Jim Neidhart Biography

James Henry Neidhart (February 8, 1955 - August 13, 2018) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Bret Hart in The Hart Foundation. Among the events he headlined for the WWF were Survivor Series 1989 and In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede.

Early life

At Newport Harbor High School, Neidhart first gained athletic acclaim for his success in strength-oriented track and field events. He held the California high school record in shot put from 1973 until 1985. After graduating from high school, Neidhart pursued a career in the National Football League, where he played for the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys in practices and preseason games.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1979-1985)

Following his release from the Dallas Cowboys, Neidhart traveled to Calgary to train with Stu Hart and pursue a career in professional wrestling. He worked for Hart's Stampede Wrestling from 1978 to 1983, and again in 1985, during which time he married Ellie Hart, one of Stu's daughters. He was a two-time Stampede International Tag Team Champion, with Hercules Ayala in 1980 and Mr. Hito in 1983. Stu Hart, seeking publicity for Neidhart, promised him $500 to enter and win an anvil toss at the Calgary Stampede. He did, throwing it 11 feet, 2 inches. This earned him the nickname "The Anvil", replacing his prior nickname, "The Animal".

Stampede had a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Neidhart worked on their Big Fight Series tour in 1982, the New Year Golden Series in 1983 and two shows on March 2 and 3, 1984.

Neidhart teamed twice with King Kong Bundy for Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1983 and worked for Mid-South Wrestling from September till February 1984, where he and Butch Reed held the Mid-South Tag Team Championship for two and a half months. From April to August 1984, Neidhart worked for the Continental Wrestling Association. He then left for Championship Wrestling from Florida, winning their versions of the NWA Southern Heavyweight and NWA United States Tag Team Championship, before leaving for the WWF in January 1985.

World Wrestling Federation (1985-1992)

The Hart Foundation (1985-1991)

When Stu Hart sold Stampede Wrestling to Vince McMahon, owner of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Neidhart and Bret Hart were included in the deal. Initially a singles wrestler, managed by Mr. Fuji, Neidhart debuted on January 21, 1985, in Madison Square Garden, defeating Tony Garea. He wrestled Hart, who had a cowboy gimmick, to a draw twice. Bret, upset with his gimmick, suggested to McMahon that he form a tag team with Neidhart.

The new team was dubbed The Hart Foundation and was managed by Jimmy Hart (no relation to Bret). They made their pay-per-view debut at WrestleMania 2, where they were the last two eliminated from a 20-man battle royal by Andr the Giant. The Hart Foundation won their first WWF World Tag Team Championship on the February 7, 1987 episode of WWF Superstars (taped January 26) from The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid), with the help of referee Danny Davis, who was continually "distracted" by checking on Dynamite (laid out of the match early by a megaphone shot from Jimmy), allowing the challengers to double-team Smith. Davis was subsequently fired as referee and began wrestling, aligned with The Hart Foundation. They lost the belts on the November 7 episode of Prime Time Wrestling (taped October 27), to Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana).

The Hart Foundation wrestled in another 20-man battle royal at WrestleMania IV. Bad News Brown attacked and eliminated Hart to win. Neidhart eventually joined Bret's side in the feud with Brown causing a rift between the team and manager Jimmy Hart. This led them to fire him and before starting a feud with The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers. In the fall of 1988, Jimmy Hart began managing the Rougeaus. The Hart Foundation unsuccessfully challenged Demolition (Ax and Smash) for the tag title at the 1988 SummerSlam, when Ax hit Hart with Jimmy Hart's megaphone for the pin (Hart accompanied Demolition's manager, Mr. Fuji, solely to further his feud with the challengers). The Hart Foundation continued feuding with Jimmy Hart's wrestlers for the next year, teaming with Jim Duggan to defeat Dino Bravo and The Rougeaus in a 2/3 falls match at the 1989 Royal Rumble, then defeating The Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine at WrestleMania V.

In April 1989, both Hart Foundation members began wrestling singles matches at house shows. Neidhart also had a few shots at Ravishing Rick Rude's Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship in August.

The Hart Foundation reformed full-time on March 24 in Las Vegas. At WrestleMania VI in Toronto, they defeated The Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov) in 19 seconds. They started a second feud with champions Demolition, who at this point added Crush. At SummerSlam 90 on August 27, The Hart Foundation won the title for a second time in a 2/3 falls match.

