Hart family remembers ‘The Anvil’ as a gifted athlete
Wrestling legend died Monday at 63
The Tampa Bay area is where Jim Neidhart was born in 1955 and died on Monday, but his connection to Calgary throughout his life was unmistakable.
The 63-year-old professional wrestling legend died following a seizure after coping with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Anvil, as he was known, will be remembered best for the tagteam he formed with his brotherin-law Bret (The Hitman) Hart, dubbed The Hart Foundation.
“They were definitely one of the very top tag-teams in the WWF. Even today, I don’t think there’s any teams that really compare to them,” said retired pro wrestler Ross Hart, Bret’s younger brother.
“Jim offered the power strength behind the team and Bret was more of the speed and finesse, and it was very well-balanced.”
Individually, Neidhart brought a “confident, determined demeanour” and “was quick and explosive when he needed to be” in the ring, according to the younger Hart.
“He was a good, natural villain. He had the maniacal laugh and the long goatee beard,” Hart said.
“He was just incredibly gifted as an athlete. He was very strong. I don’t think there was anyone in the WWF that had more legitimate strength or power than Jim. Jim could go into a gym and do reps with 450 pounds. He was just that strong but also incredibly agile.”
Those skills were developed early in Neidhart’s career, when he travelled to Calgary to train at Stu Hart’s infamous “dungeon.” Back then, the Hart patriarch would refer to Neidhart as “Rhino” due to his enduring work ethic.
But his best-known nickname was borne out of an anvil-throwing contest at the 1981 Stampede, in which Stu had entered him at the last minute because he thought it would make for good publicity. Neidhart won “pretty handily” and earned himself $50, but his true winnings came in the form of a brand that would sustain him for the rest of his life.
The Anvil just stuck. “That became his name for the rest of his career,” Hart said.
He said his father quickly formed a bond with Neidhart during those early years when the two trained in Calgary.
“They did some wrestling in the gym and they were kind of like two bulls pushing each other back and forth until one would tire out and one would try to get the advantage,” he said.
“Jim was always a formidable challenge for my dad because he just had so much strength and a lot of determination. He really earned my dad’s respect, and he kept coming back and back for more sessions in the dungeon.” Neidhart not only found Stu’s respect, but also a way into his family, having married his daughter, Ellie. The couple had three daughters, Jenni, Natalya and Muffy.
The family is preparing a funeral for Neidhart on Friday afternoon in Tampa Bay.