Jim The Anvil Neidhart, 1980s wrestling star, dies at 63

Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who joined with brother-in-law Bret Hart to form one of the top tag teams in World Wrestling Entertainment during the 1980s, died Aug. 13 in Wesley Chapel, Fla. He was 63.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said Mr. Neidhart fell at home, hit his head and “succumbed to his injury.” No foul play was suspected. Ross Hart, his brother-in-law and a former pro wrestler, told the Associated Press that Mr. Neidhart had Alz­heimer’s disease and that it was believed he suffered a seizure.

Mr. Neidhart’s daughter, known as Natalya, wrestles for WWE and is a former women’s champion. Mr. Neidhart made appearances with his daughter in the WWE reality series “Total Divas.”

Mr. Neidhart, Bret “Hitman” Hart and manager Jimmy “The Mouth of the South” Hart made up the Hart Foundation stable in the 1980s and 1990s, and the tag team won two WWE championships.

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The Hart Foundation started as bad guys in WWE and won their first tag team championship in 1987. They won the tag titles again in 1990 but split up not long after their second reign ended. Bret Hart was the wrestling technician of the team while Mr. Neidhart brought the raw force and power that made them fan favorites later in their run.

As a singles wrestler, Hart would become one of the biggest stars in WWE history and made the promotion’s Hall of Fame. Mr. Neidhart foundered for most of the 1990s before aligning again with Hart, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman and the “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith to form a new Hart Foundation and become the top faction in WWE.

“What a great run we had. I couldn’t believe how it took off,” Jimmy Hart told the AP. “But the reason why was, Neidhart was such a great character back then. Bret was more cool, the girls loved him. Neidhart and myself were kind of the evil twins.”

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James Henry Neidhart was born in Tampa on Feb. 8, 1955, and grew up in Newport Beach, Calif. He was a shot-put star in high school in California in the early 1970s and had brief tryouts for the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys before becoming a pro wrestler.

Mr. Neidhart married Hart’s sister Ellie and became part of the famed family wrestling dynasty in Canada. Stu Hart trained his sons, including Bret and former WWE star Owen Hart, as well as Mr. Neidhart in the 1970s. Mr. Neidhart started his pro wrestling career in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion and signed with WWE in 1985.

Mr. Neidhart wrestled mostly for WWE until 1997 and was known for his pink and black gear, maniacal laugh and goatee. He wrestled briefly for other wrestling promotions and had brushes with the law and spent time in drug rehabilitation later in life.

But he found a second act as comic relief on “Total Divas” and was filmed going shopping with his daughter and teaching wrestlers to golf.

A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.

— Associated Press

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