Hitman by Bret Hart

Bret Hart liked to refer to himself as the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. While some might argue that statement in regards to his career and DVD, it can not be debated when it comes to his book. If Mick Foley's first book set the bar by which all other wrestling books are measured then this book has significantly raised the bar.

Bret tells a story of death, drug abuse, jealousy, spousal abuse, adultery, and divorce. And that is just about the members of the Hart family. Amazingly, when Bret discusses the insane world of wrestling his life appears to be normal. And his discussion of the world of wrestling is by far the greatest look at the inner workings of the industry that has ever been written. Since he is no longer active in the sport and has no fears about having to please Vince McMahon he writes whatever he pleases about the company and the world of wrestling with no fear of retribution.

However, there is a huge cloud of sadness that surrounds this book. While the overall story describes the death of the sport as he grew up knowing it, there is just way too much death that has led to that. Bret talks about the pressures and the ways that wrestlers coped with those pressures that has led to the epidemic that is in the news right now. As Bret discusses all of his friends in the business doing what they did, you just knew that these stories all had a tragic ending. Amazingly, after reading this book I can't believe that there are not even more dead wrestlers.

One of the best things about this book is that so many rumors that have been reported as fact over the years have been refuted (ex: the original ending of the Final Four Match, and why Bret lost the Intercontinental Championship). Of course Bret goes into detail about the Montreal Screwjob and the death of his brother Owen. The story about Owen is sure to make any person with an ounce of empathy furious at the WWE, their lawyers, and many members of the Hart family.