Since his World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut in 1984, Alberta-born Bret “The Hitman” Hart has become known as one of the greatest pro wrestlers ever.
In addition to the epithet “The Hitman,” Hart was called the “Excellence of Execution” for his reputation as the best in-ring performer in pro wrestling.
Hart spoke highly of himself, too, referring to himself as “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.” Few were willing to dispute this.
Throughout his career, Hart became a five-time WWF Champion and a two-time WCW (World Champion Wrestling) World Heavyweight Champion.
Of his WCW Championship titles, his bout with Bill Goldberg would signal the beginning of the end of Hart’s esteemed wrestling career.
With the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the line, Goldberg and Hart faced off in the main event of Starrcade 1999, the 17th annual Starrcade pro wrestling pay-per-view WCW event.
During the match, Goldberg gave Hart an Irish Whip into the ropes. On the return trip, Goldberg delivered a superkick to Hart’s head, which he took like a champ.
While Hart seemed unfazed, he was suffering on the inside. The kick resulted in a severe concussion, causing Hart agonizing pain.
“It felt like someone chopped me with a hockey stick. It was an agonizing blow that sent me crashing to the mat where I lay holding my neck just behind my right ear at the base of my skull,” wrote Hart in his autobiography.
But this didn’t stop Hart from getting back up. Ultimately, he walked away with the title and competed in eight more matches before retiring from the ring in 2000.
However, Teddy Long is calling for Hart to return to the ring once more. His opponent? None other than Goldberg himself.
Goldberg has been a free agent since his contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) expired at the end of 2022. The former WWE star is now looking to end his career with a retirement tour in Israel.
On an episode of the WrestleBinge, Long pitched a match between Goldberg and Hart to settle a controversial past between the two.
“Goldberg, to me, was one of the most unprofessional wrestlers to ever work in the business…You might as well wrestle a real gorilla. He was the most dangerous guy to work with,” expressed Hart on the Broken Skull Sessions.
To this day, Hart blames Goldberg for ending his career, saying he was unsafe to work with. While there is cause for a match between the two, Hart is in no condition to fight.
In 2002, he suffered a stroke after a bike accident that left him temporarily paralyzed on his left side. On Friday, the legend apologized for missing a planned appearance at his bar, The Hitman’s Bar, in Calgary due to an illness.
While a retirement match between Goldberg and Hart would be intense, we can all agree that the WWE Hall of Famer and Calgary icon should prioritize his health.
