Jim Neidhart

Tampa, Florida, USA

Biography

James Henry Neidhart was an American professional wrestler known for his work in the WWF during the 80s and 90s. He gained prominence primarily as a member of The Hart Foundation, the tag team alongside his brother-in-law Bret Hart, with whom he won the WWF World Tag Team Championship twice. Neidhart was also part of the famous Hart wrestling family through his marriage to Ellie Hart, daughter of Stu Hart. 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.

Movies

WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001. Production ceased shortly after WCW was purchased by the WWF. The debut of Nitro began the Monday Night Wars, a ratings battle between the WWF and WCW that lasted for almost six years and saw each company resort to cutthroat tactics to try to compete with the competition. In mid-1996, Nitro began to draw better ratings than Raw based on the strength of the nWo storyline, an anarchist wrestling stable that wanted to take over WCW. Nitro continued to beat Raw for 84 consecutive weeks, forcing WWE owner Vince McMahon to change the way he did business. As the nWo storyline grew stagnant, fan interest in the storyline waned, and Raw began to edge out Nitro in the ratings. The turning point for the organizations came during the January 4, 1999 broadcast of Nitro, during which lead commentator Tony Schiavone gave away the results of matches for that night's Raw broadcast. As Raw was taped and Nitro was live, Bischoff believed that knowing the outcome would dissuade viewers from watching the program. Excited by the prospect of seeing perennial WWF underdog Mick Foley win the WWF Championship, a large number of Nitro viewers changed channels to watch Raw, switching back to Nitro after Foley won the title. From that week forward, Raw beat Nitro in the ratings by a significant amount, and WCW was never able to regain the success it once had.

More info
WCW Monday Nitro
1995