Decades ago my brother woke me up in the middle of the night to announce that Bret “The Hitman” Hart had defeated Ric Flair to become the new WWF Champion. Or at least as it was reported in the only WWF tv show we got back then, WWF Superstars shown in IBC 13 at 11:30 pm. Bret became one of our favorites since then. My classmate, Myrna, was one of the biggest fans of Bret Hart, but she also found his arch-rival Shawn Michaels very hot, so imagine her spiritual conflict when the two fought for championship in a classic battle in the 1997 Survivor Series. I never did get to ask Myrna if she was able to buy that Playgirl issue featuring a Shawn Michaels centerfold.

Eventually Bret Hart became a “heel”, or someone with a bad guy persona. At that time I already went to college and stopped watching wrestling altogether. Recently I’ve been trying to catch up with the career of Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation, triggered by my recent infatuation with pink Rayban aviators. I always fantasized that I was one of those ringside fans that Bret gives his pink visors to before each match.

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