Bret Hart is a retired Canadian-American professional wrestler. He is one of the marquee names in the history of professional wrestling and widely regarded as among the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. His technical in-ring performances were a major factor in the industry's rise in North American mainstream media. He made his in-ring debut in 1978 and is currently signed with the WWE under a legend’s contract. In this article, let's take a look at Bret Hart’s net worth in 2022.
Bret Hart’s Net Worth in 2022 (estimate): $7 million
Bret Hart’s net worth in 2022 is estimated to be $7 million. This is agreed upon by multiple reputable sources such as Celebrity Net Worth.
Before we dive deep into the career of one of the most iconic names in professional wrestling history, let us know more about where it all started and how he ended up as one of the best.
Bret Sergeant Hart was born on July 2nd, 1957, in Calgary, Alberta. He is the eighth child of Helen Hart and former amateur and professional wrestler Stu Hart. All in all, he had 11 siblings, seven brothers — Smith, Bruce, Keith, Wayne, Dean, Ross and Owen — as well as four sisters, Ellie, Georgia, Alison, and Diana.
He had his introduction to wrestling early on in his life. Growing up, he watched his father train future wrestling superstars in the Dungeon — his family basement that served as a training room. Because his father was also a wrestling promoter, Bret would help him hand out fliers to local wrestling shows. On top of that, he also pulled out lucky numbers from a metal box during intermissions at the Stampede Wrestling shows. When he got a little bit older, he sold programs to the shows along with his brothers.
Bret Hart began his wrestling training at nine years old. Because of that, he became a standout amateur wrestler. During his time at Ernest Manning High School, he won multiple championships in tournaments throughout Alberta.
He took up filmmaking at Mount Royal College where he also wrestled for the school wrestling team. However, he eventually found amateur wrestling to be unrewarding. He then decided to take up professional wrestling so as to not disappoint his father, but also make a living out of it. He eventually began training with his father’s Stampede Wrestling promotion.
In 1976, he began his work at Stampede Wrestling but he first started out as a referee. Two years after in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a wrestler was not able to perform for his match which forced Stu to ask Bret to stand in for the person. He eventually started gaining traction as he became a regular contender.
Bret Hart became one of Stampede Wrestling’s most successful performers, winning multiple championships, and even partnered with his brother, Keith, to win the Stampede International Tag Team Championships. In 1984, his father’s promotion was bought by the World Wrestling Federation and he was one of the wrestlers who made the transition.
He made his televised WWF debut on August 29th, 1984, in a tag team match with the Dynamite Kid. Eventually, he acquired the nickname “Hit Man” and asked to join Jimmy Hart’s heel stable “The Hart Foundation.” He was also called “The Excellence of Execution” because of his agile and technical style.
As his pro wrestling career continued, Bret Hart continuously described himself as, “The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.”
In 1991, Bret Hart won the Intercontinental Championship and the King of the Ring Tournament. The following year, he defeated Ric Flair to win the WWF Championship. During the match, he dislocated one of the fingers on his left hand and popped it back himself so it would not affect the rest of the contest. In 1993, he was voted the WWF Superstar of the Year by fans and the greatest wrestler of the year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers.
Bret Hart signed a 20-year contract with the WWF in 1996. However, the company was in a rough financial position by late 1997 and they could no longer afford the contract. He was later encouraged by Vince McMahon to approach World Championship Wrestling (WCW) about a contract that may be similar to the one he signed.
Despite him not wanting to leave the WWF and being open to a contract renegotiation, Bret Hart subsequently signed a three-year contract with the WCW worth $2.5 million per year, $1 million more than his WWF contract.
For his final match with the WWF, he had a title match against rival Shawn Michaels. Initially, Hart and Vince McMahon agreed that he would win the match and forfeit the title the following night. Despite Hart’s assurance and promise, McMahon was still paranoid which led to the infamous “Montreal Screwjob”.
When Hart was locked in the sharpshooter, the referee rang the bell even though he did not tap out, causing him to lose the WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels. This caused Hart to confront McMahon, spitting in his face and punching him while destroying television equipment.
On October 26th, 2000, Bret Hart announced his retirement from professional wrestling after the WCW terminated his contract six days prior. He then made independent appearances with different promotions such as World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) and One Pro Wrestling.
In 2004, he returned to WWE as a guest in an episode of the web series “Byte This.” On April 1st, 2006, Bret Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Stone Cold Steve Austin. The following year, he made his first appearance on Raw since October 1997.
From 2011 to 2019, Bret Hart made sporadic appearances in the WWE. He had his final match in 2011, when he teamed up with John Cena to face Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez. They won the match after Hart put Rodriguez in a sharpshooter.
His legacy in the professional wrestling industry has left a mark as he is considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers ever to compete in the squared circle. He is lauded by many of his peers, both from his time and the current era, as the best to ever do it.
Aside from his time as a wrestler, Bret Hart also dabbled in different industries such as writing and acting. He wrote a weekly column for the Calgary Sun from June 1991 to October 2004. He also wrote his autobiography, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling.
Hart appeared in a number of TV shows such as Lonesome Dove: The Series, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, The Adventures of Sinbad and The Immortal.
With all of that being said, were you surprised about Bret Hart’s net worth in 2022?
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