Wrestling legend Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart passed away on Monday morning. He was 63 years old and he leaves behind an incredible legacy as part of the Hart Foundation.
To honor the talented and charismatic powerhouse, we’ve put together a list of his best matches. SEScoops writers Brad Davis, Damon Martin, Ian Carey and Jeff Moss have each picked a match that you can watch on the WWE Network. Here they are in chronological order:
1Hart Foundation and Danny Davis vs. The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana (WrestleMania 3)
Damon Martin: The Hart Foundation’s feud with the British Bulldogs was one of the greatest tag team rivalries in WWE history when they started having a series of matches around 1986 and 1987. The two teams ended up in a six-man tag match at WrestleMania III with the Hart Foundation as one of the biggest heel factions to ever compete in WWE. Teaming up with ‘evil’ referee Danny Davis was just a stroke of genius and putting them over that night only made the fans hate them that much more. The heat from the crowd in Detroit that night was legendary and the Hart Foundation revelled in every second of it.
2The Hart Foundation vs The Brainbusters (SummerSlam 1989)
Jeff Moss: In 1989 the Hart Foundation was on the rise and at the second Summerslam, the pair faced off against Tag Team Champs Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, aka The Brain Busters. In the storyline, the match was signed before the Brain Busters became champs, so the titles weren’t on the line. That said, to be able to watch a young, all-pink Hart Foundation face off against two of the Four Horsemen is an absolute treat. The workrate and finesse in this match is amazing and the pure strength and toughness that Neidhart and Anderson bring to the table completed the perfect ying to the yang. An underrated classic in this reporter’s opinion, and not just because it features some of my favourite wrestlers of all time. And Tully.
3The Hart Foundation vs. WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition – Best of 3 Falls (SummerSlam 1990)
Brad Davis: The things you loved as a child will always have special meaning to you. The late 80’s and early 90’s are considered by many to be a golden era of WWF. The British Bulldogs were a little before my time, so Bret and Anvil were to me the pinnacle of a complimentary tag team. Technical excellence matched with brute force. Calculated execution and unhinged madness. The odds were stacked against the Foundation in this match, which made the dramatic victory that much sweeter. Demolition had recently introduced Crush as a third member, leading fans (and the Hart Foundation) to wonder if the babyfaces would get a fair shake. They didn’t – but it didn’t matter. The Legion of Doom, new to the World Wrestling Federation at the time, stormed to ringside late in the third fall to even the odds. The finish, with Jim Neidhart delivering a shoulder block to Crush and Bret Hart getting the roll-up pin, is pure magic. Neidhart laying over Bret after their win, unleashing his signature laugh, is a moment I’ll never forget. RIP, Anvil.
4The Hart Foundation vs. Team USA (In Your House Canadian Stampede, 1997)
Ian Carey: Canadian Stampede in 1997 was the ultimate event if you were a Canadian wrestling fan at the time. It was the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith and Brian Pillman) vs Team USA (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and The Legion of Doom) with the WWE fanbase being divided against each other based on geography. It was the Olympics meets wrestling and it was awesome. Jim Neidhart was not Canadian, but that didn’t matter. His association with the Hart family was all that mattered. Following the match that night, Nattie Neidhart, TJ Wilson, Harry Smith, and Teddy Hart all celebrated in the ring with the elder generation. More than any Hall of Fame induction could do, this match and PPV celebrated all that the Harts have brought to wrestling.
Discussion: What are your favourite Neidhart matches?
