and how I have lived my life and am grateful to give back to the Calgary fans that come out to see me."

Although Stampede Wrestling is no longer running, the iconic Hart House is no longer owned by the family, and the Harts aren’t as much in the spotlight, Calgary hasn’t forgotten wrestling’s first family. Hart credits this to his father Stu, who passed away in 2003, and mother Helen who passed away in 2001.

"...A lot of people loved and respected both [my mother and father]. A lot of people miss both my parents but my father was such a figure in the city, he was a pioneer. He is a classic example of what Alberta and Calgary represent. He was a good man and people don’t forget that. Just like Ralph Klein there is a certain salt of the earth that comes out of people here and they both had that, which may be why they were such good friends. I try to be a chip off the block and always try to be a good representative of the Hart family. I am proud of myself, my parents and what we did for the community and for wrestlers that became big stars out of Calgary. When you watch WWE wrestling today I really do think Stu was one of the positive factors in wrestling. The wrestlers he helped create went on to change the world and he was a major force in what has become pro wrestling today. I am glad that Calgary appreciates us."

While many of his appearances are at wrestling related events, Hart has appeared at broader entertainment conventions as well.

"I’ve gone to some expos and seen guys like William Shatner. We did some wrestling shows together - he is a relaxed guy and I like that. It is always fun to meet stars. Sometimes you meet them and they are a lot different than they are in TV shows, so it is nice to see them as humans, normal and relaxed and joking around.  I am grateful to be part of the list. If you had told me in high school that I would be at an event with the same names that are there I would have told you that you were crazy. I am a very lucky guy to have had the fortune I had and the fans support me. I would put my fan base and accomplishments up against all of those TV and movie stars."

Although retired for 13 years, fans around the world have not forgotten "The Hitman." He received a huge reaction during a recent RAW appearance. Fans will recollect favourite matches from decades ago, and it is clear that they have not and will not forget him.

"I dedicated my life to wrestling and worked really hard at it and gave some of the greatest matches and performances of all time. I am grateful that it meant a lot to so many people and stuck with them. There are people who still relate to my Canadian/US storyline and other moments in time that stand out forever. I am lucky that I touched so many people who remember that.

"Calgary likes to remember the good Calgarians, my Dad was a good one and people will never forget him... Even in the states I meet people that still talk about my Dad. I think it is the same thing, people respected me and that I was a hard working guy. Wrestling has become this huge entertainment vehicle and I was one of the pioneers of that, and I am lucky we have fans who remember that. Nobody is more proud of being a Calgarian than I am.

"It has been such an interesting journey since I retired. I was humbled with my stroke and in a lot of ways it made me a better and stronger person, and am lucky I had the recovery I did. I always thought of myself as someone who battled back and fought uphill battles in wrestling and was the underdog. I wasn’t the biggest guy, I was a normal sized guy that was six feet tall. I had a good physique and athleticism but I wasn’t a monster, you could relate to me. When you watch a lot of these guys like CM Punk and the Rock they weren’t watching Hulk Hogan wrestle. They don’t want to watch wrestling like that anymore, they are dinosaurs. I changed wrestling and the direction it was going - from the freakish Ultimate Warrior guys with little wrestling ability - and changed it.  It was about how good I wrestled.

"When you go back to Wrestlemania IX and X, it was when wrestling ran into a brick wall with the steroid scandals and all of that. They had to stick the belt on someone who could hold things for awhile and stop things from sliding. They put it on Bret Hart because I was safe and smart and logical. I don’t think they ever thought I would hold it for that long, it was like hold this until we find our real star. I went through a period for maybe four or 5 years where I was a stand-in while they were trying to figure out their real champion. Every time they did he bombed and they stuck the belt back on me, because I was the best wrestler on the card. I wasn’t the greatest talker, when I walked in a room people just looked at me as very normal. People relate to that. It was all part of the new direction that they took.

"I like to think that when I got to that position of champion it was more about the matches. People remember the Iron Man match and the Steve Austin match and the match with Owen. That is what I want to be remembered for, being the best storyteller in wrestling. I really thought out the moves and was the stunt coordinator and story writer every night. I am proud of everything I did, you can pull out any match I had and it still stands out today. I don’t think there are any wrestlers today that can have the same matches and impact and I am very proud of that."

Related Articles

Contributor Jason Clevett |

Locale Calgary |

Person Bret Hart |

Topic Calgary Expo | Celebrity Interview | Comic Expo |