On October 30, 1990, The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated The Hart Foundation in a two out of three falls match in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to seemingly win the title. During the match, the top rope broke by accident, and the match did not air on television. The Rockers defended the WWF Tag Team title against Power and Glory (Paul Roma and Hercules) on November 3, 1990. Shortly after November 3, the WWF decided to not air the title change and that the title would revert back to the Hart Foundation. In his book, Shawn Michaels claims that the Hart Foundation had politicked to keep the title. The WWF has never officially recognized The Rockers' reign.

The Hart Foundation reigniting their feud with Jimmy Hart via his team, Rhythm and Blues (Honky Tonk and Valentine). Jimmy Hart once again cost The Hart Foundation the belts at WrestleMania VII, in a match with his new team, The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs and Jerry Sags), when he distracted the referee, allowing Sags to knock out Neidhart with his motorcycle helmet. Hart and Neidhart again split up, though they reunited for a title rematch with The Nasty Boys on the July 29 Prime Time Wrestling, losing by disqualification when Bret hit both champions with a helmet, again introduced by Jimmy Hart. Neidhart also commentated on Wrestling Challenge alongside Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from March until August 1991.

The New Foundation (1991-1992)

He returned to TV action on the November 9 edition of Superstars of Wrestling against Ric Flair, who continued to apply his figure-four leglock after winning the match. While hobbling away to the back, he was attacked and further injured by The Beverly Brothers. He was thus replaced in the 1991 Survivor Series by Sgt. Slaughter (who became the team captain).

He returned on the December 1 edition of Wrestling Challenge, teaming with Owen Hart (Bret's younger brother) as The New Foundation, defeating Barry Horowitz and Duane Gill. Clad in bright blue parachute pants, The New Foundation's highlight was a win over The Orient Express (Kato and Tanaka) at the 1992 Royal Rumble. Aside from one match against The Barbarian and Warlord, they wrestled The Beverly Brothers exclusively at house shows in 1992. He was fired on February 16, 1992 after a house show in Augusta, Georgia, for unprofessional conduct.

ECW, New Japan, and WCW (1992-1993)

After three matches in Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW), Neidhart had three tours with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1992: The G1 Climax in August (losing in the first round to Kensuke Sasaki), the Super Grade Tag League II in October (teaming with Tom Zenk and finishing with 0 points) and Battle Final in December.

He debuted for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) on the May 15 episode of WCW Worldwide, beating a jobber. After defeating another jobber on the next episode, Neidhart teamed with The Junkyard Dog for the next, again beating jobbers. Neidhart and The Junkyard Dog beat Paul Orndorff and Dick Slater by disqualification on the June 5 WCW Saturday Night. Eleven days later, he beat Shanghai Pierce in a dark match before Clash of the Champions XXIII. After losing to Maxx Payne at a house show in Kokomo, Indiana, on October 7, Neidhart left WCW.

On November 13, 1993, Neidhart wrestled The Sandman to a no contest at ECW's November to Remember in the ECW Arena.

Return to WWF (1994-1997)

Reunion with Owen Hart (1994-1995)

Neidhart returned to the WWF at King of the Ring in 1994, as Bret Hart's cornerman for his WWF World Heavyweight Championship match defense against Intercontinental Champion Diesel. Neidhart interfered to prevent the Hart from being pinned, disqualifying Hart but allowing him to retain the title. After the match, Diesel and Shawn Michaels beat down Hart, and Neidhart didn't intervene. Later that night, Neidhart reappeared at ringside again during Owen Hart's King of the Ring tournament final against Razor Ramon. He attacked Razor outside the ring, behind the referee's back, helping Owen to win the match. Owen had been feuding with Bret since the Royal Rumble. Neidhart, believing Bret had held Owen back from his potential, sided with Owen. Neidhart claimed he'd only helped Bret keep the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at King of the Ring so Owen could take it from him. This opportunity came in a steel cage match at SummerSlam. Neidhart sat in the third row during the match, behind other Hart family members. After Bret won the match, Neidhart entered the cage, locked it and helped Owen beat him down, while the Hart family members tried to climb over it and save him.

Neidhart and Hart then teamed together in a WWF Tag Team Championship tournament. They lost to The New Headshrinkers (Fatu and Sionne) in the first round on the December 31 edition of Superstars, by disqualification. By the time it aired, Neidhart had left the WWF. Bret Hart wrote in his autobiography that the original plan was for Owen and Neidhart to win the tournament and the championship, but Neidhart was officially fired due to no-showing events.

