Hart Bruce - Straight from the Hart

To my son Rhett, thanks for lighting up my life

Back in the day, the veil of secrecy that surrounded the wrestling business made the idea of writing a behind-the-scenes book inconceivable to me. But things began to change after Vince McMahons curious decision to expose the business in the late s and early s. Despite what the smart marks were able to learn, I still had a Las Vegas mantra as far as my own travails were concerned what happens in the Hart family, stays there.

The past decade, however, has seen a number of books written about the Hart family. The bio of my dad by Marsha Erb was nice although Stu, true to his old-school roots, didnt actually divulge much about the inner workings of the business. Unfortunately, the ones written by my other family members seemed to me to have been penned either to get back at others, or to gratify their egos. Those written by outsiders, I found hard to take seriously; these people whod never met my dad, mom or most other family members were suddenly claiming to know everything about us. Filled with conjecture, a lot of what was written was planted by people with ulterior motives.

My old friend Harley Race used to say that if you havent walked the walk, you shouldnt be talking the talk. Having been in the eye of the hurricane for most of my life, I feel qualified to offer my perspective on the not-so-perfect storm that is wrestling. While I wont be pulling any punches (unlike the wrestlers), I wont be taking cheap shots either.

My mission is to tell it like it is and let you, the reader, form your own opinion. Its been said that truth is stranger than fiction, and Straight From the Hart is testament to that.

Id like to extend my profound gratitude to my children Brit, Bruce Jr., Torrin, Rhett and Lara for their unwavering love and support. As well, Id like to thank my mom and dad; my brothers, Dean and Owen, and my sister Ellie; the Funks, Harley Race, Lou Thesz, Flyin Brian Pillman, Gene LeBell, Peter Maivia, Bob Leonard, Ed Whalen, Pat Mitchell, my imperturbable editor, Michael Holmes, and a host of others, too numerous to acknowledge here, for having inspired and supported me along the way.

Bruce Hart, December 2010