Jim Neidhart
Before becoming a wrestler, Neidhart was a standout athlete in high school, setting a shot put record. After a brief stint in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, he moved to Calgary to train with Stu Hart and join Stampede Wrestling, where he won the International Tag Team Championship twice.
Neidhart made his WWF debut in 1985, initially as a singles wrestler. However, his real success came when he teamed up with Bret Hart to form The Hart Foundation. Together, they dominated the tag team division, winning the WWF World Tag Team Championship in 1987. Throughout their careers, they faced other major teams like Demolition and Strike Force, and their tag move, the Hart Attack, became iconic.
In 1991, Neidhart briefly teamed with Owen Hart to form The New Foundation, but his time in the WWF ended in 1992 when he was fired for refusing a drug test. After leaving WWF, he had stints in WCW and ECW, but his career in those companies was less prominent.
Neidhart returned to WWF briefly in 1994 as part of the heel side alongside his brother-in-law Owen Hart, reuniting in a new version of The Hart Foundation and facing off against wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin. In 1997, after one final return to WWF, Neidhart left the company and retired more definitively.
In his later years, Neidhart appeared at several independent events, with his last match taking place in 2016. Despite personal issues, including drug arrests, and his battle with the passing of time, Neidhart left behind a significant legacy in the wrestling world.
On August 13, 2018, he passed away at the age of 63 after an accident at his home. His death was attributed to a head injury after he fell while trying to adjust the thermostat. WWE paid tribute to Neidhart, remembering his contributions to wrestling and his legacy as one of the greats in WWF history.
Filmography (118 Appearances)
Biography: WWE Legends
Dark Side of the Ring
WWE Hall of Fame 2019
WWE Network Collection: Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
WWE Unreleased: 1986-1995
Owen: Hart of Gold
WWE: Macho Man - The Randy Savage Story
WWE: The Best of Sting
WWE: 150 Best Pay-Per-View Matches, Vol 1
Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
Total Divas
WWE: The Best Of In Your House
Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection
Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart
WWE: Shawn Michaels: My Journey
Hart & Soul - The Hart Family Anthology
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
WWE: Allied Powers - The World's Greatest Tag Teams
Giants, Midgets, Heroes and Villains II
WWE: The Shawn Michaels Story - Heartbreak & Triumph
Mid-South Wrestling Giants, Midgets, Heroes & Villains vol. 1
Enter... Zombie King!
Heroes of Wrestling
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
WCW Fall Brawl 1998
WCW Spring Stampede 1998
WCW Thunder
WWE Survivor Series 1997
WWE Badd Blood: In Your House
WWE SummerSlam 1997
WWE In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
Best Of Raw • Volume Six
WWE King of the Ring 1997
WWE In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell
World Wrestling Peace Festival
WWE Mega Matches '95
WCW Monday Nitro
WWE Brawl in the Family
WWF Off the Top Rope
WWE SlamFest
WWE Survivor Series 1994
Undertaker: He Buries Them Alive!
WWE SummerSlam 1994
WWE King of the Ring 1994
Thunder in Paradise
ECW November to Remember 1993
Thunder in Paradise
Mr. Nanny
Raw
The Best of ECW 1992: Volume 1
WWE Crunch Classic
WWE SuperTape: Volume 5
WWE Royal Rumble 1992
WWE World Tour 1991
Wrestling's Greatest Champions
WWE WrestleFest '91
WWE U.K. Rampage 1991
SWS WrestleFest
WWE WrestleMania VII
WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
WWE Royal Rumble 1991
WWE Survivor Series 1990
WWE SummerSlam 1990
Battle of the WWE Superstars
WWE SummerSlam Fever
WWE WrestleFest '90
WWE WrestleMania VI
WWE Royal Rumble 1990
WWE Survivor Series 1989
WWE SummerSlam 1989
Demolition: Witness the Power
The Best of the WWF: volume 20
Fan Favorites
WWE WrestleMania V
The Brains Behind the Brawn
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: January '89
WWE Royal Rumble 1989
WWE Survivor Series 1988
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: October '88
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: October '88
WWE SummerSlam 1988
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: August '88
WWE WrestleFest
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: July '88
The Best of the WWF: volume 15
WWE WrestleMania IV
WWE The Main Event
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
WWE Houston Wrestling: December '87
WWE Houston Wrestling: November '87
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: June '87
WWE The Hart Foundation
WWE WrestleMania III
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: March '87
The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: January '87
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: January '87
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
WWE Houston Wrestling: October '86
The British Bulldogs
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
WWF Superstars
WWF Wrestling Challenge
The Best of the WWF: volume 8
The Best of the WWF: volume 7
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: May '86
WWE Detroit Wrestling '86
WrestleMania II
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: March '86
The Best of the WWF: volume 5
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: December '85
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: November '85
Saturday Night's Main Event
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: April '85
Best of the WWF Volume 3
Tuesday Night Titans
Mid-South Wrestling
WWE Old School