The Hart Foundation

The Hart Foundation, Bret “Hit Man” Hart & the late Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, symbolized tag team excellence in WWE in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Hart and Neidhart were no strangers to each other before joining forces. In fact, they’re family: “The Anvil” and “Hit Man” were brothers-in-law. That close connection made them gel almost instantly when they joined WWE’s tag team ranks in 1985, guided by “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart. Hart’s technical prowess and Neidhart’s raw power made them a team to be reckoned with from the moment they debuted.

In early 1987, The Hart Foundation finally set their sights on the World Tag Team Titles, held by The British Bulldogs, comprised of Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid. With the help of Jimmy Hart and crooked official Danny Davis, Hart & Neidhart captured their first World Tag Team Championship.

Though they had reached the top of the tag team mountain, The Hart Foundation soon became disillusioned with Jimmy Hart’s nefarious ways. When they split from their manager, Hart & Neidhart soon found themselves the target of “The Mouth of The South’s” new charges, whether it was The Fabulous Rougeaus or The Honky Tonk Man & Greg Valentine. Hart even enlisted tag teams outside his stable of Superstars, like Demolition, to take out The Hart Foundation.

By 1990, “Hit Man” & “The Anvil” had fought off Jimmy Hart’s attempts to tear them down and turned their attention back to WWE’s top tag team prize. After bulldozing over The Bolsheviks in seconds at WrestleMania VI, The Hart Foundation made it clear they were coming for the World Tag Team Titles. It would take a few months, but at SummerSlam 1990, Hart & Neidhart defeated Demolition in a grueling 2-out-of-3 Falls Match to claim their second World Tag Team Championship.

Though they split up by the summer of 1991, The Hart Foundation left an indelible mark on WWE’s tag team division and created many lasting memories for the WWE Universe. Given their countless contributions to sports-entertainment, the tag team was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.