Best There Ever Was...Nah (The Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling - Bret Hart)

Member Name: paul1983

Product:	The Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling - Bret Hart
Date:	29/07/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy read, nice history lesson

Disadvantages: Very one-sided

I was never really a big Bret Hart fan. He was far from my favourite wrestlers, I always felt he was a bit hammy when wrestling (forever favouring the injured leg to gain sympathy) but I was prepared to give this a read as I was very keen to read his viewpoint on the Montreal screwjob more than anything else.

Bret writes his autobiography in the almost guaranteed style now of Youth - Early Career - Highlights - Reflections. No qualms here although I do wishs someone would have the guts to skip the upbringing out, generally no-one cares about it and just want the juicy bits. In Bret's defence his upbringing is quite a key part of his life.

The history of the Hart's and Stampede Wrestling is fairly interesting, although a little too fast and frantic for the reader to really picture the scene. Many of the wrestlers involved are far from household names and Bret's basic descriptions don't really help.

Bret tries to relay his fears that he wasn't going to make it but it's weak and I guess Bret never really doubted it, seeing as how everyone was forever telling him how good he was and 'the best worker ever'.

Eventually Bret gets to the WWF and it gets interesting, mainly because the other characters are recognised. More self-admiration from Bret follows. Girls flocked at his feet, people loved his drawings, wrestlers fell over themselves to tell him how good he was.

The screwjob itself is quite well documented in the book but the storyline doesn't quite patch together too well. A bit like how his sudden dislike for Hogan and Shawn Michaels comes across. Prior to his departure from WWF the only wrestler Hart appears to have a problem with is Ultimate Warrior, upon leaving he's full of vitriol, a bit more detail wouldn't have gone amiss for his dislikes.

The WCW chapter clearly is something Bret has little regard for and it's almost tucked away at the back, way behind his brother Owen's death.

Reflections wise Bret's very vauge although he does give a good account of wrestlers life on the road. Maybe he's been too ambitious in trying to cram everything in one go.

Overall it's a good read, a very good read in fact. Just be prepared for Bret's constant bigging of himself and everyone else been a pain. It does appear throughout the book that Bret has rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way, only he can't figure out why.

Summary: One of the better wrestling books but told solely from one perspective.