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May 13, 2009
Bret Hart’s Selective Steroid Commentary
Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
At the end of my largely complimentary review of Bret Hart’s autobiography, Hitman, I made the point that Hart, who advocates a union for pro wrestlers, has not “stepped up to the plate” on the key current issue: outside regulation of the industry to curb the drug abuse that has claimed hundreds of lives. My piece is at http://muchnick.net/HitmanReview.pdf. A clip from the June 29 Nancy Grace Show, in which I made a similar challenge to Hart, is linked at http://wrestlingbabylon.com.
In Hart’s interviews promoting Hitman, he continues to not get it. For example, he notes that he wouldn’t have had a career without what he calls a moderate indulgence in steroids – which is true. But unlike even Chris Jericho (another current bestselling author who is actually about to return to World Wrestling Entertainment), Hart doesn’t follow up by saying that something should be done to eliminate steroids from the industry calculus, and that outside regulation just might be that something. In this round, I give Jericho credit for not “protecting the business” as much as the iconic and conveniently retired Hart.
On Sunday’s edition of the radio show Wrestler Observer Live, Hart was asked about the release by WWE of his nephew Teddy Hart. Bret went into a thorough analysis of Teddy’s performance style and the adjustments he will need to make in order to succeed in the big time.
But when Bret was asked about the drug suspension of another nephew, Harry Smith, he had a different tune. Smith is the son of Bret’s sister’s husband, Davey Boy Smith, who died in 2002 from a heart attack brought on by years of massive steroid abuse.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Bret Hart said of Harry Smith’s problems. And hosts Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez didn’t follow up.
Irv Muchnick