The Chairshot is saddened to report that Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart has passed away as first reported by B. Brian Blair and now confirmed by WWE. He was best known to generations of WWE fans as one half of the Hart Foundation with Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, the team lasted in its first incarnation from 1985-91 and held the WWF Tag Team Championship twice, but Neidhart would reform the group twice during the 90s.

Jim Neidhart was born and raised in Orange County, California where he excelled at Track and Field, especially shotput. He had a short stint in the NFL, playing for the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys in the pre-season. After being released by the Cowboys, he went to Calgary, Canada, where he was trained in the infamous Dungeon by Stu Hart and worked for Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion and married Ellie Hart, one of Stu Hart’s daughters, with whom he would have three children, including daughter Natalie ‘Natalya/Nattie’ Neidhart.

Though best known for his numerous WWF/E runs, Neidhart had a fairly successful career as a singles wrestler and a tag team wrestler in other promotions, but he will always be remembered as the muscle of the Hart Foundation, who always laughed when his smaller opponents tried to knock him down with a shoulder block.

Despite being one of the most memorable tag teams in WWF history, Bret Hard and Jim Neidhart are credited as two time WWF Tag Team Champions. They are also known for a “phantom” title switch with The Rockers that wasn’t acknowledged on television. His daughter Natalya has also held two women’s championships during her WWE career.

Jim Neidhart was also inducted into the Stampede Hall of Fame, Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame (as an individual and as part of the Hart Family), New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Legends of Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Jim Neidhart was 63 years old.

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