Who (1996)

On the July 6, 1996 edition of Superstars, he returned as the masked "Who", a gimmick designed for commentators Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler to make "Who's on First?"-style jokes during his matches. Who last appeared on TV in the "Bikini Beach Blast-Off" party on the SummerSlam pre-show. His last match was a win over Alex Porteau in Miami on September 12.

Neidhart wrestled for New York independent promotion Ultimate Championship Wrestling (UCW), against Tatanka, his brother-in-law Bruce Hart, King Kong Bundy and Marty Jannetty.

The Hart Foundation reunion (1997)

Neidhart returned to the WWF on the April 28, 1997 episode of Raw is War, attacking Stone Cold Steve Austin. He reunited with Bret and Owen Hart as part of the new Hart Foundation, a stable of Canadian sympathizers, also including Davey Boy Smith and Brian Pillman. On July 6 at In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, The Hart Foundation defeated the American team of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and The Legion of Doom. Neidhart was part of Team Canada at Survivor Series in Montreal, teaming with The British Bulldog and The Can-Am Express (Doug Furnas and Philip Lafon) to defeat Team USA Vader, Goldust, "Marvelous" Marc Mero and "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman.

After Bret and Davey Boy Smith left the WWF after the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series, D-Generation X leader and WWF Champion Shawn Michaels offered Neidhart a spot in the group on the November 24 episode of Raw Is War. Neidhart accepted, only for it to be revealed as a setup as the group assaulted Neidhart at the end of the show. The following week on the December 1 episode of Raw is War, DX member Triple H defeated Neidhart, and DX attacked him after the match. This was his last WWF appearance, and Neidhart was released from his WWF contract on December 2, 1997.

Later career (1998-2018)

In January 1998, Neidhart returned to WCW, where he formed a short-lived tag team with The British Bulldog, who also departed from the WWF following the Montreal Screwjob. His final match for WCW was on the September 26 episode of WCW Saturday Night, where he and The British Bulldog lost to Stevie Ray and Vincent.

On WWE's Raw XV, the 15th-anniversary WWE Raw special on December 10, 2007, Neidhart participated in the 15th Anniversary Battle Royal, making it to the final five before being eliminated by Skinner.

Neidhart appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on the November 12, 2009, edition of Impact! winning against Jay Lethal in his initial open challenge thrown out to the legends of professional wrestling.

Other media

On April 6, 2010, WWE released Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology on DVD, which is a three-disc set featuring a documentary on the Hart wrestling family (including Neidhart) as well as twelve matches. Neidhart's daughter Natalie is featured as a main cast member on the reality show Total Divas, and he made appearances on the show along with his wife.

Personal life

Neidhart and wife Ellie have three daughters, one of whom, Natalie, is a professional wrestler under the ring name "Natalya", currently signed to WWE.

Neidhart was arrested on September 6, 2010 and charged with two counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, two counts of trafficking illegal drugs, one count of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, and one count of third degree grand theft for property stolen between $300 and $5,000. He was arrested after becoming aggressive with police after ingesting multiple pills outside a gas station. In March 2012, he was sentenced to five months and 29 days in jail. During his sentencing, he was arrested and held in contempt of court. Neidhart completed two stints in rehabilitation paid for by WWE.

Death

According to TMZ, Jim Neidhart's wife Elizabeth (Ellie) Neidhart told investigators that Jim was having problems sleeping and got out of bed to adjust the thermostat. Ellie then said that as Neidhart went to touch it, he turned "weirdly" as if he was "about to dance", then fell into the wall and ground. She immediately dialed 911, believing he was having a seizure, something he was taking medication for. Neidhart had a four-inch gash on his face when EMTs arrived. He died at the age of 63. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, the fall was the cause of death.

Championships and accomplishments

• Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) - with Krusher Khruschev
• Legends Pro Wrestling
  • Hall of Fame (2011)
• Memphis Championship Wrestling
  • MCW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with The Blue Meanie
• Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
  • MEWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Mid-South Wrestling
  • Mid-South Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Butch Reed
• New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2014
• Professional Wrestling Federation
  • PWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked #61 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1994
  • Ranked #189 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
  • Ranked #37 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Bret Hart in 2003
• Pro Wrestling Ohio
  • PWO Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Greg Valentine
• Stampede Wrestling
  • Stampede International Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Hercules Ayala (1) and Mr. Hito (1)
  • Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
• Universal Wrestling Alliance
  • UWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• World Wrestling Federation
  • WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Bret Hart
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Feud of the Year (1997) with The Hart Foundation vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
• Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Individually
  • With the Hart family