Ad Disclosure
RIP Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart
Published:
If you watched WWF even casually in the 80s and 90s, then you were familiar with Jim Neidhart, who passed away this morning at age 63.
TMZ is reporting that he fell at his Florida home and struck his head, which caused him to suffer seizures and convulsions.
Neidhart was best known as one of half of the Hart Foundation tag team group alongside his brother-in-law, Bret “The Hitman” Hart. He won two tag team titles over the years while feuding with opponents like the Nasty Boys and the Legion of Doom.
Neidhart began his ring career after playing professional football with the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. He was trained by WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart in the infamous Hart Dungeon in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and earned his ring nickname, The Anvil, after winning an anvil throwing contest.
Neidhart married Stu’s daughter, Ellie, to become a member of the legendary Hart Family before making the move to WWE along with Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith when WWE purchased Stu Hart’s Calgary Stampede Wrestling.
Jim is survived by his wife and three daughters, one of whom, Natalya, currently competes in WWE and is featured prominently on the “Total Divas” reality show.
I remember Neidhart as bringing a ton of personality to the promotion and competing in some great matches over the years. He had a wonderful laugh and cut some great promos:
RIP
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com