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Wrestling nicknames are far more important than fans realize. Sure, they aren't the most crucial aspect of a wrestler's character, but they do give fans a better glimpse into their personality. Take Roman Reigns, for example. He's the Head of the Table. Becky Lynch, she's The Man. One of the best nicknames in wrestling was Bret Hart's "The Hitman." He was also known as The Excellence of Execution, but the Hitman moniker stood out more and that's how Hart is still remembered by most people. However, many fans don't know the backstory of the Hitman nickname, and how Hart came up with it.
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Bret Hart Took His Nickname From Thomas “Hitman” Hearns
In his book, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, Hart talks about the origin of his nickname “Hitman.” In the 18th chapter of the book, he writes that he and Jimmy Hart were trying to come up with a nickname for his wrestling persona for many weeks. And on April 27, 1985, a few weeks after Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns’ knockout loss against “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, Hart read about him retiring from boxing in a newspaper and immediately liked how “Hitman Hart” sounded and that was when he decided to use “Hitman” as his wrestling nickname.
RELATED: 10 Stories From Bret Hart's Autobiography That WWE Fans Need To Know
Bret Hart Got The Rights To His 'Hitman' Nickname
In his autobiography, Hart also mentions that during his contract negotiations with Vince McMahon, he sent him a list of demands including rights to his “Hitman” nickname. His lawyer Gord Kirke also advised him to send a resignation letter in advance (his contract had rolled over automatically before) if he and WWE didn’t agree on a new deal and Hart wanted to leave. And if they did, they could just rescind it. Hart took his advice and according to him, “When Vince received it, the whole WWF office erupted into chaos.”
It was Hart’s good friend, Roddy Piper, who suggested Hart get rights to his “Hitman” nickname while he could. He wrote: “I often spoke to Roddy Piper on the phone. He told me that, although it was clearly a long shot, making action films in Hollywood was the next plateau for me to hit. He stressed to me that I should pressure Vince for control of my Hitman name while I could. I was one of the few wrestlers who actually performed using my birth name, and nobody could ever take that away from me, but Vince could afford to fight for years over my ring name if I split from the WWF.”
Vince first accepted Hart’s demands, but later send him a 20-page long contract that was “even more controlling than the old one.” His lawyer warned him to not sign it, and some days later he received news that McMahon had signed the revised contract Hart had sent. This is why when Hart jumped ships to WCW in 1997, he was able to use his “Hitman” nickname there.
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Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter Is Based On His Hitman Moniker
This should be obvious, but some fans still may not realize that Bret’s finisher was called the Sharpshooter because of his Hitman persona. He first saw this move in Japan and later learned it from Konnan. Hart then went to Vince and told him he knew how to perform this move, and it became his signature maneuver.
There’s also a misconception among some fans that Hart created this move. While the move is associated with The Hitman, it was invented by Ricki Choshu who called it Sasori-Gatame.
